Ru
EnM. Syrbu
“The Scratch Orchestra” story: a trial of reconstruction
“The Scratch Orchestra” is an ensemble of experimental “synthetic” creative work; it existed in Great Britain at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. The founder and ideologist of this group was Cornelius Cardew (1936–1981), a prominent composer, teacher, and popularizer of modern music. “The Scratch Orchestra” immediately acquired an ambiguous reputation in the academic environment, which was due to its specific composition, which united professionals and amateurs, as well as a consistent focus on performative forms of artistic activity. These factors subsequently contributed to the insufficient study of the creative experience of this group. The author of the article reconstructs the most important characteristics of “The Scratch Orchestra” activities, settles the main stages of the latter, and reveals their originality. The study of memoirs and later research allows him to identify 4 main periods in the biography of this ensemble. The first of them, “Pre-Scratch”, had a preliminary focus: a circle of like-minded people gradually formed around C. Cardew, who acted as the basis for the ensemble to be. At the same time, the “Draft Constitution” was created, designed to regulate the creative practice of this group. The first period was associated with intensive concert activity, within the framework of which the main features of the presentation crystallized – the most important form of “The Scratch Orchestra” concert performances. The second period was characterized by the growth of separatist sentiments and the emergence of autonomous groups within a large group. This led to a split and the fading of the activities of “The Scratch Orchestra” during the third period. In general, the history of this ensemble reflected the most important tendencies of the appropriate historical era and became an important page in the development of the experimental direction of European art in the second half of the 20th century.
Key words
“The Scratch Orchestra”, C. Cardew, experimental music in Great Britain, improvisation, ensemble creative practice, graphic score, verbal score.
For citation
Syrbu M. “The Scratch Orchestra” story: a trial of reconstruction. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2024. No. 4. Pp. 67–78.
