4 (1
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED
GOET'hE- LIEDER Y SCHUBERT
A1D WOLF
TmHESS
Presented to the Graduate Council of the
North Texas State University in Partial
Fulfllment o' the Reauirements
For the Degree of
IASTER OF MUSIC
By
Harry C. Ham, B. M.
Denton, Texas
January, 1964 TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST, OF ILLUSTA-TTONS iv Chapter
I. THE GERMAN LIED: BEGINNINGS . . . . . * .
The Minnesinger and the Meistersinger The Volkslied
II. THE GERMAN LIED: MIDDLE PRIhODho.D w.. . . 11
The Seventeenth Century Solo Song The Lied in the Eighteenth Century III. THE GERMAN LIED: CULMINATION.. .0. .A.t.. . 22
The Romantic Lied
IV. GOETHE, SCHUBERT, A0D WOLF ...... 30 Goethe:: The Poet Schubert: The ielodist Schube rt s Style Wolf: The Poet's Oomposer
V. TI-E GOETHE-LIEDER ' OF SCHUBER T AND WOLF . . . .5 Wanderers Nachtlied I Harfensileler I Der Rattenf.jer Grenzen der enschheit
VI. iH7E EVALUAION...... 173
BIBLIOGC'RAPHY..1.*...... 183
iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page
1. Volkslied, Maine liebe Frau Mutter 7
2. Volkslied, Ich will zu Land ausreiten...... 7 . ,a ." .a .a
3. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 1-2...... 59 " a a a . 4, 60 Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 3-4., ...... " . . Wanderers Nachtlied, "Measures 5-6. 60 " a a a a 6. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 7-8. 62 . .a .a .a .a 7. Wanderers Nachtlied, measures 10-11, 62 a .a .a . . 8. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 1-4. 65
9. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 5-8. 66 " .a .a .0 .a 10. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 9-10 66
11. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 11-12, 6T
12. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 13-1.6, 68 " .a .a .a .a 13. Wanderers Nachtlie2 Measures 17-18, 69
14. Wanderers NachtlIed, Measures 19-22, . a .a .a .a 69
15. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 22-24, 70
16. Wanderers Nachtlie d, Measures 25-27. 70
17. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 27-29. 71
18. Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 30-2-.) . 71
19. Gesgnie des Harfners, Measures 1-4 . 78
20. G es'1'n-e des Harfners, Measures 5-8 . . . . . 78
21. Ge s jng edes Harfners, Messures 9-10...... 79
22. Gesage des Jarf ners, Measures 11-13 .0 . . . . . 79
IV Figure Page
23. GesYnge_ des Harfners, iMeasures 15 -16 . . . . . 80
24. Gestnme des Harfners, Measures 17 -21 ...... 81
25. Gesnfe des Harfners, Measures 22 -25 . 82
26. Gesgnge des Harfners, Measures 26 -31 . . 83
27. G-es nge des Harfners, Measures 32 -34 . . 84
28. Ges&nse des Harfners, IMeasures 40 -42 . . 84
29. GesApe des_ Harfners, Measures 36 -39 . . .85
30. Gestnje des Harfners, Measures 44-47 . . 85
31. _Harfenspleler I, Measure 1 ...... 88
32. Harfenspieler I, Measures 2-3. . .89 .....a.
33. Harfenspieler I, Measures 4-5...... 89
34. Harfenspieler I, Measures 6-7. . a . . . 90
35. Harfens 4eler I, Measures 8-12 . . 0 . . . 90
36. Harfensjieler I, Measures 14-15. . . . *. * 92
37. Harfenspieler I, Measures 16-17. * . . * * 92
38. Harfensjieler I, Measures 18-19. . . . 0 0 . 0. 93
39. Harfensieler I, Measures 20-26. . . 0 . .B 0 94
40. Har;fenspieler I, Measures 27-28. . . . 0 . . . . 94
41. Harfensrieler I, Pleasures 29-30. . . . . 0 95
42. H ar f ens i e.1e20I, Measures 1-33. . . . . *. . . 95
43. Harfenspieler I, Measures 34-39. 9 ...... 96
44. Der Rattenfanger, Measures 1-4...... 104 .
Der Rattenfnger, Measures 5-8 . .105
46. Der Rattenfgngper, Measures 9-12...... 105
47. Der Rattenfnger, Measures 13-17 .0.106
V Figure Page
48. Der RattenfRnger, Measures 1 - 7 ...... 107
49. Der Rattenf rger, Measures 8 - 15. . 9 . . . . 108
50. Der Rattenf 4n er, Measures 16 - 18 109 ...
51. Der Rattenfger, easures 19 - 21. . . 0 . * . 110
52. Der RattenfcRn1ger, Measures 22 - 24 . 0 . . . . 111
53. Der Rattenfnr, Measures 25 - 28. 111 ..
54. Der Rattenfinger, Measures 37 - 40 . . . . * * 112
55. Der Rattenfnger, measures 41 - 46 * 0 . . . . 115
56. Der Rattenfgner, Measures 53 - 54 * . . * . . . 114
57. Der Lattenf ne r, Measures 55 - 58 . 0 . 0 . . 115
. . . . .- . 116 58. Der Rtt enjingf Mea-sures 83 - 90
59. Der RattenfRntr, Measures 92 97 . . 9 . . . 117
60. Der Ratten_:ner, vleasures 124 - 127 . . . 9 . . 118
. * . 118 61. Der Batte'n~f R, Measures 132 - 135 . . .
62. Der Batte-tiflr, Measures 136 - 159 . . . 0 . 0 119 . 128 65.) irgam~r~i jge MensnheiI, he a surges I . . . .
64. Erenzen _d-ez MnschheitL, Measures 1 6 . . . . . 131
. 132 65. DLnentn der M "natheit,Measures 7 13. . . .
21 . . . . 66. Green der Menschheit, Measures 16 133
- 27 . . . . 133 67. Grenzen der MenshIeit, measures 22 -29 . . . . 134 68. Grenzen de Menschheit, Measures 28
69. Measures 33 - 36 . . . . 135 der; Venschh it, Grenzen -40 . .. 136 70. renzen der Mensciheit, Measures 37
71. Gr Enzen der Menschhei t, Measures 41 - 48 . . . 136
72. GrenzenGreen der KMenschheit,Nenschheit, Measures 49 - 51 . - - - 137
73. Measures 52 - 59 . . . 138
vi Fi ur e Pag~e
74. Grenazen der Menschhelnilt, Neasures 60-63 139 75. Grenzen der sensclaelt, measures 64-71 140
76. Grenzen der -enscehheit, Measures 88-89 142
77. Grenzen der Menschhelt, Measures 92 - 9 5 --- 143
78. Grenzen der MaenschheIt, Measurec 97-104 . . . V145 43
79. Grenzen ae ltienschleIt, Measures 107-112
80. Green der aMenschhe*t, \ea sure 113-118 - . .145
81. Grenzen deGr enscehhe-l, measures 119-130 146
82. GrenzeJn der Menschlalt, measures 147-155 -147
Grenzen der kenschheit, Mawurase 1-6
84. Grenzen der Menscliheit Measures 7-11. - - - 150
85. GrenzeJn der VenchhEit, Measures 12-16 151
86. Grenzen der 11ensLO celhelt measures 17-21 - 152
87. Grenen Jde kenschheit, measures 22-27 . . . .0 153
88. xrenzer der henschheit , Measures 28-32 - - - 153
89. Grenzen der Menschhel, Measures -38. . . . 154
90. Greunzen der ensclielt, Measures 36-54 - * - 155
91. GrzEn Jar.Ma.derenscIt, Measures 39-43 -. - - 155
92. Grenza der Menselceltet Measures 44-47 156
93. Gren.zen er teTsci alt, Measure 48-51. - - - 157
94., xre-nzen der Menc alt, Measures 55-2)8 S- 158
95. Grenzan dar hensebleiit, Measures 59-65 - 159
96. _Greunzade Menschheit Measures 64-67 - - - 159
97. (renzen der Menschelt, Measures 68-71 - - - 159
98.0 jrns en cdpr Maseiti, Measures 74-77 - 160
vii Figure P "ae
99. Grenzen der henschheit, Measures 78-81 . . . . * 161
100. Grenzenu ter MnschhleIt, Measures 82-85 . . . . . 161
101. Grenzen der Menschhet, Measures 78-95 . ., . . 162
102. GrenWen der Iens chit, Measures 86-88 . . . . 162
1013. G-re2nzen der e nschheit, Measures 89-91. . . . . 163
104. 0renzen der Iensciheit, Measures 92-94 . . . . 164
105. Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 96-100. . . . . 16 106. G-renzen der Mens chleit, Measures 101-106 . . . . 165
107. Grenzen der Menscheit, Measures 107-11.2 . . . . 167
viii CHAPTER I
THE GERMAN LIED: BEGINNINGS
The Minnesinger and the heistersinger Of all the composers of German Lied, Franz Schubert and Hugo Wolf can be considered the true giants of this musical form. Schubert's position is secure as the greatest composer of the Lied. Wolf, though challenging Schubert in this par ticular idiom only, brought the Lied to its culmination. This study will show, by comparative analysis, the respective
treatment by Fr anz Schubert and Hugo Wolf of selected poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Though Schubert composed some
seventy songs (not including multiple settings of the same text), and Wolf fifty-one, based on the poetry of Goethe, they sh ared only thirteen of these poems in common. Four songs by
each composer have been selected for detailed analysis.
The development of the German Lied has a long history and had its beginnings in the distant past when song was little different from spee-ch. Not until the appearance of the
Minnesinger did the song acquire form either in meter or mewooy. The Minresinger, composed of aristocratic German poet-m musicians who flourished from the twelfth to the four teenth century, were inspired by the French troubadours.
The German Minnesang must not be considered a strict copy of troubadour poetry, nor. was it solely dependent upon
I 2
French origins, for the actual sources seem many and varied.
Among them, the Gregorian element: appears to be the oldest.
Another difference occurs in the use of Latin letters and
verses of rhythmic form, but it would seem that the most in
fluential source from which the Minnesingers derive their art
comes from the clergy who popularized the eleventh century
erotic songs of the goliards. The dual nature of the Minne
sqng manifests itself in the erotic element on the one hand
and. Christian spiritualism on the other.1
With Friedrich von Husen (Hausen), the Minnesinger
epoch began, and with Walther von der Vogelweide (c.1170
c.1230), it reached its zenith. Lang believes that Walther
was a lyrical genius whose importance to German art is com
parable only to that of Goethe. 2
As in all evolutionary processes, the perfection of the
Minnesang was reached by degrees. At first there were allit
erative words which were gradually superseded by regular
rhymes. The structure of the verses dictated the form in
which the Minnesang melodies were set. The notation was
similar to that in use in the Church, the melodies being based on ecclesiastical modes.3
1 Paul Henry Lang, Music in Western Civilization (New York, 1941), p. 118.
2 Ibid., p. 119.
3A. H. Wodehouse, "Song," Groves Dictionary of Music .- _61. and Musicians, Vol. V (New York, 1946); pJ - 35
In performance, the Minnesinger always accompanied his
own singing, and expected no remuneration for his services.
On the other hand, the fahrenden Snger (wandering minstrel),
who formed a link between the nobles and the people, expected
to be paid for his efforts. The Gaukler or die Fahrenden were patronized by the courts. They made known the people's
songs to the nobles, and transmitted the songs of the Church
and Minnesinger to the people. As a result, the music was a
fusion of secular and ecclesiastical elements, and the language
a mixture of German and Latin. 4 To die Fahrenden must go the
credit for preserving the Volkslied (people's song), which
found its way into numerous collections published in the first
half of the sixteenth century.
By the fourteenth century, feudalism was on the decline, and was in turn accompanied by a decline in the taste for
poetry and music at the courts. The patronage of the Minne
singer also was gradually withdrawn, and the power once held
by princes, prelates, and nobles was slipping into the hands
of burghers and artisans.5
With the emergence of this middle-class of stolid trades
men and artisans who inhabited the German cities and towns
4William Mann, "aarmina Burana...It's Background and Music," Program notes for Carmina Burana, Carl Orff, Angel Record 34515:, Carl Orff, the contemporary German composer, made use of some of these old texts in his Carmina Burana. The manuscripts upon which Orff based his work were discovered in the Monastery of Benediktbeuern south of Munich and date from the thirteenth century.
5 Wodehouse, "Song,t" p. 62. 4 came the eventual successors of the Minnesinger, the Meister 6 singer. Heinrich von Meissen (1260-1318), who was commonly
referred to as Frauenlob,7 formed a connecting link between
the old Minnesinger and the rising Meistersinger. He insti
tuted a guild or company of singers in hainz (1311)' who bound
themselves to observe certain musical rules. Guilds of singers
were gradually established in other large towns in Germany,
so that by the sixteenth century there was scarcely a town of
any magnitude or importance that did not have its own Meister singer.
To all outward appearances, the melodies of the Meister
singer (like those of the Minnesinger) were strongly influenced
by the Church music and adhered to ecclesiastical modes. A more careful examination would reveal that many of the melodies
bear a noticeable resemblance to the present day major and minor
scales were it not for the modal cadences and many liturgical
fragments introduced. While it cannot be said that the
Meistersinger reached a high level of excellence in poetry or in music, there is evidence that they exercised an important influence on the formation of the song by their concern for rhyme and by their many inventions of metrical arrangements.
Undoubtedly, their greatest contribution to music occurred when
6 Donald Jay Grout, A History of Western Music (New 1960), p. 63. York,
7 0ilbert Reaney, "The Middle Ages " A History of Son, edited by Dennis Stevens (London, 1960), p. 35: Called Frauenlob "because he used the word Frau and not Weib for woman."~ 5
they carried the song into every German home where it became
a grace and. a pastime of domestic life.
However im portant were the contributions of the eister
singer, at the same time there was an unceasing flow of a form
ow spontaneous song called Volkslied coming from the people.
This may have done more for the advancement of music than any
thing the MinnesingEr and the Meistersinger had ever done.
Especially was this true in the matter of melody and harmony for which many an obscure author of Volkslieder was responsible.
As the Volkslied became increasingly the popular musical form, the Meistersinger position gradually declined. The seventeenth century saw the beginnings of this decline both in numbers and repute, until the last of the schools ceased to exist at Ulm in 1839.8
The Volkslied
The Volkslied, since it came from the people, became a means of expiression in the struggle against the anti-humanism of the medieval Church. At first the Volkslieder contained historical subject matter, and were actually epic poems con taining many verses set to a brief melody.9
By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Volkslied had attained its highest peak of development. In them was
eloddA Licoerson, "Song," Inuernutional Oyclopedia of lusic and Musicians (New York, 1949), p. 173.
91 iqd ., p. 1755. 6
reflected almost every sentiment of the human heart, and every occupation of society expressed itself through its own songs.
Songs distinctive to each special class of society became indentifiable with that class. The best songs were those ex pressing a universal emotion, and of these, the love songs
were considered to be of the highest quality.10
It is clear that a change in emphasis was beginning, for the poetry up to this time had been of paramount concern, the
1usic rather asubo:dinate element. This does not mean that the music was necessarily of an inferior quality. The poet singers, however, being better educated than the masses and
therefore more sensitive to the subtle nuances expressed through well-chosen rhymes, were more discerning about their poetry, With the advent of the Volkslieder, the quali ty of the poetry was affected. The rising middle-class had but recent
ly improved their economic status and risen to a higher educational plane. Their snsitivity to the meanings of words and to the art of rhyme, however, could not be compared with that of the superior knowledge o The iMinnesinge
Certain characteristics can be associated with the Volkslieder even when there are some songs that seem not to fit because of aparticular irregularity. The half-cadence on the dominant harmony and the full cadence on the tonic was
10Wodehouse, "Song," p. 62. Ia
7
an important characteristic. (See Figure 1.)
W
\Fger .5ebi 6anL4Zk -r,&Pz O)eirm S Qk m1 v cL tkcr kint - Mu~s.
Fig. 1--Volkslied, Meine liebe Frau Mutter
The principle shown in the above illustration was originally I a peculiar attribute of the Volkslied, but was gradually intro duced into music of all genre to become one of the most
important factors of musical form. Though many of the Volks lieder were composed in the various Church modes, the time came when the Ionian mode attained a more universal use. This
came -bout because the Ionian mode alone allowed for the domi
nant principle to have full weight.1 1 Another characteristic
is that few Volkslieder start on the first beat of the open ing measure, but begin rather on the upbeat immediately preceding the first measure, resulting in the Iambic meter. (See Figure 2)
Fig. 2--Volkslied, Ich will zu Land ausreiten
llIbid., p. 64.
I 8
Characteristically, the Volkslied seems to favor the use of common or equal time.
Other prevailing characteristics of the Volkslied include
the use of diatonic intervallic progressions, the repetition
of single notes, a limited compass, and the unswerving main
tenance of keys. Also, unlike songs of many other countries, the melodic line of the Volkslied always retained a complete
independence of the accompaniment.1 2 In style, the old Volks
lied was characterized by a notable earnestness and dignified
self-restraint. Word-painting was not attempted, and the same tune served for the numerous stanzas.
The Volkslied seemed to have determined instinctively the
modern major tonal system. Furthermore, there are still in
existence songs of the fifteenth century, which correspond to today's minor keys.1 3
The Volkslied also had its influence on the contemporary music of its day as reflected in its use by the polyphonic
school. German composers, as well as composers of other coun tries, took secular tunes as themes for their masses, motets, and other sacred works.
One of countless examples of a combination of sacred words and secular melody is the transformation of Hans Leo Hassler's
Lied "Mein G'mult ist mir verwlrret." The translation of the
12 Lieberson, "Song," p. 1776.
13Wodehouse, "Song,1" p. 65. 9:
first phrase reads: "Myk eace of mind is shattered by a tender maiden' s charmss" which indicates that this could be nothing
else but a love song. About 1600 the tune was set to the sa
cred words "Herzlici thut mich verlangen" ("My heart is filled
witoh longing"), and later still to "Q Haut you I lut und
Junden" ("0 sacred head now wounded"). The last translation
will be recognized (s belonging to Bach's chorale setting that
aopea rs in his Passion accor ding to St. vtthew.
The Volkslied was for a time taken away from the people,
for the polyphonic chorale settings were intended to be sung
by the choir. However, in the last third of the century, a
gradual return of the Vokslied to the people bean to be ef
fected. Ohorales in the cantional style began to be published
more frequently. They are chordal, hymn-like, rhythmically 1 5 straightIorward settings with the tune in the uppermost voice.
Congregational singing of the sixteenth century, according to
Grout, was probably unaccompanied. After 1600 it presumably
became the practice for the organ. to play all the parts while
the tu:re was sutng by the congre 6tion.
The German Lied began to take on those chawacteristics
which are associated with the Lied of the Romantic movement.
But had it not been for Hans Leo Hassler (Hasler), the German
song rould have lost impetus in its development. Aside from
1 4Grout, llStHry of Western Music, P. 231. 1 5 1bid., p. 272. WIbid. 10 the novel quodlibets 7 (#"what you please"), and George
Forster's (c.1514-1568) last volume of Gute, alto, und neue
teutsche Liedlein, 18 the status of German music would have
succumbed to the powerful influence of the NTetherland, French and Italian composers.19
Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612) was a German composer worthy
of the best of which the foreign invaders could boast. Among
the first to go to Italy (1584), Hassler assimilated the
Italian melodies into his fundamentally German nature. Lang feels that no comments can be made about Hassler's canzonets and madrigals without using superlatives, and that they rank with the best Italian offerings. Hassler's Lustgarten neuer teutscher Gesang (1601), according to Lang, represents the first great milestone on. the long road toward German ascend ancy in the Lied.20
7willi Apel, "Quodlibet," Harvard Dictionary of Music (Cambridge, 1946). "A humorous type of music characterized by the quotation of well-known melodies or texts which are com bined in an advisedly incongruous manner ...These pieces proved extremely valuable as sources of 16th century German folk song." p. 621. 18 Lang, .Music in Western Civilization, p. 251: Forster's work was published in five volumes between 1539 and 1556. 1 9 Ibid.
20Ibid. CHAPTER II
THE GERMAN LIED: MIDDLE PERIOD
The Seventeenth Century Solo Song
With the beginning of the seventeenth century, a form of monodic or solo song began to be heard in Germany. This was due to the Italian influence, which was felt everywhere.
The church music seemed to reflect the Italianate innovations first, as can be noted in the sacred works of Praetorius and
Heinrich Schtz, but neither of these composers did much to improve the secular monodic song. Since Luther's death, the folk-like quality, once so highly regarded in vocal musical compositions, had fallen into disrepute. This was as much due to the poor state of German poetry as to the seeming su perior quality of the Italian monodic song.
To remedy this situation, a group of patriotic Germans decided to do something to restore honor to German poetry.
On August 24, 1617, with this lofty purpose in mind, this group initially sought to introduce a method of study which would improve German grammar and poetry. Notable success was obtained through the efforts of a group of Knigsberg poets.
One of their number was especially singled out for recog ni-tion. Heinrich Albert (1604-1657), skillfully set not only his own poetry but those of his associates. His compositions
11 12
won such popularity that as a consequence he has een named
the father of the volkstumliches Lied. This is not to inti
mate that there were not other composers of songs, but Albert
was the only one who was primarily a song writer. What he
learned of the new 'Italian methods of singing was taught to
him by his uncle, Heinrich Sch'tz (1585-1672). As a result, he demonstrated a full command of the Italian vocal style in
his compositions, and displayed great variety in his songs
whether they were simple folk-like pieces, more pretentious
arias, or deeply spiritual songs. 1
Continuing the work begun by Albert was a poet-composer
of genius, Adam Krieger (1634-1666). He followed the style
and form established by Albert, but his melodies surpassed
those of his predecessor. Another composer of this generation
was Johann Erasmus Kinderman (1616-1655). Kinderman, who
studied with Staden and kCarissimi, was the first German com
poser to write songs fashioned after the Italian dramatic dia logue, but with comical intent.2
The progress of the Kuntslied or polyphonic song had meanwhile come to a halt. Instrumental and dramatic music
commanded the attention of the composers. Songs began to be described as oden and arien upon which the Italian and French
influence was strongly exerted. Commentting on this foreign
-Lang, Music irn Western Civilization, p. 395.
2Ibid. 13 invasion of the arts, Keiser, in 1698, stated that the can
tatas had driven the old German songs away. Songs consisting
of mixed recitatives and arias were taking their place.
As can be seen, the constant battle to retain their
identity was a considerable problem with the German poets and
composers, but this is i. cierstandable when it is realized that
the music capital of the world at that time was located in 3 Italy. Also, musical patronage in Germany was in imitation
of court life as exemplified by Versailles, and every ruling prince sought the services of composers, conductors, players, singers, decorators, architects, and designers of theatrical machinery that could make his court as brilliant at the one he sought to imitate. German musical talent was not to be found wanting, but there was no demand for such ability in a climate that exchanged national pride for social prestige. 4
The Lied in the Eighteenth Century
With opera overshadowing the efforts of composers in other fields, it is not strange that the German Lied composers found themselves obscured by this phenomenon of lyric drama.
While names of composers during the eighteenth century are familiar ones for the most part, the songs they composed were invariably called oden and arien. Among them were such names as Graun, Agricola, Sperontes, Telemann, Quantz, Doles,
Kirnberger, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Marpurg, Nichelmann,
bid., p. 397. 4 bid. 14 J. G. Krebs, and Neefe. Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1721-1783) has been credited (though this is questionable) with the in vention of the durchlkomponiertes Lied (through-composed song). This is a song in which each stanza of the poetry is set to different music.5 This same claim might be made for Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1711-1788), who used this same form in his setting of Gellert's Geistliche Oden (1758) Some of the qualities the songs of this period exhibit may not appear to be significant as compared to the later Lieder, but they did. contribute to the development of the song. Examples of good declamation may be found, accompaniments show variety, and command of form is evidenced, but by and large, the songs lack spontaneity. Though Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and George Frederic Handel (1685-1759), the two great Baroque composers, contributed little to the advancement of the song as a form, there seems to be little difficulty in accepting the premise that they exerted considerable influence upon it, even if in directly. The few songs Bach did compose give evidence of a beautifully lyric style. In 'Phoebus and Pan and The Coffee Cantata, two of Bach's comic cantatas, there are examples of arias which draw heavily on the more robust and spirited type of Volkslied. Admittedly, these are isolated instances, which must be separated from the great choral works which had
5 Apel, Durchkomponiert, p. 223. 15 such a telling effect on not only song literature, but all music that came after Bach.
The oratorios and operas of Handel exerted a tremendous influenCe upon the song, and. though the Handel-Gesellschaft has published a whole volume of German, Italian, and English
Songs and Airs by the great transplanted German, it is still to the larger works that the evolution of song is indebted.
By the end of the eighteenth century, a group of poets. called the QGttinLger Dichterbund, or Hainbund, w as respon sible for some simple lyrics that were written expressly for the pe ople. At the same time in music, a new and popular type
of Kunstlied came into being which was called the volkst1mliches
Lied. Freely translated it means a simple and popular form of art song.
The musicians who composed in this form were associated with what came to be known as the Berlin school or Norddeutsche
Schule, and worked in Berlin during the second half of the
eighteenth century. Most of them were connected with the
court of Frederick the Great (1712-1786).6 The principal
song composers of this group were Johann Joachim Quantz (1697
1773 ) Karl Heinri ch Graun (1703-1759), and Carl Phillip
Emanuel Bach. The restrictions imposed upon what was con
sidered the ideal Lied form caused later composers to feel
the need of emancipation, especially as regarded the form and
6Apel, "Berlin School," p. 85. 16 accompaniment. Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (174 7-1800)and
Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814) were leading composers in this later movement.7 Reichardt is said to have composed over seven hundred Lieder, many of which were settings of poems by Goethe,
Considering the requirements imposed upon composers by the Berlin School, it is not surprising that those composers with more imagination felt themselves enslaved. The School's ideal Lied was to be strophic in form, its melodies natural and expressive in style like a folk song, having but one syllable per note. Tme vocal line was tc be supported by a simple accompaniment whose relation to the voice part was completely 8 subordinate. These restrictions tended to so hamper com posers that eventually they could produce only the most artificial type of Lied. When Schulz, Reichardt, and Karl F.
Zelter (1758-1832) turned from the arid moralism of Gellert to the inspiring poems of Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724
1803) and the young Goethe,9 they transcended the imposed limitations of t'he ideal Lied, and, giving their imagination free rein began to compose Lieder whose forms showed more vari ation, and whose accompaniments seemed to possess greater significance.' 0
7 Grout, HLiory of Western Music, p. 434.
9 ApeI, "Berlin School," p. 86.
10Grout, History of Western Music, p. 434. 17
Though opera, as a rule, did not directly affect the
Lied' s development, mention should be made concerning an early form of German opera called the Sinspiel. The form appeared about the middle oi the eighteenth century and, at first, the
Singsiels were merely adaptations of the English ballad operas.11 But, the librettists soon drew their material from
French opera, which they translated and arranged, and for which
German composers -provided new music that had a national appeal.
It was from these Sin spiels that tunes found their way into
collections and this became "folksongs." Johann Adam Hiller
(1728-1804) of Leipzig was the principal early 3na spel
composer.
Though solo songs, cantatas, and other secular musical
forms were produced in other countries outside of Germany dur
in; the eighteenth century, special artistic importance may be
attached to the rise of the new German Lied.12 An important
publication of these Lieder appeared at Leipzig in 1736. This
collection, called Die sIngende Muse an der Pleisse ("The luse
of Song on the River Pleisse"), contained parodies13 an
original clavier pieces (mostly in dance rhythms).
1 1 Apel, "Ballad opera," p. 68.: "Popular type of 18th century stage entertainment, consisting; of spoken dialogue and musical numbers not newly composed, but taken from folksongs or from famous tunes of contemporary composers. It flourished in London from 1725.'
12Grout, Histy of Westemusic, p. 433. 13Ibid., "Words written to fit music already existing." 18
Subsequently, collections appeared containing parodies and some songs with original music.1 4
The contributions of the next group of composers cannot
be measured alone by what they contributed to the Lied, for
among them are some of the greatest composers in all music
history. Collectively, their musical output can be said to have covered almost every musical form, including song, oratorio, cantata, opera, sonata, concerto, and symphony, and in some
individual cases, every form was produced by a single composer.
The first of these was Christoph AWillibald Gluck (1714
1787). Although his fame rests primarily on his reform of the
opera, he also composed some songs, the best of which are set tings of seven odes by the poet, Klopstock. Attempting to apply the theory, which had proved so successful in opera, to the composition of song, Gluck wrote to L- Harpe in 1777:: "The union between the air and the words should be so close that the poem should seem made for the music no less than the music for 5 the poem."1 The words Gluck wrote to La Harpe are state ments of profound and tremendous import, for they presage that which was realized in a telling way in the songs of both Schubert and Wolf.
Though the fame of Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) rests very securely on his symphonies and quartets, 16 his songs show
14Ibid,
15Wodehouse, "ong,1" p. 70 16Grout, Histopr of Wes te rn luic, p. 440. 19 carefully and elaborately written melodies and interesting accompaniments. However, his disinterest in his choice of texts and his apparent disregard for their meaning and cor rect accentuation, leave much to be desired as examples of good song writing. Despite these faults, Haydn can be credited with some charming songs, whose flavor is akin to the Volks lied.
The genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was manifested at an extremely early age. Though Mozart's name has been coupled with that of Haydn's in representing the
Classical period, he surpasses Haydn in a quality of univer sality. That is, he was equally great in both instrumental and vocal compositions.1 7 Mozart, with his versatility, was able to impart much of his genius into even his songs, though
it is evident that his treatment of this form was purely in
the interests of recreation, and little effort was involved.
If there are faults of accentuation in his songs, they are all but obliterated by the aristocratic quality of his melodies
and the skillful accompaniments.
Mozart's songs fall into many categories, though his con
cert areas seem to be the more natural expression of his talent,
for the obvious reason that his theatrical works constitute a
considerable proportion of his musical output.
17 rout, History of Western Music, p. 455. 20
Though there is difficulty in relegating the politico
social conditions of history to clear-cut lines of demarca
tion, there is even more difficulty in determining lines
of division between periods of musical development. Without Haydn-who assimilated many of the elements of style asso ciated with the late eighteenth century such as the late
Baroque, the Rococo, the expressive, the Sturm _und, _Dn and folk music--the perfected Classical style may not have
become what it was.18 But Mozart was in some mysterious way the medium through which great music was dispensed in an apparent unceasing flow. In addition to absorbing ideas from his contemporaries, he was able to fuse Italian and Germa styles in every musical domain. Mozart then became the outstanding representative of the basic ideal of the C asscaI period. 1 9
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) forged a link that made him at once " Classicist and ;Romanticist. 2 0 He gives t a picture of complete con rast with the genius of Mozart. Though many of Beethoven's early songs are volks t"ML-iches Lied in form, there also are examples of other f orms. One of
1831bid., p. 454.
19Ibid., p. 457.
20Ibid., p. 4)71. 21
the a early so-igs, "Adelaide" (Op. 46), 'was composed when Beethoven was twenty-five years of age. According to Henry T. Finck, it remains by far the best of Beethoven's songs. An exaMple of a durhkommneiertes Lied, it has a charming melody, and song no written up to that time had such an interesting and varied accompaniment. 2 1
Goethe's poetry also received the attention of Beethoven. in opus seventy-five and opus eighty-three he set six of these poems, one of which was set many tmmes by other com posers.22 Resisting the impulse to set these poems in larger forms, oeethoven adhered to the strophic divisions, and let the dramatic requirements be taken by the piano. In mennst du das Lahd (Knowest thou the Land), Beethoven set Mignon's song so that each stanza has the same melody. The accompani ment, though basically the same for each stanza except one, dramatic cally enhances the words. In An .ie ne Geliebte (poetry by Jeittles), Beethoven has composed a Liederdreis (song cycle) which is probably the earliest example of its kind. 2 3
21Henry T. Finck, Editor, "Adelaide," Jft Mjastersong, (Chicago, 1902), p. xl.
22"Kennst ud _jd-as. Land " also set by Schubert and Wolf.
23A pel, "Song Cycle, " p. 700, 22
Theimportance. of Beethoven's contribution to the Lied cannot be stressed enough. He was the first to raise the song from the entirely subordinate position it had previously held to an honorable place in the ranks of musical art.24
24 Wodehouse, "Song ," p. 71, CHAPTER III
THE GERMAN LIED: CULMINATION
The Romantic Lied The German Lied had come a long way since it s begin nings in the twelfth century. At the threshold of the nineteenth century stood Beethoven. The Romantic traits characteristic of the German Lied had actually begun to appear towards the end of the eighteenth century. With Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg (1760-1802) came a new kind of song called the Ballade. Though admittedly in imi tation of the English and Scotch ballads, it ascended quickly in popularity after G. A. Burger's Leonore was published in 1774. More famous than Zumsteeg was Carl Loewe (1796-1869), who became one of the most prolific Ballade composers of the Romantic era, and whose exceedingly fine songs are seldom, if ever performed to any extent today.1 The Ballade form is fairly long, and alternates narra tive and dialogue in a tale full of romantic adventures and supernatural happenings. The charm of these Balladen lies in the poet's attempt to retain a folk-like quality in imitation of the old medieval form.
1Grout, Hist ory of esuern Music, p. 500.
23 24
The greatest contribution of Carl aria von Weber (186
1826)) to German music was the establishment of German
Romantic opera.2 However, he also exerted considerable in fluence upon the song.
A statement of Weber's concerning declamation gives an idea of the strides made by composers in their conception of the relation of words to music, Wodehouse quotes him as say ing: "Strict trust in declamation is the first and foremost requisite of vocal music. . . . Any vocal music that alters or effaces the poet's meaning and intention is a failure.3
Carl Friedrich Zelter (1758-1832),a composer of the
Berlin school, is known for his Lieder, Balladen, and Romanzen, which appeared in 1810. His style belongs to that of the eighteenth century, and many of his songs became folk songs, which were sung and revered throughout Germany. Zelter is perhaps remembered best as the composer Goethe preferred above
Schubert for his settings of his poems.
With all that had happened concerning the Lied's develop ment up to this time, it would seem that some force greater than that of mortal man had pre ared the setting for the Lied's culmination. With the foundations firmly set from the early
Sinnesinger and heistersinger, through the Volkslied and
Volkstfmliches Lied, the building was almost complete. The
2 Ibid., p. 558.
3 Wodehouse, "Song," p. 71. (Compare with Gluckis ideas on page 18.) Ber-lin school had raised the position of the poetry to a place of equal importance with that of music. 'Mozart and
"Weber had given the maturing Lied a place in opera, and Mozart
and Beethoven had developed its dramatic elements from an in str. Uental standpoint. The form had been extended by the previously named composers, and through the Balladen of Loewe
and Zumsteeg. In short, the Lied had come of age. Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) was a product of his time in every sense that the phrase implies, and, similarly, the flowerin, of the Lied was subject to the same condition. But the importance of these two developments would have meant nothing if some agency had not been responsible for blending them into one indivisible unit.
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) did not follow the path so newly blazed by Schubert, but sought for his in spiration in eighteenth century Classicism. Often described as a Romantic Classicist, Mendelssohn wrote some fine music. Responsible for some Lieder that hearken back to the old Berlin school, Mendelssohn's harmony holds few of the surprises met in Schubert's 4 songs. His melodies, his rhythms, and forms, though perfect as far as they go, do not introduce many un su spected features. In one respect, his return to the Classic school meant a step backward for the Lied. The concern that (eber had for being true to the poet seems not to have affected
4 G0rout, Histor of eastern Music, p. 514. Mendelssohn. With Mendelssohn, the music was only a vehicle upon which to hang the words, resulting in careless word sub
stitutions that even altered the meaning of the whole poem.
He also apparently favored a certain type of melody and har
mony, because most of his songs bear a strong resemblance to
each other; so much so, that it gives to his Lieder a sense
of sameness. Mendelssohn seemed not to get beyond his prefer
ence for the strophic form, nor would he sacrifice a melody
for the demands of the text. For these obvious reasons, it
can be seen why Mendelssohn contributed very little to the
development of the Lied.
With Robert Schumann (1810-1856), the growth of the Lied
was greatly enchanced; in fact, he almost anticipated what was
so wonderfully consummated in Hugo Wolf. While there is no
denying the wealth and value of his piano music, Lang feels
that Schumann reached his creative peak in his Lieder. 5 Lang
also believes Schumann's lyricism to be second only to that
of Schubert's, and the inspiration for such lyricism he attrib
utes to Schumann's love for Clara Wieck.6 The same year they
were united in marriage (1840) his opus twenty-five was com
pleted. The work contains twenty-six songs by various poets,
and to this collection he has given the title Myrt2n ("yrtles"),
which he dedicated to his new bride. The year 1840 not only
marked his first venture into song-writing, but was considered
his most rewarding. Not only did he produce Lieder exceeding
5Lang, Music in Western Civilization, p. 824. 6 Ibid. 27 a hundred in number, but in intrinsic value they proved to be
the most remarkable of his career. 7
In the writing of poetry and music and in the dwelling
on psychological implications, Lang states that Schumann un doubtedly goes beyond Schubert. Lang qualifies this by adding that he did not necessarily imply that Schuman achieved a
"higp,-her flight of song . n8
In examining Schumann's Lieder, the indivisible unit between voice and piano is readi ly erceived, and their re lationship to the text is most intimate, with the piano often contributing more to the mood of the song than the voice it self.9 The modern song is indebted to this bit of Schumann invention. Also it pointed the way towards Hugo Wolf.
Bectween the period that produced Schumann's Lieder and the time of Hugo Wolf's magnificent culminating of the Lied, there app-eared a number of composers who sustained the high place to which the lyric song had been raised by rchubert and
Schumann. Robert Franz (originally Knauth, 1815-1892), at tempting to escape being engulfed by the oppressing Wagnerian influence, returned to the form established by Bach and Handel. Form became to him, as to Brahms, the only defense against the
Wagnerian influence. The formalism produced by uniting the
Philipp Spitta, "Schumann," Grove's Dictionary of Music. 8 Lang, Mus i c in Western Civilization. p. 824. 9Ibid. PB spirit of past polyphony with modern melody did not create lasting works, but Franz's songs are likable miniatures- though not great Lieder.10 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), of all the figures in the Romantic period, emerges as a universalist in the tradition of Beethoven. Among his fellow composers, there was none who came as near to fulfilling the ideal of Beethoven. Brahm6' Lieder lean heavily on the Volkslied form, but the style is entirely Brahmsian, even when he draws from Hun garian idioms. The past shows in his use of old modes and complex rhythms. His high regard for the fundamental bass further emphasizes his affinity with older concepts. No mat ter what device he draws upon, be it the old or the new, as expressed in his rich harmonies, Brahms is the complete master, Poetically, intellectually, or spiritually, Brahms reveals the consummate artist. Many names fill in various gaps that may not have been covered by more famous Lieder composers, and perhaps of these, there may be some whose contribution to the Lied may have been overlooked. Some followed the path taken by Mendelssohn like Curschmann, Taubert, F. Lachner, F. Reis, Eckert, Rietz, Reinecke, Raff, and Fanny Hensel. Their highest attainments can best be described as unpretentious or simple. 1 2 .Ibid.,p. 922. 1Wodehouse, "Song," p. 74. l 2 Ibid. Others, like Adolf Jensen (1837-1879)), have proven them selves more capable. His miniatures show the touch of a master's hand, but many of his songs suffer from too much sentimentalism on the one hand, or an affected devil-may-care attitude on the other.13 Peter Cornelius (1824-1874), nephew of the great Rom antic painter of the same name, was a gifted composer of a decidedly lyric nature. He also was considered a fine poet.1 4 He did not succumb to the Wanerian pressures exerted as did Jensen in his later songs. Cornelius' lyric gifts, subtle and re fined as they were, found release in his songs which revealed a stran.1ge mysticism coupled with a transparent simplicity. Richard Wagner (1813-1883) has been referred to as the colossus of the nineteenth cent ury, and while he contributed few Lieder, the force of his influence in contributing to the dissolution of Classic tonality is still felt today. In his own time, his wrritings permeated the whole Romantic scene so as to affect not only musical thought, but literary, dramatic, and even political and moral thought as well.15 Into this atmosphere was thrust a sensitive composer by the name of Hugo Wol-f (1860-1903). He did not resist the vor tex of Wagnerism that so many of his contemporaries had fought against being drawn into. He surrendered whole-heartedly 13Iang, g 4raMic in Western Civilization, p. 922. 1 4 Ibid., p. 920. 1 ."-rout, History of Western husic, p. 561. to the engulfing swirl and became one of Wagier' s strongest enthusiasts, but his innate sense never allowed him to fall into the ways of a poor imitator of WagnerIan idiom. AWolf adapted WagnCr? s mthods with keen insight, and his discrimi nating taste brought together the voice and instrument without s acrfice of one -o the other.16 With Wolf the Lied's development culminates, and it re ains In the next chapters to study in detail what contributed to 'the greatness of the two compose rs whose works, though con trastingly different, 4ive to the Lied respectively the greatest melodic gift on the one hand, and the most faithful adherentto the poet's desires on the other. 16Ibil., p. 569. CHAPT ER IV GOETHE, SCHUBERT, AND WOLF Goethe:: The Poet With Goethe's appearance in German literary history, the position once held by Walther von der Vogelweide, the twelfth century Minnesinger, was taken bythe eighteenth century poet, though in the German mind the position was merely shared. Goethe did not replace Walther, but was held in simi la)r esteem. There is a parallel in the two lives, though they are separated by six hundred years. The world impressed them both. and evoked melodies which expressed the diversity of life and embraced all themes, all poetic types.1 It is true that Goethe wrote no songs, while Walther did, but Goethe's lyric poetry insPired. some of the greatest composers to set his poetry to music. Goethe's father, a wealthy judge, presumed it only natural that his son take up the study of law. 2 The judge educated the young man in languages, history, science, and paintlIng.3 When he was sixteen, Goethe went to Leipzig, 1Lang, Music_ in VTestern Civilization, p. 120. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, -oetry and Truth, translate by R. 0. Moon (Washington, 1949), p. 2 2. 3Emil Ludwig, qoethe, (New York, 1928), p. 21. 31 32 ostensibly to pursue the courses that would satisfy his father's wishes. But the lure of the theatre, his interest 4 in literature and fine arts, plus the *added attraction of wine-merchantb daughter, did Little to encourage the pursuit of a law career.5 The stay in Leipzig came to an abrupt halt when Goethe became seriously ill. When it was possible to re move him, he returned to Frankfort (his home) for a period of slow recovery. The effect of the illness and subsequent re cuperation caused Goethe to examine himself closely. Life became serious for him and with the seriousness came a thirst for more kniowledge. 6 Upon his recovery, Coethe's father, bent on his son's continuing his law training, sent him to the Unhiversivt of Strasbourg in the spring of 1770. LIterary pursuits were not dimrinishe.d diringz the Strasbourg stay, for it was durinZ this time that Goethe met Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-180 Herder was the foremost Romanticist in Germany, and he was a zealous and unflagging advocate of folklore, folk -literature, ad. folk customs. Teder was also responsible for the publi catio of a book of German folk songs (1778). 8 There is little Ib id., p. 5. 5ITbiL!d, p. 14. 1 id., p. 20. 7 Crlton J. H. Hayes, A Political and Cultural History of hoden Europe, Vol. I (NewJYork, 1938)7 p. 571. 8 Ibid. wonder that the force of Herder's enthusiasm exerted a profound influence upon Goethe, whose heart was not in the law anyway. Schiller (1759-1805), who later proved such a strong force in Goethe's life, also fell under the sway of Herder's person ality. 9 During this period, Goethe, for the first time, fell truly in love. However, it was to be one of many that followed throughout his life. Each experience contributed to the artis tic ande prsonal maturation of Goethe. Friederike Brion, more than Herder's precept and example, inspired Goethe to turn his back on the poetic outpourings of his student days. 1 0 In the fall of 1771, having received his license to prac tice as an advocate, Goethe began his work in law at the imperial Court of Justice in Wetzler. It was during this stay that the romantic Goethe fell in love with Charlotte Buff, the daughter of a magistrate. The affair was serious enough to bring Goethe to the brink of suicide.I Before returning to Frankfurt, Goethe visited the Rhine, where he found a new attraction and partial healing with Sophie von Laroche, the novelist.1 2 Upon his return to Frankfurt his intense preoccupation with literary work did the rest. Here he remained until 1775. Two works came Irom this 9 Ibid. 10Ka-rl Victor, Goethe, The ?oet (Cambridge, 1949) p. 7. llLudwig, Oethe, p. 62. 12Ibid., p. 67. period which were to make him famous. One was the play G-8tz von Berlichingen (1773), which established a Shakesperian form of drama on the erman stage, and which inaugurated the liter ary movement known as Sturm und Dran;.13 Other works came from the period 1771 to 1775 which was, in literary respects, the most productive of the poet's life. The drama, Faust, which took him sixty years to finish, was started during. this period. A meeting between Karl August, the hereditary prince of Weimar, and-c ethe in December 1774 prompted the eighteen year old duke to invite the twenty-four year old poet to visit him in Weimar. Not until almost a year later, when the invi tation was repeated, did Goethe accept.14 Goethe, elevated to minister of state, proved to be a tireless, capable, and conscien tious servant of the duchy, for he interested himself in agricultue, .horticulture, and mining, in addition to being director of the court theatre. It was here, too, that Goethe's inevitable romantic predisposition found outlet with Charlotte von Stein, the wife of a Weimar offIcial. Of all his loves, Charlotte was believed to be in telle actually the most worthy of him. Seven years his senior, and the mother of sever children, Charlotte was @ woman of 13clarende Willis Eastman, GoeThes oems, (New York, 1941), p. 130.0 ~~ ~ 14viator, Goelle , the Poet, p. 51. refined t aste, both culturally and from a literary standpoint. She dominated the poet's life for twelve years until he left for Italy in 1786)15 Because of his duties du ring the eimar years before his journey to Italy, oethe's literary output was not as pro ductive as the precedng period. Some wonderful lyrics which became texts for composers oi Lieder were written, such as Wanderer's Nacht]l-ied, An den Mond, and DerErlk8nirz. G o ethe also wrote a number of Si..ngsiels and a satire, Der Triumph dr Emicindsamkeit (1778), but most important, he began to write a novel in 1777 which was based on what he experienced as directo of the theatre at Weimar. The novel was to have borne the title Wilhelm Meisters l.eatralische Sendun6. In its final form it became Wilhelm M'eisters LehrjaK , which was completed between 1795 and 1796 The sojourn in Italy between 1786 and 1788 was regarded as a kind of climax to his life by Goethe himself, fOr he had never before so completely understood his genius and mission as a poet. On this foreig )or- ance of the past, and, at the same time, pLan for the ftur-le.He no longer sympathized with the ideas embodied in Sturm nd Drani; he had begun, however, to experience an estrangeme.nt with the movement in Weimar. Italy only served to iLcrease this disenchantment. It was in Italy that his 15_bid., p. 53-57. Ibid., p. 331. 36 interest was directed to the past, embodied in the new classicism that superseded Sturm und pDran in German poetry. 1 Returning from Italy in 1788, Goethe retired from his state offices, retaiing only his position as director of the ducal theatre at Weimar (1791-1817).18 From Italy he brought with him a new philosophy of life which was at once classic and pagan, and with the new philosophy he brought new ideals of literary beauty. His ardor for Frau von Stein had cooled during his absence, and he took into his household Christine Vulpius (1765-1816), who though no i1tllectu1, gave him un obtrusively the comforts of home. 1 9 In 1794, Goethe's friendship with the poet, Johann Friedrich von Schiller, began. Schiller was found to be a sympathetic critic, but what is more important, he renewed Goethe's interest in poetry. The friendship lasted until the younger poets death in 1805, It was Schiller who was resmon sible for encouraging Goethe to continue his work on Faus, and to bring the first part of the drama to a conclusion. 21 With Schiller's death began the third and flnal period of Goethe's long life. Though he wrote many works of varying degrees of greatness, Goethe's Faust must be termed his crown ing achievement. It has been well-called the "divine comedy" 1 7 1bid., p 79-90. 1 8 Ibid., p. 54. 1 9 d., p. 91. 2 0 Ibid., pp. 106-109. 2 1 Ludwig, Goethe, pp. 381-384. 37 of the eighteenth century humanism. The second, and final part of this great work forms a close worthy of Germany ?s greatest literary genius, for on March 22, 1832, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe died. In Goethe's poems there is a personal elements. The many affairs of the heart throughout his long life unquestion ably enriched the poet's literary output. His interest in music, especially settings of his own poetry, began in Sesen heim. The verses he wrote during this early period were addressed to one of his early loves, Friederike Brion. It is believed she might have sung some of the songs of his Neue Leder which his friend Breitkopf had set to music. 2 2 Goeth6's poems attracted many famous composers to make musical settings of them. Without a doubt, ozart, Beethoven, Reichardt, Zelter, Loewe, Robert Franz, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms have given Goethe 's poems popularity much Wier than they would have otherwise gained. The very quality of greatness that distinguished Goethe's work from not only his contemporaries, but from later writers, was not necessarily an inducement for composers to try their hand at setting his-poetry. The statistical study of Ernst Challier, Die Lieblinas-dichter deutschen Komponisten, summa rized in Das Literarische Echo (December, 1912), disclosed that Goethe 's poetry was not set as often as that of other .22t Clarence Willis Eastman, editor, Goethes oems (New York, 1941), p. LIxx. 23Ibido 38 poets. Heine ranIed first as the favorite of the composers with 4,259 musical settings of his poems. Geibel attracted composers to his poems which furnished texts for 3,679 songs, while ,oethe, with 186 poems, was represented by 2,660 com Positions. The following list gives a tabulation of those Goethe poems which had the great appeal to composers:24 1. tber allen Gipfeln 171 2. Der du von dem Himmel bist 154 3. Kennst du das Land 92 Ich denke dein 88 5. Sah ein Knab' ein R8slein stebrn 87 6. Ich ging im Walde 82 7. Das Wasser rauscht' 69 8. Der K8nig in Thule 68 Perhaps the most logical reason for G-oethe's poetry not b ng as frequently set as that of other poets lies in its in herent musical quality. When read aloud, this quality is such that composers do not find much that needs musical inter pretation.25 However, the exceptions, Schubert and.Wolf, were inspired to write some of their greatest Lieder with Goethets poetry as texts. A good composer seems always able to make poor poetry sound better by his musical settings, but great poetry, such as Goethe's, takes a great composer tobeequal to the task. -bid.,p. xxii. 25 Ibid. 39 Aside from its exceptional depth of meaning, Goethe's poetry does have the sort of rhyme that suited exactly the taste and ability of both Schubert and Wolf. It has been suggested that the more nearly perfect a poem is in itself, with its greater melodic values, the less likely it is to stimulate the composer to undertake musical interpretation. 26 Such a statement is not valid in the case of either Schubert or Wolf, for they matched the challenge of the poetry's greatness with their own musical genius. Schubert:, The vMelodist Sensitive as Goethe must have been to the rhythm and beauty of lyric poetry, there is some difficulty in accepting the fact that the great poet felt no response to Schubert's masterful settings of some of his poems. It is believed, however, that Goethe actually preferred the much simpler set tings his verses received from the composer Carl Friedrich Zelter, whose friendship with the poet may have been a con tributing factor. It would be much easier for Schubert's cha mpions to attribute Goethe's seeming perverseness in the matter to his poor musical taste, though it is probably closer to the truth to presume that Goethe saw in Schubert's music serious competition to the appreciation of his poetry.27 26Ibid. 2 7 Lang, Music in Western Ciivilization, p. 781. Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828)' was born in Vienna, and though he had none of the advantages that G-oethe seemed to nave erIjoyed, neither was his situation as adverse as bio graphers have often painted. Perhaps it was due to the vogue of writers to present an oversentimentalized picture of the typical starving musician that has led students and lovers of music to give this picture of Schubert's early life. One of his first biographers, Sir George Grove, pictured Schubert as a man who was born in the lowest social ranks, who moved in the society of his own class, who had little cultural back ground, and who had no interest in anything but a carefree, Bohemian existence. Grove, in continuing his description, is quoted as saying tha-t Schubert was provincial, untaught, intuitive genius who prodigally wasted his divine melodies on the desert air of beidermeier2 8Vienna and died poverty stricken, exhausted by his life of neglect and want, just as he was about to receive for the first time proper instruction in music. 2 9 This is the picture of Schubert's life that persists even today. The facts have been distorted. Schuberts situ ation was no worse than that of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, or Wagner, and like them he was born a man of the people. His father was an industrious, upright, and devoutly religious schoolmaster in one of the Viennese suburbs.30 28Charsaerizing the homely, bourgeois spirit of the typical middle-class citizen, the term was used popularly in Vienna. 29 Howard D. cinnTey and W. R. Anderson, Music in History (New York, 1940), p.550. Ib*id. Schubert's first musical instruction came from his father, his elder brother, Ignaz, and the choirmaster of a nearby church. From them he learned the basic techniques of play ing the violin and piano, as well as his eneralbass (thorough bas ). The Schubert family was musical, but more important, Franz was made to feel there was love of music in his home, a love that saw manifestation every day through family partici pation in the playing of chamber music. To dispel the myth concerning Schubert's lack of education, it is kmown that when Franz was admitted to the Imperial Choir School at the age of twelve, his teachers were astounded by his multiplicity of talents. Not only did he play the piano nd violin well, but he also possessed a good soprano voice . Even at this early age, his talent for composing was beginning to assert itself.31 Between 1812 and 1815, he studied with Antonio Salieri (1750-1825),32 becoming familiar with many aspects of composition. Not only did he receive a good musical education, Schubert was one of the highest in his class in such subjects as Latin, Greek, mathematics, history and natural science.3 3 Schubert's early instrumental works show the influence of the Berlin school, but his first songs, su ch as Vaterm~der, 3 1 Ibid. 3 2 ppils Salieri include the widely differing composers, Ludwig von Beethoven and Franz Liszt. 3 3McKinney, Musc in iisry, p. 552. 42 Ilaels KIge, and others of this period (1810-1811), reveal a type of melody and harmony that is entirely original and per sona, though, as Lang says, "the originality is evident mostly in its excesses." 3 4 During the next period up to 1814, Schubert wrote about thirty songs' before he composed' his first masterpiece. Ac cording to Heuberger,35 October 19, 1814 is the date of the first modern German song. Schubert, then seventeen, inspired by the poetry of Goethe's Gretchen am Spinnerad, composed what has been termed the perfect song. 6 Schubert's next high mark in composition came in 1815, when again Goethe was the poet to inspire him. Only a genius of the highest order could have produced Der Erlk8niE in the manner described by one of Schubertt s acquaintances: We found him with a glowing face reading the Erlk8niE aloud from a book. . . . Suddenly he seated himself at the table and in the shortest time pos sible, as quickly as it could be written down, the magnificent ballad was committed to paper. We ran with it, as Schubert had at that time no piano, to the choir school, and there the same evening the Erlk8ni3 7 was sung and hailed with enthusiasm.38 Lang, Music iWestern Civilizaztion, p. 777. 350tto Erich Deutsch, Schubert Thematic Catalogue (London, 1951), p. 56. Robert Haven Schauffler, Franz Schubert: The Ariel of Music (New York, 1949), p. 30. 3 7 There are four MSS versions of this song, each slightly varied. 8 3 McKinney, Music in History, p. %52. (This same passage in a somewhat long-er version is given by Schauffler in Schubert:-Ariel of Iu.sc, p. 35) A third of four versions of the Erlk8ni 9(with simplified accompaniment) was sent to Goethe, along with Schbfers Klaglied, Heiden-R8slein, Rastlose Liebe, and Gretchen am Sinnerad in the hopes that Goethe would help Schubert s cause. The songs were returned without a line of acknowlednment.39 Many of Schubert's early instrumental works were written for the excellent dilettante groups around Vienna, some of whose members belonged to well-to-do families. Schubert be came known among them, not only for these compositions, but because he himself was a good pianist. His improvisations of Viennese dances opened. many doors into the homes of the more af fluent citi zens of Vienna. Schubert could count among his influential admirers the Sonnleithner family, who were dis tingr'uished jurists and music lovers, the poet-playwright Grillparzer, and the excellent singer, Johann Michael Vogl (1768-1840). The latter's enthusiasm for Schubert's songs made of him a devoted apostle. 40 In the summers of 1818 and 1824 an influential family Invited him to come to western Hungary. He was to teach piano to the daughters of Count John Estorhazy at their estate. As might be expected, Schubert gained some acquaintance with Hungarian and Gypsy music during this sojourn, traces of which appear, occasionally in his comnpositions. 4 l 9SSchauffler, Schubert: Ariel of Music, p. 40. 4 0Lang, Music in Western Civiliztion, p. 777. 41Ibid Though Schubert's musical abilities were undisputed in song,, sonata, or symphonic form, he was unable to cope with th e problems of writing an opera. Had it not been for the urgings of Salieri, he probably would not have attempted it even though it offered a means to ease the economic pressures that constantly beset him. :However, he was never able to write successfully for the theatre.42 Were it not for his warm circle of friends (often little better off than he) who assisted him financially from time to tie, his plight might have been much worse. As it was, in 1825, his poor health forced him into a hospital. Though ill, he was driven by some inner compulsion to write the greater part of .,Die Sch8ne Milerin cycle.43 Schubert applied unsuccessfully for two assistant con ductorships in 1826. In the final year of his life, his friends arranged a benefit concert of his own compositions, which brought in some desperately needed money. But his time had t run out, and on he nineteenth of November, 1828, he became bedridden, and died. His dying wish, to be buried near Beethoven, was fulfilled. 4 4 Schubert' s Style The specific quality in Schubert's music which epito mizes his particular style is the unprecedented wealth of 421bid.,qP. 778. 4 3Ibid. 44I"bid. melody. No less important is his harmonic structure, contain ing modulations that sound daring even today. Their color and charm have never been equaled. While Schubert' gitfor melody permeates every type of composition he wrote, it is in song literature that this gift is most clearly displayed. In his songs, Schubert uses the familiar strophic design, as well as many modifications of this form. His use of the dirchkomp oniert form appears in many of his Lieder besides the fiaous Der Erlk~nIg.. Though not the inventor of the Lied., it is clear that through Schubert's genius, the Lied had its most sophisticated expression prior to Hugo Wolf. 4 5 Aside from elaborating on the eXisting forms, Schubert employed an emotional treatment of the words, unheard of be tore him. Another important difference between Schubert's approach and that of his predecessors is in the accompaniment. Of these, only Beethoven had intimated that the accompaniment could enhance the mood of the poetry. It remained for Schubert to demonstrate the rich expressiveness that could be realized in using elements of absolute music. More speci fi ally, Schiubert saw in the %co ompaniment a means of expression that could suggest at one and the same time the exterior and interior setting of the poem: the outer world as perceived through the five senses and the inner world as expressed through the thought and character of the SchaUffler, Schubert: Ariel of Music, P . 301. 4 6 Ibid . person of the drama.4 Without the two gifts, however, of melodic opulence and harmonic perception, Schubert's accom plishments would have been less significant.4 8 On the treatment of words, Schubert has been the subject of some controversy. Aside from Hugo Wolf's predilection for Wagnerian idiom, the matter of word treatment is perhaps the greatest point upon which Schubert and Wolf differ. Alfred Einstein has said that in Schubert's Lieder the text is always enhanced by the music, never distorted or obscurred.. However, there are songs in which this is not necessarily true. With Schubert the texts play a less im portant part in the final product than is generally believed. Only when they prompted the initial inspiration to write music were they paramount. When setting a poem to music, Schubert tended to slow down the pace of the words until the music all but obliterated the most sacred and integral part of poetry- the music of the words. Exceptions may be f-ound in songs us ing a patter-like procedure.5 0 How Schubert meets the problems of song-writing will be displayed in part by the songs analyzed. The differences between his approach and that of Wolf's will comprise the material for comparison. 4 I.bid.. 4Ibid. 49Alfred Einstein, Mozart (New York, 1945), p. 375. 5 0 Schauffler, Schubert: Ariel of M1usic, p. 303. Wolf, the Poett s Composer Advocates of the cyclic theory of history5 yhave excel lent support for their contentions in the position occupied by Hugo Wolf in the course of musical progress. With Franz Schubert, the same theory might also be applied, though not in the same sense. There seems to be little opposition to the Premise. that in the songs of Schubert, the Lied, in all its lyric aspects, had reached its culmination. It has been said uhat Schubert's melodies are such self-contained entities, that they can be sung unaccompanied and still give perfect aesthetic satisfaction. Of the Lieder of either Schumann or Brahms, only a few can successfully meet such a chalLenge.52 While many fine Lieder were written by composers after Schubert, the cycle of the development of the Lied begun in the twelfth century was seeing completion. The balance be -tween musical and poetic emphasis, tipped somewhat by Gluck and Weber, and.given further impetus by Schumann, was finally being upset in favor of the literary element by Hugo Wolf, thereby concluding the saga of the true song. The art of the Minnesinger-emphasized the poetic content to the subordination of the melodic element. The ensuing cycle of musical history saw, through its various stages, the .words become increasingly the slave of melody. However, with 5 1 The cyclic theory of history subscribes to the idea that certain events in history regularly recur. 5 2 Lang, Music in Western Civilization, p. 781. Wolf came the emancipation of poetry, a return of words to their twelfth century artistic veneration. If Schubert restored melody to the exalted position it once occupied before it was eclipsed by the advances made in instrumental music begun about 1600, then Wolf, in a like man ner, reinstated poetry to the esteemed position it had gained through the Minnesang of Walther von der Vogelweide. Wolf, in his way, projected animation and excitement in his songs through the poetic element, thus maintaining a principle by which he constantly strove to abide--that of being true to the poet. Wolf, probably more than any other composer achieved what is essentially a reproductive art in the most literal sense. That is, something previously created is once again revealed through another's art. Perhaps it might be better to say that Wolf reverted to the ancient Greek, whose per formance of a poem became a declamation enhanced by music.5 3 It is, however, an error to assume, as it is sometimes done, that Wolf merely declaimed the words over an independent piano piece, when, in reality, the vocal line is organically one with the piano part. Of all the composers who contributed to the art of song during the nineteenth century, none were so obsessed with the spirit of the Lied as was Hugo Wolf. 5 4 Though not as prolific 53 1bid. 54 Donald N. Ferguson, A History of Musical Thourht (New York, 1945), p. 465. as Schubert, Wolf, nevertheless, possessed a gift of the high est order. In his works, which include 242 solo songs, four works for chorus and orchestra, and the opera Der Correidor, Wolf has the most original and significant settings of words to music since Schubert. 5 5 Ess-ntially vanerian in his manner of composition, Wolf was in no wise a weak imitator. Admiring as he was of Wagner, he still remained tie only composer conversant with Wagner's harmonic processes who never consciously assimilated Wagner's unusually sensuous musical color. 5 6 If Schubert, by his accompaniments, enhanced the poet's meaning in his Lieder, Schumann did so to an even greater ex tent. Wagner' orchestral approach went yet further in heightening the poetic mood, but it remained for Wolf, in de vising new accompaniments for each new song, to accomplish the ultimate in poetic expression. 5 7 If Wolf has more fully and naturally represented the sense of words in music than any other composer, it is due in a sense, to his being more directly in line with Schumann rather than Schubert.5 8 Wolf was unlike almost every composer before or after him, yet he shared specific common character istics with many of them. 5 5 Ibid. 5 6 Ibid. 57Ibid. 5 8 Philip Radcliffe, "Germany and Austria," A History of Song, edited by Denis Stevens (London, 1960), p.~253. Hugo Wolf was born on the thirteenth of March, 1860 at Windischgraz, in south Styria. He was the fourth son of Philipps Wo1f, a leather dealer, from whom he learned the rudi ments of violin and piano. His schooling was obtained from various institutions. Apparently disinclined to accept disci pline, because he would rather learn his own way or not at al1, Wolf became somewhat of a problem to his teachers. As his interest in music jrew, he at last persuaded his reluctant father to send him to the Vienna Conservatory in 1875. There he studied piano and harmony, though not learning much about either. In 1877 he left the Conservatory, whether voluntarily or under protest is not kmown. 5 9 iuch of his musical education was self-taught. He gained much through pouring over musical scores in the town library. He found friends in the brothers Josef and Franz Schalk, and in Felix'fottl, who it is believed helped Wolf to find piano pupils* Already a fanatical Wagnerian, he met the great master in Vienna when Wagner came there in connection with a production of his opera Tannh~user. Wolf was then fifteen, and though this brief meeting was the only time he ever met Wagner, he rem(hmbered it all his life, so great was the impression left upon him. Wagner was dead five years before a single composition 5 9 Ernest Newman, Hugo Wolfo" The Internatior l-opedia of Music (New York 1949), p. 2064. ql J os Wolf's was e: published, so he never Imew how closely Wolf's name was to be linked with his own in musical history.60 Life, as it was with many composers, was a constant struggle with Hugo Wolf. Often even the bare necessities were hard to obtain., and his own stubborn pride would sometimes stand in the way when they were of feared to him by well-meaning friends. His father could spare him but little, and here too, though it was his own father who offered it, Wolf's stubborn ness barely allowed him to accept the help. He accepted a position as second Kappelmeister under Karl Muck at Salzburg, but, being temperamentally unsuited for such routine work, the engagement lasted barely three months.61 He was later engaged to write as a critic for the Wiener Salonblatt, a creation of Moritz Engel. Actually a society magazine, it must have provided its readers strange fare when Wolf began his one-man ca mpaign to elevate the musi cal taste of Vienna to his own. He championed Wagner, opposed Brahms, stormed against the neglect of Liszt and Berlioz, and generally raised such a furor with -his criticisms that the circulation of the magazine developed an increasingly wider circle of readers. 6 2 While his writings provided an amusement for the society for which the magazine was originally intended, it also 6 2Ibid. 61Ibid. 6Frank Walker, Hu oWLf (New York, 1952), p. 148. showed exampLes of Wolf's keenness of perception and often brilliance of expression in words. His humor, heavy-handed at times, and his writing, reflecting undisciplined thoughts occasionally, nevertheless gave the impression of an acute and discerning mind.6 Difficult as he was to know, Wolf did find friends and admirers of his genius who were willing to help him in ways that did not offend his self-esteem, so that in later years he was free to devote himself to his art without risking the possibility of starvation. Though he had composed in every medium except opera since the age of fifteen, he did not achieve mastery as a composer until he was twenty-eight. The remaining nine years became a time of irregular outbursts of song, which came at the rate of as many as three a day. In all, these days of creation add up to less than six months. The main creative periods total less than eighteen months, yet upon the achievement of this brief but significant span Wolf' s fame is assured.65 Wolf's creative life was probably the shortest and most spo radic musical history has ever known. The early part of the year 1888 became the one in which Wolf found himself as a composer, for in that year alone he 63Ibid., p. 149. 64 Newman, "Hugo Wolf," p. 2065. 6 Eric Sams, The Songs of Hugo Wolf (London, 1961), p. 1. 53 composed nearly one hundred songs in rapid succession. The tragic irony of his life is reflected in the statement he was supposed to have written to a friend when he said, "God grant me a long life and plenty of good ideas."66 Someidea of the tragedy of Wolf's short life can be seen in the following: 1888-91: Over 200 songs to words by M~rike, Eichendo1ff, Ge1ibel, Keller, and Heyse. 1892-94: - Silence. 1895-97: An opera (Der Corregidor), another thirty or so songs, an unfinished opera (mi\anuel Venegas). 1897-1903: Madness - death.6 7 If Wolf's style could beestablished as possessing one characteristic that prevails throughout his compositions, it would be in his strict adherence to poetic values. This in cludes not only a regard for the musical equivalent for the mood of the poem, but a zeal for seeking exactly the right rhythmic counterpart to the meter of the poetry. This rhythmic concern pervades the whole of Wolf's music as it responds to the poetry, so that not only the voice part is affected, but the piano part as well. . But this does not mean that certain inconsistencies are not bound to appear. Wolf was not infallible in this respect any more than other Lieder-composers. However, because he was more conscious of the poetic qualities than any of his predecessors or contem poraries, his music is freer of faulty prosody. 6 6 Ibid. 6 7Ibid. 54 The songs chosen *for analysis will show Wolf 's exacting treatment of the words, and these saIe songs will exemplify Wolf's use of his own particular kind of leit motif. CHAPTER V THE GOETHE LIEDER OF SCHUBERT AND WOLF The selection for analysis of the four respective Joethe songs by Schubert and Wolf was governed by four requirements which were as follows: 1. The songs selected had to have a chronological sequence of composition which traced a sty listic development. 2. The songs selected had to be representative of the general compositional characteristics im plied in all twenty-six (thirteen by each composer)'Goethe Lieder from which they were chosen. 3. The songs selected had to possess stylistic elements that could. be readily identified as repre ,-sentative of each composer. 4. The songs selected had to contain material that would provide a basis upon which a fair analy sis could be made as to their respective differences and/or similarities. In arrangiig the components comprising the analysis of the eight songs, the following form will be observed: 1. A commentary on the poem providing the text for each of the two songs. 55 56 2. The poem in its original German language. 3. An English prose translation of the poem. 4. An analysis of the setting of the poem by Schubert. 5. An analysis of the setting of the poem by Wolf. 6. A comparative analysis of the two settings of the same poem. Wanderers Nachtlied I Wanderers Nachtlied il came out of the Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) period of Goethe's literary production. It was first printed in 1780 in a Zirich periodical called Christliohes Magazin. It was later taken into Goethe's Neue Scuriften (1792-1800X)in 1789. The moem was sent to Charlotte von Stein in 1776, thus connecting it with Goethe's stay at the court at Weimar. Charlotte's mother perceived in it theological overtones, for she wrote on the back of it a verse from the New Testament, John 14, 27: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto to you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you." 2 Exception was taken to this interpretation by the editor of the Jubil'ums- .sgabe who said that neither this personal view nor the appearance of the poem in the Christliches liaazin could prove that it was the same God of Peace (der 1This is the first of two dif ferent poems by Goethe bearing the same title. 201arence Willis Eastman, editor, Goethe's Poems (New York, 1941), p. 1154. 57 Friede Gottes) Goethe sought. Despite the editor's view, the poem appeared in distorted form in a church hymn book in 1806 called the Bremer Gesangbuch. 3 Wanderers Nachtlied I Der du von dem Himmel bist, Alles Leid und Schmerzen stillest, Den, der doppelt elend ist Doppelt mit Erquickung fullest, Ach, ich bin des Treibens mfde Was soll all der SchIerz urd Lust? SIsser Friede, Komm, ach komm in meine Brustu Wanderer' s Night Song Thou who art from Heaven come, Who can all pain and sorrow ease, Take away this double misery, And with a double comfort fill, Ah, I am weary .of this striving! iat is the meaning of all this grief and joy? Sweet peace, Come, ah come into my breast, 3Ibid. 4bid., p. 444 58 Wanderers Nachtlied Franz Schubert:- Op. 4. TNo. 3. July 5, 1815. Schubert's setting of Wanderers Nachtlled, written when he was but eighteen, is remarkable for its brevity (eleven measures). It is more remarkable, however, for what it says within this small form. The key is G flat major and the time signature is 4/4. The expression markin', Lnnsam,it Ausdruck (Slow, with expression), states simply the manner of performance. Deutsch5, in his example, indicates a metronome marking of fifty to the quarter not, but it is doubtful that such a mechanism was available to Sehubert at the time of this com position, since -it was not until 1816 that the first metronomes were manufactured. The voice begins with no introduction. The first two lines of poetry are set in a melodic sequence that begins on the tonic in the first measure and is repeated on the second step of the scale in the second measure. The harmony follows a progression common in Schubert's time (I.- vi - iig - V7) which ends on the authentic half cadence with measure two. The accompaniment is chordal, and its rhythm is basically that of the voice line. The vocal melody, having five consecutive notes in both measures before ascending, gives a declamatory effect. (See Fig. ~.) 5 Deutsch, Schubert Thematic Catalouep, p. 104. 6 j. A. Fuller Maitland, "Metronome," Grove's Dictionary of Music, Vol III (New York, 1946), p. 449. 59 In, La las r ' t A sudk. 71 P 1 1 4____1 ______ Pt14IVIA *I- lot Fiurg.par Th~nee seNach ine Tvoieprsarig h third of tihe tonic, leaps a fourth, Lhen descend a haif step 1o he third of the dominnt of the subediant in measure three. The melody is completed. on the root of the submediant. The sequenme to the preceding materjal starts oun the third 0f the sub.mediant, th en leaps the fourth. On the words Eatzuken f t llst, a modification of the previous measure appers. (See Fig. 4. ) The accomparnient in the se two measures develops more movement with its descendin~ bas altrnatin with off beat tr iads. There is a sugge st ion of svncopatuion on the ast hlf of these two measureOs. The harmony senses the mood on the~ wor ds den, dler dopet elen d ist (Take away this double miey ), when it oorr ows a chord from the relative minor, the dominant of flat minor. Goeth's p 0 has stillest hre0 60 i) I- IN 1 11% AD *LO 1q V dI t Fig. 4--Wanderers Iachtlied, measures and 4 Measures five and six exemplify Schubert's intuitive harmonic sense. Through deceptively simple means,. a sense of the dramatic is achieved. The F flat on the second beat of measure five suggests an excursion into C flat major, as does the vbcal line. The D flat on the second beat begins a melodic line that outlines the dominant of C flat . However, the C flat in the bass, functioning as a pedal point, is re tained until the tonic six-four on the third beat brings the harmony back to the key of G flt (See Fir. 5.) I-' I NN K ~ .-~ I N -N I ryI.. L I ~* V ~ZZZZ-W 1 f zk I' i.~ ~-~ -d.- , - II L~ { V (V lof T-i .y Til (roda, Fig. 5--Wanaecrs ac-tliod, ICeasures 5 and 6 8Xoethe's poem has Erqui ckung (comfort), not Entzilcken (charm) as Scbubert does. FiJllst is contracted from fullest. 61 The sudden agitation caused by the sixteenth notes that begin in the last half of measure five suggests the turmoil expressed by the poet on the line Ach, ich bin des Treibens mqde. The quicker rhythmic pattern and the increase in har monic activity serve to heighten the inner conflict. But it is the insistent repetition of the G flats in the upper voice of the accompaniment after the third beat in measure five that creates the most tension by virtue of its common-tone relation to the harmonic progressions beneath it. When the poet raises the question, Was soll all der Schmerz und Lust? Schubert gives to the word Lust an appropriate rising inflection by allowing the A flat to ascend one half-stuep to the A natural. (See Fig. 5. The poetic, as well as the musical climax, is relized after the double bar endin; measure six. Schubert's repetition of the entire phrase Sisser Friede, komm, ach komm in meine Brust in precisely the same way in measures seven and eight (See Fig. 6), gives not only a balance to the musical form, but by contrast with the preceding two measures, the emotional impact is intensified by the sudden calming effect the music evokes in measures seven and eight. The broadening of the rhythm on the first two beats of measure seven depicts the calm that follows the emotional storm of the previous two measures. The severity is further enhanced by the unquestioned return to the key of.G flat. 62 as dechW /er.( so"Lo wA qw I ______K _ _ _ I V 7 I Fig. 6--Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 7 and 8 Only the rising bass line and off-beat triads remain to sug gest the previous conflict. The repetition of the vocal line of measure seven in measure nine is matched by a similar repetition in the accompaniment. However, the last half of measure ten has a slightly different figuration than that seen in measure eight. This figuration is repeated in the final cadence. (See Fig. 7) 'j A k m III ,S, I, ~T~'~t~t A 4io" 14 tj 11 11.1 f L I Ir - W u -I -1~ -w I Fig. 7--Wanderers Nachtlied, Measures 10 and 11 See measure seven for repetition at measure nine. 63 The form is a simple bi-partite one. The first six measures make up the first section, the last five measures, including the repetition of the entire phrase Ssser Fiiede, kom , ach komm in mine Brust, comprise the second section. The sequential development of the phrases throughout give the song a unity, the repeated final phrase a completeness. This song is an excellent example of Schubert's ability to use a single idea, and shows with what economy of means Schubert has produced a Lied that catches the musical counter part of the poet's intentions. .The beauty of Goethe's poem lies in its direct simplicity. So musical are the words themselves, that almost any setting of them seems superfluous. Schubert, however, seems to have caught exactly the mood of the poetry with his limpid melodies. He has achieved this mood despite a substitution of the word Entzh{ ken for Goethe's Erquicing;. Why Schubert made this change can only be surmised, but if the instance cited falls into Schubert's general pattern of composing, it can be assumed that the substitution was inadvertent. The contactions of stillest and fullest, while deliberate, do not detract from the sense of the poetry as does the exchange of words of different meaning. 64 Wanderers Nachtlied Hugo Wolf: No. 11 January 30, 1887 The Wanderers Nachtlied by Wolf appeared in a publi cation entitled Sechs Gedichte von Scheffel, M8rie, Goethe und Ierner (1888). This was the second of two collections which were published in the same year. Wolf's own particular style is identifiable through his use of two principal idiomatic features associated with Wagner. They are the leit motif and chromatic harmony that formed such an integral part of what became known as Wagnerian idiom or style. Like Wagner, Wolf uses the leit motif to sug gest various psychological, as well as emotional elements, that the poetry may evoke. Whether it be the element of worship, unrest, gaiety, or humor, all find expression through some specific rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic design. The meticulous care Wolf gave to each poem can be seen in his dedicated adherence to the poem's demands. The rhyth mic flow of the words became the determining factor in Wolf's handling of the melodic line. This concern for the poetry often gave rise to musical forms that did not always comply with those of traditional design. Wanderers Nafctlied, though an early song, gives evi dence of the style which became indentified with Wolf. The four measures of introductory material not only set the mood of the poem, but they contain the nucleus of melody upon which the whole song is based. The expression Sehr lanp.sam 65 und ruhig (Very slow and. caim) sets the pace and manner of performance. The motif of the pulsating fifths suggests an 10 air of reflectiveness or pensiveness. The augmented fifths in the second measure represent a pattern that Wolf uses in other songs when expressing a strong emotion. (See Fig. 8.) Fi. J--anderers Nchtlied, Measures I to 4 The two-measure fragment and the modified sequence which followr in me asures one t o f our be come the melcdy of the v ocal line when the voice enters in metasure five. The introd uction prolongs the~ movement upw ard to the high F in retardation which does not become resolved until the first beat of measure fiv. In the vocl line the Fis reced by Achromatic un ac cent ed pa s sing t one f om the previ ous me sure . lIpor tant to the tonality is the use of the reiterated G' flIat, which remains as a 'thread of. tone over which the har raony shifts and rises until the down beat of measure nine. (See Fi1; 9. 1 0 ee Wo1f's M~rik Lied Gebet in whioh similar use of this pattern appers in a more concise fom. 66 it) 04 ___ __Vo ______9047r~u Fig. 9--Wanderers Nachtied, iMeasures 5 to 8 When the voice assumes the >,elodic material, the syn copated pattern of the chordal background continues to ascend independently of the vocal line. On the word Schmerzen on the first beat of measure eigIt dissonant narmony occurs, add ing emphasis to the meaning of the word. Jhile the vocal line, having reached its apex at this point, is in suspension, the accompanying, pulsating chords resolve upw ard in two successive retarda0 tions that end on the tonic in measure nine, (See Fig. 10.) I LLI...... '.... L ULA I - -pllllililililll it L a d Ljji1ii24 ______T1 2' Fig~10--Wanderers Nachtlied, Heasures 9 an. 10 67 Wolf uses a characteristic elusion of the tonic in measure nine. The preceding measure has prepared a reso lution to the tonic, which does in effect happen in the piano part, but the vocal line has an F flat that once more dis turbs the tonality. The resulting harmony is the V7 of the subdominant. (See Fig. 10.) From this point, the chromatic harmony changes on every beat until the second beat of measure ten. The vocal line, hovering as it does around the F flat, heightuens the tension created by these chromatic changes of the piano part. In this delaying the resolution, Wolf creates the effect of re pose and fulfillment when the voice finally sings the F natural in measure eleven. (See Fig. 11.) Fig. Il--Wandoeres Nactlied, Measures 11 and 12 The melody (assigned& to the piano later at measure e twenty fiv ) is short sequence, ao the poetry suddenly reflects Copre th e effect hoere witi the one on 2dhmerzen in m asuLe eight. 68 a weariness brought on by a contemplation of the toils of living. The sequence becomes an angular figure of two as cending and two descending quarter note half steps in octaves separated by intervening leaprs of ma jor sevenths throughout the next two measures, while the vocal line descending in a dispirited manner, sings ach, ich bin des Treibensin de (See Fig. 12.) 1-11A ftF mk-So (y 4)0 o~+~ *1 Fig. 12--Wanderers Nachtlied, Iieasures 13 to 16 Even the Key of G flat (never se curely established) finally modulates to the key of the subdori nant. The vocal line on the words Wa s soll a ll der Schimerz umd Lust ? sug gests a sense of weariness as the dominant of B major firmly establishes the harmonic trend to the new key. (See igF. 13.) 69 /an Fig. 15--Wanderers Nachtiied, measures 17 and 18 After a long pause, the melody heard in the introduction to the sons returns, out this~time in the subdominant key of B major. The piano, with a fuller vertical distribution of the harmony, repeats the material of measures five through e:Lght, while the voice enters one measure later in an imi tative fashion with the words SJsser Friede. (See Fic. 14.) ,~II V M n 1;1 1 -r-A . - - - - - i - 56.1tA I - -54bIt F-A"d dI & - 0 A I'll In -1 1L.1f. LAI I VIAI VE, I I I I L~I~LI.I IL - e.4eli: qhd wrs-'wc;6&,//____ I 177- T Z +Y7 I 11--WanderersFi . iNactlied, fe-sures 19 - 22 70 As the first phrase of the accompaniment ends in measure twenty two, the voice repeats the words sffsser Friede so that the word Friede ends while the second phrase of the accompaniment begins at measure ttienty-three. (See Fig. l5.) I Tit V Fi. _5Wa ___sNah _id Measures 22-24 Thesynopaedvocal entrance Qt measure twenty-four begins a complete statement of the final line of the poem. In measure twenty-Cive the volce line sings a melody that iQOVes dontrary to the sequential fragment in he plano part. (See Flg. 16. ) This fra mont will be remembered as the vocal line whn it first appears at meaisure eleven . (See Fig 11. ) -z- jm Ap"T I'l-M Fir t I AV 46, Air Now p ;;"AARt 4 il I I i I K 411111 -r4 lo jv MI tk IA 71 VIA F wy 7 %ago 17 Fig, 16--Wcamderers Na chtlied, T-1 e a. s ur e s 25-.27 71 At measure twenty-seven, the final repetition of Komm, ach korgm in mine Brust! begins, while the piano repeats frag ments of the sequential melody of measures twenty-five and twenty-six. (See Fig. 16.) The voice has one final melodic moment when it joins the piano in a fragment of the sequence material. (Shown in Fig. 17) The melody to which the words komm in meine Brust are joined, is echoed in the piano postlude which begins while the voice holds the final word Brust. (See Fig. 18.) VC0 ~C kom-r-a - Fig. 17--_anderers Nchtlied, Measures 27-29 110 Fig. 18--_anderers achtlied, easures 30-32 The harmonic scheme of this song is somewhat unusual, even for Wolf, whose sense of tonality has proven to be more orthodox in most of his other comp ositions. Perhaps, because this is an early work, the means of expression were still 72 inadeuate as compared to the eloquence of musical statement found in his later works. The constant evasion of the tonic in the first section of the song suggests the agitation of mind the poet experi ences as he seeks that peace of soul all men long for. The relative tonal clarity achieved in the subdominant key of the second section suggests that such peace of soul may find fruition. The Lied is musically constructed in two sections of eighteen rteasures each. The first section consists of four measures of introduction, eight measures of development of the introductory material, and six measures of condensation of the material in measures eleven and twelve. The second section is essentially based on the same material found in tho first section, though in the key of the subdominant. Except for one imiative moment when the voice repeats the piano part in .measures twenty and twenty-one, the responsibility for giving the second section form lies with the piano. The vocal part merely declaims the text in short phrases or fragments or even single words, spaced at appro priately dramatic points while the piano maintains the melodic connectin; link. The roetic division gives the major portion of the text to the first section leaving only the last line of the poem sser Pniede, k;omw, ach komi in iie Brustlto supply the uext for the second section. 73 The Comparative Analysis of Schubert and Wolf on Wanderers Nachtlied On the strength of Schubert's matching the simplicity Goethe's poem demands by his simpler approach, it seems he comes nearer realizing the intent of the poet than Wolf does. However, there are many parallels to be pointed out, despite the seeming complexity of Wolf's song as compared w]ith Schlubert's. With both composers, their respective songs mark an early effort. Both use simple quadruple time. Both use the same key of G flat as a signature. Both use the accompani ment to enhance the mood of the poetry. The melodic material of Wolf's song is similar in contour to that of Schubert's in the opening. Both use the sequential pattern in almost the same manner. However, Wolf uses two measures to express what Schubert expresses in one. In their respective treatment of other phrases, however, there is marked difference, as in the two phrases, den, der dopJelt elend ist, and dqoppelt mit Erquickun .(or Entz {cken) Mllest. On the other hand there is a similarity in ach, ich bin de s Treiben s mVde, even to suggesting the sa me domi nant of the subdominant. Both ask the question Was sol all der Schmerz und Lust? in a similar fashion, even to the rising inflection on Lust. Ho ever, where Schubert introduces new melodic material, Wolf repeats old material in a new key on the words $dsser Friede 74 komm, ach komm in meine Brust Schubert merely repeats the whole phrase in exactly the same fashion, while Wolf repeats SRsser Friede, then repeats komm, ach komm in meine Brust i in a fragmentary manner against the dominating piano accompani ment. In Wolf's song, the phrase doplt mit Erquickun fillest is given a more aptly descriptive vocal line than in Schubert's composition. But the less complex nature of Schubert's setting of the closing line seems to give a sense of more repose than Wolf's realization of the same line. Though there is no denying Wolf's inventiveness, espe cially in the acco mpaniment surrounding the line ach, ich bin des Treibens mdde, in Schubert's particular setting of the song, there is more of the essence of what Goethe intended than in Wolf's. Harfens2ieler I The first publication of Harfensoieler I appeared in 1795 in the novel Wilhelm eisters Lehr jhre (The Appren ticeship of Wilhelm Meister). The poem was incorporated into the Complete Works of Goethe in 1815. This poem is taken from Book II, Chapter XIII of the Goethe novel.12 The Harper, a half-demented old man with a gray beard, has attached himself to Wilhelm Meister and a traveling the atrical group. Among the group is Mignon. It is the events that surround these three chIaracters, Wilhelm, Mignon, and 2 1 Eastman, Goethe's Poems, p. 157. 75 the Har pe r, which provi de the basic story line of the novel. In all three songs, the plight of the Harper is the under lying theme. The guilt he feels is'a tremendous burden on his soul. There is no indication in the words of any of the three songs to indicate the specific nature of his guilt. It is later learned in the novel, however, that he is the father of Mignon by his own sister, whom he had married, not knowing their relationship. 1 3 The first song is the outgrowth of a conversation be tween the Harper and Wilhelm Meister when Wilhelm visits the old man. They speak of solitude, which prompts the old Harper to improvise this song. 1 4 Throughout the poem, the melancholy loneliness of the old Harper is stressed by the insistent recurrence of the words einsam - allein - Pein (lonely, alone, pain). 1 5 Aus Wilhelm .iieister: Harfenspieler I Wer sich der EisamkJeit ergibt Ach' der ist bald allein; Ein jeder lebt, ein jeder liebt Und A sst ihn seiner Pein 13Ibid. 14Eric Sams, The Son of HugWo jl (London, 1961), p. 117. 1 5 Ibid. 76 Ja! lasst mich meiner Qual Und kann ich nur einmal Recht einsam sein, Dann bin ich nicht allein. Es schleicht ein Liebender lauschend sacht, Ob seine Freundin allein? So I berschleicht bei Tag und Nacht Mich Einsamen die Pein, Mich Einsamen die Qual. Ach, werd' ich erst einmal Einsam im Grabe sein, Da lsst sie mich allein9 - 6 From _ilhelm Meister: The-Harper He who would to solitude surrender, Ah! too soon is he alone; For others live, and others love, kid leave him to his pain. Yes! leave me also my grief! And if I now once more True solitude can Imow, Than I am not alone. 1 6 BIarker Fairley, editor, Goethe, Sleected Poems, P. 50. 77 Like the softly stealing lover who anxiously asks If his love is alone, So over me steals by day and night Myr solitary pain, My solitary grief. Ah, I at last find Solitude in the grave, There shall I be left alone. qes-n e des Harfners Franz Schubert: Op. 12. No. 1. September, 1815. There is no particular significance in the fact that Schubert calls his Lied Gesune des Harfners instead of by Goethe's title, Harfenspieler. One version of the song ap peared in 1815. Another vversion immediately preceded the present song. This song provides many examples of melody, modulation, and harmonic variety associated with Schubertis style. The accompaniment shows imagination in capturing exactly the mood the words suggestu. The alla breve time signature is typical of Schubert songs, and frequently it appears in those songs using- the slower tempos, as in the present case. The opening chords, arpeggiated in imitation of the sound of the harp, set the mood of the entire song, though they never appear again after the introduction. The effect 78 of the opening, especLally the first three chords, suggests the physical image of the old Harper strumming the harp, and gives a glipInse of the old Harper's obsession with the words einsam, dein, uid Pein (lonely, alone and pain). I~el - lr if II a, O. VT Fig. l9--GesNne des Har fners, Measures -4 The opening harmonic progressio (ii6 -. 6$ -iv7F) creates the atmosphere of melancholy, while the three chords beginning in measure three (See Fig. 19. ) serve to establish the key. The dominant ninth on the second beat of measure three suggests a momentary p.ng of dejection as the Harper begins his monologue. (I I > i i 1 - A i ,-, - IANI IA mIJA IV :km I dc o' pp I -i Fig. 20--Ges&nge des Harfners, Measures 5 - 8 79 The arpeggio in the vocal line for the first words of the Harper are reminiscent of the introduction with its harp-like chords. The progression from the submediant to the Neapolitan sixth in measure seven accents the der (he), but this emphasis, while it does not seem to coincide with the poetic meter, does not detract from the vocal line. (See Fig. 20.) 3 I . v C\ I ;~r-~T E I l l I I I I . : i I . a i ---- di A N ,3 d Ip--. ______ -9 ~- iiT" 'I ' f Fig. 21--Gesg'nge des Harfners, IMeasures 9 and 10 The two measures are identical with the exception of the two words, lebt and liebt, falling on diminished seventh choids. (See Fig. 21.) ~3 (~ Driqt W 'r,.. 31 9 i , _ ______z~eI Ti 0* '- I I- Z~L~ -L -.1- _ 14 7- MII4', II L Fic. 22--Ge-Sn-ge des HtrLners, Measres11 to 13 80 In measures eleven and twelve (See Fig. 22.), the voice intones the words, und lAsst ihn seiner Pein over chords in the treble descending in contrary motion to octaves ascend ing in the bass. This passage is echoed in a piano interlude an octave lower starting with measure thirteen. (See Fi(. 22.) The vocal line in Figure 22 is the only bit of material from the first section to be heard again. In a slightly modified form it closes the third section. Pt Ja -S nIC h. rnC ol __ 32 ______73 1 ______ Fig. 23--Gesnge des Harfners, Measures 15 and 16 The second section begins in the submediant key of F major. A nervous excitement is created by repeated octaves in the bass over which a triplet pattern is completed by the right hand. (See Fig. 23.) This rhythmic pattern continues for seven measures while passing through several harmonic changes. The submediant key lasts for only two measures, after which a gradual transition begins modulating back to the tonic of first, A major, then the original A minor. (See Fig. 24.) 81 A VO euFia *ri s . .J~ 7 X'~ Fd i'L Fig. 24--Gesne des arfners, Measures 17-21 From measure seventeen to the end of the second section (measure twenty-one), the chords change on the first and third beats of each measure, employing the same triplet pattern established at measure fifteen. The submediant key lasts for only two measures since in measure seventeen there is a gradu al transition back to the major tonic on the first beat of measure twenty-one. This gives way to the minor tonic on the last half of the same measure. (See Fig. 24.) The melody, starting at measure seventeen, demonstrates Schubert's tendency to repeat a series of notes over changing harmonies when the text calls for suppressed excitement. The emphasis on the word dann (like the accent on the word der in measure seven) is another example of Schubert's accenting an unimportant word. This penchant for emphasizing unimpor tant words recurs many times in Schubert's Lieder, where he seems to feel the over-all dramatic effect supersedes the poetic meter. The common tone A on the last half of the word allein at measure twenty-one and the up-beat A on the word es in the 82 same measure serves as a bridge (without pause) to the third section. This marks the beginning of the third verse. f) I "%I . 1 - I 1.II *1 uI& .. AZ I I i 3 V,4J r *VI(C- 'A zi I--IF I . J t I n __I______ I ____ C I,,"A- I I N 1 Q0. T~I t+ Fig. 25--Ge tne des {'arfners, Measures 22 - 25 Like an unannounced interloper, the third section is begun. (See Fig. 25.) In measures twenty-two and twenty three, the voice line, with repeated notes slightly embel lished, intensify the meaning of the words. The lower tessitura gives the voice a mysterious effect in keeping with the meaning of the words. The arpeggiated triplets over the moving bass line in the accompaniment help to picture . the wary lover stealing softly upon his love to see if she is alone. 83 AAI Fig. 26--Ges!nge des Harfners, Measures 26 - 31 Beginning a fourth higher, the material is repeated in much the same manner as in measures twenty-two through twenty five. An extension of the material occurs to acconmoate the longer line of poetry at this point. The music grows more intense by virtue of the higher tessitura of the voice line. This serves to heighten the intensity of the words. In the closing phrase of this section, mich Einsamen d;i ual, the embellishing figure that closed the first sec tion appears exactly as it did in measure twelve, except that it ends at the down-beat of measure thirty-one instead of on the second beat as it does in measure twelve. The final section is twenty-one measures in length. Schubert indicates this final part is to be sung in a softer voice (hit leiserer Stimme) because the old Harper is recon ciled to the idea that only in the solitude of the grave will he be truly alone. (See Fig. 27.) 84 A ltise~e- roo---% AIL F I I Ad IF An F-,v WA evovt elvi m ot I I I r- I I I I I I rk I -T-m I 1 &.7 t ALA I A V I I V6 ze tT - ' a" ", 17 v Fig. 27-- e sge des Harfners, Measures 32 to 34 The last three lines of the poem are repeated. Schubert reiterated the closing lines of Wanderers Nachtlled in exact ly the same form, but in GesLne de Harf.ners, though using a similar rhythmic pattern, writes a different melody to the repeated last three lines of the poem. On the word sein, however, he ends each time on the pitch E. The first E ends on the dominant note of the dominant chord of A minor in measure thirty-five. The E which ends the repetition of the last line is heard over the first inversion of the dominant seventh of A minor. -- 7T 'im 1 -7 4P low", 0-44 -Lul ig It, If-A AAA ...... -407--- 1 V t7 Fig. 28--Gesynge des Harfners, Measures 40 to 42 85 The two melodies, when compared, show that though. different notes are used, there is a similarity of treatment. (See Figs. 27 and 28.) The lines Da lgsst sie mich allein occur only once in the poem, but Schubert repeats the phrase four times, twice in the first eight measures of the final section and once each in the second and closing sections. The melody is the same at the end of the second and fourth presentations. (See Figs. 29 and 30.) Fig. 29 GesRnqedes farners, 'easures 36 -9 Fig. 30--Ges nge des Harfners Me'asures 44 47 The postlude starts with the same music as appears in measures thirty-two through thirty-four, except that the final 7 cadence is built on a 4 - V - i progression, instead of a dominant seventh for the entire measure. The final two meas ures start like those that appear at the beginning of the postlude except that the triplet figure descends to rest on the final A minor chord. 86 The form of the song is more closely related to the durchkoponiertes Lied than any other. The introductory mateial appears only once. The first ten measures of music, after the introduction, also a-ppear only once, with the ex ception of the one fragment' of melody that ends the first secAion. The second section is seventeen measures in length (measures fifteen to thirty-one) and is actually transitional Ma terial. The ten measures (measures twenty-two through hirtv-one) are a sub-section belonging to the second section, and lead into the third section. The final section, with its double presentation of the text, is related through the triplets that begin with es schleicht ein Liedbender lauschend sacht (measures twenty-two and twenty-three) to the second section. The half-voice approach to this section, suggests a de t achment, as if the old H-arper sees himself already n the grave. The one instant of anP.guish appears on da lRsst sie Alch allein at measures thirty-sIx and thirty-seven, though the general character of the music suggests more restrained treatment. 87 Harfenspieler I Hugo Wolf: Number 1, Goethe Lieder. October 27, 1888 The Harfenspieler songs were the first of Wolf's Goethe Lieder to be composed. They marked the first of a group of fifty-one, which Wolf wrote consecutively in a fever of composition between October, 1888 and October, 1889. In each case, he would continue to compose until he had com pleted every poem he had selected from a single poet's works. The first Harfenspieler song became the eighty-sixth song Wolf had produced. There is a maturity in this.song as evidenced in the conciseness of form and the clarity of har mony, free from the over-use of embellishing chords. The major portion of this song is based upon material of the first five measures of introduction. This song is an example of Wolf's use of the leit motif. Here is an example of an almost exclusive use of a single musical idea upon which a whole song is constructed. The tempo marking is Sehr gE t>rgaen, schwerm1tig (very sustained, melancholy). The form of the arfensoieler song is of a three part construction. The second section is a modification of the first section. The third section is a contrasting section, followed by a re turn to the first section, further modified. The song is written for high bass or baritone voice. The song is built generally on aG minor - C minor re lationship. However, there are modulations to the subdominant of C minor, and to the dominant of G minor, as in the middle 88 section of the song. By the use of many secondary dominants, a chromaticism results. The first full measure of the introduction contains the figure which recurs throughout the song. It appears in aug mentation, as in the first measure of the vocal entry, or irregularly as it does in the fourteenth and thirtieth meas ures. The harp-like rolled chords achieve somewhat the same results as the rolled chords in Schubert's Gesnge des Harfner. (See Fig. 31.) Fig. 31--Harfenspieler I, Measure 1 Measure two is a melodic sequence to the first measure which ends on the dominant of the dominant, while the third measure contains a syncopated rhythmic pattern which is char acteristic of the whole composition. This syncopated pattern generally occurs where there are suspensions and retardations. A modification of the same figure that appears .in measure three occurs again in the last half of measure ten and in the first half of measure eleven. (See Fig. 32.) The music in measures four and five complete the intro duction, and it appears only once again in the last half of 89 F I IN I I U / sn 40 A io ION I T -- I[- #'1 17 1 Jk q?7A Ar 7f .09 10 IrE Fig. 52--Harfe spieler I, Measures 2 and 5 measure eleven, extending into the 2/4 and 4 4 measures wii ch follow, (See Fig. 33.) Li Fig. 33-Harfenspieler I, Measures 4 and 5 The first entrance of the voice, with its descending chromavtic line from B flat to F sharo on the last syllable of the word ergibt, suggests a sense of resignation. The Ne-apolitan sixth gives a feeling of sudden fatigue on the word Einsamkeit. On the word ach there is a feeling of real despair created by the restlessness of the substitution of the dominant of the subdominant for the expected tonic of G minor. (See Fig. 34.) As the line continues with the text der is bald allein, the sense of despair increases, though the Harper's thoughts 90 A - L - a - - ! (4; K ~pfr77 14 1 4 7J j) 7 ub 4 RPM , 14 Zi ; -, .0 1 Fig. 34--Harfenspieaer IMesures 6 and 7 momentarily turn to the lives and loves of others. With the alternating piano and voice sequences on the words ein jeder lebt, ein ,eqer liebt, the Harper's thoughts are al most wistful, until despair overtakes him again on the line und lbsst ihn seiner Pein. The music of the last measures of introduction appears again in measure ten at the third beat and continues through measure twelve. (See Fig. 35.) ft V7 t- ~,.iJ.iCA; VI . f " I ...... 7r 9 __ K1 p ~.' ~ .~t, CA iv 'I' Fig. 35--Harfenspieler I, Measures 8 to 12 91 . 35--HarfenspilerI, Measures 8 to 12 (Oont'd.) Measure thirteen is an exact repetition of measure five, except that the voice enters with the word Ja on the fourth 'oeat. 'easure fourteen contains a rhythmic augmenttion of the C+ minor chord while the voice sing s Iasst mich meiner _Lual. Sice th word _ual falls on the fourth beat, the Neapolitan sixth chord changes its position in the recurring~ pattern t o the same beat . This Ghord acts as a sublmediant in C minor whIch moves progressively to diminished seventh, a secondary dOL inant on the seven th degree, to the dominant of Minor in first inversion. The melody (starting on the up beat to measure fourteen) follows adeoscending step-wise pattern, which is slightly varied from the original melodic Iinie esta blishd in measures six and seven. (See Fig. 36. ) In th~e next two measures Wolf achieves, by his cadence in measure seventeen, a sense of the feeling~the Har per ox periences when he holds his grief to hiimself, for he believes tha he is not truly alone as long as he has the grief to keep 92 e-4 x I-rIsas t 4 Iwi U-.. W '{ % e V Y , Fig. 36--iarfenspieler I Mieasures 14 a.L d 1 him company. The dominant of C minor in measure fifteen re solves to C minor where a two-one suspension occurs on the first beat of measure sixteen. (See Fig,. 57.) Var -S jr -jW own K Jr. Joc F. log 109 1 lF 4F 44) 0.1 F ------T IL Now or tArlfw v a r v MW jx on WI-14Wl " Fig. 37--Harfenspieler I, Measures 16 and 17 A four-two suspension over the B flat in the bass, occurring on the second beat, leads to the dominant of the dominant of G minor. The melodic line on the words daun bin ich forms a stelp-wise descending passage that starts with a minor ninth going to the eighth and seventh degrees of the dominant of the 93 key of D. There is a deceptive cadence where the dominant of D major goes to the submediant of the key of D major at meas ure seventeen, which resolves to the tonic six-four of the key of D major. This is followed by the dominant of the key of D major which leads to that key in measure eighteen. (See Fig. 37.) In measure eighteen (See Fig. 38.) a triplet figure on the dominant key ol ID major (tle dominant of the origi-nal G minor ) begins very softly in the accompaniment. This triplet figure becomes modified slightly as the intensity of the music progresses to a climax on the word Pein at measure twenty-six. (See Fig. 39.) Adb I YL I W A I Aw "pop"" 'AV A I I I U Et I It a As t, F, it Fig. 38--Iarfensoieler I, Measures 18 and 19 Beginning with measure twenty-one, which starts on the mediant of G minor, a series of harmonic progressions based on secondary dominants resolving' to their respective minor tonics continue to ascend until the word Pein is reached in measure twenty-six. At this point the mediant of the tonic is reached again. (See. Fig. 39.) 94 a Ic -Sol Ao_ & W, 9. 109 1 09 X11f, La PI m Sf 4m: 1 _T -1-IL A _4 _jAam Fig. 39--Harfens ieler I, Measures 20 26 The vocal line, which started softly in measure eighteen continues to mount in intensity, though the meditative mood of the song remains the governing factor dynamically. After the word Pein the momentary excitement gradually subsides. (See Fig. 40.) IWP' A #W-- r I V 9,-tAi- Fig. 40--Harfer 1ieler I, Measures 27 and 28 In measure twenty-eight, a series of retardations in the accompaniment, continuing through measure twenty-nine, leads back to the harp-like arpeggios of the introduction at measure thirty. (See Fig. 41.) 95 -Now, A I 1I -_L-,k-4 z I v~ 1 vo jjfl: rav 1 -. y Fig. 41--Harfenspieler I, Measures 29 and 30 The familiar rolled chord in G- minor announces the re c pitulation of the music that began the song. The familiar progression is delayed slightly on the words, oqh, werd.' ich erst eLnma, by retaining the B flat in the voice over the C - E flat - C chord. The Neapolitan sixth occurs this time on t he fourth beat of measure thirty. z 'I '-m I ______Ili____ r- - Aw i vq I 4 ~~Vr~3LI ~e) - SC&w1 1W) O'yc. ,~ 3~1VL oL~ Ises a) n IA ' I y I Sur, f LO I AA mw i -- NNW" 112 q!j7 PIE& Fig. 42--Harfenspieler I, Measures 31 - 33 96 At measure thirty-one, the piano part is the same as at measure seven, while the vocal part is arranged somewhat dif ferently than before. The notes are the same, but they are syn opted on the words einsam im. (See Fig. 42.) A change of harmony on each of the first three beats of measure thirty-two leads to a dominant seventh on the sixth step of the tonic G minor. This chord changes to the flat supertonic under the words da lsst sie, and at measure thirty four, (See Fig. 43.) with the words mich allein, the song quietly ends as it began. The harp-like chords of the intro duction are heard again for the first two and one-half bars of the postlude, but the cadence is delayed by the use of the dominant of the dominant. The last three measures of music move in a tightening sequential pattern in the melody of the upper voice of the accompaniment. It is interupted by an octave leap to the G which ends on a half-cadence. In the next to last measure the tonic 0 minor is heard again only to be displaced by the submediant going to the dominant where the song finally ends. 4 - -4 ) -~1 1 aAl I Fig. 43--Harfenspieler I, Measures 34- 39 97 The Comparative Analysis of Schubert and Wolf on the Harfenspieler The differences between the two songs are more readily apparent than the similarities, but there are some like nesses that require attention. The arpeggiated chords that begin both songs are the most obvious similarity. In meter the two songs resemble each other since Wolf's half notes in the 4/4 tempo equal the whole notes in Schubert's alla breve. Perhaps Schubert's chords are even a little more daring than Wolf's at this point. There is contrary motion between the treble and bass in both songs, Schubert's being step-wise in both parts, Wolf's step-wise only in the treble. Wolf's introduction covers five measures, Schubert's only four. Both use the dominant seventh before the voice enters, though Wolf uses a six-five suspension, while Schubert uses a minor nine to eight suspension. The vocal entry is after the first beat in both cases. However, from this point on the differences multiply. In the first two measures, Schubert comes within a step of the high est note in his song because of the vocal arpeggio in the opening line. Wolf, in his first two measures, encompasses only an augmented third, and a major seventh by the end of the first line. A marked difference in word accent is shown on the word der in measure seven of Wolf' s song and measure seven of 98 Schubert's song. Schubert gives it a strong position rhyth mically while Wolf gives it an eigth note on the fourth beat. Wolf places more emphasis on the ach by giving it a stronger position in the rhythmic pattern than does Schubert. On bald allein,Schubert gives an embellishing figure, while Wolf treats it more simply. The two phrases ein jeder lebt and e jeder; liebt occur at the same point in the music of both songs (measures nine and ten). In Schubert's setting these two phrases (again embellished) are more sharply contrasted than in Wolf's, be cause the weaving of the voice and piano parts produce a more diffused effect than the sharper declamation of Schubert's song. However, each version suits the character of the re spective aiproaches. The next phrase und lsst ihn seiner Pein, as set by Schubert, starts in the voice's upper range and descends, while Wolf, on the other hand, starts his version in the mid dle of the voice and ends Pein on the highest note at that point of the song. The 2/4 measure in Wolf's song makes his a less formal design than Schubert's. While Wolf returns to the chords that start his song at Ja, lasst mich meiner Qual, Schubert' s second section is new material. Where Wolf continues to move in a restrained manner, Schubert's vocal line becomes more excited, more dramatic. Though Schubert gives a strange emphasis to the word dann, Wolf's only attention to it is giving it a minor ninth on an unaccented beat. 99 In a broad sense, the treatment of the words Es schleicht ein Liebender laus chend sacht by both Schubert and Wolf are remarkably similar in character. The triplet figure, though certainly different in its detail by each composer, creates the same over-all effect in both songs. Because Wolf starts higher in vocal range than Schubert at this point, the climax is perhaps more intense. Schubert keeps his vocal line in the lower part of the voice and does not get to the upper voice until 'Einsaman die Pei. Wolf, by contrast, starts on a middle A and steadily (after sacht) climbs to reach his climax on the word Pein. After mich Einsamen die ual, Wolf is ready to return to his first section once more, there to quietly finish his song. Schubert, at ach werd' ich erst einmal, again introduces new material to form his final section, which is twenty-one meas ures in length, including a postlude. Wolf takes only ten measures to Complete his song. Aside from the length of the two songs, Wolf's being thirty-nine measures, Schubert's fifty-two, there is a degree of similarity in the general effect. Both portray the Harper for what Goethe intended him to be, though Wolf's tighter form gives more intensity to the emotional content than does Schubert's. Because of the length of Schubert's song, it requires considerable artistry on the part of the performer to maintain the atmosphere of melancholy the poem suggests. 100 Der Rattenfknger Der Rattenfunger was written after 1786, and belongs to Goethe's Italian period. Stylistically, Goethe, actually re turns to native themes in the half-ballad style of Der Ratten f izer. That is, he returns to a style of poetry he had apparently outlived.17 Seldom does a mature artist find it in himself to re trace his steps artistically, to recapture a mood long since outgrown. However, Goethets ability to retrieve the past is as remarkable as was his power to anticipate a mode for which the world was not ready.18 It would be easier to turn to the familiar Pied Piper of amlin of Robert Browning for an obvious analogy of Goethe 's RPfttefginer, than to suppose that there is any hidden signifi cance in Goethe's Ratcatcher. Goethe's hero is perhaps more human, boastful, especially in his powers over women. Like the Don Juan he fancies himself, he is a lutanist rather than a piper. He is a serenader as well as an enchanter.1 9 The words, written in Iambic meter, have such a musical and rhythmic drive that to set them becomes a challenge to any composer. There is humor, magic, and an irresistible lilt that cannot be denied. 1 7 Barker Fairley, editor, Goethe, Selected Poems (New York), p. 211. 1 8 Ibid. 1 9 Sams, Songs of Wolf, p. 126. 101 Der Rattenf~nger Ich bin der wohlbekannte S nger, Der vielgereiste RattenfAnger, Den diesel altber-{hmte Stadt Gewiss besonders n8tig hat. Und wrens Ratten noch so viele, Und wren Wiesel mit im Spiele, Von allen sRubr ich diesen Ort, Sie mssen miteinander fort. Dann ist der gut geoaunte Sanger Mitunter auch ein Kinderfgnger, Der selbst die wildesten bezwingt, Wenn er die goldnen Mrchen singt. Und warren Knaben noch so trutzig Und w!ren M&dchen noch so stutzig, In meine Saiten greif ich ein, Sie imssen alle hinterdrein. Dann ist der vielgewandte Snger Gelegentlich ei n M'dchenfRnger; In keinem St tdtchen iangt er an, Wo ers nicht mancher anogetan. Und w ren MRdchen noch so blde& , Und woren Weiber noch so spr8de, 102 Doch allen wird so liebeba-ng Bei Zaubersaiten und Gesang. 2 0 (Von Anfang) The Ratcatcher I am the well-known singer, The widely-travelled ratcatcher, Of which this famous old town Assuredly has particular need. And though the rats are everywhere, And weasels too are free to play, I'll purge this place of every one, Altogether they will quickly go. Then occasions rise to compel the singer To become a children catcher, Even the wildest he subdues When his golden fairy tales he sings. And though all boys are prone to sulk, And though all maidens hesitate, When I take up my lute, They all must follow after. Then at times the skillful singer Has occasion to be a maiden-catcher; 2 0 Fairley, Joethe, Collected Poems, p. 148. 103 In no town has he stayed for long But many a one has he become adapted to And though the maidens all are bashful And though the wives all are prudish, He courts them all, so anxious for love, 'With his magic lute and song. (from the beginning) Der Rattenf nper Franz. Schubert: Nachlass, Lieferungen, No. 3, Book 47 August 19, 1815. The introduction to Schubert's Der Rattenfnger seems to be of questionable authenticity.2 1 It consists of four measures and is based on material that a-,ppears in the body of the song. 2 The song is strophic in form with no variation in either accompaniment or vocal line. There is an interlude between each verse and the same interlude serves as a postlude for the song, the song being twenty-one measures in length. Goethe's poem suggests a return to the first verse for the conclusion. Schubert did not indicate such a repetition. The three verses are all that appear. The song's construction, however, is such that the first verse could be repeated. 21 Deutsch, Schubert Thematic Catalo~pue, pp. 115-116. 2 2 See Peters Edition, Band VI (No. 793), p. 54, for introduction cited. 104 The simple harmonies and occasional sequences produce a Volkslied atmosphere. The alla breve and the quick tempo are in keeping with the lilt of the words. The key is G major, and the song was apparently written for the tenor voice. (See Fig. 44.) I A lr Ar r T p 1 - 4~1~'ei 4L I -~--As i Lr Ar it IV I I I jp aff W 4;5" w W mop I Fig. 44-Der Rattenfafnger, measures 1 - 4 The simplicity of harmony is demonstrated in the opening measures of the song. The parallel thirds, having no bass, aPJow the lowered seventh in the first measure of the bass line to make an exposed entrance. The over-all harmonic structure is not as full nor as varied as is usually found in a Schubert song. In measures five through eight the musical setting is somewhat reminiscent of Schubert' s lnderers Nachtlied, where a similar accompaniment appears. The harmony suggests the dominant of the key (0 major) and the eighth note figure in measures seven and eight add Interest to the block chord feeling established in measures five and six. (See Fig. 45. The harmony in measures five and six consists of a pedal D (the dominant) over which its dominant is implied. 105 H4 FT AF I --- r, I-- I pp, 4g .foe. .7 L 'A AN 41 %ff w w AW Fig . 45--Der Rattenf{n-er, measures 5 - 8 Measure seven and eight have aprogression (116 I V)) in the key of the dominant which goes to the tonic in measure niine. In measures ten and eleven Schubert uses identical figures on the words und wAren's Ratten noch so viele. The harmony returns to the subdominant and the original tonic. (See Fig. 46.) I TV I I J---I am' I i 10 F 4) 14' I r Ir r. -66.t vi to - t" wo ,Sj MW to" Pik ti I I f- L A A 'An ml, -J of -- I I I IF 1 -1 -MIU Mi 61 J- I" Mf OFF Ir 11 W 10 ff--, +-q '1 14 .4m., 1. TT Fip,*,0 - 11-b"-D-er Rattenfgn-er, -Niea s ur e s 9 12 106 With the words und wren Wiesel mit im Spiele the music comes to a slight pause on the first inversion of the tonic (measure thirteen). (See Fig. 47.) Fig. K/Cd 47-e R at6e n- 0" lr, Mures 3 Mesrs7.Drte~ easures 1 fourteen through seventeen (See Fig. 47. ) com pride the last four measures of the voca1 line . The interlude that follows is aep#tition 1f the same material. There is ani eighth noue up-beat on the second line tr eble 2ftor the last wrd ft, which leados into th~e interlude. The same nterlu de follows after the second verse and the third verse, and thi. same music becomes tie postlude. With but one exception (measures five through soven) the mel ody of the vocal Iin~e is duplicated in the piano accompani ment. The music in this Lied is well matched to the words. 1 Th e VoLkslie style in whi ch the song is set is a suitable in which to catch t-e spirit of the poetry.Irm 107 Der Rattenfnger Hugo Wolf: Goetie Lieder, No. 11. November 6, 1888 Though Wolf was steeped in Wagnerian chromaticism, he nevertheless managed to compose a song com-paratively free of such harmonic involvements. He was thus able to concentrate on a rhythmic emphasis which conjured up a Ratcatcher of swashbuckling gaiety. Wolf's formal design is basically strophic. He uses the poetry as Goethe intended by repeating the first verse as a closing stanza to the song. The two middle verses resemble each other, but with some modifications. In turn, they are 'related to the first and last stanza (first verse repeated), but they use slightly modified phrases which add variety to the strophic form. A j h td4UEJr______J1 t 'As, r Aw : AF 7 Vff t I I A.0,11 AV -WI, -K JF 'I ON sonmopmemoloom -,v -i 10, io 6w Am M'AF7 AM Wfw AT AW Y -jW L- AM- m 'W' IN. IJW' I ja I A is ]1-;,6 t-da- L-a 11ok La I Ail I. -> Fig. 48--Der Rattenf nger, Measures 1 -7 108 The eir.ht-bar introduction, which announces the arrival of the u1iquitous Ratcatcher, returns after each stanza of the poem. HRowever, after the third stanza, it returns in a major key. After the last stanza, it returns in the original minor, but here the eight bars are extended into a twenty-two measure postlude. (See Fig. 48.) On the up-beat to measure nine the Ratcatcher makes his opening statement, having all the assurance of a successful business man. The piano simulates the sound of a lute being strummed and the Ratcatcher's melody, with its carefree Jilt, exudes a bravado calculated to command attention. (See Fig. 49.) A\r N ckv Ica~Nvimr- VIo~d 91Ce- e - / r 0 !_30 in I I ' -4.4 W :9 :9 b 1W ho C; 29 Rd :43 0 JW a I f r K I I I I -M I I L_ M f yj: 4~t 4.i ci1i -S4L 46- 11 -L 6. b . ttt*Mtoi S*" 44es Pig.~~~ ~ ~49-e h~atnf!gr 3,e sues8 T1 109 Wolf makes use of the natural minor as the A minor chords in measure nine progress to the minor dominant chords in measure ten. This progression is highly suggestive of the period (c. 1200) when the ratcatchers were presumed to have worked. The harmony is distributed so that there is only one chord per measure from measure nine through measure thir teen. Measures fourteen through sixteen have only two chords per measure and at measure seventeen the single chord dis tribution returns. Only the position of the chord changes here. Measure sixteen has a change to A major . This chord acts as a pivot to the following chords. (See Fig. 50.)' F- Rttenf-nKer, Measures 16 - 18 The harmony, though still based on triads and secondary dominants, has a transient modulation beginning in measure sixteen to 0 sharp minor in measure eighteen. The particular progression in measures seventeen and eighteen occurs in all four verses in exactly the same way on the words und wren's, or wren as the word appears in other stanzas. 110 I U IF uI[ HA Ai I Fig. 51--Der Rattenfgnper, easures 19 21 The effect of jumping from the B major triad to the one in D minor (measures nineteen and twenty) is as if Der Ratten fngnger had suddenly come upon a wily weasel. Harmonically, Wolf has skipped two modulations in the cycle of fifths. That is, the progression in cycle would be B major (dominant of E major or minor) to E major, which becomes the dominant of A major, and the A major, in turn, becomes the dominant of D major, or minor, as is this case at measures nineteen and twenty. The A major returns in measure twenty-one, still functioning as a dominant of D minor. (See Fig. 5. ) The seven measures, starting at measure twenty-two, while retaining the same harmonic design for verses one, two, and four, become slightly different in treatment in verse three. Verse three finds this same material extended slightly. The descending and ascending octaves in measures twenty-two through twenty-four suggest the scampering rodents who follow after the sound of the magic melodies invoked by the Ratcat cher. As if suiting the action to the words von allen sgub r ill ich diesen Ort (I'll purge this place of every one), the ro dents obey the hypnotic spell cast over them. The alternate dominant-tonic of the transitory D minor key is interrupted by the diminished seventh in measure twenty-four. (See Fig. 52.) M Oksv QAt Fig. 52--Der Rattenfgnger, Measures 22 - 24 The following two measures (measures twenty-five and twenty-six) leading back to the original A minor, show Wolf to be completely the master of harmonic design. Here he bor rows from C sharp minor, using its dominant in third inversion 4 i...... Fig. 53--Der Rattenfn 'Measures 25 - 28 112 as a chromatic progression to the flat submediant (with lowered seventh), which functions as a Germain sixth going to the tonic six-four of the original A minor. Undoubtedly, Wolf uses the wrong spelling of the chords in measures twenty-five and twenty-six to facilitate reading. (See Fig. 53.) The melismatic treatment of miteinander (altogether) further suggests the incantation with which the Ratcatcher entices the vermin to follow him. The progression under this passage in the accompaniment leads back to the dominant of A minor, followed by the original introductory material now serving as an interlude before the next stanza of the poem. The last word of the first stanza, fort, ends on the tonic A following the B in measure twenty-eight. The interlude recalls the entrance of the Ratcatcher. At the end of the interlude, which has a cadence in A minor, there is only a semblance of a pause, for on the down-beat Fig. 54--Der Rattenfbn-er, Measures 37 - 40 113 of the followLng measure there is a direct modulation to G major. However, the modulation is transient, for after the dominant of G, there is quick transition to F major. This chord is the submediant of the original A minor, and it is followed by the dominant of that key. (See Fig. 54.) The melody here is more lyric as the Ratcatcher describes his ability to charm the children. Even the wildest ones he subdues when he sings his golden fairy tales to them. Wolf 's delicacy of treatment here is in marked contrast to the swag gering boldness the rest of the song conveys. (See Fig. 55.) -- dC' PF die wt -cle, - 's to 0 .4.0 A WWO A.A M' el i L io Z OEL bv .4 .7 IL 64 _74 "JI -to JW '.ii I 'A Lk I Ap Ml I" QW, I 7 Fig. 55--Der Rattenf~Ler, Measures 41 - 46 114 In measure forty-seven there is a return to what amounts to the refrain. Here the up-beat leads into Und wren Knaben noch so trutzig. The melody is the same as in measures eighteen through twenty-one. Here the Ratcatcher resumes his boasting style once more as he intimates that no matter how sulky the boys are, or how hesitating the girls may be, -none Fig. 56-Der Battenfne, Jeasures 53 aid 54 can resist his magic lute, and all must follow after him. Measure fifty-two corrsponds to measure twenty-twro, but in measure rity-three, the roles of voice nd piano re reverse from that oF measure twenty-three. (See Fi. 56.) ile the piano descends in the natural minor of D, the voice ascends in the melodic minor in measure fifty-three. In measure fifty four a return to the dominant of D minor is hinted at only to be supplanted by a diminished seventh on the second beat . The children seemingly represented by the double octaves in meas ures fifty-three and fifty-four, attempt to go their separate ways, but the Ratcatcher's spell works its magic power. On 115 the diminished seventh chord, they are compelled to follow the conjurer, as intimated by the ascending octaves at the word ein. From measure fifty-five to sixty-five there is a repe tition of music heard in measures twenty-five to thirty-six, with one exception. The words, sie mIssen alle hinterdrein (they all must follow after), call for a different arrangement in the melodic line, as sho;n in Figure 57. Fig5--Der Rattenf~nger, Measures 55 -. 58 In the third verse, the words follow the. same melodic pattern as that of th e second verse. However, th e words here iner an insinuting mariner, since this particular fct of the Ratcatcher's cha'raoter shows him to be somtewhat o. & Don Jun, or so h e belie~ves himself to be. He imports the nfor mation tha~t his skill as a 5inger enables him, on oc dasion, to become amaioencatcher. He Ilso states that while he never stays long~ in any town, there are many in which he has made himself qui familiar. Even if the maidens ar bashful and the wives are prudish, the Ratoatcher courts them ll. All ar susceptible o love, especially when they hear his mic lute and s11ie easu e eighty-two is the same as measure 116 twenty-two in the first verse and fifty-two in the second verse. The measures which follow are an extension of the musical material found in a similar r place in verses one and two. (See Fig. 58.) alms Alk p" I J'R s V7 fi, I 14 I V, IL IdWAY lw I r rm V,.& j A pp, A V/ A AL As U IT Ilk 'A A4- AP*C- A.W r It 7"1 1 1 1 &4 9IUr r. -1 1 V"t I A tt VF ! - dK O t f J I A rAFIA/ NX I rk I IIA A r-A IL-01 I PF A k4 t; Of 'w 6 Y Y i V Y- IF Y, C, 1? Iv V IT Fig. 58--Der Rattenfnoger, Measures 83 - 90 In measures eighty-thre and eighty-four there is a demonstration of Wolf t s chromaticism, Which he uses to enhance the sustained vocal line that suggests that Der Rattenf-nser is very suave in persuading the ladies that he is the one to satisfy their need for love. In measures eighty-nine and ninety, the introductory material returns, this time in the major key. (See Figs. 58 and 59.) 117 9 ~ii If) FrK "I IL2 Fig. 59--Der Rattenfanger, Measures 92 - 97 The major key in Figure fifty-nine changes the brashly boastful air the minor key had previously evoked to one of complete self-satisfaction as -the Ratcatcher remembers past conquests in affairs of the heart. In measure ninety-seven the contrary motion of the upper and lower piano parts is reversed to what it has been in similar places in the song. (See Fig. 49, measure 8.) With this cadence ending in A major, the Ratcatcher is ready to move on. The first stanza begins again in the original A minor. There is no change in the repetition of the first stanza until the final postlude, which is again an extension of the introductory material. At measure 124, the repeated eighth note pattern in the left hand of the piano cart replaces the dotted quarter notes as they appear in measure 96. (See Fig.59.) 118 The material becomes a four-measure statement which is repeated an octave lower in measures 128 through 131. (See Fig. 60.) Fig. 60--Der fattenftnger, lxesures 124 -127 In measure 131, the same music occurs as in measure 127, the lowe E in the left hand. being sustained through the en tire measure, and the last chord in the right hnd containing, an added EL step above the D. Here, also, a stac ato effect begins on tihe last thr ee notes ol measu re 131, which is con tiucd through measure 135. (See Fig. 61. ) Fig. 61-r-Der Rattenfinge, Measures 152 - 135 As the Ratcatcher figuratively movos off, the little fragmentary pattern }egun at the end of measure 131 is con tinued, and in incasuire 136 to the end, the sixteenth notes continue ascending until the Ratcatcher seems to vanish into thin air. (See Fig. 62.) -Ata 1 I I v A 1 I - N - A"mo LLl +1w 7- - lul Fig. 62--Der Ra tenf nger, Measures 136 139 Wolf has treated his material like an orchestral scherzo, and in essence, the spirit of the scherzo comes through in this song. Here is a musical setting that portrays a figure who is like rGoethe's Mephistopheles. He is also a teller of delicate fairy tales. There is irony as Der Rattenfner describes his way with women, who, in their eagerness for love, are no i ferent than the vermin that are swayed by his magic lute. A Comparative Analysis of Schubert and Wolf on Der Rattenfnrger The manner in which Wolf establishes the mood of the poetry is displayed in the very beginning of his version. While the introduction to Schubert's setting may not be his, some attempt has been made to establish a mood. It is pos sible the Goethe poetry did not strike the responsive chord in Schubert that it did in Wolf. 120 To relegate each verse of the poem to exactly the same musical material, as Schubert did, suggests that the subtle ties within each verse were not sufficient to warrant other than his adhering to the simplest strophic form. The songs where Schubert has used the strophic form successfully generally express a single, overpowering idea such. as that in Uneduld, a Lied in the well-known cycle Die schne Ii'llerin. But Der Rattenf naer is not this type of poem. It may be conceded that the variations on the single idea as expressed in Goethe's poem do offer an argument in favor of. Schubert's approach, but it must be pointed out that Wolf did use the strophic form. What he did with the form marks the difference between Wolf's great Lied and Schubert's somewhat less than great song. There is no questioning Schubert's declamation. He has ably fit the words to the melodies, but what has served well for the first stanza does not lend itself to the subsequent second and third verses. It is particularly noticeable on the words der selbst die wildesten bezwint in the second verse, which refers to the wildest child being subdued. The first verse at this point refers to the famous old town. Wolf uses a different melody in his second verse, which sets it apart as a different idea from that of the first verse. Schubert's setting makes more demands on the artistry of the singer, for in order to sing the same melody to different word meanings requires a special ability. 122 The highest notes in Schubert's song serve for the singer to convey three entirely different word pictures. When he Must sing wenn er die goldnen M!rchen singt to the same melody to which he has previously sung -ewiss besonders ntI hat it must require an excellent imagination indeed. The first verse points to the assumed need the town has for the Ractcher's services, while the second verse describes the Ratcatcher's golden fairy stories. With the third verse the performer must let his listeners Inow the implications in the line wo era's nicht Mancher ange-Pan. Wolf is much easier on the singer, for the vocal line in the second and third verses at this same point are written to be sung in the manner the words describe. Both Schubert's melody for the words Und wAren's Ratten noah so viele, und ren Wiesel mit im S~pile and Wolf's melody, in his version of the poem, are repeated in exactly the same way for all stanzas. While Wolf uses the same material for all his verses as used at von lIen Sgubrt ich diesen Ort, he varies it enough to reveal the subtle differences in thought. The third verse at this particular section of the song even uses an extension of the same material heard in verses one and two, and Wolf adds a c limactic ending to the third verse to further lend variety to the song. Perhaps the greatest difference in the two songs lies in their initial conception. Schubert conceived of his song, to 122 judge by the results, as one Projecting a Volkslied atmos phere, while Wolf wust have thought in terms of the old Balladee, a form that found use when supernatural events were described. Admittedly, this would be stretching a point,- for Goethe only hints at such events in Der Rattenfbnger. However, Wolf seems to have effected a compromise with his modified strophic form. In using his introductory material as he did, notably by expanding it into the long postlude, Wolf changes his song from that of a strictly strophic category. Grenzen der Menschheit The poem, Grerzen der Menschheit, first published in 1789, originally bore the title Ode. Herder, who made a copy of the poem in September 1781 with the latter title, provides the on]ly clue to its date of origin. It, like Wanderers Nachtlied, is a product of the Sturm und Drang period of Goethe's artistic growth, but chronologically it came one year later than Wanderers Nachtlied.23 Genzen der Menschheit is frequently associated with the earlier poem Prometheus as a means of comparing Goethe's in tellectual growth. While Prometheus defiantly proclaims that human aspIration knows no limitation, Grenzen der M'enschAeit humbly suggests that there is. The latter poem is based on the premise that mortals cannot compare themselves with the 25Eastman, Goethes Poe-ms, p. 145. 123 gods, and that humanity is as a ripple upon the surface of a tremendous river that sweeps past the faces of the supernal beings.24 Goethe's poem opens in a worshipful mood. The Eternal Heavenly Father is described as a bestower of blessings that appear in the form of lightenings that come down from billow ing clouds. For the benefits derived from this dispensation the poet figuratively kisses the hem of the Father's garment. Inspired with childlile awe, he has faith in his heart. The first stanza of the poem reflects a Christian con cept of the God of the universe. In keeping with that child like understanding of the nature of God, it represents spirit as a divine personality. The subsequent stanzas, while sug gesting a pagan approach in their reference to gods as opposed to the monotheistic leanings of the first st anza, actually use the pagan theology as a means of expressing a pantheistic conception of the universe. The pantheistic doctrine holds that the universe, taken or conceived as a whole, is God. It further states that there is no God but the combined forces and laws which are manifested in the existing universe. The second stanza begins by stating that no man can ever measure himself with the gods. The pantheistic tenet is re vealed when it is said that man is the plaything of the forces of nature. The gods then, in Goethe's poem, suggest a repre sentation of forces above the basic elements in nature which 24 Ibid. 124 impose a universal law by which all things are ordered. Though man may reach the stars, he cannot fathom the mystery of their existence. The third stanza describes the more obvious means by which man measures himself, and even when he compares his stature with that of the oak tree or the vine, he is found wanting, The last two stanzas define man's ultimate Position in the universal order. They state that while man is necessary to the gods' existence (universal law), individually, he is but one of the countless generations that flow in an unending streak (the life force) past the timeless gods. The figurative gods again represent universal law, and dwell in a realm be yond MLan s under standing or hope of at tainment. Grenzen der MenscJheit Wenn der uralte, Heilige Vater Mit gelassener Hand Aus rollenden Wolken Segnende Blitze Iber die Erde sat, Iss ich den letzten Saum seines Kleides, Kindliche Schauer Treu in der Brust. 123 Denn mit G8ttern Soll sich nicht lessen Irgendein Mensch. Hebt er sich aufwgrts Und ber9hrt Mit dem Scheitel die Sterne, Nirgends haften dann Die unsichern Sohlen, Und mit ihm spielen Wolken und Winde. Steht er mit festen Markigen Knochen Auf der wohlgegrndeten Dauernden Erde, Reicht er nicht auf, Nur mit der Eiche Oder der Rebe Sich zu vergleichen. Was underscheidet Gtter von Menschen? Dass viele Wellen For jenen wandeln, Ein ewiger Strom: Uns hebt die WYielle, 126 Verschlingt die Welle, Und wir versinken. Ein kleiner Ring Begrenzt unser Leben Und viele Geschlechter Reihen sich dauernd An ihres Daseins Unendliche Kette. 2 5 The Limits of Mankind Nhen the Eternal Heavenly Father With his calm hand From the billowing clouds Sows his beneficent lightnings Over the earth, I kiss the lowest Hem of his garment, In childlike awe With faith in my heart. For with the gods No man at any time may Measure himself. And though he rise 25 Ibid., p. 31. 127 So that his head touches the stars, Nowhere does his uncertain Feet find footing, And he is the plaything Of clouds and winds. Though he stands Strong-limbed and vigorous Upon the well-grounded Enduring earth, His stature does not reach Up to the oak Or even the vine By comparison. 'What distinguishes The gods from men? It is that countless waves Flow past the gods In an unending stream: A billow lifts us for a time, Then engulfs us, And we sink. A little ring Encompasses our life 128 And many generations Are successively linked In an unending chain To the gods' existence. Grenzen der Menschheit Franz Schubert: Nachlass, Lieferung, Book 14. No. 1. February-March, 1821 The poem presents a challenge to the composer seeking to recreate the immensity of Goethe's thoughts in musical terms. Schubert, in his Lied, employs a compositional means that almost anticipates Wagner. In the opening measures of the accompaniment, Schubert presents a short rhythmic and melodic figure upon which the song is based. (See Fig. 63.) AAM Fig. 63--Grenzen der enschheit, Measures 1 6 While the leit motif is primarily associated with Wagner, and Wolf after him, here is a clear demonstration of a single musical idea functioning as a motivic design. This pattern, however, never appears as it does in the illustration (Fig. 63.), but is always accompanied by full harmonic support. The me lodic contour indicated is merely a means of presenting a clear picture of the basic element upon which the song is 129 built, Reference will be made to this melodic and rhythmic design throughout the analysis. Its constant recurrence suggests the chain of humanity with which Goethe's poem is concerned. There are a few instances in the song where it does not appear in the form described, as in measures thirty-three through forty-eight in the first stanza of the poem. (See. Figs. 69, 70, and 71, pP. 135 and 136) Modifications of the motif appear, as in measures ninety-two through ninety-five (See Fig. 77, p. 143), but the variations are not sufficient to alter either its characteristic design or function. The formal structure is based generally on Goethe's poetic form. The introduction of sixteen measures sets the mood for not only the first stanza of poetry, but for the en tire song. Man's place in the cosmos is immediately repre sented by the opening Motif. He is the chain upon which universal law exerts its power, but he is also the balancing force for which universal law exists. This section is forty eIght measures in length. The first stanza of poetry, including the introduction, comprises the first section of music. Aman's conception of the Heavenly Father is depicted, and his childlike faith in his God is also represented. The first section, including the in troduction is forty-eight measures in length. The second stanza of poetry begins after a four measure Modulatory interlude in the piano part. Man, in this stanza, 130 attempts to measure himself with the gods, but becomes a toy of the elements of clouds and wind. The second section of the song, including the four-measure interlude, consists of thirty-one measures. The third stanza of the poem, as well as the third sec tion of the song, begins after an eight measure modulatory interlude. This interlude begins in the key the previous section ended on. It serves not only in a modulatory capa city, but it also re-establishes the motif's original form. The third stanza pictures man's attempt to compare his stat ure with the oak tree and the vine. The fourth stanza commences almost without pause, for only two measures separate the third stanza (seventeen measures) from the fourth stanza. The fourth stanza reduces man to what he is in relation to universal law. It is presented musically in twelve measures. With the interlude that preceded the third stanza, the third stanza itself, the two-measure interlude between the third and fourth stanza, and the fourth stanza itself, the longest section is completed. It contains forty-nine measures. The fifth and final stanza of the poem begins after an other five measure piano interlude. Again the interlude is modulatory, but this time it re-establishes not only the key of the original E major, but resets the mood of the song's introduction. The eleven measures employed for the opening lines of the final stanza, a one-measure interlude of one chord, nine measures to end the final stanza, and a four- 131 measure postlude to end the fourth section compn letes the song. The final section, including the elements detailed, consists of thirty measures. The entire song is 159 measures in length. The Lied seems to fit the through-composed struc ture despite the return of the music of the opening stanza for 'the final section. The motivic figure, which represents the connecting link to all the sections of the song, tends to unify the whole composition. The alla breve and the tempo marking Nicht zu langsam (Not too slow) appear at the beginning of the song. The key signature of E major is the primary tonic key, though Schubert makes many modulatory departures from this tonic, as in the very opening six measures of introduction. Despite the auftakt or anacrusis being the fifth degree of the tonic triad, Schubert makes it serve as the leading tone to Cma jor, in which key the opening& six measures begin. The beginning pro gression after the leading tone up-beat (I - V - vi - iii 6 IV - ii 4 ) is followed by the dominant of E minor in measure six. (See Fig. 64.) all 4n-An1111 62-v---ei,_ e I ecues1 132 The up-beat octaves on the B in measure six again load into C major in a continuation of the introduction. The motivic figure changes position, this time the fifth of the C major triad appears in the upper voice in measure seven (See Fig. 65.) while the E in both the bass and in the middle voice is sounded again on the second beat. In the last of Fig. 65--Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 7-13 measure eight the octave C's move up a half-step to C sharp in measure nine as the 0 in the lowest part of the C major chord in measure eight ascends a half-step to A sharp in measure nine. The uppermost G is held in measure nine while the E in both the bass and middle voice are repeated as in measure seven. The resultant diminished seventh chord is re peated as an auftakt into measure eleven where it resolves to a tonic six-four of E major. The dominant sevenths of E major in measure twelve change position and then resolve to a tonic six-four on E major over a pedal B in the bass. In measure fourteen, the dominant sevenths repeat the same pro cedure an octave lower that they did in measure twelve, and in measure fifteen only the octave F sharp dropping to the B is heard. 133 il 11 - I I I -- 0L v l -r - - I I &/ I I A11 de *-t IVI -tev goir Wtn Y Y-CL-t at' e te V0: Fig. 66--Grenzen der 2Ienschheit, Measures 16 - 21 At measure sixteen the figure established in the begin ning of the introduction returns. Here the progression is from the tonic to the subdominant as the voice. enters (See Fig. 66.). The -melody here is broad, dignified and worship ful. The bi-modal tonality is heard at measure eighteen, followed by the dominant of E with a four-three suspension. -1 111 tI1 Fig. 7-G-enze der lesnet- He~tu 22- 27 k 134 Beginning with measure twenty-two the material of the previous four measure phrase is expanded into a six measure phrase. From measure twenty-two to measure thirty-two the rhythmin the accompaniment is modified so that it appears as the following figure: . The tonality changes with the third inversion of the dominant seventh in measure twenty-four. Here @ new dominant-tonic relation is heard, this time in C sharp minor (the relative minor of the original key). (See Fig. 67.) The broad vocal. line continues over the changing tonal ity, as if the calm hand of the Heavenly Father were dispen sing his beneficent blessings upon his children. The C sharp minor chord heard at the end of measure twenty-seven acts as a pivot chord (the mediant) into the new key of A major, for in measure twenty-eight the dominant of A major follows the mediant. (See Fig. 68.) The dominant of A major leads to a J -SCi V i =1l#A k! 2 6 Fig. 8-G-renzen der Mens chheit, Measures 28 - 29 135 first inrvesion of the new tonic in measure twenty-eight. Again the modified motivic figure is heard alternating be tween the dominant seventh on the strong beat and the tonic after the second beat. The accompaniment repeats the same figure which appears in measures twenty-eight and twenty-nine in the following two measures while the vocal line repeats exactly the same melody for the words iJber die Erde s!t as was used for s Enende Blitze. (See Fig. 68.) The accompani ment repeats the same harmonic sequence (shown at measure twenty-nine) in measure thirty-two while the vocal line pauses. The following eight measures (measures thirty-two to forty) are repeated in a similar fashion to form measures forty-one through forty-eight. Here, for the first time, the rhythmic pattern is changed. (See Fig. 69.) The music in the preceding measures (measures sixteen to thirty-two), through k~d~dew OP Z* SA10 . se -,s F F F k %'e ev O "e ###I: X i Fig. 69--Grenzen der Mensecbeit, Measures 33 - 36 its brod vocal line, has depicted the ruler of the universe. By contrast the shorter rhythmic character inherent in the melodic line of measures thirty-three through thirty-six 136 suggests a more personal god. The music of the introduction, the major-minor aspects of the tonic, and the immediately pre ceding key of A major, serve to make the E major of measures; thirty-three through forty-eight a refreshingly naive ex pression of child-like faith. The music of these eight measures (measures thirty-three through forty), the continu ation of which is illustrated in Figure 70, is repeated, but with slight modification, (See Fig. 70.) 1 % 1ILA so-ka L4 in Jey.- f3ewst I/ it It I IA f m ir Aoj -1 H V., 'r 0 W-01 m M K- M,Al Ar_I IOU do IV *Pal1. . I I- I - - Fig. 70--Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 37 - 40 Then the music, beginning with the line kss ich den letzten (mea sures forty-one through forty-eight), commences v ce. Fig. 71--Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 41 - 48 2 6 Schubert inadvertently uses tief instead of Goethe's word treu. 137 the repetition of measures thirty-three through forty, the vocal line is a third higher than before. While the accom paniment is essentially the same as before, there is a slight rearrangement of the melody in the bass line at measures forty-two and forty-four. The quarter notes on A, G sharp, F sharp, G sharp in measure thirty-four (See Fig. 69, p. 135.) are changed to a repeated two-note figure of A to G sharp in measures forty-two and forty-four. (See Fig. 71.) The D sharp in the bass in measure thirty-five becomes the root of the dominrant-seventh chord of E major at measure forty-three. With the words tief in der Brust the first section closes. Fig. 72--Grenzen der Mnsceit, Measures 49 - 51 With a foui-measure interlude (See Figs. 72 and 73.), the second stanza of the poem begins. The E in the upper voice of the accompaniment forms a connecting link with the key of C major which follows, while the low E in the bass descends step-wise through a lowered seventh and sixth degree of the melodic minor of E. However, the use of the F sharp trill in the middle voice implies the dominant of the dominant of C major. The siXth degree of E minor assumes the position of the temporary tonic of C ma jor. With the up-beat leading into measure fifty-three, a sequential pattern is begun in both the 138 piano and vocal line. (See Fig. 73.) Following the melodic line, using the words Denn mit G8ttern, an extended sequence using the words sol sich niclht messen ir enDd eiT Mensch is heard beginnin a minor third below. This sequence begins in measure fifty-five. The A minor chord in measure fIffty-four serves as a pivot chord, for it is at once the submediant of C major and the tonic of A minor. The key of C ma jor returns in -measure fifty-seven with the A minor serving as the sub mediant again. I;.., : UM' I T 40M I i 4 Sd 11 e s .se de VN ;ck. A n, 71 -AL, uv -A --- A 4 : Ar, k-k' ZZ N, FJ' jar, X7 IAO Fig. 73-Grenzen der Menschheit, Measure Schubert in using the sequential design in measures fifty three through fifty-nine seems to imply man's attempt to measure himself with the gods. The descending pattern on minor thirds with the ultimate skip of a fifth down on e.n M-ensch in measures fifty-eight and fifty-nine serves to show the vast disparity between thei gods and man in the order of the uni verse. 139 \/CI C. L) L I i7 I erieoyifot dw 4 Fig. 74--Grenzen der 14enschheit, Measures 60 - 63 The vocal line in measures sixty through sixty-three (See Fig. 74.) is again of a sequential nature, though more modified than Previously. The accompaniment continues in the regular .design established in measures fifty-two through fifty five. (See Fig. 73.) The word Mensch in measure fifty-nine ended on C major. The auftakt to measure sixty is an E minor chord, the sub mediant of C major. It is also the parallel minor of E major, and in this capacity it is followed by the dominant of B major. Another E minor chord follows, and it, in turn, re solves to the dominant. On the words und ber&hrt the accom paniment goes immediately to F minor. In measure sixty-three on the word berJhrt in the vocal line the dominant of F minor appears, followed again by another F minor chord which resolves to its dominant of C major. The leap of the ninth in the voice part in measure sixty-one depicts man's constant striving to reach upward to touch the stars. The shifting accompaniment, achieved by the diminished seventh chord resolving to the G minor chord in measures sixty four and sixty-five, and the sequence which follows one degree 140 lower in measures sixty-six and sixty-seven, suggests the illusion of the ground beneath inan as offering no sure foot ing as he becomes the plaything of the clouds and winds. The vocal line in its d scending pattern adds to the illusion by outlining the diminished seventh chords. (See Fig. 75.) t'_: ,K I I I _A__ _I_ _1___ __, 112f'4- vo. __J _IT K ~~o, Fig. 75--GrenZen der Menschheit, Meas.ures 64 - 71 The up-beat into measure sixty-four is the minor third of , minor. At measure sixty-four a diminished seventh chord appears under the vocal line nirgends haqften dann, and at the word dann a minor chord occurs. A sequence follows ste lower, wiich uses an other diminished seventh chord which re solveS to the F minor chord in measure sixty-seven. There 141 is an extension of the sequence on the submediant of F minor, but it returns to the F major on the descending octave skip in the. vocal line with the word Winde in measures seventy and seventy-one. The range of the closing part of the second section (measures seventy-two through seventy-nine), which is but an exact repetition of measures sixty-four through seventy one, extends from an upper E flat to a low F. At measures eighty through eighty-seven there is a tran sitional interlude, which starts in the key of F maor, est ablished at the end of the second section. This interlude actually belongs to both the previous section and the third section which follows. The motif figure is also re-established. From the F major the harmony makes a chromatic modulation to the dominant of the original E major. A suggestion of the C major is given in measure eighty-four with an approach similar to the opening measure of the introduction. The third of the C major chord (E) is in the upper voice this time where pre vious appearances of the chord had resPectively the root and the fifth. The C major chord in second inversion progresses to anE minor chord in the first inversion at measure eighty 'ive. In this same measure there is a startling progression from an octave E sharp to a B major triad in second inversion. The E sharp in this case actually presages the F sharp major triad that follows the B major chord, since it is the leading tone to that chord. The relation of the F sharp triad to the B major triad is that of the dominant of the dominant of E major. 142 Fig. 76--Grezen der Menschheit, Measures 88 - 89 The third stanza of the poem and the third section of the song begin at measure eighty-eight. (See Fig. 76.) The tonality here utilizes the dominant of the dominant relation ship (V - I - V - V of V). The voice enters on the tonic of E major, but on the second beat, and uses the raised A sharp in anticipation of the dominant of the dominant relationship to follow in measure eighty-nine. Measures ninety and ninety one a r e exact duplicates of the previous two measures with the words markligen, Knochen fitted to the same melodic figure as were the words Steht er it .festen. In measures ninety-two through ninety-six the accompani ment assumes a rhythmic figure ( J eI ), which harmonically progresses from the dominant of the dominant on the first beat of the measure to the dominant on the second beat. (See Fig. 77.) The melodic line (measures ninety-four and ninety-five), with the words dauernden Erde, is a modified sequence of measures ninety-two and ninety-three. In measure ninety-six the accompaniment continues the same pattern that oegan in measure ninety-two, except the anacrusis in measure 143 I AV2 jklk I~- t F PF 31 WWI__4 PW JdL" Iwo WF AIR cz *_Amwpol IC 7rZ%V.., -000' Fig. 77- Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 92 - 95 ninety-six repeats the F sharp major triad as it occurred in the first part of the measure. T.he up-beat triad resolves to a B minor chord in measure ninety-seven, acting as the dominant of B minor. The two musical phrases in measures 97 through 104 are based on a four measu re. melody followed by modified sequence of the same 1ength. (See Fig. 78.) Voice ILL.1-----1K - 6V LOm' avf I" ViLAY tn. Fig. 78-Grenzen er Menschhelit, measures 97 - 104 With the words rec"'t er ni ht auf, the melody begins on the iiith degree of the B minor c h.ord. The ha..irmonie s change only once in every measure so that the sequence of chords consists 7 7 o4 the pattern: i - Vi - VI (V of III) - III - i. This progression is repeated in measures 101 through 104. 144 Another modulation at measure 104, where the word ver Leichen has just ended the preceding phrase, leads to G minor. The mediant chord of the key of B minor becomes the do-minant of the new G minor. The motivic figure returns in measure 104 to form the rhythmic back round. A two-measure interlude using the same figure occurs (measures 105 and 106) after which the voice enters on the fifth of the triad in G minor. This begins the fourth stanza of the poem. (See Fig. 79.) Fig. 79-Green der Mencheit, Masures 107 - 112 The motif returns in measure 108 with the same harmonies. A whole note value is given to the G minor triad and the dotted half returns to the dominant of G minor. In measure 109 the phrase is extended so that the 0 minor harmony is retained for two measures. In the bass and alto voices of the accompani ment, a lower neighboring tore on the second beat of measure 110 (0 sharp) leads into the dominant of C minor again. The entire third section of the song is a continuation of man' s finite thinking. Each new comparison evokes a new set of musical phrases that are all related, yot different in precise content. nen man inquires as to the difference between the 7ods and himself, he 1kns mankind unto an endless 145 sea of mortal beings being swept inexorably past the unmoving gaze of the gods. The melody which begins in measures 113 through 114 is followed by an extended sequence in measures 115 through 118. (See Fig. 80.) The undulating pattern formed by this melody V LAY ~I I F I IMEf v~ie L~ ~ ' .tJ~ 1 7 8 Fig. 0--Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 113 - 118 and its sequence catches a feelin, of each mortal being carried by a stream in unending waves which lift him for awhile. After a short modulatory interlude, which began with the up beat into measure 119 and ended in measure 120, the vocal line, beginning with the words uns hebt die Welle repeats the pattern heard in measures 113 through 116 one whole step higher. The representation of the waves implied in the melodic pattern continues until, with the words und wir versinken (measures 125 through 130 ), man is finally engulfed. (See Fig. 81.) 146 A 11A W; I I 1w, I L Tu 4" 6- W. A 44 I t7, 0 Ile st JA '-77 NOW" A4 7 X t 1. 11011- A" Arli Awl Ir Ar VIA A001, iv Li I AA -bAr W U-1I- 41, - , k, F -wr VeY$ 4)l 'i'r vr-sr A I 'Ar I# I I JU I L PF WWI 49W ol, r'. tv 411 4 ______ Fig. 81--Grenzen der MEnscheit, Measures 119 - 130 With the repeated words und wir versinken (measures 127 through 130), the third section closes. A four-measure inter lude, employing the motif figure that has permeated the song, leads back to tne repetition of the same material that ap peared in the opening stanza of the song. (See Fig. 66, p.r33. ) The chords of the interlude are but different positions of the dominant seventh of E ma jor with a flat nine. At measure 134 a tonic six-four of E major goes to the dominant seventh of E major and then leads to the tonic in root position. Appropriately, the words Ein kleiner Rin& beprenzt unser Leben, are set to the same melody as the opening verse, for the song itself has made a complete circle. The line und 147 viele. G-schlechter reihen sich dauernd1 is set to the same melody as at measure sixteen through twenty-one (See Fig. 66, P. 133.). One more measure is added in which the submediant appears as a rajor triad, functioning as the dominant of 0 sharp minor. With an ihres Daseins unendliche Kette, the last line of the fifth stanza is given. Here the melody is similar to measure thirty-seven, except that the word unendliche remains on B until the word Kette outlines the tonic triad in a de scending figure. (See Fig. 82.) In the repetition of the words, another variation is given, still using the same ac companiment that appears in the first setting of the last line. (See Fig. 69, P. 135.) Voice ILI Fig. 82--Frenzendr nschhei, Measures 147 - 155 There is a fonur-mesure postlude in which the las lo E of the voice part is repeated by octave E's in a rhythmic figure of a quarter and two half notes. -The plagel cadence is extended by the progression I - IV -iv 6 ~-I& 148 The most striking feature of this song lies in the way the motif figure moves throughout the song. Upon it the whole song is built. It appears in sequential patterns aImost en tirely independent of the vocal line. The vocal line has its own sequences that move either independently or in conjunction with the motific figure. The exception is found where both voice and piano come together, as in the line Mss' ich den letzten Saum seines Kleides at measures thirty-three through thirty-six. (See Fig. 69, p. 135.) The constantly shifting tonality is in keeping with the changing shades of meaning implied in the words, and while the form is seemingly less constrained than found in other Schubert songs, a unifying effect is achieved through the motif figure. Grenzen der Menschheit Hugo Wolf: Goethe-Lieder, No. 51. January 9, 1889. Grenzen der Menscheit, while numbered as the last of Wolf's Goethe-Lieder, is actually the twenty-eighth in order of composition. Wolf conceived his song in broad structural terms, especially in his rhythmic designs. It is written in duple meter, with the half note as the time division (2/2), and is given a very sustained (Sehr gehalten) tempo marking. In setting Goethe's poem, Wolf gives strict attention to having his Lied coincide in its musical divisions to Goethe's five poetic divisions. The song is through-composed. After six measures -introduction, the voice enters with the words of the fi-r stan z. The fJrst stanza is nineteen measures in 149 length and is followed by two measures of piano alone. This section, including the introduction, is twenty-seven measures in length. The second stanza of poetry and the second section con sist of twenty-seven measures. The poetic lines are divided into eijt musical measures each for three lines, followed by three measures of piano part. The third stanza is set to sixteen measures, followed by three measures of piano interlude. These nineteen measures comprise the -third section. The fourth stanza begins with the same music that began the first four measures of the second stanza. There is a fermata at the end of the fourth measure of this stanza, after which the fourth stanza continues for sixteen measures. The word versink~en which closes the fourth stanza is followed by two measures of piano interlude which lead into the beginning of the fifth and last stanza of the poem. Twenty-two measures comprise the fourth section, including the two measure inter lude. The fifth stanza and. fifth section are thirty-one measures in length, and contain fifteen measures of the vocal line and sixteen measures of postlude. The introduction, which is six measures in length, is built on a stately processional type of rhythmic movement. The key of A minor, in which the song begins, suggests a more 150 somber picture of the Heavenly Father than Schubert s C major oDening to his setting of the poem. (See Fig. 83.) // 1?0 I I LsL' ~ ~bvW___ Fig. 83--Grerzen der Drenschheit, Measures 1 - 6 The vocal line enters on the last half of the second beat in measure six. The first note is tied over the down beat of measure seven. HTere the accompaniment begins again the same measured pace with which the introduction began. The sae harmonic progression (i - iv - 1 - vi I- PII - V) is reoeated while the vocal line follows a rhythmic pattern generally coinciding with the basic rhythm of the accompani ment. However, in measure eight a:rid eleven the syncopated pattern which follows occurs, (See Fig. 84.) .I -I- -- a1 A. . - L~ti t --I W-ft t I IW v w W-- '19 1 s 41 -W-'xr-vu- vv - bell 04 ( or 64 --- nI r n h , ue - 11 Fig. 84--C enzen der enschheit, Mleasures7 I 151 The gradually ascending melody in the vocal line seems to suggest the evolution of thought in mans finite mind, the fruition of which will cause him to consider the vastness of the universe . Because his thoughts are limit te d, he still envisions the Heavenly Father as He is traditionally conceived: a beneJicenit parent whose b lessings appear in the wonders of nature such as the lightnings that leap down from the rolling clouds above. The eupohonious sound of the Cterman word for rolling (rollenden) is given special emphasis in the suoer imposed rhythm at measure thirteen (JJJ.i ). The alternate regular and superimposed rhythms continue through measure fifteen. (SeE. Fig. 85.) Fig. 85-Grenzen der enschheit, Measures 12 - 16 At measure fourteen a modulation to C sharp minor begins through a cycle of dominant progressions. The descent of the vocal line from measures thirteen through sixteen might be in terpreted as the dispensation of the Heavenly Father's bless ings coming down to man from on high. 152 As the vocal line continues with the words Kiss ich den letzten Saunm seines Ileides (measures eighteen through twenty one), the harmonies move from the dominant of E major (acting as a transient tonic) to C sharp major in measures eighteen to twenty. (See Fig. 86.) The major tonality on the word Saum (hem)" seems to suggest a surge of emotional warmth, as i f the figurative kissing of the hem of God' s garment were a real experience. (See Fig. 86.) This major tonality is Fig. 86--Grenzen dcr Mnschhci, Mesurcs 17 - 21 pointed up by the harm'ony changing, back. to C sharp minor at measure twenty-one. The attitude of adoration becomes more intense from measures twenty-two thr ough the initerlude which term~ ina tes the first stanz otf the poem at measure twenty-seven. (Sec Fig. 87. ) Tihe repea ted C sharp s in tho vocal line sounding aga inst the ha~rmonic changes in th accompa nment at measures tw enty two contribute to the Lintensity of the vocal line where the ;words kindliche Scnauer treu in der Brust appear. 153 -,OL--0- 4--ot- 4-.*- IL Ol I F-w- Az, I -A ...... WU IL 2r lfi wK 'M aml . --- VU Ef I :sf i!* Alm 00 ~)~j P~ IV * ; v'~3r Fig . 87-*Grenzen der IvenscI cit, 'eaStres 22 -27 With measure twenty-eight, a new rhythmic pattern is established in the accompaniment. Two quarter notes followed by a half note become the significant figure. Here man at temp-ts to compare himself to the gods. The two half notes which form tho rhyt hic pattern identified with the irst section continue in the vocal line. A leap of the seventh in measures twenty-ei.ght and twenty-nine suggests man s vain effort to lift himself up to the stature of the gods. (See F. 88. 6 iV I K 10i~ ) I, flAft ~v f L-*&. Fig. 88--Orenzen der Men schhe it, Measures 28 - 32 154 The significa.nce of the var-ious rhythmiic patterns needs to be explained, for they are the key to Wolf's concept of Goetthe' s poem. The half notes in the first section of the song a;, measuress one through twenty-seven) represent the heavenly Father; the two quarter note-half note design (measures twenty-eight through thirty-five) the gods; the grouped quarter notes ) 1. . 44 J(measures thirtV-SiX through forty-three) man attempting to imitate the gods;and the eighth-note groupings EJ . . . .U3 (measures seventy e eight through ninety-five) man's insignifican ce in the univer sal order. In the three measures which continue (measures thirty three through thirty-five), the rhythmic pattern established at measure twenty-eight gives way to an angular quarter note pattern at measure thirty-six. Mar, in his vain effort to equal the gods in stature, believes that by touching the stars he will be equal with the gods. (See Fig. 89.) I I 1 . ~I I 1 119FP I I va IA 2 Fig. 89--Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 33 - 8. 155 The quarter notes seem to represent finite man as he actually is as compared to the gods and the Eternal One. The pattern formed. by the quarter notes is one that achieves a sense of changing rhythm though the meter remains the same throughout. (See Fig. 90.) Wolf accomplishes this through phrasing and an implied harmonic rhythm, since there are no actual chords until measure forty-four. (See Fig. 91.) Fig. 90--OGrenzen der Mensche it, Measures 36-54 Fhig. 91-41enzen der ienschheit, Measures 79 - 4 'Measures thirty-Jix ihrough thirty-nine suggest the dominant of A minor resolving to the submediant. Ieasure forty in turn suget the dominant of tie minor seventh decree which re solves to the submedian of C minor :n measure forty-one. At measure forty-tw o the dominant t of A minor is heard again, and at measure fort&y-three a resolution is made to the original tonic. (See Fig. 91 l56 Though there are not sufficient chord members to actually identify each of the chords that seem to be implied, the larmonic tendencies are outlined by the pattern established in measures forty and forty-one and 'the sequence which follows in measures forty-two and forty-three. In measure forty-one the dominant of G minor resolves to either the subdominant or the submediant of G minor. Since the root of the sub dominant or the fifth of the suibmediant is missing, the tonality cannot be clearly identified. This harmonic ambi guity lends itself to the uncertainty of footing inferred in the text. ---- -WI :4 .4 ~~ _ - Fig. 92--Grenzen der Menschheit, measures 44 - 47 At measure forty-four an augmented triad based on the relative C major is followed by another augmented triad (measure forty-five), based on the seventh degree of A minor. A sequence of these alternating augmented triads occurs i measures forty-six and forty-seven. (See Fig. 92.) At measure forty-eight, the same alternating sequence occurs again, this time one whole step lower than the previous 157 sequences. This new pattern continues in measures forty eight through f ifty-one. At me sure fifty-two, the s e c ond part of the second set of sequences is repeated for two measures where the figure is concluded in measure fifty-four. At measure forty-eight the vocal line continues over the pattern established in measure forty-four.. However, the tonalit y is one half step lower than at measure forty-four. (See Fig. 9.) The pattern originally established in the accompaniment at measure forty-J:our (See Fig. 92.) continues in the new key. The chords follow a sequence of augmented triads based on B flat changing to A. On the word Winde in Fig. 93--G-renzen der IMnschheit, Measures 48 - 51 the vocal line, the accoiipaniment continues the pattern begun at measure fifty-one. The accompaniment seems to dramatize the action of the elements that make a plaything of man by tie contrary motion between the treble and bass of the piano part. The third section evolves directly from the interlude between the third section. and the previous section. At measure fifty-five, the third section begins in the subdominant (D minor ) of the original -tonic of A minor. (See Fig. 94.) This section is nineteen measures in length, and throughout, 158 the music of the accompaniment is written in a modified diminution of the rhythm of the first section. Again, Wolf has made a contrast between. man and the gods through the rhythmic values. In this section, the moving bass suggests pomp ousness. It is as if man, in attempting to emulate the gods, involves himself in an outward demonstration of what he believes the gods to be. The accompaniment suggest ts man as he swaggers about attempting to prove himself. The accompaniment sets two-measure patten of moving notes hich is continued from measure fifty-fiv through ify-nie. At measure sixty the vocal line changes ($ee Fig. 95. ) and th e t oni six-f our of A minor is heard. Tho pro gr ession fro this point goe to the key of Fsharp minor is completed at measure sixty-four. (ree Fig. 96. ) The rhythmic pattern set at measure fifty-five remains thie same through. measure sixty-nine . At measure sixty-eight uhe key changes again. There is an unexpected chord progression 159 Fi 9,5-Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 59-63 A-T it, IL J-t.Ijw I-0b - -' ' IYA .1 -W.11 11.Ir" ljo;Lt Ad AML Wt WF '--W ' 4- 44= -F wl in -Au- 19, 4wrt: I A lmw_ AMP Fv 9o 1P 4pr y7;jF F ig. 9 6.o-Gren zen der Me ns c he i t ve a su'r e s 64-67 I Sur AL oe it, a I IL An a ]a- AMW WF l&lk WAS at wl A6 m4o,- Fip. 97--C&enzen der "lenschheit, Measures 68-71 at measure sixty-seven where the French sixth chord, which in this position would normally go to the key of E major, re :olves to 0 major. (See Fig. 97.) After measure sventy-one follow two measures in which a C m jor triad is heard on the first and third beats of measure seventy-two, and on the first beat only in measure seventy-three. The triad is played with the right hand while the left hand plays octaves on the root nd fifth. T.his pattern continues through measure seventy-two, 160 and the first three beats of measure seventy-three. The C (in the left hand ) on the third beat here moves, to D, and the D leads into a return of the music of the first four measures of the second section. (See Fig. 88, p. 153) The same vocal melody heard in measures twenty-eight through thirty-two is modified in measures seventyfour through seventy-seven to suit the text. (See Fig. 98.) The music Voice*~4d 8 Fig. 9 -- Grenzen der Mensceit,Ieasures 74 77 for these four measures, serving for the beginning of the second section, seems to sugge t man's attempt to measure him self with the gods. In its return at measures seventy-four through~ seventy-seven, the music supplies the background for the question in the vocal part: "What distinguishes the gods from men?" The music seems appropriate for both places in the song, since the two ideas posed by the poetry are related. This line begins the fourth stanza of poetry. It opens the Fourth section of the song. It is set apart by virtue of the fermata at the end of measure seventy-seven. The question the oetr y poses is answered in the music that follows in measures seventy-eight though eighty-one. (See Fig. 99.) The aug mented chords whih contributed to the illusion of man being v A J1161 (J- so-ono I 13- Vi a.- op hot NoI w i -11af, Ap, 44 *Ile _A Aa Nip ]L--- AM" Ir, a, Fig. 99--Grenzen, der Kenschheit, Measures 78 - 81 buffeted by clouds and wind in measures forty-four through fifty-four (a portion of which is shown in Fig. 92, p. 156), retu rn na new form to describe the waves of the eternal stream pictured in Goethe's poem. The arpeggiated eighth note figure heard throughout this section is phrased in such a way as to upset the normal duple me-ter taccent. (See Fig. 100.) This phrasing is comparable to that which appears in quarter notes in measures thirty six through forty-three. (See Fig. 91, p. 155.) The rhythmic pattern (See Fig. 101.) in the accompaniment con tinues throughout the eighteen measures of this section. Not Fig. 100--Grenzen der Menschheit measures 82 - 85 162 Fig. 101--Grenzen der Mienschheit, Measures 78 95 only does this rhythmic grouping aid in creat*ing, the ii wusion of the waves sweeping humanity before by gods, but the chain of civilizations that come and go seem represented by this linking of the eighth notes. The key is D. However, the augmented chords tend to diffuske the tonality (measures seventy-eight through ninety-five). The vocal line seems to indicate a harmonic design built on the key of D. The flat supertonic of D in measures eighty-one through eighty-three (See Figs. 99 and 100.) is followed by the dominant of D. In measures eighty-five through eighty-eight, the D major wow J--i I 77IP~r4 I- Fig. o102--Grenzen der Menschheit, Measures 86 -88 163 tonality is in the accompaniment while the voice line sings a minoi seventh above the bass, going to B flat in measures eighty-sixn nd eighty-seven, (See Fig. 102), which in turn resOlVEs to the fifth degree of D major on the word eIle (wave) I F Awift P 4 ARF. IMAM I IW W I-Arw wr, pr 1w. mom" "Igo. 0001- Fig. 103--Greinzen der MIenschheit, Measures 89 - 91 At measure eighty-nine, the vocal line drops a fifth from D to G (See Fig. 103. ) while the augmented .arpeggiated chord after the iIrst one and one-hal beats changes to an E flat major chord for the rest of the vieasure. The E flat tonality continues through measure ninety, aid at measure ninety-one the dominant seventh (third version) of'E flat resolves to the domiant of D in measure ninety-two. Here the word ver sinken (sink) ends the fourth stanza of poetry. The arpeg giated figure in D major established in measure ninety-three continues for three more measures, and leads to the final stanza of the poem. The imagery suggested in the words urd 164 wir versinken (and we sink)' is musically pictured by the vocal line dropping a fifth on the end of the word versinken (measure ninety-three). The arpeggiated accompaniment, in musical representation of the waves, continues to rise after the vocal line has ended, as if washing over the suiken form of a human being. The eight note arpeggiated figure ascends as a unit in each measure on the intervals found in the D ma jor triad. (See Fig. 104.) Fig. l04--Grenzen der nenschheit, Ieasur es 92 -94 In measures ninety-fou'a nd n Inety-five the whole unit ascends cy thids to Iead to the beginning of the final1 sec uion of the song. The 0 major triad in. first inversion at measure ninoty ixis the relative ma jor of the original A minor tonic tha t began the song. (See FJg. 105. ) The D ma jor key in measure ninety-five is actually a dominant of the dominant om the key of C. Tie function of the augmented chord in measure ninety six is similar to thie aug ented version as it was. employed 165 in measure forty-four (See Fi. 92, P. 156.) since it is followed by the augmented chord on the second degree of the A minor key. The chords in measures ninety-eight -nd ninety nine follow the harmonic pattern in the same manner estab lished in measures forty-eight and forty-nine .27 * f~eh?#imveil Fig. 105--Grenzen der Menschheit, Measur es96-100 The widely spaced half-note chords inmeasures ninety-six through ninety-nine give musical expression to the poetic al lusion to the eons of time through which endless generations of mankind continue to come and. go. The relation of Time to Space may also be implied. Fig. lO6--Grenzen dePr Mensc3heit, Measures 101-106 27 This sequentia,"l patte.-n is de s cribed on page 156. 166 At measure 101 (See Fig. 106.), the chords in the right hand of the accompaniment move up an octave from the chords in measure 100. (See Fig. 105.) In the bass part of the accompaniment, t.e chords are also in -n octave relationship to the upper voices at measure 101. The vocal line on the words viele Geschlechter begins on the root of the first in version of an augmented C chord. While the accompaniment in the right hand descends chromatically with each pair of chords beginning with measure 101, the lower thirds of each chord in the le ft hand move upward in.a series of three minor thirds. At measure 104 the upper and lower parts of the accompaniment have almost met as a-resilt of the established contrary motion. The left hand. chord in measure 104, though maling yet another minor thi rd leap is actually a diminished fourth instead of a major third. In measure 103, the upper voice in the left hand of the accompaniment moves chromatically downward in similar motion with the chords in the right hand. The vocal line, with the words und viele Geschlechter reihen sich dauernd an ihres Daseins, moves in a melodic con tour that leaps down a major tenth on the word Geschlechter (generations). It then ascends a half-step followed by a upwards another tenth on the word reihen (link). And after repeating the pitch (B flat), ascends another half-step to leap down another ma jor tenth on the word dauernd (e.n during ). 167 The significance of this wide-leaping vocal line might be interpreted as a figurative rise and fall of many civili zations who are held together by the chain of evolution. Fig. l0---enzen _er Menschheit, iMeasures l0( -1l12 The widely spcecd chords becon even mor~e idely spaced in measure 107 (See Fis. 107. ), where the position is changed to a ma jor tenth above the list chord in mea sure 106. The iumeted chords end iii c5aUre 107, and the tonaility becomes Lncreasingly identified. with the key of D. As the vocalI line eno.s in masure 110, th e continuin> high, widely sprad chords suget the xpan se of tihe univer-se and an unfathomed eter nity. The ~repeated D in the bass at measure 112 oeginsa series that continus to the end of the postlude. They serve as a pedal peint over which the des cending chords 1lternate in th' following pattrnW to measure L.: I - viid7 -I The wlterntin harmony between the D major chord and oth r harmonies continues to easure 118. At measure 119, 168 the harmonic pattern is interrupted by a progression (110 7 V7 - I); Measures 120 to 121 contain a progression (I - I* V -ii) in D, since the tonality changes to the minor in measure 121. At measure 122 the whole note marks a rhythmic change that continues to measure 125. The chord in measure 122 is a dominant of the original A minor. In measure 123, the dominant of D minor is heard, followed by two chords in D minor in measures 124 and 125. The last chord (of half-note value) in measure 126 is tied to the preceding whole note. Under this sustained chord a Dl is sounded on a quarter note on the first beat of measure 126. The widest range of the piano has been used to create, as nearly as possible, the effects Wolf sought to enhance in the poetry. The introduction of the whole notes in the accompaniment in measure ninety-six (See Fig. 105, p. 165.) suggest the interminable vastness of eternity. The return of the half-note chords at measure 100 serves to create a unify ing connection with the half-note chords of the opening section, and the return of the whole note chords in the closing measures are related to the whole note chords in measures ninety-six. 169 A comparative Analysis of Schubert and Wolf on Grenzen der Menschheit In comparing the two settings of Grenzen der Menscheit, there is a feElin. that the composers involved have changed roles. Schubert, more than Wolf iin this particular instance, has wri.tten in a form that uses the leit motif almost ex clusively. Ib is true that Wolf has not completely forsaken the principle of using a significant figuration, but in only _ 28 one other song, Ganymede, does Wolf use rhythmic values of notes to represent symbolic references to the meaning of the text as he does in his setting of Gr-enzen der echeit. Perhaps the most striking difference in the two settings is the initial impact of the respective Introductions. Where Schubert's chain of humanity motif suggests a more mystical theology, Wolf, in his introduction suggests a Germanic god, as chaacterized in Wagner's Wotari, by virtue of the rhyth mic aspect presented. The dynamic level of the vocal. entrances in both songs is similar, but the underIying rhythmic pulse of Wolf's song still helps to retain the suggestion of the league covering stride of an immense Wotan figure, Where Schubert's musical imagery suggests a calm, dignified deity, Wolf's god is of a more outwardly impressive nature. Schubert repeats a telescoped version of the first section of music in the final stanza, where Wolf repeats the beginning of his second section as the beginning of the fourth 8 saImsS s off iug Wolf, p. 161. 170 stanza of the poem. In each case, this amounts to the only recurrence of musical material repeated in a previously identified form. This excludes the motive figure in Schubert's s on, , nd the recurring rhythmic designs employed in Wolf' s song, since in each of these instances, the identifiable feature is used in a broader sense. A marked difference in the treatmUent of the te is demonstrated on the lines Dann mit (18ttern soll sich nicht messen. Schubert uses a broadly descending sequential fig-Pure that ends in a leap of a fifth on the words ein Menscfi (G down to C). In the same poetic passage, Wolf has the vocal line leap up an interval of a seventh at the beginning of his ,ph ras. The phrase, in its gradual ascension after the leap of the seventh, reaches its climax on the word irT-end. The words ein Mensch are treated similarly in each song, though Wolf leaps down a diminished f, ifth (B flat to E) in his Lied. The use of a still larger interval (a ninth) is pre sented by Schubert when the vocal line (measure sixty-one) suggests man's effort to reach the stars. Wolf's vocal part ascends more gradually to a climax of a high E flat on the word Serne. Schubert, by the leap of the ninth (B up to C), has achieved the high est note of the phrase. The words Sc_eiel die Sterne are repeated on this same middle C, with the vocal melody dropping an octave on the second syllable of Stere 171 Mhen man experiences the feeling of unsure footing as expressed in the words nirgends haften dann die unsichern Sohhen, Schubert couples the voice with the accompanimentts shifting tonality wih diminished seventh chords going to minor tonics to achieve the effect musically. Wolf, however, allows his vocal line to move within smaller range and relies on tIe shifting augmented chords in the accompaniment to achieve a similar effect. In the mock procession-like rhythm established under the vocal line with the words Steht er mit fasten, Wolf paints a belittling musical picture of man in his attempt to emulate the gods. Schubert's musical coloring is less pic turesque than Wolf's, but, the continuing chain motif suggests a more realistic evaluation of man in the universe. The attempted equality with the gods by man, in Wolf's song, seems rnot to have been even noticed in the universe as conceived by Schioert. After the question is posed, Was unterscheidet Gdtter von Menschen? Wolf changes his rhythmic pattern to eighth note arpeggiated figures which suggest the ripple of humanity on the eternal stream. Schubert, by long sequential patterns that rise and fall like huge swells on the ocean, uses a more subtle means to describe the same picture. It is possible that Wolf pictures humanity less than the gods by employing eighth notes to symbolize mankind, while Schubert, on the other hand, considers humanity to be even less exalted by allowing 172 nothing to disturb the inexorable rise an .fall of the eternal stream. The closing stanza, as set y Schubert, completes a symbolic cycle. Tmhe timeless eternity knows no beginning or ending, and the return to the opening music suggests the PiEn (circle) that encompasses man's life. Wolf, by The tre menidous leaps he uses in the vocal line, suggests the rise and fall oi civilization aiter civilization in the vast time lessness ol s-ace represented by the high ide-spaced chords of the postlude. CHAPTER VI THEz EVALUATION Over six hundred years lay between the time of the Iinnesang and that of Schlubert's Gretchen am $Sinnerad (1815). The spoan between Walther von der Vogelweide's great Minne sang poetry and Goethe s equally fine contributions to poetic literature was of a similar length. The significance of these two related facts can be stated in simple terms. With Schubert the Lied had come bf age, and with Goethe, poetry had been restored to a place of respect among the arts. How ever, the achievements of both these great men are due in part to the refinement evolutionary processes bring to the arts. The art song came as the res ult of centuries of compo sitional refinement. The modern Lied did not just happen, but became the resultant fruit of the efforts of many com posers known and unknown. The strophic Volkslied, from its earliest origins, remained the most popular Lieder form, with two and three-part forms having almost equal claim for atten tion from composers. With the durchkomponiertes Lied, the beginnings of which may be traced back to the Minnesang, the basic designs for Lieder composition were complete. While it may be said that Schubert was no innovator (he was responsible for no new musical discoveries), he did 173 174 breathe new life into the existing musical structures by modification and extension. Like Bach and Mozart before him, SchuberLt became fully conversant with the musical language of his time. Idioms that had their beginnings in earlier periods (Baroque, Classical) were available to him to be sub jected to his own particular means of refinement. Beethoven, who had access to all that the Classical period had developed, used the musical heritage provided for him by Haydn and Mozart to produce his own great symphonic forms. In like manner, Schubert, selectin afrom the same heritage, fashioned the Lieder for which he is justly recognized. Perhaps the greatest innovator, who became recognized also as a great composer was Richard Wagner. As has been dis covered, innovators and great composers are not necessarily synonymous, but in Wagner's case both terms apply. However, of Wolf, who greatly admired Wagner and adapted Wa&ner's har monic approach to his own style of co mosing, the sme thing cannot be said. Not only did he include Warernian idiom in his compositions, but like Schubert before him, he relied on old musical forms upon which to build his own structures. Wolf used a simple two-part form for his Wanerers Nachtlied, despite the complex harmonic embellishments that appear in the song. To determine what it is that sets Schubert and Wolf apart from other Lieder composers becomes the problem to resolve, for Brahms and Schumann cannot be easily dismissed, since their 175 Lieder are also highly regarded. If it is said that Schubert and Wolf bring to their compositions exactly the right in gredients to produce a great Lied, then the same may be said for Brahms, Schumann or several other composers. Perhaps it is best said that Schubert and Wolf more freuently hit upon the formula which combined the ingredients to produce a uni form standard of a greater number of superior songs than other composers. The ingredients that make for a great song are notas easily definable as such a statement blandly implies. Nor can it be uneqivocably claimed that the combination of in gredients identified in a set formula will produce a:subsequent great song. The elusiveness of the specific contributing factor (or factors) that produce a superior Lied is the problem. What one quality, for instance, mkes Schubert 's se ttin; of Wa-nderers_ iacht lied more satisfactory than Wolf's musical interpretat ion of the same poem? It is its sin plicitT. An over-generalization may be seen in this time-worn Phrase, but simplicity is, nevertheless, the one main factor of' difference between the two songs. The essence of Goethe's poetry is the search for peace of mind (or soul). While the trials and tribulations of earthly existence are real and distractin elements, as im plied in the poem, the main theme is found to be in the hope that such peace of mind may be forthcoming. Schubert, in his song, retains, by his straight-forward, comparatively uncom- plicated melody and harmony, a hope-filled quest of his goal. 176 While beginning his setting in a fashion similar to Schubert's, Wolf does become more concerned with musically creating a subjective depiction of the world's pains. In so .oing, he detracts from the hope-filled implications of Goethe's poetry, however inventive his accormpaniment might be in describing a sense of worzld-wear iness. The modulation to the subdominant from the original key upon which Wolf builds the second section of the song, contributes even more to creating the unsettling effect that is only suggested in the poetry. It may be claimed that thiis was an early work of Wolf's, which it undoubtedly was, but Schubert's setting of the poem was also an early effort. The difference in the results of the two conceptions of Goethe s poetry is one that may be drawn as an important dividing line between the two styles. Schubert, essen.tially interested in the poetic values onl in the initial stages of composition, was more con cerned with the resultant musical values, and3 in a song like Wanderers NacVlied, where the mood was apparently so clearly set, Schubert simply conceived his entire son~g in a single expression of serene hope. On the oth er hand, Wolf, with his meticulous concern for exactly the right musical inflec tion t o match the poetic inflection, seemed to lose sight of the orirrinal intent of the poetry. As Wolf developed as a composer, however, he was more able to discern the important factors contributing to the establishment of the poetic mood 177 of a song. But the perfectionist in Wolf never changed from the first manifestations of concern for poetic exactness that revealed itself in his Wanderers Nachtlied. Schubert is generally remembered first for his melodic ebullience and secondly for his harmonic inventiveness. But even a casual glance at the first page of Ges:rhe des Harfners becomes an enlighteningc, experience. The melodl c beauty associated with Schubert's Lieder is just as much in evidence in this sonE as in others moref notable for their melodic opulence, but the harmonic sense in Cesknpye des iHarfners is so rich in its varied progressions and modulations that the melodic element tends to sound subordinate. The embellishments that appear in the vocal line of this song (and others), and wh1ch have come to be identified as indicative of Schubert style, are derived from the Baroque and Classic periods that preceded the Romantic movement of the nineteenth century. This is entirely in line with the heritage principle of musical. idiom being bequeathed to all subsequent generations of composers. What Schubert did with these embellishing figures (non-harmonic tones) to enhance his melodies explains in part why Schubert melodies are so easily identifiable. To go one step further, when these em bellishments are suited to Schubert's harmonic design they acquire the particular quality that makes them unmistakably Schubert's. 178 If what has been said is true for Schubert, the problem is further complicated by deciding what it is that makes Wolf the distinguished composer he is. Wolf has been often cited as being unmelodic, as writing -piano solos over which the vocal line battles for recognition. This impression pre vailed not only during Wolf lifetime, but even into the present era. Study, however, of Wolf's Lieder has proven that he not only was a gifted hxamonist, but melodist as well, though not in the same sense as Schubert. KHugo Wolf's melodies are the dIrect result of the har moniyc implications, more so than in Schubert's music. However, thls is not to say tha the reverse is also possible for Schubert, but it is that the emphasis placed on harmonic factors in Wolf's music tends to porodu6e melodies more nearly affected by the harmony than those produced in Schubert's music. In Wolf's HarfenspAeler, the opening vocal melody is one that .comes as a direct result of the harmony; that is, the vocal line simply follows the outline imposed by the arpeg giat e d cho rds in the accompaniment. WhA ch bring s up another point for comparison. Wolf's music is comparatively free of the type of embellishing, figures generally associated with Schubert 's Lieder. Occasionally t here will be grace note s in the piano part, but the vocal line (in keeping with Wolf s declamation principle) is generally free of such devices as turns and appoggiatuLiras. 179 Schauffler, in his biography of Schubert,1 has gone to greatI; lengths to point out what he considers as indiscretions made against the poet by Schubert's treatment of his words. It is true that Schubert, for some unexplained reason, has substituted and contracted words in musical settings. .He has changed whole lines and seemingly repeated lines not occur ring as such in the original poetry, but it is to be questioned whether Schubert so mutilated a text that the initial mood of the poem does not come t through. While Wolf is more faithful to the poet in handling, his poetry, he has, as in Wanderers achtlied, not only repeated words, but broken up phrases in order to achieve what seems t o be the dramatic effect he de sired. Wolf, however, did not generally make a practice of taking liberties with the poetry as he did in Wanderers Nachtlied. Hle more often than not composed his songs in as near a duplication of the original poetic form as was musi cally possible. In Wolf 's Der Rattenfprner, a clear example is presented of his faithfulness to the poetic form. The old strophic design is completely renovated by Wolf in this song, for he has retained only the bare outline of the old form, and upon it has built his own strophic design. Another basic important difference between Wolf and Schubert is exhibited when com paring the two settings of Der Rattenf"nVier. Wolf projects chauffler, Schubert: Ariel of Sonn;, p. 303. 180 humor that is at once obvious and artful. Very few songs written by Schubert eve approach a humorous vein, but Wolf has coountless examples, such as Der Rattenfnger, 2 through out his Lieder. With two such diverse settings of Grenzen der Mnschheit to draw upon for comparison, it would seem that one or the other Would have missed the poet's intention. However, this is not the case, for with ,the intimations of anything as ex pansive as the universe itself, there could be no limit to which a composer mitht go to duplicate the vastness of Groethe's vision. Schubert's motif figuratively holds the universe to gether (and the endless chQain of humanity it represents) as it moves through the song i a seemingly endless chain of rodultions. Displayed as it is in this song, Schubert's modulatory sense shows not only a technical skill, but through such modulations, he creates a feeling of man's eternal questioning. On the other hand, Wolf's song seems to be more literal in its interpretation of Goethe's poetry. Less mystical in its opening, the Heavenly Father. in Wolf 's Lied becomes an ipm posin(, awe- nwspirng spirit made in the likeness of man. The broadly measured pace of the opening seems to agree with the God of t1e lightnings Goethe's poetry refers to. However, as the song continues, Wolf depicts the change of viewpoint from 2 See Mdike-Liede PDer Tambour, I and 2pani sche-Lieder Auf dem grnen Balkon. 181 the awe-inspiring suggestion of the Eternal Father, to that of man aspiring to be like the gods. While the singleness of idea inherent in Schubert's song marks a difference be tween his Lied and that of Wolf's, it is also apparent that Wolf- seeks to change his thoughts musically to coincide with Goethe's poetic inferences. Wolf does attempt to achieve unity of form with his rhythmic values. The evaluation has been primarily concerned with those musical characteristics of Schubert and Wolf which have been found in the analysis of the selected Goethe songs. It is obvious that assumptions based on the eight songs chosen from among the possible twenty-six cannot be conclusive. How ever, it is submitted that certain characteristics of style are apparent enough to suggest certain major differences in approach towards composition. Schubert's style was the product and fruition of the time in which he lived just as Wolf's was. Actually, the two composers have very little in common because of this. Poetry served one purpose for Schubert, and a different one for Wolf. Wolf venerated the poet; Schubert was only tempo rarily interested in him. Schubert conceived the song as musical expression primarily, while Wolf thought in terms of poetry with music. With certain types of poetry, Schubert's lyricism seemed better suited to produce a more cohesive Lied, while with Wolf, certain other poetry found more complete 182 expression through his pzoetic concern. Thhen inspired, each composer, through is own mode of expression, wrote some supenor songs, ant though they lived at opposite ends of the Romantic period, each contributed richly to the world's store of music. 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