RICE UNIVERSITY

PER ROSENKAVALIBR, LUSTSPIBL OR LIBRETTO

by

Sonja Augusta Skrotzky

A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER OF ARTS

Thesis Director's signature

Houston, Texas

May, 1967 ABSTRACT

TITLE* Per Rosenkavalier, Lustspiel or Libretto?

Author* Sonja Augusta Skrotzky,

Undoubtedly* Per Rosenkavalier holds an esteemed

tt position in the standard operatic repeAtoire• Unfortu- nately* the general public thinks of it only as that* an opera.

In recent years, several endeavours have been made to establish Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Per Rosenkavalier

as an art*?ork of literature* The most notable contri¬ bution towards this end has been Emil Staiger's "Per

•Rosenkavalier* als Pichtung" (Universitas, 1950). After reading this article I have made an attempt to prove that Per Rosenkavalier can hold its own as a Lustspiel without the benefit of Richard Strauss* or¬

chestral scoref From the genius of Hofmannsthal emerges a text

filled with traditional splendor, comic elements, and psychological motives. Chapter I deals with the planning of the comedy and the beginning of the famous Hofmannsthal-Strauss collaboration. The second part of this chapter is devoted to an analysis of general comic elements found in the text and ranging from the comedia dell'

arte to the slap-stick comedy of the 20th century. 2

Through, finesse and delicacy the Lustspiel shows a uni¬ versal appeal which delights not only the naive audience

but the intellectual sophisticate as well*

The second chapter proves why Per Kosenkavalier

id not a libretto in the traditional sense but a comedy

in its own right* The poet parades before us characte¬

rizations, mannerisms, situations,and language, found in 18th century Vienna under the rule of Maria Theresa^

But Hofmannsthal's genius does not limit itself

to the self-evident scenes, props, and dialogues, it goes deeply into historical detail and theatrical heri¬ tage* The whole of these ingredients gi^ves us a work

which does not have any need of musical accompaniment in order to lift it to the realm of prominence in come¬ dy.

It is thus that we are able to say that this is

not a traditional libretto but a Lustspiel that ele¬ vates itself to success by its own merits*^ CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS , .. I

INTRODUCTION . 2

CHAPTER I

1. Planning of Per Rosenkavalier ...... 6 2. Elements of Comedy in Per Rosenkavalier • 11

CHAPTER II 1* Comedy, according to Hugo von Hofmanns¬ thal . 37 2* Comedy in Language • <, « ••••••••« 40 3. Peculiarities of Dialogue • • V • • • • • 42 4. Re-occurrance of Themes • •••••••. 49 5* Eighteenth Century Vienna • •••••a* 56 6. Historical Elements • 64 7, No Need of Music ••••••.••*•••69

CONCLUSION v . . 73

FOOTNOTES 76

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . S i V "• . • ...... 82

1 INTRODUCTION

Since music has more limitations than language, the latter is able to express more completely than the former; especially in the capable hands of such a poetic and theatrical genius as Hugo von Hoitaannsthal. It is through his words that we see before us such a vast range of human emotions and thoughts as found in Per Rosenkavalier.

In the folloT*ing pages, it shall be my endeavor to prove that Per Rosenkavalier is able to hold its oxm, as a comedy, on any stages that it is more than a mere libretto in the traditional sense. It is a comedy that not only gives pleasure to the more naive reader or audience due to its traditional splendor and broadly comic dialogue but appeals equally to the more sophisticated intellectual as it excites the imagination and encourages the intellect to seek deeper meaning in the complexity of Hofmannsthal's verbal elements, histo¬ rical background, and psychological motivation, in which it abounds?

It may be noticed that I use the terra "Lustspiel” on some, and Mcomedy" on other occasions in reference to this play. In his essay "Komik- imd Lustspieltheo- ii Tie*' Otto Rommel states; Das aus dem Humor geborene

Lustspiel erzeugt Humor, der aus dem Sinn fur Komik geborene Schwanlc erzeugt LachenV ... Kein Mensch vor- mag bundig auszugeben, ob sich z%i?ischen KomBdie und Lustspiel eine wesentliche Unterscheidung machen lasst oder wie der Schwanlc von der Komodie abzugrenzen ist, da doch bei Moliere z.B. die beiden Formen deutlich II 1 ineinanderlaufen. I find that the same holds true for Hoftaannsthal and since he does not make a clear distinction between the two terms I have used them as best suited to the particular situation in the work. Possibly the term "Lustspiel” is more suitable for

Der Rosenkavalier than the more general term of "KomS- die" since the first unveils tragic tinges and human depth which the latter treats more casually. Also, a "Lustspiel" is a play in which problems peculiar to situations and characters are solved, the movement towards this goal is surrounded by merriment, provided by varied elements of comedy. "Komodie", on the other it hand, ist beherrscht durch die *komische Gestalt4’, die im Lichte des absteigenden IContrastes gesehen wird; in ihr x?ird durch alle Lustiglceit hihdurch doch meist die Scharfe satirischen Zomes oder der Bitterkeit der Ohn- II 2 macht fuhlbar. I find very little "Scharfe des sa* k tirischen Zoraes" and hardly a trace of* "Bitterkeit der

Ohnmacht" in Hofmannsthal’s text* Instead the dominating force seems to be irony, no matter which term ("Komodie" or "Lustspiel") we prefer, or if we combine them as Hof*

ii raannsthal doess Das Element der Komodie ist die Ironie

• •• Die wirkliche Komodie setzt ihre Individuen in ein tausendfach verhakeltes Verhaltnis zur Welt, sie setzt alles in ein Verhaltnis su allem und damit alles in ein

I/O VerhHltnis der Ironie* J Hofmannsthal, like almost all comic %i;riters, uses irony in one form or another, since it unites descrip* tion and analysis, when used clearly and in an inter¬ esting manner*

Besides irony, Per Rosenkavalier abounds in general elements of comedy. These range from the "Stegreifkomo* die” of the folk*theater to the slap-stick comedy of the 1920s* To this is added the magnificent splendor of the baroque theater tradition and a multitude of the poet’s own inventions, all of which will be discussed on the following pages*

The combination of theatrical riches and poetic genius is what makes Per Rosenkavalier a successful comedy in its oxm right and detaches it from the term of traditional libretto* Hofmannsthal was not entirely pleased by the Straussian score, and Thomas Mann, in a letter to Hofmannsthal on February 5» 1911» shares the feeling completely when he writess Ich hatte den Rosenlcavalier schon vor der hiesigen Premiere in der Textausgabe ... gelesen, mit dem aufrichtigen Entziicken iiber so viol Anmut und Leich tigkeit. Aber wie, urn Gottes Willen, verhalten denn Sie sich nun eigentlich zu der Art, in der Richard Strauss Ihr leichtes Gebilde beiastet und in die Lange gezogen hat? t Vier Stunden GetSse um einen reizenden ScherzS ••• Wo ist Wien, wo ist achtzejmtes Jahrhundert in dieser Musilc? Doch nicht in den Walzern? • 0 • ist Musikdrama an- spruchvollsten Kalibersv Dabei ist Strauss von Wagners Kunst, die Deklamation mit dem Riesen- orchester nicht zuzudecken, gar nichts versteht, kein Wort verstandlich• Aber die tausend sprach- lichen Delikatessen und Kuriositat en des Buches werden erdriickt und verschlungen, und das ist am Ende gut, denn sie stehen in schreiendem stilisti* schen Wiederspruch zu dem raffinierten Larm, Kurz, ich war verstimmt und finde, dass Strauss nicht wie ein Kilns tier an Ihrem Werk gehandelt hat • CHAPTER I

1. PLANNING OF PER ROSENKAVALIER

On July 26, 1928, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, in a letter to Richard Strauss, made the following state¬ ment: "¥enn ich so in die Leute, unsere Zeitgenossen, fur die wir ja schliesslich diese Sachen schaffen, mich hineindenko und hineinffihle, so schwant mir freilich ganz genau ... - was sie ersehnen wttrden, vodurch man ihren nach der Freude begierigen Gemiitern einen Sturm von Freude anbringen konnte - noch weit fiber die Freu- ij. de hinaus, die ihnen der Rosenkavalier beschert.” The above-quoted passage explains the primary reason for the writing of a comedy such as Der Rosen- kavaliert simply to bring joy to those who read it or view it on the stage*

Hugo von Hofmannsthal turned to the writing of Lustspiele in 1907 because, he says, nIch verliess 5 jede Form, bevor sie erstarrte*M^ Having left be¬ hind a successful array of poetry and prose, as well as stage productions of highest caliber, the poet turned to the writing of elaborate and highly intri¬ cate libretti. Having been bom into the Viennese

6 culture with its rich theatrical and historical back¬ ground, it seems quite natural for Hofmannsthal to select the early years of the reign of Maria Theresa of Austrialas the setting for his Rosenkavalier« nDas

Theresianische Weltwesen war irdisch und naiv und voll

Fr Smraigleeit# Bs war voll Mut zur Ordnung und Natur und voll Erhebung zu Gotti Es war natumahe und, wo es stolz war, voll echtem Stolz, ohne Steifheit und HSr- tev Haydn, Gluck und Mozart sind sein unverganglicher 6 Geist gewordener Xnhalt .n

The milieu of the late baroque period, around

1740, proved charming subject matter in the hands of

Hofmannsthal, whose imagination, poetic talent and love of his Austrian heritage restored those years-gone-by in the form of a delightful comedy, which was set to music by Richard Strauss*'

Hugo von Hofmannsthal* a only earlier association with the composer had been when the poet added addit¬ ional lines to the Recognition Scene of Straussopera

Electraaffoilowing this, the composer felt confident that he need look no further for a collaborator to write a comedy, for which Strauss was searching at this time* Hofmannsthal proved oddly obstinate to the com¬ poser* s pleas for collaboration but finally suggested that he (Hofmannsthal) would have to work out the the complete comedy by himself, present it in a theater

(as in the case of Electra) and only then make any necessary adjustments for operatic purposes,, After an eight-month correspondence (June, 1908- February, 1909), during which Strauss is shown to be the pursuer, the two agreed upon a comedy entitled Cristinas Heimreise,

This work shotted a strong influence of Beaumarchais

(who is also strongly evident in Per Rosenkavalier) but was eventually rejected by Richard Strauss, who felt that a comedy drafted solely for spoken purposes would be too philosophical for musical treatment, Hofmannsthal, in turn, sold his work to Reinhard and it enjoyed a success¬ ful premiere. In the meantime the correspondence be¬ tween the composer and the poet continued, although a basic conflict was evident from the beginning of their association. This conflict continued until the death of Hofmannsthal in 1929, yet never hindered either of them from achieving the ultimate in artistic perfection. It is interesting to note that the correspondence reminded the poet of the collaboration of Mozart and

DaPonte but, as F.J* Warnke points outs 11 Mozart and DaPonte worked at a time when the gulf between accessi¬ bility and artistic excellence was not, as now, de- prossingly In this respect, Hofmannsthal and 9

Strauss had a tremendous advantage over the earlier team* The similarity between the composer-librettist pairs is especially evident in the comparison of cha¬ racters in Le Nozze di Figaro and Per Rosenlcavalierfl with special reference to Countess Almaviva - the Mar- schallin and Cherubino - Oct avian. During a visit to Weimar in 1901, where Hofmanns¬ thal was the guest of Count Harry Kessler, the comic- dramatist drafted the fundamental sketches of what was later to be Per Rosenkavalier. On February 11, 1909,

Hofmannsthal wrote to Strauss as follows* *' Ich habe hier in drei ruhigen Nachmittagen ein komplettes, ganz frisches Szenar einer Spieloper gemacht, mit dramatischer

Komik in den Gestalten und Situationen, bunter und fast pantomimisch durchsichtiger Handlung, Gelegenheit fiir

Lyrik, Scherz, Humor und sogar ein kleines Ballet, v.-.

Zwei Rollen fiir einen Bariton und ein als Mann ver- kleidetes grazioses Madchen a la Farrar Oder Mary Garden. ii s Zeit: Wien unter Maria Theresia. Due to the importance of one of the two above- mentioned baritone roles, the t*>rk was at first to be called Ochs auf Lerchenau but as the work progressed,

several changes occurred. Ochs remained the leading baritone role (bass-baritone, to be more enact), while to

the second baritone role, that of Sophie’s father, Pa¬ nina!, liras forced into the comprimario classification,

while the "Hosenrolle” emerged as the pivotal character of

the work. In the final stages of development Baron Ochs became a typical buffo figure and the title was

changed to Per Rosenkavalieg* although Strauss was still

in favor of the original one* Behind the selection of

the more appropriate title lay Hofmannsthal’s sense of

charm and finesse and his decision remained firm* Lud- II wig ICusche states* Dieser Operatitel ist furwahr Millionen werti Hier haben wir Wortmagie im hochsten Sinne* Pie

Sprach- und Gedankenkombination aus Rosen und Kavalier lconnte nur einem wirklichen Pichter einfallen* il Q

On September 10, 1910, Hofmannsthal sent to Strauss li a letter containing the decisive words* Per Titel Ro- senkavalier* wie ich vielfach hore, sehr hiibsch und

sympatisch gefunden zu werdon. - Henn Sie zustimmen * * * das Gesamtwerk heisst definitive Per Rosenkavalier*" Returning to Hofmannsthal’s original idea of "Spieloper”, I feel certain that he was thinking along Mozartian lines ("Singspiel") where there is spoken dialogue or recitatives and thus the libretto stands on more nearly equal terms with the music* Strauss, however, was not merely a devotee of Mozart but 'idolized 11

Richard Wagner with equal fervor# This caused the poet to write the following heated words to the composer

(June 6, 1910): #.. well ich darin etwas Mozartisches sehe und die Abkehr von der unleidlichen wagnerischen

Liobesbriillerei ohne 6renzen, sowohl im Umfang als itn

Mass, « eine abstossende, barbarische, fast tierische

Sachs, dieses Aufeinanderlosbrullen zweier Geschopfe ii -i 1 in Liebesbrunst, wie er es praktiziert* This message envoked only a slight change and the composer shows himself to be just as firm as his collaborator# A further obstacle to the”Spieloper"was the fact that, in essence, it calls for a simple plot without the psychological intricacies and verbal depth of

Der Rosenkavalier# and as such could never have emerged from the complex mind of the Viennese genius# The ballet was also abandoned but no reason for its omission is cited in the correspondence. So it was that the "Spieloper” became a comedy of the ”Lustspiel” cate¬ gory.

Z, ELEMENTS OF COMEDY IN DER ROSENKAVALIER

Act I presents two cloak and dagger comedy si¬ tuations. The first of these is introduced by the sounding of a bell, disturbing the Marschallin and her 12 young lover, Octavian, from their musings of sweet- nothings, and also heralding the entrance of the little negro servant 12 with the breakfast tray* Marschallin

HorehS Octavian

Ich will nicht* Marschallin

Still, pass auf. Octavian

Ich will nichts horenj Was wirds denn sein? (Das Klingeln naher) Sinds leicht Lauffer mit Briefen und Komplimenten? Vom Sarau, vora Harting, vom portugieser Envoye? Hier kommt mir keiner hereinl Hier bin ich der Herri

Marschallin

Schnell, da versteck Er sich, das Fruhstiick istsv Schraeiss Er doch Seinen Degen hinters Bett* Er Katzenkopf, Er Unvorsichtigerl Hat Er keine bessere Gepf1ogenheiten?

Octavian

Wenn Ihr zu dumm ist, wie ich mich benehm* und wenn Ihr abgeht, dass ich kein Geiibter nicht in solchen Sachen bin, dann weiss ich nicht, was Sie Ciberhaupt an mir hatt 13 The above-mentioned situation presents Octavian in his extreme youth, and his lack of experience is shown through verbal discourse although we are not actually given his age until Act II by Sophie. In this scene he 13 is so enamored that he prefers to ignore the possibili¬ ty of being discovered, and only the Marschallin’ s grow¬ ing agitation at his heroic outburst and childish pouting, as shown in the afore-mentioned dialogue, causes him to finally seek shelter. Yet Octavian leaves his sword in full view as Mohammed is about to make his entrance with the breakfast tray. At this point the

Marschallin has the choice of bidding the sword under the bed or throwing it to Octavian, who takes it behind the screen with him.

A second and more serious intrusion occurs in the same act, only moments after the first has dissolved into calmness once more. Suddenly the breakfast of the two lovers is interrupted by a noise heard in the ante-chamber, which Marie Theres believes to be made by the arrival of her husband*4

Hofmannsthal introduces this situation by causing the Marschallin to reminisce about a dream and a simi¬ lar past experience, while Octavian wavers between nonchalance, jealousy and melodrama. Octavian Heute nacht hat dir von deinem Mann getraumt?

Marschallin Mach Er nicht solche Augend Ich kairn nichts da- fur^ u

Er war wieder einmal su Haus, Octavian

Der Peldmarschall?

Marschallin

,V,Ich "brings nicht aus dem Ohr, Horst du leicht auch was?

Octavian

Ja, freilich hor ich was, aber muss es denn dein Mann sein? •••Du schaust so angstlich drein, Theresi

Marschallin

Weiss Er, Quin-quin - wenn es auch weit 1st - der Herr Feldmarschall ist halt sehr geschwind• Einitial -

Octavian (eifersuchtig)

Was war einmal? Was xfar einmal? Bichette!1 Bichette, was war einmal? ••• (wirft sich auf das Sofa) So spielt sie mit mirt Ich bin ein ungliick- licher Menschi Marschallin Jetzt trotz Er nichtt Jetzt gilts, Es ist der Feld¬ marschall . ... Quin-quin, es ist mein Mann* •*. Nicht dort, Dort ist das Vorzimmer* ••• Zu spat! Sie sind schon in der Garderob. Jetzt bleibt nur einsi' Versteck dichl dort*!*

Octavian Ich spring ihm in den Wegi Ich bleib bei dir, Marschallin Dort hinters Bett, Dort hinter die Vorhang, Und 15

rriilir dich nichtt (Per Rosenkavalier I, 267)

It is at this point that mock tragedy is followed by a truly dramatic situation* In this particular scene»

Hoffciannsthal, as always, shows himself to be a master of detail in the dialogue and the staging* While Octavian displays pathetic gallantry and boyish enthusiasm, re¬ members his s wo 3rd, and manages to hide behind a curtain

(sometimes a screen), the Marschallin runs around the room, issues commands to her lover and makes frantic decisions as if life and death were involved. Super¬ ficially, this scene seems to be created in, xvhat to¬ day would be called, the cloak and dagger vein but upon closer observation tire find that the hectic pace set by the two lovers, their agitation and fear, found es¬ pecially in the words of Marie Theres, serve to intro¬ duce the “Feldmarschall"•

Although unseen and without actively interfering, this figure is of acute importance since the mere thought of him inspires so much fear* I would go as far as to say that this mysterious protagonist is a definite necessity for a smooth connecting-line in the plotv He must be a stem husband to cause such anxiety, and yet he is a characterization dear to Hofmannsthal* s heart, since he seems to be a forerunner’ to another 16 figure, who is roughhewn and hunts "im croatischen

Wald" (I* 267) - Mandryka in Arabella.

In the ensuing lines of the Marschallin, the identity of the intruder is revealed not as the hus¬ band but in the person of Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau. Marschallin

Die blSde, grosse Stiram raiisst ich doch kennen« Wer ist denn das? Harriott, das ist der Ochs* Das ist mein Vetter, der Lerchenau, der Ochs auf Lerchenau* (I. 270) In a matter of minutes, we see a seriously dramatic situation dissolve before us into laughter in the Kant¬ ian sense of the word. "Laughter" says Kant, "is an affection arising from a strained expectation being 14 suddenly reduced to nothing*" The "nothing", in this case being twofold* the sudden appearance of Octavian as a chambermaid,and the entrance of Baron

Ochs, who hastily bumps into the "chambermaid" in his/her haste to escape from the uncomfortable si¬ tuation* Let us first examine the reappearance of Quin- quin. It is totally unexpected that we should see the guilty young lover emerge from behind the screen dressed in a skirt, kerchief, and jacket, which were conveniently left in the right place by one of the Marschallin*s other maids* But to carry this comedia 17 dell’arte masquerade to a farther extreme, we find the "chambermaid” addressing his/her mistress in crude

Viennese dialect of the servant class, which he/she

continues through the remainder of the scene involving Baron Ochs*4 This was the poet1 s way of preparing this

impersonation for the farce staged by Octavian, Annina

and Valzacchi, T*hich unfolds in the third act, resulting

in the unmasking of Baron Ochs and his dishonorable intentions •

Octavian, thoroughly amused by his role as the servant, Mariandel, blissfully continues the merry masquerade, especially after the Baron has made his extravagant and absurd apologies to the "Kind vom

Lande" (I* 274) before actually paying his respects to Marie Theres1*1

The Marschallitt in turn has become not only accustomed to but quite delighted with Octavian1s

act, so that she takes up the game and joins her lover in the fun*

The situation becomes more and more ludicrous, as Ochs speaks to the Marschallin with vulgar famili¬ arity, makes sideline passes at ’’Mariandel, '* stuffs himself with delicacies from the breakfast tray while

issuing forth a tirade of vulgarities about his per¬ sonal life, acquaintances, and the approaching marriage 18 to Faninal*s daughter, Sophie.

Der Baron

Hat Sie noch ein Biskoterl? Bleib Sie doch'i5 (leise) Sie ist ein siisser Engelsschats, ein sauberer. (Zur Marschallin) Sind auf dera ¥ege zum (l¥eissen Ross”, wo *d.r logieren, heisst bis tfbermorgen « (halblaut) Ich gab was Schones drum, mit Ihr - (Zur Marschallin sehr laut) bis ubermorgen » (schnell zu Octavian) - unter vier Augen zu scharmuzieren, wie? (I, 278)

Der Baron

(hat seinen Stuhl hinter den breiten Riicken des Haushofmeisters gesehoben, ergreift z&rtlich die Hand der vermeintlichen Sofe) Hat Sie schon einmal mit einem Kavalier im T§te-a*&te zu Abend *gessen? (Octavian tut sehr verlegen) Nein? Da wird Sie Augen machen*

Octavian

(leise verschamt) I weiss halt nit, ob i dos derf* (I, 281 *-82)

The Marschallin, having been drawn into it, also takes up the comical situation by suggesting that

Mariandel has a bastard brother, who in turn is the second brother of* Marquis Rofrano, whom she suggests as the rosebearer for Baron Ochs* The trap has been laid, Baron Ochs swallows the bait and Mariandel shouts into the antechamber for the crowd to enter*

At this poa&'fc Hofmannsthal injects an entrance/ exit that dates back to the Viennese folk-comedies 19 and the "Stegroiftheater” , while bordering on the slap-stick comedy of this century, Mariandel exits through a private door, Ochs clumsily lunges after her only to find the door slammed in his face, leaving him entangeled with an old chambermaid, who has just entered with a washbasin, thus causing some of it to be spilled on the Baron* s finery.

Broad comedy is exemplified next in form of a pantdmime during the Marschallin’s levee, when the

Baron* s retinue makes its grotesque entrance into the royal chamber,® This appearance proves once again that

Hofmannsthal wrote his work with actors rather than opera singers in mind, for his stage directions and demanding characterizations call for accomplished thespians in all parts* no matter how prominent or insignificant the role. Since the librettist worked out each individual figure with meticulous care and an expert eye toward detail, he justly demands an equally accomplished portrayal, so that the audience, through the performer, receives the full benefit of the poet*s genius• In returning to the incredibly ungainly group of individuals who comprise Baron Ochs’ retinue, we find that although they are dressed in formal attire, they are conspicuously out of place as they clomp 20 through the crowd, scratching themselves, shoving each ii other until they finally see their master* Es sind drei bedenkliclie Gestalten. Dor Kammerdiener ist ein junger grosser Liimmel, der dumro und frech aussieht ••«

Der Almosenier ist ein verwildeter Dorfkooperator, ein vier Schuh hoher aber stark verwegen aussehender Gnoia.

Der Leibjager mag, beVor er in die schlecht sitzende Livree gesteckt mrde, Mist geffihrt haben. J Then with the expression of imbeciles on their uncouth faces, they push forward, leering at the women, and finally manage to group themselves in a grotesque pantomime around their leader, ”der Ochs*” Never has a name fitted so perfectly as at this moment, as we recall that the Mar- schallin referred to him as such in an earlier portion of this act, but it is only now that we receive the full meaning of her statement. Marschallin

Wer ist denn das? Herrgott, das ist der Ochs. JV* Was will denn der? Jesus Maria. (I. 270) At the climax of the levde scene it is none other than Baron Ochs, who screaming a crude "Als Morgengabe^” dd^rupts the multi-sided performance which has been taking place. The pantomimes of the hairdresser and the flutist, the "Stegreifkomodie” intrigue presented by Annina and Valzacchi, and the snobbish aria performed by the tenor cease completely at this point. Everyone 21 slowly withdraws, leaving the Marsehallin alone on stage, in gentle contrast to the tumult that reigned only moments before. Here the poet has created a fitting setting for the romantic comedy which now un¬ folds. In the monologue of Marie Theres, we are allowed to hear her most intimate thoughts, which she voices in the language so close to Hofmannsthal’s heart* n Edgar Hederer states: Die Wiener Mundart, die die Mar- schallin nicht gams aufgibt, das Geheimste zu sagen, 11 ist die Mundart ihres Herzens* 16 Marsehallin

Kann mich auch an ein Madel erinnem, die frisch aus dent Kloster ist in den heiligen Ehestand kommandiert wordn* Wo ist die jetzt? Ja, such dir den Sehnee vom vergangenen Jahr. Das sag ich so: Aber wie kann das wirklieh sein, dass ich die kleine Resi war und dass ich auch einraal die alte Frau sein werdf ... Die nlte Frau, die alte Marsehallin! ’Siphgst es, da geht s’, die alte Furstin Resit Wie kann denn das geschehen? Wie macht denn das der liebe Gott? Wo ich doch immer die gleiche bin* Und wenn ers schon so machon muss, warum lasst er mich denn zusehaun dabei mit gar so klarem Sinn? Warum versteckt ers nicht vor mir? Das alles ist geheim, so viel geheim. Und man ist dazu da, dass mans ertragt* Und in dem „W±eM da liegt der ganze Untersehied - (I. 302) The romantic comedy begun in this monologue and continued through the remaining portion of the act is 21a taken up once more in Act III and ends with the Mar- schallin's exit in the closing: scene of the play. Like most women, she is troubled by the approaching years.

Although age and time are key words here, one must never associate fear with them, merely nostalgia and melancholy. In the greatest comedies, there are shadows of tragedy5 in Per Rosenkavalier. it is the figure of Marie Theres, in Pie Meistersinger, for example, it is Hans Sachs who embodies it. The Marschallin must never be portrayed as a tragic heroine such as one finds in Italian grand opera but as a MLustspiel” characterisation, in which comedy is blended with a touch of tragedy, Ri¬ chard ^trauss sent a letter to Italy at the time of the

Italian premiere, in which he advises* l! Ich bitt Sie, sagen Sie der Dame, sie soil nicht so schrecklich ver— zweifeln. Es handelt sich hier nicht um eine Amelia

Oder Valentine, sondem um eine Pame der grossen Welt ... Sie ist Hauptsachlich melancholisch, woil sie 17 fuhlt, dass sie alter wird. ' Another reference found in Betrachtungen und Erinncrungen characterises her as

i‘ .. follows* ... muss die Marschallin eine Junge, schone Frau von hicjchst 32 Jahren sein, die sich bei schlechter

Laune einmal dem 17jahrigen Octavian gegenuber als alte "18 Frau vorlcommts Later, on the same page, Strauss

cites a remark, which is not only characteristic of the heroine but could also be used most appropriately as the key to the understanding of Per Rosenkavalier ii •• • Immer ,,, mit wienerischer Grazie und Leichtigkeit, mit einem nassen und einem trockenen Auge. 1 9?

In the earlier cited monologue, we become aware, for the first time, of Marie Theres* affinity with

Sophie, who also was forced into a loveless marriage. It is this affinity that enables the Marschallin to step aside and leave a clear path for the union of

Sophie and Oetavian in the last act,

Hofmannsthal employs a well-chosen touch of irony in the leave-talcing of Quin-quin and Bichette in Act I, for, unknown to them both, this is their official fare¬ well, This is subtly indicated by the Marschallin*s now somewhat motherly feeling for her young lover, the proof of this being stabilized by the fact that she no longer calls her lover Quin-quin but Taverl, a diminutive of Oetavian, which would never be employed by lovers. The great lady has a premonition of a per¬ manent parting which of course is verified by the de¬ velopment of the plot. The irony is carried even further by the poet when he makes the Marschallin the very instrument who sends Oetavian into the arms of her rival forever. 23

Marschallin Das da trag - Weisst ja nicht wohin. Zum Grafen Oct avian* Gibs ab und sag Da drinn ist die silberne Rosn, Der Herr Graf* weiss ohnehin. (Marschallin stiitzt den Kopf) (I. 309)

While the first Act ends on a sentimental note the opening of the second draws us into a festive mood, which continues through the arrival of the rose-bearer, the presentation and the love-recognition scene between Sophie and Octavian. Into this fairy tale atmosphere, so reminiscent of Ferdinand Raxmimd's scenes, bursts

Baron Ochs and the element of satire takes precedent, as Hofmannsthal shows the shocking contrast of the young Rofraho and the bridegroom-to-be. "Das Gesetz der KomSdie, wie sie dem Dichter ••• als Situations— und CharakterkomSdie ineins vor Augen ist, wird voll- kommen eritillt j Der jugendliche Liebhaber gerat mit is on dem zynischen Verfuhrer aneinander. The only result possible is a duel and some form of courtly intrigue, which would set the scene for Act III. The courtly intrigue comes about in the persons of Annina and Val- zacchi, who, discovering Octavian and Sophie in an embrace, call Ochs into the room, where the duel re-* suits. Throughout this scene, we have excellent comic zk dialogue* for the spoken lines move rapidly and have lively characteristics which depict precisely the feelings of each individual at that moment*

Per Baron

Eh bien, Mamsell, was hat Sie mir zu sagen? (Sophie schweigt. *..) Nun, resolvier' Sie sichS’ Sophie

Mein Gott, was soil ich sagen, Er wird mieh nicht vorstehni * * * Octavian

Euer Liebden muss ich halt vermelden, dass sich in seiner Angelegenheit was Wiehtiges verandert hat I #v? Octavian

(fasst ihn am J£rmel) Ich schrei's Ihm ietzt in Sein Gesichti Ich acht* Ihn fur einen Pilou, einen Mitgiftjager, einen durchtriebenen Liigner and schmutzigen Bauer, einen Kerl ohne An stand und Ehr' l Und wenn* s sein muss, geb* ich ihm auf dem Fleck die Lehr*1

Per Baron

(steckt zwei Finger in den Mund und tut einen gellenden Pfiff) Was so ein Bub* in Wien rait siebzehn Jahr schon fiir ein vorlaut Mundwerk hati Boch Gott sei Lob, man kennt in hiesiger Stadt den Mann, der vor ihm steht, ••• Sophie

Ach Gott, was wird denn jetzt geschehen? Octavian

Zu Satan, zieh* Er Oder ich stech* Ihn niederl (II. 337-8) 25

We see the Baron demoralized by jealousy, Octavian

flinging a challenge at him and Sophie acting as the melodramatic damsel in distress* Through the poet’s artistic touch, Baron Ochs does not even seem unpleasant

at this point* for, as rude as he is, his rudeness is entertaining and understandable, when one considers the

change of manners on the part of the rose-bearer* The only embarassed member on the stage is Faninal, who re¬

enters shortly after the Baron’s cries for help are heard, and whose abrupt appearance only increases the merriment which already fills the stage.

Thus the hustle and bustle of pantomime and the vigorous dialogue flow into a smoothly prepared

classical comedy situation* For the social-climbing Faninal, there is only one thought and that is pre¬

stige* As he sees Ochs’ blood flowing, he also fears

that his chances are gonej he therefore informs Sophie that she shall marry Ochs even if the Baron is a corpse.

The dialogue reaches its climax :*hen Ochs voice impatient¬ ly bellows: Is guti (11,348) These words dissolve into / a situation which Hoftaannsthal describes in a letter to Strauss as: "a,) Katerstimmung, b,) Zorn auf Octavian, c») Erwachendes Behagen, d,) Volliges Behagen mit fiber~ 21 gang sum Refrain-Lieuchen” and which leaves Baron Ochs on stage alone for his monologue* This offers a 26 typical example of "internal comedy” 22 where a character voices his comical thoughts to the audience in form of a soliloquy; Der Baron 0h| Ohl1 Der Satan? Ohf Oh? Sakramentsverfluchter Bub, nit trocken hintem Ohr und fuchtelt raitn Spadi? Wallischer Hundsbub das? Wart, wenn ich dich er- wischl In Hundezwinger sperr ich dich, bei meiner Seel, in Hiihner stall? In S chweinelco fen t T&t dich kuranzerr? Solltest alle Engel singen hU- reii? Und doch, muss lachen, wie sich so ein Bub mit seinen siebzehn Jahr die Welt imaginierti moint, Grott weiss wie er mich contre carriert? Hoho? umkehrt ist auch gefahren - mocht um alles nicht, dass ich dem Madel ihr rebellisch Aufbegehren nicht verspiiret hatt * f Gibt auf der Welt nicht a, was mich entflammiert und also vehement verjungt als wie ein rechtdr Trots? ■*, V* Ein PederbettV Zwei Stunden bis .zu Tisch* Werd Zeit lang haben* *Ohne mich, ohne mich jeder Tag dir ah bang, mit mir, mit mir koine Nacht dir au lang*1 (II* 348-49)

Since, the insertion of songs into the spoken dia¬ logue, lies very firmly in the tradition of the Austrian theater it would, were Der Kosenkavalier presented on stage as a comedy and not as an opera, be most appropriate to let Baron Ochs end the act with his refrain of "Ohne mich, ohne mich, ..just as he does in the opera* However, there is a point between the onset of the monologue and the end of Act II, when a crucial step in the development of the comedy occurs, which 27 prepares the way for what is to follow in Act 111*

Annina makes a re-entrance with a letter from Ma- riandel to which Ochs, the lover, reacts with great spontaneity, growing anticipation and blind sincerity.

Thus he is drawn even deeper into the webb of comic intrigue. How ironic is the line "Geht alles recht am Selinurl," (II, 35l) when one realizes that the coming act will bring directly the opposite effect for the lecherous nobleman.

Act II ends with simple tranquility and a knowing smile in contrast to its spectacular and baroque-like opening. On a note of typically Viennese "Gemiitlich- keit" the Baron exits, after having had a final sip of wine, singing another refrain of his "Leiblied” and

slowly withdrawing from the scene, while savoring the prospect of another meeting with the saucy chambermaid,

Mariandel.;

Since comedy displays to the audience the behavior of human beings in society and their behavior towards each

other in social life, it is also the task and the privi¬ lege of comedy to judge people according to the stand¬ ards peculiar to them and assign re-ward or punishment accordingly.* L.J. Potts makes the following statements

'‘The extent of comedy. . .will depend partly on the social conditions of the time and the place in which * the Charac- 28 ters’ are living; partly on the purpose they have in view." 23 One of the favorite topics of comedy is sex, and the writer of plays is able to present it in such a manner that would cause us to say that a good comedy has the best attitude towards sex. It is the most natural of all basic instincts and Hofmannsthal’ s

Per Rosenkavalier pictures sex as romance, primitive chase, conquest, and flirtation but never with the approval of licentiousness; The business of comedy concerning sex is to "satisfy a healthy human desire; the desire to understand the behavior of men and women towards one another in social life, and so to judge ok them accordingly to their own pretensions and standards."

Baron Ochs, who plots licentiousness, is given his just reward by the poet, and the Marschallin, who in Act I is discovered with her lover, receives a similar sentence; Ochs loses Sophie and Marie Theres has to give up Octavianf. Hofmannsthal permits the two young people to find one another and presumably achieve what Karl Pombacher terms "etnas Festes, Ent*- 2H gultiges"0 * The thought behind "Festes, Entgxilti- ges" is marriage. Of this sacred state in life, Hof¬ mannsthal comments to Burclchard, in his correspondence of September 10, 1926s wMir ist die Ehe etwas Holies, 29 wahrhaft das Sakrament •* ich mSchte das Leben ohne die

Ehe nicht denken (Es ist alles, was ich davon denke . «26 in meinon Lustspielen gesagt,

This theme repeats itself in Arabella. Per Schwie* rlge. and others*. Although a wedding as such does not actually take place in Per Rosenkavalier. the dialogue leads us to believe that this end is adchieved and thus provides us with the happy ending.

In Per Rosenkavalier. Hofmannsthal has constructed the first two acts as leading deliberately, yet with subtle preperation, toward the climax of the work in

Act III. In the final act, the problems are solved, and the questions are answered so as to achieve that conscientiously prepared "happy ending" of the Viennese folk*theater comedies. In Acts I and II, the artistic mind of the author has revealed to his audience the finest shades found in characters and situations and has directed them with a growing crescendo towards the final act. The opening of the curtain unveils to us the back room of a shady tavern, which serves as a perfect setting for the clandestine plans of the Baron, and in which we find Valzacchi feverishly malting preparations for the farce that is soon to follow. Since a farce is an element of comedy that, in itself, has no meaning but 30

delivers a ludicrous kind of* sensationalism, we may

assume that Hofmannsthal uses it only to create merri¬

ment which confines itself to the physical situation at hand,

Octavian enters, dressed as the chambermaid, but

the stage directions indicate clearly that "Oetavian greift in die Tasche (nicht wie eine Dame, sondem wie

ein Herr, und man sieht, dass er unter dem Reifrock M&nnerkleider und Reitstiefel an hat • • •)M (ill. 352),

It is thus that the leading figure reveals himself as

himself, in manner and speech, to the public and to his

cohort but never to Baron Ochs or his personal servant, Leopold, until the commedia dell'arte mask is removed during the course of Act III, Again and again Hofmannsthal is inspired by the

Viennese folk-theater, its tradition and style, its

playwrights and performers. Act III is one such

example and the poet returns to the old "Stegreiftheater"

in the sense of Johann Nestroy, who "hat der Wiener Ste- greifkomodie Form des Spielbuches gegeben ... Sein

Wiener Volksstiick ist die gate alte Stegreifkomodie. Es wandelt den stehenden Vorwurf ab, wie ein gliick- lieh liebend Paar rait Hilfe eines geriebenen Heifers

zum Jawort des Vaters oder des Vormundes kommt, Hin-

ter der Maske dieses Rankespinners steckt der Hanmmrst 31

der Erbe des Harlekin und also der europaischen Theaterliteratur.M 27

In the role of the "geriebene Heifer,” we have the characters of Annina and Valzacchi, who after all, are the instruments used by Rofrano to pull the merry strings in the demasking of Baron Ochs in the final

scene of Act III* He is, after all, only a puppet in their hands and used by them for the general amusement

of all5.

Due to the plans of the delightfully funny trio (Octavian, Annina, and Valzacchi), the opening scene of the last act takes on the characteristics of the 28 ”Intrigen-Lustspiel”„ * Intrigue, in a comedy, is a well-calculated and cunning invention on the part of the author, in order to not merely unmask the villain but also to expose his weaknesses for the purpose of achieving an end. In this particular case it is the union of Sophie and Octavian which is the goal5** Equally worthy of the "Intrigen-Lustspiel” is the setting of the final actf This sinister tavern is

fully equipped with trap doors and strange personages, described by Hofmannsthal in meticulous detail^

Indessen sind fHnf verdachtige Herm unter Vor- sichtsmassregeln von rechts eingetreten, • •• Valzacchi nimmt die Verdachtigen nach vome, • • * die Verdachtigen folgen ihm auf den Zehen nach der Mitten Er bedeutet ihrer einen, ihm zu 32

folgens lautlos, ganz lautlos. Fiihrt ilin an die Wand redits, offnet lautlos die Falltiir *V« Der Versteckte hebt sich mit halbem Leib aus dem Bo- den frcrvor. Zugleich erscbeinen ober dem Bett und an anderen Stellen Kopfe und verschwinden sogleich wieder, die geheimen Schiebtiiren schlies* sen sich obne Gerausch, (ill* 353)

This amusing pantomime initiates the farce, which begins with the entrance of Baron Ochs and Mariandel. Bach time the lecherous nobleman advances towards his prey- in heated pursuit, he finds himself face to face with one of those hidden heads or the body from the trap¬ door. Throughout this episode, Mariandel stimulates the Baron even further by throwing impassioned glances in his direction, while at other times "she" dismisses him coquettishly in leaning back and looking up at him

"mit halbgeschlossenen Augen" (III. 357)•

Finally, as Ochs makes a clumsy attempt to kiss

Mariandel, he notices the startling resemblance of her face to that of Count Rofrano. Ber Baron

Is ein Gesichtl Verfluchter Bubi Verfolgt mich als ein Wacher und im Trauma (Octavian iSffhet die Augen, blickt ihn frech und kokett an. • • .Der Mann unter der Falltiir offnet zu friih und kommt zum Vorschein. Octavian, der ihm gegeniiber sitzt, winkt ihm eifrig zu ver¬ schwinden. Der Mann verschwindet sofort. Ba¬ ron der, tun den unangenehmen Eindruck von sich abzuschUtteln, ein paar Schritte get an hat und sie von riickwSrts umschlingen und kiissen will, sieht gerade noch den Mann. Er erschrickt heftig, zeigt hin.) (ill. 358)

As these pantomimes inspire constantly growing terror 33 in Baron Ochs, Octavian makes no effort to conceal his personal pleasure in the proceedings* Broad comedy mixes with farcical dialogue between the nobleman and Mariandel* Suddenly Annina appears* in the role of the vengence-seeking* abandoned wife, followed by a group of children who are madly screaming "Papa, Papaw and whose cries bring on the other guests of the tavern? Employed within this situation is slap-stick comedy and pantomime, coupled with satirical state¬ ments, dialogue of double meaning and ironic opinions, the combination resulting in a well-planned confusion that is stretched almost to a breaking point by the entrance of Panina! and his daughter* At this point the farce changes to a situation comedy involving the unfaithful bridegroom, the embarrassed bride-to-be* her irate father and the “other woman,** who is behind the screen, letting her discarded clothing float into the room, slowly and deliberately* piece by piece? Unexpectedly and without apparent motivation* such as one might find in the comedy endings of Mo- Here* the Marschallin makes her entrance* With her regal bearing said obvious grandeur* she brings order into the general confusion by dismissing the entire event as a Viennese masquerade and explains it by sayings "Das Ganze war halt eine Farce und welter nichts."(111.384)

At this point the tone and the action assume; a magical transformation, whereby the comedy of* courtly sophistication, seen in the first two acts, is once more restored in this setting, even though it be a tavern of ill repute#

As to the sudden appearance, we find that, what at first glance looked like an entrance without moti- vation was anything but that. Lotte Lehmann, one of

the recognized interpreters of the Marschallin states: I told Hoftaannsthal* s son the other day that ### this libretto would make a perfect play# There’s Just one weakness - in the third act, when Marie Theres’ suddenly appears, to a burst of magnifi¬ cent music, almost like a fairy godmother sent from heaven# How did she get to that ill-re¬ puted tavern? It’s the first time she ever set foot in such a place# Leopold, Ochs’ sloppy, illegitimate son and valet, ran to fetch her# Hofmannsthal should have made that clear# Of course, she does not come to help the Baron, she comes to find out what Octavian is up to. Why does he continue the dangerous game by dating Ochs in girl’s clothes* Another woman must be involved, probably younger and lovelier than she; so she had better take a look#2** Due to this logical explanation given by Raimund von Hofmannsthal to Madame Lehmann, we are again im¬ pressed by the natural manner with which the poet

enabled the Marschallin to occupy the center portion

of Act III# It is her impressionionable and imperious dialogue that banishes the Baron from the scene after he has recognized the rival suitor behind the mask of 35

the chambermaid. Ochs leaves xri.th Leopold, who exempli¬

fies a character present in almost every form of Viennese

theater——the faithful servant. This type of role is found to the greatest degree in the works of Grillpar-

zer* Nestroy and Ferdinand Raimund, who in his last work, Per Verschwender, proves that the loyalty of a

servant is worth more than anything on earth. Josef Nadler verifies this point by stating* "Und so hat

Rairaunds letzte Biihnendichtung eine einzige, unendlich

oft gespielte Szene aus dem alten Wiener Theaterbestand zur letzten Vollendung gestaltet: der treue Diener und sein Herr*""^

Another definite influence of Raimund* s plays unveils itself in the final deed of this comedy by

the Marschallin* s sacrifice—‘-the relinquishing of her lover, Octavian. "Auf Raimunds Szene herrscht der freie sittliche Wille, zu tun und zu lassen,—

seine grosste Tat ist das Opfer des Verzichts aus 31 freiem Willen." In Hofmannsthal’s characterization of Marie Theres, this idea is reincarnated as she

seals her sacrifice with the words of resignation, so much a part of a Viennese when facing a difficult decision* "In Gottes Namen,"

Somewhat surprising is the fact that Hofmannsthal did not desire the typical comedy ending, such as the 3 6 embrace of Sophie and Octavian offers, but that he strove for a more effective idea. The result is a de¬ lightfully original effect on which to lower the curtain*

The Marschallin departs with Faninal, Sophie and Octa¬ vian follow momentarily, leaving the stage bathed in moonlight* Suddenly the little negro servant of Marie Theres enters,, in search of Sophie's handkerchief* This perfect ending to Per Rosenkavalier is described by Willi Schuh* "Die kleine Pantomime ist der knappeste und anmutigste Ausdruck der iiberlegenen Haliung der Marschallin in diesem Spiel, in dero ihr allein Schwe- res auferlegt ist,M„'*S, This charming vignette shows

the Marschallin's favor towards Sophie and Octavian*s union, thus the reason for sending her personal servant

for the younger woman* s handkerchief, In this manner,

the pivotal figure of the work, like Hans Sachs in Die Melstersinger* begins and ends the comedy!

As Mohammed picks up the handkerchief, holds it high for the audience to see, and runs out quickly,

the curtain descends on a happy ending, reminding us of

the words of Marie Theress ttLeicht muss man seini/mit leichtem Hers und leichten Handen,/halten und nehmen,

halten und lassen*" (I* 305) This dispells any shadow of sadness and permits the audience to leave

with a smile, thus fulfilling the poet's reason for the writing of the play, as stated at the onset of this discussion CHAPTER II

1. COMEDY, ACCORDING TO HUGO VON HOFMANNSTHAL

Comedy, to Hofmannsthal, was 11 das erreichte So- ziale" and in the mannerisms and traditions of Austrian life and language he saw that certain social behavior necessary for good comedy. L.J. Potts points out that •’Comedy is a tradition as well as an idea; and to the writer and reader of comedy the selection of the sub¬ ject matter and setting is as important as abstract notions about art, if not more so. 'The author' ... is trying to present a social point of view; to measure human conduct against a norm rather than an ideal." 33

This statement could be applied to Hofmannsthal's ideas concerning comedy as well and already, in making notes for Per Schwierige, he writes "Haltung: sociale- dsterreichische." ^

It was the writing of comedies that prompted the poet to leave his ivory tower and to discover his fellow men and their environment. He parades before us the representatives of almost every station in life. We are conducted from palaces to taverns, are given an insight to courtly graces, ceremonies and pomp; then on to the upper middle class and the "nouveaugc

37 38 riches” and finally to the realm of servants and workers, "Das Volkhafte dringt auf osterreichischer Biihne in die hochsten Bezirke empor, miihelos verstandigt die Konven— tion hoherer Stande mit der Art einfacher Menschen, Die

Personen treten in einer noch als gottfallig verstandenen, standisch gegliederten Welt auf, mag sie schon Vergangen- heit sein’i" Hofmannsthal drew upon the vast historical and theatrical traditions of his native land and presents these to us at the turn of this century in his comedy^ Der Roaenkavalier, The poet*s Viennese play embodies finesse, deli¬ cacy, laced with irony and a combination of general elements of comedy already discussed in the proceeding chapter. His situations and characterizations are created to provoke a smile from the audience or the reader?"Immer jedoch bleibt Feinheit und Behutsara- keit ira Ausdruck, statt breiter Itomik lieber vornehme Heiterkeit”,. Hofmannsthal folt very strongly a- bout avoiding crude comedy and "breite Komik” while

Strauss seems to lean toward a different side in this matter. Of significance, here, is a section found in the Richard Strauss-Hugo von Hofmannsthal correspondence, where their different views are made known quite strong¬ ly, Strauss to Hofmannsthal: WMir fehlt in unsorm Werk 39 bis jetzt eine wirklich komische Situation, es gibt alles bloss heiter, nicht komischi Vergessen Sie nicht, dass das Publikum auch lachen sollte! Laclien, nicht lacheln und schmunzeln! "37 Hofmannsthal’s answer was as follows

”Ich verschliesse mich naralich Ihren Gedahken iiber den Unterschied zwischen dem blossen Heiteren und dein dras- tisch Komischen durchaus nicht - sage mir aber, dass eine heitere Gesamtatmosphere rait lebensvollen kon- trastierenden Figuren und ohne langweilige Masehinerie und 8de Strecken doch auf die Dauer auch beim Publikum

4«der Annaherung an das drastischere, operettenhaftere Genre iiberlegen sein wird, (Siehe Heistersinger Oder Fi- jgaro, worin auch wenig zum Lachen, viel aber zum Lacheln) »3 8 The above-quoted passage should be of great import¬ ance to the portrayer of the Baron Ochs role, who may exaggerate to a degree but never fall into the concept¬ ion that Ochs is strictly a country bumpkin, ttfithout a trace of manners to correspond to his title of nobility.

Hofmannsthal once spoke with the baritone, Emanuel List, during a rehearsal of Die Agyptische Helena in Berlin in 1930 CsicJ about the role of Baron Ochs, \diich the po6t had seen portrayed by List some time before: You have shown me that one can play this somewhat risky role, which less gifted artists turn into something disagreeable, very effectually, without falling into slapstick comedy, Ochs is a gentle¬ man, a man of rank and nobility. They always are 4o

gentlemen, no matter how often they lot themselves go. For nearly all of them had their education at the Theresianum, the school of the nobility, where Spanish court etiquette was meticulously observed. True, they show strongly marked traits of genuine democracy since they are in intimate association with the country folk?!3 Most singers see in this mixture an excuse to put a cheap rudeness of which these men never were capable*' True, the Ochs is an Austrian country squire, his humor is coarse but never unkind* He may use strong words but behind them a conciliatory spirit will always be recognized* You have made this charmingly clear and you have found a line which makes it possible to exhaust the humor of the role without reducing the level of the performance* A more beautiful gift no poet can wish for, ™ ■ ■ Actually Hofmannsthal desired broad comedy in only three sections of Per Rosenkavalierg 1,) in the "Stegreifko* modie” situation at the beginning of the last act; 2*) in the entrance of Baron Ochs* retinue in Act I and II;

3*) in the lecherous chase of the same retinue through the palace of Faninal in Act II* The other extreme of comedy is found, in what Hofmannsthal refers to as "ver- steckie und beinahe leichtfertige ¥eise,M ho which is often lost in an operatic performance but which would be brought into the open if Per Rosenkavalier were to be performed as a play upon the stage*

Z. COMEDY IN LANGUAGE

Let us at this point , look at a number of places where the poet achieves subtle comedy in a variety of ways* The first of these is in the manner in xdiich one line follows the succeeding one. In Act III, we find one such examples Der Baron

Halt, was wollen die Maik&fer da?

Die Kellner Servieren, Euer Gnaden? (ill. 355) This humorous succession of dialogue makes the audience react to the fact that the act of the waiters is toeing performed by junetougs, although there is no actual con¬ nection between the two lines themselves, except that the smooth flot* of the two sentences, each of them con¬ taining separate thoughts, are grouped in such a way that incites laughter. A few pages later we finds Der Baron

Macht Sie der ¥ein leicht immer so? Is ganz gewiss Ihr Mieder, das aufs Hers Ihr druckt. (steht auf und will ihr aufschniiren) Jetst wirds frei mir ein bisserl hoiosi (Schnell entschlossen nimmt er seine Periieke ato und sucht einen Plats, sie atozulegen) (ill. 3^0)

The dialogue indicates one thing tout the stage action is unexpectedly the opposite, for rather than untying Mariandel*s bodice, the excited Baron actually begins to remove his apparel - his wig, the symbol of his no¬ bility^ and forgets all further notions about the bo¬ dice^ Also, in Act III, we find dialogue exposing the 42

Baron* s intentions in a subtle manner of speech, accompa¬ nied by a stage setting and stage action, which leave

little to the imagination:

Octavian Jesus Maria, steht a ®ett drin, a mordsmassig grosses* Ja mei, wer schlaft denn da ?

Der Baron Das wird Sie schon sehen* Jetzt komm Sie, sets Sie sich schSn. (III. 357) These lines accompanied by the proper facial expressions and stage movements on the part of the seemingly aston¬

ished chambermaid and the leering Baron Ochs, are sure

to incite a smile from the audience.

3e PECULIARITIES OP DIALOGUE

The principal characters, with the exception of

Baron Ochs, are not humorous in themselves, the comedy

comes from the dialogue and the situations that are created and into which these key figures are subse¬ quently drawn.

The author, a master with x^ords, made use of a variety of dialects in order to create some of the humorous effects.’ Although these dialects are rather difficult to distinguish and trace, as to what section of Vienna or what Austrian province they originate from, they are nevertheless, for those who have lived 43

there and are familiar with the peculiarities of the language, of tremendously funny nature# The servants of Baron Ochs "knodeln unverkennbar

h 1 Kamtnerisch;11

Die Lerchenauischon

Den hauts s’sammi Den hauts z*samml Spinnweb her! Feuerschwamnii’ Reissts ihm den Spadi wegV Schlagts ihn tot aufn Fleck*! , . # Fetzen ausn Gwand machen! V orwart s, keine Spanponaden, Leinwand fiir Seine Gnadent (Sie machen Miene, sich zu diesem Zweck der Herndon der jiingeren und hubscheren Magde zu bemSchtigen#) ( II. 339) Faninal1 s servants, on the other hand, speak the

"nasal langgezogene, unbeschreiblich vulgare Ottakrin- 42 gerisch" idiich still distinguishes the residents of

that suburb of Vienna, even today, although it is more acceptable in general but still frowned upon by the more educated inhabitants of that city#

Die Faninalsche Dienerschaft Gstochen is einer? Wer? Der dort? Der fremde Herr? Welcher? Der Brautigam? Packts den Duellanten z' sanm'S’ Welcher ist der Duellant? Der dort im weissen Gwandl Was, der Rosenkavalier? Wegen was denn? Wegen ihr? Angepackt! Niederghauti •#. ( II. 340)

The first scene of Act III presents two further dialects, which could perhaps be termed as coming from the lowest of lows 44

Die Kutscher

Fur die Fuhr, fur die Fuhr, Rosser gschundn ham ma gnua.

Die Hausknechte

So fiirs Auf sperm, So, Herr Baron. ... Ftlagfahrn, aussagruckt, S8, Herr Baron. (IXX. 38?)

These dialects, no matter how offensive they may sound

to the educated ear, never fail to draw outright laughter.

As the other extreme, perhaps the most perfect ex¬

ample of Viennese manners and colloquial speech is illu¬

strated by the dialogue of Octavian throughout the text.

"Octavian ist ’per Du*, ohne fSrmliche Anrede, \-rie sich’s 43 gehort mit Frauen in intimen Moment en.”

Octavian

¥ie du warst, wie du bist, ... Du, du - was heisst das *du»? Was *du und ich’? Hat denn das einen Sinn? Das sind Worter, blosse Worter, nicht? Du sagi (Z. 263)

ors

Octavian

Sag, dass du mir gehSrstt Sag, dass du mir gehorstl (I. 303)

After this manner of address to Marie Theres Octavian

speaks to Sophie in very similar style, especially in

Act XXX:

Octavian

Spur nur dich, spur nur dich allein. (TLX. 395) Clearly, the most versatile form of address used

by the young lover is the third person singular, which

Hofmannsthal suits to the situations in order to ex¬

press a particular attitude^ Act I shows us Octavian

speaking to the Marschal1in, in what Razumovsky terms hh as "vertrautor Moglichkeit" t Octavian

Wenn Ihr zu dumra ist, wie ich rnich benehm, und wenn Ihr abgeht, dass ich lcein Geiibter nicht in solchen Sachen bin, dann weiss ich nicht, was Sie iiberhaupt an mir hat« (iV 266) or: Octavian

¥0 Sie mich da hat, wo ich meine Finger in Ihre Finger schlinge, wo ich mit meinen Augen Ihre Augen suche, gerade da ist Ihr so zumute? (I. 304) Act II exemplifies three further instances of this

same dialogue form in the lines spoken to Baron Ochs,

Sophie and Faninal, After having been discovered with

Sophie by the two Italians, Octavian addresses the Baron with the following: "Versteht Er Deutsch? Die Fraulein hat sich resolviertvw or "Beira Satan, Er hat cine dicke Hautl/ Auch dort die Tur passiert Er mir nicht 1” To Sophie, Octavian directs the following question: "Tut

Sie das, ma Cousine?"^ using the third person singular in order to express that subtle Hoftaannsthalian irony • which in this indicates politeness with a hint toward.-: 4 6

desired familiarity. Faninal, on the other hand, is

addressed with the utmost of* correctness in phrases of

extreme politeness* Octavian

Er muss tnich pardonieren. Bin ausser Massen sehr betriibt fiber den Vorfall. Bin aber ohne Schuld; (II. 343)

Another possibility is further cited by Razumovsky, as

found in " • • • die zahlreichen Moglichkeiten der zweiten

Person Pluralis, allein oder verbunden rait einer der zahlreichen, leider seitdem in Desuetude geratene Anre- de-Formel der feudalen Hoch-Zeit. Unter Standssgenos-

sen* 'Euer Liebden muss ich halt vertnelden • ••* *zum Ochs, vorher, noch vertrauter, gar per Dus (Spitzig) Ich muss Deinen Liebden sehr bewundem, * " 45

It has already been pointed out that the Marschallin, when revealing her more intimate thoughts, speaks a form

of Viennese dialect that is termed ”theresianisches Schon~ 4S brunner Deutsche , Her manner of speech is elegant,

sophisticated and exemplifies the charm of Viennese women. Her expressions come very close to the nKava~ lierwienerisch," 47* which Hugo von Hofmannsthal is

supposed to have spoken with great pleasure and often with defiance toward those who criticized him for his

personal and artistic use of it. Hofmannsthal had ••• reached a point at which it is no longer admissible to dismiss his Austrian 47

as a mere concession to the demands of stage real- .ism and local color? he asserts that the configu¬ ration of the characters depends directly upon the language in which they express themselves, in other words, unless one is sensitive to the subtle grada¬ tion of utterance employed, one will miss the ironic tensions through which comedy presents its comment on the dilemna of human attempts at communication. Since Per Rosenkavalier shows an intensity and richness of expression that is typically Austrian, it xraa Hof¬ mannsthal’s aim that they not be changed, for the bene- fit of a more universal understanding of the text, as Richard Strauss often suggested* "Bine Anzahl kleiner, aber mich sehr stBrender, anscheinend zufalliger Alte- rationen des Mienerischen (z.B. Therese anstatt Theres’ was im Mund Octavians ganz unmoglich) mils sen womoglich im gesungenen Text, unbedingt aber im Textbuch getilgt 49 werden.*'

Why the Austrian manner of speech is somewhat of a problem to the German* might be best illustrated by citing a line spoken by Baron Ochs in Act II s Jetzt echappier Er sich, sonst reisst mir die Geduld. (II. 334) In German, this exclamatory phrase would fall, while in the mouth of an Austrian it seems to mount's5 Almost all of these expressions are poetic forms used in everyday life, they reveal to us a Vienna of today and of yesterday, through a language that makes

Per Rosenkavalier an almost impossible text to trans¬ late effectively. Hofmannsthal, himself, expressed U8

the significance of this language in his "Geleitwort" to Per Rosenkavaliert •.•sugleich echt und orfunden war, voll Anspie- Tung,voll doppelter Bedeutung. Eine Sprache, durch welche jede Person zugleich sich selbst rind ihre soziale StufW, eine Sprache, welche in dem Mund aller dieser^Figuron die gleiche 1st ~ die imaglnare Sprache der Zeit - und doch im Mund jedor Figur eine andere, mit einer ziemlich betr&chtlichen Spannweite von der sehr einfachen Sprechweise der Marschhllin (und in dieser aus- serordentlichen, mancliraal fast denriitigen Einfach- heit liegt die grosse Kondeszendenz der Figur) zu der knappen, eleganten Sprachweise Octavians, in der sich vielleicht ein wenig jugenlicher Herzlo- sigkeit verrat, dem Reden des Faninals -das im Mund der Tochter noch ein kleines gespreizter, aber naiVer ist - und der eigentlichen Mischung aus Pomposem und Gemeinem im Mund des Buffo*

Hoftaannsthal*s nationality shows, in the lives and speech of his characterisations in Per Rosehkavalier,

and he, the lyric poet, makes the observation that

"Per Qsterreicher hat unendlich viel mehr geselligen

Sinn als der nBrdliche Deutsche, mehr Sinn ffir das, was zxirischen den Mens chen liegt, ein unvergleichlich *5t feineres Gefuhl fSr die Nuance•"

Thus, it is the language spoken in Per Rosenkava-

lier which is such a major factor in the creation of the milieu in which the characters dwell* Only a poet could realize the vital role of language for the over¬

all success of his comedy and this proves once more that Hofmannsthal’s text is of much greater importance

than the usual libretto. In most cases, the traditional operatic libretto depends upon the beauty or the ex¬

pressive movement of the musical scpre in order to sweep

the audience along into a realm of make-believe. In

Per Rosenkavalier, we notice an independence due to the verbal structure, which is as intricate as much of con¬

temporary poetry.* Hofmannsthal states* ”Im Reden der Charaktere sehe ich die eigentliche dichterische Krea-

tion. Wie sie reden, wie ihre Diktion steigt und sinlet - darin ist mir das Mittel gegeben, diese Charakteristik

wahrhaftig lebendig su maehen, auch vieles kaum direkt aussprechen zwischen den Piguren ftihlen zu maehen.” 52

This is the reason I have used the terms ”Lustspiel”

and ”comedy” separately, for Der Rosenkavalier is not

purely a comedy but a ”Lustspiel” as defined in the Re all exikon

H. RE-OCCTJRANCE OP THEMES

Hugo von Hoftaannsthal is not a mere librettist in the traditional role, as verbal structure of his work exlsmplifies only too well. There is a certain

artistic pattern established by permitting key words and phrases to reappear time and again to picture

psychological perception and to illustrate the emo¬

tional states of the characters.

The Marschallin is always preoccupied or dis- tracted by the element of time, which Hofmannsthal uses as the most significant metaphor in the text, for it is as if the basic poetic structure of this work hinges on the words nZeittt, "heute”, "morgen”, and "E- wigkeit”•

The first of these phrases is "heut Oder morgen”, which is mentioned by the Marschallin no less than

three times in Act I, When Marie Theres speaks these lines to Quin-quin, they carary an Ironically prophetic message. Marschallin

Quin-quin, heut oder morgen geht er hin und gibt raich auf, tun einer andem willen, die schoner oder jfinger ist als ich* Marschallin Heut oder morgen kommt der Tag, Ootavian,

Marschallin Heut oder morgen oder den fibemfiohsten Tag* (I. 305) A message that is fulfilled in Act III, when Marie Theres turns to the audience with* Marschallin

Heut oder morgen oder den ubemachsten Tag* Hab ich mirs denn nicht vorgesagt? Das alles kommt halt fiber jede Frau*' Hab ich nicht ein Gelfibde 1 tan, dass ichs mit ganz gefassten Herzen ertragen werd ••• Heut oder morgen oder den ubemachsten Tag* (III. 51

Other lines pf dialogue are found throughout the text, which employ Mheutw on many various occasions but are of less significance than the afore-mentioned ones.

In Act It

Octavian

Heut nacht hat dir von ihm getraumt? Heut nacht?

Marschallin

Iek schaff mir meine TrSume nicht an. (I. 267) we find a subtle ironic quality in the dialogue be¬ tween the lovers, considering that Marie Theres has spent the hours of the night in the arms of Octavian g k while dreaming of her husband. » ''Heut” is treated iro¬ nically in another of the Marschallin*s lines, this being addressed to her hairdresser at the end of the levee t Marschallin

Mein lieber Hippolyte, heut haben Sie ein altes Veib aus mir gemachti (I. 297) When it is quite obvious that she is neither old, nor of different appearance than on yesterday, it serves simply as a request for a compliment on this day when she feels herself so MaltM *

Two comprimario characters make use of the word "heut" in reference to the destiny of the principals. Valzaechi convinces Baron Ochs to take advantage of 52 his services in Act I with* Valzacchi

•out Oder morgen kBnnte sein. (I, 298) while, in Act XI, Faninal threatens to send Sophie to a convent with the following words; Faninal

Ich steck dich in ein Eloster stante pedel Lieber heut als morgen# (XI# 346)

Another re-occurance is exemplified by the usage

of "bub"} this is important because it shows the de¬ velopment of Oetavian in the course of the comedy* As a matter of fact, Oetavian is the only character that goes through a phase of development before our eyeso He

is called "Bub" first by the Marschallin in Act I and refers to himself by the same term. Marschallin

Du bist mein Bub, du bist mein SchatzJ .## Oetavian

Ich bin dein Bub « aber wenn mir dann Horen und Sehen vergeht - wo ist dann dein Bub? (I# 264)

Of interest is the fact that the above-quoted lines are spoken in the "Lustspiel" but the libretto adds a line, sung by the Marschallin, "Ich hab dich lieb", which

is left out entirely in the spoken dialogue. Toward

tho end of the same act, the Marschallin refers to Oetavian in almost motherly tones when she pats him 53

on the head and declares* ^Jetst muss ich noch den Buben dafiir trSsten, *.(I, 306) After meeting Sophie, in Act II, Octavian seems older, perhaps because Sophie makes him

feel like a man, a fact which causes him to act as her protector in the latter portion of Act II* Octavian, him¬

self, expresses this newly found feeling of maturity* Octavian

Ich war ein Bub, Wars gestem Oder wars vor einer Ewigkeit* Da hab ich die noch nicht gekannt* Die hab ich nicht gekannt? Wer ist denn die? Wie komrat sie denn zu mir? Wer bin denn ich? Wie lcomm ich denn zu ihr? War ich ein Mann, die Sinne mSchten mir vergehni' (II* 315)

This is the first time that the "Bub" thinks in

terms like "Mann"* Thus we see the development con¬ tinue, although Baron Ochs refers to Octavian, in Act II,

as a "wSllischer Hundsbub" and as "verfluchter Bub" in

Act III* The final stage of this development occurs in the last act, when the Marschallin says of Quin-quins Marschallin

Da steht der Bub und da steh ich und mit dem frem- den Madel dort Wird er so gliicklich sein, als wie halt Manner das Glileklichsein verstehn* In Gottes Namen. (Ill* 39^) In the above-quoted lines there appears once more the

subtle irony used by the poet, "In Gottes Namen" seals

the sacrifice, the Marschallin exits, and the"Bub" is now a "Mann", Although it may seem to be, the closing 54 scene is not a sentimental ending, for the work closes on a truly realistic note. It leaves no illusions and shows that the prophetic words spoken by Marie Theres at the beginning of the comedy have come true* Marschallin

Taverl, umarm Er nicht zu viel: ¥er allzuviel umarmt der halt nichts fest. (I. 303) As we haVe already seen, Act 1 presents us with the significance of time in the life of the Marschallin, into which the characters and situations of the subsequent aCts are drawn*

Marschallin

Die Zeit, die ist ein sonderbar Ding. ¥enn man so hinlebt, ist sie rein gar nichts. Aber dahn auf einmal, da spfirt man niohts als sie* sie ist tun tns herum, sie ist auch in uns drinnen. In den Gesichtem rieselt sie, im Spiegel da rieselt sie, in meinen Schlsifen fliessi sie.‘ Dnd zwisohen mir und dir da fliesst sie wiederi' Lautlos, wie eine Sanduhi^f G Quin-quint Manchmal h8r ich sie fliessen unaufhaitsam. Manchmal steh ich auf, mitten in der Nacht, und lass die Ohren alle stelin, ... Allein man muss sich auch vor ihr nicht f&rchten. Auch sie ist ein GeschSpf des Vaters, der uns alle geschaffen hat*. (l. 306-07) Frank J. Warlike discusses the repetition of words as follows* "In addition to being a hymn to love the work is a fareial comedy and an evocation of a period, ulti¬ mately a poetic statement about time and mutability. 55

This meaning justifies, as irony alone would not, the heavy repetition of key words . • '*'* Thus wdie Zeit" is an element for the Marschallin that ties all and yet separates everything so that nothing lasts "in Ewig- keit". In Act III, the young lovers, Oetavian and So¬ phie, speakj Oetavian

Spur nur dich, nur dich allein tmd dass vrlr beieinander seini Geht alls sonst vie ein Traum dahin vor meinen Sinnt Sophie

1st ein Traum kann nicht wirklich sein, dass wir zwei beoinander sein, beieinand fur alle Zeit und Ewigkeitt (III. 395)

How typically this illustrates their obvious youth. In this choice of words Oetavian does not feel time, only his longing for Sophie, who believes herself to be tied

to him for all eternity. How different the meaning of

"spiir" in the lines of Oetavian and those spoken by the Marschallin^ Love is transitory and therefore Oetavian and Sophie might one day say, in the words of Marie. Theres*

"Aber, dahn auf einmal spiirt man nichts als sie,", Besides the contribution of the spoken dialogue to making this "Lustspiel" a success on its own xdLthout the

added magic of Richard Strauss* orchestral score, there is yet another element to be considered. This is the 56 baroque tradition of pomp, festivity and ceremony on stage willcli, in Per Rosenkavalier, is based partly on

tradition and partly on Hofmannsthal* s theater sense and vivid imagination » The poet presents the courtly splen¬ dor of 18th century Vienna to the audience by his de¬ tailed characterizations and picturesque staging devi¬ ces^

5. EIGHTEENTH CENTURY VIENNA

In the three Acts of Per Rosenkavalier, Hugo von

Hofmannsthal parades before us a variety of minor characters to remind us that Vienna, in the days of Maria Theresa, was considered by many to be the center of the civilized world. But even more so the poet gives his own, personal reason for this parade of fi¬ gures in his '»GeleitwortM to Per Rosenkavalien Pahinter war der geheime Wunsch, ein halb imagi- nares, halb reales Ganzes entstehen zu lassen, dies Wien Von 1740, eine ganze Stadt mit ihren Standen, die sich gegeneinander abheben und miteinander mischen, mit ihrem Zeremoniell, ihrer sozialen Stu- fung, ihrer Sprechweise Oder vielmehr ihrer nach den Standen verschiedenen Sprechweisen, mit der geahnten Nahe des grossen Hofes iiber dem alien, mit der immer gefiihlten Nahe des Volkselementes. So entstand das Gewimmel der kleinen Figuren* diese Duenna, dieser Polizeikommissar, dieser Wirt, diese Lakaien und Haushoitaeister, diese Intriganten, Schmarotzer, Lieferanten, Friseure, Laufer, Sanftentrager, Hascher, Tagediebe. 5°

Let us first view the serving staff of the Mar- 57 schallin, Faninal and Octavian, The Marschallin* s lackeys, in Act I, are reserved, proud, assured and loyal unto death, all of which causes the great lady to say of them with complete confidences

Marschallin

Sind brave Kerl, meine Lakaien. Vollen ihn nicht hereinlassen, sagen, dass ich schief, Sehr brave Kerin, (l, 270) The tone used by the Haushoftaieister of Marie

Theres is one of utmost dignity with only a trace of snobbishness, as he informs the insistent Baron Ochs:

"Belieben Euer Gnaden in der Gallerie zu warten" (l. 271), to which Ochs makes the offensive reply, which questions the courtly graces in which the steward of the house¬ hold prides himself: "Wo hat Er seine Manieren gelernt?/

Der Baron Ochs von Lerchenau antichambriert nicht,” (I, 271)

The last scene of Act I presents the lackeys of the Marschallin once again, as she sends them on a search for Rofrano, whom she has just dismissed with¬ out even a kiss. The words she uses in her orders to them show her to be on the best of terms with her ser¬ vants because she speaks to them in her Viennese "Mund- art” which otherwise is reserved for her intimate friends or expressions of her most secret desires and thoughts: 58

Marschallin (Sie klingelt heiftiga Lacltaien lcommen herein von rechts#) Laufts deni Hem Grafen naeh und bittets ihn nich auf ein Wort herauf*1 (I. 308) Act II introduces the •’Haushofmeister" of Faninal,

in a role somewhat different than his peer in the service of the Marschallin. Faninal* s steward has the amusing

role of instructing his master about the duties of the bride’s father according to the rules of etiquette. This

is done in a somewhat condescending tone and the words* "nicht ohne Vertraulichkeit” inserted by the poet iii the

staging instructions, are of significance. Had Faninal been of the nobility the "Haushoftaeister" would never have been so bold as to address his master on such a personal plane. How different his tone from that of

the Marschallin’s stewards

Hausho fuelster (nicht ohne Vertrauliehkeit) 1st hochste Zeit, dass Euer Gnaden fahren. Der hochadelige Br&utigamsvater, sagt die Schicklichlceit, muss ausgefahren sein, bevor der silbeme Rosenkavalier vorfahrt. War nicht geziemend, dass sie sich vor der Tur begegneten^ (Hlgf 310)

Since the servants of Baron Ochs have already been discussed, I shall move to the retinue of Octavian. His

staff is, perhaps, the most colorful and exotic of all and complements his youthful and splendidly festive 59 appearance to the highest degree* Hofmannsthal left detailed instructions and descriptions for costuming

it and personal attire of these individualss Hinter ihm seine Dienerschaft in seinen Farbens Weiss mit Blass- griin. Die Lackaien, die Haiducken, mit kruramen, unga- rischen Sabeln an der Seite, die Lauffer in weissem, sa- mischen Leder mit grunen Straus senfedem, Dicht hinter Octavian ein Neger, der Octavians Hut **. in beiden Han- den trSgt'* (IX. 313)

We can easily see how the servants exemplify the standards qnd social positions of their respective masters and their households*

The Levee, in Act 1 is another splendidly impressive scene, typically 18th century and almost a coming-to- life of scenes one and four of Hogarth* s "Le Marriage a la Modes” The first picture shows a nobleman trying to bully a notary, and in the fourth picture of this J series, we view the hairdresser busy with the noble lady's locks, the flutist who accompanies the soloist, a scholar and even a tiny negro servant with the morn¬ ing chocolate* All of which is found in Hofmannsthal's Der Rosenkavalier* Added to these figures are some of the poet's own creation, \

A characterization of interest in this scene is that of the Italian tenor, whose first verse of the

aria was taken from Moliere* s Bourgeois Gentilhoiame,11 J The presence of the singer serves a triple purpose here*

first to illustrate the cultural atmosphere reigning

in Vienna st that time} second, to offer to the artist portraying the Marschallin one of two "alternatives"

of concentration at this point of the scene; and last, the singer serves as the counter-force to Baron Ochs* loudness as he tries to convince the notary that the

"Morgengabe" should be given by the wife to the husband,

thus reversing the demands of etiquette. Since Hof¬ mannsthal's staging instructions for the Marschallin in

this particular scene are rather brief, the singer offers

her the opportunity to devote her attention to him, thus letting the words of the aria put her into the mood of

melancholy which prevails for the remainder of this

scene. If the comedy rather than the opera wore to be staged, the role of the singer could remain as such and offer the possibility of a guest appearance of a well-known tenor in this role or the role could be

spoken as if a court poet were giving a recitation of the same words that the singer performs in aria form in the opera} most likely the first of these two 61 alternatives would serve the purpose best because the role is, after all, termed as that of* a ”Sanger.M

As the singer plunges into the refrain of his aria, the voice of Baron Ochs seems to compete with him; finally the song is cut completely as Ochs makes his final attempt at clarifying his point on the matter concerning the MMor« gengabe." In the test we sind the following staging instructions concerning this humorous point of the Levee scenes

Hier hebt der Baron seine Stimme so, dass der San¬ ger jah abbricht, desgleichen die FlSte* Notar zieht sich erschrocken in eine Ecke zuriick. Marschallin winkt den Singer zu sich, reicht Ihm die Hand zum Kusse* Sanger nebst Flote ziehen sich unter tiefen Verbeugungen zuriick* Der Baron tut, als ob nichts geschehen' wire, winkt dem Sanger leutselig zu, tritt dann zu seiner Dienerschaft, streichelt dem Leibla- kaie die baurisch in die Stim gekammten Haare hin- aus. (I. 297)

In this manner, the interrupted words of the tenor serve as the deciding factor in disbanding the Levee scene*" From here on the scene that began so gaily leads the act into a conclusion of charming Viennese sentimentality Preceding the highpoint of Act II, the presentation of the rose, is the animated description of the exciting events taking place on the street in front of Faninal’s home* All of this is relayed to us by the hurredly chattering duenna, as she peers through the window and observes all. One must simply let one’s imagination rule in order to partake of the delightfully fairy— 62 tale-like approach of Count Rofrano:

Marianne (sehr aufgeregt) Die halbe Stadt ist auf die Fuss* Aus*n Seminar schaun die Hoehwiirdigen von die Balko ner* Bin alter Mann sitzt oben auf der Laternf *.« Er komrat , or kommt in zwei Karossen* Die erste ist vierspannig, die ist: leer* In der zweiten sechsspannigen, sitzt er selber, der Herr RosenkavalierI (Die Stimmen der Lauffer ztt drein vor Octavians Wagen unten auf der Gasses Rofrano! Rofrano!)

Sophie

(sie h< ©s nicht aus) Was rufen denn die?

Marianne Den Namen vom Rosenkavalier und alle Namen von deiner neuen* filrstlieh’n und graflich’n Ver- wandtschaft rufens aus! Jetzt rangiern sich die Bedienten# Die Lakaien springen riickwarts abl Sie reissen den Schlag auf! Er steigt aus1*4 Ganz in Silborstuck* ist er ang*legt, von Kopf zu Fuss*' Wie ein heiliger Erzengel sehaui er aus** (II. 312-13)

The buildup given to Octavian’ s actual entrance is one of mounting excitement, so that the audience is caught up, through Marianne’s narrative, in the same pitch of feverish expectancy which Sophie displays on stage#

This well-planned preparation leads directly in¬ to the highpoint of not only this act but of the entire comedy: the presentation of the rose to Sophie# Here the magic of a Raimundian fairy tale is blended with 63 the exquisite graces, the splendid pomp and the thea¬ trical extravagance of the baroque stage*

...und ein andcrer Lakai, der das Saffian futteral fur die silberhe Rose in beiden Hefnden tragt. Da- hint er die Faninalsche Livree, Octavian, die Rose in der Rechten, geht mit adligem Anstand auf sie zu, aber sein Knabengesicht 1st von seiner Schfich- temheit gespannt und gerotet. - Sophie ist vor Aufregung fiber seine Erscheinung und die Zeremo- nie leichenblass • Sie stehen einander gegenfiber* (11*313.) Indessen hat sich die Livree Octavians links rifclc- wffrts rangiert, die Faninalschen Bedienten mit dem Haushofmeister rechts* Der Lakai Octavians fiber— gibt das Futteral an Marianne*4 Sophie schfittelt ihre Versunkenheii ab und reicht die Rose der Ma¬ rianne, die sie in das Futteral schliesst* Der Lakai mit dem Hut tritt von rfickwarts an Octavian heran und reicht ihm den Hutv Die Livree Octavi¬ ans tritt ab, wahrend gleichzeitig die Faninalschen Bedienten drei Stflhle in die Mitte tragen, zwei fifr Octavian und Sophie, einen rfick- und seitwarts Stir die Duenna* Zugleich tragt der Faninalsche Haus- hoftaeister das Futteral mit der Rose durch die Kit- teltfire ab* * , , Auf einer Handbewegung Sophies nefe- men sie beide Platz, desgleichen die Duennas (II* 315)

The presentation of the silver rose seems steeped in the tradition of 18th century Vienna, so convincing¬ ly is it created* It almost sounds unbelievable that it is not tradition at all but another stroke of Hofinannsthhl * s theatrical genius• In a conversation with his friend,

¥alter Brecht, the poet discusses the presentation scene%

Brechts Aber es kommen so hfibsche Sachen im Rosen- kavaiier vorf

Hofmannsthal: Ja gewiss, und besonders die ausge- dachten*

Brecht* Gab es denn eigentlich das mit der silber- nen Rose? 64

Hofmannsthal: Aeh woherl Koine Spurt’ Das habcn wir uns rein ausgedacht, Kessler tmd ich. Es ist wirklich etwas sehr hitb- sches.

G. HISTORICAL ELEMENTS

But Hofmannsthal*s talents do not limit themselves

to self-evident scenes, props, dialogues and characteri¬ zations} they go quite deeply into historical detail as well* One such example is found in the third act, when Baron Ochs, having had his fill of the general harrassment, screams for the police through an open window." These cries are echoed from backstage, while

the children throng around the incredulous nobleman

shouting, "Papa, Papa," leaving the other guests and

the employees of the tavern staring at the lecher with knowing smiles, as a stem looking man walks in¬

to this scene of confusion. It is the Vorstandsunter- konrviisarius, who is a member of the Sittenpollzei.

the "decency police" of 18th century Austria, suhose stimulating duties had the rest of Europe laughing*

Immediately the action on stage freezes, verifying Vaizacchi* s earlier statements Valzacchi

Ik rat Euer Gnadn, seien vorsicktigt Die Sittenpolizei sei gar nit tolerant'!5 (HI. 365) 65

The person responsible for the creation of the commission for the preservation of morals was none other than the young empress Maria Theresa of Austria? the duties of this especially legislated office con¬ sisted of raiding taverns, inns or even private house¬ holds and apartments in order to prevent or, at least, disturb clandestine goings-on; "As one of the oddities that constitutes the spice and character of a cultural period, Vienna had yet another government agency super¬ imposed on this branch of the police department, which mercilessly pried into the private lives and regulated the morals of its citizens with a fist of brass. In France an editorial sarcastically nicknamed this Viennese office the 1 chastity commissioner*,"

This is only one case that proves that Maria The¬ resa, tihile tolerating a certain amount of frivolity among her subjects, nevertheless ruled her domain and her family with the firm hand of a sincere, Catholic monarch, who would no more encourage love trysts a- mong her subjects than within her own family. For this reason, the Sittenpolizei was established. Undoubtedly, Hofmannsthal was overly fascinated by this historic office which led Richard Strauss to admonish his librettist when the comprimario role of the commissioner tended to become too important; 66

Hofmannsthal' s reply was one of appreciation and quiet

submission, as he complies with the composer’s wishes*

n••.Ich hatte die letzten Tags gespiirt, dass die Stelle nicht sitzt, wusste aber nicht ganz woran es liegtj Sie

haben den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffem ich hatte zu

lange mit der Figur des Kommissars, die nebensachlich 62. ist, herumgetrodelt.*' One might also wonder if a

similar role, Camero, found in Per Zigeunerbaron by

Johann Strauss, was some inspiration to the librettist}

although the role found in the Johann Strauss operetta

is of more considerable proportions and of greater

charm and humor than the role of the commissioner in

Hofmannsthal’s comedy* Kommissarius

Haiti Keiner riihrt sichl Was ist los? Wer hat um Hilf geschrien? Wer hat Skandal geinacht? (III. 336)

Camero

Ja, was sind denn das fiir Redensarten? Ich bin der kdnigliche Kommissar und Obraannstellvertreter der geheimen Sittenkommission, Conte Carnero* 63 Camero Noch ebeh in Gloria von Hoheit umflosseh, Steh ich jetzt da, wie ein Pudel begossen, Bedenkt doch, seht die Autoritat, ihr verstehti (Per Zigeunerbaron. II. 14) Another fascinating fact is that Hofmannsthal re¬

ceived many of his ideas for setting, occurrences, and frivolity of the Theresian period in Vienna from the 67 diaries and letters of* 18th century personages. Of1 special interest are the letters of a renewed English 6k beauty, Lady Montagu who, under her husband's name, is responsible for many articles in the Tatler and the Spectator, and the diaries of Johann Josef IChevenhuel- ler. 65

Lady Montagu wrote of the following interesting court gossip observed during her stay in Vienna from

Sept ember j 1716, to January^ 1717* in an amusing and worldly manner to her sister Lady Mary, to Lady Pom- fret, and to Sir James and Lady Prances Stuart,

Concerning the diaries of Khevenhueller, who was master of ceremonies at the imperial court in Vienna,

Else Hoftaann writes as folloirs; "In his charming re¬ vival of 'Spanish pomp and circumstance in reverences, compliments* and so on, Holtaannsthal had used these worthy diaries to great advantage,"66 And she con¬ tinues with; "Even more interesting and intimate de¬ tails and perhaps the very plot of his comedy Holtaanns- thal owes to the correspondence of a contemporary of

Khevenhueller, the Right Honorable Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, whose letters were edited by her grandson,

Lord Whamcliffe, about 1325*" ^

Just how valuable these letters were in aiding

Hugo von Hofmannsthal in the writing of Per Rosenkavalier 68 is not known from correspondence or biographies, but we

can not deny that one passage is especially well suited in defense of the fact that undoubtedly the poet con¬

sulted the letters in his quest to enliven the comedy with the best historical and social tid-bits of that by-*

gone era. On September 20, 1716, the Lady writes:

11 •••Upon my word, if our friend were here, she would have no other fault but being somewhat too young for the fashion, and she has nothing to do but to transplant hither about seven years hence, to be young and a blooming beauty,*. , I can assure you that wrinkles or a small stoop of the shoulders, nay, grey hair itself is no objection to the making of new conquests* I know, you can¬ not easily figure to yourself a young fellow of five and twenty oggling to my Lady Suffolk with passion •„ A woman till five and thirty is only looked upon as a raw girl and can possibly gake no noise in the world till about forty*.V ® If we substitute the MarschaJLlin for Lady Suffolk and

have Octavian, whose age is quoted by Sophie in Act II as “siebzehn Jahr und zwei Monate,w take the place of

the above-mentioned lover, we have the love affair illustrated in Per Rosenkavalier, But here the simi¬

larity ends, for Lady Montagu speaks of the affair in

flippant and cynical tones while Hofmannsthal treats it with sensitive and delicate hands* Thus the liaison, as we see it in Hoftaannsthal*s comedy, touches a cer¬ tain tenderly human note which the letters ignore com¬

pletely in favor of sarcastic gossip. 7. NO NEED OF MUSIC

N Per Rosenkavaller is set in I8tb century Vienna and makes nse of the vast variety offered by the Austrian theater tradition to which Hugo von Hofmannsthal is heir* Present also, as we have seen, are broadly comic and intricately psychological ingredients which in no way T?eaken the comedy’s charm and the magic spell it weaves over the reader or the audience* This comedy represents a revival of "Raimunds Glaubigkeit und Nestroys Zynismus sugleich auf der 69 Bi!hne*tt 7 This is united with the theatrical heritage of the Austrian baroque theater, the Influence of Mo- \ liere, Beaumarchais, the operettas of Johann Strauss, plus Hofmannsthal’s oxmtheatrical and literary genius* The whole of these ingredients gives us a work which does not have any need of musical accompaniment in or¬ der to lift it to the realm of prominence in comedy.

It is thus that we are able to say that this is not a libretto in the traditional sense, but a comedy that elevates itself to success by its own merits* Undoubt¬ edly one might even be justified in stating that the accompaniment of an orchestral score merely distracts, or, at best, alters the emphasis when one realizes the often dominating and almost Wagnerian fortes in the

69 Strauss opera. In other sections, found primarily in the vocal lines of the Marschallin and Sophie, the tessi¬ tura lies so high in several instances that the verbal significance is totally lost to the audience due to the work of the composer. The statement, "Das Wort des Dich- ters wiederum enthttllt oft mehr, als sich in der Musilc 70 begibt...," ' is true of the entire work. In Act III this is especially true during the final trio, when those priceless lyrics, which attain the complexity sought by many modern writers, are expressed by three soprano voices simultanuously, thus making it almost impossible to derive any benefit from Hofnannsthal*s verbal gems at this pivotal point of the comedy. Let us look at the emotional atmosphere created by the poet and let it speak for itself whether or not it deserves to be swallowed by orchestral dominance. Marschallin

Es sind die mehreren Dinge auf der Welt so, dass sie eins nicht glauben tat, wenn man sie moeht erzahlen hSren. Alleinig wers erlebt, der glaubt daran und t*eiss nicht wie ... Da steht der Bub und da steh ich und mit dem fremden Madel dort wird er so gliicklieh sein, als halt Manner das Gliicklichsein verstehn. In Gottes Namen. Octavian

Es ist was kommen und 1st was geschehen. Ich mocht sie fragens Darfs denn sein? und grad die Frag, 71

die spur ich, dass sie mir verboten ist. Ich mScht sie fragen: Warum zittert was in mir,- ist denn ein grosses Unrecht gschehn? Und grad an sie dar£ ich die Frag nicht tun - und dann seh ich dich an, Sophie, land seh nur dich und spur nur dich, Sophie, tand weiss von nichts als nur: Dich hab ich lieb.

Sophie

Mir ist wie in der Kirchn, heilig ist mir und so bang und doch ist mir unheilig aucht Ich weiss nicht, wie mir ist, Ich mocht mich niederknien dort vor der Frau land mdcht ihr auch was an tun, denn ich splir, sie gibt mir ihn und nimrnt mir was von ihm zugleich. Weiss gar nicht wie mir istijr Mocht alls verstelan und mocht auch nichts verstehen Mocht fragen und nicht fragen, wird mir heiss und kali und spiir nur dich und weiss nur einst Dich hab ich lieb, (Marschallin geht leise rechts hinein, die beiden bemerken es gar nicht? Octavian ist dicht an So¬ phie herangetreten, einen Augenblick spliter liegt sie in seinen Armen), (ill, 39^-95) This is the climax of the Lustspiel situation, created by the characters themselves, for now, at the end of

the work, when broad comedy and general merriment with¬ draw, there is left behind only human depth and accept¬ ance of the inevitable. Nobility, graciousness and self- sacrifice, on the part of the Marschallin, enable her to be the great Lady of eighteenth century Vienna, who bowsjher head in complete surrender to fate. The whole Viennese "Maskerade" is over and a tear must fall, not for tragic but for sentimental reasons — nIs halt vorbeit” (ill. 387) 72

shows that —*■ the older \*oman has lost her lover to ohe younger and prettier* The premonition of* Marie Theres

in Act I has been fulfilled* True love has triumphed at the end* as it does in every comedy, and with the re¬

appearance of Mohammed, providing the smile with which

the audience leaves, the curtain quietly descends on

Per Rosenkavalier* 73

CONCLUSION

"Ich kenne auch die Musik der Lysistrata und der 71 Vogel nicht und habe nie nach ihr verlangt•n ' With this statement, Rudolf Borchardt was prepared to main¬

tain that Der Rosenkavaliera at least, could dispense with music, a thesis which I have tried to prove in

the proceeding pages. It is obvious that a comedy filled with so much tradition, having a plot of such

vital energy, employing a language of such masterly

style and spontaneous flow, -with careful attention

given to control of phrase, ttnder the authoritative

hand of a creative artist like Hugo von Hoftaannsthal does not have to depend on the music of even so skilled

a composer as Richard Strauss to achieve success as a

comedy in its own right on any stage. Richard Strauss admitted the value of the text

in his letter of January 28, 1924s ° Dass es Ihre Wor- te waren, die aus mir das Schonste, was ich an Musik zu geben hatte, herausgeholt haben, darf Ihnen eine *;72 schone Befriedigung gewahren, ' A further opinion of another and equally famous musician, Lotte Lehmann, attests to the fact that Per

Rosenkavalier is a comedy of such high calibre that it could be a successful play, without music (see pg. 34). Hofmannsthal, himself, writes to Strauss on

October 18, 1908: ’* ...soviel Respekt habe ich vor den Schwierigkeiten eines \*ahrhaft guten Libretto, dagegen mit dem Lustspiel als Grundlage fiihle ich alien Mut und alle Lust in mir. 73^ Having analyzed Per Rosenkavalier according to qualities of comedy, influence of Viennese theater tradition and historical background, as well as Hof¬ mannsthal's own elements of genius as found in the verbal structure, deeper meanings and picturesque staging ideas we are able to answer the question:

Why does Per Rosenkavalier have such great audience appeal?

¥e know that it was written with the stage in mind but its chief element, as a drawing card, seems to be found in its universal appeal, which lies in

"das sublimste Geistige und das saftigste Sinnliche, 74 die so selig Hochzeit miteinander halten." Hugo von Hofmannsthal is not merely a dramatist, a poet and a comic playwright but also a critic of life, \tfho presents evidence to his public, and al¬ though he, himself, does not judge, leaves adequate proof for the audience or the reader to make the final judgement themselves. His comedy is well'-constructed and beautifully written, for language, to Hofmannsthal, 75 is not merely a means of communication but one of expression, accepting life, sad or happy as the case may be, with good sense and clear vision* In Per Ro-

senkavalier, the dialogue is sometimes vigorous and rapid,

then melancholy and sentimental, often interlaced with

the poet’s own philosophies, characterizing each indi¬ vidual clearly and differentiating between them by means of rnamier and speech. Thus degrees of crudity or of nobility do not debase the value of the comedy as they mingle with the plot, but they rather prove that a

charming and extreme contrast is necessary to avoid a flatness that v/ould be detrimental to the audience appeal* Per Rosenkavalier proves that above all comedy is

an art form of wide appeal which creates an attitude

toward living, that shows itself to be corrective and vigorous but, most of all, penetrating.

All of which shows why Per Rosenkavalier is more

than a mere libretto? it is a masterpiece of comedy that deserves to be heard and seen as such in its own right* FOOTNOTES

*Otto Rommel, "Komik und Lustspieltheorie," DV.jS« (1943), 253.

^Rommel, 273.

~*Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Prosa TV (Stockholm: S, Fischer Verlag, 1947)» 40. 4 Richard Strauss-Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Brief- t^rechsel (1952), 648-49*

"*Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Aufzeichnungen (Stockholm, 1947), 241.

^Hofmannsthal, Prosa III, 400.

7 'F.J.Warnke, "The New Gesamtkunstwerk," Opera News XX (New York, 1956), 13.

8 Stranss-Hofhiannsthal, 47.

^Ludwig Kusche, Per Nachdenkliche Musikant (Munich, 1958), S9f

^ °Strauss—Hofmannsthal, 97*

11 Strauss-Hofmannsthal, 711*

^^Norman Del Mar, Richard Strauss (New York, 1962), 3551 "The Marschallin later referar's to him as the 'Mo¬ hammedan, * Thus his place of origin seems limited to a small part of North Africa, unless the term 'negro* is to be understood in the widest sense of the term.”

^•^Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Per Rosenkavalier (Stock¬ holm, S. Fischer Verlag, 1959) » i» 264-65. All refer.- ences to Per Rosenkavalier in this paper are to this edition. 7 6 77

1 II James Feibelman, In Praise of Comedy (London, 1939), 103*

•TCarl Porabacher, Per Rosenkavalier (Munich, 1964), 71.

°Edgar Herderer, Hugo von Hofmannsthal (Frankfurt a.M.» 1p60), 221.

17'Franz Trenner, Richard Strauss, Dokumente seines Lebens und Schaff ens (Munich, 1954) , 142•

18 Richard Strauss, Betrachtungen land Brinnerungen (1949), 193.

19Richard Strauss, 193.

20Hederer, 223.

2^ Strauss-Hojftaannsthal, 78.

22L.J .Potts, Comedy (London, 19&3), 90.

23Potts, 60.

24 - Potts, 56.

^Pomtacher, 13 *

26Hofmannsthal~C.J, Burckhard, Briefwechsel (1957), 226.

27 'Josef Nadler, Literaturgeschichte ffsterreichs (Linz, 1948), 317.

2®Rommel, 258. “Die Intrige in der KomSdie ist eine listige und eine meist nicht unbedenkliche Erfin- dung eines sehr irdischen und egoistischen Zweckes. Sie ist gewohnlich auf recht leichtglaubige Geraiiter he¬ re chnet und uird im Grunde von niemand emst genommen* Gelingt sie so lacht sich der Intrigant ins Faustchen; mislingt sie, so muss er wendig genug sein, eine neue 78

zu erfinden. Die Losung die sie herbeifUhrt - meist ersehwindelte Heiratsbewilligungen. Der wirkliche Zweck der Intrige ist lediglich, an dem zvm Narren gehaltenen, menschliche Schwa eke in Erscheinung tre- ten zu lassen. ¥enn es Zeit ist, Schluss zu raachen, lasst der Autor eben einen Intrige den Handlingszweck erreichen und die Paare zutn Schlusstableau antreten,”

29^Lotte Eehmann, "Three Lives in Vienna,” Opera News XXVII (New York, 1962), 27.

3°Nadler, 311

31Nadler, 312

32Willi Schuh, "Betrachtungen zur Schluss-Szene des 'Rosenkavalier* ,n Stadfcthcater Zurich Jahrbuch (1948-49), I.

33Potts, 45* 34 ^ Hofmannsthal, Aufzoichnungen, 239*

35Hederer, 179.

3^Pornbacher, 12.

3^Strauss-Hoftaannsthal, 68.

3®Strauss-Hofmannsthal, 71•

3^Emanuol List, "The Noble Ochs of Lerchenau," Opera News X (l9**-6),

ho ^ Hofmanns thal-Burckhard, 226 *•

1 Andreas Razumovsky, "liber den Text des *Rosenkava- lier*," Zeugnisse, Theodor W. Adorno ztrni 60. Geburtstag (Frankfurt a.M., 1963), 229.

42Razumovsky, 228. 79

4*3 -\Razumovsky, 231V

44 Razumovsky, 231V 4*5 "TRazumovsky, 231*

4 A Reallexilcon der Deutschen Literaturgeschichte II* 488. ““ : ' *

^7Hederer, 221.

48 J.B, Bendall, "From High Language to Dialect," Studies in Commemoration - Hofmannsthal (London, 1963), 11 TV J±Q ^Strauss-Hofteannsthal, 90*

*S0 * Hugo von Hofmannsthal, "Geleitwort zum Rosenka- valier," 129* quoted ins Porhbacher, 73*

tj 1 J Aufzeichrmngen* 268.

52Strauss-Hoftaatmsthal, 630.

"’^Reallexikon der Deutschen Literaturgeschichte II, 228. "In jiingerer Zeit hat man versucht die Bezeichnung Lustspiel auf eine besondere Art der dramatischen Dich- tung einzuengenj danach ist das Lustspiel ein ... Stuck von gedampfter Komik, bei der Humor das tragende Element ist. Die Komodie ist moistens lebhafter, munterer ... als das komische LustspielV"

54 Prosa III. 140. Repeatedly we are show how Hofmannsthal injects his own brand of irony into his comedies. Since it is of such tremendous importance he explains it in Prosa as follows: "Das Element der Komodie ist Ironie •* V die wirkliche Komodie setzt die Individuen in ein tausendfach verhakeltes Verhaltnis zur Kelt, sie setzt alles in ein Verhaltnis der Iro¬ nie."

"’■’Frank J. Wamke, "The Poet as Librettist," Opera News XX (New York, 1956), 24. 80

56 Geleitwort zm” Rosenkavalier. 129*

57 #Often enough we find a mention of Goethe's Kil- helm Meisters Lehrffahre in Hofmannsthal's essays, corre¬ spondence and conversations} thus Karl Pombacher re¬ minds us of a scene in the "5 th chapter of the 3rd book" of the work by Goethe, that may have been a contributing factor to the Levee of Per Rosenkavalier. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Goethes Herke VII. 64. as quoted in Pombacher, Per Rosenkavalier 115-16. "Als er in das Zimmer trat, kam die Baronesse von C ... ihm entgegen, freute sich, seine Bekanntschaft zu machen, und prasentierte ihn dor Grafin, die sich eben frisieren liess. • • • Er ffihlte manchmal nach dem Manuskript in der Tasche , hoffte auf jeden Augenblick, ind fast wollte seine Geduld reissen, als ein Galanteriehandler hereingelassen wurde, der seine Pappen, Hasten, Schachteln unbarmherzig eine nach der anderen eroffnete und jede Sort© seiner Karen mit einer diesem Geschlechte eigenen Zudringlichkeit vorwies. . .. und gleich darauf folgte der Grafin kleiner Mohr, der ihm eine artig gestickte Weste iiberbrachte. *.".

^®<|uoted ins Pombacher, 116. "Hit Strenge und Harte gewappnet die Drust setzte ich mich gegen die Liebe zur Kelt. Doch ward ich besiegt in Blitzesschnelle im Hinschaun auf zwei umherrirrende, liebreizende Augenstrahlen, Achi' me wiedersteht so wenig ein Herz aus Eis dem feurigen Pfeiif

Doch so liebenswert ist meine Qua!,' so suss ist meine Kunde, Pass, das Erleiden meine Preude ist und das Genesen Grausamkeit• AchJ wi© wiedersteht so wenig ein Hers ..."

59 Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, "Quote unQuote," Musical America LXXXIII (New York, 1953)* 44* The other alter¬ native being that Marie The res could busy herself with the hats or the animals which have been brought in for her selection, and which Elizabeth Schwarzkopf seems to think would be more suitable.

60 Helmut Frechtner, Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1949), 340. 81

61 ’Ann Lingg, ‘'The Morals Squad," Opera Nows XXIV (New York, 1959), 8. 62 Strauss-IIofmarmothal, 83# 6l Johann Strauss, Per Zigeunerbaron (Libretto/Angel Records 3566 b/2), 14.

HJohann Josef Khevenhueller (1706-76) was the con¬ servative Ob erhofmeister at the imperial court of Char¬ les VI of Austria. He continued to hold this office when the young Maria Theresa ascended to the throne.

^Lady Mary Rox'tley Montagu (bom 1689) resided in Vienna for five months on her way to a new residence in Constantinople where her husband, Lord Edward Wortley Montagu, had been appointed as English ambassador.

^Else Hofmann, "Hofmannsthal’s 18th century Co¬ lumnist," Opera News XII (New York, 1948), 8.

^Hofmann, 8.

^Hofmann, 8.

69Nadler, 473.

^Hederer, 211. 71 ' Hugo von Hofmannsthal-Rudolf Borchardt, Brief- wechsel (Frankfurt a.M., 1956), 46.

^^Strauss-IIoftnannsthal, 499*

HO 'JStrauss-Hoftaannsthal, 46.

^^Richard Alewyn, tfber Hugo von Hofmannsthal (Gottingen, 1958), 79v 82

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