Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Secure the Shadow, for trumpet, tenor saxophone, percussion, cello, and double bass (1999)
Ensemble SurPlus
James Avery
Recorded live in Stuttgart, September 2000.
Secure the Shadow, Ere the Substance Fade,
Let Nature imitate what Nature made.
In America, the pioneers of photography—more than 150 years ago—tried to win customers with the advertising slogan presented here: "Secure the shadow, before its essence fades, / Let nature imitate what nature has created." Since this trade was newly established, photographers still had to build their clientele. It was particularly common to photograph the deceased, whether old or young. As a memento of a loved one, people wanted to capture them in a photograph while they were still alive.
Wolfgang Suppan attempts to capture the spirit of this era in his composition Secure the shadow, which shares its title with a book dedicated to post-mortem photography: (Ruby, Jay: Secure the Shadow: Death and Photography in America. Cambridge/London 1995.) Back then, when it was finally possible to document things, people, and even moods realistically for posterity, there was an unconditional belief in technology. It was supposed to subdue nature. Photographs, therefore, allowed one to capture living things in their momentary state.
The chemical process of fixing light onto photographic paper finds its musical counterpart in Suppan's music: in composing, sounds are fixed onto the music paper. He goes even further, taking up the idea of capturing the "shadows" of events. This is evident, for example, right at the beginning of his composition with a timpani roll that is extended by a sustained string sound. These soundscapes do not appear static, however, because restless glissando runs move within them. Individual notes of the glockenspiel are also extended by the sounds of a vibraphone played with a cello bow. Suppan deliberately used the glockenspiel to evoke the memory of a music box, which in turn is a reminiscence of the early days of photography.
Two rhythmic patterns form the basis of the composition. They are each set to music in a different way. Much more than before, the composer's focus on the object takes center stage: the object now replaces the motif—understood as a term in music history. The formal structure of the piece emerged during the writing process itself; it was not predetermined. Thus, seven sections of varying lengths are linked together in Secure the Shadow. Although they do not interrupt the flow of the composition, they are nevertheless discernible to the listener.
The five instruments are divided into two strings (cello and violin), two winds (tenor saxophone and trumpet), and percussion. The hierarchy between the instruments is clearly defined: the strings, primarily creating soundscapes with double stops, form the background, above which the winds play. The percussion section plays the central role. The positioning of the musicians on the stage further emphasizes the division of labor: tenor saxophone and double bass to the right, trumpet and cello to the left of the percussion. This arrangement also evokes the impression of a ceremony, a funeral march conjured up by the two winds and the percussion. A marche funèbre under the lasting impression of images of the dead. --Marie-Therese Rudolph
Art by Berent Hilwaetz
Secure the Shadow, for trumpet, tenor saxophone, percussion, cello, and double bass (1999)
Ensemble SurPlus
James Avery
Recorded live in Stuttgart, September 2000.
Secure the Shadow, Ere the Substance Fade,
Let Nature imitate what Nature made.
In America, the pioneers of photography—more than 150 years ago—tried to win customers with the advertising slogan presented here: "Secure the shadow, before its essence fades, / Let nature imitate what nature has created." Since this trade was newly established, photographers still had to build their clientele. It was particularly common to photograph the deceased, whether old or young. As a memento of a loved one, people wanted to capture them in a photograph while they were still alive.
Wolfgang Suppan attempts to capture the spirit of this era in his composition Secure the shadow, which shares its title with a book dedicated to post-mortem photography: (Ruby, Jay: Secure the Shadow: Death and Photography in America. Cambridge/London 1995.) Back then, when it was finally possible to document things, people, and even moods realistically for posterity, there was an unconditional belief in technology. It was supposed to subdue nature. Photographs, therefore, allowed one to capture living things in their momentary state.
The chemical process of fixing light onto photographic paper finds its musical counterpart in Suppan's music: in composing, sounds are fixed onto the music paper. He goes even further, taking up the idea of capturing the "shadows" of events. This is evident, for example, right at the beginning of his composition with a timpani roll that is extended by a sustained string sound. These soundscapes do not appear static, however, because restless glissando runs move within them. Individual notes of the glockenspiel are also extended by the sounds of a vibraphone played with a cello bow. Suppan deliberately used the glockenspiel to evoke the memory of a music box, which in turn is a reminiscence of the early days of photography.
Two rhythmic patterns form the basis of the composition. They are each set to music in a different way. Much more than before, the composer's focus on the object takes center stage: the object now replaces the motif—understood as a term in music history. The formal structure of the piece emerged during the writing process itself; it was not predetermined. Thus, seven sections of varying lengths are linked together in Secure the Shadow. Although they do not interrupt the flow of the composition, they are nevertheless discernible to the listener.
The five instruments are divided into two strings (cello and violin), two winds (tenor saxophone and trumpet), and percussion. The hierarchy between the instruments is clearly defined: the strings, primarily creating soundscapes with double stops, form the background, above which the winds play. The percussion section plays the central role. The positioning of the musicians on the stage further emphasizes the division of labor: tenor saxophone and double bass to the right, trumpet and cello to the left of the percussion. This arrangement also evokes the impression of a ceremony, a funeral march conjured up by the two winds and the percussion. A marche funèbre under the lasting impression of images of the dead. --Marie-Therese Rudolph
Art by Berent Hilwaetz
