Salut für Caudwell  (1977) is a seminal work for two guitarists by the German composer Helmut Lachenmann. It is widely regarded as a turning point in contemporary guitar literature as it offers a radical exploration of sound and its political undercurrent.

The piece employs Lachenmann’s signature style (Musique Concrète Instrumentale), where sound is treated as a physical, mechanical event. Performers use non-traditional techniques like friction, whispers, and percussive gestures rather than conventional melodies.

The title refers to Christopher Caudwell, a British Marxist poet and aesthetician who died in the Spanish Civil War. The piece incorporates spoken text from Caudwell’s Illusion and Reality, which the performers recite in a rhythmic, syllabic manner.

World premiere: Baden-Baden, December 3, 1977

duration: 26′