How to Become a Musician
for 2 speaking, singing, acting, music-making artists
Dum dum dee dee DaDa
The French wars were over, the German Emperor was unknowingly nearing the end of the monarchy, WWI played a decisive role. It was at this time that Café Voltaire in Zürich (5.2.1916 - Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, Marcel Janco, Tristan Tzara, Hans Arp...) was founded, a fact which wasn't really that exciting. It was just a place where writers talked about going beyond the status quo: the limits of speech as a method of comminication had been reached and words were lost in the crowd. They then discovered speech as sound. As friendships among artists had always been made across the board, they came up with the idea of working together with the plastic arts and musicians: the result was DaDa. And because at the time there was no tv or film, anything new and revolutionary was noticed at once. In public, spectacular wars were fought and won with DaDa. But it was also taken very seriously. Many critics seem to have been shocked by the fact that artists had (re)discovered silliness, wit and humour because according to the critics: there's nothing to laugh about at the theatre and in concert halls!!
When Kurt Schwitters performed his Ursonate in Potsdam for Frau Kiepenheuer (publisher) and her guests (Generals, high society ladies and gentlemen), the generals, due to their high collars, first went red and then blue in the face, pursed their lips so as to avoid compromising their gracious host, didn't quite succeed and burst into loud laughter. Kurty's voice became louder and he was able to finish his sonate. It was a huge success!
What remained? Unfortunately the continuing reputation that Dadaists destroyed for the sake of destroying. The only things they really destroyed were the stuck in the mud ideas in stupid people's heads. They enriched speech and art in general. They broke through language barriers and let in music and images, today something which almost goes without saying. The stage became a place to play on for the sake of playing, still unfortunately very suspect in our society today: it makes you reflect on things, so it must be theatre.