The legend of Strömkarl or Nöck - and its consequences
Synopsis
Philosophie und Neue Musik - Die Legende vom Nöck (in German only)
The legend of Strömkarl or Neck, published in 1835 by Jacob Grimm in his German Mythology, triggered a flood of rewrites, settings, paintings and sculptures. Even Theordor W. Adorno wanted to recreate its "dialectical construction" as the model for his Beethoven book. The water spirit or elf Neck is at first denied redemption by children whom he teaches to play the harp, but is then promised it. In the fifth part of their series New Music and Philosophy, the authors Uli Aumüller and Peter Moorman prove that the structure of the legend, but above all Adorno's surprising interpretation, not only shaped his philosophy of Beethoven's music, but also continues to have an effect as a figure of thought long after Adorno's death.
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