Journal Article

La certitude du possible. L'éthique du non engagement dans l'art de Barnabás Dukay

Dolinszky, Miklós

2015

Overview

As a former member of the New Music Studio (1970-90), Barnabás Dukay (1950) started his career in the context of American minimal music and European serialism. Nonetheless, his music has little in common with that of the members of the Studio. Dukay breaks the continuity of tradition, avoiding to define himself in reference to the past, and so his music can become a means of self-recognition. This music is 'without qualities' insofar as it cannot be identified with anything outside of itself, and thus in effect turns against itself. Therefore, in Dukay's approach, professionalism loses its autonomy, being over-ridden by ethics. In his compositional technique, however, Dukay takes sides with premodern thinking, above all polyphonic procedures, primarily canonic treatment, as well as certain generic labels (symphony, quodlibet, motet, song-motet, canonic motet). Archaic thinking also plays a role in his works: in his composition for orchestra entitled To the Setting Sun Dukay restricts the playability of the fifteen variations to certain phases of the zodiac. Each of the parts includes only two notes, which the conductor determines by means of the calendar and certain charts. The fact that Dukay has exclusively set traditional or mystical texts (Tao Te Ching, Jeremiah, The Gospel of Matthew, The Revelation to John, John the Baptist), rather than literary ones, bears witness to an understanding of sacrality, which considers the individual religions as manifestations of a universal tradition. Hence this music can be called sacral, but does not give itself over to the dogmatics of any historical religion. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

• Publisher: Hrvatsko Muzikolosko Drustvo
• Subject: Composers / Compositional styles / Dukay, Barnabas / Ethics / Musical Influences / Musical Meaning