Anschauungen - verbun:den
[composition text - presented in a talk @International Summer Academy for Composition of the Gustav Mahler Private University 2024]

by Jakob Lerch
July 2024


Anschauungen – verbun:den (Contemplations – connected) is a composition for guitar dealing with the meaning and subject room/space from different perspectives in transcendental and objective sound space. It deals with the idea of the relation between the friendly listener and the moral system as in the same way with the relation between sound and orientation/disorientation in room/space.
To concretize this abstract idea, I want to introduce my approach and the reasoning behind this compositional plan, as well as the motivation for this subject. The main idea for the compositional structure was inspired by a discussion in 2016 between Anselm Kiefer and Alexander Kluge and the concept of ‘The room that the gods have left’ (‘Den Raum, den die Götter überlassen haben’). This concept indicates a relationship between humans and self-determined actions and a moral-transcendental structure. The underlying moral-transcendental structure can either be shaped by society (active) or by other natural beings and individual, unpredictable events (passive). Moral should be used in this context as an underlying structure in every part, creature and non-creature in the whole conscious and unconscious room/space.
It is like the idea of a god/gods who create something which develops itself afterwards. Something or someone then develops its own structure, grows itself and finds its self-determination. The same applies for the creation of Gods: A God might be created by a higher God. Furthermore, it is the determined being and living because of the creation by a God.
I do not want to specialise this subject of the idea of God/Gods, it would bust this frame and would not help this argumentation for this piece and the compositional structure. In my case, God/Gods can be sum up like a moral- transcendental structure dominating the society structure and the creational being (my point reaches even into the passive beings like nature and death and their underling in systems). My point is, that God/Gods should not be seen in a religious perspective in this context.
Above the idea of creation is followed by the ability, responsibility and irresponsibility to leave something or someone. The determined being and existence because of the irresponsibility and responsibility of God/Gods.
Both ideas, the primarily moral-transcendental system and its resulting structure of `left (something / someone / something someone / someone something)´ are the main compositional aspects and drivers for the determined structure of my composition. In the following, the term “some” will be used for all the above 4 permutations. Depending on the perspective, left can be regarded either as passive or active. Both, the passive and the active ‘left’ can each have positive or negative emotional sequences.

These 2 times 2 possibilities (passive-positive, passive-negative, active-positive, active-negative) define the following two characters this composition utilises in its compositional structure:
A.) Neutral Giver is the one who `left´ some.
B.) Determined Subject that has to cope with the immanent and transcendental left by the neutral giver. Since the determined subject does exist it is a neutral giver as well.

Now, one can connect again the different ideas:

• A.I.a.: Neutral Giver left some. passive with a positive result to Determined Subject
• A.I.b.: Neutral Giver left some. passive with a negative result to Determined Subject
• A.II.a.: Neutral Giver left some. active with a positive result to Determined Subject
• A.II.b.: Neutral Giver left some. active with a negative result to Determined Subject
• B.I.a.: Determined Subject have to deal with passive positive action(s) from Neutral Giver
• B.I.b.: Determined Subject have to deal with passive negative action(s) from Neutral Giver
• B.II.a.: Determined Subject have to deal with active positive action(s) from Neutral Giver
• B.II.b.: Determined Subject have to deal with active negative action(s) from Neutral Giver

One could give examples to every point that I made, but that is not the reason for this notation. Any example would induce an emotion into the friendly listener’s perception and hence influence the friendly listeners’ neutrality.
Now that we talked about the idea and the relation between Neutral Giver and Determined Subject, we can go on by talking about the two characters in the relation to space/room. The Neutral Giver and the Determined Subject fill the room/space with their appearance. In this context I use room and space as two words defining each other (room equal space). If there was a space/room without the two characters or with only one of them, there would be no room/space. Every place, even in the transcendental context, can only exist because of the existence of Neutral Giver. Furthermore, Neutral Giver can only exist because there is Determined Subject and quite the opposite. If there was none of them, there would be no room/space, no existence. Each describes the other one.
The structure, of which I talked about in the beginning of this transcendental-moral-structure system can be viewed in this compositional structure for example as the disposition of the sounds in participating in the room. I will describe my compositional impact later on. My aspect is easier to understand while taking a look on the music sheet at the same time. For now, we get to the combination with the musically aspect in my composition.
My composition consists of three parts, the undirected part I, the non-perspective part II and a try for a resolution disaster in the open-end part III. I will explain the three parts in detail in the following.
My underlying compositional structure in the first part is the chaotic, overwhelming, uncomfortable, aimlessly, unhelpfully and confusing emotions of the Determined Subject that are created by the actions of Neutral Giver. It is a neutral dealing with an emotional loaded situation in the position of Determined Subject. Determined Subject can also be seen as a neutral victim of Neutral Giver. The emotions are unclear for the friendly listener connected to the compositional music in room/space. On the other hand, this first moment depicts an unclear centre to circle around, but never finds its real inner character. This real inner character is always an undefined creature: a mystery. This first part depicts also the idea of the passive and natural overwhelming structure of the moral society. It is the so-called `moral society´, because this fills the whole idea of a transcendental being everywhere where Neutral Giver and Determined Subject is.
The notated music is a combination between traditional and graphic in part II and III, part I is only graphic and declares these techniques. I split up the guitar in three areas: body, fingerboard and behind saddle. The body is separated in three smaller parts: bridge to sound hole, sound hole and sound hole to end of the body.
In addition to that, in part II there is the use of the voice being added. I wrote the untuned voice in a rhythmic notation. It is not necessary to notate the pitches of the voice, it should be an `untuned voice´, nearly spoken voice. The guitar voice is notated traditionally.

The lyrics deal with the first main idea of the compositional structure by a part of the picture by Kiefer and Kluge: ‘have left them’ (‘sie überlassen haben’). It deals again with the relation between natural giver and determined subject but now from a more observational point of view. The lyrics are structured in a deforming thrust of the three words ‘sie überlassen haben’ (‘have left them’) by changing the order of the different letters in each word. The rhythm of the voice in part II is based on the reading rhythm of the words. Moreover, the guitar voice is a rhythmic, dynamical and energetic contrast to the structural impact of the untuned voice. The lyrics are:

sei üssalbener henba
ise bülsenasre ahbne
esi ernlabsüse bneha
sei rensübsela ebnah
ise leübssalen haben
esi albserensü nehab
sie srüalebnes haben
ise snelbüsera ahbne
sie elarsbesün bneha
sei nesbüsaler ebnah


One can recognize the structure by reading the first letter of the single split from up to down (see the red letters -> ‘sie überlassen haben’).
Four words that do not fit in this system (see the yellow marked words -> ‘haben’ (2x), ‘sie’ (2x)). This is done intentionally in order to express in direct approach that the relation between the neutral giver and determined subject is emotionally unclear.
‘überlassen’ (‘left’) on the other hand is not directly announced, so the only two words, that are directly known are ‘sie’ (‘them’) and ‘haben’ (‘have’). This leads to a big loss of information and opens the understanding of the whole idea in a new context or even out of context (‘sie haben’ = ‘they have’). ‘Sie haben’ (‘they have’) can be used either in a positive or in a negative way: It can be used to glorify someone or to accuse someone.
Here we can see a connection to the idea of the 2x2 system/possibilities on perspective and behaviour earlier in the structural-compositional analysis. This whole part II is a contrast to the first part I with regards to non-musically position and meaning.

Part III is again only guitar without voice, the position of the left hand is now notated traditionally, the right hand again in the ‘three-plus-two-part’ system.
My compositional thrust behind this notational-system is the declaration of the place of the hand in the room. The place of the hand makes the noise, not the notated sound. This is really important for this composition and in the relation between acting and being. As the major aspect of the composition, the focus should be on the acting musician and the vibrational subject. Not the acting for the result, but the acting for the acting as the result. In addition to that, it should lead the player to a relation to one self in the room/space and to transport this feeling of positional safety and sounded unsafety in the same way to the friendly listener as the friendly listener reflexes this feeling back to the musician. This is as I believe the only way of understanding this relation between Neutral Giver and Determined Subject in space/room and the systematic-moral thrust I mentioned in the beginning.
The guitar strings are often hit by a tuning fork to lead the tone to more and more harmonic splitting and outsourcing in room/space. This leads to another recognising of the sound and to the transition to another physical attachment in room/space.

The tuning fork can be structured in four parts (from up to down, single ‘rod’ down):
heads (end of neck)
neck (‘vibrational rods’)
leg (‘handle’)
feed (‘round ball’)

There are different techniques in relation between tuning fork and string I used:
a.) tuning fork hits string with tuning fork foot directly on string
b.) tuning fork hits strings with both tuning fork heads directly on strings
c.) tuning fork tremolo with string between tuning fork heads
d.) tuning fork tremolo string with tuning fork leg on the side of the string
e.) glissando to bridge with both tuning fork heads touching finger board
f.) pulling the string with the tuning fork feed (sound similar to Bartók-pizzicato)
g.) hitting more strings at the same time with tuning fork neck in a horizontal position to the strings

In addition to that, I used different positions on the guitar by using the techniques more colourfully for example near the bridge as a place where the sound of the strings is really short and small.
I also used a drumstick in part II in addition to the tuning fork:
a.) tremolo by putting the drumstick vertical between two strings and moving drumstick back and forth
b.) hitting only one string with drumstick head
c.) horizontal string hitting with full drumstick
As the fourth techniques one can determine the ‘drumstick-throwing’ in Part II-8. It opens in physical way the room/space and is the only physical connection in the composition between the musicians’ room/space to the outside room/space. As I pointed out earlier this part also uses the technique of voice and word decomposition.
The transition from part II to part III get develops through the assembly of the spoon in the middle of the sound hole between the strings opens the harmonic thrust furthermore. It marks a point of resolution to a clearer constructed end by using stylistic devises from part I and II in variational form and in a new context. It leads to a highpoint of structure in the compositional-moral system but ends in an absolutely unclear point.

I hope this short introduction helps the friendly listener to understand my idea of this underlying compositional structural system for my composition ‘Anschauungen – verbun:den’ for guitar and leads to an more committed understanding of my compositional music and my musically composition.
Thank you for your kind interest! I’m welcoming any questions and discussions!