Richard Huelsenbeck
Encyclopedia
Richard Huelsenbeck was a poet
, writer
and drummer
born in Frankenau
, Hessen-Nassau.
Carl Wilhelm Richard Hülsenbeck was a medical student on the eve of World War I
. He was invalided out of the army and emigrated to Zürich
, Switzerland
in February 1916, where he fell in with the Cabaret Voltaire
. In January 1917, he moved to Berlin
, taking with him the ideas and techniques which helped him found the Berlin Dada
group. 'To make literature with a gun in my hand had for a time been my dream,'he wrote in 1920. His ideas fitted in with left-wing politics current at time in Berlin. However, idealistic Huelsenbeck and his companions were their challenge 'Dada is German Bolshevism' had unfortunate repercussions later, when the National Socialists
denounced all aspects of modern art as Kunstbolschewismus. Later in life, he moved to New York City
, where he practiced Jungian psychoanalysis
under the name Charles R. Hulbeck. In 1970 he returned to the Ticino
region of Switzerland
. He died 1974 in Muralto
, Switzerland.
Huelsenbeck was the editor of the Dada Almanach, and wrote Dada Sieght, En Avant Dada and other Dada
ist works.
Huelsenbeck's autobiography Memoirs of a Dada Drummer gives detailed accounts of his interactions with many key figures of the movement.
Of his music, Hugo Ball
wrote, "Huelsenbeck has arrived. He pleads for an intensification of rhythm
(Negro
rhythm). He would best love to drum literature
& to perdition
."
Until the end of his life, Huelsenbeck insisted, "Dada is still existing," although the movement's other founders might not have agreed.
and Marcel Janco
, can be heard on the audio CD Futurism and Dada Reviewed
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
born in Frankenau
Frankenau
-Location:Frankenau lies in the Kellerwald range southwest of the Talgang . It is found on the southern edge of the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park on the upper reaches of the Lorfebach, a tributary to the Eder...
, Hessen-Nassau.
Carl Wilhelm Richard Hülsenbeck was a medical student on the eve of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was invalided out of the army and emigrated to Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in February 1916, where he fell in with the Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire (Zürich)
Cabaret Voltaire was the name of a nightclub in Zurich, Switzerland. It was founded by Hugo Ball, with his companion Emmy Hennings on February 5, 1916 as a cabaret for artistic and political purposes. Other founding members were Marcel Janco, Richard Huelsenbeck, Tristan Tzara, and Jean Arp...
. In January 1917, he moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, taking with him the ideas and techniques which helped him found the Berlin Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
group. 'To make literature with a gun in my hand had for a time been my dream,'he wrote in 1920. His ideas fitted in with left-wing politics current at time in Berlin. However, idealistic Huelsenbeck and his companions were their challenge 'Dada is German Bolshevism' had unfortunate repercussions later, when the National Socialists
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
denounced all aspects of modern art as Kunstbolschewismus. Later in life, he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he practiced Jungian psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
under the name Charles R. Hulbeck. In 1970 he returned to the Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
region of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He died 1974 in Muralto
Muralto
Muralto is a municipality in the district of Locarno, in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-Roman settlement:In the second half of the 19th Century, the ruins of a Roman settlement were discovered. However, all the items discovered in these early excavations are either lost or they are kept in...
, Switzerland.
Huelsenbeck was the editor of the Dada Almanach, and wrote Dada Sieght, En Avant Dada and other Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
ist works.
Huelsenbeck's autobiography Memoirs of a Dada Drummer gives detailed accounts of his interactions with many key figures of the movement.
Of his music, Hugo Ball
Hugo Ball
Hugo Ball was a German author, poet and one of the leading Dada artists.Hugo Ball was born in Pirmasens, Germany and was raised in a middle-class Catholic family. He studied sociology and philosophy at the universities of Munich and Heidelberg...
wrote, "Huelsenbeck has arrived. He pleads for an intensification of rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
(Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
rhythm). He would best love to drum literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
& to perdition
Perdition
Perdition may refer to:*Hell in Christian beliefs*Son of perdition*Perdition , by Jim Allen*Road to Perdition , a series of fictional works by Max Allan Collins...
."
Until the end of his life, Huelsenbeck insisted, "Dada is still existing," although the movement's other founders might not have agreed.
Audio
An English language interview with Richard Huelsenbeck recorded in 1959 can be heard on the audio CD Voices of Dada together with a 1967 reading of a poem from his 1916 verse collection Phantastiche Gebete. A non-author performance of L'amiral cherche une maison a louer, the simultaneous Dada poem written by Huelsenbeck with Tristan TzaraTristan Tzara
Tristan Tzara was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, composer and film director, he was known best for being one of the founders and central figures of the anti-establishment Dada movement...
and Marcel Janco
Marcel Janco
Marcel Janco was a Romanian and Israeli visual artist, architect, art theorist and cultural promoter, known as the co-inventor of Dadaism and a leading exponent of Constructivism in Eastern Europe. His first contribution came in the 1910s, when he joined up with poets Tristan Tzara and Ion Vinea...
, can be heard on the audio CD Futurism and Dada Reviewed
External links
- author page at Lyrikline.orgLyrikline.orglyrikline.org hosts contemporary international poetry as audio and text , plus bibliographies and biographies for each poet.lyrikline.org was started in November 1999 as a German-language site...
, with audio and German text). - Richard Huelsenbeck papers, 1910-1978 The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, California. Papers of German poet, Richard Huelsenbeck, who was involved with the Dada movement and edited several of its important journals.
Sources
- Richard Huelsenbeck
- Richard Huelsenbeck at the International Dada Archive. Includes digitized images of Huelsenbeck's publications.