LEIBOWITZ, RENE, ALBAN BERG'S FIVE ORCHESTRA SONGS, OP. 4,, Musical Quarterly, 34:4 (1948:0ct,) Extracted from PCI Full Text, published by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. ALBAN BERG’S FIVE ORCHESTRAL SONGS AFTER POSTCARD TEXTS BY PETER ALTENBERG, OP. 4 By RENE LEIBOWITZ HIS score is not only one of Berg's most extraordinary works but also perhaps one of the strangest compositions in contem- porary music. Written in 1912, it is the first “independent” work by Berg, since the preceding composition, the String Quartet, Op. 3 (1910), was done under the supervision of Schoenberg.’ At the be- ginning of 1913 Schoenberg, who had decided to have some works by ‘Webern and Berg performed, organized a concert which took place, under his direction, on March 31 under the auspices of the Akadem- ischer Verband fiir Literatur und Musik of Vienna. The program was to consist of Webern's Six Pieces for large orchestra, Op. 6, Schoen- berg's Kammersymphonie, Op. 9, some of Zemlinsky’s songs, Nos. 2 and 4 of Berg's Op. 4, and Mahler's Kindertotenlieder. Even while the first two works were played there were all sorts of hostile demon- strations; during the performance of Berg's songs there was such a commotion that the music could hardly be heard. The concert finally ended up with the participants in the police court. The Berg songs— unpublished up to now (except for the last one, which was printed in a small periodical that did not survive a few issues)—have never been performed since. Such anecdotes as this would no doubt be unnecessary within the framework of this study if the “scandalous” nature of the occurrence were not associated with elements inherent in the work itself. To tell the truth it was unavoidable that such a work should rouse the oppo- sition to a state of frenzy at that time, For, in its very essence, Berg’s Op. 4 isa “scandalous” work. ‘The first piece of evidence in support of this thesis is furnished by Berg's choice of text. The poet Peter Altenberg (Richard *For more details on the following and on Berg in general, sce Egon Welles, Amold Schoenberg, Vienna, 1921: Willy Reich, Afdan Berg, Vienna, 1937; and R. Leibowitz, Sehoenberg et son Ecole, Paris, 947 487 and Learning Company488 The Musical Quarterly Englinder), who lived just outside of Vienna, sent his friends and enemies postcards covered with his impetuous and frantic scrawl, in which he presented all sorts of non-conformist ideas and erotic allu- sions in the form of aphorisms. Of course, it goes without saying that Berg chose such texts not because they would shock people, but because they corresponded to the artistic and compositional needs of the inner structure of a work that is in itself “shocking”. In order to understand this statement, we must try to discover the place of these songs in Berg’s entire oeuvre as well as their relation to the musical trends that produced them. ‘The songs were written in 1912, that is to say some four years after Schoenberg had begun writing music that completely trans- cended the classic tonal functions? a bold innovation in which he was closely followed by Webern and Berg.* Berg’s first experience of this kind takes place in the last of the four songs for voice and piano, Op. 2, composed in 1909. In this song, Berg not only trans- cends tonality, but also transgresses the limits of the song itself. In fact, certain elements of this piece tend to destroy the traditional Lied form, and foreshadow the dramatic achievements of the future author of Wozzeck and Lulu. One is tempted to suppose that Berg wished to signalize the act of shaking off the shackles of tonality by a real gesture of revolt, by writing something “scandalous”. This explanation is doubtless not without its basis but it is incomplete. It is strange to contrast this attitude with the fact that one of Berg’s chief aims was to consolidate the new discoveries of his master with the traditions of the past. We may now conclude that Berg becomes bolder and more traditional at the same time. Thus the shocking element in each of Berg's new works lies precisely in his paradoxical dialectics: when he seems to be destroying and denying all tradition, he is actually organizing, consolidating, and confirming it. We shall have further occasion to convince ourselves of this. 27The last movement of the Second Quartet in F-sharp minor, Op. 10 (1908), the “Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11 (1908), the Fifteen Georgelieder, Op. 15 (A908), the Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16 (1909), the two dramatic works, Erwartung, Op. 17. (1909) and Die Glitckliche Hand, Op. 18 (1909-13), the Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19 (1911), land the tong, Heragewilchse, Op. 20 (1911). 2! The following works of Webern transcend the principles of tonality a this period: the two sets of songs with piano accompaniment Opp. 3 and 4 (1909). Five Movements for String Quartet, Op. 5 (1909), Six Orchestral Picees, Op. 6 (gto), Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 7 (4910), and Two Songs for voice and instruments, Op. 8 (gta). Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg From a painting by Franz Rederer (Courtesy of Hertha Glate Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company PressAlban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 489 ‘The second stage of the suspension of tonal functions is found in the String Quartet, Op. 3. Here the form itself necessitated a less aggressive attitude; Berg had to devote his principal efforts to the realization of the large symphonic form without the aid of tonality. Up to a certain point, this Quartet is still the work of a pupil, not because it was composed under the strict and minute supervision of Schoenberg—in fact, the Quartet and the works that preceded it already display an exceptional mastery in which there is nothing of the school exercise—, but because one still feels in it a certain prud- ence, the deliberation of a composer who is developing for himself a technique that is capable of encompassing all problems and that will later permit him to indulge in the most audacious innovations. ‘This audacity strikes us in the songs of Op. 4. Berg's delight in his newly gained artistic freedom found free play in this first com- pletely independent work. Also, the enthusiasm generated by his familiarity with the resources of the new world of sound, free of tonal reminiscences, achieved full expression here. Berg's deep conviction‘ that, at the age of 27, he was master of his craft, as well as his con- sciousness of having wholeheartedly committed himself to the new evolution of polyphony—all this brought him profound satisfaction. So there is no reason to be surprised at the violent explosion of so much strength, joy, and enthusiasm in this music, and it is hardly surprising that such an explosion shocked and scandalized the average listener, who was far from understanding the ideals and goals of the activity of Schoenberg, Webern, and Berg—ideals and goals that were responsible for one of the most passionately experienced moments in musical history. But there are still other aspects from which we must examine the significance of the five songs in Berg's own development and in the general history of polyphony. Let us first consider the instrumental problems. Up to now Berg had composed a piano work (the Sonata, Op. 1, 1908), songs with piano accompaniment (the abovementioned songs, Op. 2, as well as the Seven Early Songs of 1905-07) and a chamber work (the String Quartet, Op. 3). In all these the instrumental style, without being exactly “revolutionary”, takes advantage of certain recent technical acquisitions; this is especially evident in Berg's keen awareness of the diversity of treatment required by these different media as well as, ‘Expressed in a letter to Webern, Sept. 28,1911 Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (¢) Oxford University Press490 The Musical Quarterly in his exploitation of the individual properties of the instruments.* But he had not yet written an orchestral work; and it was pre- cisely in orchestral style that Schoenberg had just introduced some of his most daring innovations, in the Five Pieces, Op. 16, and in Erwartung. This sufficiently explains why Berg’s first work to use an orchestra (the songs under consideration), which displays the pro- found influence of the two Schoenberg compositions just mentioned, was not only the most daring one the young master had composed up to then, but was to remain one of the most daring works in his entire output. Our analysis will take account of all these factors, but even now we may say that it is the boldness of the orchestral conception of Berg’s Op. 4 that constitutes what is perhaps the most shocking aspect of the work. ‘We have just said that this work is Berg's first orchestral score; but it is more than that since it consists of songs. Quite aside from the fact that Berg’s choice of songs for his first orchestral work is indic- ative of his future development as a dramatist (a development to which we shall return later), the very act of composing songs with orchestral accompaniment creates new and important problems. In a general way, it may be said that the song with orchestral accompaniment is the creation of post-Wagnerian composers, espec- ially Hugo Wolf, Richard Strauss, and Gustav Mahler. One could doubtless trace its origins as far back as Mozart's numerous and perfect “concert arias”; but this might be slightly misleading, since these arias were, in reality, nothing but opera arias pure and simple. OE course, they were intended to be sung independently in concerts, but they could—and often did—replace genuine operatic arias, and were often even interpolated in operatic scores. The orchestral song of Wolf and Mahler proceeds in the opposite direction. Certainly these men profited from the achievements of Wagner, but their problem was to transfer these gains of musical dramaturgy to the realm of pure musical forms. Thus these composers expanded the genre of the song, which was now enriched with the nuances and possibilities of variation furnished by orchestral tone color, Mahler, in works like the Kindertotenlieder and the Sieben Lieder aus letzter Zeit, and Schoenberg, in certain sections of the Gurre Lieder and in the Six Orchestral Songs, Op. 8, bring this genre 8 See my Qu’est-ce-que la Musique de Douze Sons? (Liége, 1948) and Schoenberg et son Ecole (paragraph: La nouvelle écriture instrumentale). Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 491 to perfection, Here we already find the effort to change the instru- mental setting from one song to the next of the same series, in order to create a special atmosphere for each piece (a device that has its roots in 18th-century opera); this process results in greatly intensified contrasts. But—and this is even more important—the instrumentation of works such as these plays an essential part in the architectonic expression of each piece. The various structural ele- ments are underlined, often very subtly, by variations in tone color and other similar procedures. For example, recapitulations often take on a quite new character through changes of instrumental setting which also place the vocal part in fresh relief. Berg displays mastery of these techniques in his Op. 4. It may be said that he advances beyond his predecessors and thus foreshadows Schoenberg's remarkable set of Four Songs, Op. 22 (as well as certain vocal works of Webern), in which this type of composition reaches the apex of its development. We shall try to clarify all this in our analysis; however, let us add that Berg treats this genre in a spec- ifically dramatic way which is foreign to the intentions of its creators (a tendency that was already manifest in the last song of Op. 2). This dramatic character is evident not only in the treatment of the vocal part but also in many features of the orchestration. Voice and orchestra make free use of vocalises or unusual instrumental effects, which burst the bonds of the song and tend towards the opera. ‘This new “shocking” aspect of Op. 4 is but a further instance of the strange dialectics of Berg's compositional attitude. The orchestral song, which had become “pure” music because of its essentially symphonic workmanship, is treated both traditionally and boldly by the future author of Wozzeck and Lulu in such fashion as to return to the dramaturgy from whence it came. Before bringing these generalizations to a close, we must con- sider one more problem of tradition posed by the songs: the problem of extremely small forms. We must remember that this problem, raised for the first time in Schoenberg's Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19, had a special meaning and that its solutions were often extremely the work of Webern. For Berg, the problem was never quite so serious, for his essentially lyric and dramatic genius always unfolded itself in large forms; that is why he never composed any more songs after Op. 4, since he realized clearly that what he had to say in the realm of vocal music demanded the vast dimensions of Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press492 The Musical Quarterly opera or of the concert aria—Der Wein—and that he had never really felt comfortable in the Lied form. However, Berg, with his clear comprehension of the evolution and the tradition of polyphony, could not simply pass by a composi- tional problem as important as that of the very small form. This explains why he left us such a typical example of the genre as the Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5, in which the problem, although approached differently than in the corresponding works of Schoenberg and Webern, is basically the same. We may, then, con- sider Op. 4 a first step in this direction, since some of these songs are extremely short and all of them except the last tackle the essential problem of the small form. It must be added that the strange disproportion between the extremely small dimensions of most of the pieces and the enormous orchestral apparatus, as well as the exuberance of vocal and instru- mental effects, is one of the most “scandalous” aspects of Berg's Op. 4. ar A brief survey of the essential elements of the first four songs and a complete analysis of the last song—which is reprinted here in extenso—will prove the points we have made. The first song. A large orchestra is called for: piccolo, 2 flutes, 3 obves, 3 clarinets and a bass clarinet, 2 bassoons and a contra- bassoon, 4 horns, g trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, glockenspiel, xylophone, cymbals, triangle, tamtam, tympani, side-drum, bass drum, celesta, harp, harmonium, and strings. ‘The piece begins with a long orchestral prelude of 19 measures (4/8, eighth = 96). The first 13 measures present the structure of an ostinato. A five-note motif in eighths is tirelessly repeated by the piccolo, first clarinet, and glockenspiel in unison: Ex, 1 This is a real motivic germ from which almost all the other figures of the prelude are derived. In fact, we note: 1) that this motif is underlined by a figuration of the first violins (Ex. 2), which adds tones a major third lower than those of the motif. Aside from the oa Ex. 2: Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg’s Five Orchestral Songs 493 fact that this interval appears twice in the motivic germ (between the first and fourth tones and between the third and fifth tones), we thus hear a sort of imitation of the motif a third lower. 2) The motif is strictly imitated: a) by the xylophone at the distance of a sixteenth note (syncopated); b) by diminution in the second and third clarinets in unison with the first half of the violas playing tremolo sul ponticello. 3) The other figures are also derived more or less directly from the motivic germ: a) the chord in the piano (Ex. 3) —in a certain sense the fundamental chord of the piece—is nothing but the three central tones of the motif; b) the figure in the flutes, EX.8 Ex. 4 (underlined by the pizzicati of the second violins divisi), is based on the interval of a minor third, the initial interval of the motivic germ A; c) the motif of the second and third trumpets (Ex. 5) elaborates the intervals of a half step and a whole step found = 7 in the motivic germ (B and D); d) the figure of the celesta as well as its free imitation in the harp (Ex. 6) elaborates the interval of a major third (taken from the figuration of the violins—cf. Ex. 2), the intervals of a half step and a whole step (B, D), and especially an interval that was not yet elaborated in the other secondary voices, the augmented fourth (C). This complex superposition of various elements, which seems to be laid out on a number of different levels and appears somewhat chaotic at first glance, nevertheless obeys the laws of a precise organi- zation, produced by a strong sense of compositional economy. Variety is achieved not only by the abundance of highly contrasted. figura- tions, but also by the perpetual shifting of accents which results Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press494 The Musical Quarterly from the irregular meters of the figures contained within the regular meter of the measure. It is this superposition that determines the main part of the prelude. A series of transpositions of the whole structure leads into a ff climax at m. 15. Chromatic passages and whole-tone scales rush towards the lower register; this descending motion is underlined by a large ritenuto of g measures which leads back to the slow tempo (eighth = 80). Mm. 18 and 19 may be regarded as a cadence which prepares for the entrance of the solo voice. I should particularly like to call attention to the harmonic struc- ture of this passage in order to emphasize Berg's strong sense of compositional economy, which already points the way towards many features of the twelve-tone technique. Ex. 7 shows the tones that Ex. ce make up the cadence. We recognize tones 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the motivic germ, completed by the entrance of the voice with tone 4. ‘The next seven measures (mm. 20-26) may be considered a con- trasting middle section in which the voice dominates. The voice begins by sounding, in a hesitating fashion and without words (with the mouth half closed), first B and then C. With its ascent to C-sharp, the first phrase (antecedent) of this section begins. The connection between the new section and the cadence is assured by the instrumen- tation; the cadential elements of the flutes (Ex. 7) dissolve into a melody which unfolds in an accompanying phrase. The vocal part first uses (in the antecedent) four motifs built almost exclusively on the intervals of the whole-tone scale; only the last motif begins with the leap of a minor third. The harmony of the orchestra is built on the same intervals and introduces the Schoenbergian technique of the Klangfarbenmelodie, in which the same chord is repeated with almost imperceptible changes of the instrumental grouping (This procedure, as we shall see, undergoes further development in the third song, where it becomes one of the structural bases of the composition.) I should like once more to call attention to the way in which Berg tries to connect the discoveries of his master with the musical language of the past. Schoenberg uses the abovementioned procedure in a very complex way; the chord is ‘See Schoenberg's Op. 16, No. 5 Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg’s Five Orchestral Songs 495 formed every time by heterogeneous combinations of solo instru- ments. Berg simplifies the procedure by giving the chord each time to homogencous orchestral groups (woodwinds, brass, strings), and thus, in a certain sense, makes the historical implications of the technique explicit. It is important, moreover, to note that the middle section of the piece is related in many ways to the opening section. Thus, for example, a new motif, heard here in the high register (Ex. 8), uses the half step, the whole step, and finally (last three tones) a trans- position of the tones of the piano chord of Ex. 3. Ex. Even more interesting is the sixteenth-note figure which is found, during these measures, in the basses, ‘cellos, and violas, and which is simply the augmentation of the celesta figure of Ex. 6. Obviously, then, Berg took great pains in establishing a connection between this little section and the first section; this is also shown by the last four notes in the vocal part (Ex. 9), which correspond literally to 9 eS the last four notes of the motivic germ. After a brief transition, the recapitulation of the first section occurs in an extremely varied way. The end of the transition takes place on a heavy chord which is organized according to the following scheme: Ex. 10, [3 It contains (on the upper staff) two augmented fifth chords belong- ing to two different whole-tone scales (mixing the chromatic and the whole-tone systems), and (on the lower staff) the “fundamental” chord which persists as a pedal point until the end of the piece. This produces the essential quality of recapitulation, although we should also note that the motif of Ex. 6 is repeated literally by the violins playing pizzicato, by the contrabassoon, and several other times in free variants. Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press496 The Musical Quarterly To all this is added a new element, the last phrase of the vocal part. Its style, declamatory rather than melodic, is based on Berg's typical procedure of starting with the smallest interval, the half step, and gradually increasing the size of the intervals: G—A-flat (minor second), G—B-flat (minor third), G—C-sharp (augmented fourth), and G—E (major sixth). Later, the first violins take over the vocal part and make the intervals still larger: G—A_ (major ninth) and G—E-flat (minor thirteenth). In contrast to the opening section, which is compact, the third section is much looser in form and more transparent in texture. The entrances of the various instruments or instrumental groups occur in sporadic fashion and with delicate nuances. This transparent texture is especially marked in the last two measures of the piece, where the “fundamental” chord is supplemented by a glissando in harmonics on the E-string of the violins and by an indeterminate sound produced by the violas, ‘cellos, and basses striking the strings with the bow behind the bridge. These two instrumental effects are characteristic of Berg's attitude towards the orchestra; one may regard them as a pendant to the first two scarcely articulated sounds of the vocal part. The second song is the shortest of the whole group (11 measures). The smaller orchestra includes only 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 clarinet, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, g trombones, tamtam, triangle, celesta, harp, piano, and strings. The vocal part, which occupied only a small part of the preceding song (6 measures out of 38), is almost constantly present here (9 measures out of 11). The orchestra, which does not enter until the end of m. 2, is generally limited to short motifs and chords, The tempo is rather animated. The song begins with a long phrase in the vocal part, divided into two segments. The first segment contains three motifs (Ex. 11, 4a, b, c). These motifs contain the principal intervals of the entire piece. Note that c is the literal inversion of a; the use of this variant Ex. 11 lends symmetry to the segment. The entrance of the orchestra at this point, with the inversion of the same motif in the violas, is 7 f. the analysis of the Quartet Op. $ by T. W. Adorno in Willy Reich, Alban Berg, and in my Schoenberg et son Ecole. Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressWat Alban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 497 also noteworthy. The motif b, which introduces the interval of a fourth and separates the two fourths by the half-step characteristic of a and of the upbeat, is significant for other reasons. The second segment—the answer—follows immediately. The two segments are connected by a motif of the first horn in the low register, the first three tones of which are the exact retrograde of a. Between the next two motifs of the vocal part we find the following link: x = Sa y, i Ex. 12a ee The tones of x, played simultaneously, produce the chord y; this is equivalent to z, which results from the superposition of the tones of the abovementioned motif b. ‘The last two tones of x constitute an upbeat for a long vocalise which uses all the intervals that have been used up to no ge ‘The answer closes with a third motif (Ex. 14), in which we recognize the upbeat and the first tone of b in contrary motion (cf. Ex. 11, NB). This is followed by a new motif in the ‘cellos = Ex. 4 pe (Ex. 15), which elaborates the interval of a fourth twice; the first elaboration contains two fourths, the second three fourths. The ba~ Ex. = two elaborations are separated by a major third.” This motif intro- First used in Schoenberg's Second Chamber Symphony, this motif recurs in Webern's Op. 7 and plays a considerable role in Lulu. This vocalise seems to have been suggested by Schoenberg, according to the test mony of the first pencil manuscript of the fourth and fifth songs. This manus. contains the vocalise, written on the last page in Schoenberg’s handwriting. Egon Wellesz reported on the manuscript in Tempo, No. 13 (London, 1946); since the other songs were not available to him he affirmed a litte too rashly that this passage “has nothing to do with the Five Songs". 0 Ernst Krenek remarked that this motif returns in the last song, where it plays an important role, and that it foreshadows certain typical aggregations in Wozzeck. (Reich, op. cit) Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press498 ‘The Musical Quarterly duces a short codetta which consists of a ninth chord with pedal point. After the pedal point of m. 7, there begins a final segment, which we may consider a varied recapitulation of the first segment. Thus, the complete form of this song again follows the A-B-A' scheme. Once more, the vocal part begins all alone, with a new motif (Ex. 16) which presents the following characteristics: 1) it is a variant of px. 6 SSS motif 6 (B-natural in place of B-flat); 2) its last three notes (NB) are a variant of motif a. The third song is also rather short. The tempo is moderate. The orchestra is fuller than in the preceding piece: g flutes, oboe and English horn, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, 3 horns, 1 trumpet, 2 trombones, tuba, tympani, tamtam, celesta, piano, harp, and strings. Again the structure follows the A-B-A’ scheme. The form, very simple in this song, is largely elaborated by purely orchestral means. In fact the two outer sections are dominated by a twelve-tone chord (Ex. 17 , b). This chord’is first presented by the woodwinds alone. It is held throughout the first five measures and is then dissolved during the two following measures. But it is Ex, @o7 t not simply held, since the different instruments are constantly chang- ing their roles. This perpetual change in tone-color is again derived from Schoenberg's concept of Klangfarbenmelodie, which also plays an important part in the middle section of the piece. It should be remarked that this procedure, each time it occurs in Op. 4, is not simply imitated or copied by Berg. Instead, the composer of the Five Songs adapts his master’s device to his own needs, and uses it to fulfil certain precise and traditional functions. Let us not forget that the twelve-tone chord serves here as an accompaniment to the vocal part. Tlius, its continuous changes of tone-color create an extremely Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 499 mobile accompaniment. Since there is only one twelve-tone chord to be found within the total resources of chromaticism, it is clear that it can only be varied through the use of Klangfarbenmelodie. As regards structure, we observe that the vocal part is exactly the same in the two principal sections (A and A‘), except for the final ¢, which is very low the first time and very high at the end. This simi- larity of the two statements of the vocal melody is varied by different treatment of the twelve-tone chord. In A' this chord does not appear at once and then dissolve, as at the beginning of the piece, but is formed in the opposite way: it takes shape gradually, and is not complete until the penultimate measure of the piece. It goes without saying that the changes of tone-color are not used here, since they were sufficiently exploited during the first two sections. But, since the chord is played by the strings alone, there is a new contrast of color with reference to what has gone before, which is again derived from the concept of Klangfarbenmelodic. It must also be noted that the chord is transposed two octaves higher on its second appearance. Thus, A' is radically varied with respect to A; the literal repetition of the vocal part underlines this contrast instead of negating it. A highly dramatic cadence introduces the last section; instead of singing, the voice speaks. We are familiar with the chief elements of A’, but let us note that each new entrance of the strings (which build the twelve-tone chord), is punctuated by the celesta, which thus presents a melodic figure of twelve tones. This figure, implicit in the dissolution of the first chord, becomes explicit here. The fourth song, slightly longer than the preceding one (32 measures in slow tempo), again uses a different orchestral apparatus: 1 flute, 1 oboe, English horn, g clarinets, bass clarinet, 1 bassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, cymbals, tympani, xylophone, celesta, and strings. The form is more complex here, although one may still speak of an A-B-A! scheme. The principal interval remains the half step, which is generated in the flute part at the very beginning: 4 Ex. 18 ‘The vocal part begins with the same interval, presented in con- trary motion to the motif of the flute. The succeeding motifs of the vocal part, although they continue to emphasize the half step, also Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press500 The Musical Quarterly introduce new intervals which are subsequently used according to principles already familiar to us. ‘The first section of the piece ends with a contracted repetition of the motif of the flute, and with a free imitation of a fragment of the vocal part by the English horn. A chord (Ex. 19) is constituted at the end of the section. It is distributed among heterogeneous orches- Ex. ot tral groups and persists, with constant changes of tone-color, through- out the middle section of the song. This section is also characterized by an accelerated tempo as well as by an increasingly faster presenta- tion of the vocal part, which is built on motivic extensions of a remaining fragment: Ex. 20 x. wa. ‘A solo viola takes up the low A with which the vocal part ended, and extends the motif to the A-flata fifteenth above, where it remains during the transition of At (Ex. 21). This segment is also introduced by the chord of Ex. 19, played this time by the four clarinets, ‘The last section of the piece is introduced by a new chord (Ex. i Ex. 22: 22), the intervals of which are familiar to us (cf. Exx. 11 and 12). The dissolution of this chord produces some new “extravagant” effects: a glissando in harmonics on the G-string of the solo ‘cello, followed by a glissando on the kettle drums which is achieved by tuning them down during the roll. The fifth song is by far the longest of the group: 55 measures in slow tempo. The orchestra is the same here as in the first song. ‘The form is that of a passacaglia. Here, therefore, we observe the Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg’s Five Orchestral Songs 501 tendency to organize vocal forms according to strictly instrumental and symphonic principles, a tendency that finds its culmination in Berg’s operas. Furthermore this will to a priori organization which impresses itself upon the last song of Op. 4 gives rise to a mode of expression slightly calmer than that to be found in the other pieces of the set. In this connection it is interesting to observe that special vocal and instrumental effects (glissandi, Klangfarbenmelodie, vocal- ises, spoken passages, etc.) disappear almost entirely here. Instead, we observe more elaborate contrapuntal workmanship and more complex structure. The song (see p. 506) begins with a motif of five notes, played by the bass clarinet in unison with the second half of the ‘cellos divisi, and punctuated by the pizzicati of the first half of the ‘cellos. ‘This is the subject of the passacaglia. Its length, five measures, de- termines the length of the following segments—eleven in all, each of which is 5 measures long. This motif is recognizable as a slightly varied form of the “extension” motif of the fourth song (cf. Ex. 21). The first countersubject begins in the fifth measure. It is a melodic line composed of a twelve-tone series. In this connection it should be observed: 1) that this twelve-tone melody is the counter- part of the twelve-tone chord in the third song (EX. 17); 2) the first and last groups of tones in this melody (tones 1-4 and 812) move ‘mostly in half steps, while the other intervals, a whole tone (2, 3) and a major third (4, 5), are treated as in the vocal part of the third song; 3) the central group of tones (5-8), in which fourths are used, presents a form familiar to us from the second song onwards (cf. Ex. 11, motif b and Ex. 12, chord y). Thus it may be said that this last song tends to create a synthesis of the principal elements of the preceding songs. Another feature helps to substantiate this last statement. The first variation of the passacaglia (mm. 5-10) introduces the 12-tone countersubject, but the subject itself is absent. In its stead, we find a new motif which will also play an important role in the course of the piece. Here we immediately recognize the little episodic motif of the second song (cf. Ex. 15). The third segment (Var. II, mm. 11-15), in a slightly broader tempo, introduces some new figures. Particularly significant is the oboe melody, which, taking off from the familiar figure of two chromatic half steps, twice introduces a characteristic motif, which is taken literally from the beginning of the vocal part of the first song. Once more, the subject of the passa- Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press502 ‘The Musical Quarterly caglia is heard in the eighth notes of the third stopped horn; the countersubject in twelve tones is superimposed upon it. In m. 13 the third trombone imitates the leap of a descending sixth in the oboe; then, in m. 14, the first violins imitate the entire motif of the oboe, with a slight variation. The vocal part takes up this variant when it makes its entrance in m. 16. Meanwhile (m. 15) the double-basses have also imitated the sixth of this motif; they continue to play the twelve-tone countersubject (transposed), which, passing to the ‘cellos and then back to the double-basses, determines the structure of the fourth segment (Var. III, mm. 16-20). The voice, having presented the motif stated by the violins, begins (m. 18) to unfold the 12-tone countersubject. However, it presents only the first nine tones of this subject, which is then completed by the first flute during the course of the fifth segment (Var. IV, mm, 21-25). On the other hand, the subject proper is present here in many forms: 1) in its normal form (contrabassoon, fourth horn, tuba, harp, piano); 2) in diminution (in sixteenth notes), constantly passing from one instrumental group to another and permeating all registers (this figure was introduced by the ‘cellos, in eighth notes and a triplet, in m. 24). In m. 25, the harp, supported by the fourth trombone and the bass clarinet, again introduces the “alternative” subject in fourths (cf. mm. 7-11) in diminution (eighth notes and a triplet). This motif and its “remainder” are the im- portant elements of the sixth segment (Var. V, mm. 26-30). The solo viola plays an abbreviated variant of the countersubject, the missing tones of which occur in other parts; the voice progressively elaborates certain intervals which finally (m. 29) constitute the exact retrograde of the subject of the passacaglia, The seventh segment (Var. VI, mm, 31-35), uses all three prin- cipal elements simultaneously. The voice, which simply terminates the preceding segment with a “remainder”, does not take part in mm, 33-34 and enters only in the last measure of this segment. On the other hand, we find the following elements here: 1) the “alterna- tive” subject in the low register; 2) the 12-tone countersubject in the middle register; 3) the subject proper in the high register, presented with some new figuration. This segment, based on an accelerando followed by a ritenuto, introduces the eighth segment (Var. VII, mm. 36-40), which may be 144 The flute part in this segment is unfortunately not shown in the piano reduction reproduced here. Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 503 characterized as a recapitulation. Here we find, almost unchanged, the oboe motif of the third segment (cf. mm. 11-12), elaborated in various parts. Here, as before, its function is to introduce the motif used for the initial phrase of the vocal part; this phrase now begins in m. 39. The end of the phrase is again transformed into the begin- ning of the countersubject, which, during the ninth segment (Var. VILL, mm. 41-45), is unfolded in the first bassoon and in the piano, with the assistance of the vocal part. The “alternative” subject in fourths is added in the basses. The last two segments (Var. IX-X, mm, 46-55), are to be regarded asa coda. In the tenth segment (mm. 46-50) we observe the chromatic dissolution of the countersubject in the middle voices above a pedal- point on G (the first tone of the subject) in the bass, In the top voice, we hear a variant of the “figurated” subject of mm. 31-35. ‘The eleventh and last segment (mm. 51-55) is a final cadence, built entirely on the subject proper, which is heard in the following forms: 1) in its normal form, in the pizzicati of the second violin: 2) in retrograde motion (transposed), in the third trombone (this figure undergoes a progressive liquidation in the second trombone, first trombone and first trumpet, the last note of which coincides with the last note of the normal form of the subject, in unison with the last pizzicato of the second violins); 3) the first violins divisi, the violas divisi, and the lower half of the ‘cellos divisi, gradually form, through the successive entrances of the tones of the subject, a chord, which is simply a vertical presentation of the subject; 4) the same chord, in a different position, is heard in mm. 54 and 55, presented successively by the following instruments or instrumental groups: two oboes and three bassoons; two flutes and three clarinets; piano; harp. Here Klangfarbenmelodie makes its last appearance. ‘The general scheme of this fifth song may be defined as follows: Introduction (segment 1), based on the subject alone; Exposition (segments 1-4), in which all the principal elements are exposed; Elab- oration (segments 5-8), in which the principal elements undergo an elaboration that culminates in the superposition of all three in the last segment of this section; Recapitulation (segments 9-11), which brings back the initial phrase of the vocal part. There is symmetry between the cadence (segment 11) and the introduction, since both are based on the subject alone. Furthermore, it must be observed that the coherence of the entire form is assured by the complete absence of separations between the various segments. On the con- Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press504 The Musical Quarterly trary, the transitions from one segment to the next are always made as smooth as possible; this process often takes place by means of the transformation of the “remainders” of one segment into fundamental elements of the next. An overlapping structure is also frequently used; a basic element of one segment originates in the last measures of the preceding segment. It is important to call attention to all these techniques for the benefit of those who will make a more thorough study of the score. I shall not try to recapitulate in detail all the characteristics of Berg’s Five Songs, Op. 4, nor shall I draw all possible conclusions about them, In the first place the reader will have observed these characteristics by himself; in the second place, I have already drawn these conclusions in other theoretical works. However, it is necessary to sum up our ideas about this music in a few words. In a general way, it may be said that Berg’s work clearly takes its place in the evolution of polyphony as already determined by the evolution of Schoenberg’s work. This composition has not only dispensed with the tonal functions, but has also made significant use ‘of the resources of chromaticism which are responsible for the breakdown of tonality. The very first measures of this score are already based on the twelve tones of the chromatic scale, and the full resources of chromaticism are employed in this way throughout the work. Furthermore, the conscious use of this material in the third and fifth songs (twelve-tone chord and melody) tends towards an entirely consistent organization; chromaticism produces func- tional thematic elements. In this attempt to organize the resources of chromaticism we may observe certain essential elements of the future twelve-tone technique, which is also foreshadowed by many other elements of Berg's Op. 4. In this sense the most important characteristic of these songs (not only with reference to twelve-tone technique, but also with respect to Berg’s entire compositional attitude) is the spirit of structural and architectonic economy. Throughout our analysis we have tried to emphasize the various manifestations of this attitude. They all result from the same fundamental concept—the concept of variation carried to its most radical extremes. This is the principal gain arising out of Schoenberg's compositional activity and the most important element of his instruction. While composing these songs, Berg, like Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg’s Five Orchestral Songs 505 Webern at the same period, was strongly imbued with the spirit of this instruction, and succeeded in handling the variation technique with such rigorous mastery, that he attained an astonishing equil- ibrium between abundance of invention and complete coherence. We have already seen that the wealth of musical ideas presented here could usually be reduced to a few motivic germs. The following factors are most characteristic: 1) developments beginning with the smallest possible interval, the half tone; 2) the technique of elaborat- ing “remainders” to create new figures which can always be reduced to the motivic germs that engendered them; 3) subtle connections between the various songs (common motifs, etc.)—the last song synthesizes the content of the whole work; 4) unity between melody and harmony, particularly evident in the last song, where the subject is already treated like a tone-row, especially in the cadence, where the tones of the subject furnish the material for the chord that terminates not only the song but the entire work, I shall not stress the other aspects of the originality of Berg's musical language (instrumentation, vocal problems, etc.), since our analysis has already given precise examples to bolster the general statements made in the first part of this article. Here as elsewhere, Berg, although strongly influenced by his master's ideas, displays individual mastery of his means and adapts these ideas to his own compositional plan. ‘That Berg’s score has remained unpublished and unperformed since its incomplete presentation in 1913 is a shocking state of affairs. Without saying any more about the lamentable situation of one of the greatest composers of our time, who was never able to hear any of his own most important scores, I must remark that the musical world has deprived itself of one of the richest treasures of our time in refusing to hear this work of Berg's. Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press506 The Musical Quarterly ALBAN BERG ORCHESTERLIED (Ansichtskartentext von Peter Altenberg) Op.4,NO5 Ziemtich langsam (Tempo!) _5_ Singstimme (Passacaglia) i Ur Fig. Klavierauszug 4) B- Fen) crese. Tet, @P (FRU) Cte. Boe. el. =. molto rit. ii hd team as = = (Schigwk) KUT, - pp. dimin. ppp Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press510 ‘The Musical Quarterly Tempo It jer sind kei- ne Men = Te Bein in) gl] cua ‘way An + sied = tungen — Hier tropft Schnee Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University PressAlban Berg's Five Orchestra Songs 511 rit... = Nach langsamer soser + sta chen... eae RcE Tamt Ht. Cte Bopize Pe ee = 3. Pos.m.D. 2 Pom. ne Hon: Copyright (c) 2003 ProQuest Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Oxford University Press