György Ligeti: Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel (Liederzyklus)

Sándor Weöres was one of the greatest poets of Hungary. A modern, universal and at the same time experimental poet, who used both the rhythmic-metrical and the semantic possibilities and impossibilities of the Hungarian language like no other. Profound and playful, elitist and vulgar–he was Hungary’s Mozart. I have used seven poems or fragments in the present cycle, which contrast strongly in content. »Szajkó« seems to be nonsense, but is perfectly understandable. In contrast, »Tańcdal« is pure rhythmic play, but the poem seems to have a deeper meaning. »Kínai templom« evokes an as-if Chinese through monosyllabic words. »Kuli« has bitter social-critical content, »Fabula« is grotesquely aggressive, »Alma álma« experimental poetry of otherworldly mildness. In addition to the mezzo-soprano, four percussionists perform: the musicians of the Amadinda Ensemble had asked me to compose something for them and Kati Károlyi.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

Written on September 6, 2000, as an introductory text for the German premiere on November 24, 2000. First printed in the program booklet for the festival »Gütersloh 2000: György Ligeti (3)« in Gütersloh, November 23–26, 2000, p. 12.

 

On the song cycle »Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel«

Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel (With pipes, drums, reed fiddles) is a seven-part cycle of Hungarian songs for low mezzo-soprano and four percussionists using a diverse array of instruments, including non-percussion instruments such as lotus flutes and chromatic harmonicas. I composed the songs in 2000.

As I have done many times in my life, I set poems by Sándor Weöres, the great Hungarian poet of the 20th century, to music. Weöres was–like no one before him–a virtuoso of the Hungarian language, his poetic contents range from the trivial, even obscene, through sarcasm and humor to tragedy and despair, and they also include artificial myths and legends. Some of his works are large-scale frescoes, indeed worlds unto themselves. In addition, he has written countless small poems, serious and playful in equal measure. I have always set such small poems to music.

 

The cycle contains the following songs: 1. »Fabula« (Fable): Wolves are hellishly afraid of two mountains that meet and mercilessly crush the animals. 2. »Tańcdal« (dance song): the lyrics sound Hungarian, but consist of imaginary words that have only rhythm, no meaning. 3. »Kínai templom« (Chinese temple): Weöres succeeds here in conveying the desirelessness of the Buddhist view of life with nothing but monosyllabic Hungarian words. 4. »Kuli« (Kuli): The monotonous hopelessness and restrained aggressiveness of an Asian pariah is poetically portrayed. 5. »Alma álma« (Dream): The branches of an apple tree sway gently in the wind; an apple dreams of journeys to distant, enchanted lands. I have wrapped the singing voice in the sound of four harmonicas–a strange, surreal mood is created. 6. »Keserédes« (Bittersweet): The poem is a Hungarian folk song, yet it is »untrue.« I have tried to reflect this dichotomy by combining artificial folklore and a schlager-like melody, with the accompaniment containing artificial sweetener, so to speak. 7. »Szajkó« (although the word denotes another bird, it is a parrot): The Hungarian text makes some sense, but this is almost about nonsense puns that create rhythmic momentum.

The title of the cycle is not by Weöres, but is a line from a Hungarian children’s verse, a kind of counting rhyme, from the time of the Turkish occupation of Hungary.

Introductory text for the booklet accompanying the CD edition on Teldec Classics (The Ligeti Project III, 8573–87631–2), Hamburg 2002.

 

From: György Ligeti, Gesammelte Schriften (Publications of the Paul Sacher Foundation, vol. 10), ed. by Monika Lichtenfeld, Mainz: Schott Music 2007, vol. 2, pp. 313–314. © Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel and Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz, order number: PSB 1014