When Music Resists Meaning: the Major Writings of Herbert Brun

American Music Teacher, Oct-Nov, 2004 by Douglas Dutton

When Music Resists Meaning: The Major Writings of Herbert Brun, edited by Arun Chandra. Wesleyan University Press (110 Mt. Vernon St., Middletown, CT 06459), 2004. 328 pp. $70.00 (cloth); $27.95 (paperback).

The twentieth century was heady, exciting, challenging and often exasperating. Inspired by the discoveries of the early theoretical physicists--Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Planck--who were rewriting the structure and nature of the universe, alongside Sigmund Freud and company examining the human mind, artists gamely threw themselves into the fray. What is the reason for, purpose of, need for music? How does music fit into the social and political structure? What is the necessity of hierarchies of tonality? Why tonality? Why stop with tonality? What of sound itself?.

Herbert Brun was vitally interested in these questions. He studied composition and conducted research on the application of "electroacoustics" and electronic methods of sound production to the compositional process.

When Music Resists Meaning is broken into five sections and includes a CD sampling of Brun's work, including his String Quartet No. 2, Wayfaring Sounds and Dust.

Brun's mind is highly analytical. He enjoys breaking down a problem to its component parts and carefully examining the innards. He is most successful when allowed the freedom to do this on his own terms.

There are previously printed interviews included that generally are weaker, but nonetheless add to the fullness of the portrait of Brun. There were several discussions of pieces by other composers not included on the CD: an understandable omission, but, nevertheless, one that tended to undermine the point of the text. The inclusion of Brun's poetry and plays was an editorial miscue. They did nothing to enhance the musician's reputation.

But the String Quartet is another matter entirely! As performed by the LaSalle Quartet, it is original, full of life and accessible while maintaining a rigorous devotion to its vision and voice. Perhaps music does resist meaning, but as I followed the score of this piece on the accompanying CD, I found the music to be both meaningful and irresistible. This anthology generally serves as a worthy introduction and elucidation of Brun's philosophy, and is an indispensable guide to his music. Reviewed by Douglas Dutton, Los Angeles, California.