"An die Musik": How does a musical setting (of a "not strikingly original" poem) that's "conventional in every way save for its greatness" achieve that greatness? (Part B of A-B-C)

Or: "Speaking of Schubert's 'An die Musik,' Strauss's 'Zueignung,' and the Ariadne Prologue, a few (eventually) final questions, Part 1Yb" (following last week's Part "1X")

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! In the light of (another) day, I've brazenly added a sixth version, Christa Ludwig's, to the five performances we were already tracking through Graham Johnson's observations about "An die Musik."

"In reality, the song is a dialogue between the voice and the pianist's left hand, the quasi-cello bass line of the music. The right hand is the true accompanist and mediator in this heavenly conversation; it pulsates in a way which is crucial to the mood of the song although the listener may only be subliminally aware of its magic."

-- from Graham Johnson's commentary on "An die Musik," in
the Hyperion Schubert Edition (©1994 Graham Johnson)

Part of a February 2012 master class at the Jerusalem Music Centre in which Graham Johnson works with Hungarian-born mezzo-soprano Hanna Bardos (and pianist Emma Walker) on Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" -- and among many interesting points gives her his thinking about tempo and composers' metronome markings (and what he considers the understandable but often misplaced desire to manufacture "drama"), offering her the opportunity to persuade him otherwise! (We'll see and hear a good deal more of this in Part C.)

TODAY'S A-B-C POST AT THE TIP
OF YOUR CLICKING FINGER

Part A (nos. 1-3 + other stuff)
Part B (nos. 4-7 + other stuff)
Part C (nos. 8-10 + other stuff)

by Ken

This isn't the time or place for fooling around, so let's just pick up right where we left off in Part A, at no. 3: "After 'wilder Kreis umstrickt' an eloquent little falling chromatic motif in the left hand (a single bar) is a prelude to the magic which will lift the spirits (and the vocal line) into higher regions."

Before we go on, however, one question: Does it occur to other listeners, with regard to the observation of Graham's requoted above, "In reality, the song is a dialogue between the voice and the pianist's left hand, the quasi-cello bass line of the music," that others of the pianists we've been tracking -- perhaps all of them? -- make more of this in their performances than Graham does in his?

Anyway, onward!

[4] "At this point a generous and eloquent four-bar phrase takes wing ('hast du mein Herz zu warmer Lieb entzunden'), this time without the dallying on long low notes which has characterised earlier phrases. It is as if the whole song has caught fire and is aglow with the warmth of the music itself."

"hast du mein Herz zu warmer Lieb entzunden"
"have you kindled my heart to warmer love"

Edith Mathis, soprano; Graham Johnson, piano

Fritz Wunderlich, tenor; Hubert Giesen, piano

Pavel Lisitsian, baritone; Naum Valter, piano

Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano; Geoffrey Parsons, piano

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Gerald Moore, piano

[arr. for solo piano] Gerald Moore, arr. and piano

[5] "The next phrase ('Hast mich in eine bessre Welt entrückt') directs its glance heavenward; there is scarcely a phrase in all Schubert more descriptive of longing and aspiration as the inexorably rising bass line shoulders the melody aloft. This phrase ends in the relative minor as if to show us that there is no pleasure without its cost in pain, a paradox, sweetly bitter and bitter-sweet, which lies at the heart of so much of Schubert's music."

"hast mich in eine bessre Welt entrückt"
"have transported me to a better world"

Edith Mathis, soprano; Graham Johnson, piano

Fritz Wunderlich, tenor; Hubert Giesen, piano

Pavel Lisitsian, baritone; Naum Valter, piano

Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano; Geoffrey Parsons, piano

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Gerald Moore, piano

[arr. for solo piano] Gerald Moore, arr. and piano

[6] "The repeat of these words returns us to earth in two succeeding downward leaps, each of a sixth, and as the voice comes to the end of its line we find ourselves back in D major. The message seems to be that a bit of heaven has been brought down to these realms, and that the lower regions of our dreary planet have been transfigured by Music's beauty."

"in eine bessre Welt entrückt!" ("transported to a better world!")

Edith Mathis, soprano; Graham Johnson, piano

Fritz Wunderlich, tenor; Hubert Giesen, piano

Pavel Lisitsian, baritone; Naum Valter, piano

Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano; Geoffrey Parsons, piano

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Gerald Moore, piano

[arr. for solo piano] Gerald Moore, arr. and piano

[7] "The piano postlude mirrors this descent in a succession of sequences of chords built around appoggiaturas which lean and sigh, tugging on the sleeve and pulling the heartstrings. A simple yet heart-stopping excursion into the subdominant subtly emphasises that this hymn of praise is also a type of prayer."




Edith Mathis, soprano; Graham Johnson, piano

Fritz Wunderlich, tenor; Hubert Giesen, piano

Pavel Lisitsian, baritone; Naum Valter, piano

Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano; Geoffrey Parsons, piano

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Gerald Moore, piano

[arr. for solo piano] Gerald Moore, arr. and piano [NOTE: Since this piano-solo arrangement includes just one stanza, the postlude to it is also the postlude to the song]


WELL, THAT'S SEVEN DOWN, THREE TO
GO, AND NOW IT'S BREAK TIME AGAIN

As I explained in Part A, when I had all 48 of the "An die Musik" "breakdown" audio files all done and ready to go, I discovered that the technical wonders of our Internet age weren't up to my just-grind-'em-out doggedness. The only practical course seemed to be to split this post up -- and for safety's sake I decided on three rather than two parts, with Part C expected to post an hour after Part B.

Meanwhile, at this juncture wouldn't we like to hear the whole song again -- oh, maybe twice more? As luck would have it, I've got ready-made files for two performances we haven't heard before.

SCHUBERT: "An die Musik," D. 547




Bryn Terfel, baritone; Malcolm Martineau, piano. DG, recorded February 1994

Heinrich Schlusnus, baritone; Franz Rupp, piano. Polydor, recorded 1928


COMING IN AN HOUR: WATCH FOR PART C

And for those who heard Lotte Lehmann's October 1941 radio performance of "An die Musik" last week, there will be a surprise!

STRAUSS-SCHUBERT SERIES POSTS

"Today's sacred word is 'heilig ('holy' or 'sacred'), chez Schubert and R. Strauss -- make of it what you will" [7/15/2018]
"While I toil away at today's post, here's a preview"
[7/22/2018 (1)]
"We have more 'An die Musik,' 'Zueignung,' and 'Musik ist eine heilige Kunst' -- but remember, this only sounds like a 'good news' post [7/22/2018 (2)]
"Speaking of Schubert's 'An die Musik,' Strauss's 'Zueignung,' and the Ariadne Prologue, a few (eventually) final questions, Part 1" [7/29/2018]*
"A poem that's 'not strikingly original' in a setting that's 'conventional in every way save for its greatness' -- let's welcome back Schubert's 'An die Musik'" [8/5/2018]
" 'An die Musik': How does a musical setting (of a 'not strikingly original' poem) that's 'conventional in every way save for its greatness' achieve that greatness? (Part A)" [8/12/2018 (1 of 3)]
" 'An die Musik': How does a musical setting (of a 'not strikingly original' poem) that's 'conventional in every way save for its greatness' achieve that greatness? (Part B)" [8/12/2018 (2 of 3)]
" 'An die Musik': How does a musical setting (of a 'not strikingly original' poem) that's 'conventional in every way save for its greatness' achieve that greatness? (Part C)" [8/12/2018 (3 of 3)]

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