Haubenstock-Ramati, Roman

Haubenstock-Ramati, Roman, Polish composer; b. Kraków, Feb. 27, 1919; d. Vienna, March 3, 1994. He studied with J. Koffler at the Lwów Academy of Music (1939–41) and also took courses in philosophy at the univs. of Kraków and Lwów. From 1947 to 1950 he was music director of Radio Kraków, and then director of the State Music Library in Tel Aviv (1950–56). In 1957 he settled in Vienna, where he worked for Universal Edition until 1968. He then was a prof, of composition at the Vienna Academy of Music (from 1973). In 1981 he was awarded the Austrian State Prize. In 1959 he organized in Donaueschingen the first exhibition of musical scores in graphic notation. He evolved an imaginative type of modern particella in which the right-hand page gives the outline of musical action for the conductor while the left-hand page is devoted to instrumental and vocal details. This type of notation combined the most advanced type of visual guidance with an aide-memoire of traditional theater arrangements. Several of his works bear the subtitle “Mobile” to indicate the flexibility of their architectonics.

Works

Ricercavi for String Trio (1950); Blessings for Voice and 9 Players (1952); Recitativo ed Aria for Harpsichord and Orch. (1954); Papageno’s Pocket-Size Concerto for Glockenspiel and Orch. (1955); Les Symphonies des timbres for Orch. (1957); Chants et Prismes for Orch. (1957; rev. 1967); Séquences for Violin and Orch. in 4 groups (1957–58); Interpolation,“mobile” for Flute (1958); Liaisons, “mobile” for Vibraphone and Marimbap-hone (1958); Petite musique de nuit, “mobile” for Orch. (1958); Mobile for Shakespeare for Voice and 6 Players (1960); Credentials or “Think, Think Lucky” for Speech-voice and 8 Players, after Beckett (1960); Jeux 6,”mobile” for 6 Percussionists (1960); Decisions, 10 pieces of musical graphics for Variable Instrumentation (1960–68); Amerika, opera after Kafka’s novel (1962-64; Berlin, Oct. 8, 1966); Vermutungen über ein dunkles Haus, 3 pieces for 3 Orchs., 2 of which are on tape (1963); Klavierstücke I for Piano (1963–65); Jeux 2 and 4, “mobiles” for 2 and 4 Percussionists (1965, 1966); Hotel Occidental for Speech-chorus, after Kafka (in 3 versions, 1967); Tableau I, II, and III for Orch. (1967, 1968, 1970); Symphonie “K” (1967; material from the opera Amerika); Psalm for Orch. (1967); Divertimento, text collage for Actors, Dancer, and/or Mime, and 2 Percussionists (1968; after Jeux 2); La Comédie,”anti-opera,” after Beckett, for 1 Male and 2 Female Speech-singers and 3 Percussionists (St. Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France, July 21, 1969; German version as Spiel, Munich, 1970; Eng. version as Play); Catch I for Harpsichord (1969), II for 1 or 2 Pianos (1970), and III for Organ (1971); Multiple I-VI for Various Instrumental Combinations (1969); Alone for Trombone and Mime (1969); Describe for Voice and Piano (1969); Hexachord I and II for 2 Guitars (1972); Concerto a tre for Piano, Trombone, and Percussion (1973); 2 string quartets (1973, 1978); Shapes (in Memory of Stravinsky) I for Organ and Tape, and II for Organ, Piano, Harpsichord, and Celesta (both 1973); Endless, endless “mobile” for 7 Players and Conductor (1974); Sonata for Solo Cello (1975); Musik for 12 Instruments (1976); Ulysses, ballet (1977); Concerto per archi (Graz, Oct. 11, 1977); Symphonien (1977; Baden- Baden, May 10, 1978); Song for Percussion (1978); Self I for Bass Clarinet or Clarinet (1978) and 17 for Saxophone (1978); 3 Nocturnes for Orch. (1981, 1982,1985); Mirrors/Miroirs I, “mobile” for 16 Pianos (1984), II, “mobile” for 8 Pianos (1984), and III, “mobile” for 6 Pianos (1984); Cantando for 6 Players (1984); Piano Sonata (1984); String Trio No. 2 (1985); Enchaîné for Saxophone Quartet (1985); Sotto voce for Chamber Orch. (1986).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire