Verklärte Nacht

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Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 ("Transfigured Night", 1899), a string sextet in one movement, is regarded as the earliest important work of Arnold Schoenberg. It was inspired by Richard Dehmel's poem of the same name -- along with great inspiration upon meeting the sister of Schoenberg's teacher Alexander von Zemlinsky (Mathilde von Zemlinsky, whom Schoenberg would later marry).[1] Schoenberg composed this very complex, passionate string sextet within three weeks of meeting Mathilde.[2]

Contents

[edit] The poem

Dehmel's powerful poem is about a man and a woman walking through a dark forest on a moonlit night, wherein the woman shares a dark secret with her new lover; she bears the child of a stranger. The mood of Dehmel's poem is reflected throughout the composition in five sections, beginning with the sadness of the woman's confession; a neutral interlude wherein the man reflects upon the confession; and a finale, the man's bright acceptance (and forgiveness) of the woman: O sieh, wie klar das Weltall schimmert! Es ist ein Glanz um Alles her (see how brightly the universe gleams! There is a radiance on everything).

[edit] The music

Schoenberg, a leader in the early 20th-century movement towards atonality and father of the twelve tone technique, is perhaps best-known for Verklärte Nacht (Opus 4, a very early work) (Hayakawa 2006; Wein 2006). The piece derives its lineage from German Post-romanticism. Schoenberg, writing in Vienna, was heavily influenced by Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, and Gustav Mahler. This is evidenced by the work's use of chromaticism (compare to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde) and in the disconnection of phrases from measure boundaries (a Brahms influence).[citation needed] Schoenberg maintains a rich musicality throughout the work,[citation needed] with more than a few hints at his future atonal endeavors.

The single movement comprises five sections that correspond to the structure of the poem on which it is based, with themes in each section being direct musical metaphors for the narrative and discourse found in the poem. As such, the piece is one of the first examples of program music written for a chamber ensemble.

The original score called for two violins, two violas and two cellos. In 1917, Schoenberg produced an arrangement for string orchestra (which was popular for composers to do at the time), and further revised in 1943. There is also a version for piano trio by Eduard Steuermann. The string orchestra version is the most often recorded and performed. The work also served as the basis for several ballets.

[edit] Reception

Verklärte Nacht was controversial when it premiered in 1902. This may have been due to the modern sound of chromaticism flirting with atonality, as well as Dehmel's explicit references to sexual themes in his poem. The piece is also notable because much of the work lacks a true tonal key center even though it is clearly a tonal work using traditional chords built in thirds. In particular, the use of a single 'nonexistent' (that is, uncategorized and therefore unpermitted) inverted ninth chord caused controversy and resulted in its rejection by the Vienna Music Society. Schoenberg remarked "and thus (the work) cannot be performed since one cannot perform that which does not exist"[3].

[edit] Premiere

The work was premiered on March 18, 1902 in the Vienna Musikverein. Arnold Rosé and Albert Bachrich played the violin, Anton Ruzitska and Franz Jelinek the viola, and Friedrich Buxbaum and Franz Schmidt the cello.


[edit] Related works

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[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Beaumont 2000, 87.
  2. ^ Bedel [n.d.].
  3. ^ Mark Vignal, Notes to Boulez/ New York Philharmonic Recording 1977

[edit] References

[edit] External links

From the Arnold Schönberg center: