/28 ( /',* '

REPRESENTATIVE NINETEENTH-CENTURY

CHORAL SYMPHONIES

THESIS

Presented to the Graduate Council of the

North Texas State University in Partial

Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of

MASTER OF MUSIC

By

Metche F. Alexander, B. M.

Denton, Texas

December, 1971 Alexander, Metche F., Epresentative Nineteenth-

Centur Choral SmpLhonies. Master of Music (Musicology),

December, 1971, 212 pp., 140 figures, bibliography, 42

titles.

This study is concerned with the examination of

choral symphonies by major nineteenth-century composers.

Its purpose is to delineate the common characteristics

which these works have. Emphasis is given to the investi-

gation of the choral elements in the symphonies.

Detailed musicological studies of nineteenth-century

music are minimal; there has. been a particular lack of

interest in nineteenth-century works for chorus. Therefore,

the principal sources of data for this study were the full

scores of the following nine'symphonies: Beethoven's

Symphony No. 9, Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet and the Funeral

and Triu mphal Symphony, Mendelssohn's Lob esanj, Liszt's

Faust Symphony and Dante Syrmphony, and Mahler's Symphonies

Nos. 2., 3, and 8. Other important sources included major

biographies of the composers of the symphonies listed.

A chapter is devoted to each of these composers, sub-

divided as follows: a general survey of the composer's

other works for chorus and/or orchestra; the historical

facts connected with the composition and first performance

of the individual symphonies; analysis; and conclusions. 2

A surprising number of common features were found

in the nine symphonies. Most consistent and important was

the selection of summa texts for the works. Some composers

turned to the great literary figures of antiquity and history, from David the psalmist to Shakespeare, to express

their musical ideas. Others set texts of modern German masters. Most of the texts were altered by the composer

in some way in order to fit his musical conception.

Except for the Mendelssohn Lobgesang, all the works

call for instrumentation larger than the standard orchestra of the period. In addition, many of the composers specified

an unusually large chorus. Mahler's Symphory No. 8 is written for the largest body of performers; there is a definite tendency to increase the size of the performing group as the century progresses. Association of the trombone with the choral body was also noted.

Each of the symphonies included in the study had a festival premiere, sometimes in connection with some state or historical occasion. Except in the case of the two

Liszt works and Mahler's Symphony No.. 2, the works were received with the greatest acclamation.

There is close thematic connection between instrumental and choral portions in all of the symphonies except Liszt's

Dante Syjmpony. As a rule, important themes are generated by the instrumental body and later taken up. by the chorus.

Most writers on nineteenth-century'music minimize the 3

importance of fugal writing. However, this study revealed

that each of the symphonies in question had some portion

which was fugal or quasi-fugal. It is possible that the

composers chose the learned fugal texture to emphasize the

summa texts.

Most of the symphonies covered in this study utilized

the chorus in the finale only, following the model of

Beethoven's Symphy No. 9. However, Berlioz' Romeo and

Juliet and Mahler's Symphoy No. 8 use the chorus much

more extensively; Mahler's Symphony No. 3 has a choral fifth

movement and an instrumental finale.

The symphonies embrace a wide diversity of styles in

choral writing, ranging from simple unison treatment in the

Faust Symphony to extreme contrapuntal complexity-in Beethoven

and Mahler. The norm for the mixed choruses is four parts,

although Berlioz prefers three or five. Frequent use is made of either bass or treble choruses alone.

It is recommended that the importance of the chorus

in the nineteenth century be reassessed. Almost every major composer of the era contributed choral works; a scholarly examination of the corpus of this literature should be the basis for such reassessment. In particular, large secular orchestral-choral works should be further studied. TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...... vi

Chapter

I. INTRODUCTION ......

II. BEETHOVEN....-...... 6

The Symphony No. 9 in D Minor ("Choral") Composition and First Performance Analysis Comparison with the "Fantasy in C," Op. 80 Beethoven ' s Contribution

III. BERLIOZ...... -.-...... 35

The Dramatic Symphony, Romeo et Juliette Composition and First Performance Analysis The Grande Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale Composition and First Performance Analysis Berlioz' Contribution

IV. MENDELSSOHN ...... 79

The Symphony No. 2 in Bb ("Lobgesang"), Op. 52 Composition and First Performance Analysis Mendelssohn's Contribution

V. LISZT.....-....-.-.-.-...... 104

Eine Faust-Symphonie Composition and First Performance Analysis

iii Page Eine Symrphonie zu Dantes Divina Commedia Composition and First Performance Analysis Liszt's Contribution

VI. MAHLER ...... 147

The Symphony No. 2 Composition and First Performance Analysis The Symphony No. 3 Composition and First Performance Analysis The Symphony No.. 8 Composition and First Performance Analysis Mahler 's Contribution

VII. CONCLUSIONS ...... 196

Similarities Summa texts Large Instrumentation Festival First Performances Close Thematic Relationship between Instrumental and Vocal Portions Traditional Association of the Trombone with the Voice Consistent Use of Fugal and Quasi- fugal Texture Other Interrelationships Finale Treatment of the Chorus Choral Writing in the Symphonies Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet Berlioz: Funeral and Triumphal Symphony Mendelssohn: Lobgesang Liszt: Faust Symphony Liszt: Dante Symphony Mahler: Symphony No. 2 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 Mahler: Symphony No. 8

iv Page

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 209

V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure Page

1. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony , fourth movement, measures 32 through 37. 15

2. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 48 through 55 ...... 16

3. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 63 through 65 ...... 16

4. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 92 through 115 . . . . . 16

5. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 296 and 297...... 18

6. Beethoven, Ninth 2ymphLn, fourth movement, measures 302 and 303 ...... 18

7. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 477 through 480 ...... 19

8. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 529 through 536...... 20

9. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 584 through 588 ...... 21

10. James Clifford, "The Imperial Tune." (1664) . . 21

11. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, finale . . 23

12. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measure 746 ...... 24

13. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 831 and 832...... 0.. . . 25

vi Figure Page

14. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 35 through 46 ...... 27

15. Beethoven, "Fanta sy in C," finale, measures 1 through 4 ...... 27

16. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 159 and 160 ...... 28

17. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 386 through 390 ...... 28

18. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 420 through 423 ...... 29

19. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 450 through 453...... 29

20. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 485 through 493 ...... 30

21. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 1 through 5 ...... 48

22. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 232 through 235 ...... 50

23. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 255 through 258; ...... 50

24. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 273 through 275 ...... 51

25. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 291lthrough 294 ...... 51

26. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 500 and 501 ...... 53

27. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo Alone, measures 82 through 86 ...... 54

vii Figure Page

28. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Love Scene, measures 51 through 54 . . . . 56

29. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Love Scene, measures 72 and 73 ...... i.t.s.F.n.r.l. 56

30. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 1 through 5 . . . . . 57

31. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 8 and 9 . . . . . 58

32. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 65 and 66 ...... 58

33. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, finale, measures 373 through 377 - .-. .. . . 63 . movem.... 34. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 4 through 7 . - 70

35. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 95 through 98 . . 70

36. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 126 and 127 . . . 71

37. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, second movement, measures 58 through 65 . . . . 72 ovem.... 38. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, second movement, measures 134 through 139 . . . 72 . . 39. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 18 through 25 . . . . 73

40. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 26 through 29 . . ..73

41. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measure 107 ...... 74

viii Figure Page

42. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 192 through 195.-...... 75

43. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 206 through 209 ...... 75

44. Mendelssohn, Lobgesancg, first movement, measures 1 and 2 .-...... -.--..--.. .87

45. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 1 and 16...... 88

46. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 23 and 24...... 889

47. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 83 through 90 .-...... 889

48. Mendelssohn, Lobgesanq, first movement, measures 106 through 108 ...... 90

49. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, second movement, measures 8 through 14 ...... 91

50. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, third movement, measures 1 through 5 .-...... 92

51. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 1, measures 53 through 55 . . . . . 93

52. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 2, measures 2 and 3 ...... 94

53. Mendelssohn, Lobgesanq, fourth movement, No. 3, measures 18 through 21 ...... 95

54. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 4, measures 3 through 6 - --.-. - - . 96

55. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 5, measures 8 through 13...... 96

56. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 6, measures 5 through 8 . . . .

ix Figure Page

57. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 6, measures 85 and 86 ------. . . . . 98

58. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 7, measures 9 through 16 ...... 98

59. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 9, measures 1 through 4 ...... w. 100

60. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 10, measures 1 through 6...... " . . ." 101

61. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, fourth movement, No. 10, measures 87 through 90 ...... 102 . .

62. Liszt, Grosses Konzertsolo, measures 13 through 16...... f " A " 111

63. Liszt, "Sonata in B minor," measures 9 through 11 ...... 111

64. Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 1 and 2...... 114

65. Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 4 and 5.-...... 115

66. Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 72 through 76...... 115

67. Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 111 through 115...... " ." ." 115

68. Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 228 through 231.-...... 115

69. Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 301 through 308...... 117

70. Liszt, Faust Symphony, second movement, measures 16 through 25.-...... 118

x Figure Page

71. Liszt, Faust Symphony, second movement, measures 83 and 84 ...... 118

72. Liszt, Faust Symphony, second movement, measures 296 through 298 ...... 119

73. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 48 and 49...... 120

74. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 66 and 67.-...... 120

75. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 96 and 97 .-...... 121

76. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 208 through 215 ...... 121

77. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 297 and 298..-...... 122

78. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 703 through 706...... 124

79. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 719 through 722 ...... 124

80. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 745 through 748 ...... 125

81. Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 794 through 797 ...... 125

82. Liszt, "Dante Sonata," measures 154 through 156.....-.-...... 131

83. Liszt, Dante Symphony, measure 286 ...... 131

84. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 1 through 4...... 133

85. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 15 through 17...-...... 134

xi Figure Page

86. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 22 through 25 134

87. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 64 and 65 .-.-...... 134

88. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 103 through 105-...... 135

89. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 164 through 167...... 135

90. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measure 280-- .. 136

91. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 313 through 3 24...... 136

92. Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 355 and 356 .137 movem.... ovem.... 93. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 8 through 14 .139 . 94. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 59 through 61 140

95. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 74 through 76 140

96. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 120 and 121 140

97. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 305 through 310...... 0 141

98. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 329 through 330 ...... 142

99. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 238 and 239...... 142

xii Figure Page

100. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 374 through 382 ...... 143

101. Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, 384 through 386-...... 143

102. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, first movement, measures 13 through 17 153

103. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, first movement, measures 48 through 52 154

104. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, second movement, measures 1 through 4 155

105. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, third movement, measures 13 through 18 156

106. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, third movement, measures 67 through 71 157

107. Mahler, Symphony N ._,third movement,

measures 113 through 11 .6 ...... 157

108. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, fifth movement, measures 28 and 29 . 159

109. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, fifth movement, measures 43 through 47 159

110. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, fifth movement, measures 62 through 69 . .0.0.0 160

111. Mahler, Symphony No. 2, fifth movement, measures 472 through 480 ...... 161

112. Mahler, Symphony N .. 2, fifth movement, measures 672 through 676...... 163

113. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, first movement, measures 1 through 4...... 168

xiii Figure Page

114. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, first movement, measures 153 and 154 .. 0... 0.- 168

115. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, second movement, measures 1 through 4 . secon...... 169

116. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, second movement, measures 49 through 51 . .0.0 169

117. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, second movement, measures 70 and 71 . tir...... 169

118. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, third movement, measures 5 through 11. fourt...... 170

119. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, third movement, measures 38 through 44 171

120. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fourth movement, measures 11 and 12 fifh...... 172

121. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fourth movement, measures 30 and 31. . sixt...... 172

122. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fifth movement, measures 4 through 6 174

123. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fifth movement, measures 13 through 16 . 174

124. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fifth movement, measures 22 through 23 175

125. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fifth movement, measures 58 through 60 175

126. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, sixth movement, measures 1 and 2 . . . 177

127. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, sixth movement, measures 8 through 10 ...... 178

xiv Figure Page

128. Mahler, Symphony . .3.,, sixth movement, measures 41 through 45 178

129. Mahler, Symphony . _3., sixth movement, measures 108 through 111 178

130. Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part I,

measures 2 through 5 ...... " ." ." ." . 186

131. Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part I,

measures 5 through 8 - --.-...... " . ." ." . 186

132. Mahler, Symphony No.. 8, part I, measures 218 and 219 187

133. Mahier, Symphony No. 8, part I, measures 261 through 265 . . . . 187

134. Mahler, Symphony, part II, measures 4 and 5.-.-...... 189

135. Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part II, measures 171 and 172. .0...... " ." ." ." 190

136. Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part II, measures 385 through 389 . . . . 190

137. Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part II, measures 868 through 869 . . . . . 191

138. Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part II, measure 1250 ...... 191

139. Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part II, measures 1459 through 1463 . .. 192

140. Mahler, Symphony . ., part II, measures 513 through 516 . 0.0 . 192

xv CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Many factors contributed to the eminence of the

symphony, the sonata for orchestra, during the nineteenth

century. Chief among these was the advent of the public

concert and the concomitant establishment of professional

orchestras which played regularly in the major music centers

of Europe. Other factors which were important were the

following: (1) the establishment of baton-conducting,

making possible the precision handling of large instrumental

forces; (2) the coming of age of the brass choir as a result

of the invention of the rotary valve in 1815; and (3) the

composition of the nine great symphonies of Ludwig van

Beethoven, which were acclaimed by thousands and emulated

by other musicians. The final symphony in this group con-

tained a choral finale, establishing a new tradition and a

new challenge for the composers who followed Beethoven.

The student of nineteenth-century music usually has

the impression that the chorus was almost entirely neglected during that era. Even Einstein's excellent Music in the

Romantic Era gives little space to music for chorus;

1 2

although Einstein includes sections on the oratorio and on

choral music in the church, he devotes only a page and a half

to secular choral music per se. A recent specific history

of choral music, Percy Young's The Choral Tradition, leaves

the impression that while compositions for chorus did exist

in the nineteenth century, acquaintance with these works is

not essential, to a musician. In a chapter entitled "Medioc-

rity in Spate," Young says:

There has rarely been a period of fifty years in the whole history of music when so much deplorable music by so many experienced com- posers was written as in the last half of the nineteenth century. There is no need to look beyond the great heaps of discarded choral compositions which represent almost the total output in this medium of practically every composer whether major or minor.

This "period of fifty years" includes the work of Johannes

Brahms, the music-dramas of Richard Wagner, and the religious works of Bruckner, all monumental in the field of choral

history. The examination of lists of works by major nine-

teenth century composers will reveal that a large proportion

of compositions by almost every master included the chorus.

It is time to investigate the intrinsic worth of these "great heaps of discarded choral compositions."

1 Percy M. Young, The Choral Tradition (London, 1962), p. 236. 3

During the eighteenth century choruses had existed to perform two kinds of works, liturgical and operatic. In the nineteenth century two factors contributed to the rise of a market for oratorios and cantatas of both a religious and a secular nature: the humanistic tendency to teach everyone the basics of music and the feasible production of cheap music due to the manufacture of cheap paper and the new inexpensive

printing methods available.2

This, then, was the market: democratic societies requiring and getting music for group singing. The fact that the phenomenon is mostly to be observed in German- and English-speaking countries doubtless reflects both the rising economic status of those countries during the nineteenth century and the strength there of Protestantism as both a religious and musical heritage.3

The Singakedemie, established in 1791 in Berlin, became the model for many choral societies, such as the Gesellschaft dar Musikfreunde (Vienna, 1812), the Societe de Musqau

Vocale Religieuse (Paris, 1843), and the Riedel-Verein

(Leipzig, 1854).4

2 Theodore M. Finney, "The Oratorio and Cantata Market: Britain, Germany, America," Choral Music, edited by Arthur Jacobs (Baltimore, 1963), p. 216.

3Ibid., p. 218.

4 Young, op. cit., p. 192-194. 4

In his brilliant essay, "Chorus and Symphony: Liszt,

Mahler, and After," Deryck Cooke points out:

This new attitude [humanism] naturally affected the most human element in music--the voice, solo and en masse. Before 1800, composers wrote choral music in accepted forms for the forces to hand, and with few exceptions, wrote within the capa- bilities of their singers. But after 1800, composers felt entitled to introduce a chorus into any work, according to expressive need, and to write for it as they pleased, regardless of technical difficulty.5

The genre of the symphony with chorus stands apart from the rest of choral music--religious, quasi-religious, or secular-- by virtue of the fact that it is conceived as an instrumental force with adjunct choral forces. A distinction can be made between these symphonies and works for chorus with orchestra in which the role of the instrumental body is essentially that of accompanying the choral body. In the choral symphony, the instrumental forces initiate and carry the bulk of unifying material as a. rule and are the principal purveyors of the individuality of the composer. Because the chorus is by nature conservative in idiom, only a few forms--the

Gregorian chant, the Renaissance motet, and the Protestant

5 Deryck Cooke, "Chorus and Symphony: Liszt, Mahler, and After," Choral Music, edited by Arthur Jacobs (Baltimore, 1963), p. 248. 5 chorale, for example--are truly favorable to the choral medium. Thus it is the instrumental body which is most adaptable to a composer's ideas and style and which is superior to the choral body in the choral symphony. The extent of the limitations imposed upon a composer who chooses the vocal medium is indicated by Schoenberg:

Support of intonation for the singer, through harmony, is almost indispensable . . . . Chro- maticism, augmented intervals (or successions of them) and tones (or tone successions) which cannot be related to the harmony, especially if outside the tonality, offer difficulties.6

The purpose of this study will be to examine those choral symphonies of the nineteenth century which have remained in the current repertory beginning with the first and most famous, the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven. His creation inspired Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Mahler to write similar symphonic works for orchestra with chorus.

This study will be concerned with the choral elements in these works and the common characteristics which these compositions have.

6Arnold Schoenberg, Fundamentals of Musical Composition (New York, 1967), p. 99. CHAPTER II

BEETHOVEN

Ludwig van Beethoven is sometimes thought of exclusively as a composer of instrumental music. A catalogue of his works, however, lists no fewer than fourteen works for chorus and orchestra, of which the following precede the composition of the choral finale of the Ninth Symphony (1824):

Cantata on the Death of the Emperor Joseph II 1790 Cantata on the Accession of Leopold II 1790 Oratorio, Christus am Olberge 1802 Mass in C 1807 Fantasy "Schmeichelnd hold" 1808 Cantata "Der glorreiche Augenblick" 1814 "Chor auf die verbindenen Fursten, " "Ihr weisen GrUnder" 1814 Cantata, "Meeresstille und gluckliche Fahrt" 1815 March and Chorus, "SchmUckt die Alt're" 1822

In addition to this list there are several settings for chorus in incidental music and overtures, as well as the ably written choruses in Fidelio. The Fantasy "Schmeichelnd hold" listed above is better known as the "Fantasy in C" for piano, chorus, and orchestra. In many ways this work can be desig- nated as the immediate predecessor of the choral symphony, for reasons which will be discussed later.

6 7

J. H. Elliott refers to the fact that it was not

actually Beethoven who originated the idea of a symphonic

choral finale:

The idea of a choral symphony was not, in point of fact, entirely Beethoven's own, for eminent (though now virtually neglected) composers had preceded him in the field. There was, for example, Peter von Winter (1754-1825), who composed a Battle Symphony (1814) with a choral movement. There might even have been an element of characteristic arrogance in Beethoven's decision to compose his own choral symphony, a desire to show the smaller fry how a great man could manipulate the form.

The Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, ("Choral")

Composition and First Performance

According to Thayer in his Life of Ludwig van Beethoven,

the sketches for the Ninth Symphony began in earnest in 1822,

upon completion of the Mass in D. The beginning of the melody for the "Ode to Joy" is indicated in the sketches as

a finale. However, because the work was intended as a

commission for the London Philharmonic, it is unlikely, in

Thayer's opinion, that Beethoven had at first intended to

J. H. Elliott, "The French Revolution: Beethoven and Berlioz," Choral Music, edited by Arthur Jacobs (Baltimore, 1963), p. 201. 8 use a chorus singing in German for an English audience.

Thayer states:

Sketches for the Finale show that Beethoven had made considerable progress with the setting of Schiller's ode before he decided to incorporate it with the Symphony. In June or July, 1823, he wrote down a melody in D minor which he desig- nated "Finale instromentale," [sic] and which, transposed into another key and slightly altered, was eventually used in the finale of the Quartet in A minor, Op. 132.2

Beethoven had had in mind a setting of Schiller's

"Ode to Joy" some thirty years before its appearance in the Ninth. Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1749-

1805) was, with Goethe, one of the two leading German classicists of the great age of German poetry with Beethoven.

He was a dramatist, historian, and philosopher as well as a poet. One author describes Schiller in adjectives which could be applied to Beethoven as well: "lebenslhnglich von

Geldsorgen geplagt, kranklich, hasslich, einseitig, ideal- istisch, und subjektiv." (Plagued by financial worries all through his life, sickly, ugly, biased, idealistic, and subjective.) Schiller wrote the "Ode to Joy" in Dresden in 3 1785.

2 Alexander Wheelock Thayer, The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, III (New York, 1921), p. 148.

3Claude Hill, Zweihundert Jahre Deutscher Kultur (New York, 1966), p. 80. 9

The arrangements for the vast concert which was to include the premiere performance of the Ninth Symphony were necessarily tedious, and, to a person of Beethoven's temperament, vexatious. The entire story, sometimes funny, sometimes pitiful, may be read in Thayer. The official announcement for the concert in Vienna ran as follows:

GRAND

MUSICAL CONCERT

by

MR. L. VAN BEETHOVEN

which will take place

To-morrow, May 7, 1824

in the R. I. Court Theatre beside the Krnthnerthor

First: A Grand Overture Second: Three Grand Hymns with Solo and Chorus Voices Third: A Grand Symphony with Solo and Chorus Voices entering in the finale on Schiller's Ode to Joy.

The solo will be performed by the Demoiselles Sonntag [sic] and Unger and the Messrs. Haizinger and Seipelt. Mr. Schuppanzigh has undertaken the direction of the orchestra, Mr. Chapelmaster Umlauf the direction of the whole and the Music Society the augmentation of the chorus and orchestra as a favor.

Mr. Ludwig van Beethoven will himself participate in the general direction. 10

Price of admission as usual 4 Beginning at 7 o'clock in the evening.

The overture was "Die Weihe des Hauses," which employs chorus;5

the three "hymns" were movements of the Mass in D_, so listed 6 because of ecclesiastical objections to theatrical performance.

The number of conductors named in the announcement for

the concert may seem unusual. Carse explains the situation:

. . . in the 18th century, it was not uncommon practice to employ someone to beat the time for choral music in churches, especially when the choir was large or widely spread out. The choral time-beater, as distinguished from the orchestral conductor, survived well into the 19th century. . . . Performances of oratorios or other large choral and orchestral works were often given in Vienna, and when on a fairly large scale, a time-beater for the choruses came into operation in addition to the usual piano and violin leaders. . . . For the first performance of the Choral Symphony in 1824, Schuppanzigh and Kletrinski were leaders of the orchestra, Conradin Kreutzer was at the piano, Umlauf was director of the whole, and it was announced that 'Beethoven will himself participate in the general direction.' . . . By that time Beethoven had become very deaf, and his contribution to the direction of7 the performance apparently did more harm than good.

4 Thayer, pR. cit., pp. 164-165.

5 "Die Weihe des Hauses" is known today only as an instrumental overture without the original choruses.

6Thayer, op. cit., p. 150.

7Adam Carse, The Orchestra from Beethoven to Berlioz (New York, 1949), pp. 294, 307. 11

Although the chorus and the strings practiced separately, there were only two general rehearsals for the concert. The solo singers were under the direction of Beethoven himself.

Much is heard today about the extreme demands that the Ninth makes upon the chorus; it is surprising, therefore, to find that the solo-singers protested the difficulty of the parts most vigorously. Thayer reports;

Unger [the contralto] called him a 'tyrant over all the vocal organs' to his face, but when he still refused to grant her petitions she turned to Sontag and said: 'Well, then we must go on torturing ourselves in the name of God.'

The chorus master asked that the bb" for sopranos be altered because none of his singers could reach that note.9 Beethoven refused; contemporary recordings prove that the note is avail- able.

The sketches for the Ninth show that Beethoven finished the choral part with instrumental variations first, and then attacked the instrumental introduction with the recitatives.

Berlioz guessed this fact, as he shows in his study of the symphonies:

8 Thayer, op. cit., p. 164.

9 Ibid. 12

Beethoven had already written eight symphonies before this. What means were open to him, in the event of his purposing to go beyond the point at which he had already arrived, by the unaided resources of instrumentation? The junction of vocal with instrumental forces. But, in order to observe the law of crescendo, and to place the power of the auxiliary which he wished to give the orchestra in effective relief in the work itself, was it not necessary still to allow the instruments to occupy the foreground of the picture which he proposed to unfold? This proposition being once admitted, we can easily imagine him induced to adopt a style of mixed music capable of serving as connecting link between the two great divisions of the symphony. It was the instrumental "recitative" which thus became the bridge which he ventured to throw out between chorus and orchestra; and over which the instruments passed to attain a junction with the voices.1 0

In spite of Berlioz' words, examination of the work will reveal that in fact the instruments cross no "bridge," but remain solidly in the instrumental realm where they are joined by the choral forces. With the possible exception of the instrumental recitative mentioned by Berlioz (and the consequent recitative sung by the tenor soloist as an addi- tional preparation for the entrance of the chorus), there is nothing inherently "vocal" about the finale. Beethoven solved the problem of the junction of the choral forces

10 Hector Berlioz, A Critical Study of Beethoven's Nine Symphonies, translated by Edwin Evans (London, 1958), pp. 112- 113. 13

with the orchestra by "incorporating the vocal sections into

a set of instrumental variations which could be worked out 11 on the same level without the use of the human voice. In

the words of Dika Newlin:

Beethoven's conception . . . is a rigidly and abstractly musical one. The formal principles and thematic material of the Ninth Symphony are laid down along instrumental symphonic lines before the voices appear; we are presented with a finale in variation-form which (with the exception of the recitative) would be of equal validity as a purely instrumental piece. The way in which the voices are handled can be explained logically in this way alone.1 2

The question of the difficulty of the vocal parts in

the Ninth, especially the compass of the chorus is much

discussed. Tovey holds:

. . . the extreme compass Beethoven assigns to his voices looks like some enormous violence of Beethoven's genius. . . . Other difficulties more enormous and less effective in Beethoven's choral writing arise from the fact that his two great choral works, the Ninth Symphony and the Mass in D, are for him, morally speaking, early works in this art.1 3

llDika Newlin, Bruckner-Mahler-Schoenberg (New York, 1947), p. 160.

1 2 Ibid., p. 157.

1 3 Donald Francis Tovey, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in D minor (Op. 125) (London, 1928) , p. 3. 14

The Mass in D and the Ninth Symphony are not immature works of choral art, as D,. Tovey suggests. The list of choral works presented at the beginning of this chapter as well as practically any quotation from the well-known Fidelio will convince one of Beethoven's experience and ability in the vocal medium. The expansion of the choral idiom in the

Ninth Symphony occurs for exactly the same reasons that the orchestral tendencies of the late quartets occur. Beethoven is actively seeking the ultimate that the quartets and the vocal forces can produce. In the Ninth he also seeks a sense of strain, of striving, of exultation, which fit the sense of his chosen text very well.

Analysis

Because of the many excellent analyses of the finale of the Ninth Symphony as well as of the work as a whole, it seems unnecessary to present a detailed analysis here.

Tovey's outline of the movements appears below:

I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso

II. Scherzo Molto vivace alternating with Presto

III. Adagio molto e cantabile alternating with Andante Moderato

IV. Finale. Presto alternating with quotations from previous movements, and leading to Allegro assai; leading to recapitulation of Presto with a Baritone 15

solo followed by the Choral Finale, which consists of variations and developments of the theme of the Allegro assai as follows:

Allegro assai: theme and two variations (quartet and chorus), Allegro assai vivace alla marcia: variation with tenor solo and male chorus; fugal episode; variation with full chorus.

Andante maestoso: new theme with full chorus.

Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato: double fugue on two themes.

Allegro ma non tanto (with changes of tempo) leading to Prestissimo: Coda with quartet and chorus.1 4

The first movement of the Ninth in D minor is in

sonata form. The second-movement Scherzo is also in D

minor while the third movement is in Bb Major and is a

type of First Rondo. The opening of the finale quotes

from each of these movements: first the opening measures

of the initial Allegro,

Fig. 1--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 32 through 37.

..

1 4 Ibid., p. 14. 16

next, the principal theme of the Scherzo,

FhAeS a 4 Obae

t Alsk o - _ , IW I . I a ml i at i i - ; m ---- ml- - - I f 14% n I v ; ; 1I I a "II I

Fig. 2 -- Beethoven , Ninth Symphony., fourth movement, measures 48 through 55.

and finally the first two measures of the main theme of the

adagio:

flutS and mats

JI i

Fig. 3--Beethoven , Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 63 through 65.

Each of these themes is rejected by the instrumental

recitative before the "Ode to Joy" theme is given in full

by the basses and cellos in unison, without accompaniment: CtItos 0 4 .ssI s

rrftl Aft -~ ~ F FF'~FIF HFmFF

.

Fig. 4--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 92 through 115. 17

Three instrumental variations and a codetta based on a portion of the "Joy" theme occur. Next, the baritone soloist enters singing the recitative on words composed by Beethoven himself,

O Freunde, nicht diese Tone' sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen, und freudenvollere.

O Brothers, not these tones. rather let us sing more pleasantly and full of joy.

In addition to adding these words, Beethoven does not hesitate to repeat short portions of Schiller's text or to alter it slightly.

Allegro assai.--The first entrance of the chorus occurs after the baritone recitative as the bass section answers the soloist immediately before he starts the "Joy" theme.

The lower three sections--altos, tenors, and basses--sing the B section of the "Joy" theme. After an orchestral interlude they sing the first four measures of the theme in harmony. Immediately the first of the choral "difficul- ties" is faced, the running eighth notes which occur in the tenor and soprano voices: 18

eravwsa

Fig. 5--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 296 and 297.

The homophonic statement of the theme is varied only by

passing eighth notes. Two treatments are given the alto

line: (1) a neutral voicing on notes which are unessential

to the harmony when they are in the low or medium range or

(2) voicing high in their range in thirds or sixths with

sopranos. The tenor line is characterized by a high tessitura, but the natural piercing quality of the section

is taken advantage of thereby. In addition to the difficulty of the running eighth notes at this tempo, the bass section must cope with large leaps:

Lgc1sej-.ewrgA, Stekt .vorGat

Fig. 6--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 302 and 303. 19

Allegro assai vivace alla marcia.--This well-known

Janissary music finds its place in the finale because

Beethoven wishes to express all the joys of all mankind.

The Janissary music is symbolic of the intimate and minia- ture joys of parks, of the open air, of children. Its

Turkish flavor is also indicative of the fact that joy is for "alle Menschen." Janissary music had been known in

Vienna since 1741; in nineteenth-century Vienna bands using

Turkish instruments played regularly in parks. The first composition known to have used such music was Gluck's La

r 15 Rencontre imprevue of 1764.

The first chorus in this section is a three-part male chorus, TTB. The bass part is similar to the preceding section; the tenors carry the melody and the second tenors sing in harmony below them. The second chorus in this section is SATB and is written mostly in dotted quarter notes. In this portion the soprano section has the first of the extremely high tessitura lines.

Fig. 7--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 477 through 480.

15H. G. Farmer, "Janissary Music," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., IV (New York, 1954), 585. 20

This chorus starts forte, contains sforzatos, and ends fortissimo, thereby forcing the singers to sing at peak

energy very early in the choral section of the movement.

Andante maestoso.--This section presents the theme

which appears to be "unvocal" because of the slow tempo

and the leap of a ninth which occurs. Teorsd Bsnts

u- - . .*Aon -en0ie- r.:0%0se.i(4 KJ tr ra nU1 51

Fig. 8--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 529 through 536.

Since most choral singers cannot sing the phrase above in

one breath, staggered breathing is required with the

attendant problems of reentering the texture and spacing

the breathing of the singers. The difficulty of the leap

of a ninth is somewhat alleviated by the instrumental

support that Beethoven gives the singers. Beethoven asks

that the men present the theme fortissimo with a sforzato

at the apex. Such an accent is a difficult feat vocally,

but Beethoven helps the men by giving them a word with a

good initial consonant, "ganzen," for the sforzato. At

the turn to F Major, the orchestra competes savagely for

the attention of the hearer. 21

Adagio ma non troppo, ma divoto. -- Since Beethoven intended the Ninth for the London Philharmonic, it is possible that he adopted the device of intoning or chanting the words in four-part harmony, as in the following passage,

Fig. 9--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 584 through 588. in deference to a similar practice in the liturgy of the

Church of England. This type of chanting, practiced in

England since the Reformation, is known as Anglican Chant.

The following example of Anglican Chant can be compared with

Beethoven's "chant" in the ma, divoto section.

'NL _1_

-0--

v Serve the o be joy- Lord with ful in all ye Lands: gladness presence with a song. Lord and come before his

Fig. 10--James Clifford, "The Imperial Tune. " (1664) 22

Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato.--The double

fugue which occurs in this section, based on the "Joy"

theme in Figure 3 and the theme in Figure 8, is difficult

for singers because of its fast tempo. As in all poly-

phonic writing, it is necessary for the singers to know when other sections have portions which must be heard;

therefore, balance is the crucial question here. Halfway

through the fugue, at the section which begins at measure

700, many halfsteps occur, especially in the alto part, making intonation more and more difficult as the harmonic

tempo increases. The sudden disappearance of the full choral voicing at measure 732 makes the piano rendering of the rhythmic figure J A IJ a treacherous one for the men, because the accurate stopping of the vocal tone, required here twice each measure, is doubly difficult with a chorus. The rendition of this figure is even more diffi- cult for the altos because Beethoven writes the part so low that they cannot be heard, adhering to his contrapuntal design by passing the motive up in successive voices. The last sixteen measures of this section recall the ma divoto section preceding. 23

Allegrorma non tanto.--This section is referred to by

Tovey as an "endless round" 1 6 because of the possible com- bination of all the individual measures.

17 Fig. 11--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, finale

This section marks the first time in the finale that all the forces--instrumental, choral, and solo--are presented together. At a slower tempo this "endless round" would be quite favorable to the vocal medium, especially since

Beethoven has simplified the choral rendition of the round by having the massed force sing in unison. "Alle Menschen" sings the chorus (measure 810), at what is probably the

16 Tovey, op. cit., p. 14.

17 Ibid. 24

most effective climax vocally. Immediately the massed chorus is asked to sing piano as the Poco adagio begins at measure 813. Two measures later the entire section of sopranos introduces the motive of the turn,

Soprano

Sand- -er

Fig. 12--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measure 746. which is to be central in the quartet's Poco adagio. This device is one of the most difficult to execute with a mixed group. Surprisingly, however, in the hands of an able conductor who will subdivide the beat to aid the sopranos visually with the execution of the ornament, the device is easily and effectively rendered. The return to the Allegro ends with the choral repetition of the "Alle Menschen" climax and the quartet sings its version of the Poco adagio, which, because of its chromaticism, melodious line, and concentration, is reminiscent of a Mozart operatic ensemble.

Certainly this section demands the highest vocal artistry.

]Beethoven "features" the soprano soloist and the bass soloist in the turn figure introduced in the choral adagio 25

section. There is a similar figure in the tenor solo

(measure 841), but the alto solo, probably because her voice

blends too well with the orchestra, is not asked to sing the

turn motive.

Prestissimo.--Preceded by a short orchestral introduc-

tion marked Poco allegro, stringendo il tempo, sempre $iu

allegro, the Prestissimo section carries the metronome mark

= 132, which is extremely fast for an ensemble of this

size. Beethoven voices the sopranos, tenors, and basses at

the very top of their range for this brief section although

again the altos have a conservative range. The rhythm is

quite straightforward and Beethoven has taken particular

care to voice the inner parts with small leaps, with the

exception of measures 831 through 833, where he asks all

three lower parts to sing the figure

Fig. 13--Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 831 and 832.

in unison. In doing so he requires large leaps of a

twelfth in the alto (a-e") and an octave (A-a) in the bass

in order to bring back four-part harmony after the figure 26

is completed. The final return of the beginning of the "Joy" theme is given at the short Moderato section, measure 920, in

dotted rhythm, A)4 jJIY Jaided at the beginning

by rhythmic support from the orchestra.

Comparison with the "Fantasy in C1," _p_. 80

As has been noted, the compass and tessitura require-

ments for voices in the finale of the Ninth are extreme.

These factors, coupled with the energy required for a chorus

to maintain a. level of forte or louder, make the Ninth very

taxing for choral performance. It is enlightening in con-

nection with the study of the vocal performance problems

in the Ninth to look closely at another work of Beethoven's,

the "Fantasy in C," which preceded the composition of the

Finale of the Ninth by sixteen years.

Both compositions employ a solo group (a double quartet

in the "Fantasy" and a quartet in the Ninth), a massed SATB

chorus, and orchestra. The "Fantasy" also calls for a solo

piano. Both the "Fantasy" and the Finale of the Ninth are

a set of free variations. There is a slight resemblance

between the "Joy" theme of the Ninth (Figure 4) and the

theme which is chosen for variation in the "Fantasy." 27 pia.ro -Al ... - - - i i,- .rwmw4llr N

Fig. 14--Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 35 through 46.

Formally the "Fantasy" consists of two sections, an

introductory Adagio for solo piano (unaccompanied by the

orchestra) which is improvisatory, and a Finale, with the

following sections:

Allegro. C minor Fanfare-like figure in cellos and basses:

Citeso c. csses

Fig. 15--Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 1 through 4.

Meno allegro. C major: Theme presented by piano (measures 35 through 50) Var. 1 Solo flute (measures 51 through 66) Var. 2 Two oboes (measures 67 through 89) Var. 3 Two clarinets and solo bassoon (measures 83 through 89) Var. 4 Full orchestra (measures 99 through 130) Var. 5 Piano solo with orchestra (measures 131-158) Cadenza 28

Allegro molto. C minor: Introduction of running eighth- (measures 159 through note figure by piano, joined by 264) orchestra.. Return to C major. Codetta.

Piano ..

i :

Fig. 16---Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 159 and 160.

Adagio, ma non troppo: Highly ornamented piano varia- (measures 265 tion with orchestral accompaniment, through 295) A Major.

Marcia, assai vivace, Typical French military march, F Major: woodwinds predominate. "Trio" (measures 296 in C minor. through 362)

Allegro. C minor: Return of bass fanfare figure, (measures 363 Figure 14. through 371)

Allegretto, ma non Ornamented standing on the troppo, (quasi dominant by piano introduces Andante con moto). double quartet singing C Major: "Schmeichelnd hold" words, in (measures 372 three-part harmony, first the through 586) women and then the men.

wJ

7 ,..o..N

a14 -1 L I A A -

115c"Mchaln~d 6 0 iS r i;eb - ijc. Kl in -9 n urn - SerS L4t- wents iHar. Dno- hi-e

Fig. 17--Beethoven, "Fantasy in C, " finale, measures 386 through 390. 29

The above passage offers no choral difficulties at all.

The vocal Tutti is merely a re-voicing of this.

oru1=s __I

Grs-5ed,& 5 1h s -Ierz, a re- _ __ 61 Jand0 heu,. fcl one, n eapor

Fig. 18--Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 420 through 423.

Special notice should be taken of how the tenor line lies

in the middle of that section's register and is used as a

harmonic filler. Such tenor voicing would not be heard

with the full orchestral accompaniment which is written

here.

At the next double-quartet entrance, the sopranos and

tenors sing in imitation:

_ S_ _ rv

FigR. 19 --Bee thoven, "Fantaysin 7 finl measure 450 through 453. 30

Here Beethoven lets the solo tenors take advantage of their

natural brilliance in the upper register, even though the

quartet sings here only with the piano. The next vocal

device is considerably more advanced harmonically and

stylistically and looks forward to the ma divoto section

in the Ninth.

I- - - - - e _A ______0_ _ _ 1__I '~q "r-,- rr-I7

.

Fig. 20--Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 485 through 493.

The single a' in the tenor and the resolution using an

octave skip should be noted.

This figure is followed by a dotted-rhythm section,

Looking forward to the J treatment of the "Joy"

theme in the double fugue Allegro energico section of the

Ninth. The vocal ttti portion given in Figure 18 is

repeated exactly in rhythmic augmentation, ending at mea-

sure 134 even though the piano and orchestral accompaniment

is different. The tutti section is repeated a third time,

this time without augmentation, although an extension of

the final cadence occurs. 31

Many analogous sections are evident here, such as:

Fantasy Ninth

F Major Marcia section Bb alla marcia section

Running eighth notes Endless round (quartet) (quartet)

Bass-cello "fanfare," Bass-cello "summons" opening allegro opening measures 9 through 17

Imitation in tenor and Fugue sections in the soprano Ninth

Doubled thirds, high, Doubled thirds, high, Fig. 20 ma divoto section.

Soprano g" held for six Soprano a." held for thir- measures (Fig. 20) teen measures, ma divoto section.

With the exception of the sustained whole-note section

found in Figure 20, the vocal writing of the "Fantasy" is

commonplace and academic. Such devices as the augmented

repetition of the tutti section are elementary in choral

writing. The harmonies and the voice leading in the basic

tutti section, Figure 18, are almost banal.

In addition to the fact that the "Fantasy" is a fairly

early work, it is also a work which was hurriedly, almost

casually, done. Both of these factors contribute to the weakness (but not, it is to be noted, to the difficulty)

of the choral writing. It is a well-known fact that 32

Beethoven rarely wrote down more than a sketch of the solo piano part for his concertos when he played them for his own use. Because of the free structure of the "Fantasy," he could improvise most of the piano part. The unimagina- tiveness of the initial instrumental variations also indicate that the "Fantasy" was hastily written.

This theory is supported by Thayer. The "Fantasy" was first played at a concert called a. "Musical Academy" which took place when Beethoven was given free use of the Theater- an-der-Wien in return for playing two charity concerts. The program included four choral "Hymns," the Fifth Symphony, and a final number listed as "Fantasia for the Pianoforte which ends with the gradual entrance of the entire orchestra and the introduction of choruses as a finale."18 Possibly

Beethoven chose this unusual combination because he had the choruses on hand for the hymns. Thayer notes that this concert was the premiere of the Symphony No. 5 in C Minor.

... nor could a. grander termination of the concert be desired than the Finale of the C minor Symphony; but to defer that work until the close was to incur the risk of endangering its effect by presenting it to an audience

1 8 Thayer, p. cit., p. 127. 33

too weary for the close attention needful on first hearing to its fair comprehension and appreciation. This Beethoven felt, and so, says Czerny, 'there came to him shortly before the idea of writing a brilliant piece for this concert. He chose a song which he had composed many years before, planned the variations, the chorus, etc., and the poet Kuffner was called upon to write the words in a hurry according to Beethoven's hints.' Thus originated the Choral Fantasia, Op. 80.19

Thus the last great disparity between the two works is

revealed--a minor poet was "called upon" to write words to

a previously composed "song." The Ninth's Finale is written

on a great poem by one of the greatest German classical

poets. The music similarity between the two works is quite

extensive, however. It is not improper to consider the

Finale of the hastily-written "Fantasy" as a preliminary

sketch for the Finale of the Ninth. And yet, it must be

emphasized again that the choral writing in the "Fantasy"

offers practically no physical stress nor vocal difficulty.

The choral writing in the Ninth, on the other hand, pur-

posely strains the voices and taxes the energy of the chorus.

It will be recognized that the vocal writing in the Ninth

shows Beethoven's consummate skill in accomplishing his aims while writing for choral forces.

19 Ibid., pp. 129-130. 34

Beethoven's Contribution

It should be stated that although Beethoven did not originate the choral symphony, he did establish in the writing of his Ninth Symphony two principles which held true for the nineteenth-century composers who followed him.

According to Newlin these principles are as follows: (1) the willingness to "reconstruct and rearrange the text which he has chosen, even adding new lines of his own if the music requires, " and (2) "a logical derivation of the thematic mate- rial of the vocal sections from that of the preceding instrumental passages. . . ."20 This paper will investigate how subsequent composers of choral symphonies used these ideas.

2 0 Newlin, .o... cit., p. 129. CHAPTER III

BERLIOZ

The next great name in the realm of the choral symphony

is that of Hector Berlioz, poet, Parisian, and orchestrator

extraordinaire. Berlioz is known today in the current

repertory chiefly by his first symphony, the Symphonie

Fantastique, although his second, Harold in Italy, and several

overtures (some of which originally contained choral sections)

are also played. However, a catalogue of his works will

reveal that only ten works in his total output are in the

purely instrumental genre. As a literary man, Berlioz was

concerned with the setting of words for vocal expression.

Another reason for the unusual number of choral works might be the fact that Berlioz once served as a chorus member in a minor comic opera theatre, the Theatre des Nouveautes, at a particularly low financial point during his early career.1

Today, outside of France, his vocal works are neglected partly because of the difficulty of finding singers who can quickly master singing French texts.

1 Hector Berlioz, Memoirs, translated and edited by David Cairns (London, 1969), p. 69.

35 36

The two symphonies of Berlioz which definitely fall

under the classification of choral symphonies are his third,

Romeo et Juliette, op. 17, and his fourth, Grande Symphonie

Funebre et Triomphale, for military band. Two other works

might be considered as coming close to the choral symphony:

Lelio (1831) the sequel to the Symphonie Fantastique, and

Le Damnation de Faust (1847).

Lelio is one of the most unusual works in all music

literature; in scoring and in intent it is more typical of

the twentieth century than the nineteenth. The autobio-

graphical work is scored for a French-speaking actor, two

tenors who sing in German, piano, orchestra, and chorus.

The chorus closes the extraordinary work singing the "Tempest

Fantasy" based on Shakespeare's drama. Though based on an

English play, the "Tempest Fantasy" is sung in Italian.

Lelio, in spite of its connection with the Symphonie

Fantastique, is unique and defies classification. It is

too diverse and shows too little unity between its sections to be considered a symphony; the work is conceived for voices and speaker and the instruments play only a support- ing role. There is even a rudimentary staging, as Berlioz asks that the chorus and orchestra perform behind the curtain in front of which the speaker and the soloists 37

appear. Finally, Berlioz himself does not speak of the

work as a symphony; he calls it a "lyric monodrama. "2

The Damnation of Faust is designated by Berlioz as an

opera de concert (concert opera). It has many operatic

characteristics that preclude its being classed as a

symphonic work: it is organized like a numbered opera; it

follows the dramatic organization of Goethe's Faust; it

emphasizes the aria rather than the orchestra or the chorus.

However, like Lelio, it contains many instrumental sections

which have been successfully "lifted" for concert performance.

It is difficult to obtain a full score of Faust outside

France, where the work is immensely popular, while the

orchestral portions, the "Marche Hongroise," the "Ballet

des Sylphes, " and the "Menuet des Follets," are in many

libraries and record collections.

Another reason for the tragic neglect of Berlioz'

choral works is that the scoring rarely follows the tradi- tional soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voicing. Berlioz was

such an individualist and such a master of sonority that he varied the choral voices according to the needs of the

21bid., p. 160. 38 particular work at hand. No choral society, for choral societies are stubbornly democratic and amateur, relishes singing a work which has no parts for one of its sections.

Berlioz has recorded his views on scoring for the chorus in his Treatise on Modern Instrumentation and Orchestration.

First citing the classical division of voices and the fact that these voices vary in different nationalities and climates, he says:

It therefore appears to be absolutely imprudent to write choruses in four real parts of equal importance, according to the classical division of voices into Sopranos, Contraltos, Tenors, and Basses. It is at least certain that in Paris, in a chorus thus arranged the contralto part--comparatively with the other parts, especially in a large mass of voices--would be so weak as to miss the greater portion of the effects assigned to it by the composer. .As Nature everywhere produces sopranos, tenors, and basses, I think it infinitely more prudent, more rational, and even more musical, if the object be to make all the voices useful, to write choruses either in six parts--first and second sopranos, first and second tenors, barytones, and basses--or in three parts, taking care to divide the voices each time that they approach the extremes of their respective compass.. . .

Berlioz later states his main tenet in writing for chorus,

"After these observations, it will easily be conceived that

3Hector Berlioz, Treatise o Modern Instrumentation and Orchestration, translated by Mary Cowden Clarke (London, 1882), pp. 177-178. 39 the composer has to make his choice of the register of voices subservient to the character of the piece in which he employs them." 4 The remaining section of the Treatise which is devoted to voices is given over to Berlioz' expansion of this idea, using examples from the operas of

Gluck, as well as one example from Mozart and one from

Spontini and two from Rossini.

The Dramatic Symphony, Romeo et Juliette

Berlioz ' individual vocal idiom can best be observed in the dramatic symphony Romeo and Juliet. Berlioz leaves no doubt that he intends Romeo and Juliet to be classified as a symphony. Both Einstein's Music in the Romantic Era and Barzun's Berlioz and the Romantic Century have partial translations of the preface that Berlioz wrote for Romeo and Juliet, but because neither reference quotes the preface in its entirety and because Barzun fragments and comments upon the translation, it seems prudent to quote the entire preface here so that the context of Berlioz' statements can be observed:

4 Ibid., p. 179. 40

On ne se meprendra pas sans doute sur le genre de cet ouvrage. Bien que les voix y soient souvent employees, ce n'est ni un opera de concert, une cantate, mais une symphonic avec choeurs. Si le chant y figure presque d'es le debut, c'est afin de preparer l'esprit de l'auditeur aux scenes dramatiques dont les sentiments et les passions doivent 'tre exprimes par 1' orchestra. C'est en outre pour introduire peu a peu dans le developpement musical les masses chorales, dont l'apparition trop subite aurait pu nuire a l'unite de la composition. Ainsi le prologue, ou, a l'exemple de celui du drame de Shakespeare lui-meme, le choeur expose l'action, n'est chantd que par quatorze voix. Plus loin se fait entendre (hors de la scene) le choeur des Capulets (hommes) seulement; puis dans la ce'remonie funebre, les Capulets hommes et femmes. Au debut du finale figurent les deux cheurs enters des Capulets et des Montagus et le pare Laurence; et a la fin, les trois choeurs reunis. Cette derniere scene de la reconciliation des deux 'familles est seule du domaine de l'opera ou de l'oratorio. Elle n'a jamais ete, depuis le temps de Shakespeare, representee sur aucun theatre; mais elle est trop belle, trop musicale, et elle couronne trop bien un ouv- rage de la nature de celui-ci, pour que le compositeur pur songer a la traiter autrement. Si, dans les scenes ce'lebres du jardin et du cimetiere, le dialogue des deux amants, les apart's de Juliette et les glans passionnes de Romeo ne sont pas chantes, si enfin les duos d'amour et de dsespoir sont confies a l'orchestre, les raisons en sont nombreuses et faciles a saisir. C'est d'abord, et ce motif seul suffirait a la justification de l'auteur, parce qu'il s'agit d'une symph9nie et non d'un opera. Ensuite, les duos de cette nature ayant ete traits mille fois vocalement et par les plus grands maitres, il etait prudent autant que curieux de tenter un autre mode d'expression. C'est aussi parce que 41 la sublimite meme de cet amour en rendait la peinture si dangereuse pour le musicien, qu'il a du donner a sa fantaisie une latitude que le sens positif des paroles chantees ne lui et pas laissee, et recourir a la langue instrumentale, langue plus riche, plus variee, moms arretee, et, par son vague meme, imcomparablement plus puissante en pareil cas.

Doubtless, no one will misunderstand the nature of this work. Although voices are used often in it, it is neither a concert opera nor a cantata, but a symphony with choruses. If the voice figures in it almost from the very beginning, it is in order to prepare the mind of the hearer for the dramatic scenes whose sentiments and passions should be expressed by the orchestra. Besides, this is in order to introduce the choral masses gradually into the musical development; for their too-sudden appearance might have been injurious to the unity of the composition. Thus the prologue (where, following the example of the Shakespearean drama itself, the chorus exposes the action) is sung by only fourteen voices. Farther on we hear, off stage, the choir of the Capulets (men) alone. Then, in the funeral ceremony, the Capulets, both men and women. At the beginning of the finale appear the two full choruses of the Capulets and the Montagues and Friar Lawrence; and at the end, the three choruses unite. This final scene of the reconcilation of the two families is the only one in the realm of the opera or the oratorio. It has never been, since the time of Shakespeare, performed on any stage, but it is too beautiful, too musical, and it crowns a work of this type so perfectly that the composer could not think to set it otherwise. If, in the famous scenes of the garden and the churchyard, the dialogue of the two lovers, the asides of Juliet and the passionate outpourings of Romeo are not sung; if finally, the two [scenes] of love and despair are confided to the orchestra, the reasons for this are numerous and are easily grasped. First--and this reason alone would suffice for the justification of the composer--this is a symphony and not an opera. Next, duets of this nature having been 42

treated a thousand times and by the greatest masters, it was prudent as well as unusual to attempt another way of expression. It is also because the very sublimity of this love renders the depiction dangerous for the musician, that he had to give his imagination a latitude that the meaning of the sung words would not have allowed him, and to resort to an instrumental language, a language richer, more varied, less restrictive, and, by its very vagueness, 5 incomparably more powerful in such a case.

The full title to the symphony reads Romeo et Juliette

Symphonie dramatique avec Choeurs, Solos de Chant et Prologue en recitatif choral/Composee _.'apres la. Tragedie de Shakes- peare (Dramatic symphony with choruses, vocal solos, and

Prologue in choral recitative/Composed after the tragedy of

Shakespeare).

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most maligned musical compositions ever written. It has especially been taken to task by English musicologists, who somehow resent the fact that a Frenchman should have the audacity to undertake a commentary and enlargement of a play of their great poet.

Tovey's analysis (Essays in Musical Analysis, Book IV) is especially amusing. In the English-speaking world, only the instrumental portions are played as a rule and only

5Hector Berlioz, Preface to Romeo et Juliette, (transla- tion by Metche F. Alexander) (Leipzig, no date), p. v. 43

these are deemed worthy of being included in general

analyses and histories. It is the choral portions, however,

which affect the unity and the coherence of the work. They

are also the most sublimely beautiful.

In addition to Romeo and Juliet Berlioz wrote six works

on plays of Shakespeare: the "Tempest Fantasia" already

cited in Lelio (composed initially as a separate work), the

"King Lear Overture," the opera Beatrice et Benedict (based

on Much Ado about Nothing), and two works based on Hamlet,

the choral overture "Marche Funebre pour la derniere scene

d'Hamlet" and the song "La Mort d'Ophelie." All except the

King Lear work involve the voice. Berlioz' preoccupation with Shakespeare was natural for a young literary enthusiast

of his day, because of the interest in the English play- wrights in Paris when he was a young man. This was

strengthened by his unnatural preoccupation with the personality of Harriet Smithson, the Shakespearean actress whom he subsequently married. When Berlioz first came from

La Cote, he knew little English, although he later mastered the language through study. He relied upon his friend and fellow enthusiast, Emile Deschamps, for the libretto to his dramatic symphony. Berlioz sketched out the words which

Deschamps translated. As the symphony stands, only the 44 vocal "Queen Mab Scherzetto" takes its words more or less directly from Shakespeare's tragedy, although the arias of

Friar Lawrence in the Finale offer an occasional paraphrase of Shakespeare's words.

Composition and First Performance

Berlioz probably settled upon the idea of writing a work based on Romeo and Juliet during his stay in Italy, where he discussed with Mendelssohn his idea for writing an instrumental piece on the Queen Mab speech of Mercutio, and where he heard Bellini's then current opera, I

Montecchi ed i Capuletti in Florence. The specific occasion for the composition of the symphony was, however, a grant from the aging artist Nicolo Paganini which enabled Berlioz to devote a full year to the composition of the work.7

Beethoven being dead, only a Berlioz could reincarnate him. I who have fed on your divine compositions, worthy of a genius such as yours, feel it my duty to ask you to accept in homage the sum of 20,000 francs, which the Baron Rothschild will remit on sight of the accompanying note.

Believe me always your affectionate friend

Nicolo Paganini8

6 Berlioz, Memoirs, p. 160. 7 Jacques, Berlioz and the Romantic Century, I (New York, 1969), p. 312. 8 Ibid. 45

The premiere of Romeo and Juliet took place on November

24, 1839, at the Salle du Conservatoire. The soloists were

Alexis Dupont, Rosine Stoltz, and Louis Alizard. The choruses were under the direction of Pierre Dietsch, who, according to Berlioz' directions for performance, shared in the direction during the concert.9 Berlioz himself conducted the orchestra; by this time he had become known as one of the ablest of the new European baton-conductors. It should be noted that Paris was never a city in which the keyboard conductor was common; a violinist had always been the leader there until Berlioz' day. Because his principal instruments were the guitar and the flute and because of the obvious difficulty of conducting with such instruments, it was he who fostered the new school of baton-conducting in Paris.1 0

The premiere and subsequent performances were highly successful. Romeo and Juliet was not performed so often as other works during Berlioz' lifetime because of the require- ments of personnel (he calls for 270 performers) and because of the difficulty of the closing double and triple choruses.

He comments on such choruses in the Treatise:

9Berlioz, Romeo and Juliette, p. vi.

1 0 Carse, p... cit., pp. 312-313. 46

Double choruses are . . . of a richness and pomp quite remarkable; they are certainly not hackneyed nowadays. They are, for expeditious musicians--both composers and performers--too long to write and to learn.

Analysis

There are many excellent analyses of the instrumental

portions of Romeo and Juliet such as those in Earl V. Moore

and Theodore E. Heger's The Symphony and the Symphonic Poem.

In these analyses, critics usually find the instrumental

sections formless and fantasia-like although a definite

scherzo form with double trio can been seen in the instru- mental "Queen Mab Scherzo"; the "Romeo" section which follows

the prologue can certainly be analyzed as a type of sonata or rondo form. However, the symphony has no movement which

is clearly in sonata form. It does possess such symmetry and unity that its coherence as a symphonic form cannot be questioned when it is viewed as a whole with the choral and vocal sections in the proper perspective. In the overall work, an arch form is evident:

llBerlioz, Treatise, p. 198. 47

QUEEN MAB SCHERZO F Major

ROMEO ALLEGRO FUNERAL CHORUS AND ADAGIO AND DEATH SCENE F Major-A Major E minor-major, A Major

PROLOGUE FINALE B minor-major, A minor A minor, C minor, E Major G Major, F Major, A minor B Major, B minor, B Major

Most analyses, including that of Barzun, do not give sufficient weight to the Funeral Chorus section. However, this scene is the first in which the full chorus participates, as Berlioz clearly indicates in the score and in the direc- tions for execution:

Enfin, les choristes, Capulets et Montagus, ne devront se placer en vue du public qu'apr'es le scherzo instrumental, pendant 1'entr 'acte qui separe ce morceau du Convoi funebre. (Finally, the choristers, Capulets and Montagues, are not to be placed in sight of the public until after the instrumental scherzo, during the pause 12 which separates that piece from the Funeral March.)

Barzun has referred to the Prologue as a. "thematic catalogue,"13 which indeed it is. Most of the important themes are presented here, usually with verbal association

12Berlioz, Romeo et Juliette, p. vi.

1 3 Barzun, op. cit.., p. 323. 48

from the chorus which helps the auditor identify them when

they occur thematically in the body of the work. In this

way, the Prologue is similar to the nineteenth-century opera

overture, although it has more sections than the average

overture.

Introduction: Co mbats-Tumult-Intervention of the

Prince.--The introduction opens, Allegro fugato, in B minor,

with a fugal passage. This fugue is really a pseudo-fugue,

as towards the end the fugue subject is used as a melody

with accompaniment. The fugue subject

Fig. 21--Berlioz, Romeo .and Juliet, Prologue, measures 1 through 5.

is stated by each of the string sections before the homo- phonic texture begins. The subject matter is interrupted with repeated open fifth in the brasses, measures 67 through

69. This is followed by a section marked Fierement, un peu retenent avec le caractere du recitatif, beginning in mea- sure 79, which is a recitative section for lower brass in an operatic vein. After an expansive crescendo, which is 49

reminiscent of the Royal Hunt scene in Les Troyens, the

fugal themes resume in major at measure 165, only to be

almost immediately fragmented. The section ends on a

dominant pedal which becomes the tonic of the choral

recitative which follows.

Prologue.--The choral sections in the Prologue are

for Petit choeur (small chorus) of contraltos, tenors, and

basses (an example of Berlioz' selection of only a portion

of the chorus' voices for his purpose) and, as will be re-

membered from the preface, is specifically for fourteen .14 voices. The prologue choral sections in Romeo and Juliet

are very difficult; it is doubtless for this reason that

Berlioz asks for a small, select group of singers. The

section opens in F# Major with the choir singing, or rather

chanting (Berlioz uses the word "psalmody" in describing a

14It is interesting to note that one of the latest and most favorable developments in choral performance is the use of small choral ensembles of precisely this num- ber. These modern "madrigal" or chamber groups are devoted to singing the finest choral literature, part songs and contemporary literature as well as adaptations of the Renaissance solo madrigal. The resulting performances, which, incidentally, require a fine and sensitive conductor, can place the small choral ensemble in the same class with the string quartet and other chamber groups in accuracy and aesthetic sensibility. 50

similar passage later) the text without accompaniment. This

texture is varied with an occasional formal cadence, using

formulas typical of the operatic recitative. At measure 224,

the soloist interrupts the texture to add her commentary,

still singing without accompaniment in the same recitative

vein. What could have been more un-symphonic to the early

nineteenth-century concert audience than an unaccompanied

vocal recitative? The chorus closes the section by describ-

ing the ball which the Capulets are giving. The spare

texture is suddenly interrupted at measure 232 by the full

orchestra playing the Fete theme, Allegro, 2/2:

Fig. 22--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Prologue, measures 232 through 235.

A sudden and very brief shift to 6/8 marked L'istesso tempo

un poco riten. presents the ball theme in the violins:

\(iol irs

L. . i .d MW .a

Fig. 23--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Prologue, measures 255 through 258. 51

The chorus enters, 4/4 Moderato, in F Major, and sings the first gratingly dissonant chord on the word "expire" in measure 276. In the section which follows, the orchestra joins the chorus for the first time and the chorus sings in a more conventional homophonic style, while the orchestra presents another of the themes, that of Romeo alone:

Fig. 24--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Prologue, measures 273 through 275.

After returning to the recitative style, this time in a four-part harmony, with the tenors divided, a 6/8 section is introduced which is marked Andante con. moto ed. appassionato assai, where the chorus and orchestra together introduce the

Love Theme:

Fig. 25--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Prologue, measures 291 through 294, 52

The next section is for a contralto solo and consists of

two strophes, the first with harp alone and the second with

harp and a cello obbligato. This simple song glorifies young

love and the poet Shakespeare in a manner that could not be

ignored by even the most insensitive Parisian. By modern

standards the song might seem overlong, especially for an

audience which does not understand the language. The song

employs chorus in five parts, with the altos and tenors

divided on the dominant-tonic cadences at the end of the

two strophes.

As the harp strikes a D Major chord, the next section, marked Recitatif et Scherzetto begins. The chorus sings in three-part harmony, still in recitative style. This is the section which was mentioned earlier as quoting directly

from Shakespeare. The tenor soloist enters with a recita- tive and the scherzetto begins Allegro legqiero, 2/4 at measure 365. In contrast to the earlier choral sections, the orchestra plays throughout the scherzetto, often in counterpoint to the voices, but also adding instrumental support. The place of the chorus here is to echo the tenor's phrases, which Berlioz accomplished by having the altos repeat the tenor's phrases in the same octave while the choral tenors and basses sing in three-part harmony under 53

the melody. There is not really a recapitulation, although

the return to the tonic at the words "C'est Mab" hints at

one. The piece is very difficult, even for a small, well-

disciplined group of singers; most of this difficulty stems

from the fast tempo at the scherzetto. The scherzetto ends

with an ascending scalewise motion, exactly as does the

instrumental scherzo which follows.

The Andante section which follows previews the Funeral

March, in e minor. The strings begin with a repeated

"psalmody" e. The chorus sings again in three-part harmony,

but with considerably more dissonance than before. Near

the end of the movement, the orchestra clearly quotes the

initial notes of the funeral fugue:

Fig. 26--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Prologue, measures 500 and 501.

At the end of this piece, which ends the prologue, Berlioz gives the stage direction, "La Choeur sort." (The ch rus goes out.) 54

Romeo alone--Sadness--Distant Sounds of Music and

Dancing--Great Festivities in Capulet's Palace.--As has

been stated previously, the instrumental portions of

Romeo and Juliet are well-known and well-analyzed. Suffice

it to say that the instrumental section which follows the

prologue is composed of an initial theme and an alternate

section with a return to the initial theme. A Larghetto

espressivo section follows with the melody

Fig. 27--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo Alone, measures 82 through 86. which Berlioz names the "Larghetto theme." The Fete Theme

is presented in allegro sections both before and after the

Larghetto theme. Berlioz then clearly marks in the score:

"Reunion dex deux Themes, du Larghetto et de l'Allegro" 15

(Reunion of the two themes, the Larghetto and the Allegro)

(measure 226), and a grand counterpoint closes the Romeo section fortissimo.

1 5Berlioz, Romeo et Juliette, p. vi. 55

Star-light Night--Capulet's Garden, silent and deserted--The. voun Capulets, leaving _the hall, pass y singing fragments o:f the dance-music. Love-scene.--Here

Berlioz gives specific stage directions:

Ce double choeur doit s'executer au fond du theatre, ou dans un salon voisin de l'orchestre si la Symphonie est entendue dans une salle de concert. Il n'est pas necessaire que le maitre de chant puisse voir la mesure du chef d'orchestre; il suffit qu'il puisse entendre la replique des Cors commencant a la 35e mesures. Le chef d'orchestre suivra la mouvement du choeur qu'il entendra aisement. Il faut absolument un ou deux instruments, Violins ou Altos, pour donner le ton aux choristes et les empecher de baisser, les choristes ne pouvant qu'ils chantent rien entendre de l'orchestra qui joue aussi piano que possible.

This double-chorus should be sung in the back of the theatre, or in a room adjoining the orchestra if the symphony is to be performed in a concert hall. The choral director need not see the orchestral conductor's baton; all he requires is to hear the response of the horns beginning in the 35th bar. The conductor then follows the chorus which he can easily hear. It is absolutely essential that one or two instruments, violins or violas, give the chorus the pitch, to prevent the latter from getting out of tune, as they cannot hear anything of the orchestra playing pianissimo. 1 6

1 6 Ibid. 56

This chorus begins recitative-like on a repeated e.

It becomes really audible as the A section begins, a 6/8

parody of the Ball Theme:

777

1cJte le ieut cjueI 4'es. +i h, vin baJdLeVi~

Fig. 28--Berlioz, Romeo and lie, Love Scene, measures 51 through 54.

This is set for a double chorus of male voices, the tenors

and basses divisi. The chorus is very tonal and has an

almost folklike character, though the distance from the

singers to the orchestra will likely, as Berlioz indicates,

make it very difficult to sing in tune. The A section

theme in Figure 28 is alternated with a "Tra-la-la" B

section, also in the tonic:

Fig. 29--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Love Scene, measures 72 and 73. 57

After the return of the A section in the tonic, the ternary

form is followed by a short vocal coda which terminates with

a full six-part chord.

The adagio which ensues is followed by the instrumental

"Queen Mab Scherzo." The relationship of this instrumental

scherzo to the vocal scherzetto in the prologue has already

been discussed.

Juliet's Funeral.--Again, lest the auditor be mistaken

as to Berlioz' intentions, he writes: "Marche Fuguee:

instrumentale d'abord, avec une psalmodie sur une seule

note dans les voix; vocale ensuite, avec la psalmodie dans

l'orchestre." (Fugal March, at first instrumental with a psalmody on one note in the voices; then vocal with the psalmody in the orchestra.) The movement begins with the presentation of the fugal theme hinted at in the prologue: Cdi~o i

Fig. 30--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 1 through 5.

The chorus enters after the introduction, but only half of the massed chorus which is onstage for the finale, the

1 7 Ibid., p. 231. 58

Capulet half, sings here. The chorus divides into three

parts for a recitative e, necessarily more metric at this

presentation in order to match the instrumental fugue which

it accompanies. An important motive is presented by the

orchestra just as the first choral phrase ends:

Fig. 31--Berlioz, Romeo ,,d Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 8 and 9.

This motive first functions as a countermotive and then as a full B section to the fugue, after the initial motive has been fully developed by the instruments. The B section is treated homophonically rather than contrapuntally. The working out of the instrumental fugue and the focusing of attention on the voices is accomplished by passing the motive

jus- qL~ul. 4 OM- bea Fig. 32--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 65 and 66. from voice to voice, during which Berlioz carefully avoids the third (G natural) so that the women can effect a change 59

to the parallel major key of E. The choral "fugue" is

hardly a fugue at all, although Berlioz carefully presents

a real answer in the basses at the dominant following the

women's initial entrance at the tonic. The women's "fugue

subject" is simply supported harmonically by the male chorus

while the orchestra plays a running eighth-note figure which

the women emulate when the basses enter. The tenors make

their entrance on the tonic, but use a different text.

The chorus then sings its version of the B section; here

Berlioz divides the women and has the tenors sing divisi

exactly an octave lower. The choir falls silent as the

orchestra takes up fragments of the A theme contrapuntally.

With naked e octaves Berlioz effects the return to the

parallel minor for the final chords.

The Scena which follows the Funeral Chorus is the most disjointed portion of the symphony. Actually it depicts very well the fatal last meeting of the lovers. It is sectional with the following titles: Invocation; Juliet's awakening; Delirious Joy; Despair, Anguish, and Death of the Lovers.

Finale. CTecrowd hastens IQt anurchyard--Dispute

Between the Capulets and the Montaques---Recitative and 60

Aria of Friar Lawrence--Oath and Reconciliation.--The

finale which follows is very much in the tradition of the

operatic finale and moves the auditor into the realm of

that concept of operatic writing which has pervaded the opera

for a hundred and fifty years: the scene complex, composed

of solos, choruses, and interludes by the orchestra. For

some sixty minutes the Montague half of the choir has been

silent. The fatal recitative E's open the movement in A

minor. This is one of the first examples in operatic

literature of what might be called a "clamor" chorus--a

chorus written not for beauty nor intelligibility of the

text, but merely for an agitated dramatic effect. This is

one of the devices upon which Wagner seized for his music dramas .1

The contrapuntal entrances of the two choruses are

still reminiscent of the psalmody device. The contrapuntal texture ceases at measure 24 where the choir joins homo- phonically, singing "Ah malediction sur eux" before joining

18 Wagner's only operas prior to his hearing Romeo and Juliet in 1839 were Die Feen and Das Liebesverbot. Nothing similar to the "clamor" chorus occurs in either of them. Other writers have pointed to the similarity between the arias of Friar Lawrence in the Finale and Tristan. 61

in a diminished fortissimo chord which is followed by the b orchestra basses descending to an A pedal while the choir

returns to unison, in a texture similar to that found in

the prologue. At measure 37, Doppio piu lento, the dimin-

ished chord finally resolves to Db; the choral section

closes on a G dominant seventh chord. The next section

is marked Allegro non troppo and is composed of a recitative

sung by Friar Lawrence with choral interjections. Fluctua-

tions of key and tempo occur according to the emotion

expressed. The Un poco meno Allegro which follows intro-

duces a baritone solo in C minor. The key is hardly

established before modulatory passages set in; the whole

solo is based upon the half step. The chorus interrupts

twice, once to sing sotto voce "Un breuvage" as it discovers

that Juliet was given a sleeping draught and again as the

basses of both groups sigh up a diminished fifth, "Maries."

Friar Lawrence's next aria, "Pauvres enfants," is a

sectional aria which is uninterrupted by the chorus. It is

Larghetto sostenuto, in Eb Major, and is more tonal than

the preceding section. At measure 190, Allegro non troppo,

a chromatic modulation occurs to the key of B from the Bb

dominant of Eb as the priest urges the reconcilation of the 62

two families. The closing section is marked Andante

maestoso and is in more recitative style, with arresting

passages in the lower strings, again predictive of Wagner.

The Allegro chorus which follows is in B minor. The

orchestra recalls the fugue subject found at the very

beginning of the prologue. The choruses, Capulet and

Montague, begin by opposing one another. Almost in the

manner of an ostinato bass, the choral basses double the

orchestral basses while the upper parts fill in a varia-

tion on the fugue subject. The chorus sings in shorter

and shorter phrases antiphonally until they are singing in

alternate quarter notes. A diminished chord alternates with the F# dominant as the chorus sings homophonically

toward an A Major cadence on "Paix," which is interrupted by Friar Lawrence. His recitative is punctuated by descending chromatics in the orchestra as he again urges the warring families to make peace. This recitative is culminated by an apparent return to B Minor at the Allegro moderato, doppio meno mosso.

After an eight-measure introductory passage, the aria

"Grand Dieu" begins. It is characterized by descending scalewise passages which turn heavenward as B Major is 63

reached. At this point, the baritone soloist repeats the

"Grand Dieu" aria and the chorus joins him. First the

women sing in psalmody style followed by the men of both

choirs singing a rhythmic figure which imitates the

orchestral accompaniment. The chorus draws attention to

itself towards the end of the aria with a chromatic descend-

ing passage. A short, soft coda to the double aria closes

the B minor section.

The final section of the finale is entitled "Serment."

It is, like the "Grand Dieu" design, a double aria with

chorus. In the repeat of the aria, however, the chorus

supersedes the baritone soloist and a true operatic finale

occurs, just as Berlioz promised in the preface. The opening measures of the solo by Friar Lawrence

Fig. 33--Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, finale, measures 373 through 377. are probably drawn from the fugue subject. A definite second section occurs at measure 394, on the words "Au livre du pardon," where the soloist initiates a figure 64

which descends by half steps. In the same measure in which

the soloist cadences, the basses of all three choirs sing

the "Serment" opening melody in unison, with the words of

the small prologue chorus differing slightly because they

are external to the drama proper. After the first phrase,

the tenors and the women of all three choirs join the

baritone soloist in an obbligato to the aria melody, which

is carried on by the basses in the small chorus and in the

Capulet chorus, while the basses in the Montague chorus

sing a supporting bass line. At the beginning of the

descending half step figure which opens the B section, the

Montague basses and the soloist join the other two sections

for this modulatory section, thus reinforcing the bass line

in a marvelous mastery of sonorities. When the cadence is

reached, a repetition of the A motive occurs, still in the bass voices. At measure 445, however, the chorus departs

from a strict repetition of A to vary the words so that they end on a strongly positive note. There is also an augmenting of the rhythm and slowing of the harmonic tempo.

The chorus sings homophonically here, with harmonic though not rhythmic support from the orchestra. The orchestra ends with a fanfare effect. The final chord is held for 65 more than two measures for a thrilling closing to the movement, although the entire compass of the voices at this point extends only from Great B to f#"

The Grande Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale

Berlioz' fourth symphony, the Grande Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale, followed Romeo and Juliet by only a year.

In circumstance of composition and in final form it is very dissimilar to the dramatic symphony.

Composition and First Performance

Berlioz relates the inception of the symphony in his

Memoirs:

In 1840, as the month of July drew near, the government proposed to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the 1830 Bevolution with public ceremonies on an imposing scale. The relics of the glorious victims of the Three Days were to be translated to the monument lately erected to them in the Place de la Bastille. M. de Remusat, who was the Minister of the Interior at the time . . . happens to be a lover of music. He decided to commission me to write a symphony for the occasion, leaving the choice of the form of the work and the forces entirely to me. In return I would receive ten thousand francs, out of which I was to pay the expenses of copying and performance.

It seemed to me that for such a work the simpler the plan the better, and that only 66

a large body of wind instruments would be suitable for a symphony which was to be heard--for the first time at any rate--in the open air.19

According to Barzun, however, Berlioz approached de Remusat

about the commission in mid-March.2 0

Berlioz planned a dress rehearsal before the first performance, fortunately, as the conditions under which

the first performance took place rendered the symphony

almost inaudible. The circumstance was ironically favor-

able, for "owing to the simple presence of his name on the

program, more people heard of Berlioz in one day than if he had given concerts or written operas for twenty years." 2 1

The dress rehearsal took place on Sunday, July 26, 1840, at the concert hall Rue Vivienne. It was so successful that the manager of the theater immediately engaged Berlioz for four successive performances.

The work is scored for four Db piccolos, five flutes, five oboes, five Eb clarinets, fourteen Bb clarinets, two Bb bass clarinets, eight bassoons, one contra bassoon, eight horns in F, four horns in Ab, four horns in C, four

1 9 Berlioz, Memoirs, p. 252.

20 Barzun, .. cit.., p. 344. 2 1Ibid., pp. 148-149. 67

trumpets in F and four in C, four cornetsa pistons in Ab

four alto or tenor trombones, six tenor trombones, one bass

trombone, six ophicleides, eight snare drums, timpani in C

and Ab, cymbals, bass drums, gong, and the unusual pavillon

chinois.22 Berlioz describes the pavillon chinois pictur-

esquely: ". . . with its numerous little bells, serves to

give brilliancy to lively pieces, and pompous marches in

military music. It can only shake its sonorous locks, at

somewhat lengthened intervals; that is to say, about twice

in a bar, in a movement of moderate time." 2 3 Later,

optional string parts were added as well as a final chorus.

The final chorus was to be composed of forty-six sopranos,

forty tenors, and forty basses, for a total of 126 singers.

Berlioz characterizes the chorus, short as it is, as "very

difficult."24

Two other works of Berlioz, the Requiem and the Te

Deum, require an especially large body of performers. The

Funeral and Triumphal Symphony brought Berlioz immense

2 2 Hector Berlioz, Grande Symphonie Funebre .et Triunmphale, edited by Hugh Macdonald, Hector Berlioz New Edition of the Complete Works, XIX (Kassel, 1967), 3.

2 3 Berlioz, Treatise, p. 233.

24 Berlioz, Symphonie Fun'ebre, p. x. 68

financial success and was probably his most popular work in

the nineteenth century, at least in France. It was not

without praise from other musicians. Wagner writes:

I am inclined to rank this composition above all Berlioz' other ones; it is noble and great from the first note to the last. Free from sickly excite- ment, it sustains a noble patriotic emotion which rises from lament to the topmost heights of apotheosis. . . . I must say with delight that I am convinced this Symphony will last and exalt the hearts of men as long as there lives a nation called France. 2 5

The work was not heard with the addition of the voices

until September of 1842, although the string parts were first

added as an option in November of 1840.26 It therefore

appears that the chorus was merely an afterthought, like

the appended chorus in Liszt's Faust Symphony, and that

Barzun is in error in naming the final form as, " . . . the

obviously intended form--that of a rousing piece which the

audience can hear for the first time and yet sing with the

chorus at the last reprise."27 The words were written by

Antoine, the brother of Emile Deschamps; Antoine Deschamps

25 Richard Wagner, article in Dresden Abendzeitung, May 5, 1841, cited in Barzun, p. cit., II, 350.

26 Hugh Macdonald, Preface to Berlioz, Symphonie Funebre, p. vii.

2 7 Barzun, p_. i, p. 353. 69 was a minor poet. His words, subsequently added to the last movement, are likewise of little moment.

Gloire Gloire, gloire et triomphe' Gloire: Gloire' Gloire et triomphe a ces Heros Gloire Gloire et triomphe' Venez elus de l'autre vie' Changez nobles guerriers tous vos lauriers pour des palmes immortelles, Suivez les Seraphins soldats Divins dans les plaines 6 ternelles, A leurs choeurs infinis soyez unis Anges radieux, harmonieux, brdlants comme eux Entrez sublimes victimes, Gloire et triomphe a ces Heros, Ils sont tombes aux champs de la Patrie Gloire et respect ' leurs tombeaux, Venez elus de l'autre vie' Gloire Gloire et triomphe a ces Heros Gloire et respect a leurs tombeaux.

Glory! Glory, glory and triumph! Glory! Glory! Glory and triumph to these heroes Glory, Glory and triumph! Come, ye elect from another life. Exchange, oh noble warriors, all your laurels for immortal palms. Follow the Seraphim, holy soldiers, into the eternal plains. Be united to the infinite chorus of radiant, harmonious Angels, glowing like them, Enter sublime victims, Glory and triumph to these heroes They fell on the battlefields of their native land Glory and honor to their tombs' Come ye elect from another life Glory! Glory and triumph to these heroes Glory and honor to their tombs. 70

Analysis

The symphony is in three movements with the choral

finale culminating the last movement. The two outer move-

ments have distinct, classical forms. Only the middle

movement, in an operatic vein, is through-composed.

I. Marche Fun'ebre.--The first movement, "Marche

Funebre" in F minor, is in easily recognizable sonata form.

After a fanfare introduction, the first theme is stated

Fig. 34--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 4 through 7.

and undergoes developmental treatment. A transition leads

to the second theme, which has an obvious relationship with

the first theme. The second theme is stated in the relative major.

MY Cn~

Fig. 35--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 95 through 98. 71

This theme is interrupted abruptly by a figure played by

the bass brass instruments:

Fig. 36--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 126 and 127.

The figure anticipates the trombone recitative in the second

movement. A false recapitulation occurs at measure 135.

The true recapitulation, scored for brasses rather than for

woodwinds as in the first statement, begins at measure 148.

Likewise, there is a false recapitulation of the second

theme at measure 198 before its final appearance in F Major.

The powerful coda section which begins at measure 240

contains a major statement of the first theme before the

final dissonant chords settle on that major tonic. The

first movement uses mostly high woodwinds to carry the melody.

II_. Oraison Funebre.--The second movement is entitled

"Oraison Funebre" and is composed almost exclusively for solo tenor trombone. It is generally a through-composed movement, although the opening chords are repeated in 72

longer notes before the Andantino section. The trombone solo starts in E minor in recitative style. The Andantino which follows uses the bassoon in a duet with the solo

trombone and is the most obviously vocal section of the second movement. The final section is entitled Andantino

poco lento e sostenuto and is in G major. This section,

too, is through-composed, although one might see a modifica-

tion of the principal theme

Fig. 37--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, second movement, measures 58 through 65. in measures 134 through 138.

Fig. 38--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, second movement, measures 134 through 139.

This movement was originally an aria in the early unfinished opera, Les Francs-Juges.2 8

2 8 Macdonald, preface to Symphonie Funebre, p. ix. 73

The final G Major chord of the second movement is

actually the first chord of the third movement so that

these two movements proceed without a pause between them.

III. Apotheose.--The third movement is entitled

"Apotheose" and is in Bb major, 4/4. It begins with a

striking fanfare and shows a large ternary ABA form overall.

The principal theme, carried by the cornets a pistons because

of its diatonic character, is immediately repeated:

Fig. 39--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 18 through 25.

and its second strain is introduced:

Fig. 40--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 26 through 29. and an extension leads back to the principal theme. This is played once straight through and then embellished and varied in triplet rhythm. Additional variations occur at 74

measures sixty-eight and eighty, although this section is

modulatory. The dominant F major is finally reached at

measure 107, where the B section theme is made up of a

counterpoint in which the bass appears to be the most

important voice;

Fig. 41--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measure 107.

For the first time in the symphony, Berlioz departs from

four-measure phrases and uses three-measure units, based

IJJI. This phraseupon is a bass figure of ?J J o

taken through F Major, Bb, and C back to a repetition of

the counterpoint figures in F major. The three-measure

phrases are heard again in measures 148 through 158. After

this repetition the diminished seventh chord Gb-A-C-Eb

takes over the harmony and the chorus enters at measure

179 on that ambiguous chord. The choral entrance is inconspicuous, suggesting that Berlioz did not have the 75

chorus in mind in the initial composition of the work. The

band reaches the A section in the tonic at measure 190,

although the chorus continues in an antiphonal style, not

singing the principal melody in its entirety but adding its

comments during the rests of instrumental group.

Gloire et tri- om - ple

Gloireet tri -om - phe 3

Ofoire et tri - om - - pbe

Fig. 42--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 192 through 195.

The chorus sings the melody proper commencing with the

second strain, beginning with the words "Changez nobles": Atr Id t I

-gez Chan no-bes guer -piers tous vos lau-viers pour des pal - mes im-mor - tel - - les, a Chan - gez no -blesguer . tiers tous vos lau-riers pour des pal - mes i-mno - tel - - les

- gez no-bDesguer-riers tous vOS au-riers pour des pal - mes im-mor-tel - - les,

Fig. 43--Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 206 through 209. 76

At measure 220 the chorus sings in unison with the band

on the initial strain of the hymn. A striking turn to the

dominant's major mediant (A Major) occurs at measure 228,

but the return to Bb is accomplished in two measures. The

coda is taken up with repetition of the tonic and sub-

dominant chords.

The choral writing in the Funeral Symphony is in six

parts, omitting the altos and employing approximately twice

as many men's voices as women's. The tenors and sopranos

frequently sing in thirds and on many occasions the first

tenors sing in unison with the second sopranos. Unison is

employed with excellent effect in all voices. The compass

of the entire chorus ranges from only Great Bb to f". It

cannot be stressed too strongly that this work is almost

entirely independent of the voices. The final choral

portion occupies a total of only fifty-five measures, and

the voices can easily be omitted at the discretion of the

conductor, as Berlioz indicates.29 The words of the text are occasional and important only to the French patriot.

2 9 Ibid. p. iii. 77

Berlioz' Contribution

Because Berlioz' two choral symphonies are so different,

it is difficult to assess his contribution accurately. In

Romeo and Juliet, Berlioz has vastly expanded Beethoven's

conception to the point that it is the choral sections,

specifically the Prologue, which introduced thematic ideas.

In Romeo and Juliet it is a question of the relationship of

the succeeding instrumental sections to the preceding choral

sections, reversing Beethoven's principle. Certainly

Berlioz has freely altered Shakespeare's text to suit his

purposes. The Berlioz Romeo and Juliet is a commentary on

rather than a narration of the original play.

The Funeral and. Triumphal Symphony, on the other hand,

is an instrumentally conceived work with choral appendage.

The choral finale is exactly constructed upon the principal

theme of the third movement. As far as reconstruction of

the text is concerned, this is a moot question in this work,

for Antoine Deschamps constructed the words to fit Berlioz' preconceived melody and musical form.

Musically, the impact of the "Finale" of Romeo and

Juliet was immense on the nineteenth century. One can find so many seeds here which later germinated into the 78

music-dramas of Wagner, which were to dominate musical

thinking in the later nineteenth and early twentieth

centuries. In scoring for voices, Berlioz showed that the

accepted SATB voicing is not necessarily the best for all

musical situations. He favors three and five voice mixed

choruses, with the voices carefully chosen to make the

sonority of the chorus match the ethos of the text. In

this way, he demonstrated to the composers who followed

him, notably Liszt and Mahler, that voicing for choruses with symphony was a matter which should be weighed with

each individual symphony. CHAPTER IV

MENDELSSOHN

The year 1840 brought forth another choral symphony,

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise)

which he described as "a symphony for chorus and orchestra"

in a letter concerning its first performance at the Guten-

berg festival:

The piece for the festival here was no oratorio, but as I called it in German "eine Symphonie fur Chor und Orchestra," and was entitled Lobgesang-- first, three symphonic movements, followed by 12 choral and solo sections. You already understand that first the instruments sing praise in their fashion and then the chorus and the individual voices.. 1.

Because of the length of the vocal portion and the fact that the vocal sections are actually given numbers, the

Lobqesang was christened a "symphony-cantata"2 by

Mendelssohn's friend Carl Klingemann.

Mendelssohn had been acquainted with the choral art since 1819, when he entered singing classes at the

Felix Mendelssohn, Letter to Carl Klingemann of July 21, 1840, cited in Eric Werner, Mendelssohn: A New Image of the Composer and his Age (London, 1963), p. 352.

2 Werner, Eric, Mendelssohn: A New Image of the Composer and his Ae, translated by Dika Newlin (London, 1963) , p. 317.

79 80

Singakademie in Berlin. Werner sees this practical early

training as the reason for Mendelssohn's ease in dealing

with the choral medium:

Later on, the systematic choir-singing he practiced for years in his youth enabled the mature composer to write in a most enchanting and effective choral style. Only in this way, not in classrooms, does the vocal composer gather experience, as the cases of Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and many others.3

Mendelssohn's choral works exhibit a marked preference

for writing choral music on sacred subjects. These include

about twenty works for liturgical use in the Roman Catholic,

Lutheran, and Anglican churches as well as his well-known oratorios St. Paul and Elijah, and the unfinished Christus.

His best known secular choral work is Die Erste

Walpurgisnacht. As with Berlioz, the neglect today of his smaller choral works is tragic. Werner cites reasons for this neglect:

The reasons are twofold, practical and ideological. Mendelssohn, always praised for the euphony of his choral style, demanded well-trained choruses, usually of five to eight parts. Such choruses are today rarely available, except in large Protestant cathedrals. In addition, the orchestral accompani- ment, frequently demanded, makes the cost of such

3Werner, Mendelssohn, p. 15. 81

performances virtually prohibitive. . . . Moreover, the liturgical trend points in the direction of congregational singing, not towards concertizing by professional choirs and soloists.4

Symphony No. 2 in Bb ("Lobgesang"), Op. 52.

With the exception of his Symphony No. 1 in C minor,

written when he was fifteen, this is the least popular of

Mendelssohn's symphonies. Today, his other symphonies, the

D minor "Reformation" Symphony, the A Major "Italian"

Symphony, and the a Minor "Scotch" Symphony are performed

more often. However, the Hymn of Praise enjoyed great

popularity during the nineteenth century, especially in

choral-minded England.5

There can be little doubt that Mendelssohn intended

this work to be a successor to Beethoven's Ninth. The general plan of the work is the same--an opening sonata allegro, a second movement scherzo, an adagio third, and a choral finale. In 1840, however, the Ninth was by no means universally accepted. Mendelssohn himself had doubts about its choral finale which he expressed as follows:

4 Ibid., p. 65.

5 lbid., p. 317. 82

It is hard to speak about this music at all . . . the instrumental movements belong to the greatest things that I know in art; from the moment where the voices enter, even I do not understand it, i. e., I find only individual details perfect, and when that is the case with such a master, the fault probably lies with us. Or with the execu- tion. . . . In the vocal movement, however, the writing for voices is such that I know of no place where it could go well, and perhaps that is the 6 reason for the incomprehensibility up till now. . . .

Again, the question of the technical difficulty of the

choral parts of the Ninth is opened. Mendelssohn wisely

decided, however, that Beethoven wrote with intention in

the vocal parts.

The words of the Hymn of Praise are paraphrased from

the Bible by Mendelssohn himself. The extent of Mendelssohn's

devout Protestantism is indicated by the following quotation

from Martin Luther which heads the score of the Hymn of

Praise:

Sondern ich w6llt alle kunste, sonderlich die musica, gern sehen im dienst des, der sie geben und geschaffen hat. (I would wish to see all arts, particularly music, in the service of Him who has given and created them.) 7

6 Felix Mendelssohn. Letter to Johann Droysen of July 14, 1836, cited in Werner, Mendelssohn, p. 295.

7 Martin Luther, quoted in score of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Lobgesang, 9_. 52, Werke, Sev. 14, No. 93 edited by Julius Rietz (Leipzig, no date), p. 1. 83

Mendelssohn had a special feeling for the Lobgesang. In

1840 he wrote to Klingemann, "I do not believe that it will

really lend itself to performances, and yet I love it so

much."

Composition and First Performance

The Lobgesang was commissioned for the Leipzig Guten-

berg Jubilee celebrating the quatercentenary of the invention

of printing in June of 1840. Mendelssohn also composed

another work for the open-air ceremonies, a festival chorus

for male chorus and band. For this festival Lortzing con-

tributed his opera Hans Sachs.

Werner theorizes that the Gutenberg performance did

not have the Lobgesang in the same form as it is heard

today, because the cyclic theme found in the first movement

of the instrumental portion and the first chorus does not appear again in the vocal portion until the closing measures of the work. An earlier portion of the letter to

Klingemann which has been previously referred to tends to confirm this theory:

8 Felix Mendelssohn, Letter to Carl Klingemann of July, 1840, cited in Werner, p. .cit., p. 352. 84

. . . when I first conceived the idea I wrote to Berlin that I wanted to write a symphony with chorus; afterwards, I didn't have the courage for it, because the three movements were too long for an introduction, and yet I always had the feeling that there was something lacking in the mere introduction. Now the symphonic movements will come in according to the od. plan, and then the piece will come .out.9

The words of Schumann, present at the premiere, however,

suggest the form as it is known today:

The form of the whole could not be more happily chosen for this purpose. The whole stimulated enthusiasm, and certainly the work, particularly in the choral movements, is to be accounted one of his freshest and most charming creations. . We shall not emphasize details; and yet--that duet, interrupted by the chorus, Icgh harrete des Herrn, after which there broke forth in the audience a whispering which counts for more in the church than loud applause in the concert-hall.10

Another eye-witness, W. A. Lampadius, gives this account:

. . . in my opinion, the "Hymn of Praise" is Mendelssohn's greatest work, in which his genius, unfettered by any model . . . shines out in its truest originality. . . . On one of the evenings following, [the performance] a torch-light pro- cession was made in honor of the great composer. Mendelssohn, who then lived in Lurgenstein's Garden, appeared at the window, his face lighted up with joy. "Gentlemen," he said in his neat, quiet way, "You know that it is not my manner to make many words; but I heartily thank you," A loud "Hoch'" three times shouted, was our reply.1 1

9Ibid. 10 Ibid., p. 317.

11 Lampadius, W. A., Memoirs of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (Boston, 1865), pp. 87-88. 85

Analysis

Writers on symphonic music are fond of saying that the

Lobgesang is "only" a cantata with an instrumental sinfonia.

This "sinfonia" proves to be three distinct and standard

symphonic movements which total thirty minutes of playing

time, fully as long as Mendelssohn's First Symphony in its

entirety. The final movement is indeed composed of ten

numbers for voice and/or chorus and is about forty minutes

long. The first five of these numbers are carefully con-

nected harmonically so that there is no possible break between them, as are the sixth and seventh. A grouping into

three sections, by predominant tonal regions as well as by

subject-matter of the text, is also possible:

No. 1 Alles, was Odem hat, Ps. 150:4-6 Bb lobe den Herrn No. 2 Lobe den Herrn, Ps. 103:1-2 Bb meine Seele No. 3 Er zhlet unsre Tranen Ps. 107:2-4 G minor No. 4 Sagt es, die ihr Ps. 107:2,4 G minor erloset seid No. 5 Ich harrete des Herrn Ps. 40:1,4 Eb

No. 6 Stricke des Todes Job 22:10-11 C minor Ephesians 5:14 C Major Isaiah 21:11-12 modulatory No. 7 Die Nacht ist vergangen Romans 13:12 D Major 86

No. 8 Nun danket alle Gott Martin Rickart G No. 9 Drum sing' ich mit meinen Leide ? Bb No.10 Ihr Volker, bringet her dem Herrn G minor Alles danket dem Herrn based on No. 8 Bb Alles was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn Ps. 150:4-6 Bb

These groups might be called light-dark-light. Numbers six

and seven are definitely the most dramatic sections of the cantata. The quotations from Job, Ephesians, and Isaiah

depict a soul in torment, as do the melodic line and the harmony. The words to number six make a strong contrast to the note of serene praise for the creator which charac- terizes the Psalm group, numbers one through five. The chorus which follows the tenor aria, "Stricke des Todes," is in the very bright key of D Major and has words from one of the most comforting and most quoted verses in the New

Testament. The last group, numbers seven through ten, opens on words by an early Lutheran poet set to one of the most famous German chorales. "Drum sing' ich mit meinen Liede" is highly subjective and non-Biblical; the words may be those of Mendelssohn himself. The words to the opening of the final chorus form a, sort of litany, 87

Ihr Volker, bringet her dem Herrn Ehre und Macht! Ihr Ko'nige, bringet her dem Herrn Ehre und Macht' Die Erde bringe her dem Herrn Ehre und Macht' Der Himmel bringe her dem Herrn Ehre und Macht'

Ye people, give the Lord honor and might' Ye kings, give the Lord honor and might' Let the earth bring the Lord honor and might' Let the heavens bring the Lord honor and might'

followed by a paraphrase of the chorale words and a

repetition of the beginning Psalm.

The three groups might also be said to represent the

Old Testament faith of Mendelssohn's Jewish ancestors, the

middle group the faith of the New Testament, and the last

group Mendelssohn's own devout Protestantism.

Next, there ought to be considered the almost-too-

obvious unifying device of the motto:

Fig. 44--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 1 and 2.

This motto, taken according to Werner and Einstein, from the traditional Gregorian "Magnificat, " appears in at least two other choral works by Mendelssohn, "Psalm 115" and the eight-voiced "Ave Maria. "12 The motto is stated initially

12Werner, Mendelssohn, pp. 210-211. 88

by the trombones in unison at the opening of the first

movement. It is used as the second theme in that movement.

It appears again as a motto at the head of the second move-

ment, in alternation with the principal theme in the trio

of the second movement, in two fugal sections in the first

chorus, and as a closing motto.

Another motive is also central, the chorale melody

"Nun danket alle Gott."

Fig. 45--Mendelssohn, Lobcesang, fourth movement, #8, measures 1 through 16.

which appears both in the eighth number of the finale and

as the basis of the principal theme of the second movement

scherzo.

First Movement. Maestoso con.moto; Allegro. --After

the stirring introduction mentioned above, the first move- ment, in Bb, opens with a first theme of a somewhat nebulous character, since it is built on broken chord figure and a 89

descending scale. The next theme to be heard is still part

of the first theme group.

V oli" 40e1 FuM W . * * Ar 6Ak pp I wpm pop

Fig. 46--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 23 and 24.

It is simply the motto (Figure 44) in octaves, played by

the lower brass. Its first entrance, still in the Bb tonic,

occurs at measures 64 and 65. A third hymn-like theme

appears in measures 83 through 90 in the woodwinds.

Fig. 47--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 83 through 90.

This theme is in a key which is not closely related to the BbA b tonic A major. The region of Ais reached by a transi- tion from the original Bb to its dorian and by chromatic modulation from C Major (Supertonic) to its neapolitan (Db major). D major is IV of Ab. Mendelssohn then repeats this theme with an extension, in the dominant (F major) of 90

the movement's original key, measures 95 through 105. The

ingenious treatment leads directly to another principal

theme, in the dominant:

Fig. 48--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 106 through 108.

The durchfuhrung section (measures 126 through 265) treats

all four themes. In measure 265, the first theme is

recapitulated in the tonic. Recapitulation of the third,

hymn-like theme (Figure 47) occurs in measures 312 through

318. This varied restatement is made on the dominant.

Recapitulation of the fourth theme (Figure 48), is exact,

on the tonic, measures 319 through 321. Another develop-

mental section, using material from the fourth and from the

first themes, is found in measures 342 through 364. The

second theme, the motto, is finally recapitulated in the

tonic, measures 365 and 366. A long coda, measures 390

through 402, rounds out the movement. The treatment of the movement--four distinct themes and a varied recapitula- tion--shows both Mendelssohn's awareness of classical principles and his affinity with the nineteenth century in 91

that he feels the freedom to alter classical form to this

extent.

Second Movement. Maestoso con. Moto; Allegretto un

poco agitato. --There is some doubt as to whether the seven-

measure Maestoso con moto section belongs to the first

movement or the second movement; it starts in Bb, but ends

in G minor. The motto is stated only once and is followed

by a solo clarinet playing .d libitum in a cadenza-like

figure. The second movement proper begins with its principal

theme which is taken, as the circled notes below indicate,

from the "Nun danket" chorale opening:

-PL-LiIL

Fig. 49--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, second movement, measures 8 through 14.

The repeated section is standard scherzo small atba, at

least as far as tonality is concerned. The melodic ideas, with the exception of the appearance of the motto in the trio, are so closely related to the figure above that one might consider this a monothematic scherzo. Small b and small appear a again before the trio. The trio of the 92

scherzo is in G major and is characterized by the alterna-

tion of the winds playing the motto theme and the strings

replying with the scherzo's principal theme. Mendelssohn

continues this device until the "recapitulation" occurs.

The return to G minor never contains a complete statement

of the principal theme in Figure 49, although small b is

clearly stated. Mendelssohn evidently thought that the

idea had been recapitulated sufficiently in the trio, making

further repetition redundant.

Third movement. Adagio religioso.--The third movement,

in D Major is puzzling because it, alone of the four move- ments, contains no hint of the motto. In the principal theme

Fig. 50--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, third movement, measures 1 through 5. the repeated notes probably show some relationship to the

"Nun danket" theme. This ternary form contains a contrast- ing G minor section. 93

Fourth movement. Cantata.--As has been stated earlier,

this finale has unmistakable statements of the motto, in

the first choral fugue and as a closing statement.

No. 1 Alles, was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn. Allegro

moderato maestoso; Animato; Allegro di molto.--The rhythm

pervades the orchestral portion of the introduction,

while the chorus sings in half notes above the texture.

This introduction is in the manner of a fanfare. The fugue

opens the Animato with the motto, stated exactly as in the

opening measures of the symphony. Mendelssohn's fugues are

much easier to sing than true Baroque fugues because he does

not confine himself to the formal plan of varying the levels

on which the imitative entrances are made. This fugue, -for

example, starts with entrances in every voice; however, all statements are in the tonic. Only rarely does he use the

dominant statement when another in the tonic statement will be effective. Another simplifying device occurs in the

contrasting section of this fugue, the Allegro di molto.

Fig. 51--Mendelssohn, Lobgesanng, fourth movement, #1, measures 53 through 55. 94

Here Mendelssohn stretches the exposition for twenty

measures by delaying the alto statement until there is occasion to have that section enter after the other voices

have fallen silent. The altos do sing before the formal statement, but, like the other voices, they support the

voice which has the subject. Countersubjects are rare in these fugues, again making the vocal fugue more singable.

The first chorus ends with one additional statement of the

motto, the final F dominant seventh chord leading into the b chord which 13 marks the beginning of the soprano solo which

follows.

N, .2 Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele.--This simple aria is written in a very high tessitura for the soloist, possibly to make way for the four-part women's chorus which supports her. The principal motive is stated by the soprano:

Lo0 - -beeerM~r', n See- e Fig. 5 2--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, finale, #2, measures 2 and 3. and echoed by the chorus as she repeats. The chorus sings homophonically under the solo, in a style which is very similar to four-part writing for men's chorus, the second 95

altos functioning as the bass to the group. Mendelssohn

wisely refrains from allowing them to descend to the small

_b as the basses would do, for such a note would be unheard

with an orchestral accompaniment.

No. 3 Er zahlet unsre Tr&nen.--This is sometimes known

by the recitative incipit, "Saget es, die ihr erl6st seid

durch den Herrn. " Here traditional recitative formulas

are used. The aria begins in G minor on the following broad

statement on the words "Er zahlet unsre Trsnen."

Fig. 53--Mendelssohn, Lobcesang, finale, #3, measures 18 through 21.

The descending scalewise passages may have a relation to the same figure in the first theme of the first movement (Figure 46). This aria, like the one preceding, is in a A, A' form with a short coda.

No. 4 Sagt es, die ihr erloset seid.--As the title suggests, this chorus has a close connection with the tenor aria which precedes it. Also in G minor with triplet 96

figures predominating in the orchestra, it begins with a homophonic A section with a motto stated by the tenors:

'r.havS

S---t-es-de__direr..vo d8em HIerrna#-ts at- ler Tra.6-s aI

5 Fig. 4--Mendelssohn, Lobgesanag, finale, #4, measures 3 through 6.

The homophonic choral writing offers no difficulties at all

until the imitative second section which takes its subject

from the tenor aria preceding, as the words, "Er zahlet uns're Tranen" tend to indicate. The ABB' form ends with a repeti-

tion of the same idea in slightly altered form.

No. 5 Ich harretedes Herrn.--This is the most famous

individual section of the Lobgesang and is the number to which Schumann referred in his review. For a duet of two sopranos and SATB chorus, the number is in Eb in clearly

ternary form with a contrasting dominant section. The

first soprano opens with the following theme:

C ,h xSa10

Ic~u.re--e Jdes 4errn &hw er hei;,-4 4 e Li u . r "A kfr1-e Mn ;~ Flek'n,

Fig. 5 5 --Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, finale, #5, measures 8 through 13. 97

which has elements which remind one of the scherzo. The

last four measures are repeated by the chorus and the

soprano homophonically. The two sopranos then repeat the

entire theme in imitative style and the chorus again echoes

the last four measures. These repetitions are transformed

into the Bb dominant by the simple expedient of adding A

natural. There is not a complete repetition of the A section,

but the chorus ends with a note which is operatic in its

devices and yet deeply religious.

No. 6 Stricke des Todes.--This tenor solo comprises

the only truly dramatic portion of the entire cantata. It

is one of the two numbers in the "dark" group in which the

text speaks of the terrors of death and unbelief. The first

section is composed of a short ternary form in which the diminished fifth is found almost immediately; chromatics also characterize the melody. Ter Sol

-ctredes T- des kA- eh LLVI6 4'A_ le-

Fig. 56--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, finale, #6, measures 5 through 8. 98

A brief turn to C Major at "Er aber spricht" precedes the arioso which makes up the main body of the solo. This

section is highly chromatic and modulatory, with the phrase "Hiter, ist die Nacht bald hin?" repeated three times, Tor solo

HFk - er (Std iet~a JN; ?

5 Fig. 7--Mendelssohn, Lobqesang, finale, #6, measures 85 and 86.

a whole tone higher each time as the tension mounts until a soprano assures the singer "Die Nacht ist vergangen." (The

night has passed.)

No. 7 Die Nacht ist vergangen. -- It may seem strange

to couple a D Major chorus with a C minor aria. As has

been shown, however, the tenor aria is very modulatory and

indeed builds to the very bright key of D Major just before

the end. The principal theme of the chorus is announced by

the men: Teas ac &c.Sets

b e Nackt iSt Ver- am- -o,

Ili WI 1 - erver- cjaLr1 q

Fig. 5 8 -- Mendelssohn, Lobqesang, finale, #7, measures 9 through 16. 99

This is carried on in the quasi-imitative manner which has

been observed earlier; Mendelssohn soon lapses into homo-

phony. Measure sixty-five introduces a figure which becomes

the subject for a true fugue. The fugue retains its

imitative form until measure 146 when the first theme (Figure

56) returns. The two themes alternate for the remainder of

the chorus. The center portion is probably the most difficult

in the entire cantata on account of its contrapuntal character

and the fact that the orchestra lends only harmonic support.

In this chorus, Mendelssohn uses an accompanying device

commonly found in Schubert lieder: he chooses a rhythmic

figure for the accompaniment and varies it harmonically,

ignoring the melodic and rhythmic influences of the vocal

part.

No. 8 Nun danket alle Gott.--This reformation chorale,

the words of which were written by Martin Rickart during

the Thirty Years' War, was probably composed by Johann

13 Cruiger. Mendelssohn harmonizes it here in a style which

is thoroughly familiar as the type of harmonization which

1 3 The Hymnal 1940 Companion (New York, 1949), p. 181. 100

was adopted by J. S. Bach. Mendelssohn has the sopranos

and tenors divisi almost all the way with the first tenors

singing above the altos in many phrases. Because this

chorus is unaccompanied (the congregation at Leipzig may

have joined in the singing), Mendelssohn is able to have his

bass section descend to notes--the lowest is great G--which

would be covered by an orchestral accompaniment. The chorale

melody, with the chorus singing in unison, is repeated at

the Un poco piu animato. Here Mendelssohn chooses the last

verse of the chorale rather than the second. The orchestra

supports the chorus in sixteenth-note running scalewise

passages which continue as interludes between the chorale

phrases, in a manner that is typical of the German chorale

prelude for organ.

No. 9 Drum sing' ich mit meinen Leide.--This soprano

and tenor duet, like the duet for two sopranos at No. 5, is begun by the tenor's singing of the melody.

Ter Sold

Fig. 5 9--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, finale, #9, measures 1 through 4. 101

The soprano sings a contrasting section, joined after a few

measures by the tenor. The ternary form is rounded out by

the singing of the A section again by both soloists, the

soprano and the tenor usually a third apart.

No. 10 Schlusschor: Ihr Volker, bringet her dem

Herrn; Alles danke dem Herrn; Alles, was Odem hat.--The

final chorus opens in G minor with the basses' singing of

the following new theme

ViJer I4bv ! -iit te tr dew, Nerrn b et erJ. 1Qevr. kre ud Ka4

Fig. 60--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, finale, #10, measures 1 through 6.

Imitative entrances follow in all the voices. There are many independent entrances in all the voices, largely unsupported by the orchestra. The section ends homophonically in Bb Major to introduce the Piu vivace. The Piu vivace is quite similar to the second verse of No. 8 except that the chorus sings the long-note cantus firmus-like chords to a different melody, although the words to "Nun danket" are retained. This passage really forms an introduction to the imitative motive which follows: 102

- k; L - kt r Hr r , enr- erI U-r I

Fig. 61--Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, finale, #10, measures 87 through 90.

which uses the four-note descending figure found as the

first theme in the first movement. This final chorus builds

effectively to a climax with the sopranos on b in the

manner with which the reader is familiar--Mendelssohn's

device of making imitative entrances and then moving to

homophony, fragmenting and imitating again and coming back

to the chordal style. The section ends on a C Major

dominant seventh chord. The trombones then enter with the

motto motive, Maestoso comme I, as found at the beginning

of the symphony. The chorus replies with the same motto

and a short two-measure coda completes the work.

Mendelssohn's Contribution

Although Mendelssohn utilizes many choral devices which

seem almost banal, the resulting product is unquestionably

practical and effective in sonority. This is music to be

heard, not studied from a score. The somewhat diffused

idea which he adopts in using a numbered cantata for his 103

finale is offset by several unifying thematic ideas: (1)

The repeated note figure. (2) The 2 rhythmic figure, altered

to J Jand J Y. (3) The four-note scalewise descending

pattern. (4) The importance of the rising fourth followed

by the rising major third, as introduced in the motto.

In spite of the thematic unities which have been dis-

cussed, the Lobgesang is a symphony merged with the cantata,

just as Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet is a symphony merged with

opera and Mahler's Das Lied vor dem Erde a symphony merged

with the song cycle. It is precisely in the Lobgesang,

with its Magnificat leitmotif and the settings of the

chorale "Nun Danket" that Mendelssohn is found at his most

Romantic.

One might justifiably ask, with Wagner--but in another sense than the one in which he meant it-- why the Romantic musicians after Beethoven still wrote symphonies at all. And one might give this as an answer: just because Beethoven had preceded them in this field. Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Berlioz, as composers of symphonies, settled their accounts with this great inheritance in different ways. Mendelssohn, thanks to his nature and his particular kind of talent, had least trouble in doing so. In the symphony, Beethoven had himself created the means of conveying a great message to all, to humanity; Mendelssohn accepted the given outlines and filled them in with another and more modest content. He was the Romantic Classicist. .*.

1 4 Einstein, Music in the Romantic Era (New York, 1947), p. 124. CHAPTER V

LISZT

Franz Liszt is best known as a virtuoso pianist. It is

not surprising, therefore, that the majority of his composi-

tions are works for piano. Most of these compositions are

brilliant virtuosic pieces for solo piano or are transcrip-

tions of larger works by Liszt himself or by his contemporaries

such as Wagner, Berlioz, Schumann, and Schubert. In 1847

Liszt gave up professional concertizing; his compositions

from that date include a large number of works for orchestra,

for chorus, and for solo voice. In Liszt's output there are

nine sacred works for chorus and orchestra, including the

oratorios St. Elizabeth and Christus; his secular works for

chorus and orchestra number six, excluding the two choral

symphonies. Most of his sixty-five sacred choral works are accompanied by the organ, while the pianoforte is used in thirteen of his twenty-nine secular choral works.

In addition to his thirteen symphonic poems for orchestra, Liszt wrote two works which he designated as symphonies, Eine Faust-Symphonie (nach Goethe) in drei

104 105

Charakterbildern fur grosses Orchester, Tenor-Solo und

Mannerchor (A Faust Symphony, after Goethe, in three

Character Pictures for large Orchestra, Tenor Soloist, and

Male Chorus) and Eine Symphonie zu Dantes Divina Commedia fur

grosses Orchester und Soprano-und Alt-Chor (A Symphony to

Dante's Divine Comedy for large Orchestra and Soprano and

Alto Chorus). Both symphonies were originally planned as

operas.1 The Faust Symphony dates from 1854 (with the final

chorus added in 1857) and the Dante Symphony from 1855 to

1856, so that the symphonies are contemporary with the last

of the thirteen symphonic poems, which date from 1847 to

1857. Although Liszt had already sketched the themes for

the Dante Symphony in 1847, he did not begin work on it 2 in earnest until 1855. The Dante Symphony was finally

finished in 1856, two years after the completion of the

Faust Symphony in 1854.

Both symphonies were composed during Liszt's Weimar

Period, 1847 through 1866, which Humphrey Searle calls the period of his greatest productivity.3 It was at the instigation

'Humphrey Searle, The Music of Liszt (London, 1954), p. 89.

2 Ibid p. 54. 3 lbid., p. 80. 106

of Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein, the Polish noble-

woman who was his mistress for many years, that Liszt had

given up concertizing and had turned to composing and teach-

ing in Weimar, where he also directed the court theater.

There is no doubt that the Princess was largely responsible

for the fantastic productivity of the Weimar years. In a

letter to a friend, the Princess speaks of Liszt's need for

external discipline when composing:

For twelve years [in Weimar] I had to look after him in this way: I had to do my own work in the same room with him, otherwise he would never have composed any of the works of this period. It is not genius he lacks, but the capacity to sit still (Sitzfleisch) --industry, prolonged application. Unless some one [sic] helps him in this respect he is impotent. .

The fact that the two symphonies date from the same

period as the symphonic poems shows that Liszt held the

classical designation of "symphony" and the three-movement

structure to be valid for serious expression in his day.

Indeed, it is possible that he considered the symphonic

format superior to the symphonic poem, as the two literary works on which the symphonies are based were central in

Liszt's life. According to one of his biographers, Sitwell:

4Letter of Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein, cited in Ernest Newman, The Man Liszt (New York, 1935), pp. 168- 169. 107

There were three books that Liszt never allowed out of his sight. These were his Breviary, Dante, and Goethe's Faust. They were in every room that Liszt occupied, on the shores of Lake Como, in Weimar, and by the fountains of Villa d'Este. They accompanied him, in early days, in the diligence, from his parting with Madame d'Agoult, at San Rossore, to Vienna and to Budapest; they had their place in his specially constructed caravan, while he toured Russia and the Ukraine; and, in his last years, when he spent nights on the train from Rome to Budapest, in those smoky tunnels between Florence and Bologna; or on that longer journey from Rome to Weimar. . . . His personality and his whole thoughts became inseparable from their atmosphere, so that, physically and mentally, he was part of their legend.5

Eine Faust-Symphonie

Composition and First Performance

The Faust Symphony is dedicated to Hector Berlioz,

who instructed Liszt to Goethe's work in 1830:

'I received a visit from Liszt, whom I had never yet seen. I spoke to him of Goethe's Faust, which he was obliged to confess he had not read, but about which he soon became as enthusiastic as myself.' Gerard de Nerval's translation of Faust had appeared in 1827, and Berlioz had written his 'Eight Scenes from Faust' in the following year. In 1846 he produced his Damnation of Faust, which certainly influenced Liszt to write his own work.6

5 Sacheverell Sitwell, Liszt (London, 1934), p. 161.

6 Humphrey Searle, "Franz Liszt," The Symphony, I, edited by Robert Simpson (Baltimore, 1966), 263. 108

Humphrey Searle refers to the fact that Liszt had sketched the themes for the Faust Symphony as early as 1840. It was composed and scored in two months, August through October of 1854. The 1854 version is described by Searle as follows:

It was a purely orchestral symphony without the choral ending, which was added three years later, and it was scored for strings, woodwind, and horns only--ther were no trumpets, trombones, harp, or percussion.

It is difficult to imagine the Faust Symphony without trumpets, trombones and percussion; it is also difficult to realize that this is one of the first works that Liszt scored completely himself. Previously his practice had been to sketch in his themes and ideas for instrumentation and to have either August Conradi or Joachim Raff complete the orchestration, with the final revisions done by Liszt himself.8 With the Faust Symphony, he depended upon private rehearsals with auditors such as Wagner and Berlioz to improve his orchestration of the symphony. The brilliant instrumentation of the symphony as it is known today includes: piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, two tenor trombones, bass

7Ibid., p. 264.

8 Searle, Music of Liszt, p. 69. 109 trombone, tuba, three tympani, cymbals, harp, and strings.

Organ, tenor solo, and male chorus are added in the last movement. The 1854 version also included some experimental time signatures, as explained by Liszt in a letter of

December, 1854, "Quite recently I have written a long symphony in three parts, called Faust (without text or vocal parts) in which the horrible measures 7/8, 7/4, 5/4 alternate with common time and 3/4. "9

The first performance of the symphony, which Liszt himself directed, took place on December 5, 1857, at

Weimar. The occasion was a concert in honor of the founda- tion of a memorial to the Grand Duke Karl August (the patron of Goethe and Schiller) and also of the unveiling of monuments to Goethe, Schiller, and Wieland. Another extensive revision took place, and the new version was performed at Weimar in 1861, under the direction of Hans von Biilow, who describes the work and its composer in the following extravagant terms;

9 James Huneker, Franz Liszt (New York, 1927), p. 143.

10Searle, "Franz Liszt," p. 263. 110

Herz und Hirn sind ganz erfillt von dieser muchtigen und unvergleichlichen Sch3pfung. Nach meinem Gefjhl ist das Ihr erster, wenn auch nicht einziger Ehrentitel: Deutscher Meister. .1

The heart and the mind are entirely filled by this mighty and incomparable creation. I feel that your foremost, if not only, title is "German Master."

The 1857 performance included the choral ending which crowns the work so well., The choral ending is built on two "positive" themes--that of Faust from the first move- ment, given first to the trombones and then to the male chorus, and that of Gretchen from the second movement, sung by the tenor soloist. The resulting thematic unity provides the necessary relationship between instrumental and vocal forces and brings the work to an extremely satisfying conclusion. The optional orchestral ending which is found in the score is less satisfactory. Liszt himself stipulated that the orchestral ending is to be used only in the absence of a chorus.12

Two other works use the same theme as that found at the beginning of the Faust Symphony: the Grosses Konzertsolo

1 1 George Gohler, foreword to Franz Liszt, Eine Faust- Symphonie (Leipzig, no date),, p. ii.

1 2 Searle, Music of Liszt, p. 57. 111

(1849) and the "Sonata in B Minor" (1852 and 1853). This theme, also subsequently adopted by Wagner for Die WalkUre, is found in the following form in the Grosses Konzertsolo:

Fig. 62--Liszt, Grosses Konzertsolo, measures 13 through 16.

Another variant occurs in the "Sonata:"

Fig. 63--Liszt, "Sonata in B minor," measures 9 through

Raabe sees an emotional connection between the Faust

Symphony and the "Sonata:

The first movement is a self-confession the analogue of which is to be found only in the B minor sonata. The brooding protagonist whom he has drawn with such uncanny certainty in this first movement, the ardent lover, the aspirant toward the ideal, who again and again sinks back into darkness when victory seems at hand, is Liszt himself. If anyone wishes to know Liszt's inmost thoughts about the soul of woman he needs to read no books about his relations with women; he has only to listen to the Gretchen movement. . . . And who has 112

ever known better than Liszt that there is a power that falsifies and disintegrates everything that is great and noble? So he shows us, in the Mephistopheles finale, the themes of the Faust movement in a horrible distortion. Not only the first but the second and third movements are thus pictures of the Faust that was in the soul of Liszt.13

Analysis

Because the Faust Symphony is considered by many to be

Liszt's masterpiece, many successful analyses have been

made of it. The best, which simply uses verbal description

in paragraph form with musical examples, is probably that

of Humphrey Searle in his article titled "Franz Liszt" in

The Symphony, Volume I, edited by Robert Simpson. Another

excellent analysis, more exact in that measure numbers are

referred to, can be found in Moore and Heger's The Symphony

and the Symphonic Poem. The problem with the latter

analysis is that Moore and Heger have discovered sonata

form in the outer movements, "Faust" and "Mephistopheles."

While it is certain that both movements contain an exposi-

tion and a reprise, the naming of a forty-measure development section in the lengthy first movement seems a bit strained,

1 3 peter Raabe, Franz Liszt, cited in Ernest Newman, The Man Liszt (New York, 1935), pp. 300-301. 113 as does the vague term "Mid-section" applied to measures

390 through 461 of the third movement. Of the three movements, only the center "Gretchen" movement fits easily into a classical mold, for it is clearly a ternary design,

ABA' with Coda. Both the outer movements are so episodic and modulatory that it seems better not to give their forms a specific name.

I. Faust.--The first thing that strikes one about the

Faust movement is the unusually large number of sectional tempo markings, nineteen in all:

Beginning Measure Lento assai 1 Allegro impetuoso 23 Lento assai 66 Allegro agitato ed appassionato 72 Meno mosso, misterioso e molto tranquillo 150 Affetuoso poco Andante 182 Grandioso, poco meno mosso 228 Un poco accelerando il tempo 254 Tempo I. Allegro agitato assai 301 Como primo (Allegro agitato ed appassionato assai) 326 Lento assai, wie zu Anfang 362 Andante mesto. Nicht schleppend. 385 Allegro agitato ed appassionato molto 423 Affettuoso, poco Andante 452 Maestoso 523 Poco a poco animando sino al FFF (Allegro con fuoco) 535 Allegro con fuoco 568 Andante maestoso assai 617 Piu mosso, molto agitato 629 114

The reprise of the thematic material begins at the indica-

tion Lento assai, w zu. Anfan (Very slow, as at the

beginning). This phrase is one of the examples where Liszt

mixes Italian and German directions. In general he uses

Italian terms for tempo and German terms for performance

directions. Not all of the nineteen tempo changes are

discernible aurally and only a few have changes of key

signature, so that the actual sound of the "Faust" movement

is not nearly so sectional as the number of changes seems

to indicate.

The "Faust" movement has five themes representing,

according to Searle and others, different sides of Faust's

character:

(1) Faust's mysticism:

Fig. 64--Liszt, Faust p y, first movement, measures 1 and 2. 115

(2) Faust's emotionalism:

Qboe.

ALL.& i

Fig. 65--Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 4 and 5.

(3) Faust's restlessness:

I.L Vto irs r1

w a A I I-A i il L mm ' I I-Iw=Inm VILw r wtu4t l V 0

Fig. 66--Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 72 through 76.

(4) Faust's passion:

+Gr, An 5 a~l a AM m i--= 1 - V. Usk -- I k . t

Fig. 67--Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 111 through 115.

(5) Faust's heroism:

Trust4P AhII r AfA 1 r~ft" 0%A- 9

Fig. 68--Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 228 through 231. 116

It is difficult to say that any one of these themes is

more important than the others. Certainly the heroism theme

is the most memorable, but this theme occurs less frequently

than the mysticism, restlessness, emotionalism themes and

undergoes less transformation. The theme representing

Liszt's passion appears only briefly in this movement,

although it represents Faust in the "Gretchen" movement

which follows. While Liszt's thematic practice does not

involve standard developmental treatment in a specific

section, he does "transform" his themes almost constantly.

Another device might be called "thematic polyphony," as he

often uses the themes in combination, such as the juxaposi-

tion of the mysticism theme (in the strings) and the heroism theme (in the woodwinds) at measures 254 through 258. Often, one theme is used to introduce another. Such a passage occurs at the very beginning of the movement, where the first two themes are used successively (measures 1 through

5). Finally, it should be noted that Liszt makes use of canon. Such a passage appears at the beginning of the

Tempo I Allegro agitato assai (measures 301 through 309), where the trumpets and trombones have a version of the mysticism theme in canon. 117

Fig. 69--Liszt, Faust Symphony, first movement, measures 301 through 308.

This passage is accompanied by another thematic fragment,

the first measure of the restlessness theme.

The result of the close juxtaposition of the five

themes is a feeling of extreme stress and conflict, exactly

what Liszt intended to express in his depiction of the soul

of Goethe's Faust.

II. Gretchen.--The character-portrait "Gretchen" offers an instant contrast to the first movement. At first, the movement seems to be a simple First Rondo, but closer examination will show that the A section has two distinct themes, both in Ab Major. Both are structured according to classic models. After a fifteen-measure introductory section, the first of these themes is stated. 118

Fig. 70--Liszt, Faust Symphony, second movement, measures 16 through 25.

It has the classic eight-measure period structure (measure

24 is an extension) with a dominant caesura after the fourth

measure. After repetition and transition, this theme leads

to a tonally ambiguous seven-measure section (measures 51

through 56) which represents Gretchen's questioning "He

loves me, he loves me not." The theme in Figure 70 returns

in Ab and is subsequently fragmented, leading to the first

statement of the second Gretchen theme by the strings, also

in Ab:

Fig. 71--Liszt, Faust Symphony, second movement, measures 83 and 84. 119

This two-measure motive is part of the longer ten-measure phrase which is made up of four statements of Figure 71 plus a cadential figure. This ten-measure phrase is repeated by the woodwinds.

The B section, on the dominant, interrupts this gentle texture at measure 111. In that measure the horns introduce the first of the Faust motives (Figure 65). The B section depicts the entry of Faust into Gretchen's life and the union of the two lovers; it utilizes the motives of Faust found in the first movement. However, the themes are transformed here into the gentler and more conservative harmonic idiom characteristic of the Gretchen movement.

The A section returns at measure 192 with an almost exact recapitulation of the two Gretchen themes, although the F# minor section is absent. The short coda ends with a reference to the heroic theme of Faust (Figure 68).

Fig. 72--Liszt, Faust Symphony, second movement, measures 296 through 298. 120

III. Mephistopheles.--Liszt has written, in the Faust

Symphony, one of the most thematically unified works in

music literature, The Mephistopheles movement is made up

entirely of themes taken from the first two movements, with

the exception of two distinctly "demonic" themes. The first

of these

Fig. 73--Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 48 and 49.

has been called the "explosive laugh of Mephistopheles."

The second

Vi01ins

Fig. 74--Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 66 and 67. shows some relationship to Faust's restlessness (Figure

66) in the first movement. The other themes, with the exception of those from the Gretchen movement which are inviolate, are diabolical parodies of the human Faust 121

themes from the first movement. Faust's emotionalism,

(Figure 65) for example, finds its expression as

Fig. 75--Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 96 and 97.

and

Fig . 76 --Lisz t, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 208 through 215.

The later passage is the subject for a fugue which appears

in the exposition. The fugue is very daring and dissonant

in harmony, but is similar to the choral fugues of

Mendelssohn in structure: the violas repeat the violin

statement at the octave, but at the cello entrance these

two sections only support the fugue subject with what might be called homophonic texture, although the leaps are wide

and the harmony dissonant. There is some purely harmonic

support in the bass line. 122

Only the heroic theme of Faust (Figure 68) appears virtually unaltered, usually in its original key of E

Major. The transformation which it undergoes, given first to the violins,

Fig. 77--Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 297 and 298. has the effect of ornamentation rather than of parody.

These Faust themes together with the demonic themes make up the exposition, which ends at measure 390. Like the exposition of the first movement, there are many tempo changes and many indications for beating patterns for the conductor. The following occur: Measure Allegro vivace, ironico 1 Sempre allegro 55 Allegro vivace 66 Dasselbe Tempo (in 4 Viertel) 132 Un poco animato 154 Alla breve taktieren 174 Il tempo un poco moderato, ma poco 189 Alla breve taktieren 200 Sempre animato 252 Sempre piu di fuoco 281 Sempre allegro animato 297 Alla breve taktieren 327 Immer alla breve taktieren 355 Un poco stringendo 385 123

Again the mixture of languages is to be noted--ITmmer alla

breve taktieren.

Measures 415 through 421 embrace an Andante section

which is in marked contrast to both the exposition which

precedes it and the reprise which follows it. This section

is made up entirely of the first Gretchen motive, Figure 70.

A retransition occurs, measures 428 through 456, back to

the "recapitulation" which begins with the motive in Figure

75. This reprise has many elements which are developmental.

Like the exposition, it is episodic with the following indica-

tions in the score:

Poco piu mosso 502 Un poco animato 516 Allegro non troppo, ma, deciso assai 588 Alla breve taktieren 598 Simmer alla breve taktieren 613 Alla breve taktieren 641 Poco andante, ma sempre alla breve 671

At measure 677 the Gretchen theme (Figure 70) is again

introduced in order to form a transition to the choral

ending. This theme must have a curious effect indeed when

the shorter orchestral ending is used, for after this ethereal reference, the symphony ends on crashing triple

forte chords after only ten measures. 124

The choral ending begins at measure 689 where Liszt writes "Mit diesem Takt tritt der Mnnerchor ruhig, ernst,

und feierlich auf." (At this bar the male chorus steps

forward quietly, seriously, and solemnly.) One measure later the trombones introduce the figure which is to become the material for the chorus, Trove on~es

A1e Ver- 9nT.It-d-e isic hur ernm ei~ Fig. 78--Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 703 through 706.

The introduction ends with a tympani roll and a long pause.

The men's chorus sings the figure above in unison. A sudden b turn to A major has the tenor soloist singing a version of the first Gretchen theme, Figure 70:

Tenor 6 oIo 00 ""',

Fig. 79--Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 719 through 722.

The chorus sings again, accompanying the soloist in short phrases in unison. The soloist repeats Figure 79 a minor third higher, and is again answered by the soloist. A 125

variation of the passage at Figure 80 occurs. The

orchestra takes up a new motive,

Fig. 80--Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 745 through 748.

in accompaniment to a repetition of the choral phrase "Alles

Vergangliche" (Figure 78). The tenor repeats his "das Ewig

Weibliche," this time with an additional descending figure,

and the chorus sings for the first time in four-part harmony

at measure 794.

Fig. 81--Liszt, Faust Symphony, third movement, measures 794 through 797.

The Ab dominant seventh harmony in Figure 81 is taken up by the orchestra and subsequently by the tenor, who sings a climactic Abe. The coda begins at measure 778 with the return to C major. The chorus sings a final

"zieht uns hinan" ending in a C major chord in three-part harmony. 126

Orchestration.--Perhaps the most surprising feature of

the Faust Symphony is the able and imaginative scoring.

Liszt is not well known as an orchestrator, but the method

he used, writing, performing, and rewriting upon the advice

of colleagues seems to have been highly successful. Many of

the innovations which he uses are directly traceable to the

advice of Berlioz. The fact that the Faust Symphony is

dedicated to Berlioz possibly indicates that he owed more

to this composer than the simple introduction to the work

of Goethe.

Eine Symphonie zu Dantes Divina Commedia

Composition and First Performance

As early as the 1830's Liszt had admired Dante and

had studied the Divine Comedy with Marie d'Agoult, the

Parisian countess and novelist who bore him three children.

By 1847 he had sketched the principal themes and planned

a three-part symphonic work which was to be based on the work. This is the year when his liaison with Princess

Sayn-Wittgenstein was formed.

Liszt was perhaps first attracted to her, in part, by her title; he collected princesses and countesses as other men collect rare butterflies, or Japanese prints, or first editions. Her great wealth 127

promised to be at his service for the realization of his artistic plans. She shared with him his ideal of a union of the various arts; and, although the scheme ultimately came to nothing, she was prepared to spend 20,000 thalers (about 3,000 pounds) on a diorama to accompany the performance of t e Dante Symphony which he was then projecting. 4

The diorama was a lantern which would project slides; Liszt planned to have the painter Buonaventura Genelli design

illustrations from certain scenes of the Divine Comedy for

projection during the performance of the symphony.15 Another forward-looking innovation originally planned for the symphony was the use of a wind machine for the final

crescendo of the "Inferno" movement, but this addition to the orchestral palette had to wait for Richard Strauss' Don

Quixote in 1897.16

The work is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes,

English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons,

four horns, two trumpets, two tenor trombones, bass trombone

tuba, four tympani, cymbals, bass drum, gong, harp, and

14 Ernest Newman, The Man Liszt, pp. 159-160.

15 Searle, "Franz Liszt," p. 270.

1 6 Peter Raabe, foreword to Franz Liszt, Eine Symphonie zu Dates Divina Commedia (Leipzig, 1966), p. iv. 128

strings. This is a slightly larger orchestra than that called for in the Faust Symphony. In Raabe's opinion,

this work was probably orchestrated by Liszt alone, without

assistance from Raff. "In dem gesamten Briefwechsel Liszts

mit Raff wird die Dante-Symphonie niemals erwahnt."1 7 (In

the entire correspondence of Liszt with Raff the Dante

Symphony is never mentioned.)

The Dante Symphony is dedicated to Wagner. Originally

the full score had the following inscription:

Wie Virgil den Dante, hast Du mich durch die geheimnisvollen Regionen der lebensgetrankten Tonwelten geleitet.--Aus innigstem Herzen ruft Dir zu: 'Tu se mio maestro, e il mio autore ' und weiht Dir Dies Werk in unwandelbar getreuer Liebe Dein F. Lisztl8

As Virgil led Dante, so hast thou led me through the mysterious regions of sonority drunk with life. From the depths of my heart I cry to thee: 'Thou art my master and my author'' and dedicate this work to you in unchangeable trusting love.

Yours F. Liszt

The published version carries only the words "Richard

Wagner gewidmet'" (Dedicated to Richard Wagner).

1 7 Ibid.

Ibid., p. vi. 129

Wagner was responsible in part for the symphony's

failure to rise to the heights found in the Faust Symphony.

Following the plan of the Divine Comedy exactly, Liszt had

at first intended to write three movements--"Inferno,"

"Purgatorio, " and "Paradiso. " Wagner suggested that it was impossible to express musically the joys of paradise, so

Liszt abbreviated the symphony and ended the work with the

choral "Magnificat. " 9 The Princess also tried her hand at altering Liszt's plans, insisting on a fortissimo finale in

place of the soft ending Liszt had written. A look at this alternate ending will convince one that the ending is no more than a compromise as it is merely a series of rising

scalewise passages which seem unrelated to the "Purgatorio"

movement as a whole.

The Dante Symphony was first performed on November 7,

1857 in Dresden under Liszt's direction. Its initial per-

formance was a failure, although it was acclaimed at Prague the following year by the press and by the public. Part of the failure of the premiere was due to lack of rehearsal, although the foreword by Richard Pohl (and the Princess)

19 Searle, "Franz Liszt," p. 270. 130

which was read aloud at the concert did not contribute to . 20 its success. The foreword was an explicit statement

which related the symphony to the dogmas of the Catholic

Church. The Princess was "hyper-Catholic." She desired to

have the Dante Symphony steeped in the Catholic tradition,

even to the extent of influencing Liszt to use words of the

liturgy rather than words from the Divine Comedy for the

choral portion. As a result, the Dante Symphony is as much

a vehicle for the Catholic dogma as any of Liszt's liturgical works.

There is one work which is thought by some to be a sketch 2 1 for the Dante Symphony. This is the "Dante Sonata" for piano, titled "Apres une lecture du Dante" (After read- ing Dante). This sonata, the last piece in the Annees de

Pelerinage (Deuxi'eme Annee; Italie) [Years of Pilgrimage,

Second Year: Italy], was sketched in 1836 and had its final revision in 1849. It is a one-movement work, very virtuosic in style. One passage which bears a definite resemblance to the Dante Symphony is the recitative:

2 01bid.

212 Huneker, Franz Liszt, p. 152. 131

Fig. 82--Liszt, "Dante Sonata," measures 154 through 156.

which can be compared with a similar passage in the

symphony:

Fig. 83--Liszt, Dante Symphony, measure 286

Analysis

The Dante Symphony is analyzed by Searle in his

article on Liszt in The Symphony. In a sense, the Dante

Symphony is more programmatic than the Faust Symphony because it depicts a series of events rather than a group of personalities. There is, however, no attempt to lead the auditor through the various circles of Hell with Dante and Virgil, although the circle in which the lovers Paolo and Francesca float is the subject of the central slow 132

section of the "Inferno" movement. The "Inferno" movement

is highly chromatic, both melodically and harmonically.

Likewise, there is no attempt to picture the mountain of

Purgatory. The entire "Purgatorio" movement is more tonal

and has a slower harmonic tempo than the "Inferno" movement.

In several places, Liszt places the actual Italian words

from the terzets of the Divine Comedy under thematic

sections of the movement, so that one is reminded of the

relation of this symphony to the originally projected opera

on the same subject.

I. Inferno.--There is a distinct ternary structure

in the first movement, titled "Inferno," of the Dante

Symphony. An analysis as a sonata form is probably possible,

for there is an initial section in which several themes are

stated and a concluding section in which these themes reappear. The central section, however, is unrelated to the outer sections in mood and theme, so that the following results:

First section: Exposition and development (measures 1 through 279) Second section: Slow section (measures 280 through 393) Third section: Further development of the first section and reprise (measures 394 through 635) 133

Both the outer sections are episodic and have the many

changes of tempo and mood which have been encountered

already in the first and third movements of the Faust

Symphony.

The movement opens with a complete setting of the

words which were written over the gates of Hell:

Per me si va nella citta dolente; Per me si va nel' eterno dolore;' Per me si va tra la perduta gente . . . Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch' entrate.

Through me is the way to the city of weeping; Through me is the way to eternal torment; Through me is the way among those that are lost . . Abandon hope, all ye that enter here.2 2

The setting of the first three lines forms an intro-

ductory musical statement:

Trombones '

Per me Si Va l l.&ci -+. do- len- +e~

Fig. 84--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 1 through 4.

The setting of the last line reveals one of the principal themes of the movement, given to the horns and trumpets:

2 2 Searle, "Franz Liszt, " p. 271. 134

La0 Scjo-to oisp- rx~an- aV 0i chV'en- +ro- e

Fig. 85--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 15 through 17.

The cellos and basses take over the sonority and present

the next major theme almost immediately:

Fig. 86--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 22 through 25.

Measures nineteen through thirty-one, containing the above

figure are repeated twice more, a half step and then a full

step higher, Following an accelerando, the next motive

appears, in a section marked "Allegro frenetico" in the violins:

ioliws

Fig. 87--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 64 and 65. 135

After developmental treatment of Figure 87, a new section

"Presto molto" occurs, with the following figure, based on

the diminished seventh chord:

Fig. 88--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 103 through 105.

Figure 88 is repeated twice, a half step higher each time.

Further development of Figure 87 occurs before the entrance

of the next important theme. Curiously, this entrance does

not occur at an indicated tempo change.

Fig. 89--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 164 through 167.

The exposition is completed with further repetition

and development of two of the principal themes; Figure 86 appears first at measure 230 and Figure 85 occurs in the

trumpets and tenor trombones in measures 261 through 269, where it is again texted. 136

The slow section begins at measure 280 with an

introduction marked Quasi Andante, ma sempre un. oco mosso.

This introduction is composed of a passage played by the

violins

Fig. 90--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measure 280.

which is followed by the bass clarinet recitative already

quoted at Figure 83. Figure 90 occurs again at measure 296

and the recitative appears an augmented fourth higher at measure 302 to complete the introduction.

The central section of the slow movement begins with Francesca's words set under the English horn solo which is accompanied by arpeggios in a solo harp.

IdsM y 6 o re Cat,'- i r r - ald ev+O.p k-I

Fig. 91--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 313 through 324. 137

There is no greater pain Than to recall the happy days In time of misery.2 3

A solo passage for cello leads into the "Andante amoroso"

which is in 7/4 meter. Most of this section is given over

to development of the following idea:

' lesaV atiu

Fig. 92--Liszt, Dante Symphony, first movement, measures 355 and 356.

The 7/4 meter turns to 4/4 at measure 384. At measure 389

the sudden entrance of the stopped horns playing Figure 85,

again texted, leads to a long harp cadenza which ends the

slow section.

The reprise begins in measure 394, marked Tempo-prp,

Allegro, Alla Breve. The first theme to return is Figure

87 in a trilled form. There is a long section, from measure 454 to measure 530, which is an almost exact repeti- tion of measures 87 through 160 in the exposition. Such exact repetition is very unusual in Liszt. Fugal treatment

2 3 Searle, "Franz Liszt, " p. 272. 138

of Figure 86 occurs in measures 530 through 546 between

the strings and woodwinds. Beginning at 560 there is a

long passage based on Figure 86, which Searle refers to as a ground bass (This is the section which originally

called for a wind machine). A final Adagio closes the

movement with a statement of Figure 85, still texted, by the

full orchestra.

II. Purgatorio (ad Magnificat) .-- In a sense, Liszt did complete his original plan for writing a three-movement

work in the Dante Symphony which would have corresponded to the divisions of the Divine Comedy, for the choral "Magni-

ficat" which closes the second movement could certainly be construed to be a depiction of "Paradiso" if Liszt had not made it a part of the second movement. The orchestral first section is complete formally and thematically in itself; the choral "Magnificat" is written in more conservative tonal idiom. The orchestra is relegated to the role of playing neutral accompaniment figures. Unlike the other choral movements of symphonies which have been discussed, this

"Magnificat" has no obvious thematic relationship with the previous instrumental themes. 139

The overall plan of the orchestral section of the

"Purgatorio" is as follows:

First section (measures 59 through 119) Fugal section and climax (measures 120 through 206) Retransition (measures 207 and 208) Reprise and development of the First section (measures 229 through 304)

The "Magnificat," which is dependent upon the Magnificat

text and traditional plainsong, is through-composed, although

some repetitions of short motives occur. It reveals a con-

cise plan of harmonic progression:

L'istesso tempo B Major, aeolian mode Poco a poco accelerando e crescendo sinr al 9/4 Piu Mosso Eb Major Piu mosso ma non troppo Eb Major, E Major, F Major, E Major Un poco piu lento B Major L'istesso tempo, ma quieto assai Harmony descends by whole step from G# to Bb; Standing on the dominant of F#, ending in B Major.

The introduction to the orchestral section is really

a double introduction, as measures 1 through 23 are repeated

a half step higher at measures 24 through 45. The principal

theme in this section is played by the oboe:

Fig. 93--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 8 through 14. 140

The first section is composed of two thematic fragments

which Searle calls collectively the choral theme. The first

is presented by the clarinets:

Fig. 94--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 59 through 61.

and the second is found in the violas and cellos:

Fig. 95--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 74 through 76.

Developmental treatment of both these themes occurs.

The section beginning measure 120 is marked "Lamentoso"

and consists of a fugue on the subject:

Fig. 96--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 120 and 121. 141

The second violins answer the violas at the fifth and the

bassoons and cellos have a statement at the octave. The first violins never state the subject but contribute to

the texture. A unison statement occurs at measures 148

through 149 to complete the orthodox exposition of the fugue. A shorter second subject with a triplet pattern is intro-

duced and imitated in measures 156 through 159 and this

triplet pattern forms the basis for the climax which follows.

After a transition, the first chorale theme (Figure 94)

is found in augmentation. This statement alternates with a violin recitative and the second chorale theme (Figure 95) is recapitulated. There is developmental treatment of the two chorale themes. The tonality rises from D Major to B

Major for the introduction of the choral "Magnificat. "

The choral scoring in the "Magnificat" is very simple and liturgical in style. There is even the feeling of

modality, as the key may be called aeolian rather than a

minor in the first section. The first motive:

Cho.

Fig. 97--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 305 through 310. 142

is treated mostly in unison. The beginning of this motive is reminiscent of Mendelssohn's Lobgesang motto. The

following fragment almost duplicates it.

Fig. 98--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 329 through 330.

The Piu Mosso ma. non troppo opens with the following unison motive:

Fig. 99--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 238 and 239. which rises by half steps and then returns to E Major for the end of that section.

A soprano soloist introduces the "Magnificat" motive in its entirety for the first time. The chorus offers the first really full choral sound in the following homophonic statement: 143

AF or..-TIA& t J r I el A A A Ad I I lk. I A Ad ITL IF A ILI z -z A E 5 w A mm x4i t t 1 12 ..... I II VA ''met. V.0 Iker

Fig. 100--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, measures 374 through 382.

and the final modulation to B Major, the final tonality of

the symphony occurs. The opening motive of the L'istesso

tempo, ma quieto assai, is sung by the chorus:

PP 14.fle - u t pl~op

Fig. 101--Liszt, Dante Symphony, second movement, 384 through 386.

This "hosanna, haleluja!." expands to four-part harmony in

the chorus and then contracts to unison. The orchestra

takes up the coda, very softly, to end the movement on a

B Major chord, voiced very high, to depict Dante's vision.

Liszt's Contribution

Liszt is the first composer encountered in this study

who seems to prefer men's chorus or treble chorus to the 144

richer sonorities of the mixed chorus. One would expect

Liszt to explore the utmost range of which the chorus is

capable, just as he explored the compass and dynamic

possibilities of the piano and of the orchestra. The

compasses which he assigns to his choruses, however, are

ultra-conservative. In Faust, he asked that the basses

descend only to a small c and that the tenors sing no

higher than a single _q'!. Most of the time, the men are

not only singing in a conservative tessitura, but are scored

in unison. The Faust Symphony, in spite of its orchestral

complexities, is so simply written for chorus that the

choral parts could be mastered quickly by an amateur chorus

provided an able conductor was on hand to give them cues.

The compass of the treble chorus in the Dante Symphony,

in which Liszt stipulates "Frauen-oder Knabenstimmen"

(Women's or boys' voices) is just as moderate. The altos descend only to e' and the sopranos do not go above g".

There is also much unison writing in this chorus, although thirds are common. The meter, 6/4 and 9/4, is more complex than the simple common time of the Faust chorus. As in the

Faust chorus, however, there is little harmonic difficulty.

The score stipulates that the organ should be placed near 145

the singers, so that even the most inexperienced singer

could find his pitch. Organ is also used in the choral

ending of the Faust Symphony.

In the Faust Symphony, the orchestra has a supporting

role in the choral section except for statements of the first

Gretchen theme in the high woodwinds, using the rhythm

JJ . The passage illustrated at Figure 80 is

also used as an independent counterpoint to the vocal parts.

However, in the actual coda section, the orchestra gradually

takes over the sonority as the final crescendo begins at

measure 798. The chorus part is fragmented and finally

ends on a sustained chord while the orchestra climaxes with

crashing triple forte chords.

In the Dante Symphony, the chorus is likewise relegated

to the background as soon as the choral"Magnifica" begins.

The harmonic tempo slows immediately and the orchestra,

functions only as support to the vocal group except for a few measures in the "hosanna, halleluja!" section where the

first violins and violas have a muted arpeggiated figure

It would seem that Liszt's major aim in his choral scoring is to write music which is easily performable. 146

Because both the Faust and Dante symphonies require chorus only in the finale, the result is a practical one as far as performance of the works is concerned. While the Faust choral finale is highly thematic and is connected closely to the instrumental portions, the "Magnificat" finale of the Dante Symphony is unrelated to the preceding instrumental sections.

Similarly, Liszt is electric in his use of texts for his choral symphonies. In the Faust Symphony Liszt uses only the Goethe's final "Chorus Mysticus" for the men's chorus. Although the Dante Symphony contains some of Dante's original words in the "Inferno" movement, written in the score and in the parts but not sung, none of the text of the Divine Comedy is actually sung by the treble chorus.

Liszt elects to set the liturgical "Magnificat" instead. CHAPTER VI

MAHLER

In a number of ways the symphonies of Gustav Mahler

form the ideal culmination to a study of the choral symphony

in the nineteenth century. Mahler wrote more choral

symphonies than any other composer of that century; his second, third, and eighth symphonies all employ chorus.

The Symphony No. 8 has more choral writing than any other

choral symphony.

A catalogue of Mahler's works is brief. In addition

to three partial operas and fifty-two songs, he wrote the

following for orchestra:

Das klagende Lied 1880 Symphony No 1 1888 Symphony N 2 1894 Symphony No-.3 1895 Symphony No. 4 1900 Symphony No. 5 1902 Symphony No 6 1904 Symphony Lo 7 1905 Symphony No. 8 1906 Das Lied von der Erde 1908 Symphony No. 9 1909 Symphony No. 10 1910 The early Das klagende Lied is scored for chorus as well as for soprano, contralto, and tenor soloists; Das

147 148

Lied von der Erde, the song-cycle symphony, is written for

contralto and tenor soloists with orchestra.

There are many interrelationships between the songs and

the symphonies. Many of the symphonic themes are based on

previously composed songs, while vocal movements from the

second and third symphonies were subsequently published as Lieder. The brevity of a list of Mahler's complete works

is deceptive, for most of his symphonies contain more than the conventional four movements and many of the individual

movements are of truly gigantic proportions.

Like Berlioz and Mendelssohn, Mahler is better known

as a conductor than as a performer. He was a prototype of the twentieth-century virtuoso conductor--famed for his

productions of specific works, constantly traveling, in demand for many extra-musical activities. His heavy con- ducting duties at the Hamburg, Vienna, and Metropolitan

Operas during the years of his peak creative activity severely limited his output. On the other hand, it was precisely his close association with the opera that gave him such a thorough knowledge of choral technique. As a result, his choral symphonies are viable and grateful in performance. 149

Mahler's seeming need for a literary model is seen by

Redlich as a manifestation of "early theoretical romanticism:

to fuse and merge the arts . . . "

The fact that most of Mahler's symphonies are literary conceptions as much as musical structures prove s the overpowering weight of Wagnerian influence from which he could best free himself by avoiding music-drama altogether and by concen- trating on a type of music held in but little favour by Wagner and many of his followers: the classical Viennese symphony and the romantic song-cycle.1

The Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection")

One literary model for the Symphony No. 2 was a volume of poems collected by Ludwig Achim von Arnim and Klemens

Brentano, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, published in 1805. The poems in the volume depicted the "simple, artless life of the 'little people' and . . . the glamor of bygone days."2

Mahler published songs on these texts in the years 1883 through 1899. The "Urlicht" song was first published in the Symphony No. 2 but subsequently appeared in the 1905 edition of Mahler's Lieder aus 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn.' Also

1 Hans Redlich, Bruckner and Mahler (London, 1955), p. 143. 2 Dika Newlin, Bruckner-Mahlr-Schoenberg (New York, 1947), p. 119. 150

inspirational to Mahler was the "Resurrection Ode" of

Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724 through 1803). Mahler

heard the ode at von Blow's funeral and immediately

recognized that it was the ideal text for the chorale of

his symphony.

Composition and First Performance

The second and third symphonies were written while

Mahler was employed as opera director at Hamburg. His

successful work there is described by von Bilow:

- . . Hamburg has now acquired a simply first- rate opera conductor in Mr. Gustav Mahler (serious, energetic--Jew from Budapest), who in my opinion equals the very best conductors (Mottl, Richter, etc.). Recently I heard Siegfried under his direction . . . sincere admiration has filled me for him, when with- out an orchestral rehearsal he compelled the musical rabble to dance according to his whistle . .3

Even in tolerant Austria, Jewish birth was an obstacle to success. Therefore, in the spring of 1897, Mahler became a Roman Catholic. His Symphonies Nos.2 and 8 are based upon texts that reflect Christian ideas; he was sincerely attracted by the mysticism of the official church. Accord- ing to his wife, Alma:

3 Letter from Hans von Bulow of April 24, 1891, cited in Redlich, op. cit., p. 126. 151

His religious chants, the II, the VIII, and all the chorales in the symphonies are truly his own and not introduced at second-hand. He never denied his Jewish origin. Rather, he emphasized it. He was a believer in Christianity, a Christian-Jew, and he paid the penalty.4

Because his conducting duties were so heavy, he relied

mostly upon vacations for time to compose. He called him-

self "der Sommer-komponist" (the summer-composer) .5 During summer vacations at Steinbach-am-Attersee in the Austrian

Salzkammergut he composed the second and third symphonies,

1893 through 1896. In addition to the soprano and alto

soloists and mixed chorus, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 requires the following: three flutes (one doubling on piccolo), two oboes, one English horn, three clarinets in Bb, two clarinets in Eb, two bassoons, contrabassoon, six horns in F, four trumpets in F, four trombones, contra-bass tuba, triangle, deep gong, cymbal, bass drum, two tympani, two harps, and strings.

The first complete performance of the Symphony No. 2 was given in Berlin on December 13, 1895. Mahler himself

4 Alma Mahler, Gustav Mahler: Memoirs and Letters, translated by Basil Creighton (New York, 1946), p. 60. 5 Redlich, p. cit., p. 133. 152 directed. The following program, subsequently suppressed, appeared with the Symphony No. 2 at its first performance:

Movement 1. I have called the first movement 'funeral rites' . . . it is the hero from my symphony in D major (Symphony I) whom I am here laying in his grave, and whose life I reflect in a pure mirror, as it were, from an elevated position. At the same time it expresses the great question: To what purpose have you lived? . . . Whosoever has heard this question must give an answer, and this answer I give in the last movement. Movement 2. Remembering the past. . . . A ray of sunshine, pure and unspoiled, from the hero's past life. Movement 3. When you awaken from the wistful dream of movement 2, to return into the turmoil of life again, it may easily happen to you that the ceaseless flow of life strikes you with horror--like the swaying of dancers in a brightly lit ballroom into which you happen to gaze from the outer darkness, and from such a distance that its music remains inaudible. . . . Life appears senseless to you and like a dreadful nightmare from which you may start up with a cry of disgust. . Movement 4. The stirring voice of simple faith reaches our ear: I am of God and will go back to God . . . Movement 5. The voice in the desert sounds: the end of all life has come--doomsday is approaching. . . . The earth trembles, the graves are opening, the dead rise and march past an endless procession. The great and the small of the earth--kings and beggars. . The 'great tattoo' is sounded--the trumpets of the Revelation call: then, in the midst of a horrible silence we seem to hear a distant nightingale, like a last trembling echo of earthly life. Softly a choir of saints and celestial beings sings: 'Resurrection, yea, Resurrection, will be granted you.' And the 153

glory of God appears. A wonderful, soft light penetrates into the depth of our hearts---every- thing is silent and blissful. And lo and behold' there is no judgment--there is no sinner, no righteous, no great and no small--there is no punishment and no reward. . . . An all-powerful feeling of love transfigures us with blissful knowledge and being.. 6

Analysis

First Movement, Allegro maestoso. Mit durchaus ernstem und feierlichen Ausdruck.--The first movement of Mahler's

Symphony No. 2 is very sectional and developmental. The

opening measures, in C minor, are introductory and are

followed by the principal theme, which is a counterpoint of

ideas: h two A i h

ryAorvi

Fig. 102--Mahier, ympon first movement, measures 13 through 17.

The lyrical second theme occurs in the unusual key of E Major:

6 1bid., p. 187. 154

Fig. 103--Mahler, Symphony No. , first movement measures 48 through 52.

After a, few measures, this section is interrupted by the introductory measures of the first theme (measure 64). This is the beginning of a developmental section. The second theme is heard again at measures 117 through 120 and another division begins in which a number of lyrical themes are introduced. Most of this lyrical section is in E minor, but the ending is in B Major. At the indication Schnell, measure 244, the introductory pattern is heard again, this time in Eb. Another developmental section ensues, contain- ing the "Dies Irae" theme which is to be important in the finale. The reprise of the two principal themes begins at measure 337, with the first theme in C minor and the second

(measure 382) in E Major, just as it was stated in the exposition. Another section is recapitulated (from the exposition measures 100 through 105) although this section soon departs from the original model. The movement ends on 155

a unison C. Mahler indicated that there should be a five

minute pause before the second movement is played.

Second movement.--Andante moderato. Sehr gemnchlich

Nie eilen.--This movement is a Ls.ndler, an old Austrian

dance form which resembles a slow waltz. It is in Ab Major,

the Subdominant of the Relative major of the first movement's

key. Formally, this movement offers no surprises, as it is

a type of Rondo form, with the initial section, the refrain

Fig. 104--Mahler, Symphony No..2, second movement, measures 1 through 4.

repeated three times. The second repetition is varied with the cellos playing a beautiful counterpoint to the refrain; the third repetion is a pizzicato treatment. The sections which intervene between the refrains are unusual. The first is in minor and has an imitative accompaniment figure in the strings in sixteenth-note triplets. The second con- trasting section is based on the same idea as the first and is marked Energisch bewegt and again has rushing sixteenth- note triplets in the strings which accompany lyrical themes 156

in the winds. The impression of this whole movement is of

a two-part counterpoint rather than of a melody with

accompaniment.

Third Movement. In ruhig fliessender Bewegung.--This

movement, a scherzo in tempo and meter but not in form, is

in the minor tonic. There are three principal themes, which

are introduced in the first 131 bars exactly as they occur in

the Wunderhorn song, "St. Anthony's Sermon to the Fishes." 7

Like the words of the poem, which tells of St. Anthony's

despair of preaching to humans and his sermon to the fishes

in a brook who listened attentively and then went back to

their usual habits, this piece is full of humor. The first

theme is characterized by running sixteenth notes.

7i s-000M -- Mw

w

Fig. 105--Mahler, Symphony No. 2 , third movement, measures 13 through 18.

The second, Predigt, theme, is also in the tonic minor:

7 Newlin, .g. cit., p. 164. 157

Fig. 106--Mahler, Symphony No. , third movement, measures 67 through 71. while the third theme,

Fig. 107--Mahler, Symphony No. 2, third movement, measures 113 through 116. has a key signature change which makes it clearly in the major Subdominant. This is followed by:

Measures 149 through 187--Figure 105 and Figure 106, tonic minor Measures 188 through 211--Variation on Figure 106, tonic major Measures 212 through 367--Developmental, Figures 105 and 106, supertonic Major

Reprise: Measures 368 through 406--Counterpoint of Figures 105 and 106, minor tonic Measures 407 through 440--Counterpoint of Figure 107 and a variant of Figure 105, subdominant Measures 441 through 480--Return to tonic, further development Measures 481-end-Coda, with return to tonic minor and fragments from second movement. 158

This movement is based upon what Redlich calls Mahler 's

"folksy" themes. 8 The fourth movement follows without a

break.

Fourth movement--"Urlicht. " Sehr feierlich aber schlicht.

(Choralmissig) .--This song-movement is only seventy-five

measures long. It is almost through-composed, although

there is a hint of the return of the first full phrase

(measures fifteen through twenty) in measures fifty through

fifty-three. Certainly it is Mahler's expression of the

Wunderhorn poem in its purest form. The music follows the

text very exactly in rhythm, even to the point of having

alternate 4/4 and 3/4 measures for rhythmic accentuation.

Tonally, this movement is in the neapolitan (Db) region.

The section marked Etwas bewegter is in Bb minor. A turn to

A Major briefly is followed by a return to the original neopolitan. Mahler asks that the fifth movement follow without a break, so that this fourth movement forms only a short interlude between the third and fifth movements.

8 Redlich, .. cit., p. 146. 159

Fifth movement.--Im Tempo des Scherzo's Wild herausfah-

rend.--The fifth movement opens over a C pedal with many

arpeggios, fortississimo, in stark contrast to the preceding

song. At the change of key to C Major, the following motive

occurs.

F44t, Ctoriw'

Fig. 108--Mahler, Symphony No.., fifth movement, measures 28 and 29.

This section represents "heaven" just as the opening section represented "hell." At the indication Langsam, the following

horn call motive is heard; taken, as has been shown by Richard DuPree, from movement I, measures 119 through 121.9

Fig. 109--Mahler, Symphony, No. 2, fifth movement, measures 43 through 47.

which becomes the basis for many figures in the brass through- out the whole movement. This figure, in turn, was previewed

9 Richard DuPree, "Recurring Thematic and Motivic Material in Gustav Mahler's Symphonies I-IX," (Denton, p. 51. 1970), 160

in movement II, measure 206. At measure 62, the woodwinds

state the Dies Irae motive which was first found in the

central section of the first movement:

M~at Fkuk'eL6r 1e.+

Fig. 110 --Mahler, Symphony No. 2 fifth movement, measures 62 through 69.

After a reference to the earlier "heaven" section, the

Dies Irae figure returns in the lower brasses, measures

143 through 149. The long developmental section which

follows takes material from the Dies Irae motive and from

the motives which are related to the chorale motive, lead-

ing them through in a manner which depicts clearly that a

fight for a soul between the forces of darkness and light

is taking place. Counterpoint is used here, not in the

sense that the themes actually overlap each other, but in

the sense that thematic motion never really stops, as one

motive begins, stretto-like, before the conflicting motive

ends. The heavenly forces are victorious, and the slow

Wieder zurickhaltend section (measure 324) seems to depict another look into paradise. In the next portion, marked 161

Mit etwas drangendem Charakter, the last judgment trumpet

call sounds: a short rhapsodic section, using bird calls

and the trumpet call motive, ensues. Here Mahler clearly

shows his operatic background, as these players have been

placed at a considerable distance from the orchestra, like

the stage bands of opera. He directs them to take their seats

as the Aufersteh'n Chorale follows, a cappella: Choi"l

Fig. 111--Mahler, Symphony No. 2, fifth movement, measures 472 through 480.

This is the first time that an a cappella treatment has been

given the chorus in a choral symphony since the prologue in

Romeo and. Juliet. The way in which Mahler voices the chords

is of special interest. In Figure 111, the entire women's

chorus and the soloist are given the low-lying melody line.

The bass provides a countermelody to this in octaves, while

the tenors, the portion of the chorus that is the most brilliant in a large hall, are given the remainder of the harmony divisi. After an orchestral interlude, the chorus 162

repeats the Aufersteh'n hymn, beginning in measure 512.

Another orchestral interlude follows which introduces the

alto soloist singing a highly emotional theme on words

written by Mahler himself, "0 believe, my heart, 0 believe,

nothing is lost with thee. . . . Thou wert not born in vain,

hast not lived and suffered in vain." The chorus sings a

variant of the hymn with a sudden fortissimo outburst on the

word "Bereite." The next section, Mit Aufschwung, aber nicht

eilen, consists of an emotional duet of the alto and the

soprano soloists. This is followed by another chorus. Again

Mahler shows his operatic background in the following

"staging" which he suggests for the chorus;

. . I have noticed that it is impossible to avoid a disconcerting commotion when the singers of the chorus rise, as is customary, at the moment of their entrance. Our concentration is strained to the utmost and sharpened by the trumpet fanfares, and now the mysterious sonority of the human voices (which enter as if on the furthest horizon) must come as a complete surprise.--I recommend that the chorus (which has been seated up to that moment) should continue to remain seated and should be allowed to rise at the E flat passage "Mit Fliigeln die ich mir errungen" (basses). This has always been surprisingly effective.1 0

1 0 Mahler, Briefe, p. 316, translated in Newlin, o.f.cit., p. 160. 163

The first two sections of the "Mit Flugeln" chorus are

built on a motive presented by the basses:

Fig. 112--Mahler, Symphony No. 2, fifth movement, measures 672 through 676.

This melody was anticipated earlier in the movement,

measures 421 through 423; a variant also appeared in the

first movement. The first treatment of Figure 112 is in

quasi-fugal style. After a crescendo, Figure 112 is presented

again, this time in augmented values in unison, measures 696

through 702. At measure 712, Mahler returns to the

Aufersteh'n motive, pesante. The choral treatment in these

few measures recalls the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven. The

tessitura is very high in all the voices--the sopranos are

asked to sing a bb" and the basses sing q'. The treatment is homophonic with sharp accents on each chord. Wagner-like, the actual climax is taken by the orchestra as the full complement of instruments captures the texture to finish the section and to add a coda. 164

Like Beethoven, Mahler has used a solo voice to introduce the chorus in his Symphony No. 2. The soloist interrupts the choral texture twice, making this choral finale, like Beethoven's, sectional in character. However,

Mahler keeps his chorus much closer to traditional choral sonority by (1) having the initial chorale statement sung a cappella; (2) the use of many fermatas which can be directly controlled by the conductor; (3) adequate but not overpowering accompaniment from the instrumental body.

Mahler's Mit Fluiceln section again conforms to what seems to be a definite trend in the nineteenth-century choral symphony: the use of quasi-fugal texture in connection with the chorus.

The Symphony No. 3

Composition and First Performance

The journal of Mahler's friend Natalie Bauer-Lechner affords a, description of the extra-musical ideas on which

Mahler based the third symphony. In reference to the

Symphony No. 3, Mahler says:

It is really inadequate for me to call it a symphony, for in no respect does it retain the traditional form. But to write a symphony means, to me, to construct a world with all the tools of the available technique. The 165

ever-new and changing content determines its own form. In this sense, I must always learn anew to create new means of expression for myself, even though (as I feel I can say of myself with justification) I have complete technical mastery.

'Summer Marches On' will be the Prologue. Right away I need a regimental band to get the crude effect of the arrival of my martial boon companion. Really, it will be just as if the city band were on the march. A raggle-taggle mob such as one seldom sees is crowding around.

Naturally, they don't get by without a battle with the opposing force, Winter; but he's soon thrown out of the ring, and Summer, in his full strength and superiority, soon seizes undisputed leadership. This movement, as an introduction, is humoristically conceived throughout, in a baroque manner.

The titles of the Third will be, in order as follows:

1. Summer marches on. 2. What the flowers in the meadow tell me. 3. What the animals in the forest tell me. 4. What the Night tells me (Mankind). 5. What the morning bells tell me (The Angels). 6. What Love tells me. 7. What the child tells me.

And I'll call the whole thing "My Joyous Learning"-- for that's what it is'

llQuoted in Natalie Bauer-Lechner, Erinnerungen an Gustav Mahler, pp. 19-20, translated in Newlin, o. cit., pp. 163-164. 166

The planned seventh movement was not included in the

symphony's final form. In the original Universal score,

the gigantic first movement is indicated as Part I, while

the remaining five movements comprise Part II.

Evidently Mahler needed the human voice to express the

pantheistic in Symphony No. 3 just as he had used that

vehicle to express the metaphysical in Symphony No..2, for

the fourth movement is scored for contralto and the fifth

adds two treble choruses--women's and boys'--to that solo.

The third and fifth movements are again based on Wunderhorn

songs. For the words of the fourth movement, Mahler sets a

text from Friedrich Nietzsche's Also Sprach Zarathustra (1883).

A large orchestra is required. Mahler lists: four

flutes (two doubling on piccolo), three oboes, English horn,

two clarinets in Bb, bass clarinet, two clarinets in Eb,

three bassoons, contrabassoon, eight horns in F, four trumpets

in F, four trombones, contra-bass tuba, glockenspiel, small

drum, triangle, tambourine, free-hanging cymbal, gong, bass

drum, six timpani, two harps, and strings.

The first public performance of the Symphony No. 3

took place at the Music Festival of the Allgemeine Deutsche

Musikverein at Crefeld in June of 1902. Alma Mahler 167 accompanied her husband to the rehearsals and to the per- formance. She gives this report:

The rehearsals at Girzenich were unique. Mahler came to me at the end of each movement and we discussed it in every detail. After the first movement, which had never been played before, he came up to me laughing, calling out from a distance: 'And he saw that it was good.'

. . . The performance was awaited with breath- less suspense, for the rehearsals had done something to reveal the greatness and significance of the work. A tremendous ovation broke out at the end of the first movement. . . . The enthusiasm rose high with each movement and at the end the whole audience got up from their seats in a frenzy and surged to the front in a body.12

Bruno Walter, also present at the premiere, adds,

The impression made by his Third Symphony was overwhelming--and for the first time unquestioned-- at the performance under Mahler's baton at the Krefeld Festival. . . . It established him definitely in the world of contemporary music.1 3

Analysis

First Movement. Kraftig. Entschieden.--An excellent analysis of this primeval movement is available in Newlin's

Bruchner-Mahler-Schoenberg, pages 170 through 173. Basically, the movement is a conflict between the initial "Inertia"theme

1 2 Alma Mahler, i_. cit., pp. 36,28.

13 Bruno Walter, Gustav Mahler, translated by Lotte Walter Lindt (New York, 1958), pp. vii-viii. 168

Fig. 113--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, first movement, measures 1 through 4.

and its minor tonality, and the subsequent "Life" theme and

its major tonality which is first stated as:

oboa

.. s

Aim,

Fig. 114--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, first movement, measures 153 and 154.

The eventual triumph of the "Life" theme symbolizes the thawing of the ground as "Summer Marches On." This movement

is over thirty minutes in length and is the most complex and progressive that Mahler had written up to this time.

Second Movement. Tempo di Menuetto. Sehr m'assig.

Ja, nicht eilen!--Formally, this movement has elements of the classic minuet, although in style it is more character- istic of the Landler. To these two conventional conceptions, 169

Mahler adds progressive elements of rhythm and harmony. The

principal theme:

Cbst

Fig. 115--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, second movement, measures 1 through 4.

is very classic in sound and would form a small a of a

first minuet section. Measure twenty marks the beginning

of the small b which manifests modern elements, such as the

combination of three eighth notes against two eighth notes.

A variant of small a returns in measure thirty-seven. The

L'istesso tempo which follows introduces a new theme in 3/8:

Fig. 116.--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, second movement, measures 49 through 51.

The 3/8 L'istesso tempo is only twenty measures long. It is followed by still another theme, in 2/4:

Fig. 117--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, second movement, measures 70 and 71. 170

A 9/8 section follows, based on repeated eighth-note triads

and a running sixteenth-note figure. This exciting diversion

is followed by a return to the tonic A Major and a variation

of the small a and b. portions found at the beginning of the

movement. Both the 3/8 theme (Figure 115) and the 2/4

theme (Figure 117) are recapitulated and the movement ends

with a return to the original tonic and Figure 115, although

this idea is further varied. An important new theme develops

in the cellos (measure 247) and the horns (measure 255).

Third movement. Comodo. Scherzando. Ohne Hast.--

Like the first movement, the third movement scherzo has

been extensively and effectively analyzed on pages 167 to

169 by Dika Newlin in Bruckner-Mahler-Schoenberg. The form

of the movement follows closely that of the original song, which first appeared in Lieder und Gesange aus der

Jugendzeit, Volume III.14 The title of the song is

"Ablbsung im Sommer." It concerns a dead cuckoo represented by the figure

Fig. 118--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, third movement, measures 5 through 11.

1 4 Newlin, .op. cit., p. 167. 171

and the Nightingale which replaces the cuckoo,

Fig. 119--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, third movement, measures 38 through 44.

Newlin concludes:

It is surprising that a movement of such variety and scope should have been created from a simple bi-thematic song. Such a weakness as a certain lack of tonal differentia- tion may be attributed to the source-material; but on the whole the movement tends to confirm the view that, once Mahler had mastered the art of using his song-themes instrumentally only in middle movements of suitable dimensions, the resulting instrumental lyricism could offer no bar to his development as a symphonist.1 5

Fourth movement--Sehr langsam. Misterioso. Durchaus pep.--As he did in Symphony Nq .2, Mahler chooses a slow movement which has an alto soloist at this point in the symphony. This is the text from Nietzsche's Also Sprach

Zarathustra, the "Night-song;" it speaks of the inevitability of mankind's despair. The opening measures of the alto solo, the motivic germ on which the entire movement is based, recall the "Urlicht" fourth movement of Symphony No. 3.

1 5 Ibid., p. 168. 172

75ari 0

Fig. 120--Mahler, Symphony No. fourth movement, measures 11 and 12.

as do measures 30 through 33,

Fig. 121--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fourth movement, 30 and 31.

Throughout the movement, the horns, mostly in thirds and

sixths, are used to accompany the voice. This is combined

with a D-A pedal in the lower strings which pervades most of the movement with the exception of the central contrasting

section. The indication Piu mosso subito marks the return of the initial section (Figures 120 and 121). The return is varied and uses a solo violin in addition to the horns in accompanying the voice. The fifth movement continues without a break. 173

Fifth Movement. Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck.--

Like Liszt, Mahler chooses to make his angels female, so the

fifth movement, based on the Wunderhorn song, "Es sungen drei Engel," is written for women's chorus (mostly in four parts) with an obbligato boys' chorus. The choral refresh- ment which this movement brings is more joyful than any scherzo. In feeling, the movement is a simple carol. The words treat of the faith of simple people:

Cho. Three angels were singing a sweet song; Joyfully it sounded through Heaven. They shouted with joy Because Peter was freed from his sins.

For when the Lord Jesus sat down to table, For the last supper with his twelve disciples, Lord Jesus spake: What dost thou there:

As I regard thee, thou weepest before me.

Solo And should I not weep then, thou merciful God" Cho. Thou hast no need to weep! Solo I have broken the ten commandments. I will go and weep, yes, bitterly. Cho. Thou hast no need to weep! Solo Ah, come and take mercy on me.

Cho. If thou hast broken the ten commandments, Then fall on thy knees and pray to God! Love but God in all thy days, And thou shalt attain to heavenly joy.

Heavenly joy is a blessed city, Heavenly joy which hath no end; Heavenly joy which was made ready for Peter Through Jesus, and for all, in blessedness. (translated by Ekkehart Kroher) 1 6 Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 3 (London, no date), p.iii. 174

As the poem falls into three sections, Mahler sets the fifth

movement as follows: A, measures 1 through 38; B, measures

38 through 81; A', measures 82 through 120.

The movement opens in F Major with the boys' choir and

the bells in unison, the boys singing the syllables "Bimm,

Bamm. " An important motive is introduced by the woodwinds:

Fig. 122--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fifth movement, measures 4 through 6.

The women enter in unison as the motive ends. Mahler 's

treatment of the women's chorus when it sings in four parts

can be observed from the following example, which suddenly

slows the tempo:

I WoP~eI 4A PVon ISi~ ~ EAri

3 , fifth movement, Fig. 123--Mahlerymon i measures 13 through 16.

Another important motive, again in unison, occurs in

measure 22: 175

M~d l de 4r 7f"i' u 'L T w- S 9e Fig. 124--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fifth movement, measures 22 through 23.

A transitional passage in the strings takes the key to D

minor for the central section, in which the soloist alternates

with the choir. The soloist's part ends with a phrase which

is important in the next movement:

Fig. 2 1 5--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, fifth movement, measures 58 through 60.

and a developmental section ensues in which both choruses

sing the "Bimm, Bamm" words. A transitional passage in the

cellos and horns leads back to the beginning of the reprise, in the third-relation of Bb Major. The return to F Major

comes in measure 90. This reprise is in the nature of a retrograde, as the boys' choir sings a version of Figure

124 in measure 92 and 93; the chordal Figure 123 is repeated at measures 96 and 97; measures 100 and 101 in the boy choir 176

parallel measures 9 and 10 in the high woodwinds, and

finally, Figure 122 is repeated at measure 107. There are

also new motives in the A' section, but its resemblance to

the initial section is unmistakable. The last eleven measures

of the piece are made up of a coda in which both choirs sing

the "Bimm,Bamm" words, the boys in unison and the women in

open-voiced four-part harmony. This movement is the only

choral Wunderhorn setting in Mahler's choral symphonies. It

is highly successful and would stand in its own right as a

piece of choral literature. In this fifth movement Mahler

uses the chorus from the very beginning until the very end.

There are only six measures in the composition which are

entirely instrumental. In contrast to Liszt, who specified

that his treble chorus in the Dante Symphony could be sung by either women or boys, Mahler seems to conceive clearly

the difference in sonority between the two. A setting for

two treble choruses is very unusual in choral literature up

to this point and foreshadows the practices of twentieth- century composers such as Benjamin Britten and Zoltan Kodaly.

The boys are asked to sing in unison, either on the "Bimm,

Bamm" ostinato or in counterpoint using one of the motives important to the movement. The women's chorus, on the other 177

hand, is thickly voiced. The faster sections involving

eighth notes are mostly in three parts for the women, but

at the chordal sections where the tempo slows, Mahler writes

very effective four-part harmony, using the lowest voice as

an authentic bass line for the group. The fact that Mahler

indicates that the fourth, fifth, and sixth movements are to be performed without a break clearly establishes the place

of this delightful movement. Musically, it is a delightful

diversion before the weight of the closing Adagio finale.

Sixth movement. Langsam Ruhevoll. Empfunden,--This

unusual Adagio finale is in D Major and ends with a stirring

fortissimo. It is made up almost entirely of the interweav-

ing of three themes. The initial theme is derived from that

sung by the alto soloist in the preceding movement (Figure

125).

Fig. 126--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, sixth movement, measures 1 and 2.

The second principal theme uses the familar turn pattern: 178

Fig. 127--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, sixth movement, measures 8 through 10.

The third theme, marked Nicht mehr so breit, is introduced

in measures 41 through 45:

Fig. 128--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, sixth movement, measures 41 through 45.

where the tonality is the minor mediant region (measures

41 through 91). After an accelerando and crescendo, the

initial tempo returns in measure 91 and the D Major tonic

is reached in measure 108.

Fig. 129--Mahler, Symphony No. 3, sixth movement, measures 108 through 111. 179

At measure 132, the leading tone minor (C# minor) begins

a development section. The neapolitan minor (Eb minor),

the Major mediant (F# Major), and the neapolitan (Eb Major)

are all treated in this portion of the movement. The final

return to the tonic comes at measure 182. In closing, the

Adagio builds to fortississimo, recedes to piano, and ends

fortissimo.

Again the movement is made up of the particularly

Mahlerian counterpoint that has been observed--the motives

are interwoven but do not intersect each other for large

periods of time.

The Symphony No. 8

Mahler's Symphony No. 8 was written six years after

the turn of the century. Therefore, it does not fall

chronologically within the nineteenth century. However,

since Mahler is quite definitely a nineteenth-century

composer and since this symphony has many elements which

manifest its affinity with that century, it should definitely be treated in a study of the choral symphony in that period.

Mahler's Symphony No. 4, the last of the Wunderhorn

symphonies, is scored for soprano soloist and orchestra.

The voice is entirely absent from symphonies number 5, 6, 180

and 7. The Symphony No. 8, known as the "Symphony of a

Thousand" because of its requirements for a large body of

performers, uses seven solo voices, double chorus, boys'

chorus, and organ. In many ways this one work is the

culmination of the choral symphony. As in Symphony No. 3,

there are two dissimilar literary sources, the Catholic

hymn "Veni, Creator Spiritus" and the Chorus mysticus from

the second part of Goethe's Faust. There are even closer

affinities between the eighth and the second symphonies.

Newlin says:

Spiritually and musically, it [Symphony No. 8] is a pendant to the Finale of the Second Symphony, displaying (especially in the Faust section) a striking parallelism, not only in tonality, but also in philosophical content (resurrection as compared with Faust's transfiguration), to that work. The similarities extend to orchestration-- for what else is the final page of the Eighth Symphony but a heightened, accentuated version of the corresponding passage in the Second Symphony?1 7

Composition and First Performance

Mahler's Symphony No. 8 was composed in only eight weeks (June 12 through August of 1906) while he, his wife, and two daughters were vacationing at Maiernigg. Alma tells of

1 7 Newlin, o. cit., p. 192. 181 the circumstances of inspiration which resulted from the two literary sources:

After we arrived at Maiernigg, there was the usual fortnight during which, nearly every year, he was haunted by the specter of failing inspiration. Then one morning just as he crossed the threshold of his studio up in the woods, it came to him--Veni creator spiritus. He composed and wrote down the whole opening chorus to the half-forgotten words. But music and words did not fit in--the music had overlapped the text. In a fever of excitement he telegraphed to Vienna and had the whole of the ancient Latin hymn tele- graphed back. The complete text fitted the music exactly. Intuitively he had 18 composed the music for the full strophes.

"Veni Creator" is attributed to Hrabanus Maurus, Archbishop of Mainz (776 to 856) .19

His compositional activities were interrupted by a trip to Salzburg, but not before he had been inspired to set the final chorus of Faust in Part II of the symphony.

Redlich says:

Mahler, having first composed 'Veni Creator' in three feverish weeks in the early summer of 1906, experienced in a flash, as it were, the close ideological and spiritual affinity between the hymn and Goethe's scene, which he conceived musically as the hymn's tone-poetical corollary, thus establishing close thematic links between the two halves of the Symphony.2 0

1 8 Alma Mahler, o. cit., pp. 90, 91. 1 9 The Hymnal 1940 Companion, p. 160. 2 0 Redlich, op. cit., p. 212. 182

The use of two different languages in a choral- symphonic structure is quite unusual, even when the affinities cited by Redlich are considered. Liszt, who used the German Faust in one symphony and the Latin

"Magnificat" in another, naturally comes to mind. Again,

Newlin has fully discussed the question of the similarity of the Faust Symphony to Mahler's Eighth in Bruckner-Mahler-

Schoenberg (pages 193, 194). Newlin points to the especially striking resemblance between the setting of the beginning of the Chorus mysticus of Liszt (Figure 78) and of Mahler,

(Figure 139). The rhythm is almost the same, even though the poetic meter does not suggest -JJJ .J21

The premiere of the Symphony No. 8 took place under exalted circumstances on September 12, 1910. A special hall had been built in Munich for the performance. The Wiener

Singverein was on hand for the choral portions. The concert was promoted by Emil Gutmann, who caused Mahler much con- sternation by not delivering what he had promised. It was

Gutmann who was responsible for the designation "Symphony of a Thousand." Mahler saw the whole affair as a "Barnum and

2 1 Newlin, .of. cit., p. 193. 183

Bailey Show. "22 When Mahler arrived from New York he found that much work was still to be done; he was displeased with the Munich orchestra's concertmaster, but the orchestra refused to accept his brother-in-law Rose as honorary concertmaster for the occasion.23 Bruno Walter, who had been engaged for the preparations prior to Mahler's arrival, says:

Those were great days for us who shared in the rehearsals of the Eighth. The hand of the master controlled the vast array without apparent effort. All concerned, including the children, who adored him at once, were filled with a solemn mood of elevation.2 4

Alma Mahler adds:

The whole of Munich as well as all who had come there for the occasion were wrought up to the highest pitch of suspense. The dress-rehearsal provoked rapturous enthusiasm, but it was nothing to the performance itself. The whole audience rose to their feet as soon as Mahler took his place at the conductor's desk; and the breath- less silence which followed was the most impressive homage an artist could be paid.2 5 and Walter notes:

As the last note died away and the storm of applause surged toward him, Mahler stepped up to where, at the top of the platform, the chorus of children stood. He went along

2 2 Walter, op. cit., p. 62. 23 Newlin, OP. cit p. 191.

2 5 2 alter, a p. cit., P. 66. Alma Mahler,..it., p. 164. 184

the line shaking their out-stretched hands as they cheered him.2 6

This work was the last of his compositions that Mahler was destined to conduct; his death followed in 1911.

The enlargement of the standard orchestra for the

Symphony No. 8 is of interest. Included are: piccolo, four flutes, four oboes, English horn, two clarinets in Eb, three clarinets in Bb, bass clarinet, four bassoons, double bassoon, eight horns, four trumpets, four trombones, bass tuba., three timpani, bass drum, cymbals, gong, triangle, bells, glockenspiel, celesta, pianoforte, harmonium, organ, two harps, mandoline, and strings. There is an additional choir of four trumpets and three trombones.

The vocal forces include:

Soloists: Soprano I (Magna Peccatrix) Soprano II (Una poenitentium) Soprano (Mater gloriosa) Alto I (Mulier Samaritana) Alto II (Maria Aegyptiaca) Tenor (Doctor Marianus) Baritone (Pater estaticus) Bass (Pater profundus)

Boys' Chorus Double Chorus

2 6 Walter, o~.. cit., pp. 66-67. 185

Analysis

As musical science advances, the composer can become more and more certain of having his works performed exactly as he conceived them. In the twentieth century, it is even possible for a composer to choose his musical analyst, as

Mahler chose Richard Specht to analyze his symphonies numbers

6, 7, and 8. Specht's brochure, Gustav Mahlers VIII.

Symphonie presents a detailed thematic analysis of that symphony, so that such analysis is not called for here.

A brief analysis will, however, be given.

Part I. Hymns: Veni, creator spiritus, Allegro impetuoso.--Part I of Symphony VIII is a rousing movement which is vocal throughout except for a few brief instru- mental interludes. The movement is in Eb; regions whose roots are close to the tonic: Db; D Major and D minor; E

Major and E minor, are favored rather than dominant and subdominant relationships. However, an important secondary b theme does occur in A (beginning in measure 46).

There are two principal themes. The first is presented at the very beginning by both mixed choruses: 186

J6 1

Fig. 130--Mahler, Symphony No. S, part I, measures 2 through 5.

The second, more important, overlaps this presentation in typical Mahler fashion:

00000% 0 4% __ i./

lr6mb6o I I )o * W,. I - * R v 1, LL

Fig. 131--Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part I, measures 5 through 8.

Here again is the association of the trombone with the voice, which has been pointed out in preceding choral symphonies.

The second theme is used instrumentally more than vocally.

After both of these themes are stated and have undergone partial development, the central section begins at measure

135. This central portion contains a number of new themes, some of which are important in Part II. The most important of the central themes are: 187

A Sov

r~w ,..r«. a ,P,. #C4r.f O.r~

Fig. 132--Mahler, Symphony N .8, part I, measures 218 and 219. and S4 ',+ Ctrs*wmkzT,6. 5S Ckov

Fig. 133--Mahler, Symphony No.. 8, part I, measures 261 through 265.

These themes, however, are closely related to Figures 130

and 131. Figures 130 and 132 begin with the same octave

leaps; the dotted eighth note followed by the sixteenth is common to Figures 130, 131, and 133.

Fugal suggestions, such as in measures 338 through 355, are common. A reprise of the first theme occurs in measure

414, to begin the return section. This portion, too, has developmental elements. The movement ends with many references to Figure 131, as the chorus sings with full orchestral accompaniment to the last measure of the movement. 188

This grandiose movement clearly manifests Mahler's

operatic experience. As Newlin has pointed out,

.. fundamentally, in spite of its orchestra which glows with all the vivid colors of post- romanticism, and in spite of its peculiarly symphonic style of development which could never have existed without the achievements of the Viennese classic era, the Eighth Symphony is in spirit a baroque composition.2 7

In addition to the obvious difficulties the chorus

faces in coping with this complex contrapuntal style, Mahler

asks for a concentration and energy from the vocal forces

which is reminiscent of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. When one

contrasts with the extremely moderate demands which he makes

of the chorus in his Wunderhorn symphonies, one is impressed

again with the fact that a composer of this stature is not

bound by a set style but varies that style to suit the

musical problem at hand. For example, Mahler asks frequent bb"'s of the entire soprano section. There is a c''' for

the solo soprano. Another choral difficulty is the division

of the chorus into three groups--two SATB double choruses

and a boys' chorus which sings in unison. It will be remembered from Berlioz' Treatise that such choruses are

2 7 Newlin, op. cit., p. 193. 189

very difficult to write and to learn. The treatment of the boys' chorus is consistently in unison and is conservative

in tessitura. The distinctive sonority of the boys' chorus never fails to stand out in the texture, however, no matter how it is scored. It is difficult to generalize about the instrumental support which Mahler lends his choristers.

There is consistent harmonic support, but very little rhythmic support, except in exactly those passages in which it is necessary to performance.

Part II,--Schlussszene aus "Faust." Poco adagio.--It is much more difficult to find a succinct form in Part II of

Symphony No. 8 than in Part I. In addition to including an entire section from Part I, Mahler attains unity by taking an incidental motive in a section and making it the principal motive for the next section.

The first motive is stated in the lower strings and then restated with a variant in the flutes and clarinets:

WLL I 7*

Fig. 134--Mahier, Symphony, part II, measures 4 and 5. 190

This motive pervades the first instrumental portion along with a persistent inverted pedal in the tremolo strings. It is also central in the first choral section, beginning after cue 24. This choral section begins with a motive

SLicW %4 6"0 ,+Lk.

Fig. 135--Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part II, measures 171 and 172.

which is later recalled in the final chorus. It also becomes the principal theme in the Pater ecstaticus solo. Following the Pater profundus solo which is characterized by wide leaps, a clear tonality of B major is reached for the"Chorus of Angels," which begins with the motive

(it- re -4w4 4 1+4' a4S&Ji vG~vwM

Fig. 136--Mahler, Symphony No.. , part II, measures 385 through 389.

This angel chorus bears striking resemblances to both the boys' chorus in Part I and to "Es sungen drei Engel," in 191

Symphony No. 3. The solo of the Magna Peccatrix opens

with another important motive:

SSolo

B.. derLot L 64

Fig. 137--Mahler, Symphony No. ., part II, measures 868 through 869.

which is found again in the three-part canon of Magna

Peccatrix, Mulier Samaritana, and Maria Aegyptiaca (cue 136) and at the beginning of Gretchen's solo after cue 149. The

Holy boys enter with a rising motive at cue 155. Eb Major returns at cue 172, where the solo of Mater gloriosa begins.

Another important theme is stated by Doctor Marianus at

cue 176;

Fig. 138--Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part II, measure 1250.

This motive is central in the chorus which follows. The final Chorus mysticus ensues, based upon the choral state- ment found in Figure 135. 193 in true symphonic fashion, so that the resulting structure is continuous and developmental. In many places, the move- ment resembles the music-dramas of Wagner, with its constant stream of themes from the orchestra. Some composers, including Redlich, criticize the Symphony No. 8 on the ground that its vocal proportions are too large to classify it as a symphony. In the final analysis, however, one must return to Mahler himself: he numbered this symphony number 8, following two purely instrumental symphonies and preceding the instrumental Symphony No. 9.

Mahler's Contribution

Mahler's choral symphonies are successful for two fundamental reasons: (1) the lyricism inherent in all his symphonies lends itself naturally to vocal expression; (2) his unfailing ear as an operatic conductor maintains the balance between choral and instrumental forces in all the choral movements; the weaker vocal body is scored so that it seems to equal easily the stronger instrumental body.

In addition, there is the consistent but subtle thematic connection between these forces and between the individual movements of the symphonies that results in a strong Gestalt in each of his choral-symphonic works. 192

Fig. 139--Mahler, Symphony No. R, part II, measures 1459 through 1463.

It reoccurs at cue 213 in rhythmic augmentation. The brass sound a version of the principal theme of Part I (Figure 131):

Fig. 140--Mahler, Symphony No. 8, part II, measures 513 through 516.

The final crescendo of the chorus is continued by the orchestra for the greatest possible volume of sound, dominated by the powerful tones of the full organ.

The vocal forces which Mahler uses in this part of his

Symphony No. 8 encompass the operatic devices of formal sectional arias and stirring massed choruses. These choral forces are used in Part II from the beginning to end.

Curiously, however, the movement in no way resembles an operatic act or even a cantata. The themes of the sectional arias are taken up by the orchestra and chorus and developed 194

It is difficult to generalize about the choral devices with which Mahler effects his successful sonorities. In the Symphonies No. 2 and 3, much use is made of simple tonal relationship and of a linear counterpoint which seems especially well-suited to vocal forces. In Symphony No. 2, the Aufersteh'n chorale finale is prepared by an entire movement which uses an alto soloist. The choral treatment here shows the careful attention to distribution of voices that has been observed in Berlioz. At the end of the movement, Mahler requires his chorus to punctuate the texture with a statement of the chorale that is very like

Beethoven's Symphony No. , In spite of the a cappella beginning, the chorus in Symphony No. 2 is treated very much like an instrumental body.

Mahler's Symphony No. 3 is unique in this study as it contains a single choral movement which is not the finale.

The setting of the Wunderhorn poem, "Es sungen drei Angel," is very successful, for it is vocal in origin and in treat- ment. Particularly interesting is Mahler's contrasting of the two sonorities of treble choirs. Again subtle counter- point is a feature of this movement, as the interweaving of thematic material is handled skillfully and is placed for 195 the voices that they can easily handle it. The result is a relaxing, happy setting.

In Mahler's Symphony No. 8, on the other hand, we are thrown into a storm of highly organized counterpoint in which no quarter is given to the voices. In Part I of the

Symphony No. 8, vocal strain is an important component. In

Part II, the choruses are sectional and take part in narra- tion. However, the final chorus is purely symphonic in style and crowns the finale much better than instrumental forces alone could do.

In many ways Mahler's choral symphonies are the culmination of the nineteenth-century choral symphony.

Having exploited the fortissimo finale treatment initiated by Beethoven in No-. 2, Mahler turns to purely lyrical expression in the Symphony No. 3 in writing a single choral movement which is not a finale. In Symphony No. 8, Mahler succeeds in writing the first fully choral symphony. CHAPTER VII

CONCLUSIONS

From a survey of the major choral symphonies of the nineteenth century, many interrelationships between the works can be perceived. It is indeed surprising that, in a century known for the individualism of its composers, this body of literature should reveal such a striking number of features which occur in all or most of the symphonies.

While it would be very difficult to generalize about the

"typical" nineteenth-century symphony without chorus, this task becomes much easier in choral-symphonic literature.

In one area, however, these symphonies reveal wide variance: that of the technical features of the choral writing. These symphonies are scored for voicings which range from unison chorus to multiple choruses with soli.

In some, the choral forces take the texture over completely; in others, the choral forces only imitate the instrumental forces. Some, such as the unison choruses, are very simply written. Others of a contrapuntal nature would require many weeks of preparation for performance.

196 197

Similarities

Summa texts

Most of the texts chosen for settings of the nine symphonies under consideration involve the highest expression of mankind's existence. Sometimes this expression takes a religious form, as in Mendelssohn's Lobgesang and Liszt's

Faust and Dante symphonies, directly related to Catholic or Protestant dogma and liturgy. Some take a humanistic form, as in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Mahler's Symphony

No. 3. Only Berlioz, the agnostic, sets texts which are not of this nature. His Romeo and Juliet, however, glorifies the ultimate purity of first love; the less significant text of the Funeral and Triumphal Symphony glorifies French patriotism.

A list of the poets who wrote these texts is astounding.

The texts trace their origins from antiquity to 1882; their poets are among the greatest masters of all time: David, the psalmist, Job, St. Luke (or, to be more exact, the

Virgin herself could be given as the author of the Magnificat),

St. Paul, Hrabanus Maurus, Dante, Shakespeare. To these can be added the more modern German masters Klopstock, Goethe,

Schiller, and Nietzsche as well as the minor French poet 198

Antoine Deschamps. Berlioz, Mendelssohn, and Mahler all set large sections to words of their own making.

All of the musicians were literary men enough to alter the texts to fit their own ends. Repetition of words and phrases is common, as is deletion of words. Also present are short phrases such as Beethoven's "0 Freunde, nicht diese Tone," which are added by the composer to fit his musical conception. The predominance of the music over the text is keenly felt. Perhaps this is most evident in the highly subjective settings of Romeo and Juliet and Liszt's

Faust.

Large Instrumentation

Almost all of these works call for increased and specialized instrumentation. This is especially true in the wind sections, which are usually augmented; a separate wind ensemble placed apart from the main orchestra is also employed in some works. Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, scored for standard nineteenth-century instrumentation, is the excep- tion here. The most extreme case is the Berlioz Funeral and Triumphal Symphony which is scored for a large military band. The works of Liszt and Mahler manifest the tendency of the late Romantics towards an overpowering body of players. 199

Festival First Performances

The premiere of the nine symphonies under discussion was a long-awaited festival occasion. The composers, who were by this time well established as a rule, hoped to gain either fame or fortune or both from the production of these large-scale works. Invariably (except, in the case of the two Liszt choral symphonies and possibly Mahler's Symphony

No. 2) these works were received with the greatest acclama- tion by the public and by the press. Part of this initial success may have been due to the publicity which resulted from the long-term planning and rehearsing of these works.

These festival premieres helped to establish the nine choral symphonies as important compositions.

Close Thematic Relationship between Instrumental and Vocal Portions

Beethoven's model may have set the standard for the choral symphony by having all choral thematic material related clearly to preceding instrumental themes. This rule is followed closely by Beethoven's successors with two exceptions. The choral portion of Liszt's Dante Symphony manifests no prominent connection with preceding instru- mental themes; Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet uses a thematic 200 catalogue in the choral "Prologue" for succeeding instru- mental movements. These themes, however, are stated in the instruments which accompany the choral portions, never in the voices themselves. Mahler's thematic connections are often of the motivic "cell" type which have identical intervallic and rhythmic structures.

Traditional Association of the Trombone with the Voice

While it is well known that the trombone was usually associated with the voice during the seventeenth and eigh- teenth centuries, it is surprising to find that this tradition seems to be carried on by the composers of nineteenth-century choral symphonies. In every symphony covered by this study, there is definite and prominent relationship between the trombone section and the vocal section. Usually, the trombone precedes the entrance of the voice, often introducing important choral themes,

While one might see this as a continuation of tradition in religious works such as Mendelssohn's Lobgesang and Mahler's

"Veni creator" movement, it is doubtful that the composers in question conceived this instrumentation for traditional reasons. There may be a connection between the solemnity 201 associated with trombone sonority and the summa texts mentioned earlier. In addition, the trombone naturally adapts itself easily to vocal themes; its sonority prepares the auditor for the vocal mass in much the same way that a vocal soloist does. Sometimes, as in Beethoven's Symphony

No. 9, the trombone is used simply for vocal support in certain passages; more often, it is independent. For example, the middle movement of Berlioz' Funeral and Triumphal

Symphony uses a solo tenor trombone. This soloistic use prepares the listener for the vocal finale which follows, much as a solo voice would.

Consistent Use of Fugal and Quasi-fugal Texture

According to most writing on nineteenth-century musical literature, imitative counterpoint that approached the fugue was rare indeed in that century. Again, however, every work covered by this study displays some sort of imitative, fugal, or quasi-fugal texture, either as a fugue sung by the voices themselves (Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Berlioz' Funeral and

Triumphal Symphony, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, and Mahler's

Symphonies Nos. 2 and 8) or in an instrumental section preceding the vocal entrance. The most usual type of fugue seems to be one which begins with standard fugal exposition 202 and then has the theme stated in grandiose style with homo- phonic support. It is possible that the high incidence of

fugal texture is associated with the summa texts; composers may have used learned counterpoint to emphasize the text's

solemn nature. Surprisingly, the most academic fugue occurs

in Liszt's Dante Symphony. Berlioz and Mahler seem to be

the most adept at constructing counterpoint which is success-

ful in choral sonority. Mahler's works, especially the

Symphony No. 8, are permeated with counterpoint.

Other Interrelationships

While most of the interrelationships between the choral-

symphonic works discussed in this study can be traced to the

initial Beethoven model (such as the. introduction of a solo voice preceding the entrance of the chorus), there are other relationships which are surprising. For example, it

should be noted that Liszt in his Dante Symphony sets the same Magnificat tone that Mendelssohn used in his Lobgesang.

Mahler imitates Liszt's original Chorus mysticus theme in his setting of the closing scene from Faust. Berlioz, the sole composer covered by this study who was not Germanic, is the most original writer of choral symphonies. It is perhaps significant that Berlioz' choral symphonies are not 203 imitated by Mendelssohn and Liszt, although Mahler 's choral voicing imitates Berlioz' treatment of the chorus.

The finale of Romeo and Juliet leads directly to Wagner's music-drama; the finale of the Funeral and Triumphal Symphony

is a dead end.

Finale Treatment of the Chorus

Again, perhaps because of the Beethoven model, choral symphonies as a rule employ the chorus at the end of the

finale for significant mass effect. There are two important exceptions here: Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet, which uses chorus in three of its five movements and Mahler's Symphony

No. 8, which has choral and vocal soloists throughout.

Mahler's Symphony No. 3 uses the chorus for diversion and refreshment in the fifth movement and has an instrumental

finale.

Choral Writing in the Symphonies

The divergence of style in choral writing is so wide that it is necessary to discuss each work separately.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

The choral finale of the Symphony No. 9 is noted for

its instrumental style and for its extreme compass and 204

tessitura. Large leaps, extremely loud dynamics, accents,

fast tempo and fugal treatment of the voices all combine to make the choral movements of the Symphony No. 9 very difficult to sing.

Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet

The choral difficulties encountered in Romeo and Juliet are of a different nature. The small chorus which is called

for in the prologue is required to sing with extreme subtlety and nuance. The problems of accurate pitch and rhythm are compounded by a fast tempo in the vocal scherzetto. When the large double chorus enters at the finale, it, too, is required to sing with delicacy and precision. For the chorus, the periods when the soloists are singing are also difficult, as the choristers must enter the texture occasionally. Tessitura requirements are moderate in this work.

Berlioz: Funeral and Triumphal Symphony

This appended chorus is the shortest of all the works covered by this study. Berlioz voices the chorus skillfully so that it can compete with the instruments without use of extreme tessitura or dynamics. This is one of the easiest 205 of the choruses to master because of instrumental support

and preparation of the choral theme by the band.

Mendelssohn: Lobgesangr

The closing cantata-like finale of this work is very

easy to perform because Mendelssohn, unlike Beethoven, does

not require the chorus to sing in the instrumental idiom but

sets the finale in exactly the same vein as his oratorios

Elijah and St. Paul. Tessitura and compass requirements are moderate and the long vocal numbers give the chorus ample

chance to rest.

Liszt: Faust Symphony

This is another appended finale set for men's voices.

Apparently, Liszt made extreme efforts to simplify the choral setting so that it could be quickly and easily prepared for performance. Most of the choral writing here

is in unison with adequate instrumental support.

Liszt: Dante Symphony

The choral "Magnificat" which forms the finale to the second movement is not difficult. There is some counterpoint used and two sections depart from the major-minor tonality 206

to include modal writing, but this work, too, is short and easy to perform.

Mahler: Symphony No .2

This choral finale bears the most striking resemblance to Beethoven of all the works, if only the choral elements are considered. Like Beethoven, Mahler asks that his choristers sing with strength and vitality. The tessitura requirements are again extreme, especially in the higher registers, and the fugal treatment of the voices makes no concession to the singers on account of difficulty.

Mahler: Symphony No. 3

The choral fifth movement is charming and viable on its own in this symphony. Psychologically, it occupies much the

same place as a. scherzo does. The choral writing, while challenging for the women's and boys' choirs, skillfully

takes advantage of every technique which will aid the chorus

in a beautiful rendering of the movement. This movement is

not difficult in the usual sense, for the tessitura require- ments are moderate; however, since the chorus carries the

entire weight of the musical structure, it is fully as difficult as an a cappella setting would be. 207

Mahler: Symphony No. 8

The choral treatment in Part I (Veni Creator) is oratorio-like: impressive, contrapuntal, elevating. Mahler's skill in writing for the chorus is responsible for the successful sonorities of this movement. The choral energy required is considerable, as are the tessitura requirements.

In Part II, the chorus has some opportunity to rest during the soloistic sections, although as in Romeo and Juliet, it must be alert for entrances of its own. The combination of double SATB chorus and boys' choir with the large orchestra that Mahler scores for makes purely practical problems of intonation and rhythmic accuracy important. This movement has all the virtues of the choral-symphonic finale at its stirring conclusion. With the Symphony No. 8, Mahler has written the first fully choral symphony. Its style might be called "endless counterpoint" for its thematic materials are so closely interwoven that symphonic development never stops.

"Mahler's Eighth was the last great humanistic choral symphony," 1 as Deryck Cooke notes. In some ways, the choral symphony is peculiar to the nineteenth century, for, with the

'Deryck Cooke, "Liszt, Mahler, and After," p. 261. 208 possible exception of Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony of

1910, it has found no successors in the twentieth century.

Mahler 's Symphony No. 8, then, is not only the culmination but the end of a genre, the choral symphony. BIBL IOGRAPHY

Books

Barzun, Jacques, Berlioz and the Romantic Century, Vols. I and II, New York and London, Columbia University Press, 1969.

Berlioz, Hector, A Critical Study _ Beethoven's Nine Symphonies, translated by Edwin Evans, London, William Reeves, 1958.

Berlioz, Hector, The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz, translated and edited by David Cairns, London, Victor Gollancz, 1969.

Berlioz, Hector, A Treatise on Modern Instrumentation and Orchestration, translated by Mary Cowden Clarke, London, Novello, Ewer, and Co., 1882.

Blume, Friedrich, Classic and Romantic Music, translated by M. D. Herter Norton, New York, W. W. Norton, 1970.

Carse, Adam, The Orchestra from Beethoven to Berlioz, New York, Broude Brothers, 1949.

Cooke, Deryck, "Chorus and Symphony: Liszt, Mahler, and After," Choral Music, edited by Arthur Jacobs, Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963.

Einstein, Alfred, Music .in the Romantic Era, New York, W. W. Norton, 1947.

Elliott, J. H., Berlioz, London, J. M. Dent, 1938.

Elliott, J. H., "The French Revolution: Beethoven and Berlioz," Choral Music, edited by Arthur Jacobs, Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963.

209 210

Finney, Theodore M., "The Oratorio and Cantata Market: Britain, Germany, America," Choral Music, edited by Arthur Jacobs, Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963.

Huneker, James, Franz Liszt, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1927.

The Hymnal 1940 Companion, New York, The Church Pension Fund, 1949.

Lampadius, W. A., Memoirs of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, translated by William Leonhard Gage, Boston, Ditson & Co., 1865.

Mahler, Alma, Gustav Mahler: Memories and Letters, translated by Basil Creighton, New York, Viking Press, 1946.

Moore, Earl V. and Heger, Theodore E., The Symphony and the Symphonic Poem, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ulrich's Books, 1966.

Newlin, Dika, Bruckner-Mahler-Schoenberg, Morningside Heights, New York, King's Crown Press, 1947.

Newman, Ernest, The Man Liszt, New York, Charles Scribner 's Sons, 1935.

Redlich, Hans F., Bruckner and Mahler, London, J. M. Dent and Sons, 1955.

Schoenberg, Arnold, Fundamentals of Musical Composition, edited by Gerald Strang, New York, St. Martin's Press, 1967.

Searle, Humphrey, "Franz Liszt," The Symphony, Vol. I, edited by Robert Simpson, Penguin Books, Baltimore, 1966.

Searle, Humphrey, The Music of Liszt, London, Williams & Norgate, Ltd., 1954.

Sitwell, Sacheverell, Liszt, London, Cassell & Co., 1955.

Thayer, Alexander Wheelock, The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Vol. III, New York, The Beethoven Assn., 1921. 211

Tovey, Donald Francis, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in D minor (Og. 125), London, 1928.

Walter, Bruno, Gustav Mahler, translated by James Galston, London, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co., 1937.

Werner, Eric. Mendelssohn: A New Image o the Composer and His Age, translated by Dika Newlin, London, The Free Press of Glencoe, 1963.

Young, Percy M., The Choral Tradition, London, Hutchinson, 1962.

Encyclopedia Articles

Farmer, Henry George, "Janissary Music," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Vol.VI, London, MacMillan & Co., 1954.

Helmore, T., "Chant," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Vol. II, New York, St. Martin's Press, 1954.

Scores

Beethoven, Ludwig van, "No. 71 Phantasie mit Chor, op. 80 in Cm," Ludwig van Beethoven's Werke, Serie 9, Ann Arbor, Michigan, J. M. Edwards, 1949 (Reprint of Leipzig, Breitkopf und Hartel, no date.)

Beethoven, Ludwig van, Symphony No.. IX, The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven in Score, edited by Albert E. Wier, Bonanza Books, New York, 1935.

Berlioz, Hector, Grande Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale, New Edition of the Complete Works, Vol 19, edited by Hugh Macdonald, Kassel, Barenreiter, 1967.

Berlioz, Hector, Symphonien No. 2_4, O._7_, Romeo et Juliette, Leipzig, Ernst Eulenburg, no date. 212

Liszt, Franz, "Apres une lecture du Dante," Annees de Pelerinage (Deuxi'eme Annee; Italie) , New York, G. Schirmer, no date.

Liszt, Franz, Eine Faust-Symphonie, Leipzig, Ernst Eulenburg, no date.

Liszt, Franz, Une Symphonie pr_1 La.<4Divina Commedie>>, Franz Liszts Musikalische Werke, Second Division, Book 7, edited by Peter Raabe, Hants., England, Gregg Press Ltd., 1966 (Reprint of Liepzig, Brietkopf und Hartel, no date).

Mahler, Gustav, Symphony No 2, C Minor, London, Boosey & Hawkes, no date.

Mahler, Gustav, Symphony No. 3, D Minor, London, Boosey & Hawkes, no date.

Mahler, Gustav, Symphony No. S, Vienna, Universal Edition, no date.

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Lobgesang, p.. 52, Werke, Serie 14, No. 93, edited by Julius Rietz, Leipzig, Breitkopf und Hsrtel, no date.

Unpublished Material

DuPree, Richard, "Recurring Thematic and Motivic Material in Gustav Mahler ' s Symphonies I-IX, " unpublished master's .thesis, School of Music, North Texas State University, Denton, Texas, 1970.