My intention is to determine what Schubert s concept of his own death was, and how that is implied through his D Minor String Quartet (D 810), Death and the Maiden. This project is begging to be shared. Before I knew anything about Schubert, my peers suggested we work on this quartet for the Spring semester. I humored them; I listened to the beginning. It sounded fine, and I was happy to make a compromise, since my first choice with another amazing quartet, Shostakovich s No.8. I moved on. At the start of this semester s class, Music History II with Dr. Haefeli, I was tasked with deciding a research question. I was eager to write my paper on the impact of Hindustani raga on Western Classical and Romantic music. Yet again, I came across a stumbling block and had to make compromises. I moved on. I would like to say now that choosing this quartet to study for this semester both as a musicologist and performer has been a more gratifying experience than I could have hoped for. My results will come from the second movement, written as a theme and variations. This is the movement that gives the quartet its name, Death and the Maiden, because a song of the same name is the derivative from which the theme of this movement is based. In the second movement, there are nine variations on this simple tune, what is known as the Death theme. Indeed, Example 1 is the same as what would have been the piano part in the song. This theme is altered to tell the story, as demonstrated by Examples 2 and 3. Example 4 shows that, even outside of the Andante con moto, there is clear influence of the song on this quartet. The first movement begins with a chord voiced just like the opening of the second, the difference being that it is now in D minor, the key of the work. Nevertheless, the important similarities abound: the outer voices remain on one note while the trapped inner voices are the moving lines. As you can see, from one simple motive, taken from his own song from years prior, there is so much to explore. Yet there are copious other details of style, harmony, form, and other musical aspects that must be inspected. For instance, Example 5 shows the start of the final movement. The opening ascending line, ornamented with grace notes, repeated, and punctuated with biting eighth notes is rich with mysteries to uncover. Indeed, my results will come. I have not finished the course of my research. I would scarcely say that I have scratched the surface. My methodology is nevertheless manifest. I have just submitted my class s annotated bibliography assignment. The majority of my findings will come from critical reading of scholarly books, journals, articles, and the like. In particular, I will study the theory behind the four movements of this quartet, as well as texts about Schubert and some primary sources of his, and about the pitfalls and wonders of interpreting music. Moreover, I will be learning about this piece from a performance stance, guided by my chamber group s coach, Dr. Kyle Armbrust, and my studio teacher, Elizabeth Simkin. Furthermore, I have an idea regarding what this project means for myself, my collaborators, and potentially our college community. I ve already mentioned the impact this work had, is having, and will have on me. Essentially, this project will break down barriers for the audience in their experience of classical music. I envision this presentation to be something inviting. I can model the ways that I am able to interact with music. More importantly, this
discussion will make this music more accessible to today s listeners, showing that that music interpretation is not finite. Indeed, I can provide my thoughts on Schubert s concept of death and its depiction in music. At the same time, this research reveals that not everything has been said that must be said about this wonderful style of music, and such presentations keep classical music alive in this way. Example 1. The theme of movement two, as stated in the first measures. Example 2. The first variation on the theme in the second movement. This is an example of how Schubert characterizes the maiden through the violin line.
Example 3. This is another variation from the second movement. Instead of the violin line retaining the melodic interest, Schubert here gives voice to Death through the violoncello. Example 4. The very first measures heard of the first movement. Even though the second movement explicitly references the earlier song, there are traces of the song that can be
found throughout the quartet, and this is an example of that. Example 5. This is the beginning of the final movement, often called the Tarantella, or the dance of death. Bibliography Beach, David. Schubert s Mature Instrumental Music: A Theorist s Perspective. Rochester Press. 2017. 212 p. Berger, Melvin. Guide to chamber music. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. 1985. Pp. 470. Brown, Sams, and Winter. Schubert, Franz. New Grove Encyclopedia (Accessed 3 March 2018).
Chusid, Martin. Schubert s chamber music: before and after Beethoven. The Cambridge Companion to Schubert. Ed. Christopher Gibbs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Pp 174-192. Curtis Institute of Music. The World of the String Quartet: Nuts and Bolts: Slow Movement-- Schubert, "Death and the Maiden. Mia Chang. Time: 9:27. Site address: https://www.coursera.org/learn/string-quartet/lecture/g2roz/nuts-and-bolts-slow-movementschubert-death-and-the-maiden (Accessed 28 February 2018). Deutsch, Otto. The Chronology of Schubert s String Quartets Music and Letters. 24. 1943. Pp. 25 30. Ferguson, Donald N. Image and Structure in Chamber Music. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 1964. Pp. 339. Gibbs, Christopher. Schubert s Tombeau De Beethoven. Franz Schubert and His World. Bard Music Festival Series. 2014. Pp. 241-98. Gresham College. European Capitals of Music: Vienna and Schubert: 'Death and the Maiden' String Quartet. Professor Chris Hogwood CBE, Jubilee Quartet. Time: 56:00. Site address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obz-gp6_q2u (Accessed 28 February 2018). Hefling, Stephen E. and Tartakoff, David S. 2004. "Schubert's Chamber Music." Nineteenth Century Chamber Music. Ed. Stephen Hefling. New York: Prentice Hall International. Pp. 39-139. Kessler, Deborah. "Motive and Motivation in Schubert's Three-Key Expositions." Structure and Meaning in Tonal Music: Festschrift in Honor of Carl Schachter. Ed. Burstein and Gagné. Hillsdale, New York: Pendragon Press, 2006. 259-276. Kramer, Lawrence. Recognizing Schubert: Musical Subjectivity, Cultural Change, and Jane Campion s The Portrait of a Lady. Critical Inquiry, 29, No. 1. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 2002. Pp. 25-52. Schubert, Franz. Death and the Maiden. St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Patricia Kopatchinskaja, conductor. 2016. Time: 59:04. Schubert, Franz. Franz Schubert s Letters and Other Writings Ed. Otto Deutsch. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1970. 143 pp. Schubert, Franz. Streichquartett: D moll- D.810. London: Philharmonia, 1960. Pp. 60. Schubert, Franz. Quartet for 2 violins, viola, and violoncello, D minor/d Moll/Re mineur: D 810= Death and the maiden= Der Tod und das Machen.