The Given and the Constructed

The Natural Musicality of Words and Kurtág’s Musical Interpretation of Them

Abstract

The words of Péter Bornemisza, Attila József, Samuel Beckett, and Franz Kafka acquire melodies and rhythms in Kurtág’s music. The musical sound is a construction. Writing music to a text is a form of construction even when conscious intellectual reflection merely follows the creative gesture. Games are also construction: they build language and create material. This article examines certain aspects of Kurtág’s relationship to language and his musical materialization through a few very brief excerpts from his works.