Lina Bandára (1881-1960)

[Wheesht]

Prof. Sonja Kmec, historian at the University of Luxembourg, gave a talk on Lina Bandára in Vienna in May this year, and referred to the composer as 'a mediator between different worlds of sound and an early advocate of cultural understanding through music' [translated from the German text based on the audio recording of her presentation].

Several works are freely available in digital format, e.g. the Symphony 'Eine Tropen-Nacht' (A Night in the Tropics), which dates either from 1898 or 1906, depending on the source.

Here is a translation of the German text based on the audio recording of Prof. Kmec's talk:

Linda Bandára (1881–1960) is one of those female composers who went largely unnoticed for a long time. I came across her whilst working on the research project Music and Gender in Luxembourg, which examines music-related activities from a gender perspective and brings together scattered sources on female musicians and composers. Sources often pose the greatest problem, particularly when it comes to women: they are spread across numerous archives and are often difficult to access.
The starting point for my research into Bandára was a manuscript in the Grand Ducal Family Library: 'Willenskraft', a work for chamber orchestra, presumably composed around 1900. The dedication to the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Adelheid Marie von Anhalt-Dessau, as well as the unusual combination of European and Javanese references, piqued my interest. The work consists of three parts, the first of which is entitled "Sindoro" – named after the volcano on Java at the foot of which Bandára grew up. Even this early work points to an artistic approach that bridges different cultural spheres.

Research in Vienna
Further leads took me to Vienna. An entry in the Vienna History Wiki referred to collections at the Vienna Library, which proved to be particularly fruitful. These include three printed songs as well as several manuscripts. Among the most notable pieces is 'Der Silberreiher, Lied für Sopran u. Klavier' (The Grey Heron, Song for Soprano and Piano) from 1930. By this time, Bandára had already left Java and was living in the Netherlands. The work was composed during a period of uprooting and is characterised by a deep longing for the landscape and culture of her childhood. This nostalgia runs as a leitmotif through her oeuvre: initially, Java appears as an idealised landscape; later, the memory of it becomes a central theme in her music.
Of her approximately 100 surviving compositions, only a small proportion were published. This makes the surviving manuscripts all the more important. Particularly fascinating are those works in which Bandára attempted to capture the sounds of Javanese gamelans (traditional instrumental ensembles) in European musical notation. In 'Frühlingslied, Thema mit Variationen für Orchester' (Spring Song, Theme with Variations for Orchestra), for example, she combined Romantic song traditions with the sonic qualities of Javanese instruments. In doing so, she created hybrid musical forms that were highly unusual for her time. In other works, she even intertwined medieval European themes with Javanese sounds, thereby opening up new musical spaces.
Her works were performed in Vienna and The Hague; she gave lectures and presented her research to a wider audience. It is known, for instance, that her 'Ländliche Stimmungsbilder aus Java' (Rural Mood Scenes from Java) were performed by the Vienna Philharmonic in 1922 and by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in 1937. However, the score is now considered lost. In her will, Bandára bequeathed her collection of instruments and textiles to the Vienna Museum of Ethnology (now the Weltmuseum).

Nederlands Muziek Instituut, The Hague
A key source for research into Linda Bandára is the extensive collection at the Nederlands Muziek Instituut in The Hague. It was only in the 2000s that this collection was discovered in an attic, and recently it was fully catalogued. The collection comprises more than 170 scores (some of which are fragments or copies), letters and other documents. Of particular value are the memoirs entitled 'Anak Djawa' – 'Child of Java'. They offer a vivid insight into Bandára's self-perception and her origins. This material has already been studied by the Dutch pianist and musicologist Henk Mak van Dijk.
In her memoirs, the composer describes how her mother, Antonia Teutschmann, grew up in Graz, played the violin and composed music herself. Bandára describes her as an exceptionally independent woman, "half a century ahead of her time [...]", and as a formative figure who instilled in her daughter artistic openness and independence. Even though the claim that her mother was a pupil of Anton Bruckner has not yet been substantiated, it is clear just how important musical education was in the family.
Bandára's memoirs paint a picture of her childhood in Java as a time of great freedom. She recounts rambles through the countryside, her proximity to the volcanoes and intense experiences of nature. Although such memories should be read as autobiographical interpretations, it is clear how profoundly this environment shaped her sense of self and her artistic output. Even the title of her memoirs alludes to the close bond she felt with her native land throughout her life.

Music from Java and Bali
In addition to her work as a composer, Bandára also distinguished herself as a music writer and promoter of Javanese music. The Vienna Library's collection of posters contains references to Bandára's active lecturing career. Furthermore, in numerous articles she described the instruments, tonal systems and performance practices of the gamelan. Her texts are characterised by a high degree of detail. At the same time, she spoke out against the widespread European disparagement of non-European musical cultures. As early as 1911, she lamented the cultural divide between Europe and Java and criticised the arrogance with which Javanese music was often viewed. She explicitly saw her work as a contribution to a better understanding of these traditions.
She was particularly concerned with the question of musical notation. Together with the Javanese musician R. T. Djojodipuro, she developed her own system for notating gamelan music. For this work, she received an award from a research institute in Java. Although the notation did not gain widespread acceptance, it illustrates Bandára's endeavour to establish connections between different systems of musical knowledge. In her memoirs, she describes this process as a collaborative endeavour whilst also reflecting on the difficulties faced by such attempts at mediation.
Throughout her life, Linda Bandára moved between continents, cultures and musical traditions. It is precisely these transitional spaces that make her work so fascinating today. The collections of the Wienbibliothek, the Nederlands Muziek Instituut and other archives show that numerous research questions remain unanswered. At the same time, they enable the rediscovery of a composer who was far more than a musical boundary-crosser: she was a mediator between different worlds of sound and an early advocate of cultural understanding through music.