Zur Zitattechnik in Helmut Lachenmanns Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied

Abstract

In his Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied [Dance Suite with German National Anthem, 1979/80] Helmut Lachenmann uses a structure which combines dances from different cultural backgrounds and historical periods. In addition, he incorporates well-known traditional melodies into the work. These are mostly not identifiable by the listener. The German National Anthem (Deutschlandlied) is placed at the core of the work. In the Coda, the lullaby Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf is added. The Viennese folk song O du lieber Augustin constitutes a “quotation of a quotation” since Arnold Schönberg had already referred to it in the second movement of his Second String Quartet (1907/08). In the analysis, Lachenmann’s criteria for incorporating quotations become apparent: (1) With regard to rhythm he maintains the proportions of the quotations used, yet he applies changes. The exponential increase of note values, for example, reveals a highly structuralist approach to the construction of rhythm. (2) The shape of melodies/pitches from the quoted material are only partly retained and often extensively stretched and thus reshaped; in some instances, Lachenmann retains the pitches literally, sometimes the diatonic scale is transformed into a bright/dark-scale of noise sounds and clusters. (3) Lachenmann perceives the quotations as “structure”. By referencing well-known musical material, this structure is saturated with meaning. Lachenmann’s quotation technique shows the desire to legitimize music through its content; it demonstrates the endeavour to incorporate melody into a language of sound and noise and testifies to the composer’s intention to reach beyond structural realms and produce social and political meaning. All these aspects culminate in Lachenmann’s opera Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern (1991–96/2001). Thus, Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied might be considered an interim stage in Lachenmann’s work.