Early Cycles
1790-1840-The focus was to related parts to the whole in order to achieve unity and diversity. The song cycle reflected the Romantic aesthetics.
1830's à Coherence through the entire cycle through harmonic process and coherence. From conveying poetry through vocal melody to interpreting poetry through harmony and musical structure. Beethoven's An Die Ferne Geliebte was unusual since it had an unusually strong harmonic structure.
Once the song cycle was defined as a tonally unified structure, other models faded.
Collections/Cycles
First half of the century three types of cycles dominated
Topical cycles: cycles based on poems connected by a theme.
Balanced unity and variety and in their structures three conceptual shapes delineated in contemporary definition of circle or cycle.
Circumference of a circle such as seasons or the calendar of months (18 th c., Vivaldi's four seasons 1725, Haydn's, The Seasons).
Spoked wheel: each point of the cicle defined by relationship to the central point giving unity and variety. The unrestricted number of poems and most popular and influential as Romanticism bloomed (most popular à Blumensträusse, Lieder der Liebe, Frühlingskränze (wreaths of Spring), wanderlieder.
1810's flower cycles were eclipsed by more romantic topics such as wandering, love, and tragic death became popular in part by 1815 Johann Ludwig Uhland's Fruhlingslieder and Wanderlieder marked a new stage in German lyric poetry. Composers flocked to set them or imitate them. Like most topical cycles, Conradin Kreutzer settings 1818 remained acclaimed for decades à no motivic returns, structuring of keys, preludes or postludes to connect songs, songs gave symbolic impression of a voyage through a variety of stages. This was later used in Schubert's wandering songs sharing its title with one of the Uhland/Kreutzer songs; Winterreise.
3 dimensional sprung circle or Spiral which ends somewhere other than where it started. Later merged with the musically constructed cycle. Individual units were no longer random; internal progression and relationships set order with a beginning, middle and end.
External and internal plot cycles were inspired less from 18 th century cycles than from early Romantic ideas by merging lyric and dramatic genres à Earliest being the Liederspiel (drama including or consisting of Lieder, Reichardt's Lieb' und Treue 1800) .
External plot cycles: those whose poetry taken from a narrative context.
Sets of songs excerpted from a narrative such as Faust, Frithofs Sage, Wilhelm Meister.
Structures vary from quasi dramatic settings of every poem in the novel to a few lyrical moments excerpted randomly.
The text-music relationship varied as to whether the coherence came from the composer or adhered strictly to the original. In general the weaker the literary connections, the stronger the musical ones. This relates to unity and diversity in that music balances the text rather than mirrors it.
Often these cycles called for forces which were out of balance with their size (ex. Schubert's op. 52 called for 2 soloists, men's chorus, women's chorus to perform seven short lieder).
Coherence relied more on the imagination of the audience since music was only a catalyst. Therefore, it demanded the audience to have a certain degree of literary background. The purpose of each work was more of a response to the source than it was to create a song cycle.
External plots were published in its entirety and a performable as a work. Linear coherence was based on the original plot. Primary coherence was literary, not musical. Disjunctions between songs were an integral part which required the audience to know the original source.
External plots flourished during the first half of the century then disappeared in favor of internal plot cycles with its unity and organicism.
Eg. Schubert's 1815 Don Gayseros (de la Motte Fouqué), Sieben Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister (Goethe) 1827 op. 62. Kreutzer's Ges änge aus Goethes Faust 1820's. Schumann's Lieder und Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister op. 98 1851.
Internal plot cycles: those whose poetry conveys a narrative. Appeared shortly after Liederspiel and developed along side external plot cycles. Structures and styles are similar to Lieder spiel. Hummel was a large contributor and collaborated with Chirstoph August Tiedge in the same salon and created Die Schöne Müllerin. He lived in Berlin which in the early 19 th c. possessed a high cultural philosophy. This narrative poetic cycle became widespread.
Die Schöne Müllerin and Winterreise marked the arrival of internal plot cycles as a musical genre and remain at the core of the cycle repertory.
Die Schöne Müllerin- Wilhelm Müller, the only known example whose transition from lieder spiel to internal plot cycle can be traced. 1816-17 à informal play performed in the Stägman salon, 10 poems set by Ludwig Berger. Berger focused on the miller's inner turmoil and death. He included some musical connections such as melodic and harmonic recall, simple tonal planning, preludes, interludes, postludes. Characterizations based on tessitura and his structure was based on tempos and pacing.
Later in 1818 Müller created another version with 12 poems called Müller Lieder. 1820 he revised his work for publication and expanded the work to include a prologue, 23 songs and an epilogue. The final version of the poetry told the story while incorporating the Liederspiel's dramatic characteristics and removed the traces of true drama à this mixture created the narrative lyric cycle. He substituted disjunction with the impression of progression, internal emotions for action, recall for characterization, recurring themes in new contexts for development à Therefore, he created events and characters that were subjective which redefined conflict in a static context.
T he fourth type started with Beethoven à musically constructed cycle which coherence relied equally, sometimes primarily, on the music rather than on the poetry thus causing a shift from poetry as primary to music as primary. This one is typical of latter half of the 19 th century.
Beethoven's cycle was pivotal. In 1830 it was seen as a new genre. (Kreutzers Wanderlieder and Frühlingslieder were more typical and had greater impact on contemporary lied composers).
The ideal was a perfect union between music and words but at this time musical coherence dominated.
Lied at Mid century, Diversity
Berlin School: Loewe, Fanny Hensel, Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann.
New German School: innovations prompted by poetic ideas. Term coined by Franz Brendel 1859. Cornelius à merged aesthetics of the lied with “progressive” musical ideas. Liszt. 1871 The German Empire was established è national pride.
Pulled to the concert hall (while remaining a fixture of the salon).
Goethe and Heine still were leading poets for song composers. Nikolaus Lenau, August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Emanuel von Geible provided new direction for German lyric poetry.
Lied publications moved away from individual songs to small, non cyclical collections that exploited a diversity of poets and styles. Additional tension between advancing musical styles and conserving certain expectations such as à easily singable, readily comprehensible, and of no substantial dimensions.
Text choice was seen as key to the creations of the organically conceived lied.
Tastes were changing around 1850 due to the failed revolution.
Goethe and Heine poetry seen as inherently more musical
Composers had to achieve variety while presenting the genres time honored constraints.
1839 Liszt accompanied full performance of An die Ferne Geliebte sung by Ludwig Titze.
After mid Century lied established itself in the recital hall due to Julius Stockhausen (baritone)
Lied was a German genre and maintaining its purity was important.
An die Ferne Geliebte op. 98, 1816 Jeittele
First lieder cycle. It had Leiderkreis or Liedercyclus in the title, central theme, lyric cycle as text, tonal key scheme, thematic return, musical connections between songs. Romantic irony, using a circular argument to define cyclic form.
Thepoems were never published separately, and exist only within the Beethoven's work.
Six religious songs to the words by Gellert, poetry by Alois Jeitteles.
Theme à The longing for his distant beloved.
Extended ballads are connected by modulating piano interludes.
The last stanza of the last poem, he returns to the music of the first song, in an elaborated version.
Uses strophic variation for successive stanzas of individual poems à mostly variation in piano figuration and sometimes key and mode are varied.
In the second song, second stanza, the melody is in the piano while the singer declaims the text on a single pitch. This stems from the ballad tradition.
Abrupt modulations between the first and second, and the second and third songs are common traits of Beethoven's last period.
The opening phrase of the sixth song is referenced to in the music of Mendelssohn and Schumann.
Important because it was built upon unusually strong harmonic structure. Most acclaimed by late 19 th century writers admired its unity and organic structure.
Rie's Sechs Lieder von Goethe Op. 32 1811, may have been a model for Beethoven. By 1870 this piece was virtually forgotten.
French school (Franck, D'Indy) attributed cyclic form to Beethoven rather than Berlioz, whose works are prime example of cyclic form.
It was not the first song cycle but he first “musically constructed” cycle in which musical coherence relied on techniques associated with instrumental and dramatic genres.
The cycle emancipated from textual mimesis, which was a subservient role.
Music continuous, no breaks between songs
Succession o keys E flat, G, A flat, A flat C E flat planned and rounded inner songs are tonally and perceptually dependent on the outer ones.
Final melody recalls the opening (piano, truncated recapitulation).
Piano is an active prominent role
The poetry's structure was very coherent. Earliest of a psychological cycle. The protagonist does not embark on the typical wandering, only his fantasy wanders.
Did set texts to some less quality poems but mostly drawn to Goethe (65), Schiller (40) and one of the first poets to set Heine (6 poems of his Buch der Lieder 1827 included in Schubert's Schwandengesang 1828).
The inclusion of recitative passages in some of Schubert's early songs maybe traced to Zumsteeg, Mozart ( Die ir des unermesslichen Weltalls Schöpfer ehrt,) and Beethoven ( Seufzer eines Ungeliebten).--> recit.
Famous for his sudden major-minor changes, juxtaposition of chords a third apart and chromaticism (chords a half step apart).
His accompaniment à Tone painting (brook, spinning wheel). Mood à the accompaniment communicates happiness, sadness, etc.
The flowering of literature and poetry ispired Schubert to express this in his lieder.
His Influence:
Liszt , “his ability to dramatize to the greatest degree his lyrical inspirations.” Liszt's veiled chords influenced by Schubert's Dass sie hier gewesen à echoed in Liszt's Blume und Duft and the beginning of the Faust Symphony ( Schubert's Szene aus Faust).
Schumann à his piano introductions and conclusions and his characteristic scenarios in Schumann's bell sounds and waltzes of the Dichterliebe.
Brahms à the raindrops found in his Regenlied, Abendregen similar to Schubert's Letze hoffnung (Winterreise no. 16). Brahms' rhythm adjusts to the changing mood. The hurdy gurdy influenctial in Brahms' einförmig ist der Liebe Gram.
Wolf à tone repetition in his Alles endet, was entstehet symbolizes death like in Schubert's Die liebe Farbe (Schöne Müllerin) or Der Wegweiser (Winterreise). Also Wolf's recitative like shaping of melody and his modulations could be contributed to Schubert's earlier compositions.
Gretchen am Spinnrade D.118 1814
A ten stanza poetic insertion in Goethe's drama, Faust , Part I à the servant girl, Gretchen sings of her infatuation with Faust while at the spinning wheel.
Schubert mostly disregards the strophic structure of the poem and sets in a three part structure (rondo), with building climaxes. (stanza 1,4,8 being with the same text, “Meine Ruh' is hin), where the same music is used.
Onomatopoetic device à left hand figuration evoking the spinning wheel (topos, see Haydn's Spiinnerliedchen from The Seasons 1801) . Continually used except where Gretchen is overcome with emotion, she stops spinning.
Unique in the harmonic style à each section begins in the tonic d minor and proceeds by seconds and thirds (psychological journey of the protagonist). The second section shifts from a minor to F major (Sei hoher gang). The final section underscores the text with a stepwise rising sequence from E flat through F, G and finally to a minor. Polyrhythmic combining of an accompaniment and very different vocal line.
Der Erlkönig D.328 1815
Text taken from singspiel Die Fischerin (perf. at Weimar court 1782). Strophic.
Other composers who set the text à Reichardt, Zelter, Tomasek, and Beethoven (who sketched the piece).
Schubert left four versions, the last being today's standard.
Dramatic with four characters speaking: the narrator, father, son and the Erlking.
Contains eight four line stanzas (short for a ballad)
Schubert uses recitative (traditionally used to suggest an arrival of a new situation or stronger emotions, often alternates with arioso passages) in order to get one result. In this piece he uses it to draw in the listener as they are actively involved in the dramatic climax of the song (eg.at the end where the narrator's voice fails and is moved by the tragedy).
Iambs and anapest freely mixed, four accents to a line. Schubert uses 4/4 meter rather than an expected 6/8.
The strophic poem is overlaid with the dramatic organization which led Schubert to set this text.
Low versus high tessitura contrast (father-son) and relationship between them is underlined by tonal continuities. When the child responds to the Erlking, the tonality is obscured. The father establishes the tonic as he consoles the child. Could be considered a through composed piece since there is no literal repetitions. The Erlking's tune is folk like, and rhythmically constant until he drops his façade and says he will take him with force. Here the tonal center abruptly shifts from E flat to d minor.
Accompaniment special qualities à repeated octave triplets in the right hand to represent the galloping horse and persists through the song (not usual for traditional ballads) and its disappearance strengthens the drama (the Erlking speaks to convince the child everything is okay). The Erlking consoles to a lilting rhythm. When he unmasks his intentions, the lilting and galloping accompaniments blend.
He uses cadences for dramatic purposes. When the child dies a tonic chord abruptly terminates a chromatic passage that earlier flowed into other keys. This sudden end marks the child's death before the narrator speaks, “tot.”
Schubert's two song cycles à Each tell a story with similarites à Journey into the unknown. Romantic idea where knowledge is obtained through experience and man's relationship with nature and natural surroundings.
Die Schönen Müllerin D.795 1823 Poet: Wilhelm Müller
Originated in 1816-17 as part of a “Lieder Play.” Probably inspired by Paisiello's opera, La Molinara.
A narrative of unreciprocated love and suicide à The young miller is rejected by Rose (the maid of the mill), and favors a hunter. The young miller then drowns himself in the mill stream.
Muller published it into 23 poems. Schubert omits three of the poems but the narrative still is contained.
This collection represents his methods of text setting from strophic to through composed.
The millstream plays a large part and sometimes takes a very active role in the events as well as aids Schubert in ways to sustain motion throughout the cycle.
Intended for private salons or Schubertiads.
1. Das Wandern |
2 Wohin? |
3 Halt! |
4 Danksagung an den Bach |
5 Am Feierabend |
6 Der Neugierige |
7 Ungeduld |
8 Morgengruss |
9 Des Müllers Blumen |
10 Tränenregen |
11 Mein! |
12 Pause |
13 Mit dem grünen Lautenbande |
14 Der Jäger |
15 Eifersucht und Stolz |
16 Die liebe Farbe |
17 Die böse Farbe |
18 Trockne Blumen |
19 Der Müller und der Bach |
20 Des Baches Wiegenlied |
He set Müller's 1820 cycle in 1824. he created a musical work rather than a setting for a poetic work. This challenged poetry's domination.
Schubert's cycles exhibit few of the techniques later hailed as cyclic.
Preludes and postludes (brief)
Breaks between songs remain clear
Thematic recall is rare
Overall tonal structure is debatable as it begins and ends in keys a tritone apart.
In Die Schöne Müllerin, tessituras rise with poetic tension in the first six songs. Then the next eight songs vary in moods as the miller becomes increasingly unstable. Then, dramatically dropping in songs 13 and 14 as his fantasy world comes crashing down ending with a constant, almost monotonous six songs (extended lullaby) with minor/major inflections as the miller's despair leads him to death.
Schubett's Winterreise D.911 1827
The songs in Winterreise are linked as a sequence of reflections by the singer taking a lonely walk in a winter's night, thinking back on his lost love. The lonely themes of cold, darkness, and the barren winter landscape predominate, with occasional encounters with other nighttime wanderers, such as a passing postal coach in Die Post . The fifth song, Der Lindenbaum , with a lingering look at a lime tree that whispers thoughts of suicide, is a popular excerpt from this cycle. The cycle ends with a sad, lingering look at a frozen hurdy-gurdy man in Der Leiermann. The parallel with the singer singing his sad songs in the ice and the slow, unresolved melody of the hurdy-gurdy concludes the cycle with an eerily unfinished feel that is perfectly in character with the lonely wandering of the singer.
Songs 1.2.3.5 and 24
More homogenous in style and reflecting darker trends indicative to German Romanticism.
Melded narrative aspects of internal plot cycles with non linear structure of topical cycles.
Distance was an optional framework in Die Schöne Müllerin but in Winterreise, it was integral: haunting winter, reminiscence of a summertime affair, epitome of romantic longing for the impossible, distant beloved.
Song cycle has no hope associated with it
Journey begins in the middle of the night which the song doesn't explain.
Repeated chords depict walking à leads to questions about tempo, should the walking be fast or slow.
Uses major/minor to reflect time, associated with the maiden. F major used
To reflect happier times/nostalgia.
Strophic
Relationship with nature.
No. 24 Der Leiermann
The hurdy gurdy played by street musicians. The tray beside him always empty. No one there to hear him.
Several interpretations of the song
The traveler who was rejected by the world speaks to this man. Only song that he actually speaks to someone.
He identifies with the street person or the man may represent death since skeletons playing the hurdy gurdy represents the dance of death.
This man does respond to the traveler's question. The singer ends on the dominant chord.
The accompaniment is a drone representing the hurdy gurdy, and the tune is repeated over as if representing no hope.