The Expression of Queerness in Hans Werner Henze’s Music

In this chapter, I propose to interpret Henze’s operatic scores in relation to this constant need to affirm his identity in a social context tending to repress it. Firstly, I will highlight recurring narrative subjects in Henze’s librettos and interpret them in the context of queerness. Next, I will employ musical analysis to investigate the elements of scores that translate queerness into musical terms. Aspects worthy of investigation will include: 1) the characterization of antinormativity through uncommon use of voices; 2) the association of ‘deviant’ characters with particular instrumental timbres that distinguish them from the straight figures; 3) the use of male choirs to emphasize the homosocial bonds between characters; 4) intertextual references to compositions that deal with the theme of otherness; 5) expressions in harmonic, rhythmic, and motivic discourse of power relations between two forces suggesting oppression by the surrounding community on the queer individual or resistance by whom embodies the antinormative and marginalized sexuality. My analysis highlights how Henze uses music to symbolize and explore otherness, suggesting directions for a broader investigation into queer musical elements within the operatic output of the second half of the twentieth century.