CHAPTER 4: SCHUBERT’S VARIATIONS ON “TROCKNE BLUMEN” Schubert now keeps a fortnight’s fast and confinement, He looks much better and is very bright, very comically hungry, and writes quartets and German dances and variations without number,! Moritz von Schwind, 13 February 1824 There are sixteen sets of variations within Schubert’s oeuvre. Together, they make an interesting study of his compositional style, particularly because they encompass neatly all of his creative years. His first sets of variations were composed in 1815, the same year as Erikdnig, and the last date from 1827, the year before his death. More than half the sets of variations are for piano, two or four hands, and the remaining are each for a different combination of instruments. They range from movements within larger multi- movement compositions, to full-scale, freestanding works that encompass a wide variety of genres, Due in part to an unprecedented reliance on his own Lieder as themes, Schubert creates his own category of variations. Of the sixteen sets in his compositional output, six are based on his own songs. These are, for the most part, variations used as one movement in a multi-movement composition: Die Forelle (The Trout) from the Piano Quintet in A Major (D. 667); Der Wanderer (The Wanderer) from the Fantasy in C Major for Piano (D. 760); the duet from his operetta Die Freunde von Salamanka (The Friends from Salamanca) in the Octet (D. 803); Der Tod wid clas \kidchen (Death and the Maiden) from the String Quartet in D Minor (D. 810); and Sei mir gegriit (I Greet You) in the Fantasie in C Major for Violin and Piano (D. 934). Immediately prior to the Octet, ‘Otto Erich Deutsch, The Schubert Reader, trans. Eric Blom (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1947), 327. 235 Scanned with CamScanner‘Schubert wrote his Introduction et Variations sur un théme original pour Piano et Flite, which is more commonly referred to as the Variations on Trockne Blumen, D. 802. ‘The Variations on Trockne Blumen are distinctive in Schubert’s oeuvre for several reasons, First, itis the only independent set of variations based on the composer's own Lied, and second, his only piece for a wind instrument and piano. More importantly, however, the variations were composed only a few months after the Lied itself, while the others all followed after a greater period of time. Specifically, they were written in January of 1824, shortly after the completion of Die schine Miillerin, the song cycle from which the theme is taken, This fact alone creates a unique and fascinating relationship between the Lied and the variations. Due to the relationship I propose, a closer look at the circumstances surrounding the composition of the song cycle itself is necessary, particularly in relation to the original poetic text by Miiller. The Song Cycle: “Die schéne Miillerin” Thave composed nothing since the opera except a few mill-songs.” Schubert, 30 November 1823 The poetry for Die schdne Miillerin, the first of two song cycles by Schubert setting poems by the German Romantic poet Wilhelm Miiller (1794-1827), was published in 1821. Its roots are somewhat earlier; it began as a party game among young intellectuals in Berlin. At that time there was a “fashionable enthusiasm” for folk subjects. Probably in an imitation of Giovanni Paisiello’s popular opera La Molinara (The Maid of the Mill) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's mill poems, each guest at the party assumed a role and would write and speak his or her own part in verse. In the early nineteenth century, 2 Deutsch, Schubert Reader, 301. Excerpt from a letter to Franz von Schober. 236 Scanned with CamScannergatherings such as these were common, and this group was in many ways similar to the Schubert circle.? Youens also notes that to some extent, Milller’s version of the tale was a reflection of the artistic and private lives of those in the Berlin circle.* Jane K. Brown, in her chapter in Schubert's Vienna, gives Goethe more credit for the narrative than is generally assumed, indicating that the plot of Die schdne Milllerin is “virtually identical” to that of Werther, Goethe's first novel.’ Brown logically notes that Schubert’s attraction to the cycle was the similarity to Goethe’s plot, given the strength of the author’s usual appeal to Schubert. Still, as Charles Rosen notes, Miller should not be underestimated, because “when the set of poems was written, the idea of a monodrama conveyed through a series of lyrics was his. It made it possible to endow the song cycle with dimensions even larger than Beethoven had envisaged.”* Over the next few years, Miiller, who played the part of the young miller in the circle, added to the verses until his cycle was complete with twenty-three poems plus prologue and epilogue. ‘The poems were published in 1821 as part of a volume with the odd title Sieben und siebzig Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten (Seventy-seven Poems from the Posthumous Papers of a Traveling French Hom-Player). The cycle was subtitled ‘To be read in winter.’ Reed notes that Miller's 3 John Reed, The Schubert Song Companion (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1985), 179. For detailed information on Schubert’s circle, see David Edward Gramit, “The Intellectual and Aesthetic Tenets of Franz Schubert's Circle” (Ph.D. dissertation, Duke University, 1987). * Susan Youens, Schubert, Milller, and Die schne Miillerin (Cambridge: ‘Cambridge University Press, 1997), xiii. For more in-depth discussion of the roots of the poetic eycle, see Youens 1-41. Jane K. Brown, “The Poetry of Schubert's Songs” in Schubert's Vienna, ed. Raymond Erickson (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 193-194. © Charles Rosen, The Romantic Generation (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995), 176. 237 Scanned with CamScannerthyming prologue and epilogue “poked gentle fun at the current fashion for rustic balladry.”” However, while many consider the cycle as a whole to be an innocuous tale, Youens notes a darker underside to Mifiller’s text: Whatever the Biedermeier Gemiitlichkeit wrongly draped over Schubert's cycle, the poetic text is actually a horrifying exploration of erotic obsession not to be prettified or more than lightly veiled by the rustic guises Miller adopts: the sexual jealousy which pervades the last half of the cycle—voyeuristic impulses, rape fantasies, jealous rages, panic- stricken desperation—blots out the country costumes and lyrical landscape. (Such Gemiitlichkeit was always largely a lie, a mask behind which the grim economic and social facts of life in Vormdir= Austria were thinly concealed.) (Of Miller's twenty-five poems, Schubert set twenty to music, omitting the prologue, epilogue, and three others. Critics have provided various reasons for ‘Schubert’s rejection of these poems as song texts, such as their length, or claims that they added little to the narrative. By omitting the prologue and epilogue through which the poet frames his rustic tale for the audience, Schubert also eliminated Miiller’s ironic stance, thereby'ereating a work in which the emotions are presented at face value. ‘Youens logically suggests that Miiller did not intend these to be set musically.” However, some authors have taken this to suggest that simply because Schubert chose not to reflect Miller's irony, he disagreed with it—or perhaps even misunderstood it. Reed, for example, believes that Schubert “saw the story as a folk myth of universal significance....which deserved to be treated seriously.” This statement harbors an older view of a naive Schubert that doesn’t quite stand up to scrutiny. Although certainly ‘Schubert had an innate respect for good poetry and did take it seriously as such, some 7 Reed, Schubert Song Companion, 179-180. ® Youens, Schubert, Miiller, and Die schéne Millerin, 161. ° Ibid., 162. 238 Scanned with CamScannerevidence suggests he did not fully reject Milller’s ironic stance, as I discuss later in this chapter. More likely, Schubert's reasons for omitting the irony were purely about creating a unified musical work; as Rosen notes, “With a sureness of touch that far ‘Surpasses Miller's, Schubert removed everything that would interfere with lyric nto expression.”"” While this is true, Youens notes that these omissions were not superfluous to the drama, and that Schubert’s “compositional decisions...subvert and even contradict the poet’s meanings.”"! ‘Schubert composed his songs throughout the course of several months in 1823, the same year in which he contracted syphilis, which would eventually end his life. ‘Some evidence suggests that Schubert began the cycle while being treated in the hospital, and although the dates are not verifiable, it seems likely that his hospitalization was sometime in June and/or July.'? The later songs were written in the fall; a first draft of song 15, Eifersucht und Stolz (Jealousy and Pride) is dated October 1823, and Schubert's letter to Franz von Schober (quoted above) was dated 30 November. Since Schubert's disease no doubt affected his emotional state at the time the cycle was composed—and indeed, colors his music from this point forward—it is pertinent to our discussion. Schober described his friend’s hospitalization in 1823 “as the result of excessively indulgent sensual living and its consequences.”"? With the disease came '° Rosen, Romantic Generation, 176. "' Youens, Schubert, Miller, and Die schéne Miillerin, 162. Youens believes Miller probably did not intend composers to set his lengthy prologue and epilogue, “but. the omission of approximately one-sixth of the monodrama itself is another matter.” She considers the omitted selections three of the most important poems in the work. ™ Deutsch, Schubert: Memoirs by his Friends, trans. Rosamond Ley and John ‘Nowell (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1958), 266; 367. ™ Deutsch, Memoirs, 266. Comments such as these, together with other references to a darker side of Schubert’s character, have prompted speculation that 239 Scanned with CamScannerSchubert's tragic realization of impending death, and the knowledge that his health would only worsen in the time that remained to him. His state of mind at this time varied in response to his physical health, and periods of creativity were offset by bouts of depression and an inability to compose." In addition to many touching letters to friends in which he expresses his deepest concerns,'® Schubert wrote a poem in May, “Mein Gebet” (My Prayer), which illustrates his mental state at this time: With a holy zeal I yearn Life in fairer worlds to learn; Would this gloomy earth might seem Filled with love’s almighty dream. Sorrow’s child, almighty Lord, Grant Thy bounty for reward. For redemption from above Send a ray of endless love. See, abased in dust and mire, Scorched by agonizing fire, Tin torture go my way, Nearing doom’s destructive day. Schubert may have been homosexual, particularly by Maynard Solomon in his article “Schubert and the Peacocks of Benvenuto Cellini.” As compelling as Solomon's argument initially seems, Rita Steblin’s refutation in “The Peacock’s Tale: Schubert's Sexuality Reconsidered," is similarly convincing. The issue was further muddled with a series of secondary responses; the clearest and least biased presentation of the matter appears in John Michael Gingerich's dissertation, where, among other things, he allows for some gray area: “The evidence published so far indicates that Schubert and some of his male friends likely engaged, zit times, in sexual practices that we would recognize as homosexual.” See Maynard Solomon, “Schubert and the Peacocks of Benvenuto Cellini,” 19"-Century Music 12, no. 3 (Spring 1989), 193-206; Rita Steblin, “The Peacock’s Tale: Schubert's Sexuality Reconsidered,” /9"-Century Music 17, no.1 (Summer 1993), 5-33; John Michael Gingerich, “Schubert’s Beethoven Project: The Chamber Music, 1824-1828" (Ph.D. dissertation, Yale University, 1996), 51ff; quotation is from 114. '* Elizabeth Norman McKay, in Franz Schubert: A Biography (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996), 125-27 and 155-56, has suggested that Schubert was afficted with cyclothymia, a form of manic-depression. 15 See, for example, Schubert’s letter to Leopold Kupelwieser of 31 March 1824; Deutsch, Schubert Reader, 338-340. 240 Scanned with CamScanner‘Take my life, my flesh and blood, Plunge it all in Lethe's flood, To a purer, stronger state Deign me, Great one, to translate.'* ‘Osborne notes that the poem, “as well as being rather poor, is clearly the product of a mind debilitated by illness.”'” Nevertheless, Gibbs notes that “the traumatic experience of severe illness and the disturbing implications for his future inevitably changed him,” and that Schubert “consciously embarked on his final creative stage,” his ‘works demonstrating a deeper maturity and sense of responsibility.’ Accordingly, the first songs of Die schéne Miillerin were composed shortly after this poem was written, ‘That Schubert was drawn to this poetic material specifically during his illness— particularly in view of the narrative, in which unrequited love leads to death by suicide— seems “horribly germane.”"? Given that the songs were written over the course of several ‘months, particularly when viewed in conjunction with his deteriorating physical health, it seems likely that the cycle occupied much of his energy during this time.” In part as a result of circumstance, and in part due to his hopes of recognition for the achievement of the cycle itself, the work would have held personal significance for him. '6 Deutsch, Schubert Reader, 279. While there are several slightly different published translations of this poem, each is similar; the rhyming end couplets also appear in the original German text. "7 Charles Osborne, Schubert and His Vienna (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985), 102. For a detailed discussion of Schubert’s religious views, including their relationship to his poem, see Gingerich, especially 35-36. ' Christopher H. Gibbs, The Life of Schubert (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 106, 109. ''Youens, Schubert, Miiller, and Die schéne Miillerin, 161: “From the little we know of the Schubert chronicle in early to mid-1823, we can sense that he too was overwhelmed by despair born of a kindred experience. If betrayal took the form of disease rather than abandonment, the root cause, in life as in literature, was sex, and the ultimate result would be the same: death.” 29 In between songs of cycle Schubert also completed the opera Fierabras, D. 796, which he began in May of 1823. Deutsch, Schubert Reader, 283. 241 Scanned with CamScannerThe precise circumstances that brought about the variations are unknown, but considering that Schubert composed them scarcely two months after completion of Die schine Miillerin, 1 argue that the two works are inseparably related. I do not believe Schubert would have dismissed the value of his song cycle with a work intended only for virtuosic display. In the previous chapter, I proposed that his impetus for composing the variations extended beyond the request of some specific flutist, and that even if they were intended for one player in particular, ultimately his motives were more personal ones. Specifically, I believe that the Variations on Trockne Blumen both reflect the narrative of Die schéne Miillerin™ and provide keys to understanding Schubert’s interpretation of ‘Miller's text, particularly through the use of irony that was omitted from the song cycle. In addition, the variations are a cyclical composition; a fact often ignored, but nonetheless critical in terms of putting the work in its proper context within Schubert's canon. In this chapter I explore these ideas through my own interpretation of the work. Before offering commentary on the variations, however, | address their reception in the previous critical literature in order to clarify some common perceptions about D. 802. Variations on a Critical Theme One will find no magic here— only conjuring tricks2?- Maurice J.E. Brown ‘As mentioned previously, although Schubert’s Variations on Trockne Blumen occupy an important position in the flute repertoire, they are almost unanimously rejected in the 2! John Barcelona, “Schubert’s Theme and Variations on Trockne Blumen” in Woodwind Anthology: A Compendium of Woodwind Articles from The Instrumentalist, vol. 1 (Northfield, Illinois: The Instrumentalist Publishing Company, 1992), 607-613. ” Maurice J. E. Brown, Schubert's Variations (London: Macmillan and ‘Company, Ltd., 1954), 56. 242 Scanned with CamScannerSchubert literature, with reactions ranging from casually dismissive to aggressively indignant. In fairness, one cannot easily dismiss the critics, for some of their arguments have merit. Itis true that Schubert uses one of his finest songs for a set of virtuoso Variations, and that in the final variation he tums that song into a triumphant march. However, I believe that a re-examination is needed to clarify Schubert’s artistic choices with this composition, and to demonstrate that virtuosity is only the means to an end rather than an end in itself. Before exploring the piece further, I address each of the principal authors in tum, One early example of criticism is this statement by Donald Tovey, which says: Trockne Blumen has a pathos that makes us grudge Schubert forgiveness for subsequently writing on it a set of Variations, which was a bad thing to do, and writing them for the flute, which was worse, and making some of them brilliant, which was blasphemous.” ‘That the song Trockne Blumen has “pathos” is something most would agree upon. But from Tovey’s statement, should we assume that only songs completely lacking in “pathos” are suitable as themes for variations? Unquestionably (as discussed in Chapter 3) there is often an association of superficiality with theme and variation works, and the use of a more trivial theme by a lesser composer can result in a trivial composition. In the case of a great composer like Schubert, might it not be a mistake to overlook the possibility of something more valuable beneath the surface? I argue that the “blasphemous” nature of the variations is closely tied to the issue of irony, and it may be better understood in relationship to the piece as a whole. 23 Donald Francis Tovey, The Main Stream of Music and Other Essays (New York: Oxford University Press: 1949), 130. 243 Scanned with CamScannerTovey clearly lacks enthusiasm for the flute. However, Schubert’s choice of the flute for a set of variations on this specific song is quite appropriate. Amidst Miller's backdrop of the babbling brook and the lovely green forest scattered with forget-me-nots, the flute—with its traditional history of pastoral associations—is a natural fit. Indeed, a flute even inhabits Miller’s text, so itis intrinsic to the song cycle from which the theme is taken. In the fifteenth song, Eifersucht und Stolz (Jealousy and Pride), the miller asks his friend, the brook, to tell the lovely maid that “he is on my banks, carving a reed whistle and playing lovely songs and dances for the children.”** The reed pipe also appears in Erster Schmerz, letzter Scherz (First Sorrow, Last Jest), one of the poems Schubert chose not to set.”* Its presence here relates to the darker underpinnings of the cycle; Youens notes that the miller has chosen to play “not the horn but the reed pipe, with its clustered classical undertones of satyr-like sex, of Pan, and the masturbatory playing of one’s own flute. In addition to its pastoral associations and its role in Milller’s poetic cycle, the flute is often considered the most natural of instruments, an extension of the human voice, due to its means of production. That is, air blown through a tube uninterrupted by areed or other apparatus.”” As an extension of the voice, the flute in this case is able to > All song text translations are from Youens, Die schdne Miillerin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992). ?°'Youens, Schubert, Milller, and Die schine Milllerin, 176. % Ibid, 174. As Youens discusses, much of the miller’s frustration is sexual; in this particular case, he plays his flute on the banks of the stream, while imagining the maid and the hunter together in bed [“A hunter, a green-clad hunter lies in her arms”; see 174-176. 2” Carolyn Abbate, “Magic Flute, Wizard King” (paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Musicological Society, Toronto, Ontario, November 2000). While Abbate does not repeat this statement precisely, she elaborates on the topic in Carolyn Abbate, In Search of Opera (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001). 244 Scanned with CamScannerBEEBES EBB ERB SRE RE RB BRE RB SERB S| SE elaborate on the emotional world of the song in a manner that extends beyond the voice’s technical capabilities. Given that the miller himself plays a reed whistle in the poetic cycle, in the context of the narrative possibilities I explore in this chapter, it seems probable that the flute in Schubert's variations is an extension of the miller’s voice. Much in the same vein as Tovey, Alfred Einstein argues in Schubert: A Musical Portrait that: Itis depressing for any lover of Schubert to see a song of such unique intensity and restraint subjected to a virtuoso treatment and transformed eventually into a triumphal march—a sacrilege which no one but Schubert himself could have been allowed to commit. ‘One can hardly hope to change the fact that Einstein finds the variations depressing. The {introduction is at least spared from his condemnation; he refers to it as “quite incomparable,” noting “Schubert cast it in his favorite rhythm and combined all manner of mystery and seriousness with unmistakable echoes of Der Tod und das Méidchen.” Einstein suggests that the introduction “should be followed simply by the theme—and nothing else.”” His suggestion is preposterous, not least of all because the introduction is longer than the theme, and significantly more dramatic; among other things this arrangement would be completely anticlimactic. Another scholar equally offended by the “march” in the final variation is J. A. Westrup. In Schubert Chamber Music, he writes: ‘This pathetic litle song is not unsuitable for Variations, provided they respect the character of the theme. Schubert, however, seems to have been quite indifferent to the implications of his own music. His concern here....was to provide material for the exercise of virtuosity. That he has 3* alfred Einstein, Schubert: A Musical Portrait (London: Cassell and Company Lid., 1951), 245. 29 All quotations in this paragraph are from Einstein, Schubert: A Musical Portrait 245. 245 Scanned with CamScannerdone this is undeniable....But the total effect of this series of escapades is depressing; and when the Variations eventually issue into a march of quite remarkable vulgarity one is constrained to cry ‘Enough’. The work might conceivably be tolerable if it were particularly well written for the flute, but it is not.” That Westrup is offended by the “march” is understandable, and the fact that (unlike Tovey) he considers the theme as potentially compatible with variation technique is an improvement over the criticism of the latter. What is frustrating here, however, is ‘Westrup’s accusation that Schubert was “quite indifferent to the implications of his own music.” With Schubert in particular, there is a tendency for critics to imply that he did not understand the significance of his own work, an implication that is not only unfair, but also untrue. ‘Westrup’s final statement is more difficult to answer, as his precise meaning is unclear. If by “particularly well written for the flute,” he means the degree to which the ce is idiomatic for the instrument, he is correct; Schubert was a violist and had little knowledge of this instrument. However, flutist-composers wrote an abundant number of variation sets, and the fact that they were written idiomatically for the instrument may have made them popular at the time, but it increased neither their musical value nor thei longevity. Schubert’s choice of key (E Minor, the same as the original song) does sometimes place the flute in a range where projection over the piano accompaniment is difficult, but certainly this Would have been less of an issue with contemporary pianos.” Next I turn to the criticism of Maurice J. E. Brown, who disparages the piece at length in Schubert's Variations. The following offers a selection of representative 94. A. Westrup, Schubert Chamber Music (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1969), 57-58. 3! Kuijken also notes this; see Kuijken, “Das Lied als Instrumental-Thema,” 342. 246 Scanned with CamScannerstatements from Brown's commentary: It is just possible that in the hands of a more calculating composer the ‘moods of sadness and passionate longing might have been explored further, but Schubert, with complete insensibility to the emotional atmosphere he has himself evoked, falsifies both melody and meat subsequent variations add nothing of significance, and for all their plunging movements into this mood or that, they never re-establish the truth... The wrong psychological note is struck at the outset....The placing of slurs, the staccato touch on the end quavers, the flippant grace-notes: could vandalism go further?...But if bad begins, worse remains behind... Schubert flings in all he knows....one turns the blackening pages in despair, knowing that beneath these rioting scales and jaunty rhythms, the essential Schubert is lost; one will find no magic here—only conjuring tricks...perversion of the theme....almost entirely devoid of worth [my emphasis]. 1g; the Here once again, Schubert is accused of being unaware of the emotional power of his own music. What is particularly debatable is Brown’s use of a double standard. Because he does not agree with Schubert’s treatment of the theme in this case, he considers it a case of ‘poor Schubert’ not knowing any better, a misconception that has become all too popular. When he approves of the result, however, Brown gives Schubert full credit. For example, in his discussion of Schubert's Piano Quintet in A Major, The Trout, Brown says, “The simplicity and brightness at the start of the finale after the soft darkness of the fifth variation create the same atmospheric effects as we find in the close of the song itself, and the intention is surely deliberate (my emphasis).”"> By stating that Schubert has deliberately created a certain desirable effect with Die Forelle, Brown contradicts himself by suggesting that in other cases, Schubert’s treatment of a theme is unintentional simply because the results are less pleasing. Paradoxically, it seems Brown is trying to protect Schubert with such statements (the tired metaphor of “poor Schubert, 32 Brown, Schubert's Variations, 54-56. * Brown, Schubert's Variations, 48. 247 Scanned with CamScannerhe didn’t know any better”), when all that he accomplishes is a masking of what Schubert’s intentions may have been. While Brown’s assessments are sometimes debatable, there is no doubt that his observations are acute, and in many cases his points illustrate my analysis of the work. For example, although he does not intend it as a compliment to Schubert, Brown’s description of the work’s “plunging movements into this mood or that” complements the narrative interpretation I explore in this chapter. His statement that they “never re- establish the truth” is worthy of further consideration, and to answer this question, we must first know what the truth is—I explore this issue later in the chapter as well. Ironically, Brown’s discussion of the work is almost an encyclopedic definition of irony, yet an interpretation in this light eludes him (this is not surprising given the time of publication; irony in music was not discussed much until the last quarter of the 20" century). Though Jeffrey Perry agrees that Brown’s methodology is in need of a new approach, he unfortunately still finds it “difficult to disagree with Brown’s dismissal” of the work. Other scholars are somewhat less harsh in their criticism. Martin Chusid refers to the variations as “the weak set on his fine song,”®* In much the same pattern, Christopher Gibbs refers to them as “rather trivial,”™* and Charles Osborne declares it “somewhat less than superb, though it is a pleasant enough piece.”*” One musicologist willing to give Schubert the benefit of the doubt and look beyond the surface of the ¥ Jeffrey Perry, “The Wanderer’s Many Returns: Schubert’s Variations Reconsidered, ” The Journal of Musicology 19, no. 2 (2002), 376. 35 Martin Chusid, “Schubert's Chamber Music,” in The Cambridge Companion to Schubert, ed. Gibbs (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 179-180. °° Gibbs, Life of Schubert, 160. 37 Osbome, Schubert and his Vienna, 107. 248 Scanned with CamScannerVariations was Hans Gal. In his book Franz Schubert and the Essence of Melody, he writes: Schubert was always fond of treating one of his beloved song melodies instrumentally in a more elaborate fashion than was possible in the song itself, in order to exploit more fully the depth of its emotional content....It is partly Schubert's own fault that the deep personal significance of this rarely played piece almost invariably remains misunderstood, and that the predominant impression is one of superficial brilliance, unless the two players...are conscious of a quite different emotional world hidden behind the brilliant paraphernalia...which cannot possibly be understood but in the closest connection with the tragedy of the young miller [my emphasis]. Although Gal continues by stating he does not wish to ascribe to Schubert any “descriptive intention,” his explanation nonetheless coincides remarkably well with the idea that the song cycle’s narrative is present in the Variations on Trockne Blumen. Brown rejects Gal’s theory, but probably because he misinterpreted it: Brown seems to have thought that Gal was suggesting Schubert was developing his melodies more fully through his instrumental variations.”” The important point in Gal’s theory is that Schubert was exploiting the emotional content of his songs in his instrumental works, not developing the melodies in a musical sense as Brown suggests (using the Beethovenian model again). Gal’s insight helps to illustrate my analysis at key points. Recently more authors have published work highlighting the positive aspects of the variations, While their approaches differ from one another and from mine, all are in agreement that the work deserves better critical treatment than it has received. For the most part, these are analytical discussions, and I direct the reader to Michael Raab and Uwe Mertins for a more detailed analysis than I provide here. Though some of their 38 Hans Gal, Franz Schubert and the Essence of Melody (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1974), 149-150. ® Brown, Schubert's Variations, 43. 249 Scanned with CamScanner‘comments will be included with mine below, here I summarize the basic premises. Raab’s dissertation Franz Schubert: Instrumentale Bearbeitungen eigener Lieder is the most comprehensive study to date. Due to what he terms the “almost universal rejection” of the Variations on Trockne Blumen, Raab discusses this piece even more thoroughly than most other examples.*° His approach focuses particularly on the relationship between the Lied and the instrumental work, beginning with an analysis of the poetic text. Ultimately, he contends that the variations are not an interpretation of the Lied, but rather that Schubert intentionally contradicts the meaning of the text—an interpretation significantly different from mine." After the original Lied melody is rearranged into different blocks of text (as many authors have noted, and I will discuss in more detail later), Raab argues: “The reference to the Lied is clearly given up, the melody is instrumentalized...not just fitted to the needs of the instruments, but worked in such a way that it functions as material for them.” What he does argue is a relationship between the siructure of the poem and that of the variations, based on the gradual doubling of meter in relation to the structure of Miller's poem; more specifically, the 2/8 time emerging in m. 35 of the Lied is ultimately reflected as a doubling of meter leading to the march in the final variation.’’ While Raab’s technical observations are often very astute, I maintain that Schubert works in conjunction with the Lied text rather than in opposition to it. Michael Raab, Franz Schubert: Instrumentale Bearbeitungen eigener Lieder (Minchen: Wilhelm Fink Verlag, 1997), 186 [hereafter Franz Schubert]. 41 Raab, Franz Schubert, 187. ® Raab, Franz Schubert, 199, Raab, Franz Schubert, 215. 250 Scanned with CamScannerLawrence Zbikowski’s, “The Blossoms of ‘Trockne Blumen’: Music and Text in the Early Nineteenth Century,” focusing again on the blocks of text, arrives at a similar conclusion through different methods.“* By employing recent research in cognitive linguistics and rhetoric, he uses the theory of conceptual integration networks for an analysis of how music and text interact. Zbikowki argues that through the rearrangement of these blocks, Schubert effects a complete transformation of the song’s musical syntax, which “drain[s] away much of the tension and drama from the musical material,” thus “drawfing] the listener towards a purely musical domain.”** While logical that the reordering of the musical blocks was necessary to create a purely instrumental work, it seems impossible to me that such a simple act would dissociate the mind of the listener from the powerful Lied text. Zbikowski’s assertion that the “larger syntactical patterns” are more relevant than the “atomic musical events themselves” is not enough to create such mental distance." If it were an effective solution, and successfully removed the text from the mind of the listener, surely earlier criticism would not be so unforgiving. In both “Réflexion et ironie dans Variations D. 802 du lied Trockne Blumen,” and “Tronic in der Musik Franz Schuberts,” Uwe Mertins argues that while one cannot be certain whether the musical material was intended to be considered independently from the Lied, “the possibility of an ironic context is overwhelming and suggests a more nuanced enrichment of the work.”"” Specifically, Mertins believes, “the transformation Lawrence Zbikowski, “The Blossoms of ‘Trockne Blumen’: Music and Text in the Early Nineteenth Century,” Music Analysis 18/ii (1999), 308. Zbikowski, “The Blossoms of ‘Trockne Blumen,”” 339-340. * Zpikowski, “The Blossoms of ‘Trockne Blumen,”” 341. * Uwe Mertins, “Reflexion et ironie dans Variations D. 802 du lied Trockne Blumen’ in Ostinato Rigore (11/12 1998), 169; quotation 171; “Ironie in der Musik Franz ‘Schuberts” in Schubert Jahrbuch (Kassel: Barenreiter, 2001), 115-128. In the former 251 Scanned with CamScannerof the funeral march into a triumphant march seems incredible... However, the work does not end with a li ..it ends by creating the ironical impression that things presented in such a way are not true and their signification emerges only from the context.”"* Although we arrive at the conclusion of irony through different approaches, we do agree on several issues, most importantly that Schubert's choice of Lied was intentional, and that the variations must therefore be considered in conjunction with it. ‘The most important question is not for whom Schubert wrote the variations, but why he chose Trockne Blumen as the theme. This song occurs as a climax, and, as Gramit notes, it “graphically illustrates the escape—through death in the story, through art for the listener—that lies at the heart of the cycle””” An exploration of Schubert’s choice may help us understand his potential motives for the composition of the variations. Schubert was surely able to compose more typical Biedermeier music when he chose to do so, and if his intent had been to compose merely a virtuosic showpiece, he most likely would have chosen another song more conducive to that end. As it stands, his choice was neither coincidental nor accidental; his specific choice of Trockne Blumen as the theme for his variations opened up a world of possibilities that I believe Schubert was keenly aware of. Just as it seems “hardly coincidental” that Schubert was drawn to the poetic eycle of Die schéne Miillerin at the time his illness began,” I find it difficult to believe the choice of Lied for his variations was arbitrary or was anyone’s idea but his own. As article, Mertins discusses additional critical reaction to the D, 802 in two dissertation: Hans-Walter Berg, “Schuberts Variationswerke” (PhD dissertation: Freiburg, 1958); Robert Rhein, “Franz Schuberts Variationwerke” (PhD dissertation: Saarbriicken, 1960). Berg asserts that one is wrong to expect a musical paraphrasing of the text, while Rhein believes the text is related despite a change of atmosphere. 4 Mertins, “Reflexion et ironie,” 178 Gramit, “Franz Schubert’s Circle,” 241. 5 Youens, Schubert, Miiller, and Die schone Milllerin, 161. 252 Scanned with CamScannernoted in Chapter 3, as further extrapolations of the myth that Schubert wrote the Variations for Bogner, one finds suggestions that Bogner requested them. Supposing for a moment that Hellborn was right in his supposition about Bogner, even if Bogner had somehow heard the Lied in the short time since it had been written, and further, asked for a set of variations on it (which seems doubtful given the general tendencies in his. repertoire), it was nonetheless Schubert's choice to fulfill the request. Mertins agrees that ‘we “cannot assume that Schubert took this model against his will for a composition of such a magnitude (and, furthermore, without being paid for it, as it is likely)."*" ‘The next question is, based on this choice, what might have been Schubert's artistic intentions? Again, while many authors have argued that the instrumental work should be dissociated from the song, as Mertins points out, “if we, as listeners, are not able to separate ourselves from the Lied text, as a composer, how could he have done it?” Rather than ignoring this association, I believe Schubert was exploiting it. Specifically, I believe that through these variations, Schubert was in a sense completing his time spent with the song cycle, and that as a result, the two works have a symbiotic relationship. Zbikowski argues something similar, although to a different end: ‘Schubert's decision to move away from the syntax of his song in his, variations may be personal as well as practical: creating a cycle with the power and vision of Die schéne Millerin must have exacted a toll on the ‘composer. One could even speculate on the psychological urge to tame a ‘song whose topic—suicide—might have occupied Schubert in his confrontation with a debilitating disease.” Certainly Zbikowski is correct in asserting that the cycle’s composition would have taken a great toll on Schubert; it occupied much of his creative energy for half of 1823, just 5! Mertins “Réflexion et ironie,” 172. ® Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 173. 5 Zbikowski, “The Blossoms of ‘Trockne Blumen,” 340. 253 Scanned with CamScannerwhen such energy must have been hard won. However, by “tame” the song, Zbikowski ‘means to eliminate associations with the Lied text, while in contrast, I believe Schubert wrote the variations to offer further commentary on the cycle he had just completed. I turn now to an exploration of the narrative possibilities present in the cycle. Narrative Possibilities in D. 802 The concept of the song eycle’s narrative being reflected in the variations came to my attention through an article by John Barcellona that appeared in 1991, in which he states, “Miller's poems...are actually the program of Schubert's Variations.”** Barcellona demonstrates that the general sense of the cycle’s plot is conveyed in the sequence of variations through numerous musical similarities, in a manner that is intended to jficance of the instrumental work. He credits the late introduce flutists to the deeper si composer Ingolf Dahl, his former professor, with the initial idea. Of course, Schubert was prone to all kinds of self-borrowing techniques, and surely within the extensive cycle of Die schéne Miillerin there were bound to be characteristic phrases, rhythms, and moods that would Jend themselves to comparison with the Variations on Trockne Blumen. However, Ifind them—not only in number, but more importantly in order—too * Barcellona, “Schubert’s Theme and Variations on Trockne Blumen,” 608. Additionally, Kuijken proposes that the variations as a whole are a reflection of the changing moods in the theme itself, moving from resignation, to unrest, then to triumph. Although this is possible, one significant problem with his interpretation is that it does not account for variation 3. Barthold Kuijken, “Das Lied als Instrumental-Thema bei Franz Schubert dargestellt an Introduktion und Variationen tlber Trockne Blumen D. 802,” Provokation und Tradition: Erfahrungen mit der Alten Musik, ed. Hans-Martin Linde and Regula Rapp, (Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler, 2000), 338, 254 Scanned with CamScannernumerous to be mere coincidence.** Reed points out that many of Schubert’s apparently deliberate self-borrowings are only of minor interest; it is the subconscious references that are more significant toward an understanding of Schubert’s compositional process. Further, he notes, “latent affinities between the songs and instrumental works are of special interest when they link works which are strictly contemporary.” Although we can never prove that Schubert was conscious of a parallel narrative between the song cycle and the variations, given the proximity of composition of these two works it seems reasonable that the associations were intentional. My analysis builds on the foundation provided by Barcellona’s article, while delving more deeply into the complicated emotional world of the young miller, including discussion of the poetic texts not set by Schubert and their possible effect on the variations, as well as additional musical commentary. It is important to note that my interpretation differs from Barcellona’s in many regards, in particular as it relates to the final variation and Schubert’s use of irony. Though it may seem farfetched that a set of instrumental variations could reflect the content of an entire song cycle, in this case I believe it is quite plausible. Iam not, implying that listeners would be able to observe the story of the cycle in the variations without having some familiarity with it, but rather that once one is familiar with the cycle, the variations demonstrate considerable similarity with its narrative. As Dillon Parmer has noted in regard to instrumental music, “Vocal texts can only be drawn on and 55 Schubert did not often broadcast his feelings or intentions, and there are other examples of secret programs such as this evident in his music—for example, Gibbs? assertion that the Piano Trio in E-flat, D. 929, was written as an homage to Beethoven. See Gibbs, Life of Schubert, 157-160. $6 Reed, Schubert Song Companion, 494-495. 255 Scanned with CamScannerused as an interpretive aid in an act of informed reflection.”*” How is it possible that a set of instrumental variations might follow the narrative of an entire song cycle? First, as several authors have noted, the narrative of Die schdne Millerin is relatively simple. Rosen, for example, refers to it as “a skeleton of a narrative,” and notes that even the cycle itself “cannot tell a story directly—at best it can hint at one that remains untold."** ‘The songs serve more as commentary rather than a precise imitation of the cycle’s narrative, “each song present[ing] one moment of intense emotion.” Further, the cycle itself is presented in a series of distinct scenes, which—perhaps not coincidentally —are often summed up in seven statements, just as there are seven variations in the instrumental work: (1) the miller sets out wandering, and follows a babbling brook to the rustic mill where he decides to work; (2) guided by the brook, he begins his work at the mill; (3) the miller reveals his growing love for the maid to the brook; (4) the miller becomes convinced that his love is retumed; (5) a hunter appears on the scene, whom the maid clearly prefers, provoking the miller’s jealousy and rage; (6) after increasing despair over his lost love, (7) the miller commits suicide in the brook. Although seven is not an unusual number of variations, it seems significant in this case, since it gives each scene in the cycle a clear parallel in the instrumental work.” 57 Ditlon Parmer, ift“Brahms, Song Quotation, and Secret Programs,” 19"- Century Music 19, no. 2. (1995), 189-190. Parmer also notes that such music “may approach the status of program music” when listeners arc aware of these types of references. *§ Rosen, Romantic Generation, 176, 175. ® Youens, Die schéne Miillerin, 72. © Among flute and piano variations, seven is a common number. Schubert’s earlier works included a range from four to thirteen variations, while later he generally wrote eight or fewer (Brown, Schubert's Variations, 19). 256 Scanned with CamScannerEach song portrays a distinct emotion, and it is the essence of these that is distilled and Portrayed in the variations. Before exploring further the narrative relationship between the two works, I begin by discussing the theme itself, Although the theme in this case is preceded by an introduction, prior awareness of some elements in the theme will facilitate my discussion. ‘As we have seen, criticism of the Variations on Trockne Blumen has been so vehement partly in reaction to the quality of the Lied upon which the set is based. Schubert's use of simple means to create a powerful effect in this song is extraordinary. Serving as the denouement in the cycle, it represents the mifller’s attempt to find meaning in his approaching death. Illustrating the Romantic theme of unrequited love, the miller fantasizes that after death, the maid will finally return his love by visiting his grave: Trockne Blumen (Withered Flowers) You flowers all that she gave to me, they must lay you in the grave with me. Why do you look at me so sadly, as if you knew what had happened to me? All you flowers, why withered, why pale? All you flowers, wherefore so wet? Alas, tears do not create Maytime green, do not make dead love bloom again. 257 Scanned with CamScanner‘And spring will come, and winter will pass, and flowers will grow in the grass. And flowers will lie on my grave, all the flowers that she gave me. And when she walks past that mound and ponders in her heart: “His love was true!” Then, all you flowers, ‘Come out, come out! May has come and winter is past.*" ‘The poem is in eight stanzas, the first six of which are in E Minor, the last two in the parallel major. Typical of Schubert's innovative approach to Lieder, here the piano serves as narrator, and the glimmer of hope expressed in the final stanzas is dispelled by a piano epilogue that returns the song to its original key. The musical setting is sometimes ‘compared to a funeral march in both form and sound (see Example 4.1a).°° In the beginning, although the meter is 2/4, because the dry opening chords are equally strong, a meter of 2/8 is often felt within as well. At m. 35, a 2/8 time emerges in the forefront, “the music moves from the deadness of winter, in the bare and through this proces: ‘opening minor chords, to a wonderful burgeoning.” With its directness and simplicity, combined with the contrast between major and minor tonality, Trockne Blumen contains myriad possibilities as the theme for Schubert’s variations. ® Ail song texts taken from Youens, Die schdne Miillerin; omitted poem texts taken from Youens, Schubert, Milller, and Die schine Millerin ® See for example Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 174. © Reed, Schubert Song Companion, 192. 258 Scanned with CamScannerXVIII. Trockne Blumen Ziemlich langsam Thr Blim-lein alle die 8 hana ton webs als ole mie soll man Te-gen mit it=ine_Greb. Wie taht She ot Te Mee wibstet, wie bir—ge>acheh? the Biim-lein— al = te, wie well, wie bla6? (hr als Ie, wo > von 40 ma Example 4.1a: “Trockne Blumen,” D. 795 “All examples from D. 795 reprinted from “Franz Schubert, Newe Ausgabe sdimtlicher Werke” with permission from Barenreiter 259 a Scanned with CamScannercaer bia, und FT, to bike nicht wie Tet= van macchen nicht mien + grin me wi i ssestehny and amelein wer-denim GH9756 dk Ld Winter wirdgehn, und Bldnwlel Lene wird komemenvund Wier a Bldtrintiesen 0 a= ri Undwenn sie wan- dele kim Hu - fel vor-bei wad 260 Scanned with CamScannerpee auaee ier ae ce ee denkt jm Her- zen, der meint® —¢9 teu! st Kom- men, der Win - ter ist ausy Sie wan- det am HG gel vor-bel ‘atokt im Her zen,der mein’ Ge treat 261 Scanned with CamScannereijaaromiec aie Me Heel ss jer-aus, de Mab i £ = > fher-aus, ist Kom-men, der > Tein al fe, her = tus, ete # te Win = ter iat aus 262 Scanned with CamScanner‘Schubert maintains the original key of the song for his theme and variations. The Lied is marked Ziemlich langsam (moderately slowly), while the theme is marked Andantino. Although David Montgomery has noted the impossibility of comparing Schubert's German and Italian tempo markings in absolute terms, clearly the latter is intended to be somewhat faster, which was typical of Schubert’s instrumental settings of Lieder.® The melodic material used in both the song and in the theme is nearly identical, but the piano prelude, interludes and epilogue are omitted. As many authors have noted, however, the arrangement of the melodic material differs considerably. Essentially, the musical pattern for the first six strophes of the song is AABAAB, while in the theme for the variations Schubert reshufiles it into AAAABB.© This allows for a piano introduction that uses the theme itself, establishing at the outset that the piano and flute are equal partners. Of course, the condensed shape provides a more logical flow for constructing the subsequent variations. However, as Raab notes, it also creates a problem “ In Schubert's songs, E Minor is generally used to symbolize sadness, depression, and nostalgia; this was not the first time Schubert composed for flute in this key. Der Sanger am Felsen D, 482 (The Singer on the Rock), written in 1816, includes the indication “Fléte” at the beginning next to the treble staff (stave) of the score, likely to indicate that a flute could join the singer if desired. The text, from a poem by Karoline Pilcher, features a refrain of “Mourn, my flute!” Reed, Schubert Song Companion, 123. For the most comprehensive source on key characteristics in music of this era, see Rita Steblin, A History of Key Characteristics in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2002). ® David Montgomery, Franz Schubert's Music in Performance: Compositional Ideals, Notational Intent, Historical Realities, Pedagogical Foundations (Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2003), 211-212. My analysis does not involve performance issues except as they directly relate to my discussion. The best source of information on performing Schubert’s music is Montgomery, although regrettably he does not discuss this work. For specific information on issues with the variations, see Hiinteler, which deals with issues of inaccuracies in various published editions as compared to Schubert’s original manuscript. © Many authors have noted this; for one example see Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 182. 263 Scanned with CamScannerTHEMA Andantino Example 4.1b: Theme, D. 802 All examples from D. 802 reprinted from “Franz Schubert, Neue Ausgabe sdimilicher Werke” with permission from Barenreiter 264 Scanned with CamScannerof harmonic stagnation, and Mertins adds that it “diminishes the reflective potential” as. well.°” Schubert retains the original order of melodic material for the seventh and eighth strophes. There are many other small differences between the Lied and the theme; most of these are obvious, so I will touch upon them only briefly. ‘The Lied is modified slightly with small embellishments throughout, and Schubert adds some staccato markings as well, both of which highlight the instrumental character of the piece. To keep these ‘embellishments from becoming too prominent, Schubert does make some slight adjust- ments. For example, while the vocal part has two 16th notes in the end of the first measure, the instrumental theme has an 8th note, making the grace notes in the following measure flow more smoothly. The theme omits the pickup note present in the Lied, which Mertins feels “deprives the theme of some of its lightness.”** This may be true; © Raab, Franz Schubert, 199; Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 183. “ Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 182. 265 Scanned with CamScannerhowever, its elimination allows for more contrast in the style of the variations themselves (where the “lightness” is not always appropriate), and also allows for a sense of immediacy from one variation to the next. The number of full-measure rests in the flute partis first eight measures, then four, and then two. The diminishing space between them suggests a question and answer dialogue, not only in the periodic structure of the individual variations, but on a larger scale as well; flute and piano alternate with virtuosic tums, with the first and fifth belonging to the flute and the second and fourth to the piano. In the other variations, as well as the introduction and theme, the roles are equally important, demonstrating that—rather unlike most other contemporary variations —this is an authentic duet, a dialogue between equals. Beyond the rearrangement of the melodic material, the most significant difference is the omission of the piano epilogue from the Lied, which returns to the original E Minor. However, Schubert makes one accommodation that has a somewhat similar effect albeit more subtle). The two final notes, in m. 69, are marked piano directly after the rest of the phrase in forte.” A brief aside is important here to clarify Schubert’s. expressive intentions, as the placement of the dynamic in even the Neue Schubert Ausgabe is incorrect in this measure.” Although marking of piano at the beginning of m. 69 in the piano part that has been crossed out, and moved to the final note in the measure, the flute part clearly indicates the piano on the penultimate note. Upon examination of the manuscript, it becomes clear that the piano should be in the same place in the piano part; it only appears under the final note because of space considerations (see Example Ps All measure numbers are from the beginning of the composition. ” International Schubert Society, ed., Neue Ausgabe scimtlicher Werke, Serie VI (Kassel: Barenreiter, 1970), 8: 70. 266 Scanned with CamScanner — =) soe ope4.2), Thus the piano in both parts should be under the penultimate note. Although it is not specifically marked subito, not is there a diminuendo, so Schubert must have intended this change to be sudden. Mertins aptly notes that this final piano is comparable in effect to the epilogue played by the pianist in the Lied, since it “causes some anxiety to the listener who does not accept the apparent triumph.””! Only upon recent examination of the manuscript did I realize Schubert’s intention; before this, the mistake had always caused some anxiety for me as a performer. Particularly when keeping the text in mind— ey ie Bere Le i Example 4.2: Schubert's manuscript, showing mm. 66-69 of the theme, D. 802 AULD. 802 manuscript excerpts published with permission from Wienbibliothek which for me is inseparable from the theme—I never felt it made sense musically, and found it difficult to refrain from fully projecting this note along with the others in the phrase. To illustrate, this dynamic contrast would be represented in the corresponding text as “[forte] Der Mai ist kommen, der Winter ist [piano] aus.” But since it now seems clear that the final ‘wo notes in the theme should be played piano, in light of Mertins comments about the function of the sudden piano dynamic, the correlation between the meaning of the text and the dynamics makes more sense: “[forte] Der Mai ist kommen, der Winter [piano] ist aus.” In addition to questioning the miller’s hope for redemption, 7! Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 184. Mertins describes the use of piano only on the final note, but the effect he describes is nonetheless the same. 267 Scanned with CamScannerthe dynamic contrast has a practical function as well; by creating less of a sense of finality, the theme leads more directly into the first variation. Before I explore the variations in further detail, I return to the introduction. ‘Schubert skillfully ties the introduction to the Lied theme not only musically, but conceptually as well; the text's meaning is woven straight into the fabric of the introduction itself. Even Brown agrees, indicating, “with an aptness later to be set aside by the variations the introduction dwells on the emotional climax of the song.””* The opening double neighbor-note motive, presented in half notes (B-C-A-B), is at the same time remarkably simple and beautifully expressive.” Combined with the steady dactylic rhythm in the piano, it lends a somber quality evocative of a funeral march that immediately draws in the listener.” It is primarily this particular rhythm, combined with the parallel thirds, that is reminiscent of Death and the Maiden; Mertins notes itis also “a well thought-out relationship.””* present in Trockne Blumen, which he refers to a This motive permeates much of the introduction; the flute enters with it in m. 3, and it is taken back by, the piano in m, 5. There, a second motive appears in the flute, which, flection the question heard in m. 14 of the Lied, “wovon although it is not yet clear, is ® Brown, Schubert's Variations, 54. ® Raab, Franz Schubert, 200, notes the choral impression of the theme, and refers toiit as an “extremely concentrated derivation of the [Lied] theme B+E-G-B.” Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 178, notes that the descending fifth is an inversion of the ascending fourth in the opening of the Lied theme, and that it also represents the piano epilogue in the Lied, ™ A few authors have compared the Lied to a funeral march; see, for example, Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 173: “The musical realization of the first six stanzas (in ¢ minor) by Schubert reminds us of a funeral march whose slow-step motion is interrupted only by the reflection on the question ‘Wovon so nass?”” 75 Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 183. Additionally, Brown points out that it is “another instance of the recurring influence of Beethoven’s Allegretto.” Brown, Schubert's Variations, $4. 268 Scanned with CamScanner0 nass?” (wherefore so wet?) (refer to Example 4.1a). Like the opening motive, this “question motive” also permeates much of the introduction. The rhythm intensifies in m. 8 with the change to continuous 16th notes in the piano, which combined with the sweeping scalar passages taking the flute from one octave to the next creates an unusually INTRODUKTION ae Example 4.3: Introduction, D. 802 269 Scanned with CamScannerintense emotional effect for so early in the piece. While use of the flute’s upper register is common in introductions to variation sets, in most cases it is exclusively for virtuosic 270 Scanned with CamScannerBEBE EEE SE SSE ERE BES SE SB SE SS a effect. With the sudden dramatic change in register here, extending as it does toa modified statement of the opening motive, but reaching even further (B-C-A-B at the outset; here E-G-A-B), Schubert creates a powerfully expressive climax that is unmatched in the genre. A third motive appears in m. 12 in the flute, while the opening, motive continues, and both are developed in counterpoint with a fourth motive beginning in the piano at the end of m. 13.”° After the climax in mm. 8-11, the contrapuntal section beginning in m. 12 brings a more moderate, calmer impression at first, while the retum of the haunting opening motive gradually intensifies along with the counterpoint. The 32nd-note tremolo in the piano and the tendency toward E-flat Major in m. 18 offer some contrast, and a “sparkle of hope in this tense atmosphere.””” Only in mm. 23-24 is the question motive finally heard with the original intervals and contour. Brown sees the various statements of this motive “as if the lover were pondering the words of his ‘question, expressing them in different ways and asking them with changed emphasis.””* It seems that while musically this question comes from the Lied, the query is a deeper ‘one; not simply why the flowers are so wet, but whether the maid retums his love. The question is interrupted by the opening motive in the piano, effectively avoiding an answer, perhaps indicating that there is no escaping fate (see m. 24 in Example 4.3). ‘The fourth motive is combined with the question motive in m. 29; and as Mertins notes, the inversion of the question motive in the flute in m. 32 creates yet another new 76 Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 180, refers to this third motive as similar to m, 41-43 in the Lied. 7 Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 180. 78 Brown, Schubert's Variations, 54, notes: “But this phrase, as it stands in the song, is reached only after a slow re-shaping of the initial flute figure, and by devious keys, as if the lover were pondering the words of his question, expressing them in different ways and asking them with changed emphasis.’ an ——_——— Scanned with CamScannermotive.” Beginning hesitantly, this statement gradually ascends to the fortepiano in m. 35. Schubert ends the introduction with a quasi cadenza in the flute, which, although measured and expressive rather than virtuosic, nonetheless follows the archetype of the virtuoso variation. All of the musical questions are left unanswered at the half cadence in m, 37, at which point the theme enters. By using motives derived from the Lied itself, and weaving them together so seamlessly, Schubert has created an introduction that far surpasses others in the genre. Even Brown concedes here, referring to the introduction as “true, if not first-rate, Schubertian quality.”*° While Brown indicates his disappointment that the variations are not of comparable quality,®! and undeniably the music of the introduction reaches an aesthetic effect not matched again in the piece, I also think its quality indicates that Schubert intended his composition to be more than simply a set of virtuoso variations, 1 believe that Schubert intended that the introduction set the stage for the beginning of a parallel narrative to Die schéne Miillerin. Gal seems to hint at this as well, aptly referring 12 to the introduction as “a requiem without words for the ill-fated hero. Reed notes the strong links—both musical and psychological—between the first four songs in Schubert's cycle." I believe that through use of various rhythmic levels, their essence has been distilled and represented in the first variation. Musically, the parallels are with the first three songs in particular; as they do in Das Wandern (Wandering) and Wohin? (Where to?), the moving notes in the first variation represent 7 Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 181. ® Brown, Schubert's Variations, 54. ®! Brown, 55. ® Gal, Franz Schubert and the Essence of Melody, 150. © Reed, 183. 272 Scanned with CamScannerthe incessantly babbling brook. Das Wandern is primarily represented in the first two sections, while features of the Wohin? present themselves at the change to E Major in m. 86. Throughout the variation, the moving notes begin in the flute, then are taken up by the piano when the flute reaches the end of a phrase; as a result they permeate nearly the entire variation, as constant as the stream itself. Das Wandern (Wandering) To wander is the miller’s joy, To wander! He must be a poor miller who never thought of wandering, of wandering! We have learned it from the water, from the water! Day and night it does not rest, but is always intent on wandering, the water! We can see it in the wheels, the wheel They don’t care at all for standing still, They tum all day without tiring, the wheels. Even the stones, heavy as they are, the stones! ‘They join in the merry dance and want to go even faster, the stones. O wandering, wandering, my delight, O wandering! Master and mistress, let me go on my way in peace and go wandering. ‘The 16th note accompaniment in Das Wandern finds its way into the first variation as a steady stream of 32nd notes (Examples 4.4a and 4.4b). Here the miller has 273 Scanned with CamScannernot actually begun wandering, he is only fantasizing about it; however, even in his fantasy, the image of the water is clear. ‘The jaunty 16th notes in the accompaniment may even represent the dancing stones in Miiller’s text. Although this variation appears somewhat virtuosic, it is not superficially so. First, as Kuijken notes, the figures in the flute are an outgrowth from the omamentation of the theme in m. 51 (refer to Example 4.1b).* Thus the progression from the theme to the first variation feels natural, despite the increased rhythmic activity. Additionally, when taking Schubert’s unchanged tempo of andantino from the theme, the pace seems Example 4.4a: Variation 1, mm, 70-77, D. 802 ™ Kuijken, “Das Lied als Instrumental-Thema bei Franz Schubert,” 339, 274 Scanned with CamScannerI. Das Wandern Ontber (2). Novernber 1825 Miabig geschwind Dar Warden ut eo Soin Wascser ha be 130 ihn wir auch eo $e P a ‘Millers Lust, das das Wan-dern ist de ie Yorn Wasser haben har sehn wir auch den Rie Example 4.4b: “Das Wandern,” mm. 1-10, D. 795 quite natural throughout most of the variation. Reed’s description of Das Wandern is apt here. He notes that although the song’s accompaniment “embodies the idea of a walking pace with the precision we expect from Schubert,” it is not actually an imitation of that pace—with two beats per bar the pace is too slow for walking, and at four beats per bar it is too fast." The comparable pacing gives the cycle and the successive variations a similar rhythmic feel from the outset; while the moving notes represent the stream, the ‘general tempo simultaneously portrays the miller casually walking along beside it in his fantasy. §5 As it applies to the first variation, this would be four beats per bar is too slow, while eight beats per bar is too fast. For a thorough discussion of Schubert’s tempos, see Montgomery, Franz Schubert's Music in Performance, 210-268. 275 Scanned with CamScannerWohin? (Where to?) Theard a little brook babbling from its rocky source, babbling down to the valley, so bright and wondrously clear. I know not what came over me, nor who gave me the idea. Thad to go down there too, with my wanderer’s staff.. ‘Downward and ever onwards, and always following the brook, and the brook babbled on, ever brighter and ever clearer. Is this then my path? O brook, tell me, where? With your babbling, you have quite bemused my mind. Variation 1 draws additional material from the second song in the cycle as well. Although E Minor was used with a light touch in the first two sections, beginning in m. 86, the brighter key of E Major and sextuplets are used to denote the increased energy of the babbling brook at its source, “bright” and “wondrously clear,” similar to the piano accompaniment Wohin? With the change from steady 32nd notes to sextuplets (see Examples 4.5a and 4.5b), the accompanimental figures from both of the first two songs : aa are incorporated into one variation. There is a buildup in register and dynamic level beginning in m. 90, followed by the spontaneous eruption of 64th notes in mm. 92-93 (see Example 4.6), which in a burst of energy reaches a peak in rhythmic activity. Possibly this represents the young miller’s excitement as he happens upon the mill in the third poem, from which an excerpt is given below. 216 Scanned with CamScannerExample 4.5a: Variation 1, mm. 86-89, D. 802 Il. Wohin? Mabig Ieh— bie’ in Bich - Example 4.5b: “Wohin?” mm. 1-6, D. 795 277 Scanned with CamScannerHalt! (Stop!) Isee a mill gleaming among the alders, The roar of the mill-wheels breaks through the babbling and singing. Now welcome, welcome, sweet mill-song! ‘And how inviting the house is! How brightly the windows gleam! And how brightly the sun shines in the sky! Now brook, dear little brook, is this what you meant? ‘0 geet Example 4.6: Variation 1, mm. 90-93 278 Scanned with CamScannerThe theme is somewhat obscured by the virtuosic filigree until the end of the variation. Although on the surface this figuration may appear similar to others in variations for flute, there are significant differences. First, as mentioned above, the variation is a natural outgrowth of the omamentation of the theme. Also, Schubert’s patterns offer a sense of direction and purpose that is often lacking in variations by flutist-composers. Finally, while it is not without precedent to encounter a variety of rhythmic levels within a single variation, Schubert takes this to a new level. Not only does he gradually increase the rhythmic activity throughout, but he also uses different levels between the instruments; see for example, in m. 86, the steady 32nd notes in the piano against the 32nd-note sextuplets in the flute. Most often in variations for flute, the accompaniment remains very simple; certainly this level of rhythmic complexity in the interplay between instruments is exceptional for its category. Just as Schubert raised the piano accompaniment in the Lied genre to new heights, here he does the same with variations. ‘Am Feierabend (After Work) If only Thad a thousand arms to wield! Ifonly I could drive the rushing wheels! If only I could blow through all the woods, if only I could turn all the mill-stones so that the beautiful miller maid would see my true love! Variation 2 brings a clear indication that our young miller has arrived at the mill, and is hard at work: the forte octaves thundering away in the left hand of the piano offer a musical representation of the grinding mill stones. Schubert's transition from one 279 Scanned with CamScannervariation to the next is seamless; the 32nd notes in the piano form the reflection of the flute line in the first variation. Now is the pianist’s virtuoso tum; the flutist merely plays bits of the theme in answer to the statements in the right hand of the piano. With the ‘mechanical and heavy-handed style here, one is reminded of a more virtuosic account of the percussive chords in song five, Am Feierabend (After Work). The two are compared in Examples 4.7a and 4.7b. Here the miller wishes fervently that he were stronger than the other apprentices so that the maid might notice him. Youens says these opening chords “evoke both heavy work, perhaps even grunting from effort.” The flute line in variation 2, abandoning its generally more melodic role, is emphatic and punctuated, and fits Youens’ description of the “exaggeratedly athletic vocal line” in the song, in which “he effort of lifting, hauling, cutting, and chopping [are] made graphic in sound.”*” Example 4.7a: Variation 2, mm, 94-98, D. 802 ® Youens, Die schéne Milllerin, 79. °” Ibid., 80. 280 Scanned with CamScannerV. Am Feierabend Ziemlich geschwind wend Ar-me mu rh ~ ren, Kant ich Brau - send die Jz. faa Example 4.7b: “Am Feierabend,” mm. 1-10, D. 795 .--And there I sit with them in a circle, in the quiet, cool leisure hour, and the master says to us all: “Tam pleased with your work. ‘And the dear maiden bids us all goodnight. Ri 281 Scanned with CamScannerAt m. 102, a break occurs in the menacing octaves in the accompaniment, and ‘Schubert presents the B section of the theme more gently and melodically. This is similar to his presentation of the second stanza in the song beginning in m. 36, in the “cool quiet hour when work is done.” There the grinding of the mill stones stops, and the vocal line resembles a “quasi recitative."** At this point, the flute ceases its percussive echoes of the theme and becomes more melodic. These sections are compared in Examples 4.8 and 4.8b. Example 48a: Variation 2, mm. 104-109, D. 802 88 Reed, Schubert Song Companion, 184. 282 Scanned with CamScannerwun = de Und da_aite ich In— der gro~ Ben ay r Ol» Inder stit-lon, kih-len Fei = stun = Example 4.8b: “Am Feierabend,” mm. 36-45, D. 795 The structure of Am Feierabend is followed even further in the second variation, for both return to the effect of their respective beginnings. Despite the change to E Major in m, 110 in variation 2, the octaves of the opening return, but this time with the indication pp—just as Schubert repeats the first stanza of Milller’s poem in the song. ‘Also, the piano part in Am Feierabend beginning in m. 70 contains passages of moving octaves, and there are no longer any rests in the bass line, illustrating even more musical similarity with variation two (see Examples 4.9a and 4.9b). Might the flute’s brief trills beginning in m. 110 be little waves and kisses goodnight from the sweet maid, or at least the miller’s imaginings of such? Prior to this song, the miller spoke of the maid only from a distance, making this the first sign in the cycle of any interaction; the maid is an “icon in the mind” rather than a developed 283 Scanned with CamScannerExample 4.9a: Variation 2, mm. 110-116, D. 802 character." Perhaps not insignificantly, this is Schubert’s first use of trills in the variations—they are rare throughout, and they only appear again in the final variation, Also, the tessitura of the vocal line rises in mm, 52-53 when the miller sings the maiden’s words;” likewise, with the high A in m. 112 (a), although only briefly, the flute line reaches higher here than at any point in the variations thus far, including the climax in the introduction. The dynamic is softer here as well. ® Youens, Die schéne Miillerin, 31. % Youens, Die schéne Miillerin, 80, notes that this “both differentiat{es] her words from her father's and set{s] the youth’s longing on a higher plane.” 284 Scanned with CamScannerto eS Example 4.9b: “Am Feierabend,” mm. 69-74, D. 795 Because the E Major section beginning in m. 110 of variation 2 contains only seven measures, some have speculated that a measure is ‘missing."*' Although several performers have supplied the missing measure by repeating m. 114, the evidence is overwhelmingly against it. For one thing, the manuscript indicates a correction by Schubert in m. 115, in which he revises his beginning of a repeat of exactly this measure. Rather than engaging these arguments, I offer a solution to the problem based on the narrative. If'we take Schubert at his word that he intended only seven bars here, instead of eight, programmatic intent seems a good explanation. A possible reading for this %! See Gustav Scheck, Die Fldte und ihre Musik (Mainz: B. Schott’s Séhne, 1975), 223. 285 Scanned with CamScanner“omission” is found, conceptually speaking, in the sixth and seventh songs of the cycle, Der Neugierige (The Inquisitive One) and Ungeduld (Impatience). Referring to a ‘metrical change in song 6, Reed notes that it “delineates the young man’s bewilderment and uncertainty,” and in song 7, he explains that the miller’s “impatient ardour is expressed by a sort of rhythmic dislocation.” [am not suggesting that these rhythmic issues have the same effect as the omitted bar, but rather that the impetus behind their ‘composition may be similar. In Die schdne Miillerin Schubert's first omission from Miiller’s narrative occurs next; he omits the poem Das Mithlenleben (Life at the Mill), between Der Neugierige and Ungeduld. In the poem, the maid takes center stage: “almost like the eye of God, her image is always nearby us.” Although many scholars have offered the poem's length as a reason for omission, Youens insightfully suggests that Schubert may have found Miiller’s saintly depiction of the maid “less effective than the idealization that flourishes best in absence.” By further minimizing the maid’s appearance in the narrative, is Schubert suggesting that the love affair is the product of the miller’s imagination? Certainly this is one of the larger questions relating to the cycle; whether the love aflair between the m: and the miller ever extends beyond fantasty is ambiguous. This is in part due to Miller's choice of the miller as narrator; the listener is only aware of what the miller himself considers to be true. As Youens notes, “we hear only what he chooses to recount, from which we extrapolate that which he fails to notice, hear, or see.”™* I believe the third variation offers some useful commentary in this regard. ® Reed, Schubert Song Companion, 184-85. °° Youens, Die schéne Miillerin, 43. °* Youens, Die schéne Milllerin, 32. 286 Scanned with CamScanner BREBREBEHEHESesBRBREBawewwwewe = — _Although the dynamic level pulls back in anticipation, the ending of the second variation is still somewhat abrupt, leading us directly into the third variation with no break (perhaps reflecting another bit of Ungeduld). The next several songs in the cycle involve the deepening love of the miller for the maid of the mill, and his belief that she retums his love. These songs are of a tender and delicate nature, and although no particular narrative sequence is apparent, they are collectively mirrored in variation three, Surface similarities alone are enough to convey this sense, but I believe Schubert delves further into the text of the songs here—and perhaps even into things that remain unsaid in the poetic cycle itself. Several specific details serve to demonstrate this point. The songs here are all in major keys: the eighth song, Morgengruf (Morning Greeting) is in C Major, while the following two, Des Millers Blumen (The Miller's Flowers) and Tranenregen (Shower of Tears) are both in A Major. Likewise, the third variation is entirely in E Major, and occupies the central position in the instrumental piece. In terms of the overall sonority, the intimate nature of the third variation’s close intervals resembles the intervals in Trdinenregen, in which the piano gently cradles the voice. However, many of the musical characteristics of variation 3 are derived from MorgengruB. Specifically, the shape and character of the instrumental melody is remarkably similar to the opening of Morgengrup, serving almost as an elaboration of it. The first phrase in the voice, in mm, 4-6, begins and ends on the fifth scale-degree (G in the key of C Major), as does the melody in the flute in mm. 117-18 (B in the key of E Major), with both melodies touching down on scale-degree five again on the subsequent downbeats; additionally, both utterances lie within a major sixth (see Examples 4.10a and 4.10b). Even the figuration in m, 118 in the flute seems to mirror the embellishment of 287 Scanned with CamScannerVARIIL i Example 4.10a: Variation 3, mm. 117-124, D. 802 VIII, MorgengruB son BEB Masig I Sos Guten Morgen.schone Mable-in, wo eckat du gleichens Supfhen hinvals wit dir was 0. He a ve cee Ee = — Example 4.10b: “MorgengruB,” mm. I-12, D. 795 288 Scanned with CamScanner BRabBBQBDheaa BARE B BEB weae eeethe word “Millerin” in m. 6 of the song. In the imitative passages in Morgengru there is some subtle use of two against three, but the frequent juxtaposition of three against four common in variation 3 is a feature most applicable to Der Neugerige. It occurs beginning with the change to B Major for the third stanza in m. 25, and again in m. 45, with 16th notes in the 24, Sehr langsam. z Bich = dein meiner Lie be fee eee Wort hen wre Example 4.11: “Der Neugierige,” mm. 23-31, D. 795 289 Scanned with CamScanneraccompaniment against triplets in the voice. From the outset, this is a prominent feature of the third variation, where Schubert uses 16th-note sextuplets in the left hand against 32nd notes in the flute and the right hand of the piano (see Example 4.11 for Der ‘Neugierige; the opening of variation 3 is shown in Example 4.10a). Metrically, the gentle rocking motion of the 1éth-note triplets is most reminiscent of the triplets in the accompaniment in MorgengruB, beginning in mm. 16 and 35. In both instances, the rocking motion appears to represent the gently rippling brook, in which the miller gazes at the reflection of the maid as she sits by his side. ‘The imitative texture finds its roots from the same place, as shown in Examples 4.12a and 4.12b. The melody is first stated in the flute in m. 117 and is then taken up by the piano in m. 121, with the flute entering in m. 122 with lovely harmonies in thirds and sixths. In the second section, the imitative entrances begin, first led by the piano in m. 125 and then by the flute in m. 127; in both cases the second voice joins in, overlapping and ending in thirds or sixths.”® The imitation becomes denser in the last section, beginning in m. 133, ‘occurring at intervals of one ot two beats. Due to melodie similarities here, it is not always clear which instrument leads. Might this be the give and take of lovers in a gentle dance of seduction? In her earlier book, Youens indicates that the intimacy between the miller and the maid is only a fantasy; however, in her subsequent volume, after further deliberation on the omitted poems, she becomes less convinced: “The sexual nightmare that is Bliimlein Vergifmein [The Forget-Me Flower] strongly hints both that the lad has slept with the miller maid— °° Raab notes this as well. Raab, Franz Schubert, 206. 290 Scanned with CamScannerExample 4.12a: Variation 3, mm, 124-end, D. 802 291 Scanned with CamScannerb x jo mus nwieder ge hens #9 so sehe Grub sorchwer? ver=stdrt dich denn mein Blick eh wieeder ge + hems Example 4.12b: “Morgengrup,” mm. 13-23, D. 795 between Tréinenregen and Mein?” Although the poem is omitted from the song cycle, Youens suggests that Schubert “might not have deleted all traces of it from his musical imagination,” and that although “admittedly farfetched, it is nonetheless fascinating to realize that trace elements of poems a composer decided nor to set to music might still find their way into the musical work.””” While perhaps the clearest example of this in D. 802 is found in Sehubert’s use of irony in the final variation, there may be some “trace elements” found in the third variation as well: specifically, the intimation that the pair has hada sexual encounter. At the beginning of the variation, the voices are separate entities, taking turns, joining in and supporting one another. They become gradually closer and °* Youens, Die schéne Milllerin, 8 Mallerin, 191-192. °” Both quotations from Youens, Schubert, Miiller, and Die schdne Miillerin, 191. ‘ouens, Schubert, Miiller, and Die schéne 292 Scanned with CamScannercloser, until in the end their edges blur, just as the flesh does in the act of lovemaking. In the end, they lie together satiated. It is possible that the music only represents the miller’s fantasy yet again, but the music, as subtext, is often more truthful than his spoken words. If one accepts the interpretation that the pair has slept together, it is a gentle scene befitting their youthful love, with none of the darker images brought forth in Bliimlein Vergiimein, but certainly this would not be the only example in which Schubert’s interpretation of Miller was prettified. In this way, the variations are not only a reflection of the narrative of Schubert’s cycle, but also a manifestation of his understanding of Milller’s poetic text, which most likely for musical reasons was not presented in its entirety in the song cycle itself. Mein! (Mine!) Brook, stop your babbling! Mill-wheels, cease your roaring! All you merry little forest birds, large and small, end your warbling! Throughout the woods, within and beyond, Iet one rhyme alone ring out today: the beloved miller-maid is mine! Mine! Spring, are those all the flowers you have? Sun, have you no brighter light? Ah, then I must remain all alone with this blissful word of mine, uncomprehended anywhere in the wide world! The joyful urgency of song 11, Mein! (Mine!) finds its way into the fourth variation, Reed refers to Mein! as both “a climax and a turning-point;” it is precisely at 293 Scanned with CamScannerthe center of the poetic cycle. As mentioned above, it is unclear whether the miller has physically consummated his relationship with the maid, or is merely deluding himself— Miiller seems to have made it intentionally ambiguous. Although the poem—a single, complex stanza—reflects the miller’s “acute psychological disturbance,” Schubert’s setting is “untainted rejoicing in song, devoid of all but a few traces of the distress which pervades the words.” Like Schubert’s interpretation of Miller’s text, variation 4 is pure elation. As in the second variation, here the piano takes the lead, this time most insistently; the rush of notes in the right hand bring a return of the book’s rapid babbling, while the left hand plays a two-measure statement of the theme. At the same time, the flurry of sound might be taken to represent the miller’s excitement, even the blood coursing through his veins. Rather than compete with the dominating piano, the flute is timid at first, as if for the miller to externalize his feelings by singing them aloud might tarnish them. As Barcellona notes, the rhythm for the vocal part in Mein! and the flute part in the opening of the fourth variation are identical, as shown in Examples 4.13a and 4.13b,! The change of character in m. 149 of the instrumental work brings to mind the lines, “Spring, are those all the flowers you have? Sun, have you no brighter light?” At this point in Miiller’s poem, the miller is less confident, but Schubert's differences are more subtle; rather, his miller only seems more introspective here. Youens notes that even if the miller and the maid have in fact slept together, he is only referring to sexual ° Reed, Schubert Song Companion, 187. Youens, Schubert, Milller, and Die schéne Miillerin, xviii; for a full discussion see her Chapter 4. ‘© Barcelona, “Schubert’s Theme and Variations on Trockne Blumen,” 611. 294 Scanned with CamScanner z= = = mht HE OaExample 4.13a: Variation 4, mm. 141-148, D. 802 possession and not to reciprocated love: “The unpleasant narcissism of ‘Mine, mine, mine’ is all the more emphatic becau: ‘aims of possession are always louder and 295 Scanned with CamScannermore fraught when tenuous.”"*! The miller's overconfident side prevails, and likewise, it seems to be shouting by the end of the variation, the flute is anything but timic XI. Mein!" ‘MaBig geschwind Bich-lein,J4B dein Raw-schen tin, ger in Wie sehcdeanaer eager om Manty~ och Net Ne Teac die Mahl Dock "Der'tcn du Miscbent im Walede ds = 1 Example 4.15 b: “Der Jiiger,” mm. 1-7, D. 795 i Ontober 1825 Geschwind”” ‘ouchnellto ketas urdwildymein lie = bee Yinenas voll Zorn dem Example 4.15c: “Eifersucht und Stolz," mm. 1-9, D. 795 301 Scanned with CamScannermanifestations of jealous rage.""°” Similarly, the poem Eifersucht und Stolz is a “single furious stanza without breathing room for stanzaic divisions,” and the song barely leaves. time for a gasping breath at certain points.'°* Again, these descriptions are also fitting of variation 5. While in the beginning, the clear phrasing allows quick breaths at the end of each two-measure phrase, by the E Major section at m. 181, the flutist is left with the difficult task of catching a breath between 64th notes. Raab notes that the level of movement achieved in the first variation is not exceeded here,'” and while this is true, in variation 1 the various rhythmic levels provide a break from the constant technical demands, whereas the relentless variation 5 is more of a tour de force—it is not only more difficult to play, but gives a more virtuosic impression as well. a G8 hg Example 4.16: Variation 5, mm. 169-172, D. 802 "°” Youens, Die schéne Miillerin, 98-99. Youens also notes: “That the miller’s fury is sexual in origin is made clear in Maller’s brilliant formal stroke of invention here at the close of the poem: the ten lines of stanza 1 overflow into an extra couplet in stanza 2 at the sexualized images of despoilment, ‘treten und wilhlen’ [trample and root], the miller can no longer keep at bay.” Ibid, 58. 1°8 Youens, Die schéne Millerin, 59. ‘© Raab, Franz Schubert, 204. 302 Scanned with CamScannerThe theme is heard in the piano throughout, and even amid the tumult of notes, noticeable changes in character take place. For example, at m. 169 (see Example 4.16), the dynamic level becomes p, and the music is now sweet, in stark contrast to the fiery opening. Poetically, this may resemble the miller’s discussion of the “tame fawn,” a clear reference to the maid. ‘Youens notes Eifersucht und Stolz as “a psychologically acute study of a distraught person’s changes of mind, of the way competing claims of jealousy and pride push one now this way, now that."""° Though certainly there is some repetition earlier in the variation, this is the first example of entire measures being repeated, the first measure played forte and the second piano. Taking together the repetition with the dynamic contrast, this appears to me as a musical demonstration of the miller’s “distraught” changes of mind between rage directed at the hunter, and his disappointment that the miller maid no longer favors him. Youens also notes that the language Milller uses. “clip[s]” each line of the poem closed; a similar effect to the combination of the accent marks and staccato in mm. 181-184. Lastly, in m. 185, the flute returns to its feverish pursuit. Example 4.17 shows variation 5 from m, 181 to the end. As noted previously, the miller plays a reed pipe in Eifersucht und Stolz, making it organic to the cycle: “Tell her: he is on my banks, carving a reed whistle and playing lovely songs and dances for the children.” While no particular reference is found to illustrate this aspect of the poem, in a composition written for piano and flute, it would clearly be superfluous. M© Youens, Die schéne Miillerin, 60. 303 Scanned with CamScannerExample 4.17: Variation 5, mm. 181-end, D. 802 304 Scanned with CamScannerThe music discussed above is actually Schubert’s second version of the flute part to variation 5; only the last two measures of the original remain intact in the second version. The original version consists primarily of steady 64th notes rather than a mixture of sextuplets and 64th notes, including a very large number of octave leaps (see Example 4.18). It also makes extensive use of B below middle C, the lowest note on the modem flute, Although many of the Viennese flutists appear to have played on instruments extending to low G, the numerous lower register notes in the original version of variation 5 would have been exceptionally difficult to execute at a desirable tempo. In particular, the considerable number of octave leaps (there are ten in the first measure alone) would be quite an impediment to speed, as on the flute such leaps are executed primarily by a change in the airstream, rather than simply a change of fingering. While many flutist-composers employed the same techniques frequently, Schubert's use of them is somewhat awkward, likely due to his lack of familiarity with writing for the flute in a solo setting. Consequently, itis not quite possible to execute the original variation at a tempo sufficient to create the same impression Schubert achieves in the final version. Kuijken agrees, referring to the original as “barely feasible” and indicating that “the second version is hard enough!”""' Barcellona notes that it “resembles an etude,” and I think few would disagree on their preference for the rewritten version,'!? To my knowledge, only one recording of D. 802 with the original fifth variation has been made, that by Emily Skala.'"’ Her recording of this difficult work is admirable, '"! “Sie scheint tatsiichlich kaum realisierbar...Dabei ist die zweite Fassung schon schwer genug!” Kuijken, “Das Lied als Instrumental-Thema,” 344. "? Barcellona, “Schubert’s Theme and Variations on Trockne Blumen,” 612. 13 Emily Skala, Voices Through Time: Works of Brahms and Schubert for Flute & Piano, Summit DCD 324. 305 Scanned with CamScannerStuy a ite 5 ag Se weg Scanned with CamScannerZ a ee ae B25 2s or Phe tet Example 4.18: Schubert's original version of variation 5, manuscript, D. 802 and offers a unique opportunity to hear the original variation. Skala indicates that while her primary motivation for recording the work was to do something different, she prefers the original because she believes it adds more contrast to the work overall. She also mentioned breathing as particularly challenging (while it is challenging in the second version, certainly it is more so in the original). She noted that numerous ower notes and the demands on flexibility were additional challenges (this would be more so on an older instrument), making it impossible to execute the variation at the same tempo as the revised version.''* Colin St. Martin, who performs on period instruments, also pointed out that “it would take a remarkably light touch on the part of the pianist to allow those lower notes to be audible more than a few feet away.”"'* Whether or not Schubert changed this variation at some flutist’s request or of his ‘own volition is unknown, Although it is easy to assume that Schubert wrote the second variation 5 in response to some flutist’s unsuccessful attempt at performing the original variation, this is not necessarily the case. For one thing, Schubert was not known as 114 Ty conversation with Emily Skala, August 2007. 115 personal communication with Colin St. Martin, August 2007. 307 Scanned with CamScannerparticularly accommodating to the demands of performers. In response to criticism regarding the difficulty of his piano accompaniments, for example, Schubert “always replied that he could not compose in any other way: whoever could not play his compositions should leave them alone and whoever found the keys unsatisfactory was simply not musical.”"" Another key point is that there is no evidence of a fair copy of D. 802; Diabelli’s first edition in 1850 used the manuscript as its source, which explains numerous errors in printed editions old and new.'!” Reading the original manuscript is rather challenging for study purposes, to say nothing of sight-reading at anything resembling a consistent tempo. With this in mind, while it is possible that hearing it played unconvincingly by some flutist may have initiated the changes, I believe they were made of Schubert’s own volition. Even an idealized performance in the inner ear could not approach the fluidity of the second version, and Schubert may well have realized on his own that what he had initially written did not successfully express his intentions. Whatever his reasons, I believe the second version—while still technically challenging—is of greater musical value, and is crucial to the work as a whole. It is precisely the issue of its necessity to the whole that brings up the next issue regarding the fifth variation. While Schubert’s revisions of the original variation 5 are understandable, his manuscript shows that he originally intended to go directly from the fourth to the sixth variation, which is more difficult to accept. ‘The fifth variation was later added to the manuscript on a folded sheet; indicated in between the fourth and sixth variations is the "© Deutsch, Memoirs, 140; the quotation is a recollection of Josef von Spaun, "Deutsch, Franz Schubert: Thematisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke in chronologishcher Folge (Kassel: Barenreiter, 1978), 502. 308 Scanned with CamScannernotation to see the enclosed variation 5. Mertins suggests that maybe the flutist asked for more difficulty.'* Certainly from a technical perspective it is variation 5 that provides most of the difficulty for the flutist performing this piece. More significantly, however, omission of this variation would disturb the balance of the composition as a whole, which in its present state demonstrates remarkable symmetry. Schubert has assigned the role of virtuoso in the first and fifth variations to the flute, in the second and fourth to the piano; the third variation, which is the centerpiece of the work, is a duo. The introduction and theme are connected by a half cadence, as are the final two variations, and these portions of the work also function as duos. Further, variations 1 and 5, as well as 2 and 4, are connected in other musical ways; the first two are a pair, as are the fourth and fifth.""? Thus, in addition to providing the piano with an unbalanced number of variations, the overall structure—which seems to be carefully wrought—would be destroyed by having only six variations rather than seven. The overall coherence is reinforced by the recurrence of the question motive in the seventh variation, as I will discuss below. While I find it difficult to accept that variation 5 was an afterthought, its absence would not necessarily negate the narrative structure discussed in this chapter, though admittedly it would render it less convincing. As Reeds notes, in one sense, the internal drama of the cycle would be complete without the huntsman, ‘‘n that the seeds of the final tragedy lie within the mind of the protagonists.”” Nonetheless, Schubert’s decision to include it (for whatever reason) not only strengthens the tie to the narrative of the cycle, but also adds tremendous depth to the work as a whole. 18 Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 176-177. 119 Raab, Franz Schubert, 208-209, notes that this grouping also corresponds to harmonic structure, with the middle variation as a point of rest. 120 Reed, Schubert Song Companion, 189. 309 Scanned with CamScannerWhile it is a general tendency of many sets of variations to become more virtuosic as the work progresses, as Raab notes, in this case “...a further increase in virtuosity is hardly possible, it would slide off into superficiality,” and thus the contrast for the sixth variation must be produced in a new way.'”" Because of the change from minor to major inherent in the theme itself, the third variation in E Major does not provide enough tonal contrast; to solve this problem this variation is presented largely in C-sharp Minor.'? ‘Also, as a canon in 3/8 time and not a virtuoso effort for either instrument, Schubert’s sixth variation is in a rather unique style as compared to other sets of variations for flute and piano. Therefore, I turn to the poetic text and the manuscript in an effort to explain his aesthetic intentions. Next in Miiller’s cycle is another of the poems that Schubert omitted, Erster Schmerz, letzter Scherz (First Sorrow, Last Jest). It is in this poem that the young miller sits on the banks of the brook, playing his reed-pipe for the children, while looking at his beloved’s window and imagining the hunter lying in her arms. Youens sees this poem as a representation of the miller’s “near-incoherent stress and self-abasement,” in which the miller “concocts psychologically revealing but impossible scenarios in the mind.”!?3 In the next two songs, Die liebe Farbe (The Beloved Color) and Die base Farbe (The Loathsome Color), everything the miller sees is a painful reminder of his lost love. He is referring, in both songs, to the color green, thus even the titles convey his confusion. Between these two songs and Schubert’s next, Trockne Blumen, Miller also included Bliimlein Vergifmein. Youens refers to this poem Schubert omitted as a depiction of “the 1 Raab, Franz Schubert, 209, ia, See Ibid, 211 for further detail. Youens, Schubert, Miiller, and Die schdne Milllerin, 176-177. 310 Scanned with CamScannermind’s Hell before Death,” that conveys “paranoia and painfully heightened erotic sensibility.”!™ The sixth variation consequently appears as a musical manifestation of the miller’s torment and disorientation. The key itself may help to convey this, as one early nineteenth-century author indicated that “a depraved, insane mind and despair are expressed by the sharp sounds” of C-sharp Minor.” While the sixth variation does not sustain specific musical parallels as do the previous five variations, a few further details help to emphasize the similar mood. In addition to his choice of key, Schubert creates this mood through various note lengths and the use of seemingly misplaced accents, as well as the canon, which begins as two measures apart, and is later reduced to one measure as the confusion intensifies. '”° Some performance issues help bring to light programmatic intent here. In Hinteler’s discussion of the manuscript, he points out many mistakes in printed editions, and Barcellona notes that interpretation of variation 6 is often controversial “because of presumed inconsistencies in Schubert's editing.”"”” In the manuscript this particular variation is more heavily edited than the others (see Example 4.19), perhaps due partially 124 Youens, Schubert: Die schéne Miillerin, 64. 125 yA. Schrader, Kleines Taschenwérterbuch der Musik (Helmstidt: C. G. Fleckeisen, 1827), cited in Rita Steblin, A History of Key Characteristics in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries, 179. 126 For a more detailed description of counterpoint in this variation, see Raab, Franz Schubert, 209-212. 127 Konrad Hiinteler, “Werkgetreu am Urtext? Beobachtungen am Autograph von Franz Schubert's ‘Introduktion und Variationen Uber Trockne Blumen’ D 902 [sic],” Fléte Aktuell 2 (1993), 15ff; Barcellona, “Schubert's Theme and Variations on Trockne Blumen,” 612. 3 Scanned with CamScannerto Schubert’s self-confessed lack of complete comfort with contrapuntal matters.'"* As David Montgomery notes, Schubert (like other composers) used systems of implied shorthand that were never intended to appear in publication. The shorthand would then serve as clues to Schubert himself when preparing a fair copy. In works such as D. 802 that were not published at the time of composition—particularly those lacking a fair copy—Schubert’s intentions are often misunderstood. In many cases things are interpolated when they in fact should not be, such as continuation of staccato beyond } ee | eral ser Example 4.19: Variation 6, mm. 197-227, D. 802 manuscript, showing heavy editing 8 See Rita Steblin and Frederick Stocken, “Studying with Sechter: Newly Recovered Reminiscences about Schubert by his Forgotten Friend, the Composer Joseph Lanz,” Music & Letters 88, no. 2 (2007), 226-265. 312 Scanned with CamScannerwhere it is precisely indicated. Despite the difficulties inherent in interpreting Schubert's manuscripts without a fair copy, Montgomery indicates that for the most part, we can take the composer at his word.'"? When we do this with variation 6, what often appear as inconsistencies may be partially explained as Schubert’s projection of the young miller’s bewilderment and rejection. As one possible explanation for the frequent changes in the sixth variation, Montgomery has noted that Schubert often used staccato marks in softer passages, but— rather effectively—left the notes unmarked, implying détaché when a crescendo was involved." In variation 6, beginning at the coda in m. 242, the Neue Schubert Ausgabe marks staccato although nothing in Schubert's manuscript indicates it here. Given the ff dynamic and the fact that this phrase occurs at a key structural point (as I discuss below), détaché seems more effective. The longer note lengths allow for even greater contrast with the p phrase beginning in m. 250, which clearly is marked staccato in the manuscript. A parallel with the song cycle is found in the contrasting note lengths in Schubert’s manuscript as well. Speaking of Die bdse Farbe, Youens notes, “Whenever the miller speaks as if to someone else, to the colour green or the miller maid, the melodic writing becomes less lyrical and more declamatory—he ‘sings’ his despair to himself and ‘speaks’ to the destructive forces that have shattered his life.”"" In regard to Schubert’s use of accents, the pattern beginning in m. 226 is particularly interesting (see Example 4.20). At first, he places the accents on the downbeat, with the imitative texture here causing the flute and piano to alternately accent 129 Montgomery, Franz Schubert's Music in Performance, 110; see his Chapter 3 eater detail. for Brea Montgomery, Franz Schubert's Music in Performance, 113. 131 Youens, Die schéne Milllerin, 105. 313 Scanned with CamScannerExample 4.20: Variation 6, mm. 226-241, D. 802 downbeats. In m. 230, the accents shift to the second beat, beginning with the piano. The result is two accents directly following one another, disrupting the pattern, and serving as a fitting musical representation of the miller’s confused thoughts. Schubert also extends this variation beyond the dimensions of the others; it is over twice as long. If he were following the framework set up by earlier variations, the variation might have ended in m. 241. However, as Mertins points out, this would destroy the equilibrium of the work as a whole, because the introduction and theme are mirrored by 314 Scanned with CamScannerthe sixth and seventh variations." The dotted rhythm heard fortissimo several times near the end of the variation is likely a reference to the hunting horn at the end of song 17, Die bése Farbe: “Hark! When a hunting hom resounds in the forest.” This passage has a similar effect to a virtuoso cadenza, and it is connected to the final variation by a half cadence (see Example 4.21).'* The construction of a cadenza following the minore variation and leading into the finale is found in many other independent sets of variations, and it appears to be another example of Schubert following the prototypical norm in his ‘own unique manner. While the horn call seems somewhat out of context with variation 6, the flashy statement makes for a smooth entrance into the final variation. At this point in the song cycle, the powerful Trockne Blumen is heard, followed by songs 19 and 20, Der Miiller und der Bach (The Miller and the Brook), in which the Example 4.21: Variation 6, mm. 264-end, D. 802 132 Mertins, “Réflexion et ironie,” 188. 133 Raab, Franz Schubert, 211, notes this as well. 315 Scanned with CamScanner