Composer's delineation of character in Franz Schubert's, Robert Schumann's and Hugo Wolf's settings of Goethe's Mignon Lieder: A performer's guide

Transcription

1 Composer's delineation of character in Franz Schubert's, Robert Schumann's and Hugo Wolf's settings of Goethe's Mignon Lieder: A performer's guide Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Wilkie, Debra Phillips, Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/07/ :24:28 Link to Item

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4 COMPOSER'S DELINEATION OF CHARACTER IN FRANZ SCHUBERT'S, ROBERT SCHUMANN'S AND HUGO WOLF'S SETTINGS OF GOETHE'S MIGNON LIEDER: A PERFORMER'S GUIDE by Debra Phillips WUkie A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DANCE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN PERFORMANCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1996

5 X3MI Niaober: UMI Microform Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103

6 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE 2 As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by Debra Phillips Wilkie entitled Composer's Delineation of Character in Franz Schubert's Robert Schumann's and Hugo Wolf's Settings of Goethe's Mignon Lieder: A Performer's Guide and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Dace Date Date Dace Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the doctoment to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirement. Director Jate

7 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This document has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations fi^om this document are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation fi-om or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED

8 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all of my friends and family who made this process possible. Especially my supportive, understanding and forgiving husband, Aden, without whom much of this effort would not be complete. My sincere appreciation goes to my parents, Joseph and Jane Phillips, and my brother. Dr. Michael Phillips, who have been a loving and supportive family throughout my college years. I would also like to thank my in-laws, Dennis and Deloise Wilkie who are encouraging and helping me to pursue my performance goals. I would also like to thank those members of the School of Music who have had a positive influence on my University of Arizona experience. My sincere gratitude goes to Professor Faye Robinson, who has encouraged me to pursue my performance goals and has given me invaluable advice and technical training. Dr. Paula Fan has also been extremely helpful, going above and beyond the call of duty to help me navigate the doctoral process and polish my vocal performances. I would also like to thank Professor Charles Roe and Dr. Larry Day for their support and for serving on my graduate committee. A special thanks goes to my fnend and confidant Amanda Grumet with whom I shared both the rewards and heartaches associated with earning a doctoral degree. I would also like to thank doctoral student Charles Lindenberger, who reviewed my analysis of the Mignon Lieder.

9 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 7 n. ABSTRACT 8 in. INTRODUCTION 9 IV. Johann Wolfgang Goethe: The Man 15 V. Goethe's Poetic Style 20 VI. Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre 27 VII. The Character of Mignon within Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre 32 VIII. Analysis of Mignon's Character From Her Poetry 37 Poetic analysis of Mignon poetry 38 IV. Franz Schubet and His Mignon Lieder 43 Analysis of Schubert's Mignon Lieder Kennst du das Land 45 Heiss mich nicht reden 50 So lassi mich scheinen 54 Nur wer die Sehnsucht kemt 57 X. Robert Schumann and His Mignon Lieder 63 Analysis of Schumann's Mignon Lieder Kennst du das Land 65 Nttr wer die Sehnsucht kennt 67 Heiss mich nicht reden 73 So lasst mich scheinen 77 XI. Hugo Wolf and His Mignon Lieder 81 Analysis of Wolf's Mignon Lieder Kennst du das Land 83 Heiss mich nicht reden 87 Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt 92 So lasst mich scheinen 95

10 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued XII. Comparisons and Conclusions 99 XIII. APPENDIX A: Mignon Poems and Translations Kennst du das Land 102 Heiss mich nicht reden 103 Ntir wer die Sehnsiicht kennt 104 So lasst mich scheinen 105 XIV. APPENDIX B; Harmonic Analysis of Schubert's Mignon Lieder Kennst du das Land 106 Heiss mich nicht reden 108 So lasst mich scheinen 110 Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt 112 XV. APPENDIX C: Harmonic Analysis of Schumann's Mignon Lieder Kennst du das Land 113 M/r veer die Sehnsiicht kennt 115 Heiss mich nicht reden 116 So lasst mich scheinen 118 XVI. APPENDIX D: Harmonic Analysis of Wolf's Mignon Lieder Kennst du das Land 120 Heiss mich nicht reden 122 Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt 123 So lasst mich scheinen 124 XVII. REFERENCES 125

11 7 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Example One, Schubert, Mignon, D 321, Measures Example Two, Schubert, Mignon, D 321, Measures Example Three, Schubert, Mignon, D 321, Measures Example Four, Schubert, Mignon, D 321, Measures Example Five, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 2, Measures & Example Sbc, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 2, Measures Example Seven, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 2, Measures & Example Eight, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 3, Measures Example Nine, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 3, Measures Example Ten, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 3, Measures Example Eleven, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 4, Measures Example Twelve, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 4, Measures Example Thirteen, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 4, Measures Example Fourteen, Schubert, Op. 62 No. 4, Measures Example Fifteen, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 1, Measures Example Sixteen, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 1, Measures & Example Seventeen, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 3, Measures Example Eighteen, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 3, Measures Example Nineteen, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 5, Measures Example Twenty, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 5, Measures Example Twenty-One, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 9, Measures Example Twenty-Two, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 9, Measures Example Twenty-Three, Schumann, Op. 98a No. 9, Measures Example Twenty-Four, Wolf, Mignon, Measures & Example Twenty-Five, Wolf, Mignon, Measures Example Twenty-Sbc, Wolf, Mignon, Measures Example Twenty-Seven, Wolf, Mignon I, Measures Example Twenty- Eight, Wolf, Mignon I, Measures Example Twenty-Nine, Wolf, Mignon I, Measures Example Thirty, Wolf, Mignon I, Measures Example Thirty-One, Wolf, Mignon II, Measures Example Thirty-Two, Wolf, Mignon II, Measures Example Thirty-Three, Wolf, Mignon III, Measures Example Thirty-Four, Wolf^ Mignon III, Measures Example Thirty-Five, Wolf, Mignon III, Measures

12 8 ABSTRACT This document examines the balance between music and poetry and how each composer has used his unique musical abilities to delineate character. This study specifically examines the character of Mignon from Johann Goethe's Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre set to music by Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Hugo Wolf. This document will attempt to demonstrate that Schubert, Schumann and Wolf held different interpretations of the character of Mignon, and that a performer can best express these differences through detailed study of each composer's musical language and their handling of Goethe's poetry. The difficulty of character development in art song stems from the brevity of the genre. Character development is only possible if the singer knows what he or she wants to express and is able to communicate that interpretation to the audience. A singer needs to be able to analyze the poetry and accompanying musical setting in order to understand how to express the emotion contained in the piece. This document, therefore, explores the differing characters developed by Schubert, Schumarm and Wolf in their settings of the four songs comprising Goethe's Mignon Lieder: Kennst du das Land, Heiss mich nicht reden^ Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt and So lasst mich scheinen. The lieder will be analyzed for their formal repetition of poetry, treatment of poetic diction, relationship of the piano and vocal parts, treatment of dynamics, register and tempo, harmonic content and style, and an analysis of possible implication of key and mood. The proposed analysis is not intended to be a theoretical comparison of the composers but will be used to enhance performer's interpretation of this lieder.

13 9 Introduction "The performance and interpretation of vocal music raise problems of a particular kind: two elements a musical text and a literary text must be analyzed and then synthesized."' -Pierre Bemac, 1970 The definition of a lied according to The New Harvard Dictionary of Music is, a German poem, usually lyric and strophic; also a song having such a poem for its text.^ This definition raises the continuing debate about the relationship of poetry to music in a song composition. Joseph Coroniti in his book Poetry as Text in Twentieth-Century Vocal Music, feels that music appropriates the poem and develops a new entity, the song text. Therefore the composer's interpretation of the poem changes the original version to create a new musical work. The poem once set to music is destroyed and only lives in music as musical text. Composers have gained dominance over poets in this struggle for preservation of their individual art. "Poets think about preserving the text while composers think about where the text will lead them."^ Since no two composers will regard a line of poetry in the same way, there is an "inevitable transformation of poetic and dramatic content involved in setting to music a preexisting poem.""* Edward Cone feels ' Pierre Bemac, The Interpretation of French Song (New York: Norton & Co., 1970) 3. " Don Michael Randel, ed.. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music (Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1986) 446. ' Joseph Coroniti, Poetry as Te.\t in Twentieth-Century Vocal Music (Lewiston: Edwin Mcllen P, 1992) 12. Ed\vard T. Cone. "Poet's Love or Composer's Love?" Music and Te.\t: Critical Inquiries, ed. Steven P. Schcr (New Haven: Yale UP, 1968) 183.

14 10 that the composer has the desire to become the poet as in the case of Schumann who was a writer as well as composer. However, many composers feel, as Coroniti quotes Cone, that "ultimately there can be only one justification for the serious composition of a song; it must be an attempt to increase our understanding of the poem."^ One of the catalysts for the evolution of German Lied from the 18th century to the 19th is the profusion of German poetry with poets such as Klopstock, Goethe and Schiller. The availability of poetic texts also played a significant role in the development of the lied. Goethe's Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre was not only published as a novel but the poems were published individually. The increasing attention of the major composers to lieder, elevated the song to a level where both poet and composer had equal influence. Because of the attention of the major composers who were originally instrumental composers the dominance of poet and composer shifted. The poet who once had reign over compositions was being usurped by the composer. The invention of the pianoforte, which gained acceptance around 1770, also had a big impact on the composers of lied because of its versatility of expressions. These events were in response to a burgeoning affluent middle-class that was interested in patronizing the arts as a sign of social status. Novels such as Goethe's Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre, finished in 1796, and Jane Austin's Pride arid Prejudice, printed in 1817, captured the romanticized life style of the late 18th century middle class. Lieder ' Coroniti 3. Lorraine Gorrell. The Nineteenth Century German Lied ^Oregon: Amadeus P, 1993) 57.

15 n developed out of a link between the middle-class values and song. This particular art form appealed to the middle class of the 18th century because the "explicit or implied morality of eighteenth-century song, whether conventional and unproblematic, defiant or psychologically and spiritually demanding all seem to appeal to middle-class values."^ Because of this adherence to the social and moral values, most song texts were simple expressions of basic human experience or emotion. Lieder was predominately bought and performed by the middle-class as a source of pleasure and socialization. The reason that early lied composers favored the strophic form was that the genre was aimed at the average middle-class amateur performer who played in his or her salon for enjoyment. Therefore the music had to be simple with easy harmonies, often with the voice line being doubled in the accompaniment. Composers however began to feel trapped in the strophic setting for the very reason that one verse of the poetry may fit the music well and another may not. Due to the poets' level of preeminence, they experienced a greater role in the beginning of the creation of the German lied. Composers like Zelter and Reichardt were reluctant to change or alter the text since permission had to be obtained from the poet. Goethe enjoyed his high degree of influence and used it to emphasize his belief that music should be subservient to the poetry and that simple strophic musical settings allowed the poetry to be preserved. Goethe felt that "music should be the handmaiden of poetry and resented any attempt on the part of the composer ^ J. W. Smeed, Gennan Song and its Poctrv (London: Croom Helm, 1987) 58.

16 12 to claim parity, let alone hog the limelight."* In the late 18th and early 19th century, lieder became more elaborate. The accompaniment became more expressive and independent with solo passages, harmonies were more advanced and the through-composed song became popular. Franz Schubert became the leader and innovator of these new styles. He developed a pictorial setting of texts along with beautiful melodies. Robert Schumann was the innovator of the piano as an equal voice in the lied and developed the Romantic style of lieder compositions. Hugo Wolf was meticulous at setting text and using chromatic harmonies for intense moods. He also concentrated on setting to music the poems of one poet for a period of time and often gave the poet credit before himself on a composition.' This brief overview of German lied development highlights an important cyclical nature of the shifting dominance of music and words. In the early stages of lieder composition, the poet was the dominant figure. With the development of the pianoforte and composers like Schubert and Schumann, who were able to create their own style, the composer began to dominate. Years later. Wolf returned to the beginnings of lieder and placed the poet and the text in higher regard than his own music. Despite their diflferent compositional styles, all three composers set texts by Goethe, who was considered one of the greatest poets of his time. Goethe's poetry became some of the most fi-equently set to music. One of Goethe's popular novels. * Smeed 80. ' Randel 448.

17 Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre, was the source of numerous lieder settings. The character of Mignon, a mysterious figure in the novel, attracted a variety of composers, including Beethoven, Spohr, Liszt, Tchaikovski, Zelter, Reichardt to name a few.' Schubert, Schumann and Wolf also contributed their settings of the Mignon poetry. The contrast between these settings is fascinating as each composer creates a differing interpretation of Mignon's character. Each of the composers set the Mignon poetry in an attempt to increase understanding of her character. Daniel Helfgot, in his book The Third Line, believes that the composer is the ultimate dramatist who "knows what he or she wants dramatically when composing a score and always sees it as a way to shape a text."'' Helfgot believes that the music contains clues for the singer on how to express the piece based on the composer's setting. David Lewin also wrote a similar work called Music Analysis As Stage Direction, which states that any ideas about a character can be validated through musical and textual analysis.'^ The balance between music and poetry and how each composer has used his unique musical abilities to delineate the character of Mignon will be examined in this document. This document will also attempt to demonstrate that Schubert, Schumann and Philip L. Miller, The Ring of Words: An Anthology of Words (New York: Norton & Co., 1973) " Daniel HelfgoL, and William O. Beeman, The Third Line (New York: Schirraer Books, 1993) David Lewin, "Musical Analysis As Stage Direction," Music and Text: Critical Inquiries, ed. Steven P. Scher (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992) 163.

18 Wolf held different interpretations of the character of Goethe's Mignon, and that a performer can best express these differences through detailed study of each composer's musical language and his handling of Goethe's poetry.

19 15 Johann Wolfgang Goethe: The Man Johann Wolfgang Goethe was bom on 1749 in Frankfurt. The Goethe family's high level of affluence afforded extensive exposure to the cultural art forms of the day especially music, literature and art. Goethe's father was a lawyer who stopped working to pursue his art interests and to educate his son and daughter Cornelia. Joharm Goethe was a well rounded individual with a variety of interests. After turning 16, with his father's influence, he was admitted to the University of Leipzig to study law. In addition to his law classes, Goethe showed an interest in art and began to study under the tutelage of Oeser, the Head of the Academy of Drawing and Painting in Leipzig.'^ Goethe's interest in literature was also expanding and, at any opportunity which presented itself, he would write poetry and attend plays held in Leipzig. Another important friendship Goethe developed in Leipag was with the Breitkopf publishing family. Breitkopf's youngest son set to music and published Goethe's first collection of poetry.'"* Extensive illness forced Goethe to return home to Frankfurt before his education was complete. After recovering, Goethe finished his law education at the Univesity in Strasbourg. It is not known why Goethe didn't return to Leipzig, but his natural curiosity probably drove him to seek out new experiences. "Goethe was an incessant learner. He studied minerals and human anatomy. 26. James Sime. Life of Johami Wolfgang Goethe (Port Washington: Kennikat P, 1972) 27. Robert Spacthling, Music and Mozart in the Life of Goethe (Camden House; Columbia, 1987)

20 16 Persian and Chinese poetry, the Old Testament and modem physics, he was interested in architecture and knowledgeable about theater."this extended stay at Strasbourg, filled with eclectic experiences, dramatically influenced Goethe. Goethe's writing style fi-om this time fi-ame later came to be known as his Sturm und Drang period. Once again unsatisfied with merely studying law at the university, Goethe began to study chemistiy, anatomy and other sciences. Many influencing elements resulted fi'om Goethe's stay in Strasbourg, one of the most influential was his association and fiiendship with Johann Herder. Herder, a clergyman and writer, was well versed in the writings of Rousseau and Shakespeare and exposed Goethe to these styles. Interactions with Herder resulted in Goethe experiencing "a great intellectual awakening".' Herder helped Goethe develop his ideals with many discussions and arguments of philosophy and the merits of Shakespeare. At the age of 22, having completed his law degree, Goethe returned to Frankfort to become a lawyer. Because of his interest in Shakespeare, Goethe tried to establish a Shakespeare festival in his father's house. Merck, a publisher and editor of a Frankfort newspaper, contracted Goethe for a two year appointment to write a weekly book critique.*^ Goethe's tenure as a critic gave him opportunities to expand his writing style and added knowledge of the current literature. With these ideas, Goethe wrote his first play Goetz, which was published by Merck. The play received an enthusiastic response Spacthling 22. Sime 40. 'Sime

21 17 and brought Goethe the title of one of "the Lions of Frankfort".'^ Goethe's sister, Cornelia, with whom he was very close, married and departed Frankfort in This departure depressed Goethe immensely. Goethe's grief was compounded upon hearing that a man, who was in love with a married woman, shot himself after being rebuked. From Goethe's own feelings of depression and the basis of this story arose the work Werther}^ Goethe utilized events in his own life to influence and inspire his writing style and subject matter. The legend of Faust had always fascinated Goethe, so in 1774 he began writing his version of the legendary epic. Goethe's last year in Frankfort was 1775, after he had befriended the Duke of Weimar. The Duke offered Goethe a position in the royal court at Weimar where Goethe stayed for the remainder of his life.^ While at Weimar the office of Court Preacher became vacant, and upon suggestion by Goethe, Herder was appointed to the position in This appointment allowed Goethe to have a good friend and fellow writer in Weimar to inspire and encourage his writing. Goethe was very busy with his work as a statesmen and member of the Privy Council. His reputation as an honest hard worker allowed him to be extremely productive and an invaluable ally to the Royal family, who treated him as an esteemed friend. In 1782 he became a Patent of Nobility which entitled him the complete name of Joharm Wolfgang Sime 58. " Sime Sime 84.

22 18 Von Goethe and was also appointed the President of the Chamber of Finance.^' During this time he renewed his interest in botany and anatomy which began in his Strasbourg University days. With the collaboration of Professor Loder, Goethe discovered the intermaxillary bone in the jaw on 1784.^ Goethe disciplined his mind by working wholeheartedly on the duties of his ofibce and disciplined his body with exercise and good eating. This discipline also aflfected his writing style which become more reserved in tone in contrast to his Sturm unddrcmg period. In 1775 Goethe was appointed the Director of the Weimar Court Theater, a position which he held for twenty-five years. In 1776 Goethe began his drama Iphigenie and in 1111 he began Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre which he put aside during a sojourn to Italy which lasted two years. After ten years at Weimar, in 1786 Goethe left for Italy for an extended vacation. While in Italy, Goethe stayed in Rome where he studied art history. Renaissance architecture, geology and music. In 1788 he returned to Weimar to continue his work at court. On his return, Goethe met and eventually married Christiane Volupe who later bore him a son, August. This relationship which brought Goethe great peace and contentment inspired him to write the drama Egmotu^ Goethe stayed in Weimar through the French Revolution and due to his association with the royal family was able to have inside knowledge of events. Schiller, a renowned poet, moved to Weimar in 1787, while Goethe was in Italy. Goethe met Schiller in 1788 Sime ~ Sime 101. ^Sime

23 and they became fiiends. It was Schiller's influence that encouraged Goethe to complete Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre}* Goethe also met and befriended Zelter, a composer, with whom Goethe had many discussions of music. Schiller passed away in 1801, thus ending a long and influential friendship for Goethe. In 1808, Goethe's son departed for.heidelburg to study law and Goethe's mother passed away. Goethe's depression over Schiller's death and his son's departure continued with the deaths of his wife, in 1816, his son, in 1830, and the Grand Duke and Duchess, in 1828 and 1830 respectively.^ During this period of transition, Goethe wrote the novel Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre. Despite the similarity of title the Wanderjahre and the Lehrjahre are only tangentally related to one another. During this time Weimar became a popular place of congregation for poets because of Goethe's preeminence. Among the many poets found within Weimar was Heinrich Heine who remained in Weimar and became Goethe's informal successor. Goethe peacefully passed away on March 22, 1832, leaving behind a wealth of literature and scientific discoveries which were an inspiration to those poets who followed in his footsteps.^^ Sime 138. ^ Sime Sime

24 20 Goethe's Poetic Style "The aim [of music] is to attune the listener to the mood suggested by the poem; the imagination will form images then without knowing how it arrives at it."" -Goethe, 1820 Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe ( ) was one of the innovators of German literature in the late 18th century. Goethe began writing during the Sturm und Drang period of literature. The term Sturm und Drang was coined after the title of a play written by MaximiUan Klinger in Johann Herder ( ), in 1767 also wrote a theory called Fragments on Modern German Literature which inspired the movement.^ Gotthold Lessing ( ), developed realism in poetry and stimulated an interest in Shakespeare. Lamport professes that through Herder's and Goethe's interest and discussion of Shakespeare, a theory of drama was created. This theory views writing as an individual's creative expression and communication of the drama of character or selfconsciousness. This period also emphasized the struggle of individual human beings against powerful unknown forces. "The dramatic theoiy of Storm and Stress may thus be said to have set the German drama of the period on a philosophical kind of course."^ Examples of Goethe's drama from this period are Goetz von Berlichingen and Egmont. John Ncubauer, The Emancipation of Music from Language: Departure from Eighteenth- Century Aesthetics (New Haven: Yale UP, 1986) 125. ^ F. J. Lamport, German Classical Drama: Theatre. Humanity and Nation (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990) ^ Lamport 36.

25 21 During the Weimar years, Goethe met with Christian Schiller ( ), a poet of his own right, and Christoph Weiland ( ), who was the father of the modem German novel and lived in Weimar as the tutor to the princes. These literary men parodied or borrowed tunes for new or altered versions of text. This practice was considered flattering to the previous composer whose work was admired enough to be revised. Shakespeare was often parodied as well as Mignon's song, Kennst du das Land^ which is a rhythmic parody with identical textual content of the British author James Thompson's Summer written in 1746.^ Goethe and Weiland edited Almanac of Parodies published by Cotta who also published two more editions of parodies by Goethe. Goethe chose specifically strophic folk-songs to parody because through-composed song "aimihilates the general character of the poem and postulates as well as excites a wrong interest in detail."^* Another contemporary of Goethe who influenced his work, was Gottleib Klopstock ( ), who was a pioneer in lyric poetry. Goethe emulated Klopstock, who fathered a tradition of German poetry developed "fi-om the inside, letting the motif impose the form rather than imposing the form on the motif. Goethe continued the doctrine of inward, or organic, form but made it more personal in an attempt to allow the reader to participate in his experience. Goethe recreated the moment and expressed it in a ^ Frederick Stemfeld, Goethe and Music: A. List of Parodies and Goethe's Relationship to Music: A List of References (New York: Da Capo P, 1979) 34. " Stemfeld 20. Robert Bro\vning, German Poetry (New York: Meredith, 1962) 71.

26 22 way that helped the reader discover and understand what he felt at that moment. Goethe's novel, Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre, contains both elements of poetry, which expresses the inner emotions, as well as drama, which relates individual emotions to a communal ideal. "One of the principal goals of German drama in this period is to generate a cohesive and productive communal life for its audience, and essentially the same can be said of idealist philosophy. Goethe felt that drama was more unified than society, since drama was used to enhance feelings of brotherhood. Bennett states that Goethe's idea of drama "or at least tragedy, presents "inward-directed" characters with whom we are meant to sympathize. This artificial enhancement created a cultural distance that separates the artistic world from the world in which the audience actually lives. Therefore, Bennett also states that "the unity of the German [poetic] movement arises not from a specific theory of drama, but rather from an especially intense concern with the problem of drama. Therefore, the themes of Iphigenie and the first draft of Wilhelm Meister revolve around the quest for a true German national theater.^ Much akin to Rousseau, Goethe was a philosopher as well as a poet writing philosophical statements and analyzing music. Carl Friedrich Zelter, a well known musician of Goethe's time, was Goethe's sounding board for many of his theories on music. One of their constant arguments was Goethe's belief that major and minor tonality " Benjamin Bemiett, Modem Drama and German Classicism (Ithaca; Cornell UP, 1979) 255. " Bennett 119. Bennett 187. Bennett 100.

27 23 was derived from one indivisible and natural unit of sound. Several letters to Zelter detail Goethe's musical theory especially discussing the major-minor keys. This concept is consistent with Goethe's beliefs and "tendency to look for indivisible organic entities, for wholeness in every detail, and to shun excessive subjectivism."^' For this reason as well, Goethe preferred simple music, strophic settings of song, versus through-composed, because it allowed the poem's basic idea to be repeated in each strophe so that it could be heard throughout the text, while through-composed songs destroyed poetic unity. Goethe felt that any music should be simple in texture and folk-like, and not violate the verbal and structural integrity of the text. Goethe liked discovering the organic unity and wholeness in nature and was afraid of releasing too much passion, even though he went through his own Sturm imd Drang period. He preferred simpler music which wouldn't agitate his passions and preferred music that would calm the spirit, similar in idea to Aristotle's theory of ethos. "Underneath his stubborn insistence that lied compositions be strophic and regulated rather than through-composed lies his deep conviction that each work of art, no matter how small, must be self-contained and melodious and thereby reflect the universal harmony and order. As director of the Weimar Theater, Goethe held the philosophical idea that organic unity was also displayed through gesture, dance and words. He believed all three of these elements can be derived from the same dramatic expression. " Spacthling 38. Spaethling 47.

28 Goethe also pursued a scientific interest in music as an acoustical phenomenon. He developed his own theory about music, Tonlehre, as well as a theory on sound, Farbenlehre. Goethe's Tonlehre is derived from the writings of Rameau who believed major and minor keys were a product of nature. Although Goethe's theory on music remained but a sketch, he was able to analyze sound as originating fi^om three categories; organic/subjective, mechanical/mixed and mathematical/objective.^' This listing also outlines his order of importance, of which organic creation of sound is the highest. The category of organic sound included singing which, according to Goethe, was "an entirely self-sufficient musical act...the highest and most beautiful organic expression which God and nature were capable of rendering."'"' Goethe used music to express inner feelings and also to indicate spiritual transformation. "In Faust as well as in other writings, Goethe used music as a link between the soul of the individual and the universe.""*' Faust and Wilhelm Meister both included an abundance of musical material with a spectrum of music, poems, songs, dances and theater. Spaethling feels that Wilhelm Meister was an educational novel about the need for rational guidance in the world."*^ Mignon, who is music, poetry and dance, can't survive in Wilhelm's rational society and transversely is never understood by him. Mignon's appeal to composers is the intrinsic musicality of her being."*^ Mignon's most Spaethling Spaethling 36. " Spaethling 57. *" Spaethling 59. Spaethling 60.

29 25 expressive form of communication is singing, Goethe merely wrote the text of her songs in the novel for the reader to sympathize with her emotion. This method of introducing Mignon's poetry created an intrinsic appeal which was destined for unique musical settings. Goethe's poetry combines a sense of harmony and movement with an inner melody of its own. Goethe created an euphonious and onomatopoeic quality to his poems, and was less concerned with structure than with presenting the inner aspects of life. "Goethe's melodic inflection, rhythm, and timbre (I was tempted to say "orchestration") give his sentences, even out of context, a special ring that only a deeply musical person can produce out of the resources of his very nature."''^ Goethe used music to bring out the poetry of inner emotions within dramatic figures like Gretchen and Mignon. Gretchen and Mignon are characters who "communicate their inner most being in dreams, songs, and in affinity with music, but they cannot survive their passions and the harsh realities of life. Goethe was very particular about how Mignon's poems were set to music. He was upset at Beethoven and Spohr's through-composed versions of Kennst du das Land which he felt was too complex a setting for Mignon's simple character. "I should have thought the same marks which recur in each of the three stanzas at the same place would have Stcmfcid Na. Spacthling61.

30 26 been sufficient to indicate to the composer that I expected from him nothing but a Lied. Mignon, according to her character, can sing a Lied but not an aria.""*^ Sicmfcld 21.

31 Z1 Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre was published in It is a novel which is organized into eight books, each containing a varying number of chapters. The novel can be divided into three sections; the first containing books one through five, the second section containing book six, and the third section containing books seven and eight. The first section of Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre begins the story of the wandering Wilhelm, which establishes his background and character. The second section which contains only book six is titled "Confessions of a Beautifiil Soul" and is the diary of a pious woman. The third section contains the culmination of the story line with the explanation of mysterious events which occurred in the first section of the novel. The following plot synopsis will detail the first and third sections of the novel for continuity of the story line. Wilhelm Meister is the son of a merchant who longs for the life of a thespian. Wilhelm is sent out to make business transactions for the family after he erroneously believes that his lover, an actress, has been adulterous. This treachery causes Wilhelm to become disillusioned and run away to discover himself This rejection strikes a severe blow to Wilhelm's sense of idealism. Wilhelm's wanderings take him to a town where he meets a troupe of actors. These actors convince him to lend them the capital necessary to create a theatrical company. During these negotiations the characters of Mignon and the Harper are introduced. The Harper is a strolling minstrel whom Wilhelm convinces to come along with the group because of his touching music. Out of pity, Wilhelm buys Mignon's fi"eedom fi'om a troupe of acrobats and finds her to be quite mysterious in

32 28 character. Wilhelm's theatrical company is invited to perform at the home of a Count for several months. Upon leaving the Count's house, the troupe is accosted by bandits and Wilhelm is injured. He is rescued and tended to by a good Samaritan who is referred to as the Amazon. After Wilhehn's recovery, he begins an association with a new theatrical troupe. It is during this newest theatrical association that Wilhelm attempts to become a Shakespearean actor. Based on this experience, Wilhelm discerns his expertise does not lie in the realm of acting. Wilhelm is recruited on a mission of mercy for one of the actresses within the troupe. This mission involves the dying actresses' last request that Wilhelm deliver a letter to her former lover Lothario. This meeting with Lothario turns out to be quite fortuitous and somewhat preordained. Lothario informs Wilhelm that a secret society has been observing his life accomplishments. Lothario reveals that Wilhelm has passed his lehrjahre, apprenticeship, resulting in his induction into Lothario's secret society. Through this new circle of friends, Wilhelm meets the Amazon again and eventually is betrothed to her. The final two books of the novel also explain the details of Mignon's and the Harper's past. The Harper was once a monk who innocently fell in love with a beautiful girl, Sperata, who loved him also. The Harper tries to get his brothers to release him from the bond of priesthood so he can marry Sperata. The brothers tell him his love is impossible because Sperata is actually his sister whom his father has been hiding over the years. The Harper doesn't believe his brothers and has a child with Sperata who is

33 29 completely ignorant of her background and all that is transpiring. The Harper sinks into madness and eventually escapes from the monastery. Sperata's child is raised by fishermen because she senses something is wrong with the child and begins to abandon it. The child was very inquisitive and often would disappear on long walks. One day she did not return and her hat was found floating in the lake and it was assumed she had drowned. However, she was actually abducted and taken over the mountains to Germany. This child is Mignon who dies with the questions about her father and her past unanswered."*^ Goethe wrote Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre at two different time periods in his life, / which are separated by his trip to Italy. Goethe only completed the work at the insistence of Schiller, who "was intensely interested in the book, and often talked about it with Goethe, who sought his advice as to the best way of rounding it off""* The slow pace in writing and the disunity of the novel can be attributed to the revisions Goethe made when he returned to writing the novel. These changes were a deviation from the original intent of writing a novel realistically depicting contemporary theatrical life. Goethe's "original intent was to give a broad picture of theatrical life at the time-a realistic purpose. But coupled with this was an idealistic theme, to present the theater as an educative institution. Goethe got to a certain point in the composition of the novel, then stopped, probably because these two purposes got in each other's way.""*' Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre displays the "apparent disunity of the book, which Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship ed, Eric A. Blackalt (New York: Suhrkamp, 1989) ^ Sime 139.

34 30 seems to begin as one thing-a novel of theatrical life-and ends as something different-a novel about social or conmiunal integration, about finding one's way in Iife."^ The first five chapters of Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre are set apart fi^om the remaining chapters of the novel due to their tone of realism. Chapter Six, "The Confessions of the Beautiful Soul", with its religious undertones, can be viewed as a transition between the first and last sections of the novel or could be considered separate fi-om the remainder of the novel. The last two chapters contain mostly debates, discussions of beliefs and explanations of the mysteries in the first section of the novel, such as the background of the most intriguing characters in the novel, Mignon and the Harper. These two characters seem out of place given the pervasive tone of realism existing throughout the first section of the novel. The enigmatic nature of these two characters was appealing to the middle class' affinity for mystery and secret societies. There are a variety of themes in Goethe's novel: chance, education, affluence and finding one's self Novels based on theater were popular because of the ecclectic nature of the characters, who are versatile enough to come in contact with all classes of society. This characterization allows Wilhelm the ability to interact with aristocracy as well as Mignon. Mignon, a guiding force in the novel, tries to discourage Wilhelm fi-om being involved with the theater.the themes of idealism and realism are ironically intermeshed Goethe 382. "Goethe 381. Goethe 382. " Goethe 384

35 31 throughout the novel. Wilhelm concludes that thespians live in an illusive world, distanced from the public whom they are trying to impersonate. This distance breeds a lack of understanding and an inability to properly portray such characterizations. Goethe's ideals break down thematically due to the inherent irony of viewing the theater as a moral and educative force when in reality the theater ignores moral codes and societal ethics." Despite Goethe's attempts, the elements of discontinuity pervasively appears throughout his novel. This results in a stark discrepancy between sections and an inherent disability to flow together.^"* One of the strongest points of interest in Goethe's novel is the character of Mignon, "one of the strangest, most pathetic figures in the world's literature."^' The poetry that Mignon sings "are among Goethe's lyrical masterpieces, remarkable equally for the depth of their meaning and the purity, sweetness, and grace of their expression."' Sime describes Mignon as "cahn, gentle, self-possessed, she conceals a burning passion that in the end consumes her life; yet she is of so ethereal a nature that she seems to glide through the world as one who in no way belongs to it."'' " Goethe "Sime 141. " Sime 142. ^Sime 143. Sime 142.

36 32 The Character of Mignon within Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre Goethe writes a character description of N/fignon through Wilhelm's observances of her. Mignon enters Wilhelm's life rather abruptly by running into him in her attempt to flee her Italian master. During this initial meeting Wilhehn catches a fleeting glimpse of a child, "its long black hair was curled and wound in locks and braids on its head. He looked at the figure in amazement, uncertain whether it was a boy or a girl."^* His second meeting with Mignon still tells him little about her but piques his curiosity. The girl standing in the doorway, as if eager to slip away, placed her right hand on her chest and her left on her temple, and made a deep bow. "What is your name?" "They call me Mignon." "How old are you?" "Nobody has counted." "Who was your father?" "The big devil is dead." They asked her a few more questions, which she answered in broken German and a strange, formal manner, bowing deeply each time as above. Wilhelm could not take his eyes ofifher; her whole appearance and the mystery that surrounded her completely absorbed his mind and feelings. Wilhelm thought she was probably 12 or 13 years old. She was well built, but her limbs suggested further development to come, which possibly had been arrested. Her features were not regular, but striking: her forehead seemed to veil some secret, her nose was unusually beautiful, her mouth, though too tight-lipped for her age and inclined to twitch at times on one side, had a certain winsome charm about it. The grease paint almost obscured her dark complexion."^' Wilhelm is fascinated with Mignon and decides to save her from another beating from her master by buying her from the Italian for one hundred ducats. The Italian refused to say anything about Mignon's origins except for an obscure reference to acquiring her Goethe 50. Goethe 54.

37 33 from his brother. The Big Devil. Mignon appears to Wilheim and offers her services which she performs, "slowly and sometimes awkwardly, but correctly and very attentively." " "But the person and character of Mignon attracted him more and more. There was something strange about everything she did. She never walked up or down stairs, she always ran. She climbed up on banisters, and before one knew it, there she was on top of a closet, sitting quite still. Wilheim also noticed that she had a different greeting for everybody. For some time now she had been greeting him with arms folded on her breast. Some days she would be completely silent; on others she would answer certain questions, but always strangely so that it was difficult to decide whether it was a joke or her German mixed with French and Italian was intentional or simply the result of an imperfect knowledge of German. She was tireless in Wilhelm's service, getting up at sunrise but retiring early to rest on the bare floor of one of the rooms. Nothing could persuade her to sleep in a bed or on a straw mattress. He often found her washing herself Her clothes were clean though heavily patched. Wilheim was also told that early every morning she went to mass, and once he followed her and saw her kneeling in a comer of the church, piously saying her rosary. She did not see him, and he went home fiill of thoughts about this strange creature and unable to make up his mind about her." ' While watching Mignon perform an egg dance, Wilheim is, "amazed to see how completely her character was manifested in the dance. Severe, sharp, dry and violent- all this she certainly was; and in her quieter movements there was solemnity rather than grace."" Goethe also gives a description of Mignon's fragile health which Wilheim discovers when he tries to leave Mignon behind. ^ Goethe 59. Goethe 61. Goethe 64.

38 34 "She kept clutching her heart and suddenly let out a cry which was accompanied by convulsive movements of her body. She jumped up, and then immediately fell down in front of him, as if every limb in her body were broken. But the convulsions persisted, spreading from the heart into her dangling limbs. She wasjust hanging in his arms. He clasped her to his heart and covered her with tears. Suddenly she seemed taut again, like someone experiencing great bodily pain. All her limbs became alive again, and with renewed strength she threw herself around his neck, like a lock that springs shut, while a deep cleft opened up inside her and a flood of tears poured from her closed eyes on to his breast. He held her close. She wept tears such as no tongue can describe. Her long hair hung loosely around her as she wept, and her whole being seemed to be dissolving into a steady flood of tears. Her rigid limbs unfroze, her whole inner self poured itself out, and in the confusion of the moment Wilhelm feared that she might melt away in his arms so that nothing of her would remain. Wilhelm assuages Mignon's fears of abandonment by promising to never leave her. The next morning Mignon sings to Wilhelm the song Kemst du das Land which he translates into German. In this quote, Goethe envisions Mignon's musical setting of Kennsi du das Land. "He found, however, that he could not even approximate the originality of the phrases, and the childlike innocence of the style was lost when the broken language was smoothed over and the disconnectedness removed. The charm of the melody was also quite unique. She intoned each verse with a certain solenrn grandeur, as if she were drawing attention to something unusual and imparting something of importance. When she reached the third line, the melody became more somber; the words "You know it, yes?" were given weightiness and mystery, the "Oh there, oh there!" was sufifused with longing, and she modified the phrase "Let us fare!" each time it was repeated, so that one time it was entreating and urging, the next time pressing and fiill of promise." "Goethe 81.