Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Werden und Vergehen

English translation:

growth and decay / coming into being and passing away

Added to glossary by Helen Shiner
Oct 29, 2012 16:50
11 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

Werden und Vergehen

German to English Art/Literary Music Contemporary music
Musik ist wie keine andere Kunst dafür prädestiniert, in Grenzbereiche der Wahrnehmung, im übertragenen Sinne auch in Grenzbereiche des Bewusstseins vorzudringen. Spätestens seit dem Zeitalter der „Romantik“ trieben sich ein erhöhter Abstraktionsgrad und das Vortasten in seelische Bezirke einerseits und die Erforschung und Verfeinerung neuer klanglicher Mittel andererseits gegenseitig voran – und dieser Prozess hält im Prinzip bis heute an. Dazu kommt, dass sich im flüchtigen Erscheinungsbild als Zeitkunst wie selbstverständlich existenzielle Dimensionen widerspiegeln. In ihrer Fortpflanzung von Augenblick zu Augenblick, von Klang zu Klang, sind der Musik Werden und Vergehen eingeschrieben.

Context: Describing the nature of music in respect of the work of a living contemporary composer. Here my attempts so far - one fairly literal but not really English, two much freer but further away from the original. I'd be grateful for comments!

In its propagation from moment to moment, from sound to sound, formation and passing away are inscribed in the music / music is dying the moment it is born / music is created only to perish.
Change log

Oct 31, 2012 15:13: Helen Shiner Created KOG entry

Discussion

Colin Rowe Oct 29, 2012:
A few ideas... to get the ball rolling:

transitory, transient, ephemeral

Proposed translations

+1
2 hrs
Selected

growth and decay

Following Jung and Nietzsche (in translation):
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sk7Av8XowCAC&pg=PA368&lpg...

Though if we were to go with Aristoteles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Generation_and_Corruption:

On Generation and Corruption Ancient Greek: Περὶ γενέσεως καὶ φθορᾶς, Latin: De Generatione et Corruptione, also known as On Coming to Be and Passing Away
Peer comment(s):

agree philgoddard : Perfect, though I think Aristotle's version is a bit of a mouthful.
1 day 21 hrs
Thanks, phil - I agree. Prefer the Jungian take myself.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks to Helen for the reference to Aristoteles, whose phrasing I preferred in the end: Coming into being and passing away are inherent in music."
8 mins

transition and departure

You could even take slight liberties and say "living and dying", because that's what it's all about. "Werden" means to make the transition from one state to another, and one translation of "vergehen" is "die".

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Note added at 9 mins (2012-10-29 16:59:46 GMT)
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Or "birth and death".
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+1
16 mins

emerging and fading away

... are inherent to music.
An option.

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Note added at 21 mins (2012-10-29 17:11:13 GMT)
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Would be a possible different ending for your first attemt.
Peer comment(s):

agree Ramey Rieger (X) : and a nice one, too!
40 mins
Thanks Ramey! Have a great evening!
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+2
54 mins

inception and atrophy - see below

seed and decay
emergence and dissolution
Example sentence:

Re-creating itself moment by moment, from silence to resonance to silence, music is(intrinsically/incarnate) inception and atrophy.

Peer comment(s):

agree Helen Shiner : In this context, I like 'emergence and dissolution' as an option./Though not sure atrophy is the way to go.
51 mins
I'm not either, Helen, it's a bit dramatic, but SUCH an excellent word. Thanks for your support!
agree Usch Pilz : Poetic!
2 hrs
You nudged me there!
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2 hrs

of emergence and of vanishing

Music bears the mark? Coming into being; and, "the sky acutest at its ..."
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