Hans Rott: Shine On You Crazy Diamond
A semi-fictional interview in iconic quotes by Lars Straehler-Pohl.
Austrian musician Hans Rott easily fulfills most of the clichés of the natural-born rock star and romantic genius rolled into one, including the possession of a sensitive and creative mind; one capable of moments of transcendence and building bridges to new forms of musical expression. We talked about influencers, friendship, triangles and why he carries a gun. Rott died young of a psychiatric disorder, in 1884, at the age of 25. His symphony had its premiere in 1989.
Lars Straehler-Pohl: So, it's really you - at last. How are you?
Rott: I am pretty tired. I was doing sketches so much, you know. Still not convinced. But that's the game. You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians. I mean, there are a lot of musicians out there but not that many artists among them.
LSP: Your demands on your work are high. What is it that you want to achieve?
Rott: Yes, maybe high, but primarily honest. Art is the life that the artist conveys back to its source, to life itself. That’s big. You have to find a form that fits. Ok, you might go for a small nice dance suite for example. In the end, what do you achieve by that? This is just modern impotence.
LSP: There are legendary stories about your Vienna bar-hopping nights. But then we see you early in the morning playing services on the organ. Work hard, play hard?
Rott: I don't see a distinction there. If you want to bring something to life, you have to first have a life—from the heart through the head to life, it’s that simple. I just finished a piece that I’ve been carrying with me all of my life. It’s the only thing I’ll talk about, nothing else.
Hans Rott: Music – “from the heart through the head to life.” Source: International Hans Rott Society
LSP: You’re referring to the E major symphony—swimming in the open sea. Without fear; instead delighted by the highest waves and strongest storms.
Rott: You read the score? Yes, it has the inside perspective, of course, and a view from the outside: here, you may enjoy the tranquility that was snatched away from you too soon in life. Some of it is very quiet. I personally like quiet music as much as loud music.
LSP: Apropos loud music—you do use the triangle quite heavily in that symphony.
Rott: (laughs) We talked about that. I like people who shake other people up and make them feel uncomfortable. The triangle is a good tool for that; to inspire both friends and enemies. You can be quiet, but shouldn't be too soft. You have to set impulses.
LSP: Let us speak about these impulses: you are a powerful influencer. Let's take Gustav Mahler. He praised you in the highest tones. Some might even say that he borrowed a good bit from your compositions. Looking, for example, at the third movement of your symphony and the second movement of Mahler's first, you hear a lot of parallels.
Rott: Hard to say. I am not quite sure whether I know that one especially. Gustav and I studied together and we respect each other.
Gustav Mahler on his fellow student Rott: “There was no limit to what he had to offer, and perhaps together the two of us could have quite thoroughly depleted the substance of this new era of music that was dawning.”
Source: A. Dupont, N.Y. Library of Congress, public domain
LSP: There was that dispute with Mahler about the sacrifices a composer must make… steak versus cheese and crackers?
Rott: Oh yeah, that story. But, listen, it was roast beef. Let me explain. There was a time when many of us were regularly juggling the money we didn’t have. And of course, in those rare moments when something does come in, paying bills or saving up is not the first thing that comes to mind—you’d rather have some good wine with your friends, right? That’s not a bohemian lifestyle, just living life. Look, what are you saving it up for? Tomorrow? A moment in 150 years? Gustav was of the opinion—at the time, at least—that this awful Austrian cheese we have would be enough to feed a composer. But I am still convinced that an artist should be able to enjoy a decent meal—roast beef, for example. There were a few people around who overheard our little discussion… and, yeah, we’d indeed had some wine—happily, it’s something that I can tolerate in considerable quantity. But, in the end, things turned out well between us.
LSP: Still – a kind of friendship?
Rott: Well… a friend is nothing but a known enemy—you could say. (laughs) Seriously - sometimes we still have a drink together and, of course, we listen to each other’s stuff. He has clear ideas. I hope he will find a nice girl someday. (grins) He has clear ideas on that as well.
LSP: How does Vienna as a city influence your work?
Rott: It´s my basis, my rock. My friends are here… or were. My symphony is to be released [here] just now, given my circumstances, I’m sure there’ll be a later exhumation—it’s the modern thing just now—that will lead to a retrieval of my honor. And there are some poems here that I wrote to a girl, you know. In short, I shouldn’t be going anywhere else soon— there are good reasons to be in the city at this moment.
LSP: What about Anton Bruckner? Is he one of them?
Rott: The professor? He taught me to play the organ. And not too bad, I guess. We like each other. He says some nice things about me, and I don’t think I’m easy to talk about. I´ve got a very irregular head. And I’m not anything that you think I am anyway.
LSP: He wrote about your excellent talent, diligence and morally pure character.
Rott: Let’s just say, he provides great support. This is not typical in our business. To create music, you have to open yourself up to the outside. You become somewhat vulnerable. Working with people like the professor is great—of course, you have other experiences as well. This guy from Hamburg, for example, is a master, but still, you shouldn't show any vulnerability when you meet him. Sometimes one moment is enough to forget a lifetime, but other times a lifetime is not enough to forget one moment.
LSP: The guy from Hamburg, you mean Brahms? A war of words, would you say?
Rott: It wasn't really a war. I suppose it was really just a matter of being a little offhand about things.
LSP: You are known for carrying a gun. Why is that?
Rott: Today, primarily for self-defense. Picture yourself on a train. Suddenly someone is acting like he wants to light a cigar. But what if his intent is to blow up the train? What if the wagon has been rigged with dynamite and the cigar is the tool for that? Such things are happening all the time. You have to be wide awake.
LSP: What's next for you?
Rott: I don’t know. I think you can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow. You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven.
LSP: A romantic picture. But isn't suffering the bigger part of it?
Rott: Life is so much more rewarding if you strive for something, rather than take what's given to you on a plate. Just now, I’m going to have a cup of coffee, like any good Austrian.
LSP: Hans, thank you for your time.
Rott: Anytime, man.
About the author:
Lars Straehler-Pohl is a writer and musician based in Berlin, Germany. The centerpiece of his interdisciplinary work is the perception of presence. He holds a degree in philosophy, psychology and history from the Freie Universität Berlin and was simultaneously educated in Orchestral Conducting and Design Thinking. As a conductor, he has a strong interest in contemporary music and the recovery of forgotten, banned and lost compositions. He re-orchestrated Albéric Magnard‘s opera Yolande, which burned with its composer in 1914. Straehler-Pohl premiered works of Hans Stähli, Héctor Marroquin and the Dutch musician Nico Richter, who was killed in 1945. The focus of his academic publications and teaching is on aesthetics, philosophy of mind and concepts of time perception. In his audio-visual works, he experiments on how a one-time impression can become a long-term memory.
Hidden in the interview, quotes in the order of appearance.
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