“Beautiful Infinity:” The Permanent Interruption as a Symbol of
Romantic Distance in the Music of Robert Schumann
Dr. Edward D. Latham Associate Professor of Music Theory Boyer College of Music and Dance
Temple University
The Ursatz Primary Tone
|-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐Bass Arpeggiation-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐|
Interruption
Steven G. Laitz, The Eight Period Types
Parallel Interrupted Period PIP 4a (HC) || + 4a’ (PAC) Contrasting Interrupted Period CIP 4a (HC) || + 4b (PAC)
I-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐V I-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐I ______________________________________________________________________
Parallel Sectional Period PSP 4a (IAC) + 4a’ (PAC) Contrasting Sectional Period CSP 4a (IAC) + 4b (PAC)
I-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐I I-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐I ______________________________________________________________________
Parallel Continuous Period PCP 4a (HC?) || + 4a’ (AC) Contrasting Continuous Period CCP 4a (HC?) || + 4a’ (AC)
I-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐V, etc. V, etc.-‐-‐-‐I ______________________________________________________________________ Parallel Progressive Period PPP 4a (HC?) || + 4a’ (AC) Contrasting Progressive Period CCP 4a (HC?) || + 4a’ (AC)
I-‐-‐-‐-‐V or I mod.-‐-‐-‐-‐X
DAS VEILCHEN (THE VIOLET) Ein Veilchen auf der Wiese stand, Gebückt in sich und unbekannt; Es war ein herzigs Veilchen. Da kam eine junge Schäferin Mit leichtem Schritt und muntrem Sinn Daher, daher, Die Wiese her, und sang. Ach! denkt das Veilchen, wär ich nur Die schönste Blume der Natur, Ach, nur ein kleines Weilchen, Bis mich das Liebchen abgepflückt Und an dem Busen matt gedrückt! Ach nur, ach nur Ein Viertelstündchen lang! Ach! aber ach! das Mädchen kam Und nicht in Acht das Veilchen nahm, Ertrat das arme Veilchen. Es sank und starb und freut' sich noch: Und sterb' ich denn, so sterb' ich doch Durch sie, durch sie, Zu ihren Füßen doch. !
A violet stood upon the lea, Hunched o'er in anonymity; So amiable a violet! Along there came a young shepherdess Light paced, full of contentedness Along, along, The lea, and sang her song. Ah!" thinks the violet, "were I just The fairest flower in the dust For just a little while yet, Until that darling seizes me And to her bosom squeezes me! For just, for just A quarter hour long!" Ah! And alas! There came the maid And no heed to the violet paid, Crushed the poor little violet. It sank and died, yet filled with pride: And though I die, I shall have died Through her, through her, And at her feet have died."!
!
Gm
BbM
Gm
TEN POSSIBLE PERMANENT INTERRUPTIONS IN SCHUMANN SONGS Op. 107/1 The story of Ophelia Static ^5 ________________________________________________________
Op. 125/3 A lover to be the wind’s bride ^5 covers ^2
Piano: PAC Op. 125/2 The Hussars ride forth ^5 covers ^2
Piano: IAC ________________________________________________________ Op. 117/2 The song of the bloody sword ^2 is clear
Piano: (IAC?) Op. 90/3 The lover that arrived, then left again ^2 is clear
Piano: (IAC)
Op. 142/4 Daydreaming of the beloved ^2 is implied
Piano: (IAC) ^3 as “echo”
Op. 142/2 I shall die of love’s yearning! INTERRUPTION ________________________________________________________ Op. 90/5 Unanswered questions “hanging” ^4
Piano: PAC Op. 96/2 Snow-‐drop: where is my Fatherland? Two keys:
(3-‐2 || 3-‐2) Ab-‐àfm: HC
Op. 90/4 She will die or leave the valley behind Two keys:
(3-‐2 || 3-‐2) B-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐g#m: HC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0HUhNWL1YU
&?
bb
bbœ ˙ œ œ œb œ œb œb œ œ œ œn œ jœ ˙ ˙ œœ˙ œ œ œb œb œb œ# œn œ œn œ œ ˙b
( )
||3 2^ ^
||||3 3^ ^^ ^2 2
IIII
Vb( )
6--5 6---5 6--5"Mein wagen"
[I]
"...glanze blüh'n"
"Dagrüssen"
"...wagen herein" "...vorbei"
9 15 16 17 22 23 31 37 38 39 43 45 46 63 73
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p66t01hokHE 3:25
&?
bb
bbœ œ ˙ œ œ œ œb œ œb œb œ œ œœn ˙ œ œ œ ˙n œ œ#
jœ
˙ œ œ œb œb œ œn œn œ# ˙ œ ˙
||3 3 2^ ^ ^
i Viiiib( ) ( )bV!
6---6----6---6
1 2 5 8 10 15 16 19 20 24 28 29 31 32 3330
"Lehn deine Wang'"
"an mein Herz"
"sterb' ich vor Liebes-seh-------------nen!"
I confessed my longing to her
When you say “I love you,” I must weep
She kissed me!
Eternally lost love, I won’t complain!
She is dancing at the wedding
I must bury my love for her in the sea
NOTE: Op. 142/2 removed here!
NOTE: Op. 142/4 removed here!
Hans Weisse Mannes (1930s) Columbia (1930s)
Felix Salzer Mannes (1940s-‐) CUNY (1960s-‐70s)
Saul Novack CUNY (1950s-‐)
Allen Forte Yale (1960s-‐)
John Rothgeb SUNY-‐Buffalo (1970s-‐)
David Beach Eastman (1970s-‐)
William Rothstein Oberlin (1980s-‐)
Allen Cadwallader Oberlin (1990s-‐)
David Neumeyer Indiana (1990s)
Walter Everett Kevin Korsyn Wayne Petty Michigan (1990s-‐)
Matthew Brown LSU (1990s-‐)
Patrick McCreless UT-‐Austin (1990s)
Timothy Jackson UNT (2000s-‐)
Permanent Interruption Auxiliary Cadence Mode-‐mixed prolongation of primary tone 3-‐prg. prolonging primary tone Re-‐harmonization of primary tone by submediant
1887 Verdi, OTELLO (Otello/Desdemona) – Am
Double Permanent Interruption Auxiliary Cadence Middleground Replica of Fundamental Line
1884-‐93 Massenet, MANON (Grieux/Manon) – BbM
Triple Interruption with “Blighted” Return to PT Auxiliary Cadence Re-‐Harmonization of PT with chromatic submediant
1893 Puccini MANON LESCAUT (Grieux/Manon) – BbM
Permanent Interruption with DC to ^1 as Coda CS to ^8 prolonging PT Chromatic Upper Neighbor (chromatic mediant) Tonal conflict between Gb Major and Bbb (=A) Major
1904 MADAMA BUTTERFLY (Pinkerton/Butterfly) – GbM