BERGPREDIGT

Music and Computer-Realisation: Hubert Bognermayr and Harald Zuschrader
Lyrics: Walter Karlberger. Produced by: Hubert Bognermayr - Harald Zuschrader - Walter Karlberger - Ulrich Rützel

Texts of the Real Audio Files above: ---> more Real Audio files click here.
1) "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted" Blessed are all they who dry the tears of the children that are sad, sick or abandoned; for theirs shall be the Kingdom of Heaven along with the children...

2) "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom Of Heaven" Blessed are all they whose hands are empty, who have failed and who wish to die in silence. There shall be no end of joy.

Acute:
No one has any faith left in what is said by those in power: Their lies have been too many, too deadly. It is time for a signal questioning the future of living in freedom and peace, brotherhood and tolerance and justice. There is the threat to give up violence and to reduce agressions, giving a commitment to those without rights and to the oppressed. It is no wonder, therefore, to find people the world over beginning to discover a message that is almost two thousand years old, a message that has remained unheard so many times: Jesus of Nazareth's "Sermon On The Mount" ("Bergpredigt" in German language).

Please listen to more excerpts (Real Audio). The spoken texts are in German language but you will find all texts in English language in the booklet.

Excerpts from track 3:
"Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth".
Wretched are those who sit in judgement over their fellow men; they shall be as chaff gone with the wind. Blessed are all they whom others find compassionete...

Excerpts from track 7:
"Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God"
Wretched are those who wish to destroy their enemies as are the worshippers of the military balance... For God knows the way of the justs. Blessed are the peacemakers, who place people above all ideologies and programs...

Excerpts from track 8:
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake; for theirs is the Kindgom of Heaven"
But wretched are the powerful. at the last judgement they shall look into the eyes of those have humiliated, robbed or killed. Blessed are all they who seek hope yet find none; who seek fortune and know but misfortune...

This contemporary performing-arts music has already been produced and released in 1982/1983.

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Details:
There is the threat to peace, the rejection of violence, a reducing of aggressions, a turning towards tolerance and solidarity, a commitment to those without rights and to
the oppressed...peace and love are taken at their word in the "sermon on the mount". It was a challenge to us as artists to compose, produce and perform this work using
the computer technology. The music computer afforded us a whole new and creative space for musical expression. At the same time it gave us the opportunity to prove
that technology, in human hands can help us achieve peaceable, lively, moving, humane and pertinent forms of expression.

It was a fascinating undertaking for the three of us to try to express these texts which are so valid today in musical terms. We decided upon an unusual method: we
confronted the original text with statements of our own time, i.e. headlines, keywords, stereotypes, clichés, cries for help, sounds. Our aim is to place Jesus´ thoughts
squarely amidst the set-pieces of our dangerous and endangered present; a present in which a permanent blackmail by the powerful is cynically equated with peace. It is
time for a signal questioning the future of living in freedom, brotherhood, and why we are here. Basic material for our "Sermon On The Mount" was the authentic translation
accepted during the last 200 years of the Matthew evangelism. It was compared with the positive and negative interpretations put forth today and with relative points found
in literature, theology books, discussions, and radio programs; all systematically collected and catalogued.

To realize "The Sermon On The Mount" musically rhythmic and tonal components were combined by the computer with human voices to form word-sound-colours. Vocal
material was also drawn from interviews recorded in hospitals, pensions, youth clubs, in the street and in the open-air. From this collection we programmed the computer
with special sentences, signal words, dialects and vocal sounds that were adapted by the computer to conform with our musical and dramatic concepts". (Bognermayr/Zuschrader/Karlberger)