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Pen, Paper, Steel: Visualizing Bach's Polyphony at the Bauhaus.

Authors :
Probst, Stephanie
Source :
Music Theory Online. Dec2020, Vol. 26 Issue 4, p120-145. 26p.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

Graphs drawn on rastered paper and a monumental steel sculpture display how visual artists Paul Klee and Henrik Neugeboren conceived of Johann Sebastian Bach's polyphonic style in 1920s Germany. Focusing on the representational decisions behind these artistic translations of music, this article explores the ways in which such artifacts manifest a specific analytical lens. It highlights congruencies with and deviations from the theoretical framework of "linear counterpoint," as epitomized in Ernst Kurth's influential treatise from 1917, and thereby positions the artworks within the controversial reception history of Bach's music and atendant theoretical frameworks in the early twentieth century. More generally, the article proposes that graphical and sculptural renderings of music can offer the opportunity to investigate music theory's intangible methods and conceptual metaphors through different sensory experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
10673040
Volume :
26
Issue :
4
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Music Theory Online
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
148014528
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.30535/mto.26.4.6