On
the first page of this book is a striking
statement : "This is the first
introductory chronicle of this fascinating
genre". Yet dozens of volumes have
been written on the Lied, on its composers,
on specific works, on performers. Lorraine
Gorrell's recent "Nineteenth Century
German Lied" focuses directly on
the subject as a whole. One of the useful
features of this volume is its emphasis
on 18th century and earlier
antecedents to Lieder. Yet, conversely,
this also is its fundamental weakness.
No one disputes that the origins of
art-song began earlier than the 19th
century, but Lieder came into its own
as a genre during the Romantic period
and the cultural, social and political
upheaval that followed. The absence
of any deeper exploration of Romanticism
and the development of the Lied in its
prime skews the credibility of this
volume as a balanced chronicle.
The
Introduction suggests that the term
includes 16th century and
other vocal music, and that the distinctiveness
of 19th century song is arbitrary,
stating that "the nineteenth century
has garnered the lion's share of scholarly
attention ... the complete history of
the Lied remains obscured behind the
lofty vistas formed by German song during
its most dynamic period". (p.5)
But if the 19th century was
the "most dynamic" period,
then surely it deserves recognition?
If, as the writer says, Lied audiences
were huge at the end of the 19th
century, why not deal with the social
and musical situations which made this
so radically different from a century
before? Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and
Wolf take up attention for a very obvious
reason – they are important. The author
says he does not mean to "question
the usefulness" of previous research,
but by pushing the 18th century
perspective so strongly, it does contradict
the enormous amount of work that has
been done by many serious scholars,
on the character of Romanticism and
song. To downplay the transition from
the neo-Classical to the Romantic, and
all the social and cultural upheaval
that entailed, is to fundamentally ignore
what made Lied the genre it became.
Earlier forms of song contributed to
the birth of Lieder, but Romanticism
gave the genre its distinctive meaning.
The
editor, James Parsons, is a specialist
in 18th century music. His
chapter on the period is filled with
fascinating information, and is a valuable
contribution to knowledge on the period.
However not all song is Lied. Gesänge,
Minnelied, ballads and through-composed
art-song are all forms of song, though
appreciably with different connotations.
Indeed, the 18th century
interest in defining song may have roots
in this very diversity. It simply does
not follow that what was called "Lied"
in the 18th century applies
to the genre as a whole, for even then,
fundamental changes were afoot. Romanticism
was a fruit of the Enlightenment but
it also represented a profound change
in sensibility. It replaced ideas of
benevolent Reason with a greater awareness
of individualism, liberty and psychological
complexity. It released a deep river
of human experience, transforming the
mental landscape of European thought.
It changed the direction of politics,
society and literature. The very idea
of "Germany" arose in no small
part from the wars of Napoleon. What
we take for granted today as "modern"
in many ways stems from the Romantic
spirit with its irreverent independence
and psychological depth. The influence
of the "folk" movement of
Herder, Grimm etc. went a lot deeper
than the faux naive nature worship of
neo-Classicism, for example.
Amanda
Glauert's chapter, "The Lieder
of C.P.E. Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven",
however, gives a convincing account
of what these composers contributed
to the development of the genre. Its
focus may also be the 18th
century, but it breathes with an understanding
of its relevance of what was to come.
Her analysis of Mozart's songs is particularly
sensitive, but it is her study of Beethoven
which surpasses. She concludes that
even if Beethoven's innovations may
not have appealed to the classicists,
"they remain important to us as
a warning against any tendency to limit
or underestimate the scope of the Lied".
It is a chapter to savour.
Much
could have been written about the relationship
of poetry and song, literary values
and the effect on Lieder. Surprisingly,
in the chapter on poetry and song, conclusions
are based on The Fischer-Dieskau Book
of Lieder. But this is an unempirical
method: Fischer-Dieskau made no claims
to be comprehensive. The chapter contains
many questionable assumptions such as
that "modern" (period undefined)
poetry "no longer speaks in a personal
voice", that there were few settings
of contemporary poets and that modern
song is impossible because the link
between song and poetry is broken. One
quote suffices to summarise the flavour:
"where we once collected folk song
now we document the sounds of nature
.... in such an age, poetry and song
are a different kettle of fish"
(p. 33).
The
chapter on song cycles is beautifully
analysed by Ruth O. Bingham. Its focus
is on 18th century cycle-like
musical and literary forms, classified
according to type. Yet, of fourteen
pages, only one paragraph refers to
perhaps the best known song cycle of
them all: Winterreise. Two pages deal
with the Müllers literary creation,
but this is a book about song, not literature.
Winterreise may be classified as an
"internal plot cycle" but
that does not address the musical and
long term significance of this most
unusual creation. Similarly, there is
a suggestion that Beethoven's An die
ferne Geliebte should not deserve the
attention it gets because Kreutzer's
cycles were more typical of their time
(p. 116). But Beethoven had the longer
impact. Because the chapter cuts off
mid-century, it cannot cover the proliferation
of cycles and cycle styles later in
the period, and their importance in
the development of "art music"
as opposed to merely song.
Nonetheless,
most of the core essays in the main
part of this volume are superbly presented,
giving up to date information. Marie-Agnes
Dittrich writes of Schubert and the
innovations he made. If it reads somewhat
choppily. It might be either due to
translation or the "editing"
mentioned at the end of the chapter.
Jürgen Thym writes of Schumann,
noting that his turn to song was a result
of his "striving for (artistic)
clarification", not, as suggested
in an earlier chapter, an attempt to
make money. He integrates Schumann's
song work with his piano and other writing,
showing his development of musical independence.
He describes particularly well how the
composer's literary inspirations influenced
his music. This is another excellent
chapter based on up to date research,
and one to cherish. Also good is the
chapter on the Lied at mid century by
James Deaville. While I'm not sure that
his assumption that the status of Fanny
Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann eclipses
other male composers, his point is to
stress the variety of styles current
in the mid-19th century.
A
welcome surprise is the chapter on the
songs of Franz Liszt by Rena Charnin
Mueller. Liszt is well regarded as a
composer of Lieder (with many recordings,
a curiously 20th century
way of judging importance, used several
times in this book). Still, a deeper
analysis of his work is valuable. Special
mention must be made of the superb chapter
on Johannes Brahms by Heather Platt,
so good that it could be a classic text.
It comprehensively analyses Brahms'
output, focusing on poems, form and
syntax, declamation, word painting,
harmony and motives.
Susan
Youens’ chapter on Hugo Wolf is also
very perceptive and thought through.
Wolf's music is not charming and naturalistic
in the manner of 18th century
song, but demands literate and concentrated
attention. Its sophistication includes
acute observation of human life, and
an exceptionally intense relationship
with poetry. Also very useful is the
study of Mahler and Strauss by James
Zychowicz. It is reliable, systematic
and a good reference. While Mahler's
song output was small, it is integral
to understanding his symphonic work.
Moreover, Mahler's songs mark a transition
from "traditional" Lieder
to a more modern, complex form and are
crucial to understanding the development
of the genre. There are very useful
charts showing the compositional history
of Mahler and Strauss songs. Christopher
Gibbs contributes an essay on how song
and non-vocal musical forms inter-related.
These
central chapters provide a topical assessment
of research into the genre. As a bouquet
of essays, a "Liederkreis",
or circle of songs, presented like a
gift of flowers, they form the backbone
of this volume. Their excellence makes
the chapter on "modern" Lieder
all the more disappointing. So much
can be written on modern Lieder, an
exciting development of the genre, whose
genesis is very much integrated with
modern music, society and poetry. But
essential to appreciating modern Lieder
is an understanding of the Romanticism
and its relevance to modern culture.
This is a basic handicap. For example,
it suggests that since Lieder is a fusion
of music and word "at the crossroads
of nature" therefore, the modern
world, so removed from Arcadia, cannot
allow self knowledge (p. 273). But this
is far more like the sublimation and
impersonality of neo-Classical, 18th
century form. Romantic Lieder deals
with ideas like alienation, spiritual
angst, death and psychological complexity,
the natural landscape being a backdrop
for ideas about the human condition.
Its approach, with its doubts and anxieties,
speaks directly to the 20th
century and to modernism. Far from ending,
the genre adapted and continues to adapt,
because it expresses in many ways something
relevant to the modern psyche. Furthermore,
understanding modern song involves an
understanding of modern music as a whole.
For example, it is surprising to read
an assertion that Das Lied von der Erde
was an example of the symphony "overwhelming
the Lied" when the opposite is
often postulated. Similarly, it's stated
that "it remains to be seen to
what degree Lied was influenced by the
type of song familiar in revues and
cabarets", quite an odd statement
when the writer himself writes of Weill,
Krenek and Schoenberg.
As
the author himself says, this chapter
is a "highly selective snapshot
gallery" with arbitrary thumbnail
sketches without analytical coherence.
Alban Berg for example scarcely gets
a mention, and non-German art song,
much of it derived from Lieder, is simply
ignored; Gibbs, at least, writes of
Dvořák. A long discussion
on Eisler shows little appreciation
of his more important non-political
music, or of his masterpiece, The Hollywood
Liederbook, "the Winterreise of
our times". Pierrot Lunaire is
summarised in one sentence, without
discussing what Spechstimme represented.
Perhaps less emphasis on quotes from
generalist sources might help, and more
synthesis, based on music and social
history.
The
book ends with the usual Cambridge Companion
series format of final essays on "Reception
and Performance". David Gramit's
essay on the publication of Lied scores
and their use indicates how the genre
was able to spread so extensively. Graham
Johnson's account of Lied in performance
is a delight – wittily written and irreverent,
yet full of real wisdom. He understands
what motivates singers, what happens
in performance and how that relates
to musicological studies.
The
finest chapters in this volume are excellent,
learned models that could become standard
references. Some are truly outstanding,
such as those by Glauert, Thym, Platt
and Youens. These and many of the middle
chapters will be the making of this
volume, and its reputation. Nonetheless,
with the depths, there are some serious
shallows, on which the volume founders
and runs adrift. The strange reluctance
to engage with the impact of Romanticism
is a misleading, fatal flaw. It also
leads to a misunderstanding of the importance
of modern song. This is a great pity,
for so much else in the book is first
class. The good chapters deserve a more
worthy setting. If the volume aimed
merely to be a "companion"
to existing work, one might accept the
weaknesses, but the volume does purport
to be more. A study of Lieder without
emphasis on Romanticism is like a description
of a vehicle without its motor. Thus
it is disappointing that this volume,
despite such excellent inner chapters,
does not, ultimately, live up to its
premise.
Anne
Ozorio
