The moon like a flower

 »The moon like a flower …« HANNES LOESCHEL (*1963)
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
to leonando
01Introduction
02Night
03Spring
04 On Another’s Sorrow
05 Laughing Song
06 A Dream
07 The Lamb
08 The Shepherd
09 The Echoing Green
10 The Chimney Sweeper
11 Infant Joy
12 The Divine Image
13 Holy Thursday
14 The Little Boy lost / The Little Boy found
15 A Cradle Song
16 Nurse’s Song
17 The Blossom
18 Chapel of Gold (from “The Rossetti Manuscript” by W. Blake)
total time
04:50
03:12
06:10
03:39
02:55
04:11
03:52
02:23
02:25
03:36
02:11
04:44
05:00
02:04
03:18
03:14
02:19
03:44
64:27
Music by Hannes Loeschel (2010)
Lyrics by the Author & Printer William Blake (1789)
track 1–17 from “Songs of Innocence”
track 18 from “The Rossetti Manuscript”
Exit Eden
Phil Minton, vocals
Hannes Loeschel, piano, Fender Rhodes
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitars
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
Burkhard Stangl, guitar (on track 2, 7, 9, 11, 18), Fender Rhodes (on track 3)
Theresa Eipeldauer, vocals (on track 7, 11), backing vocals (on track 3)
Thomas Berghammer, trumpet (on track 1, 8, 12, 15), flugelhorn (on track 18)
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SONGS OF INNOCENCE
D Die erste Szene von David Lynchs Film »Blue Velvet« führt uns in eine Idylle:
Man sieht einen Vorstadtgarten unter blauem Himmel, die hell leuchtenden
Farben suggerieren Wärme, und der ganze Ort ist nahe an das gebaut, was
Suburb-Bewohner ein irdisches Paradies nennen würden. Traumhaft verlangsamt wird uns diese idealisierte Welt aus der Perspektive eines Kindes gezeigt;
wir selbst sind als Betrachter das unschuldige Wesen, das den bunten Garten Eden bestaunt wie zum ersten Mal, einen Erdenwinkel, in dem das Böse
keinen Zugang und die Sünde noch keinen Namen hat. Der Song »Blue Velvet« untermalt das Szenario. Eine Irritation allerdings rührt vom zischenden
Geräusch des Wassers, mit dem ein Mann den Garten sprenkelt. Man hört
Vogelgezwitscher und Insektenzirpen, und schließlich sehen wir, wie sich der
Wasserschlauch verknotet, das erste Anzeichen von Unheil. Die Musik wird
undeutlicher, andere Geräusche stören den Gleichklang, das Zischen wird zu
einem Grummeln und Pfeifen, der Schlauch verstopft wie die Arterien im
Körper des Mannes: Der bricht zusammen, getroffen vom Schlag. Die Kamera
folgt dieser Bewegung. Und sie zoomt schließlich bis zur Grasnarbe, sogar
noch darunter, und plötzlich sind wir in einer ganz anderen Welt, die nichts
mehr mit der ursprünglichen Idylle zu tun hat: Dort, zwischen den Halmen
und in der Erde, tobt ein Kampf. Die Insekten erscheinen überlebensgroß, die
Geräusche übertönen ganz die Musik, es ist ein Brodeln und Scharren und
Gewusel. Bedrohlich ist dieser andere Kosmos: ein Dschungel, in dem Gewalt
herrscht, in dem es ums Überleben geht. Das Schöne ist nur des Schrecklichen
Anfang.
4
»Pipe me a song about a lamb« – heißt es in der »Introduction« von William
Blakes »Songs of Innocence«. Von einer Wolke herab wünscht sich ein Kind
dieses Lied: »So I piped with merry chear«. Phil Minton singt die Zeilen im
Bariton mit einer betörenden Verwunschenheit, Zeilen und Töne, die tief aus
dem Unbewussten zu kommen scheinen oder doch aus einer Märchenwelt.
Clayton Thomas’ Bass eröffnet das Stück, bevor Hannes Loeschel mit seinem
Klavier einsetzt und das Schlagzeug von Mathias Koch eine perkussive Landschaft hinzaubert. Es ist eine einfache Melodie, eine zunächst ganz durchsichtige Textur, eine harmlos scheinende Lyrik, aber nach und nach konterkariert
die Musik jenen in uns angesprochenen Willen zur Harmonisierung: Unterhalb der Ebene des Semantischen, unterhalb der Ebene der liedhaften Form
beginnt ein Grummeln, Schnarren, Wüten, ein Raunen und Rauschen, Tröten
und Gezeter, ein Durcheinander wie aus einer anderen, nicht beherrschbaren
Welt. Gitarre, Trompete und Klavier erzeugen ein solches Gemurmel des Bedrohlichen und Unheimlichen, dass uns auch die harmlos anmutende Aussage des Textes unheimlich und bedrohlich wird. Es ist jener Effekt, der auch bei
David Lynch entsteht. Die Welt des schönen Scheins existiert, aber sie existiert
nicht ohne ihre Kehrseite. Die Oberfläche ist das, was wir gerne als Wahrheit
wahrnehmen würden, aber darunter lauert etwas Unwägbares und Verworrenes und Dunkles.
Das Schreckliche oder Erschreckende ist aber vielleicht doch das Reizvollere
und Bestaunenswertere, und es dräut, wo man es nicht vermutet. Die alte Dialektik: dass alles, von dem wir vernunftgesteuerten Menschen glauben, es sei
zu verstehen und in seiner Schönheit zu fassen, umkippen kann ins Gegen5
teil, in Barbarei. Kunst kann uns an dieses Kippmoment erinnern, kann dieses Wechselverhältnis fühlbar machen. In Hannes Loeschels Kompositionen
»Songs of Innocence« nach dem Zyklus von William Blake wird es spürbar,
vom ersten Moment an, auch wenn es meist gut verborgen ist unter den klassischen Songformen, derer er sich bedient – ob Rockmusik, Folk, Country,
Ballade, man hört sogar Anklänge an so etwa wie Doom Metal und Ambient
in der Spielart einer Band wie Bohren und der Club of Gore. Loeschel, der sich
immer wieder an der Schnittstelle von Neuer Musik, Jazz und populärer Liedform bewegt hat, beherrscht diese Genres allesamt; er kann daraus ganz neu
klingende und doch geradezu traditionelle Stücke schaffen. Und gleichwohl
finden sich immer sanfte Abwandlungen, die mit dem Unerwarteten spielen,
Verunsicherungen erzeugen und Bereicherungen darstellen. William Blake
wird vom Kopf auf die Füße gestellt; die »Songs of Innocence« werden von
Loeschel so interpretiert, als würde er sie bereits durch Blakes »Songs of Experience« hindurch lesen.
»Songs of Innocence and Experience« – diese beiden Zyklen schuf William
Blake im letzten Jahrzehnt des 18. Jahrhunderts, als die Aufklärung zu ihrem
Höhepunkt gelangt war und sich zugleich deren Abgründe auftaten. Der Maler
und Poet Blake inszeniert in den »Songs of Innocence« einen naiv anmutenden Zustand der Schöpfung. Es ist die Perspektive des Kindes, das die Dinge
zum ersten Mal wahrnimmt. Es spricht aus den Liedern nicht nur die titelgebende Unschuld, sondern auch Unerfahrenheit und Vertrauen. Der Glaube
ans Gute ist gepaart mit einem Staunen über die Wunder der Welt. »Little
6
Lamb who made thee«, heißt es einmal. Christliche Symbolik und Heilserwartung sind darin ebenso aufgehoben wie eine Naturfrömmigkeit, die noch
durch keine Erfahrung getrübt ist. Die Erfahrung kommt später hinzu. In den
»Songs of Experience« wird das schöne Erleben gestört, das Dunkle und Böse
finden Eingang in Blakes Lyrik. Das eine ist ohne das andere nicht zu haben.
William Blake hat gerade im 20. Jahrhundert etliche Künstler, Schriftsteller,
Filmemacher und Musiker angeregt: Von dem Okkultisten Aleister Crowley
bis zu Aldous Huxley, von Ridley Scott bis Jim Jarmusch, von Benjamin Britten
bis Michael Nyman – in unterschiedlichsten Werken hat Blake seine Spuren
hinterlassen. Gerade aber auch in der Pop- und Rockmusik wird Blake immer
wieder zitiert. Patti Smith oder Nick Cave haben des Öfteren ihre Bewunderung für Blakes Lyrik zum Ausdruck gebracht und sich ihrer bedient. Und
gerade die düsteren Schichten in den Texten und Bildern Blakes waren immer
wieder eine Inspirationsquelle für Heavy-Metal-Bands wie Iron Maiden oder
Venom. Auch von dem Beat-Dichter Allen Ginsberg gibt es eine Aufnahme
der »Songs of Innocence« – und wenn man sich die ersten Takte anhört, dann
erkennt man sofort den Unterschied zu Hannes Loeschels Herangehensweise:
Ginsberg hebt in seiner Musik und in seinem Gesang das Kinderliedhafte und
Naive hervor; die Texte scheinen bei ihm relativ bruchlos in eine musikalische
Form übersetzt zu sein.
Hannes Loeschel entgeht der Gefahr der Lieblichkeit, ohne die ursprüngliche
Songidee zu dekonstruieren. In seinen Kompositionen ist die historische Re7
zeption der »Songs of Innocence« stets mitgedacht und produktiv gemacht.
Die Neubearbeitung eines bereits in den Zitatenschatz der populären Kultur
eingegangenen Werks bedarf deshalb nicht nur der Chuzpe, sondern auch eines sehr offenen, die Grenzen musikalischer Einteilungen erweiternden Ansatzes. Hannes Loeschels Arbeit umfasst von je die unterschiedlichsten Bereiche,
er kennt sich mit den verschiedensten Idiomen aus und kann diese in seine eigene musikalische Sprache integrieren. So begann Loeschel als Interpret zeitgenössischer Musik, widmet sich seit den 90er Jahren auch der Improvisation,
komponiert für Theater und Film, liebäugelt mit dem Jazz und immer wieder
mit traditionellen Formen. In der Beschäftigung mit dem Wienerlied auf seiner CD »Herz.Bruch.Stück« konnte er die Scheidelinie zwischen Kunst- und
Volkslied mit einer Nonchalance und zugleich Ernsthaftigkeit ignorieren, dass
die historische Dimension in einer gegenwärtigen Interpretation aufgegangen
ist. Das schon fast überholte Format der CD – des Albums – wird bei Loeschel,
wie er sagt, zum »Theaterraum«, in dem eine konzeptuelle Arbeit möglich
ist: Hör-Kunst, Klang-Kunst. Ähnlich unorthodox und Klangräume öffnend
verfährt Loeschel nun mit Blakes »Songs of Innocence«. Er hat dabei mit Phil
Minton (voc), Theresa Eipeldauer (voc), Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber (git),
Clayton Thomas (b), Mathias Koch (dr), Burkhard Stangl (key/git) und Thomas Berghammer (tr) Musiker für dieses Projekt gewinnen können, die durch
ihre vielfältigen Erfahrungen in der freien Improvisationsszene, im Jazz, in
der klassischen Musik oder auch in populären Genres den Kompositionen
Reichtum verleihen und vielfältigste Assoziationsebenen hinzufügen – theatralische Räume, in denen die Musiker verschiedene Rollen annehmen kön8
nen. Man müsste alleine über die Kunst von Phil Minton ins Schwärmen geraten: Wie der Avantgardist mit seinem walisischen Bariton die unscheinbarsten
Zeilen zum Glänzen bringt, sie aufplustert, sie transzendiert und doppelbödig
erscheinen lässt, ist schier unfassbar. Loeschel hätte sich keinen geeigneteren
Sänger wünschen können: Diese Stimme birgt sowohl die Wärme als auch das
Unheimliche, das Hannes Loeschel in den Gesängen Blakes gefunden hat. Das
Schöne nämlich ist immer des Schrecklichen Anfang.
Ulrich Rüdenauer (*1971) arbeitet als freier Autor für
Zeitungen, Zeitschriften und Rundfunk (u. a. taz, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Falter, Literaturen, Deutschlandfunk,
WDR, SWR). Er schreibt über literarische Themen und
Musik, arbeitet für das Enjoy Jazz Festival und organisiert die Literaturreihe »Literatur im Schloss« in Bad
Ulrich Rüdenauer
Mergentheim. Zuletzt erschien von ihm als Mit-Herausgeber der Briefwechsel zwischen Peter Handke und
Hermann Lenz: »Berichterstatter des Tages«, sowie als
Herausgeber: »Naomi Schenck: Archiv verworfener
Möglichkeiten. Fotos und Texte«.
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Hannes Loeschel
Hannes Loeschel, (*1963, Wien), trat nach seiner musikalische Ausbildung an
der Hochschule für Musik in Wien vorerst als Interpret zeitgenössischer Musik auf. Um 1990 wandte er sich der improvisierten Musik zu und entwickelte
parallel erste stilübergreifende Arbeiten als Komponist, Ensembleleiter und
Arrangeur.
1997 gewann er mit seinem Trio »Loeschel Skrepek Zrost« den Hans Koller
Preis für Jazz- und improvisierte Musik. In der Folge leitete er verschiedene
Formationen und Projekte mit Musikern wie Peter Herbert, Josef Novotny,
Joanna Lewis, David Tronzo, Ned Rothenberg, mit denen weltweit Live-Auftritte absolviert wurden. Neben zahlreichen CD-Veröffentlichungen realisierte Hannes Loeschel auch Produktionen in Zusammenarbeit mit bildenden
Künstlern, Filmschaffenden, sowie Tanz- und Theatergruppen. Er ist Mitbegründer des Festivals Soundgrube in Wien, sowie künstlerischer Leiter und
Artist in Residence im Rahmen von OdeonMusik im Wiener OdeonTheater.
Als Komponist entstanden Werke im Rahmen von Aufträgen für den ORF,
WDR, die Bregenzer Festspiele, die Musiktriennale Köln, Wien Modern, das
Jazzfestival Saalfelden, Jeunesse, das Wiener Volksliedwerk, die Diagonale, u. a.
Loeschel habilitierte 2009 im Fach »Komposition in interdisziplinären Kontexten« an der Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz. Er arbeitet und lebt mit
Familie in Wien.
www.hannesloeschel.com
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11
Exit Eden
Über die Illustrationen von Willy Puchner
Exit Eden wurde von Hannes Loeschel 2007 im Vorfeld der Bühnenproduktion »Paradise lost – Exit Eden« mit weiteren Protagonisten – Burkhard Stangl,
Clayton Thomas und Mathias Koch – aus dem Feld improvisierter aktueller
Musik aus der Taufe gehoben und agierte vorerst konzertant und als Soundtrack-Combo im stiloffenen Feld aktueller, freier Musik.
Im Rahmen der im weiteren Umfeld des Rocks angesiedelten »Songs of Innocence« gemeinsam mit dem britischen Sänger Phil Minton erweiterte das
Quartett seinen Klangkörper vorübergehend und tritt in variabler Besetzung
auf.
Der zarte Kreis, der die Bilder wie ein roter Faden begleitet, zeigt den Umriss von London. Wie ein durchgehendes Zeichen verbindet er alles, umkreist
die Figuren, wird zur Plattform, zum Postament, zeigt eine Grenze, die mit
dem Gedanken von William Blake korrespondiert: »Wenn die Pforten der
Erkenntnis geläutert würden, würde alles dem Menschen erscheinen, wie es
ist: grenzenlos und unbeschränkt.« In den »Songs of Innocence« ist das Unbegrenzte in der Unschuld und Freude zu sehen. Es ist aus der Sicht der Kinder
geschrieben. Letztlich war William Blake überzeugt, dass Kinder durch Religion, Diktion und Ausbeutung ihre Unschuld verlieren. Seine Gedichte spiegeln
seine Gewissheit, dass jedes Kind frei sein sollte, um seine eigenen Entdeckungen zu machen. Willy Puchner, selbst gelegentlich ein Kind, verwandelte die
»Songs of Innocence« in zarte und anmutige Zeichnungen.
Booking: music@loewenhertz.at
Willy Puchner arbeitet als freischaffender Fotograf,
Zeichner und Autor in Wien und auf Reisen. Nach
dem Studium der Philosophie und Geschichte folgte
er seinen Sehnsüchten und bereiste die ferne Welt.
Er veröffentlichte viele Bücher, zeigt seine Bilder in
Ausstellungen, publiziert in Zeitschriften, veranstaltet
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Workshops und Vorträge. Die wichtigsten Projekte:
»Dorf-Bilder«, »Die Neunzigjährigen«, »Die Sehnsucht
der Pinguine«, »Illustriertes Fernweh« sowie »Willy
Puchners Tierleben«.
www.willypuchner.com
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01 Introduction
Piping down the valleys wild / Piping songs of pleasant glee / On a cloud I saw
a child. / And he laughing said to me. // Pipe a song about a Lamb: / So I piped
with merry chear, / Piper pipe that song again -- / So I piped, he wept to hear.
// Drop thy pipe thy happy pipe / Sing thy songs of happy chear, / So I sung the
same again / While he wept with joy to hear. // Piper sit thee down and write /
In a book that all may read -- / So he vanish’d from my sight, / And I pluck’d a
hollow reed. // And I made a rural pen, / And I stain’d the water clear, / And I
wrote my happy songs / Every child may joy to hear.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, piano
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
Thomas Berghammer, trumpet
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15
02 Night
The sun descending in the west, / The evening star does shine, / The birds
are silent in their nest, / And I must seek for mine, / The moon like a flower,
/ In heavens high bower; / With silent delight, / Sits and smiles on the night.
// Farewell green fields and happy groves, / Where flocks have took delight; /
Where lambs have nibbled, silent moves / The feet of angels bright; / Unseen
they pour blessing, / And joy without ceasing, / On each bud and blossom,
/ And each sleeping bosom. // They look in every thoughtless nest, / Where
birds are coverd warm; // When wolves and tygers howl for prey / They pitying
stand and weep.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Burkhard Stangl, add. guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
16
17
03 Spring
Sound the Flute! / Now it’s mute. / Birds delight / Day and Night. / Nightingale
/ In the dale / Lark in Sky / Merrily / Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year
// Little Boy / Full of joy. / Little Girl / Sweet and small. / Cock does crow / So
do you. / Merry voice / Infant noise / Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year
// Little Lamb / Here I am, / Come and lick / My white neck. / Let me pull /
Your soft Wool. / Let me kiss / Your soft face. / Merrily Merrily we welcome
in the Year.
Phil Minton, vocals
Theresa Eipeldauer, backing vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Burkhard Stangl, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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19
04 On another’s Sorrow
Can I see another’s woe, / And not be in sorrow too. / Can I see another’s grief,
/ And not seek for kind relief. // Can I see a falling tear, / And not feel my sorrows share, / Can a father see his child, / Weep, nor be with sorrow fill’d. // Can
a mother sit and hear / An infant groan an infant fear -- / No no never can it
be. / Never never can it be. // And can he who smiles on all / Hear the wren
with sorrows small, / Hear the small birds grief & care, / Hear the woes that infants bear -- // And not sit beside the nest / Pouring pity in their breast. / And
not sit the cradle near / Weeping tear on infants tear. // And not sit both night
& day, / Wiping all our tears away. / O! no never can it be. / Never never can it
be. // He doth give his joy to all. / He becomes an infant small. / He becomes a
man of woe / He doth feel the sorrow too. // Think not, thou canst sigh a sigh,
/ And thy maker is not by. / Think not, thou canst weep a tear, / And thy maker
is not near. // O! he gives to us his joy, / That our grief he may destroy / Till our
grief is fled & gone / He doth sit by us and moan.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
20
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05 Laughing Song
When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy / And the dimpling stream
runs laughing by, / When the air does laugh with our merry wit, / And the
green hill laughs with the noise of it. // When the meadows laugh with lively
green / And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene, / When Mary and
Susan and Emily, / With their sweet round mouths sing Ha, Ha, He. // When
the painted birds laugh in the shade / Where our table with cherries and nuts
is spread / Come live & be merry and join with me, / To sing the sweet chorus
of Ha, Ha, He.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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06 A Dream
Once a dream did weave a shade, / O’er my Angel-guarded bed, / That an
Emmet lost it’s way / Where on grass methought I lay. // Troubled wilderd
and forlorn / Dark, benighted travel-worn / Over many a tangled spray, / All
heart-broke I heard her say. // O my children! do they cry, / Do they hear
their father sigh. / Now they look abroad to see, / Now return and weep for
me. // Pitying I drop’d a tear: / But I saw a glow-worm near: / Who replied,
What wailing wight / Calls the watchman of the night. // I am set to light the
ground, / While the beetle goes his round: / Follow now the beetle’s hum, /
Little wanderer hie thee home.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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07 The Lamb
Little Lamb who made thee / Dost thou know who made thee / Gave thee life
& bid thee feed, / By the stream & o’er the mead; / Gave thee clothing of delight, / Softest clothing wooly bright; / Gave thee such a tender voice, / Making
all the vales rejoice: / Little Lamb who made thee / Dost thou know who made
thee // Little Lamb I’ll tell thee, / Little Lamb I’ll tell thee; / He is called by thy
name, / For he calls himself a Lamb: / He is meek & he is mild, / He became a
little child: / I a child & thou a lamb, / We are called by his name. / Little Lamb
God bless thee, / Little Lamb God bless thee.
Theresa Eipeldauer, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Burkhard Stangl, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
26
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08 The Shepherd
How sweet is the Shepherd’s sweet lot, / From the morn to the evening he
strays: / He shall follow his sheep all the day / And his tongue shall be filled
with praise. // For he hears the lambs’ innocent call. / And he hears the ewes’
tender reply. / He is watchful while they are in peace, / For they know when
their Shepherd is nigh.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
Thomas Berghammer, trumpet
28
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09 The Echoing Green
The Sun does arise, / And make happy the skies. / The merry bells ring, / To
welcome the Spring. / The sky-lark and thrush, / The birds of the bush, / Sing
louder around, / To the bells’ chearful sound, / While our sports shall be seen
On the Echoing Green. // Old John with white hair / Does laugh away care,
/ Sitting under the oak, / Among the old folk. / They laugh at our play, / And
soon they all say, / Such such were the joys, / When we all girls & boys, / In
our youth time were seen, On the Echoing Green. // Till the little ones weary, /
No more can be merry / The sun does descend, / And our sports have an end:
/ Round the laps of their mothers, / Many sisters and brothers, / Like birds in
their nest, / Are ready for rest: / And sport no more seen, / On the darkening
Green.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, rhythm guitar
Burkhard Stangl, solo guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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10 The Chimney Sweeper
When my mother died I was very young, / And my father sold me while yet
my tongue, / Could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep. / So your chimneys I
sweep & in soot I sleep. // Theres little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head /
That curl’d like a lamb’s back, was shav’d, so I said, / Hush Tom never mind it,
for when your head’s bare, / You know that the soot cannot spoil your white
hair. // And so he was quiet, & that very night, / As Tom was a sleeping he had
such a sight, / That thousands of sweepers Dick, Joe, Ned & Jack, / Were all of
them lock’d up in coffins of black, // And by came an Angel who had a bright
key, / And he open’d the coffins & set them all free. / Then down a green plain
leaping laughing they run / And wash in a river and shine in the Sun. // Then
naked & white, all their bags left behind, / They rise upon clouds, and sport
in the wind. / And the Angel told Tom, if he’d be a good boy, / He’d have God
for his father & never want joy. // And so Tom awoke and we rose in the dark
/ And got with our bags & our brushes to work. / Tho’ the morning was cold,
Tom was happy & warm. / So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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11 Infant Joy
I have no name / I am but two days old. -- / What shall I call thee? / I happy
am / Joy is my name, -- / Sweet joy befall thee! // Pretty joy! / Sweet joy but two
days old. / Sweet joy I call thee: / Thou dost smile, / I sing the while / Sweet
joy befall thee.
Theresa Eipeldauer, vocals
Hannes Loeschel, piano, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Burkhard Stangl, guitar
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12 The Divine Image
To Mercy Pity Peace and Love, / All pray in their distress: / And to these virtues of delight / Return their thankfulness. // For Mercy Pity Peace and Love,
/ Is God our father dear: / And Mercy Pity Peace and Love, / Is Man his child
and care. // For Mercy has a human heart / Pity, a human face: / And Love, the
human form divine, / And Peace, the human dress. // Then every man of every
clime, / That prays in his distress, / Prays to the human form divine / Love
Mercy Pity Peace. // And all must love the human form, / In heathen, turk or
jew. / Where Mercy, Love & Pity dwell, / There God is dwelling too.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Thomas Berghammer, trumpet
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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13 Holy Thursday
It was on a Holy Thursday their innocent faces clean / The children walking
two & two in red & blue & green / Grey headed beadles walkd before with
wands as white as snow / Till into the high dome of Pauls they like Thames
waters flow // O what a multitude they seemd these flowers of London town /
Seated in companies they sit with radiance all their own / The hum of multitudes was there but multitudes of lambs / Thousands of little boys & girls raising their innocent hands // Now like a mighty wind they raise to heaven the
voice of song / Or like harmonious thunderings the seats of heaven among /
Beneath them sit the aged men wise guardians of the poor / Then cherish pity;
lest you drive an angel from your door.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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14 The Little Boy lost / The Little Boy found
Father, father, where are you going / O do not walk so fast. / Speak father,
speak to your little boy / Or else I shall be lost, // The night was dark no father
was there / The child was wet with dew / The mire was deep, & the child did
weep / And away the vapour flew. // The little boy lost in the lonely fen, / Led
by the wand’ring light, / Began to cry, but God ever nigh, / Appeard like his
father in white. // He kissed the child & by the hand led / And to his mother
brought, / Who in sorrow pale, thro’ the lonely dale / Her little boy weeping
sought. // The little boy lost in the lonely fen, / Led by the wand’ring light, / Began to cry; but God, ever nigh, / Appear’d like his father, in white. // He kissed
the child, & by the hand led, / And to his mother brought, / Who in sorrow
pale, thro’ the lonely dale, / Her little boy weeping sought.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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15 A Cradle Song
Sweet dreams form a shade / O’er my lovely infant’s head. / Sweet dreams
of pleasant streams, / By happy silent moony beams // Sweet sleep with soft
down, / Weave thy brows an infant crown. / Sweet sleep Angel mild, / Hover
o’er my happy child. // Sweet smiles in the night, / Hover over my delight. /
Sweet smiles Mother’s smiles / All the livelong night beguiles. // Sweet moans,
dovelike sighs, / Chase not slumber from thy eyes, / Sweet moans, sweeter
smiles, / All the dovelike moans beguiles. // Sleep sleep happy child. / All creation slept and smil’d. / Sleep sleep, happy sleep, / While o’er thee thy mother
weep // Sweet babe in thy face, / Holy image I can trace. / Sweet babe once like
thee, / Thy maker lay and wept for me // Wept for me for thee for all, / When
he was an infant small. / Thou his image ever see. / Heavenly face that smiles
on thee. // Smiles on thee on me on all, / Who became an infant small, / Infant
smiles are his own smiles, / Heaven & earth to peace beguiles.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Thomas Berghammer, trumpet
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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16 Nurse’s Song
When the voices of children are heard on the green / And laughing is heard on
the hill, / My heart is at rest within my breast / And everything else is still //
Then come home my children, the sun is gone down / And the dews of night
arise / Come come leave off play, and let us away / Till the morning appears
in the skies // No no let us play, for it is yet day / And we cannot go to sleep /
Besides in the sky, the little birds fly / And the hills are all coverd with sheep //
Well well go & play till the light fades away / And then go home to bed / The
little ones leaped & shouted & laugh’d / And all the hills ecchoed.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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17 The Blossom
Merry Merry Sparrow / Under leaves so green / A happy Blossom / Sees you
swift as arrow / Seek your cradle narrow / Near my Bosom. // Pretty Pretty
Robin / Under leaves so green / A happy Blossom / Hears you sobbing sobbing, / Pretty Pretty Robin / Near my Bosom.
Phil Minton, vocals
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
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18 Chapel of Gold
(from “The Rossetti Manuscript” by William Blake)
I saw a chapel all of gold / That none did dare to enter in / And many weeping
stood without / Weeping, mourning, worshipping. // I saw a serpent rise between / The white pillars of the door, / And he forc’d & forc’d & forc’d, / Down
the golden hinges tore. // And along the pavement sweet, / Set with pearls &
rubies bright, / All his slimy length he drew, / Till upon the altar white // Vomiting his poison out / On the bread & on the wine. / So I turn’d into a sty / And
laid me down among the swine.
Phil Minton, vocals
Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber, guitar
Burkhard Stangl, guitar
Hannes Loeschel, Fender Rhodes
Thomas Berghammer, trumpet
Clayton Thomas, bass
Mathias Koch, drums
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SONGS OF INNOCENCE
E The opening scene of David Lynch’s movie “Blue Velvet” takes us to an idyllic
place: a suburban garden underneath a clear blue sky, bright colors suggesting
warmth, the whole setting closely resembling what the denizens of suburbia
would regard as an earthly paradise. In dream-like slow motion we are shown
this idealized world from a child’s perspective, with us, the observers, turning
into that innocent creature, beholding this colorful Garden of Eden in amazement, as though seeing it for the first time, this corner of the world where
evil has no right of way, and sin has as yet no name. The song “Blue Velvet”
accompanies the scenario. Some irritation, though, is created by the hissing
sound of water as a man is sprinkling his garden. We hear birds twittering and
insects chirping, and, eventually, we see the garden hose getting knotted, the
first indication that all is not well. The music becomes blurred, other sounds
interfere with the harmony, the hissing turns into a grumbling and a whistling,
the hose becomes clogged, like the arteries inside the man’s body: he collapses,
struck down by a stroke. The camera follows this movement, finally zooming
in on the turf, below the turf even; and all of a sudden we find ourselves in
a world that is utterly different, that has no resemblance whatsoever to the
earlier idyll: here, among the blades of grass and in the soil, a battle is waged.
The insects appear larger than life, the sounds drown out the music, there is
a seething and scraping and bustling. This other cosmos is an alarming place:
a jungle where violence reigns, where one has to fight for survival. Beauty is
only the beginning of horror.
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“Pipe me a song about a lamb”, is a line from the “Introduction” to William
Blake’s “Songs of Innocence”. A child on a cloud demands such a song to be
played, and: “so I piped with merry chear”. Phil Minton performs these lines
in a baritone of bewitching charm, lines and tones appearing to come from
the depths of the unconscious, or at least from a fairytale land. The piece is
opened by Clayton Thomas’s bass, then Hannes Loeschel’s piano comes in,
and Mathias Koch on drums conjures up a percussive landscape. It is a simple
melody, the texture wholly transparent at first, the lyricism seemingly harmless; but little by little, the music begins to counteract the will to harmonization appealed to in us: underneath the semantic level, underneath the level of
the song-like form a grumbling, rasping, raging commences, a murmuring
and roaring, a hooting and a clamoring, a turmoil that seems to be part of another, uncontrollable world. Guitar, trumpet and piano produce such a buzz of
alarm and eeriness that even the seemingly harmless message communicated
by the lyrics takes on an eerie and alarming quality. It is the same effect as that
created by David Lynch. The world of beautiful appearances does exist, but not
without its reverse side. The surface is what we would like to perceive as true,
but underneath it something imponderable and obscure and dark is lurking.
Yet the horrible and the terrifying may in fact just be more attractive and fascinating, and it looms where one least expects it. It’s the familiar dialectic:
that everything which we, as human beings controlled by reason, believe to
be understandable and comprehensible in its beauty, can tilt into its opposite,
into barbarity. Art is capable of making us aware of this moment of tilting,
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capable of making this correlation perceptible. In Hannes Loeschel’s “Songs of
Innocence”, compositions based on William Blake’s cycle of poems, it becomes
perceptible right from the first moment, however well hidden it may often be
underneath the classic song forms used by the composer – whether it’s rock,
folk, country, ballads, or even suggestions of doom metal and ambient of the
variety preferred by bands like Bohren & der Club of Gore. Loeschel’s work has
frequently been situated at the point of intersection of New Music, jazz and
popular song forms, and he has mastered all these genres; he uses them to create pieces that sound wholly new and yet are almost traditional. Nevertheless
there are always subtle deviations that play on the unexpected, produce insecurities and generate enhancements. William Blake is turned upside down;
Loeschel interprets the “Songs of Innocence” as though he was reading them
through Blake’s “Songs of Experience”.
“Songs of Innocence and Experience” – William Blake created these two cycles
during the final decade of the 18th century, when the Age of Enlightenment
had reached its peak while at the same time revealing its dark abysses. In his
“Songs of Innocence” Blake, the painter and poet, enacts a state of creation
that appears quite naive. It is the perspective of a child perceiving everything
for the very first time. The songs reflect not just the innocence referred to in
the title but also inexperience and trust. Belief in goodness is coupled with
amazement at the wonders of the world. “Little Lamb who made thee”, Blake
writes at one point, a line encompassing Christian symbolism and promise of
deliverance as well as a natural piety not yet tarnished by experience. Experi52
ence will come later: in the “Songs of Experience” the beauty becomes unsettled, the dark and the evil find their way into Blake’s poetry. You cannot have
the one without the other.
Especially during the 20th century William Blake proved to be an inspiration for many artists, writers, filmmakers and musicians: from the occultist
Aleister Crowley to Aldous Huxley, from Ridley Scott to Jim Jarmusch, from
Benjamin Britten to Michael Nyman – Blake’s influence can be detected in
numerous different works of art. Pop and rock musicians are particularly fond
of quoting Blake. Patti Smith or Nick Cave have repeatedly expressed their
admiration for Blake’s poetry, and referred to him in their work. The darker
layers in Blake’s texts and paintings have been an ample source of inspiration
for heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden or Venom. Allen Ginsberg, the
beat poet, also recorded the “Songs of Innocence” – and on listening to the
first measures the difference to Hannes Loeschel’s approach becomes apparent
immediately: Ginsberg’s music and the way he sings emphasize naivety and a
children’s song-like quality; in his interpretation the lyrics appear to have been
smoothly translated into a musical form.
Hannes Loeschel avoids the danger of sweetness without deconstructing the
original idea of the songs. In his compositions the historical reception of the
“Songs of Innocence” is always considered, and rendered productive. A new
adaptation of a work that has already become part of the canon of quotations
of popular culture therefore requires not only chutzpah but also a truly open
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approach, an approach that extends the boundaries of musical categorizations.
Hannes Loeschel’s musical work has always encompassed a great variety of
genres, he is familiar with all kinds of different idioms and knows how to integrate them into his own musical language. Having started out as a performer
of contemporary music, Loeschel became increasingly interested in improvisations during the 1990s; he composes scores for theater and movie productions, has an ongoing flirtation with jazz and, ever and again, with traditional
musical forms. In his investigation into the traditional Viennese song on the
CD “Herz.Bruch.Stück” he managed to ignore the dividing line between folk
song and art song with such nonchalance and sincerity that the historical dimension became merged into the contemporary interpretation. The practically outdated CD – album – format generates a “theater space”, as Loeschel
himself calls it, in which conceptual work becomes possible: audio art, sound
art. His approach to Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” is similarly unorthodox, and
also opens up sound spaces. The musicians he assembled for this project – Phil
Minton (voc), Theresa Eipeldauer (voc), Michael Bruckner-Weinhuber (git),
Clayton Thomas (b), Mathias Koch (dr), Burkhard Stangl (key/git) and Thomas Berghammer (tr) – were able, thanks to their diverse experience in free
improvisation, jazz, classical music or popular genres, to enhance the compositions and add a multitude of associative levels – theatrical spaces in which
the musicians can play different roles. The artistic skill of Phil Minton alone
could make listeners go off into raptures: the way the Welsh avant-garde baritone makes the most inconspicuous lines sparkle, ruffles them up, transcends
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them and makes them appear ambiguous, is simply beyond belief. Loeschel
could not have wished for a more suitable singer: his voice holds both the
warmth and the eeriness Hannes Loeschel has detected in Blake’s songs. Because beauty is always the beginning of horror.
Ulrich Rüdenauer (born in 1971) works as a freelance
author for newspapers, magazines and broadcasting
networks (e.g. taz, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Falter, Literaturen, Deutschlandfunk, WDR, SWR). He writes
about literary topics and music, works for the Enjoy
Jazz Festival, and organizes literary events for “Liter-
Ulrich Rüdenauer
atur im Schloss” at Bad Mergentheim. His most recent
publications include the correspondence between Peter Handke and Hermann Lenz, “Berichterstatter des
Tages”, as co-editor and “Naomi Schenck: Archiv verworfener Möglichkeiten. Fotos und Texte”, as editor.
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Hannes Loeschel
Exit Eden
Hannes Loeschel (born in Vienna in 1963) received his musical training at the
Hochschule für Musik in Vienna. He started out as a performer of contemporary music, before turning to improvised music around 1990; at about the
same time he also began to develop his first crossover pieces as a composer,
ensemble leader and arranger. In 1997, his trio “Loeschel Skrepek Zrost” won
the Hans Koller Award for jazz and improvised music. Since then Hannes Loeschel has led a number of different ensembles and projects, collaborating with
musicians such as Peter Herbert, Josef Novotny, Joanna Lewis, David Tronzo
or Ned Rothenberg in live performances all over the world. He has released
numerous albums and also realized various productions in cooperation with
visual artists, filmmakers, dance and theater ensembles. He is a co-founder of
the Soundgrube festival in Vienna and both the artistic director and Artist in
Residence of OdeonMusik at the OdeonTheater in Vienna.
Exit Eden were launched in 2007, in connection with the stage production
“Paradise Lost – Exit Eden”, by Hannes Loeschel in collaboration with three
other protagonists specializing in current improvised music: Burkhard Stangl,
Clayton Thomas and Mathias Koch. The ensemble initially played live at concerts and as a soundtrack combo in the stylistically unrestrained field of current free music.
For the “Songs of Innocence”, a production in the neighborhood of rock music
in a wider sense realized in collaboration with British singer Phil Minton, the
quartet temporarily opened its ranks to a number of other musician friends;
since then, Exit Eden have been playing in varying lineups.
Booking: music@loewenhertz.at
His oeuvre as a composer includes works commissioned by ORF, WDR,
Bregenzer Festspiele, Musiktriennale Köln, Wien Modern, Saalfelden Jazz
Festival, Jeunesse, Wiener Volksliedwerk, Diagonale, and others. In 2009,
Loeschel obtained a post-doctoral degree in “Composition in Interdisciplinary Contexts” at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz. He works and
lives with his family in Vienna.
www.hannesloeschel.com
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On Willy Puchner’s illustrations
©+
The delicate circle appearing in the drawings like a recurrent theme depicts
the outlines of London. It connects everything, like a continuous sign, encircling the figures, becoming a platform, a post office, showing a boundary that
corresponds to the notion expressed by William Blake: “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite.” In the
“Songs of Innocence” the infinite lies in the innocence and joy. They are written from a child’s perspective. Ultimately, William Blake believed that children
are robbed of their innocence by religion, diction and exploitation. His poems
reflect the firm conviction that each child should be free to make his or her
own discoveries. Willy Puchner, occasionally a child himself, has transformed
the “Songs of Innocence” into delicate and graceful drawings.
Distribution See our website www.col-legno.com
2010 col legno Beteiligungs- und Produktion GmbH
Producer Andreas Schett, Peter Kollreider, col legno
Executive Producer Hannes Loeschel, www.hannesloeschel.com
Recording Date September, 2009
Recorded by Christoph Amann at Amann Studios, Vienna
Mixed by Florian Bogner
Mastering Martin Stiewert
Publisher loewenhertz music
Texts Ulrich Rüdenauer
Translations Astrid Tautscher
Photography Johannes Novohradsky (Loeschel)
Illustrations Willy Puchner after some photo materials (stone structures) by Lisi Breuss
Design Concept Circus. Büro für Kommunikation und Gestaltung, Innsbruck, www.circus.at
Typesetting & Layout Circus
All music composed and produced by Hannes Loeschel
Hannes Loeschel by courtesy of AKM / Austro Mechana
Many thanks to Klemens Lendl and David Mueller for the Fender Rhodes and it’s marvellous sound
Willy Puchner works as a freelance photographer, illustrator and writer, both in Vienna and while traveling.
After taking a degree in philosophy and history he decided to give in to his wanderlust and travel to faraway
places. He has published numerous books, presents his
drawings and photographs in exhibitions, publishes
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works in magazines, holds workshops and lectures.
His most important projects include: “Dorf-Bilder”,
“Die Neunzigjährigen”, “Die Sehnsucht der Pinguine”,
“Illustriertes Fernweh” and “Willy Puchners Tierleben”.
www.willypuchner.com