Werden und Vergehen

English translation: growth and decay / coming into being and passing away

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German term or phrase:	Werden und Vergehen
English translation:	growth and decay / coming into being and passing away
Entered by:	Helen Shiner

16:50 Oct 29, 2012

German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Music / Contemporary music

German term or phrase: Werden und Vergehen

Musik ist wie keine andere Kunst dafür prädestiniert, in Grenzbereiche der Wahrnehmung, im übertragenen Sinne auch in Grenzbereiche des Bewusstseins vorzudringen. Spätestens seit dem Zeitalter der „Romantik“ trieben sich ein erhöhter Abstraktionsgrad und das Vortasten in seelische Bezirke einerseits und die Erforschung und Verfeinerung neuer klanglicher Mittel andererseits gegenseitig voran – und dieser Prozess hält im Prinzip bis heute an. Dazu kommt, dass sich im flüchtigen Erscheinungsbild als Zeitkunst wie selbstverständlich existenzielle Dimensionen widerspiegeln. In ihrer Fortpflanzung von Augenblick zu Augenblick, von Klang zu Klang, sind der Musik Werden und Vergehen eingeschrieben.

Context: Describing the nature of music in respect of the work of a living contemporary composer. Here my attempts so far - one fairly literal but not really English, two much freer but further away from the original. I'd be grateful for comments!

In its propagation from moment to moment, from sound to sound, formation and passing away are inscribed in the music / music is dying the moment it is born / music is created only to perish.

Diana Loos KudoZ activity Questions: 35 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 49
Local time: 11:38

growth and decay

Explanation:
Following Jung and Nietzsche (in translation):
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sk7Av8XowCAC&pg=PA368&lpg...

Though if we were to go with Aristoteles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Generation_and_Corruption:

On Generation and Corruption Ancient Greek: Περὶ γενέσεως καὶ φθορᾶς, Latin: De Generatione et Corruptione, also known as On Coming to Be and Passing Away

Selected response from:

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:38

Grading comment

Thanks to Helen for the reference to Aristoteles, whose phrasing I preferred in the end: Coming into being and passing away are inherent in music.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +2

inception and atrophy - see below

Ramey Rieger (X)

4 +1

growth and decay

Helen Shiner

transition and departure

philgoddard

3 +1

emerging and fading away

Usch Pilz

of emergence and of vanishing

Horst Huber (X)

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

8 mins confidence:

werden und vergehen transition and departure

Explanation:
You could even take slight liberties and say "living and dying", because that's what it's all about. "Werden" means to make the transition from one state to another, and one translation of "vergehen" is "die".

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Note added at 9 mins (2012-10-29 16:59:46 GMT)
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Or "birth and death".

Reference: http://dict.leo.org/ende?lp=ende&lang=en&searchLoc=0&cmpType...
Reference: http://dict.leo.org/ende?lp=ende&lang=en&searchLoc=0&cmpType...

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

emerging and fading away

Explanation:
... are inherent to music.
An option.

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Note added at 21 mins (2012-10-29 17:11:13 GMT)
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Would be a possible different ending for your first attemt.

Usch Pilz
Local time: 11:38
Native speaker of: German

54 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

inception and atrophy - see below

Explanation:
seed and decay
emergence and dissolution

Example sentence(s):

Re-creating itself moment by moment, from silence to resonance to silence, music is(intrinsically/incarnate) inception and atrophy.

Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Local time: 11:38
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

growth and decay

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:38
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 52

Grading comment

Thanks to Helen for the reference to Aristoteles, whose phrasing I preferred in the end: Coming into being and passing away are inherent in music.

2 hrs confidence:

of emergence and of vanishing

Explanation:
Music bears the mark? Coming into being; and, "the sky acutest at its ..."

Horst Huber (X)
United States
Local time: 05:38
Native speaker of:

German

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English translation: growth and decay / coming into being and passing away

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