Schoenberg Pierrot Lunaire vs Webern Bagatelles Op. 9 Voices of Modernism by Payman Akhlaghi 1999 UCLA

S ch ch oe oen be be rg rg & We be bern : Vo ic ic es es o f Mo de de rn rn is ism?

Au th th or or: Pa ym yma n Akh la la gh gh i

Gra du du at ate S tu tud ie ie s Pa pe pe r (1 99 99 9) 9)

Schoenberg’s Pierro Pierrott Lunaire Lunaire Op. 21 vs. Webern’s Six Bagatelles Bagatelles Op. 9

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Schoenberg and Webern: Voices of Modernism?

A Brief Discussion Discussion of

Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 and

Anton

eber ern n’s Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9

By: Payman Payman Akhlaghi Akhlaghi

Music 266A

Professor David Lefkowitz

Fall 1999 UCLA Final Paper

th

December 15 , 1999 Page 1 of 28

© Copyright: 1999, 2011, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights Reserved. ww.ComposerPA.com





Introduction

The primary thrust of this paper is an attempt in understanding the place of two quint quintes essen senti tiall ally y twenti twentieth eth centur century y compos composiitions tions withi within n our curr curren entt disc discuss ussiion of Modernism and according to our present conclusions in the seminar for which the paper is being being writte written. n. Yet, Yet, ther therea eaffter, ter, it also also tries tries to achi achiev evee a bette betterr unde unders rstan tandi ding ng of Moderni Modernism sm itself, tself, in the light light of these these two composi composition tions. s. Here, Here, somethi something ng should should be noted. noted. Althoug Although h at first first this this might might seem seem to sugges suggestt a basic basically ally circular circular argum argument ent in nature, I believe it is far from being so. It should be rather considered a reflection of the diale dialecti cticc relati relationsh onship ip between between the general general definiti definition on of a class class on one hand, hand, and the particular species on the other. Indeed, this has been the methodology that was adopted from the outset by the seminar, and considering the illusive and controversial nature of the subject at hand, namely Modernism, it proved to have been a quite suitable approach.

***

For the purpose of our comparative discussion in regards to Modernism in the Lunaire, Op. 21 (1912) first half of the twentieth century, Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, Page 2 of 28






and Anton Webern’s Six Bagatelles for String Quartet , Op. 9 (1911-1913; pub. 1924) seem to be excellent candidates. To begin with, both of the pieces were composed within one year, both belong to two of the three pillars of the so-called Second Viennese School, and and they were both composed composed during during a period period of close close artisti artisticc contact contact betwee between n their their respective composers. Furthermore, the sonic worlds of the two pieces manifest a sharp degree of departure from that of the music of the preceding periods. Listening to them, one can realize, without much hesitation, that they belong to our century; that they could not not have have been been writte written n in any earli earlier er peri period; od; and that that only only our cent centur ury y, with with all all its extremes of tension and liberation could have justified their understanding, or even their existence in the first place. Still, the two pieces could not have been more distant from each other. While Pierrot, a rather extroverted setting of 21 selected poems, unfolds patiently, stretching around 35 minutes, the Bagatelles manifest a high degree of introspection and an utmost level of brevity, brevity, lasting lasting for approximately approximately 4 minutes. minutes. While the world of Pierrot of Pierrot is is in part justifie justified d by the content content of the words, the Bagatelles have to stand stand for themselves, themselves, with no evident extra musical context to assist them in this task. Even while both compositions employ an “atonal” style, or preferably, language, the differences between their stylistic characteri characteristics stics are enough to endow each of them with a unique unique pitch-worl pitch-world d of their own. And yet, Pierrot and the Bagatelles are unmistakenably two daring manifestation of an early twentieth century cherished idealism in regards to the notions of progress and originality in music, shared by both composers, finding uniquely personal expressions in the case of each individual.

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* Pierrot Lunaire, Lunaire, Op. 21 (1912)

Foreword:

In 1912, Schoenberg undertook a commission from an actress named Albertine Zehm Zehme, e, to com compose pose “a set set of melodr elodram amas as that that she she could could perf perform in her her music usicall ally y Pierrot Lunaire Lunaire, about accompan accompanie ied d poetry poetry recitals recitals.” .” (Lustig (Lustig)) The resul resultt was Pierrot about whic which h Pierre Boulez has said, “The ambiguities that [ Pierrot [ Pierrot lunaire] lunaire] contains and Schoenberg’s bold bold idea idea about about the relati relationsh onship ip between between words words and and music music repres represent ent an inexha inexhausti ustible ble wells wellspri pring ng for the future future…Th …Thee name name of Schoenb Schoenberg erg remain remainss identi identifi fied ed with with Pierrot Lunaire.” Lunaire.” (Quoted in Watkins’) In 1942, as part of a harsh reply to a masters' student at UCLA UCLA who had had only asked asked Schoenb Schoenberg erg about about his his creden credential tials, s, he identi identifi fied ed himse himself lf as “the composer of Pierrot Lunaire and other works which have changed the history of music…” (H. C. Schoenberg) About Pierrot, H. C. Schoenberg says, “ Pierrot Lunaire is a magical and evocative score that inhabits a ghostly, miniature, imagery-ridden world full of blood symbolism. Today it is recognized as being as seminal a work as Le Sacre du Printemps, Printemps, Joyce’s Ulysses, Ulysses, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, d’Avignon, and the reasoning that led to E=mc².” (H. C. Schoenberg) Along with Harmonielehre, Harmonielehre, which had been published a year earlier, Pierrot was the first first of Schoenberg’s Schoenberg’s compositions compositions to gain him the approval of both the public public and a nd the influential circles of the musical world. Its importance was immediately known to the listeners, a fact that the composer too was well aware of. Perhaps, Prof. Roger Bourland Page 4 of 28






once best summed it all, saying, “I love Pierrot Pierrot Lunaire: Lunaire: there is no other piece that sounds like it.” (class address, 1997)

Background and Evaluation

Pier Pierro rott was was one one of the the sever several al estab establi lish shed ed chara characte cters rs of the the French rench comedia dell’arte, dell’arte, itself itself having its or igins igins in the mid-six mid-sixteenth teenth century Italy. Italy. (For a more thorough study of the evolution of Pierrot see Watkins, pp. 183-185.) Many poets and composers had had alre already ady been been attra attract cted ed to this this pale pale and and melan melanch choli olicc person personag age, e, Boudl Boudlai aire re and and Debussy among them. In 1884, Albert Giraud published a cycle of 50 poems on Pierrot, which soon Bergamesque.. Schoenberg selected 21 of these poems in their inspired Debussy’s Suite Bergamesque German translation by Otto Erich Harleben, dividing them into three groups of seven, and scori scoring ng the work for five five solo solo instr instrumen umentali talists sts playi playing ng eight eight instr instrume uments nts (the (the piano, piano, flute/ flute/pi piccol ccolo, o, clari clarine net/th t/thee bass bass clarin clarinet, et, violi violin/vi n/viola, ola, and cello), cello), besid besides es a [female [female]] “sing singer er”, ”, who who

has to “speak peak-s -siing” ng” the the Sprechstimme vocal ocal line. Whil hile the the

instr instrume umenta ntati tion, on, in part, part, refle reflected cted some some of the economi economicc conside considerati rations ons rooted rooted in the cabare cabarett music, usic, itself tself exerted exerted an immens immensee aestheti aestheticc indivi individual dualiity on the piece, piece, which which further influenced the future course of writing for the chamber ensembles. On the other hand, hand, this this was also also a continua continuation tion o f Schoenb Schoenberg’ erg’ss consci conscious ous attempts attempts in employin employing g altern alternativ ativee instrum instrumental ental combin combinati ations, ons, which which had earlie earlierr culmin culminated ated in the Chamber Symphony, Symphony, Op. 9.

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Yet it was the large large-sc -scale ale introdu introducti ction on of the Sprechstimme, Sprechstimme, Sprechgesang, Sprechgesang, or “speak-singing”, into the world of music that remains the most striking aspect of Pierrot. of Pierrot. In this vocal technique, the vocalist only approximates the given pitches, while being rhythmically precise. In effect, the notation mostly indicates the contour of the vocal line and the slope of its relative rises and falls, at times exploring the extremes of the vocal range. The overall result is a mid-way between singing and speaking, or one could say, declama declamation tion in an exagge exaggerate rated d and control controlle led d manne manner, r, tangen tangentt to singi singing. ng. From From the outs outset et,, Scho Schoen enbe berg rg’s ’s idea of this this techni techniqu quee was very very clea clear, r, as can be seen seen from from his his foreword to the score of Pierrot of Pierrot . In Pierrot , the Sprechstimme “pitches” are marked by an Aron, the “x” would replace the “x” sign on the stems of the notes. (Later, in Moses und Aron, note heads while the Sprechstimme would find further philosophical significance.) Schoenberg’ Schoenberg’ss application application of o f the Sprechstimme was remark remarkably ably origin original al.. Even considering the often mentioned reminder about a similar passage in a lesser known work of Humperdinck, does not necessarily nullify the claim on the originality of Schoenberg’s invention; the counterexample seems to be too obscure and too isolated to have been able to exert exert a lastin asting g infl influen uence. ce. In Pierrot , Sprechstimme is not a mere ere acces accesso sory ry,, but but a constructi constructive ve element of the sonic structure of the entire entire work. The instrum instrumental ental ensemble of Pierrot is not mere accompaniment to the voice, it interacts and interweaves with it, and together, they create a coherent sonic fabric. The above emphasis on the originality of Schoenberg’s idea, however, does not inhibit us of finding possible evolutionary paths that could have led to the Sprechstimme Style of Pierrot, besides that asserted by the composer himself in some of his writings ((Style and Idea). Idea). Among the preceding works of Schoenberg, the melodic lines of Erwartung of Erwartung Page 6 of 28






(190 (1909) 9) come come close close to sugg sugges estt that that gest gestat atiional onal stage stage of the the Sprechstimme. Sprechstimme. Watkin Watkinss reminds us of the tradition of poetry declamation which was at vogue in the Viennese cabarets of the time. One could even examine the path of operatic recitative as “sung” conve conversa rsati tion on,, and its futur futuree evolv evolvem emen entt into into the the purel purely y spoke spoken n words words in Mozar Mozart’ t’ss German operas, as early signs of the need and the search for a middle ground between conversation and singing. And still, one realizes that these hypothetical genealogies can not come close to disqualifying Pierrot ’s ’s Sprechstimme from from being being called a truly original original invention, invention, simply because because the slope o f its departure from the preceding preceding traditions traditions of vocal writing is sharp enough to mark it as a revolutionary point in the mostly evolutionary context of the history of music.

***

By the time of Pierrot, Schoenberg had already discovered a personal “tonal” style, which was to be coined as “atonalism”, a term which was disliked by Schoenberg himself. At the heart of this style (language?) lied what he called the “emancipation f diss disson onan ance” ce”,, a refer referen ence ce to “the the compr compreh ehens ensib ibil iliity of diss disson onanc ance” e”:: treati treating ng the the dissonances equally as the consonances, and “renouncing a tonal center.” Schoenberg traces the origins of this style to 1908, to the works of himself, and later, that of Webern and Berg (H. C. Schoenberg, Schoenberg, pp. 567-568). I call this style of composition essentially “centrifugal”. Generally speaking, in the preceding tonal periods, all the pitches in the compositional palette of a given piece were were conceiv conceived ed and defin defined ed in terms of the intens intensiity of their their “pull “pull”” toward toward the tonal Page 7 of 28






center. Even in the so-called period of the“extended tonality” (possibly, a term which was first used by Schoenberg, referring to the late-romantic style, specially that of Wagner), part of the driving force of the compositions is derived from the rapid shift of an illusive tonal center, which still, at any given moment, would define and re-define other pitches in relationship to itself. I say that in contrast, in the early atonal compositions, the pitches are defined by “negation”, by the degree of their pull from a center, rather than their attraction toward it. Such a way of thinking about this style of music might help to better understand the followi ollowing ng perpl perplexi exing ng passa passage, ge, found ound in My Evolu Evoluti tion on (Styl Stylee and and Idea Idea,, p. 86): “…In my Harmonielehre (1911), I maintained that the future would certainly certainly prove that a centralizing centralizing power comparable comparable to the gravitation gravitation exerted by the root Two Songs Op. 14, Hanging Hanging Gardens Gardens,, Three Piano is still operative in these pieces [[Two Pieces Op. 11].” Let’s consider the first five measures of Pierrot of Pierrot (ex. (ex. 1):

Example 1: Moondrunk , measures 1-5

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The instrumental lines consist of 10 out of the 12 chromatic pitches, none repeated or doubled, except for the F# which is common between the flute and the violin parts. While a separate route of study could discuss the passage as a precursor to the up-coming 12tone method, here it would be enough to note that its organizational logic is primarily governed by a tendency toward escaping away from a uniquely identifiable central pitch. Alternatively, however, one could argue that the piano spells an augmented C triad and a C#°9 successively, while the violin and the flute spell a D#° triad, superimposed on the piano’s arpeggiated harmony (with the Bb being considered as a neighboring tone.)Even if that were indeed the origin of the selection of these pitches, it should be noted that the mere mere identi identifi ficati cation on of certain certain elements elements of the tonal vocabula vocabulary ry in isola isolation tion does not necessarily mean that the composition as a whole could be understood within a tonal context. Furthermore, even from this point of view, two facts could be clearly observed; first, that the choice of three distant roots (C, C#, and D#) makes the establishment of a single audible tonic extremely difficult; second, that the cited tonal vocabulary, i.e. the augmented triad and the diminished chords, are themselves notorious in the tonal arena for their their tonal tonal ambigui ambiguity. ty. In short, short, despit despitee the prese presence nce of certain certain identi identifi fiabl ablee tonal elemen elements, ts, and and even if they were interp interprete reted d as tonall tonally y audible audible pitch pitch aggreg aggregates ates,, the passage evidently displays a clear “renouncement” of a certain pitch as the tonic. The entrance of the Sprechstimme in the second measure only adds another layer of tonal obscurity to the passage. The The openi opening ng stra strategy tegy of “Moondrunk ” remain remainss consi consiste stent nt through throughout out the first first number, and indeed, throughout the entire Pierrot . This essentially melodic passage also paves the way for the upcoming dissonant harmonies in the rest of the piece. Major and Page 9 of 28






minor seconds and sevenths, as well as tritones, are part of the prevalent constitutional elements of Pierrot of Pierrot (ex. (ex. 2):

Example 2: Valse de Chopin, Chopin, measures 5-7

The parallel motion of the resultant harmonies is also ubiquitous (ex. 3; see also the piano part of Columbine of Columbine,, measures 33-37):

Example 3: The Dandy, Dandy, measure 3

It seem eems that that “eman emanci cipa pati tion on of diss disson onan ance ce”” is the the most ost radi radica call of all all of the the six six emancipations in Pierrot . Rhythm too has received special treatment. To begin with, in this 1912 score, one does not have to painfully excavate in search of the traces of a contrasting metric change or the presence of composite meters, the way that it had been required, say, up until the lat lat decade decade of the ninete nineteent enth h century century.. For exampl example, e, Moondrunk is partially partially organized organized Page 10 of 28






around the alternation of 2/4 and 3/4 meters. More subtly, however, one can realize how the sense of meter is disrupted in many of the movements, such as in Moondrunk , Valse de Chopin, Chopin, or The Sick Moon, Moon, despite the usage of metered notation. This is primarily a result of the extended phrases, irregularly placed subdivisions, misplaced accents, and the overall interaction of the lines. Unlike the bold results of the rhythmic emancipation in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spri Spring ng , Pierrot deliver deliverss smoothl smoothly y flowin flowing g lines lines,, which which are alm almost ost libe libera rated ted from the meter meter (not (not the the pulse pulse), ), and and the the effe effect ct of whic which h is quite quite in accordance with the surreal atmosphere of the work. No. 4, Valse de Chopin, is a good example of such an effect. The piece is rather like the reflection of a waltz on the rippling surface of the world of Pierrot , rather than a precise rendition of a waltz. By any measure, it is completely odd for a waltz to begin on the second beat of the measure (ex. 4):

Example 4: Valse de Chopin, Chopin, measure 1

The contrasting length of the simultaneous phrases adds more to the ambiguity of meter (ex. 5 and 6):

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Exmple 5: Valse de Chopin, Chopin, measures 2-4

Chopin, measues 6-8 Example 6: Valse de Chopin,

The phrases start and end mostly irrelevant of the meter (ex. 7):

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The metric ambiguity is further enhanced by the interaction of the Sprechstimme.

*** Formal Formal Strategies Strategies in Pierrot Pierrot

At least during this period, Schoenberg’s pace of composition was generally fast, and Pierrot was not an exception. In Style and Idea (p. 55) we read: “…Several times, I Pierrot Lunaire[…] Lunaire[…]in wrot wrotee two two or thre threee piec pieces es of Pierrot in one day.” day.” Thus, Thus, it might might seem seem plaus plausib ible le to maint aintai ain n that that Pierrot was was thro throug ughh-com compo pose sed, d, more ore or less ess the the way Erwartung had Erwartung had been composed in 21 days. This could imply that the unifying elements of Pierrot are Pierrot are at minimum. However, a close examination of the score seems to suggest the contrary. While tonality is mostly gone, some new or traditional means of coherence have been employed systematically, although some of them might not be conspicuous on the early hearings.

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The first of such means is the motivic relationship. Let’s recall ex. 1, the opening passage of the first movement, Moondrunk . Rhythmically, the piano passage is composed of two main main groups, “a” and “b”, “b”, and their combination, combination, “c” (Ex. 8a):

Example 8a: Extracted rhythmic motives from the opening of Pierrot of Pierrot Lunaire

The violin presents an augmented version version o f “a” (Ex. 8b):

Example 8b: Augmentation of the rhythmic motive (a)

These two motives appear recurrently throughout other movements, as well (ex. 9, and 10):

Example 9: The Dandy, Dandy, measures 3-5

Example 10: Valse de chopin, chopin, measure 13 Page 14 of 28






Furth Furtherm ermore, ore, the overall overall contour contour of the opening opening passage passage is also reflec reflected ted in the later later occurrences of the motivic phrase, either directly (ex. 11, and 12), or in inverted form (ex. 13):

Dandy, measures 15-16 Example 11: The Dandy,



The motive can also be found as an isolated rhythm with contrasting articulations (ex. 14):

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On the other hand, the prevalence of the dissonant sonorities has given the piece anoth another er level evel of cohesi cohesion. on. On a large largerr scope scope,, certa certain in tradi traditi tional onal forms orms have have been been employed. No. 8, Night , is a true passacaglia, passacaglia, as its subtitle claims. And Valse de Chopin is at least reminiscent of a waltz. Besides the above, some other means of unity and contrast, at times traditional ones, are freely employed. The melodic ideas are quite often fragmented and sequenced (ex. 15), at least with contour preservation, and the opening passage too has been treated as such recurrently:

Example 15:

oondrunk , measures 26-28

There also seems a tendency toward the achievement of coherence by the means of intervallic motives. The opening m3rd interval of the violin has been found by scholars to be a major element in Pierrot (Watkins). I also find a pre-occupation with certain Page 16 of 28






symmetrical motivic structures to be present. The augmented and diminished sonorities of the opening passage are known to be symmetrical. Also consider the following passage played by the flute (ex. 16):

Example 16:

oondrunk , measures 37-38

At first, the choice of the pitches for the flute seems to be perplexing. Upon a possible par parsi sing ng of the the passa passage, ge, howev however er,, we coul could find find thre threee consp conspic icuou uouss fragm ragmen ents ts of essentially symmetrical intervallic structure (ex. 17):

Example 17: Symmetrical pitch-aggregates in Moondrunk , measures 37-38

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Even if this is considered to be too much reading into the passage, the sense of the balance balance of the contour in this passage, and in e ffect, ffect, in the entire piece, cannot be denied. Besides the repetition of the motivic figures, or merely their contour, intact or inverted, contrary motion of the parts in, at times chromatic steps, is present. In addition, rhythmic diminution and augmentation are not limited to the treatment of the opening passage. The instrumentation too contributes to the overall coherence of the work. The very fact that all o f the instrum instruments ents never appear together in any o f the movements movements except in the last one suggests a dramatic organization which assists the forward motion of the entire composition. Most of the time, the instruments are required to play within their normal ranges, and few extended techniques can be found throughout the work, although the piece is not devoid devoid of subtle subtle applica application tion of such technique techniques. s. (One (One such occasi occasion appears in the measure 28 of The Dandy, where the piano non ped is asked to play a “sil “silen ent” t” chord chord,, bel below whic which h a mel melodic odic passa passage ge will will reso resona nate te the the overt overtone oness of the undamped strings.) On the other extreme, The Sick Moon is only scored for voice and flute, giving the movement an extremely meditative mood. The poems themselves play a major role in the general coherence of the piece, as well. All 21 of them are in 13-line rondeau form, in which the verses have the following repetitive pattern:

A

______

B

_______

______ _____ _____

A B

_______ _______ _______

A Page 18 of 28






Schoenb Schoenberg’ erg’ss selecti selection on and organiz organizati ation on of the poems poems also also sugges suggestt a linea linearr dramati dramaticc development in itself, while the general melancholic mood of all the poems determines the overall atmosphere of the work in its entirety. And And above above all, all, the the unique unique soun sound d of the the Sprechstimme connec connects ts the separa separate te movements to each other, like a thread through the beads.

*** Conclusion :

Based on the above discussion, the musical world of Pierrot of Pierrot Lunaire seems to demonstrate strongly three of the emancipations, which have been under discussion in our seminar, namely the emancipation of dissonance (seen for example in the treatment of parallel dissonances), sonority, and timbre (mainly represented by the Sprechstimme, Sprechstimme, and to some some degree, by the instrumen instrumentation tation.) .) In regards to overal o veralll sonority, sonority, Pierrot seems th

to be the first convincing outcome of the early 20 century atonalism. The case for the other three emancipations needs some supporting argument. At first, the fact that Pierrot ’s ’s textural technique technique is essentially essentially an extension extension of o f the tradition traditional al German polyphony makes it hard to defend the emancipation of texture in Pierrot. But considering the combined effect of the musical elements, the textural fabric is actually heard as a strikingly fresh and innovative one, which is a clear hint to the emancipation of texture in this piece. This is by a large extent due to the interaction of the Sprechstimme with the instrumental lines, as well.

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The emancipation of rhythm, however, although subtly present, does not equally match the boldness of the first three emancipations. And perhaps because of the limitations, which are imposed by the demands of the text, the form of the piece seems to be less adventurous of all. Also, the fact that Pierrot ’s ’s soni sonicc worl world is in maj major part part justif ustifie ied d by the the conten contentt of the the words words does does only only furth further er complicate the case. Still, Pierrot seems seems to claim claim a unique unique emancip emancipati ation, on, which which rightly rightly and almost exclusively belongs to it: the revolutionary introduction of a new musical genre. Not since the culmination of the genre of symphony in the early 1800’s, or at least, not Gretel ) in the later part of the since since the introducti introduction on of the German Singspiel Singspiel ( Hansel und Gretel nineteenth century any boldly original genre had been introduced to the musical world. Oddly enough e nough,, Pierrot itself also achieved the culmination of its own genre, due to the rare comprehensibility of its conception.

********

* Six Bagatelles for the String Quartet , Op. 9 (1911-1913; pub. 1924)

A comparably detailed study of the Bagatelles is out of the purpose and scope of the present paper. Hence, I contend contend with a mere mere brief disc d iscussi ussion on of this work.

Background

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By 1911, Webern Webern,, who had had already already begun his his studi studies with with Schoenb Schoenberg erg,, was deve develloping oping a uniqu uniquely ely pers persona onall style style of compos composiition, tion, quite quite disti distinc nctt from the the latelateromanticism of his first compositional period. Three Pieces for the String Quartet were composed in this year, and 4 other such short pieces were followed in 1913. In 1924, the middle movement of the 1911 cycle, the only one which contained words and voice, was omitted, and the first and the third movements of the cycle, slightly modified, bracketed the 1913 cycle. cycle. The resul resulting ting Bagatelles, Op. Op. 9, were were thus thus publi publishe shed, d, with with a rath rather er romantic foreword by Schoenberg, in which he had emphasized the brevity of the pieces, and their independence from extra musical context. (For an English translation of the Idea, p. 483.) foreword, see Style and Idea,

Evaluation

The first striking aspect of the Bagatelles is their extreme brevity, both aurally and visually. Each movement is deliberately laid out in one single page, and the total per perfforman ormance ce time time of the cycl cyclee is less less than than 4 minu minutes tes.. Howev However er,, despi despite te thei theirr short short durations, each movement demonstrates a maximum degree of musical density. As in the case of Schoenberg, the precision of tempo, dynamic and articulation markings has been given the utmost care, while here, the presence of so many markings in a relatively short span span of time, time, brings brings each piece to a pointi pointilli llisti sticc exacti exactitude tude.. Even Even the technique technique with with whic which h each each “phras phrase” e” or even even each each singl singlee pitch pitch has has to be soun sounde ded d (arco, (arco, staccato, staccato, pizzicato, spiccato, sul punticello, sul tasto, etc.) is clearly marked. Special sonic effects are achieved through cross-voicing cross-voicing (the cello sounding sounding above the viola, viola, etc), the extended extended Page 21 of 28






use of harmonics (both natural and artificial), at times combined with the sul punticello punticello tremolando effect effect with, comman command, d, further urther enhance enhanced d by a tremolando with, say, say, a pp dynami dynamic. c. Such a crystalli crystalline ne organization organization elevates each pitch and each pitch aggregate aggregate to an unprecedented unprecedented syntactical, or perhaps even semantical, significance. Besides, the quick linear change of the timbre results in what Schoenberg had [?] coined in his 1911 Harmonielehre as the Klangfarbenmelodie, Klangfarbenmelodie, or “tone-color melody”, i.e. a melody of timbres. The pitch selection of the Bagatelles is as equally precise and detailed. Overall speaking, they employ an “atonal” style (language?) as the vehicle of their expression. But Webern’s Webern’s stylis stylistic tic personali personality ty remains remains completely completely distinct from, from, say, Schenberg’s Pierrot . With With a certa certain in degree degree of comprom compromis ise, e, it can can be seen seen that that each each movemen ovementt is deve develloped oped out of a centra centrall mel melodic odic idea, idea, or a “cell “cell”, ”, whic which h provi provides des the the essen essenti tial al interv intervall allic ic conten contentt of each movement. ovement. Thereaf Thereafter, ter, some some of the melodic melodic and harmon harmonic ic pot poten enti tial alss of the the cell cell are are expl explor ored ed,, whil whilee the the cel cell itsel tselff goes goes thro throug ugh h cert certai ain n transformations, such as intervallic augmentation or diminution, transposition, inversion, retrograde, and their possible combinations. Besides, Webern’s compositional technique comes comes extre extrem mely close close to what what I call call “thre threee-di dime mens nsiional compos composiition” tion”,, wher wheree the the traditional ideas of melody and harmony give way to a simultaneous and equal treatment of the entire span of the musical space. Furthermore, because of the one-page layout of each movement and their temporal brevity, it also becomes possible to view them as essentially spatial compositions, where each given point of time finds a simultaneous refe referen rence ce to both both the the future uture and and the the past. past. (I admi admitt that that the the latter atter poin pointt coul could be an extremely subjective perception.)

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The Bagatelles have ave littl ttle to do with with trad tradiition tion.. In rega regard rdss to thei their r instrumentation, they sharply depart from their contemporarily revered tradition of the wri writin ting for the the stri tring quar quarte tet. t. In oth other word wordss, exce except pt for the the mere ere choi choice ce of the the combination, their timbral world is quite original. The Bagatelles indeed discover some of the, until then, unknown potentials of the quartet writing. Here, as in the case of Pierrto of Pierrto,, or perhaps even more so, a subtle emancipation of rhythm is present, resulting in a free sense of metric flow. While, again, the movements are notated in the traditional metric style, the relative lack of standard phrase structures, and the misplacement of other factors which contribute to a sense of rhythm (dynamics, accents, even timbral effects) disrupts a regulated sense of time. Put another way, the “events” are organized along the time axis with much more complexity than the given meters suggest. In terms terms of thei theirr nonnon-re repe peti titiv tivee forms, orms, the the Bagatelles are possibl possibly y withou withoutt precedent precedent in the history of classical classical music. (One could counter with the Emfindsamkeit of rococo; but upon further the rococo; urther examin examinati ation, on, it seems seems evident evident that that the meaning eaning of nonnonrepetition in the Bagatelles is a quite distinct one.)And in regards to their sheer brevity, only some of the shorter Chopin Preludes (Op. 28) come to mind. mind. Besides, in co mparison mparison with Pierrot , they venture to justify their musical world without the assistance of any (verbal) extra musical context. The texture of the Bagatelles is also equally unique and original. If we were set to trace the origins of pointillism in the twentieth century music, these would surely be suitable contenders.

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And clearly, the emancipations of dissonance and sonority are the most evident evident of o f all of the six emancipations emancipations in the Bagatelles. ****

Overall Conclusion

Both Pierrot Lunaire and the Bagatelles are unmistakenably true voices of the earl early y twent twentie ieth th century century,, and and beca because use of the the many many face facets ts of thei theirr groun ground-b d-bre reaki aking ng originality, each of them deserves to be given an appropriate niche in the pantheon of Modernism, Modernism, even though it must must be according to differen differentt definiti definitions. ons. The Bagatelles have this clear advantage that because of the absence of a conspicuous extra-musical elements in their conception (such as a text), they can better fit into the hard definition of Modernism, on the grounds of their self-sufficiency. This is besides the fact that in the genealogy of the twentieth century Modernism, the lineage to the mid-century serialism is now collectively believed to pass through Webern, thanks in major part to the polemic efforts of Pierre Boulez. Pierrot , however, does not allow for such a definition to be applied to it, at least, because of the important role of verbal content in the composition, and also because of the clear evidence evidence of traditional traditional “residues”, “residues”, as could be seen in the detailed detailed analysis analysis of its form and its employment of contrapuntal techniques, among others. Pierrot seems to be too deeply reliant on the outside to qualify for the criterion of self-sufficiency. Even so, Pierrot can certainly pass as a truly Modern piece, according to the second group of the Prof. Lefkowitz’ definitions, considering its boldly original innovations. Page 24 of 28






****** Afterwords

Still, for a piece with the stature and the origianlity of Pierrot , I find it a rather undesired compromise, as if we have mercifully granted it a secondary path to the shrine of Modernism. The problem of Pierrot of Pierrot poses one side of dilemma with which I am faced. On the other hand I am concerned about the shared traits of Modernism in the musical periods th

bef before ore the the twent twentie ieth th centur century y. I have have often often found ound the the 4 movement ovement of Beethov Beethoven’s en’s Consecration of the House, House, titled The Dance of the Dervishes, Dervishes, a remarkable illustration. oeuvre, the movement stands for me as A radically distinct sound within the composer’s oeuvre, a testament to the fact that, all being equal, the only limiting element on the road of the creative artist’s imagination is the problem of justification. When Beethoven found an opportunity for “exoticism” in music, he employed a wilder side of his musical fantasy, something he might have normally refrained to do. This limitation is a result of what I call “the paradox of the creative artist”. The artist is expected to deliver something new, while the thing should not be so new that cannot be understood. In short, the existence of his/her creations depends on the extent of their justifiability. Besides I have also often thought of Bach’s Three-Part Invention in Fm as an extrem extremely ely self-s self-suffi ufficien cientt composi composition tion,, despi despite te its clear clear tonal associ associati ations ons.. To put put it briefly, it seems that in this piece, the motivic development supercedes the tonal language as the means means of o f coherence. coherence. Page 25 of 28






Thus Thus,, can we say o f thes thesee two rem remote compos composiitions tions (and (and thei theirr respe respecti ctive ve compos composer ers) s) to be Moder Modern? n? If so, so, shoul shouldn dn’t ’t we re-d re-def efin inee Moder Moderni nism sm,, so that that our definition can accurately be applied to everything that is truly modern? Margi Margina nall lly, y, let’s et’s not forget orget that that the the exis existen tence ce and and unde unders rstan tandi ding ng of many tradit traditiions of the twentie twentieth th century century musical usical innovati innovations ons is itself tself consis consistentl tently y being being justified by the powerful context of “the paradigm of Modernism”, a fact, which is so subtle that, is normally neglected. Thus, at this point of my inquiries, in an attempt to answering the aforementioned dilemm dilemma, a, I presen presentt the follow followin ing g rather rather crude crude defini definition tion,, which which tries tries to unders understan tand d Moder oderni nism sm in

gene genera rall,

and and

the the

twen twenti tiet eth h

cen century tury Moder oderni nism sm in

I think modernism can be viewed as the isolated conc concen entr trat atio ion n on the the enha enhanc ncem emen entt of pu purrely ely musical elements, resulting in the expansion of the vocabulary ary

and

the

syntax

of

musi usic,

and

ultim ultimate ately ly leadi leading ng to a higher higher order order of music musical al semantics, in a justifiable manner.

The 20

th

century Modernism, in particular, while

fitt fittin ing g with within in this this gene generral schem scheme, e, is fur further ther distinguished from the Modernism of the past in that that it has has alm almost ost cons consis iste tent ntly ly mani manife fest sted ed the the highe highest st degre degreee yet of such such focu focuse sed d orien orientat tation ion Page 26 of 28


part partiicul cular: ar:




amongst the individual composers, unprecedented throug thr oughou houtt the histor history y of musi musicc in ter terms ms of its inte intens nsit ity, y, spec specif ifit ity, y, the the rate rate of prog progrress, ess, self self-awareness, the extent of its diversity and freedom, and its wide-spread wide-spread demographic demographic prevalence. prevalence.

***

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Bibliography

Scores:

21; 1914, Universal Schoenberg, Arnold: Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21; Webern, Anton: Sechs Bagatelles für Streichquar Streichquartet, tet, Op. 9; 1924, 1924, Universal Universal

Recordings :

Webern’s Webern’s Works for String Quartet: Quartet: Emerson Quartet; 1995; DG Pierrot Lunaire: Lunaire: Peter Eötvös, Phylis Byrn-Julson, Ensemble Modern, 1993, RCA

Sources:

Griffith, Paul: Jacket notes to the Webern recording Lustig, Roger L.: Jacket notes to the Schoenberg recording Idea, editor Leonard Stein; 1975, UC Press Schoenberg, Arnold: Style and Idea, Schonberg, H. C.: The Lives of the Great Composers, Composers, Norton 1970 st

Watkins, Glenn: Soundings; Music in the Twentieth Century, 1 ed ., ., Schirmer Books, 1995.

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Schoenberg Pierrot Lunaire vs Webern Bagatelles Op. 9 Voices of Modernism by Payman Akhlaghi 1999 UCLA

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