Wikipedia:Dispute resolution noticeboard/Archive 106

Archive 100Archive 104Archive 105Archive 106Archive 107Archive 108Archive 110

Talk:Friedrich Goldmann#Influences

  – Discussion in progress.


Have you discussed this on a talk page?

Yes, I have discussed this issue on a talk page already.

Location of dispute

Users involved

Dispute overview

A long-standing disagreement between two editors over the meaning and inclusion of a reliably sourced statement exists on this article. No movement toward a resolution is evident.

Have you tried to resolve this previously?

Requested 3O. Obtained an opinion, but this has been rejected by one of the disputants.

How do you think we can help?

Further advice and opinions on the validity of each side's views would be helpful.

Summary of dispute by Planetdust

Jerome Kohl repeatedly tries to install a misleading quote, presenting it as what must look like a composer's statement of his general influences (names of other composers). The source, an article from a musicological journal, doesn't contain an exact quote by Goldmann as Jerome Kohl makes it appear (it says "by his own admission" - i.e. as in "Goldmann was asked by an interviewer and didn't say no"). The section this is taken from seems to be about 1 particular composition (out of the 200 Goldmann wrote) and the names of influences given there contradict those given in other biographical sources on Friedrich Goldmann (by omission and the chronologically and aesthetically nonsensical naming of Dieter Schnebel, who isn't mentioned in ANY other source, while there are many sources naming a variety of influences, many of them appearing consistently). I described this problem in detail and presented such other sources (including descriptions of influences by Frank Schneider, the musicologist who has published most on Goldmann) in the talk. I made the contradictory and obviously ambiguous nature of the one disputed here very clear. Jerome Kohl, after referring to his own ears and the value of rare information on direct influences (while with Goldmann they aren't rare) in support of his insertion, instead of doing appropriate research for sources on the topic, kept pushing this particular singular source back in the text.

I'm also particularly displeased by Jerome Kohl's recent tendency on the talk page to try manipulating other users' evaluation of the talk page by repeatedly claiming that no contradictory evidence has been presented (it has) and that relevant objections he fails to address meaningfully are "repeated platitudes" - while at the same time he failed, despite producing significant amounts of text, to give ANY substantial explanation whatsoever even just on why any of the named influences could be considered as such - other than that he found them in the only source he has consulted on this.

However, the source in question might be perfectly appropriate in a separate article on the work it is related to: Symphony III (1986). Considering Goldmann's oeuvre spans 4 decades, beginning in the 1960s, information regarding possible influences on one particular work in the 3rd decade (1986) of a complex oeuvre and presenting it as general information is simply misleading and too biased to be inserted in the article.

Talk:Friedrich Goldmann#Influences discussion

Please keep discussion to a minimum before being opened by a volunteer. Continue on article talk page if necessary.

Summary of dispute by Jerome Kohl

User:Planetdust has repeatedly removed a cited clam supported by a reliable source, claiming that it is either misleading or even contrary to fact. the source, an article from a musicological journal, paraphrases the composer Friedrich Goldmann on the subject of influences on his compositional style generally. User Planetdust believes that the claim of influences, if true, applies only to one composition, but the full context of the quotation (provided at Planetdust's request on the article's Talk page) does not support this view, though that work (Goldmann's Third Symphony) is named as one piece that may display some or all of those influences. Planetdust further insists that a reliable source is not sufficient to support an otherwise uncontradicted statement, holding that the inability to find a corroborating source is in itself proof of the claim's falsity or, at least, the unreliability of the cited source. The fact that the author of the claim, Williams, published a subsequent two-page chapter on Goldmann without repeating the claim is taken by Planetdust to be a retraction by Williams. Planetdust has been invited to present, in conjunction with the supposedly dubious claim, contrary opinions on this matter supported by reliable sources, but has declined to do so, preferring instead simply to delete the claim together with its source. Naturally, the nature of influences in artworks is often difficult to pinpoint, and the source does not go into any detail beyond attributing the claim to the composer himself. Nevertheless, such a statement is precious evidence regarding a composer about whom little enough information is available. As such, it should be included in the article. Any disagreement from other reliable sources should of course also be included, so that the reader is given the best available information from which to judge the merits of the case. Suppression of sound evidence is never good practice, on Wikipedia or anywhere else.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 22:40, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

Introduction by volunteer moderator and first question

Hello. Thank you for your summaries. I will be acting as volunteer moderator. Please remember that I don't claim to know anything about the content dispute or have any specific knowledge of Friedrich Goldmann. My job is to get the parties to communicate effectively towards a resolution. Here are a few ground rules: I will pose questions and will expect concise civil answers. Complaints about conduct are not permitted. Let's get started:

First question: It appears that a part of the crux of this discussion is around the inclusion of (or a similar version of) "Goldmann's commitment to new music is evinced by his acknowledgement of Varèse, Dieter Schnebel and the late style of Nono as influences on his music; in fact works by these composers were performed at the première of his own Third Symphony." - Would you agree? If not, please clarify. And if this is so - what are the specific arguments for/against? More to the point - how does it add/subtract/mislead in the article? Is it the wording, placement (maybe there should be an influences section?), or the presence of the information as sourced? EBY (talk) 02:48, 10 January 2015 (UTC)

First answer from Jerome Kohl

It is the crux of the discussion, it seems to me, not just a part of it, yes, I agree. I think I have already expressed myself on the question of what it adds to the article: it is a rather scarce bit of information about the influences that shaped the thinking of this composer. Planetdust did at one point raise an objection about placement, and I certainly had no objection about moving it to the section in which the composer's style is the focus of discussion. In fact, I moved it to that section myself, thinking it a sensible suggestion. Planetdust deleted it again, however. I do not find it distracts of misleads in any way. I believe this is where Planetdust disagrees with me.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 04:29, 10 January 2015 (UTC)

Comment by volunteer moderator: We're waiting on the response by Planetdust. EBY (talk) 02:07, 13 January 2015 (UTC)

First answer from Planetdust

Yes, this is the crux. The statement begins with "Goldmann's commitment to new music" - this is not in question, since Goldmann never did anything else. That makes the source even more awkward, if not entirely incompetent. Contrary to what Jerome Kohl continues to claim, there are plenty of sources on Goldmann's influences - encyclopedia articles as well as interviews. See talk at Friedrich Goldmann for a selection, see the German Wikipedia article for a long list of sources. It is just that this particular, disputed source is ambiguous (what does it refer to? Goldmann's style as a composer? Symphony 3? Goldmann's work as a conductor of that particular concert programme? We just don't know). It is extremely unlikely to reflect general influences, which is indicated by the fact that it doesn't match the information given in any of the other sources that do list influences (by omission of relevant names and introduction of unlikely names - see below).

This is not a matter of placement. Wherever this is placed in the article right now, it would suggest *general* relevance of the influences named, which we just don't know because the source doesn't tell us. Then, specifially, for two reasons it is extremely unlikely Schnebel can be considered an influence at all: A) There is no aesthetic link between Schnebel and Goldmann. Consulting any 2 biographical sources that list features of their artistic strategies will show this. Even the source in question doesn't provide anything on this. B) Due to Goldmann being East German and having had written most significant works between 1965 and 1979 (the years in which he wasn't allowed to travel to West Germany - Berlin Wall), it is extremely unlikely he could have had any profound knowledge of Schnebel's works, thus Schnebel could have hardly exerted much influence.

SUMMARY: it is unclear what this source refers to (composition? conducting? one work or an entire oeuvre?), it doesn't provide information that is "scarce", it contradicts several sources that do list influences that refer unambiguously to creative periods as a composer. Planetdust (talk) 15:46, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

Second answer from Jerome Kohl

It is easy to clear up one thing here, at least. Planetdust has apparently not carefully considered the wording of Williams's text, since there is no question of Goldmann's conducting being the object of influence: "his acknowledgement of Varèse, Dieter Schnebel and the late style of Nono as influences on his music" (my emphasis). Beyond this, it is not usual in a summary of a composer's work to insist on pinpointing influences in the way Planetdust is doing ("one work or an entire oeuvre"), even if it is nice to be able to do so for clarity. We say, for example, that Schoenberg was influenced by Wagner and Brahms, without pointing to specific works of Schoenberg or passages in them; neither do we cite, on the other hand, the Ode to Napoleon Buonapart as a refutation of such a claim of influence, simply because that one piece does not have anything obvious to do with Brahms's music.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 18:05, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

Second & third question from volunteer moderator

2) The connection between Nono and Goldmann seems well established, yes? It is in the German Wikipedia article as well so that leads to the assumption. 3) So this would lead to the dispute being more about the inclusion of Varèse & Schnebel as influences. Are there many influences cited more often or more specifically in other references that make inclusion of these two seem UNDUE? Or is it that the cite itself is under question because it is not specific enough for the editor's concern?EBY (talk)

Third answer from Jerome Kohl

These questions seem directed more at Planetdust than me, since I am not objecting to inclusion of Williams's assertion. One thing about question 2 on which I would like clarification, however: No one is contesting the fact that Goldmann and Nono were acquainted, but is this intended to assume also that Nono's music or theoretical thinking in some way influenced Goldmann's music? If so, then it seems to me that there is little difference between Nono and the other two composers since, as far as I can tell, Williams is the only source that goes so far as to say that Goldmann acknowledged Nono as an influence on his music (as opposed to being a close acquaintance). BTW, Goldmann himself acknowledges the influence of Varèse, in a 1992 interview, while at the same time admitting it may not be easy to pinpoint specific examples in his compositions. This is discussed on the Talk page of the Goldmann article.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 17:36, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

Second answer from Planetdust

Yes, the cite itself is under question because it is ambiguous - and because it represents an "extremely small minority view." Yes, there are influences cited often by many sources: Boulez, Stockhausen; Nono almost everywhere; more are cited often. But: the disputed statement, as it is, is in violation of Wikipedia guidelines regarding "Neutral point of view" and "prohibition of original research." The relevant section in guidelines says: "If your viewpoint is held by an extremely small minority, then — whether it's true or not, whether you can prove it or not — it doesn't belong in Wikipedia, except perhaps in some ancillary article." The disputed source is the only source presented so far to claim Schnebel has had any influence on Goldmann. I repeat: there are plenty of sources that offer rather congruent lists of names (see talk). Sooner or later somebody will summarize these properly. Until then, there is no justification to have this kind of singular finds in the article. Planetdust (talk) 13:49, 16 January 2015 (UTC)

Fourth answer from Jerome Kohl

I think Planetdust may be misusing the quotation from "Neutral point of view", and "Original research" does not apply at all to statements verified by reliable sources. There are minority points of view and then there are minority points of view. In the present case, for example, Goldmann himself is an extremely small minority, but one that can hardly be ignored. I am not sure whether Planetdust's comment here was made before or after my addition to the article Talk page earlier today, but it turns out that Williams appears to be relying for this disputed information on a 1988 article by Frank Schneider, which in turn contains an interview with Goldmann where the composer himself discusses the influence of Varèse, Schnebel, and Nono on his music. Schneider describes Goldmann's relationships with both Nono and Schnebel as "Freundschaften" (friendships), and in the interview Goldmann describes the common concern he shared with Schnebel about the re-admission of traditional genres such as the symphony, after the rejection of them by the European avant-garde in the 1950s and 60s. He also says that the impact of these three composers on his music is more palpable than that of the well-known works of Boulez or Stockhausen. So, do the "many other sources" who say the opposite (according to Planetdust—I do not have access to many of the sources he mentions) carry more weight than the words of Goldmann himself? I think not but, to make for a more lively discussion, I do not see why these clashing points of view should not be presented side by side in the article. Let the reader decide who should be believed.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 01:23, 17 January 2015 (UTC)

Third answer from Planetdust

Please quote the exact section from Guidelines that says "reliable sources" (if this is one) are not subject to the Neutral Point of View / Original Research policies. I couldn't find such a guideline. Then, what is a "reliable source"? Is "Tempo" a peer-reviewed journal? So: Jerome Kohl just claimed: Williams "appears" to be quoting a Schneider article, but fails to identify his source? But we don't know of course (see my answers 1 & 2 above) So how would this be "reliable"? At this point, a warning: Jerome Kohl just claimed that Schneider (1988) wrote "the impact of these three composers on his music is more palpable" than others - while the section he quoted in support of that evaluation over at the article's Talk page DOESN'T SAY ANY SUCH THING. There, Schneider actually says Schnebel formulated the "Gegenposition", i.e. the "opposite position" to Goldmann's symphonic efforts. How that is understood as a statement supportive of "influence" is beyond comprehension. Schnebel's work in question is from 1984 - that may actually make Goldmann (whose Symphony 1 is from 1972/73) an influence on Schnebel.

Since we still discuss Jerome Kohl's efforts to install Williams as a source- not Goldmann, not Schneider -: it is against Guidelines, it doesn't say anything meaningful, the User doesn't know what it refers to exactly or what other source it is really based on, and we are being presented manipulated readings of other sources to force this through.Planetdust (talk) 07:37, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

Fifth answer from Jerome Kohl (responding Planetdust's questions)

I wish you had made it clear a long time ago that you do not understand some of these guidelines and policies. I assumed from your rhetoric that you understood them. I apologise for my misinterpretation, and am happy to clarify these things now, point by point.

1. Please quote the exact section from Guidelines that says "reliable sources" (if this is one) are not subject to the Neutral Point of View / Original Research policies. I couldn't find such a guideline.

The guideline you seek is at Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources#Biased or opinionated sources, where it states: "Wikipedia articles are required to present a neutral point of view. However, reliable sources are not required to be neutral, unbiased, or objective. Sometimes non-neutral sources are the best possible sources for supporting information about the different viewpoints held on a subject."

2. Then, what is a "reliable source"?

Reliable sources are defined in the guideline Wikipedia:Verifiability as "third-party, published sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Source material must have been published, the definition of which for our purposes is 'made available to the public in some form'." A third-party source, in turn, is defined as "one that is entirely independent of the subject being covered, e.g., a newspaper reporter covering a story that they are not involved in except in their capacity as a reporter. The opposite of a third-party source is a first-party or non-independent source. A third-party source is not affiliated with the event, not paid by the people who are involved, and not otherwise likely to have a conflict of interest or significant bias related to the material." The article Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources "discusses the reliability of various types of sources". Amongst other things, it gives the definition of a source, then what exactly "published" means, and how context can affect both of these things. The real question, however, is what constitutes reliability (beyond being third-party and published). The guideline gives priority to "academic and peer-reviewed publications, scholarly monographs, and textbooks", which it says "are usually the most reliable sources." A little further on, it elaborates on this: "Material such as an article, book, monograph, or research paper that has been vetted by the scholarly community is regarded as reliable, where the material has been published in reputable peer-reviewed sources or by well-regarded academic presses." At this point, it introduces the problem of conflicting points of view amongst reliable sources. This addresses your question about NPOV in relible sources: "Try to cite present scholarly consensus when available, recognizing that this is often absent."

3. Is "Tempo" a peer-reviewed journal?

Yes, it is.

4. So: Jerome Kohl just claimed: Williams "appears" to be quoting a Schneider article, but fails to identify his source? But we don't know of course (see my answers 1 & 2 above)

This is not entirely correct. Williams lists his sources on p. 30 of his article. Now that you ask (and I understand that you do not have access to Williams’s article), they are:

  • Ulrich Dibelius, 1988, Moderne Musik II, 1965-1985 (Munich).
  • Hanspeter Kyburz, 1994, notes to CD of Goldmann's music. WERGO, Mainz, WER 6265-2.
  • Utz Riese, 1992, "Postmodern Culture: Symptom, Critique, or Solution to the Crisis of Modernity? An East German Perspective", New German Critique, 57, Fall.
  • Frank Schneider, 1998a, "Angemessene Reaktionen: Friedrich Goldmanns 'Ensemblekonzert 2'", MusikTexte, 23.
  • Frank Schneider, 1988b, "Neubau mit Einsturzgefahr: Analytische Reflexionen zur Sinfonie 3 von Friedrich Goldmann", Melos, L/2.
  • Frank Schneider, 1993, "Paul Dessau und die Neue Music der siebziger Jahre in der DDR", paper presented at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in a conference on New Music, Aesthetics, Ideology. To be published in Conference Proceedings.

Although the paragraph in which the disputed sentence occurs bears a footnote: "See Schneider, 1988b, 29–32: for an abbreviated biography and a works list", this does not actually attribute the statement to this source. Williams may have drawn his information in this case from any of the six listed references.

5. So how would this be "reliable"?

"Tempo" is regarded as a reliable source, because it is a "reputable peer-reviewed source" that publishes articles that have been "vetted by the scholarly community", per WP:SCHOLARSHIP.

6. At this point, a warning: Jerome Kohl just claimed that Schneider (1988) wrote "the impact of these three composers on his music is more palpable" than others - while the section he quoted in support of that evaluation over at the article's Talk page DOESN'T SAY ANY SUCH THING. There, Schneider actually says Schnebel formulated the "Gegenposition", i.e. the "opposite position" to Goldmann's symphonic efforts. How that is understood as a statement supportive of "influence" is beyond comprehension.

Beyond your comprehension, perhaps. I have no difficulty understanding how an opposing view (Gegenposition) may be as influential as a supporting one in shaping a stance. But neither your comprehension nor mine is relevant, since we are not reliable sources. Williams, however, is a reliable source, as explained above.

7. Schnebel's work in question is from 1984 - that may actually make Goldmann (whose Symphony 1 is from 1972/73) an influence on Schnebel.

I did not know when Schnebel’s work was written. This is not mentioned by Goldmann, Schneider, or Williams. If you have a reliable source that asserts Goldmann’s influence on Schnebel, then by all means, put this into both Schnebel and Goldmann’s articles. This has no bearing on the present disussion, however.

8. Since we still discuss Jerome Kohl's efforts to install Williams as a source- not Goldmann, not Schneider -: it is against Guidelines, it doesn't say anything meaningful

I beg to differ. Everything I have said up to this point demonstrates that Williams is a reliable source according to all the guidelines.

9. the User doesn't know what it refers to exactly or what other source it is really based on, and we are being presented manipulated readings of other sources to force this through.

Assuming "it" means Williams, and “The User” means me, all we can ever know is what a reliable source states. If it would help, I am perfectly willing to substitute a direct quotation from Williams in place of the paraphrase. In fact, my own published writings have been criticised more than once for using direct quotation too much instead of paraphrase. In general, it does not matter what a reliable source might be based on, unless that source is disputed, in which case the question of relative weight of the conflicting opinions is raised (see below).

10. Returning to the question of NPOV: In the Wikipedia NPOV guideline it says: “All encyclopedic content on Wikipedia must be written from a neutral point of view (NPOV), which means representing fairly, proportionately, and, as far as possible, without bias, all of the significant views that have been published by reliable sources on a topic.” A little further on, it addresses cases such as the present one: “Achieving what the Wikipedia community understands as neutrality means carefully and critically analyzing a variety of reliable sources and then attempting to convey to the reader the information contained in them fairly, proportionately, and as far as possible without bias. Wikipedia aims to describe disputes, but not engage in them. Editors, while naturally having their own points of view, should strive in good faith to provide complete information, and not to promote one particular point of view over another. As such, the neutral point of view does not mean exclusion of certain points of view, but including all verifiable points of view which have sufficient due weight.” Planetdust is proposing the suppression of reliable sources representing significant views (including those of the subject of the article, Goldmann, as well as his commentators Schneider and Williams) and, as such, is attempting to impose his bias, instead of presenting all points of view that are verifiable by reliable sources. Suppressing reliablly sourced interpretations in order to promote opposing interpretations is itself a violation of NPOV. I agree that the question of balance of opposing views (weight) is a separate issue but, so far, I have not seen any evidence whatever that Goldmann's, Schneider's, or Williams's opinions have been said by any reliable source to be wrong. The best Planetdust has been able to do is cite sources that do not happen to confirm the opinions he disbelieves.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 06:17, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

Fourth answer by Planetdust

I guess everybody will appreciate if I don't comment in detail - so I'll try to be as brief as possible:

a) Williams does not link Schneider (1988) to this exact statement on influences ("link" as in "footnote", not as in "that's what I think it must be referring to").
b) Schneider does not call Schnebel an influence. "Gegenposition" still means "opposite" or "counter-position" (not "view"). How this is understood as something confirming Goldmann being influenced by Schnebel is quite likely not just beyond my comprehension. At best, both statements are unrelated - Schneider is then rather an instance of disconfirmation, not of confirmation.
c) Over at the article Talk page, all sources that do list influences and which I have checked so far are identified, and not one mentions Schnebel. We have been waiting for Jerome Kohl to produce even just one source other than Williams linking the words "influence" and "Schnebel." There is a consensus across most Secondary Sources on Boulez, Stockhausen, Nono, with several more names appearing multiple times.
d) Williams's statement is brief and doesn't even claim to contain any original thought (a name dropped: influence - in which regard? on what?). It is an entirely insignificant, singular opinion (if it reflects an opinion at all) while it is aesthetically misleading - Jerome Kohl himself has provided the Secondary Source explanation of why: "Gegenposition." (see above)

I'm sure Jerome Kohl will add other rounds of inexhaustible chatter on this scrap of a find instead of directing his energies to contributing to an article section on influences that's up to scholarship and NPOV policies. Well, life is short. Enjoy. EBY, please take over. Planetdust (talk) 10:51, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

  • Response by Volunteer Mediator I've been tracking these sources and arguments and even researching on my own and it seems to come down to this: the argument is bordering on WP:TENDENTIOUS. Dozens of other articles broadly include influences on composers without this level of challenge. Plantedust, this is teetering on (if not outright) WP:REHASH. The influence is cited, the source is reliable, and there is nothing that adding this does to harm the article and it does do something to broaden the understanding of the subject in the context of his work. I strongly recommend that we find the most appropriate way to include influences in this article and because the reference is broad. The article on Claude Debussy has a section on influences and specifies both broad influences on his work (like the artist Whistler) and specific influences (like a piece directly influence by a Mallarmé poem). Alternately, the article on Richard Wagner embeds influences in the narrative of the subject like Early works (to 1842) has a reference to contemporaries. Since both of you have strong investment in this article, the best answer would be to find a way to agree on how this information would be most fairly folded into the article.EBY (talk) 19:35, 21 January 2015 (UTC)
  • Reply to Mediator from Jerome Kohl This sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I'm willing to listen to any suggestion from Planetdust on how to structure this material.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 22:43, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

However, EBY, we still need to hear how this doesn't apply anymore: "If a viewpoint is held by a significant minority, then it should be easy to name prominent adherents; If a viewpoint is held by an extremely small minority, IT DOES NOT BELONG IN WIKIPEDIA regardless of whether it is true or not.". It appears that Williams (1995) has never been cited by anyone, including Williams himself (who wrote on Goldmann again in 2013, but chose to ignore his own 1995 article). HOW is this significant? EBY said inclusion is not harmful: it is, because wrong claims ("wrong" as in "translation mistakes") of a composer "acknowledging" a particular influence create wrong music history. But "harmfulness" is not relevant to judging this: significance and consensus on inclusion are, both of which are missing.

My suggestion is we collaborate on a broadly referenced section of influences. I believe Jerome Kohl and I have gathered quite a list and it should be fairly easy to write a well sourced section on this base. Planetdust (talk) 09:16, 2 February 2015 (UTC)


Talk:Survivor: Worlds Apart#Names

  – General close. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion

Talk:Charlie Hebdo shooting#How much "Background" is appropriate?

  – General close. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion

Template talk:Infobox_Olympics_Kosovo#STOP REMOVING ALBANIA!

  – General close. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion

Meghan Trainor

  – Closed as failed. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion

Talk:Battle of_Nanking

  – Closed as failed. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion

Talk:Mounir Majidi

  – General close. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion

Talk:Carmel, Har Hebron

  – General close. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion

Talk:Malik-Shah I

  – General close. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion

Talk:Sexism

  – General close. See comments for reasoning.
Closed discussion