Treatise (music)

"Treatise" is a musical composition by British composer Cornelius Cardew (1936-1981). "Treatise" is a graphic musical score comprising 193 pages of lines, symbols, and various geometric or abstract shapes that eschew conventional musical notation. Implicit in the title is a reference to the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein, which was of particular inspiration to Cardew in composing the work. The score neither contains nor is accompanied by any explicit instruction to the performers in how to perform the work. Cardew worked on the composition from 1963 to 1967.

Although the score allows for absolute interpretive freedom (no one interpretation will sound like another), the work is not intended to be played spontaneously, as Cardew suggested that performers devise in advance their own rules and methods for interpreting and performing the work. Eliminating the role of the musician as one of accurately and faithfully responding to the score as a set of disciplined instructions, "Treatise" thus undermines the traditional hierarchy that separates the role of composer from that of performer. Performances of "Treatise" are intended to imply a balance of interpretive freedom and responsibility.

Subsequently Cardew embraced Maoism and wholeheartedly repudiated this and other works of his avant-garde period. A savage indictment of "Treatise" may be seen in a speech delivered by Cardew at the ‘International Symposium on the Problematic of Today’s Musical Notation’ held in Rome in October 1972, as transcribed in his highly polemical book "Stockhausen Serves Imperialism" (1974), available in PDF format at [http://www.ubu.com/historical/cardew/cardew.html UBUweb] .

References

*Cornelius Cardew, "Wiggly Lines and Wobbly Music," "Breaking the Sound Barrier: a Critical Anthology of the New Music", ed. Gregory Battcock (New York: 1981)
*Brian Dennis, "Cardew's "Treatise": Maily the Visual Aspects," "Tempo" 177 (1991): pp. 10-16
*Sonic Youth play a 3:29 minute excerpt of page 183 of "Treatise" on their CD "SYR4: Goodbye 20th Century" (1999)

External links

* [http://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/picturesofmusic/pages/anim.html An online animated analysis of "Treatise"] at the Block Museum Website
* [http://www.spiralcage.com/improvMeeting/ Online recordings of "Treatise" by the Seattle Improv Meeting]