Krzysztof Penderecki's Dies Irae: A CONDUCTOR'S INTRODUCTION

Author(s): JAY W. WILKEY

Source: The Choral Journal, Vol. 10, No. 6 (MARCH 1970), pp. 14-16
Published by: American Choral Directors Association
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23543393
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EXPERIMENTALISM . . .

that still has a "will we or won't we" Krzysztof Penderecki's Dies Irae
attitude after it is on the risers for a
performance. Again it all comes back to A CONDUCTOR'S INTRODUCTION
careful and deliberate preparation.
I close with this thought from Howard JAY W. WILKEY opera The Witches of Loudon (1969),
Swan's article : has had a mixed reception, largely be
cause Penderecki chose to write "back
■ V V AA A

Music finally comes alive through the

agency of many personalities. Some Jay W. Wilkey, Associate Professor of ground music" to a play, rather than
thing wonderful happens which is not Church Music and director of the Sem dominate the stage with arias and duets.
inary Choir at the Southern Baptist This is not surprising; Penderecki's in
duplicated anywhere else on earth. You
Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ken
know what happens when you and your terest, as seen in his music, has always
tucky, specializes in contemporary music
choir catch fire. They never forget it.
but is also interested in pre-classical and been primarily religious and dramatic.
non-Western music. In March 1969, he He is a talented musician who writes
They continue to talk about it. The
conducted the American premiere of music for specific functional purposes.
spark which furnishes this inspiration
Pendereeki's Dies Irae and is spending
comes from the conductor. He needs this year on a sabbatical at the Institute
This practice may be seen most pointed
all the capabilities possible but many ofof Comparative Musicology at the Uni ly in his Dies Irae (1967).
these he must teach himself — much versity of Tokyo, where his specific re The Dies Irae, which Penderecki calls
of the technical, the sensitivities, the search will be concerned liturgical music: an "oratorio" even though the piece is
Shinto, Buddhist, Christian and their
appreciations, and most importantly,
modern variations. He is slated to write only about 25 minutes long, was written
his response to the chorus before whom an article on the Japanese choral scene for the unveiling of the "International
he stands. Now this takes hard work. for a later issue of The Choral Journal. Monument to the Victims of Fascism"
It takes drive, and time, and strength, at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Auschwitz was
and sweat and some tears, and a fer the most infamous of Hitler's concen
vent cultivation of joy and laughter. One of the most remarkable musical tration camps, where thousands of Jews
and other "enemies of Nazism" were
We never, even in these times, can af happenings of the 1960's has been the
ford to lose our sense of humor. It renaissance of Polish music. To even exterminated. As a musical protest
against man's inhumanity to man, the
the most knowledgeable of the musical
takes imagination and creativity. In my
dictionary the outstanding conductor world, "modern Polish music" meant Dies Irae is a spiritual expansion of his
always is an optimistic realist. He simply
is a earlier Threnody. It is most appropriate
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937),
realist in recognizing his own limita that a child of Poland, which was rav
who bridged almost singlehandedly the'
tions but is not defeated by them. He gap between German romanticism and aged by both sides of the WW II con
is a realist when he evaluates constant the neo-classicism of the between-the flict, should testify to the evils of both
ly the ambitions of his choir. He shows wars decades. But to most musicians sides through these two pieces.
his realism by his study, by planning "modern Polish music" has meant abso The Text
his rehearsals, by experimentation (and lutely nothing. During the early years
now is the time for this), and by of the Communist regime, composers Surprisingly enough, the text is not
learning to know his people as individ were directed to write nationalistic mu that of the Requiem sequence, but con
sists of various Biblical passages, mod
sic reflecting "socialist realism." Only
uals — not just as bodies, or names,
or numbers. Yet he is an optimist, forone composer, Witold Lutoslawski (b. ern French and Polish poems, and ex
his faith never wavers in himself or cerpts from the Furies of Aeschylus. The
1913), was able to make significant mu
modern poems were then translated into
his performers, and, most importantly sical contributions during this time of
for the music."7 Latin, and the Aeschylus left in the
repression. After 1956, when the coun
Greek. The two French poets are Louis
try was opened up to East-West cultural
FOOTNOTES Aragon (b. 1897), a socialist who writes
exchange, the prospects of composition
1. Howard Swan, The "Lost" Art of In brightened considerably. primarily about social evils and who is
spiration, The Choral Journal, January represented by a short excerpt from his
The influx of the previously prohibited
February, 1969, p. 5. Western music brought about a rapidpoem Auschwitz, and Paul Valéry (1871
2. Allen Lannom, The Conductor And liberal education for Lutoslawski and his1945), whose primary literary concern
His Art, The Choral Journal, March was man's internal conflict between "the
younger contemporaries, the most highly
April, 1966, p. 12. freedom of detached contemplation" and
regarded of whom are Henryk Gorecki
3. Ibid, p. 13. "the surrender to involvement in life,"
and Krzysztof Penderecki, both born in
4. Swan, Op. Cit., p. 8.
1933. (Most of the compositions of these who is represented by an even shorter
5. Louis Diercks, The Individual in the
Choral Situation, The Choral Journal, as well as many other contemporary excerpt from his Le Cimetiere Marin.
March-April, 1967, p. 26. Polish composers are available through The two Polish poets, Broniewski
6. Lannom, Op. Cit, p. 13. SESAC, Inc., 10 Columbus Circle, NYC (Bodies) and Rozewicz (A Pigtail),
7. Swan, Op. Cit, p. 9. tt 10019.) both reflect an anti-war posture in what
Penderecki (pronounced "Pen-de-rets some might consider rather morbid texts.
ki") has experimented with most of the The Aeschylus and Revelations passages
McGraw-Hill Records announces the
first stereo recording of Monteverdi's current methodologies of composition — all portray a horrifying picture of death.
opera L'Orfeo and the only complete serial, electronic, and aleatory. His The Corinthians text is the familiar
version of the opera on records. Fea greatest success has been with a kind of "Death is swallowed up in victory." The
tured on the Telefunken's well-known
"minutely controlled chance," emphasiztitle of the work comes from Revela
series of early music recordings, Das
Alte Werke, is an international cast of ing tone-clusters, tone-colors, and dra tions 6:17, "The great day of their
singers and the famous Concentus Musi matic effect. His two most universally wrath has come, and who will be able
cus of Vienna under the direction of acclaimed pieces to date are Threnody to stand it." (Venit dies magnus irae
Nikolaus Harnoncourt. First produced in
to the Victims of Hiroshima (1961) and ipsorum: et quis poterit stare?)
Mantua in 1607, it was Monteverdi's first
the Passion According to Saint Luke The purpose of the text is to provide
opera and the first great music drama
to be composed. (1965). His most recent major work, an a point of orientation. Certainly. Pender

14 THE CHORAL JOURNAL

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ecki had no intention that the text be Penderecki seems to thrive on evoking ception of the three vocal soloists, high
aurally understood in the actual perform- unusual, but "natural" effects from the school musicians could technically per
ance. If the presentation of the text in various instruments — e.g., asking a form the Dies Irae. Whether such
Latin and Greek were not a sufficient woodwind player to overblow his high- youngsters are psychologically ready is
barrier to verbal understanding, his est squeal or a brass player to blast his another matter ; a conductor would have
practice of dividing sentences and even lowest pedal-tone. The strings are asked to make that decision with the personal
words between the various voices so that (1) to play between the bridge and tail- knowledge of his people,
a lengthy paragraph might be presented piece (on two strings), (2) to play ar
Form
within one short measure, the syllables peggi on four strings behind the bridge,
being divided among the 24 vocal parts (3) to play on the tailpiece, and (4) to On the broadcast level the Dies Irae
in a collage of vowels and consonants. play on the bridge — these in addition consists of three movements :
Nevertheless, the text undoubtedly pro- to more normal procedures. I. LAMENTATION ("The sorrows
vided the backbone of continuity in Pen- The choral singer is asked (1) to sing of death compassed me . . . ")
derecki's process of composition and in normal voice, (2) to hum with open II. APOCALYPSIS (" . . . and the
should be used by the listener and per- and closed mouth, (3) to speak, (4) to pains of hell gat hold upon me.")
former as a guide to understanding. whisper, (5) to yell, (6) to speak on III. APOTHEOSIS ("Death is swal
Musical Materials pitch, (7) to whistle, and (8) to scream, lowed up in victory.")
As is his normal practice, Penderecki glissandoing the pitch according to a The first two movements are clean
writes for an enormously complex or- given graphic notation e.g., separated by a break, but the last t
chestra, treating each individual within are connected by a terrifying scream
the orchestra as a soloist even though which miraculously turns into a confi
the individual part might be technically dent unison D, introducing the last move
quite easy. The orchestration calls for \. ment.
14 woodwind players, including 3 saxo- ^ Each movement is basically through
phonists ; 16 brass players, including 6 composed in the manner of an opera,
horn players; a percussion battery cal- Penderecki uses two principal melody Penderecki close
ling for 33 instruments (six players), tyPes, which correspond to Curt Sach's the text, depictin
including piano, harmonium, and sirene logogenic and pothogetnc elemental cate- of the verbal ideas e
( 1 ) ; and finally 18 cellists and bassists. gorizations. The choral and instrument- themselves are
Thus, the orchestra should consist of 54 al Parts are principally of the former recognition. Cer
soloists. While many schools could as- type. limited to one-step and small in
semble sufficient wind, brass, and per- tervals. The vocal soloists and upon oc
casion players, only the large university casion crucial instrumental soloists (e.g.,
The Original
or conservatory could find ten cellists timpanist, cellists, woodwinds, horns)
and eight bassists. In the American pre- are asked to play 12-tone-type melo
miere of this work, the pianist and or- dies. These phrases have the jagged
ganist plaved as best as they could the look and sound of serial music, but are
cello and bass as well as their own parts, not derivative of any particular row. (A
While these two individuals were two of missed note here and there does not
the busiest players in the performance, hamper the effect of the passage.)
this substitution was physically possible The most interesting aspect of Pen (Babricl jpauré ^
and was probably more effective than a derecki s musical vocabulary
THE PERFECTis his OFFERING
MUSICAL treat FOR
similar compromise in more traditional nient of "simultaneity," definitely
Lenten, Palm not
Sunday,
orchestrations. "harmony"! Three principal techniques and Memorial Services
t-, , , . • . OA can be discerned: (1) starting with one with Latin and English Text by
the choral writing contains up to 24 ,. \ \
., r i, i• • ■ -o a i •> tone and adding pitches one-by-one to MACK EVANS
parts — the full divisi is Penderecki s . & , •
, , i ., , • , form a chord or cluster; (2) attacking
normal procedure — plus three soloists. . , ,, ,
the cluster simultaneously, usually by Vocal Score .... complete $ 1.25
The work could, therefore, be performed
members of an instrumental family ; and Chorus Parts Each .75
with 27 soloists ; though for the sake of
(3) writing a series of polyphonic parts Miniature Full Score 3.50
sonority, at least 48 singers are to be
which are to be played simultaneously,
desired for the choral parts — 72 would Full Orchestral Score .... 12.00
, , ,. r,¿ ■ , . , , ■ i . usually as fast as possible and over-and
be better, 96 might be too unwieldy. 3 . , ' , , ,,
over until signaled to stop. The latter Harp part $2.00
(from the orchestration)
One of the more obvious, unusual mu- procedure results ¡n an ever-changing
sical elements in the piece is the use of pa]ate of tQnal movement and color> Organ part $3.00
quarter-tones. For the notation of theseKlangfarbenmelodie at its best. {from the orchestration)

Penderecki uses the following symbols: A]ong w¡th his disposition' for mas_ Rental materials supplied only
direct to the Performing
-f raised by 1/4 tone sive sounds, Penderecki displays a re Organization.
-ff raised by 3/4 tone markable perception for the value Flutes,
of the
Orchestration includes Full Score, 2
2Bb Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 4
b, a u i /a by
lowered a single sound,
1/4 tone B . whether
. it be theHorns,
, humming a unison B-flat, the timpany
basses
2Bb Trumpets, 2 F Trumpets,
3 Trombones, Timpani, Harp, Orgran
and Strlng-s.
d lowered by 3/4 tone tapping a pianissimo low
All orders should state Strings E> or th
The instrumentalists are often asked to tarn tolling
required, likedates.
and Performance a death-be
play quarter-tones, usually while sustain- After having reviewed
Text per hundred $ 5.00
ing a tone-cluster (e.g., the six horns materials demanded
(Latin and English) - printed (1) side by Pend
can cluster each quarter-tone within a emphasizing those aspects wh
step-and-a-half), but the chorus does not beH.considered T. FitzSimons Co., most
Inc. "avant
sing quarter-tones as such. The soprano strikingP u and perhaps startl
b 1 i s h e r s

and bass soloists, however utilize this is that student musicians can learn and 615 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, III.
device most effectively in their ariosi. perform this piece. In fact, with the ex

MARCH 1970 tB

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K. PENDERECKI'S . . .

ulation are present — e.g., the tenor solo

in the "Apotheosis" shows an aba struc
ture and the work ends with a quotation
from the first movement — but the basic
sense is derived from the progression of
the text.
While the most complete understand
ing involves a coordination of words and
music, the work can be profitably heard
as pure music — as with Penderecki's
Threnody — though the title itself will
tend to influence the ear of the listener.
In this case, the sounds qua sounds pro
ject rather clearly the ideas of sorrowful
lamentation, of horrible destruction and
death, and finally of hope which never
theless emerges. The parallel with Lent
en penitence, Good Friday crucifixion,
and Easter resurrection will not be lost
on the sensitive Christian hearer. How
ever, the piece is non-sectarian and can
be heard equally well by Jewish (who
indeed were the principal victims of
Auschwitz) and humanist hearers.
The basic formal unit. The most prof
itable way to discuss the form of the
Dies Irae is to consider the basic "build
ing-block" unit: the measure. The meas
ure has no particular relationship to
tempo or even to time in the sense of a
specific number of seconds as, for ex
ample, a 4/4 measure (J s 60) would
imply four seconds. Some measures are
short, others are long. They can best be Robert Shaw, director of the Atlanta FSU, in rehearsal with Florida
Symphony, and Joseph Flummerfelt, State University choirs at
thought of as a single musical idea or director of choral organizations at the School of Music.
a particular combination of ideas. For
instance, a measure might contain a
single tap of the timpany and, then, an
indefinite period of silence. The con around him, whose parts are notated on the opposite of "music," n
ductor must then decide in the context his score — notes of "indefinite length" to many readers. On the ot
of that which preceded and that which — i.e., notes which are held until sig- others the Dies Irae may p
follows exactly how long the silence is naled to stop, usually at the end of a tremely moving, dramatic/
to be. A measure might contain, say, measure. Related to the latter is the di- perience. It is a work wh
four distinct ideas, each played by a dif rection to repeat a given phrase over and cates directly to the ava
ferent instrument or voice. The conduct over until signaled to stop. lectual, even with the moderately liberal
or might indicate the entrance of the Another type of "chance relationship" crowd, and most strikingly with the
four parts, but the players would mostis symbolized through Penderecki's musically naive, but religiously (or hu
probably proceed at their own speeds. graphic "spatial notation." Even though manistically) sensitive souls. Those con
The basic performance procedure ina given measure has no specific length servatives with musically vested interests
the Dies Irae is to play a measure untilin time, the notation may indicate that will probably be disgusted with Pender
everything is played, then to proceed to a phrase or a note should occupy a rela- ecki's efforts. Unfortunately, this latter
the next measure. Obviously, some mu tive proportion of the measure's length, group contains far too many teenagers —
sicians can play faster than others ; some In measures such as this, the conductor already converted and brainwashed by
have greater breath capacity; and even might indicate to the players that he will some "school," whether that fostered by
the same musician may play differently "conduct" the measure in a slow four an educational system or the popular me
on different occasions. Herein lies the (five, six, etc. — whatever is conducive dia — and, Kyrie eleison, choral con
principal aleatory element in Pender to the proportions at hand) so that the ductors.
ecki's composition. To write a successful players can calculate their entrances, * * *
piece in this style, the composer mustcut-offs, and general tempi.
calculate a certain degree of variation in Often the pitch is only approximately Krzysztof Pendereck
the performance of a given passage. The notated by a jagged (or smooth) line kow: Polskie Wydawn
music must be able to tolerate a high indicating a glissando, simply a high or 1967.
level of variation or, in more traditionallow, very high or very low, or a medium Recording availa
terms, "lots of mistakes." In this typepitched note. Similarly, in the vocal cords.
of calculation, Penderecki is a master. parts, the text may be indefinitely no- For information on
Other aleatory elements are "self-ini tated so that the singer may sing the syl- write SESAC, Inc.,
tiated materials" — i.e", the individual lables as he wishes. er, 10 Columbus Circle, New York, New
plays his part in relationship to players All of the above may seem to indicate York 10019. ♦*♦

16 THE CHORAL JOURNAL

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