Gustav Mahler`s Das Lied Von Der Erde: An Intellectual

Transcription

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Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations
The Graduate School
2009
Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde: An
Intellectual Journey Across Cultures and
Beyond Life and Death
Shih-Ni (Sidney) Sun
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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF MUSIC
GUSTAV MAHLER’S DAS LIED VON DER ERDE:
AN INTELLECTUAL JOURNEY
ACROSS CULTURES AND BEYOND LIFE AND DEATH
By
SHIH-NI (SIDNEY) SUN
A Thesis submitted to the
College of Music
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Master of Music
Degree Awarded:
Spring Semester, 2009
The members of the Committee approve the Thesis of Shih-Ni Sun defended on April 6, 2009.
Douglass Seaton
Professor Directing Thesis
Michael Broyles
Committee Member
Frank Gunderson
Committee Member
The Graduate School has verified and approved the above named committee members.
ii
For my mother, Tsai-hsien Chien, an amazing woman and my heroine
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am truly thankful for those who have assisted me in various ways. First and foremost,
my thanks go to Dr. Douglass Seaton, my adviser. I want to thank him for his guidance,
assistance, and encouragement in musicological research and writing. I would like to thank Dr.
Michael Broyles for his insightful comments and Dr. Frank Gunderson for bringing different
perspectives into this project. All three of my committee members helped me shape this project
into a finished thesis. Furthermore, I am also grateful for Dr. Denise Von Glahn’s
encouragement; her enthusiasm in teaching and researching always motivate me to press onward.
In the process of writing this thesis many friends outside the United States have helped
me with the German and Chinese texts. I am grateful to Hsiu-wen Chang, my dearest friend since
college, for her knowledge of German. Her friends in Germany, Andrea Franzetti and Manfred
Schittler, also provided valuable explanations of several German passages. Hsiu-cheng Cheng,
my friend from junior high school who is currently studying Chinese Literature in China, helped
me find articles by Chinese scholars and shared his knowledgeable understanding and
interpretation of the Chinese poems with me.
Writing this thesis at the College of Music of the Florida State University, I owe thanks
to the program and the music library. I am grateful to my colleagues at the Musicology program,
especially Amy Dunning; her words of encouragement always lift my spirit at the most needed
moments. My thanks also go to the Taiwanese students in the College of Music and Lucy Ho for
their kindness and friendship.
My family in Taiwan – my parents, Ming-chieh Sun and Tsai-hsien Chien, and my
brother, Jui-shen Sun – has always been very supportive. Their love has enabled me to pursue the
education I desire. One more person should be mentioned is Peter Prim, who offered suggestions
concerning organization, helped me with the idiomatic use of English, and patiently participated
in every stage of this project. The generous assistance and support from all of you made the
completion of this thesis possible.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES .............................................................................................. viii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 “DAS TRINKLIED VOM JAMMER DER ERDE”: AN INVITATION TO THE
JOURNEY .................................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 2 “DER EINSAME IM HERBST”: NATURE AS SORROW ................................ 27 CHAPTER 3 “VON DER JUGEND”: DISTRACTED AT A PARTY ....................................... 39 CHAPTER 4 “VON DER SCHÖNHEIT”: OBSESSIONS IN LIFE........................................... 51 CHAPTER 5 “DER TRUNKENE IM FRÜHLING”: CONVERSING WITH NATURE........... 63 CHAPTER 6 “DER ABSCHIED”: FAREWELL TO ALL ......................................................... 77 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................... 98 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 100 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ...................................................................................................... 105 v
LIST OF TABLES
Table 0.1: Six movements of Das Lied von der Erde and the Chinese poems ............................... 2
Table 1.1: Chinese original, Bethge’s paraphrase, and an English translation ............................. 15
Table 1.2: Bethge’s paraphrase and Mahler’s alterations ............................................................. 18
Table 1.3: Tonal analysis of “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde” ........................................... 21
Table 1.4: Formal analysis of “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde” ........................................ 24
Table 2.1: The six lines that were omitted and an English translation ......................................... 28
Table 2.4: Formal analysis of “Der Einsame im Herbst” ............................................................. 34
Table 3.3: Formal, harmonic, and thematic analyses of “Von der Jugend” ................................. 48
Table 4.3: Tonal analysis of “Von der Schönheit” ....................................................................... 58
Table 5.3: Formal, tonal, and thematic analyses of “Der Trunkene im Frühling” ....................... 70
Table 6.3: Structure of the first poem in “Der Abschied” ............................................................ 89
vi
Table 6.4: Structure of the second poem in “Der Abschied” ........................................................ 93
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LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES
Example 1.1: The horn-call melody (horns in F, mm. 1-3) .......................................................... 22
Example 1.2: The second theme (two solo violins, mm. 179-85) ................................................ 23
Example 1.3: Ecstasy melody (tenor and cellos, mm. 121-25) .................................................... 23
Example 1.4: Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, ecstasy motive (Scene 3, oboe, mm. 210) .............. 23
Example 1.5: The refrain (tenor, mm. 81-89) ............................................................................... 24
Example 2.1: Oboe solo, mm. 3-21 .............................................................................................. 33
Example 2.2: Violin countermelody, mm. 1-3 ............................................................................. 33
Example 2.3: Vocal line, mm. 25-31 ............................................................................................ 34
Example 2.4: Rocking figure (cellos, mm. 19-20)........................................................................ 34
Example 2.5: Alto, mm. 63-66...................................................................................................... 36
Example 2.6: First violins and cellos, mm. 73-77 ........................................................................ 37
Example 2.7: Alto, mm. 78-79...................................................................................................... 37
Example 2.8: Alto, mm. 128-35.................................................................................................... 38
Example 2.9: Alto, mm. 136-37.................................................................................................... 38
Example 3.1: Theme 1 (first flute and second oboe, mm. 3-5) .................................................... 45
Example 3.2: Theme 2 (tenor, mm. 13-18) ................................................................................... 46
Example 3.5: Rocking figure (bassoon, mm. 29-34) .................................................................... 47
Example 3.6: Percussive figure (B-flat clarinets, mm. 40-44) ..................................................... 47
Example 3.7: The bell-like sound (horns in F, mm. 1-5) .............................................................. 48
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Example 3.8: Oboes, violin 1, and tenor, mm. 106-10 ................................................................. 50
Example 4.1: The opening figure (flutes, mm. 1-4) ..................................................................... 57
Example 4.2: Theme 1 (first flute, mm. 7-13) .............................................................................. 58
Example 4.3: Imitation of a horse’s sound (clarinets, mm. 90-91)............................................... 60
Example 5.1: Opening figure (first oboe and horns in F, mm. 1-4) ............................................. 69
Example 5.2: Theme 1 (tenor, mm. 4-5) ....................................................................................... 69
Example 5.3: Theme 2 (tenor, mm. 6-8) ....................................................................................... 70
Example 5.4: Theme 3 (first violins, mm. 8-11)........................................................................... 70
Example 5.5: Tenor, mm. 32-34 ................................................................................................... 72
Example 5.6: Solo violins, mm. 36-41 ......................................................................................... 72
Example 5.7: Tenor, mm. 39-45 ................................................................................................... 73
Example 5.8: Piccolo, mm. 41-44 ................................................................................................. 73
Example 5.9: Piccolo, oboe, and tenor, mm. 47-49 ...................................................................... 74
Example 5.10: Tenor, mm. 50-51 ................................................................................................. 74
Example 5.11: Tenor, mm. 62-63 ................................................................................................. 74
Example 5.12: Piccolo, flutes, and tenor, mm. 56-61 ................................................................... 75
Example 5.13: Harps, mm. 72-73 ................................................................................................. 76
Example 6.1: Turn figure (oboe, m. 3) ......................................................................................... 87
Example 6.2: Counter of the turn figure (oboe, mm. 28-30) ........................................................ 87
Example 6.3: Ending figure (oboe, mm. 41-43) ........................................................................... 87
Example 6.4: Rocking figure (harps, mm. 39-42) ........................................................................ 88
Example 6.5: Ecstasy figure (first horn in F, mm. 87-91) ............................................................ 88
Example 6.6: Static figure (clarinets, mm. 323-24) ...................................................................... 88
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Example 6.7: First harp, mm. 55-58 ............................................................................................. 91
Example 6.8: Alto, mm. 118-19.................................................................................................... 92
Example 6.9: Birdsong (oboe and flute, mm. 139-46) ................................................................. 92
Example 6.10: Alto, m. 392 .......................................................................................................... 95
Example 6.11: Alto, mm. 410-14.................................................................................................. 95
Example 6.12: Second harp, mm. 495-98 ..................................................................................... 96
Example 6.13: Alto, mm. 521-26.................................................................................................. 97
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ABSTRACT
This thesis examines the expressive and philosophical content in Gustav Mahler’s Das
Lied von der Erde (1908), as well as the intellectual journey of the speaker whose voice is heard
throughout the work. Das Lied von der Erde contains seven poems originally from the Tang
Dynasty (618-907) of ancient China. The Chinese original poems are a significant part of the
history of this work, although Mahler’s familiarity with the sources before Hans Heilmann’s
translation (1905) remains unknown. This thesis reconnects the work with the original poems. A
comparison of different texts – the original poems, Hans Bethge’s paraphrases (1907), and
Mahler’s alterations – leads to a more thorough understanding of the poetic meaning of Das Lied
von der Erde.
The discussion of the text is followed by musical analysis, focusing on melodic figures,
formal structures, harmonic schemes, word painting, rhythmic devices, orchestration, and texture.
The lyrical and musical analyses illuminate the speaker’s ongoing journey through the six
movements. The speaker has been afflicted by doubts about life and desires a deeper
understanding of life. In the course of his journey, he brings along the audience to experience
different emotions, seasons, and thoughts with him. At the end of the work he recognizes the
meaninglessness of pursuits in the material world. He thus decides to retreat from the world, look
beyond life and death, and live a life detached from material concerns. In Das Lied von der Erde
the historical significance of the texts and Mahler’s musical setting reveal an intellectual journey
across two cultures.
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INTRODUCTION
Proposing a new view of Das Lied von der Erde
This study investigates Mahler’s last vocal-orchestral masterpiece, Das Lied von der Erde,
bringing together new research on the texts and new analysis of the music. Detailed comparisons
of the original source texts, derived from ancient Chinese poetry, reveal the composer’s
understanding and reworkings of the poems as he received them. I argue that the work operates
cyclically to trace the experience and reflections of the lyric persona, especially based on
observations of nature, leading to a final, transcendent withdrawal from the world. Style analysis
then shows how the music expresses and focuses the imagery and emotional response. In
addition, in several instances this study shows how the listener is invited into the speaker’s
experience through the musical design.
Background and significance
In the music of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) death is a recurrent theme, as for example in
Kindertotenlieder. Several incidents in the last five years of Mahler’s life also caused him
approach the topic of death. The biographical background of Das Lied von der Erde is essential
to the understanding of this work because it was composed at a difficult time in Mahler’s life –
Das Lied von der Erde was completed in 1908 and not premiered until after Mahler’s death. As
musicologist Stephen Hefling points out, in June 1907 Mahler lost his favorite daughter, Maria,
to scarlet fever. Soon after Maria’s death Mahler himself was diagnosed with faulty heart valves
and prohibited from any activities that might exhaust his heart. Mahler’s resignation from the
Vienna Opera also made him more pessimistic about life.1 His choice of texts from Hans
Bethge’s Die chinesische Flöte also reflects a strong connection between the poems and
Mahler’s own life situation.
In the 1860s two French translations of Chinese poetry were published in Paris: Poésies
de l’époque des Thang (1862) by Le Marquis d’Hervey-Saint-Deny and Livre de Jade (1867) by
Judith Gautier. A German translation based on these two anthologies was published in 1905 by
1
Stephen E. Hefling, Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), (New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2000) 28-31.
1
Hans Heilmann in Munich, Chinesische Lyrik. Mahler’s direct source, Hans Bethge’s Die
chinesische Flöte, was a paraphrase of Heilmann’s anthology.2 It was published late in 1907, and
Mahler acquired it around 1908.3 Each movement in Das Lied von der Erde sets one poem,
except for the last movement, which combines two. The titles of the movements and Chinese
poems are listed in Table 0.1. Mahler chose seven poems that together reflect one of the most
important concepts in Chinese philosophy – 超然 (chao-ran). The meaning of this term is close
to that of “transcendence” in English, which means the state of extending beyond ordinary
knowledge and rising above everyday experience. This philosophical outlook values spiritual life
over materialism. People who embrace transcendentalism also long for the attainment of oneness
with nature as well as a retreat from urban life to nature, as shown in works by American writers
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) and Henry David Thoreau (1817-62). In some of the texts that
Mahler used the poet laments the loss of unrecoverable youth. These poems thus show affinities
to German Romanticism, in which subjectivity and nature are central elements, as well as with
aspects of Euro-American transcendentalism in the nineteenth century. These resemblances
allowed Mahler to search in a foreign tradition for answers in the face of death. Thus an
understanding of the poetic background of Das Lied von der Erde serves as a key for us to follow
the speaker’s quest.
Table 0.1: Six movements of Das Lied von der Erde and the Chinese poems
Mvt. 1 “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der
“悲歌行” (“The Song of Sorrow”)
Erde” (“The Drinking Song of
by 李白 (Li Tai-Po)4
Earth’s Misery”)
Mvt. 2 “Der Einsame im Herbst” (“The
“效古秋夜長” (“Imitation of Old Poems: Long
Lonely One in Autumn”)
Autumn Nights”)
by 錢起 (Chien Chi)
Mvt. 3 “Von der Jugend” (“Of Youth”)
“青春頌” (“Banquet at Tao’s Family Pavilion”)
by 李白 (Li Tai-Po)
2
Fusako Hamao, “The Source of the Texts in Mahler’s Lied von der Erde,” 19th-Century Music 19 (1995): 83.
3
Alma Mahler, however, suggested in her biography of her husband that Mahler had received Bethge’s Die
chinesische Flöte in the summer of 1907 from a friend of Alma’s father. Hefling has observed that Mahler would
not have been able to own the anthology until the next year due to the publication date of the anthology.
4
Following Chicago style manual, this thesis puts family name first in classic poets’ names (for example, Li Tai-Po),
and family name last in contemporary scholars’ names (for example, Kii-ming Lo).
2
Table 0.1 – continued: Six movements of Das Lied von der Erde and the Chinese poems
Mvt. 4 “Von der Schönheit” (“Of
“採蓮曲” (“Lotus-plucking Song”)
Beauty”)
Mvt. 5 “Der Trunkene im Frühling” (“The “春日醉起言志” (“Feelings upon Awakening
Drunken Man in Spring”)
from Drunkenness on a Spring Day”)
Mvt. 6 “Der Abschied” (“The Farewell”) “宿業師房山待丁大不至” (“Staying at a
Teacher’s Mountain Retreat, Awaiting a Friend in
Vain”)
by 孟浩然 (Mong Kao-Jen)
“送別” (“Farewell”)
by 王維 (Wang Wei)
Survey of Literature
Das Lied von der Erde is one of Mahler’s late works and has been broadly studied. This
survey will discuss the resource materials by category: those on the work’s background and those
that discuss the music. Biographies of Mahler and specific discussions of the sources of the texts
constitute the most important background literature for this study. The second category, writings
about the music, is further divided into four sub-categories: comprehensive studies, analyses,
music-text relationships, and interpretations. Categorization of a specific study is not always
simple, because the study may address more than one issue; in such cases the main purpose of
the specific research determines an item’s category in the following discussion. In addition, only
the central studies in each category will be discussed in this survey. A comprehensive list is
provided in the bibliography.
Among the many biographers of Mahler, Bruno Walter portrayed Mahler’s personal and
professional life from a friend and colleague’s point of view. Walter worked with Mahler for two
years in Hamburg and six years in Vienna. When they were apart, they continued their
communication through letters. The biography comprises of two sections: “recollection” narrates
Walter’s memories about Mahler, and “reflection” introduces Mahler’s roles as opera director,
conductor, composer, and individual. As a friend, Walter records Mahler’s personality as sincere
and genuine, characteristics that Walter finds explain Mahler’s volatile temperament. As a
conductor, Walter discusses Mahler’s professional skills in conducting and composing. Written
3
in an engaging style with Walter’s credited authority as an established conductor, this book has
become one of the most cited biographies of Mahler.
Another important and frequently cited biography is by Alma Mahler. Married to Gustav
Mahler, Alma naturally gained authority as a biographer from her close relationship with him.
This biography begins in the year 1901, when they first met, and concludes with Mahler’s death.
Alma reveals the more private aspects of Mahler’s life. Mahler scholars, however, are cautious
when consulting this biography due to several factors, such as Alma’s affairs and sensational
style of writing.
A more recent biography of Mahler was published in 2004 by Stuart Feder, a practicing
psychoanalyst. In this biography, Feder focuses on crises in the composer’s life and uses
psychoanalytical approaches to interpret Mahler’s life and works. Mahler’s musical works are
important sources for Feder to understand the composer’s life. Therefore, his main focus in
musical analysis is to trace symbols of death and crisis in Mahler’s life. His method, using
compositions as biographical materials, might be criticized as lapsing into biographical fallacy.
This biography is a significant source about the meaning of Mahler’s music and the composer’s
perspective on death, but the validity of Feder’s psychoanalytical interpretations is necessarily
checked here against my own musical analysis.
Another aspect about the work’s background is the studies concerning the sources of the
texts. In the article published in 1985, Donald Mitchell mentions the problem of identifying the
Chinese original poems but does not further investigate this topic.5 Most of the original poems
are easily recognized except for those used in the second and third movements, “Der Einsame im
Herbst” and “Von der Jugend.” Fusake Hamao, a Japanese scholar, identified the poems in an
article published in the journal 19th-Century Music in 1995. According to Hamao, the original
poems are “效古秋夜長” (“Imitation of Old Poems: Long Autumn Nights”) and “宴陶家亭子”
(“Banquet at Tao’s Family Pavilion”) respectively. Nonetheless, this topic did not seem to draw
Chinese scholars’ attention until 1999, as is indicated by Ming-hui Bi in his article published in
2001.6 Several articles on this subject by Chinese scholars were published between 2000 and
2007, as shown in the bibliography. Although the Chinese scholars proposed more possible
5
Donald Mitchell, “New Light on Das Lied von der Erde,” in Colloque International Gustav Mahler, ed. by HenryLouis de La Grange, 20-30 (Paris: Association Gustav Mahler, 1986), 20-21.
6
Ming-hui Bi, (“An Overview of Identifying the Sources of Texts of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde.”) Renmin
Yinyue 419 (2001): 41-44.
4
poems for the originals, their conclusions were identical to Hamao’s. It is not clear whether
Chinese scholars were unaware of Hamao’s research before conducting theirs or if they intended
to confirm the Chinese originals by themselves.
Among the studies concerning music, the first group focuses on analysis. Kofi Agawu
calls our attention to the lack of studies of Mahler’s musical language. In his article “Mahler’s
Tonal Strategies: A Study of the Song Cycles,” Agawu investigates Mahler’s musical language
from three aspects: large-scale tonality, harmony and voice-leading, and form and tonality. In
another article “Prolonged Counterpoint in Mahler,” Agawu chose counterpoint as the focus to
study Mahler’s musical language. Paul John Whitworth follows the direction taken up by Agawu,
who was in fact the chairperson on Whitworth’s doctoral committee. Discontinuities in music are
important in Whitworth’s study; he explains, “Surface discontinuities are an important signal of
Mahler’s discursive structures.”7 Following the signals given by discontinuities, Whitworth
analyzes counterpoint and cadences. According to Whitworth, Mahler’s use of counterpoint is
“unique and diverse in style and technique, represents a new development for his day: out of a
late romantic vocabulary that was largely vertically-oriented.”8 Cadences are essential to
Mahler’s discursive structure: “Cadences provide a special insight into Mahler’s most striking
disjunctions: when combined with climactic bids, as they are frequently in Mahler, they become
points at which rhetoric and technique meet, providing obvious points of interpretation.”9 Agawu
and Whitworth both explore Mahler’s musical language and propose areas that need further
research.
J. Randall Wheaton’s dissertation “The Diatonic Potential of the Strange Sets:
Theoretical Tenets and Structural Meaning in Gustav Mahler’s “Der Abschied” advanced a
diatonic theory of harmony for the analysis of pentatonic, whole-tone, and octatonic sets in tonal
works. This dissertation’s most important section relevant to my study is Wheaton’s introduction
and critiques of the studies that consider the use of pentatonic scales in Das Lied von der Erde.
According to Wheaton, Egon Gartenberg and Deryck Cooke identify pentatonic scales’ function
as establishing an “oriental flavor,” and Michael Kennedy only focuses on a three-note idea that
7
Paul John Whitworth, “Aspects of Mahler’s Musical Language: An Analytic Study,” Ph.D. diss., Cornell
University (Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilm International, 2002), 8.
8
Whitworth, 374.
9
Whitworth, 374.
5
constructs the Chinese atmosphere in Das Lied von der Erde.10 Wheaton objects to the idea that
the use of pentatonic set in Das Lied von der Erde could “imply the systematic permutations of
all-encompassing ordered set” or “justify the claim of serial techniques.”11 Furthermore,
Wheaton critiques Josef Ventantius von Wöss’s thematic analysis: “While the presentation of
Wöss’s ideas is disorganized, unsystematic, and often confusing, his treatment of the subjects is,
ironically, still the most thorough one available.”12 Wheaton then indicates the insufficiency of
using pentatonic scales for musical analysis and the necessity of a new theory. His new theory is,
however, not directly relevant to my research. The introduction of this dissertation has shown
scholars’ interests in the “Chinese” or “Oriental” elements in Das Lied von der Erde.
Peter Revers also discusses the influence of Chinese music. He first investigates Chinese
music’s influence on Mahler in the first decade of the twentieth century and shows how
pentatonic scales were used in Das Lied von der Erde. He then compares the third movement of
Das Lied von der Erde with “Der Pavillon aus Porzellan” in Anna Hegeler’s Vier chinesische
Lieder; both were settings of the same poem. He further explores the influence of Chinese music
and proposes that the use of heterophony shows a deeper connection than pentatonic scales.
The works classified under comprehensive studies of the piece are written in a quite
standard format. Both Hefling and Danuser present their works as handbooks that include
historical background and musical analysis. They are both significant resources for studies of
Das Lied von der Erde. This group includes another article by Hefling, in which he indicates the
significance of the piano version.13 The piano version was not a simplified version for smaller
performances – Mahler did intend to create both versions. Hefling states that the piano version
strips Mahler’s alluring instrumentation skills and illuminates the work’s core essence: “the new
source underscores a fundamental aspect of Mahler’s work often obscured by fascination with
his splendid orchestration and remarkable personality: the ultimate value of his music rests in its
substance, not in its surface coloring or any superficial association that have come to be linked
10
J. Randall Wheaton, “The Diatonic Potential of Strange Sets: Theoretical Tenets and Structural Meaning in
Gustav Mahler’s Der Abschied,” Ph.D. dissertation (Yale University, 1988), 1-2.
11
Wheaton, 4.
12
Wheaton, 6.
13
Stephen Hefling, “Das Lied von der Erde: Mahler’s Symphony for Voices and Orchestra or Piano,” The Journal
of Musicology 10 (1992): 293-341.
6
with it.”14 Hefling provides a valuable perspective about the core substance of Mahler’s music.
His statement, however, should not be used to underestimate the importance of the orchestral
setting because Mahler’s orchestration is a significant element in his music.
Donald Mitchell’s Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death:
Interpretations and Annotations is an important source for my thesis. This book discusses works
about life and death, including Kindertotenlieder, Das Lied von der Erde, and the Eighth
Symphony. As a standard handbook, Mitchell’s study includes abundant valuable resources for
research such as several poems written in Chinese calligraphy and facsimiles of the French and
German anthologies of poetry. Mitchell integrates musical analysis and his interpretations to
unravel the meaning of the works.
The relationships between music and text are one of the main interests in the studies of
Das Lied von der Erde. Scholars from the Eastern and Western world apply different
methodologies due to their languages. In his article “The Text and Music of Das Lied von der
Erde,” Renkang Qian first introduces the historical background of the texts and the original
Chinese poems. He then translates the German paraphrases by Bethge into Chinese and
compares them to the music. Western scholars, including Hefling, translate the German poems
into English for a comparison with English translations of the original Chinese poems, often
done by a different person who knows Chinese.
The problem of translation is one of the central issues in the studies of music-text
relationships. The discussions of translations indicate that the German texts are removed from
the original poems, which is problematic. Gautier’s French anthology was not literally translated,
and she also attributed some of the poems incorrectly.15 Heilmann’s German translation and
Bethge’s paraphrase distanced the poems further from the Chinese originals. The last layer of
removal was Mahler’s alterations.
This problem also leads to the issue of cultural misrepresentation, discussed by Bao-yu
Yian and Yuan Huang. Huang especially shows his irritation by the issue in his article “Mahler’s
Das Lied von der Erde and Chinese Poetry in the Tang Dynasty.” He uses the mistranslation of
14
Stephen Hefling, “Das Lied von der Erde: Mahler’s Symphony for Voices and Orchestra or Piano.” The Journal
of Musicology 10 (1992): 340-41.
15
For more information, see Fusako Hamao, “The Sources of Texts in Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde” 19thcentury Music 19 (1995): 83-95.
7
“porcelain” and the last name “Tao” as an example of mistranslation.16 When Mahler used
porcelain as a symbol of Chinese culture, the cultural image is thus misrepresented. This
misrepresentation also caused problems in the process of identifying the original poems. Huang
critiques the discrepancy between the moods in Chinese poetry and the music. He argues that the
music is too pessimistic to represent the concept of transcendence in Tang poetry. Huang’s
critiques raise an important question: does Das Lied von der Erde represent the Orient as the
“Other”? In the same journal, a response by Jian-ying Guo, points out the problems in Huang’s
article: Das Lied von der Erde is known for using poems that were originally Chinese, but
neither the texts nor the music is considered as representation of Chinese culture. This response
indicates that Huang introduces one perspective but cannot represent the majority of Chinese
musicologists.17
Kii-ming Lo’s article “Chinesische Dichtung als Textgrundlage für Mahlers Lied von der
Erde” also addresses the problem of translations. In this article, he investigates the differences
among different translations and lists available versions of each poem: Chinese originals, French
translations by Marguis d’Hervey-Saint-Denys and Judith Gautier, German translations by Hans
Heilmann, German paraphrases by Hans Bethge, and Mahler’s alterations. Lo argues that it was
Mahler’s alterations, rather than Bethge’s paraphrases, that created a musical work of the highest
rank not by interpreting the superficial essence but the life attitude in the Chinese poems: “His
composition, however, signified for the composer likewise also the generation of one confession
works of the highest rank, in which not the “words” of Bethge’s poetry, but one attitude towards
16
Huang Yuan, “Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde and Chinese Poetry in the Tang Dynasty”
17
One might raise the question whether Das Lied von der Erde is a work representing orientalism. As Edward Said
has famously argued, Westerners have historically created or portrayed cultures in the Far East in such a way that
the “oriental” is used as “the others” to reflect the superiority of the West. The created “Eastern” world is treated
neither independent nor real, but it serves a Western intellectual construct. In Das Lied von der Erde, the poems’
Chinese origin and Mahler’s use of pentatonic scales might both make this work a portrait of the “orient.” The
characters in the poems might also be understood specifically to represent an image of Chinese culture, for example,
when they are collecting lotus-flowers or sewing.
My thesis does not attempt to deal with this issue, for several reasons. First, although the speaker in this
work addresses stories of specific individuals, the characters are not represented as stand-ins for an exotic culture;
instead they present individual lives. Second, the composer’s use of another culture’s literature provides a means to
look beyond one’s own culture for ways to deal with difficulties in life. Throughout the journey the speaker aspires
to achieve an understanding of his own life, not a distinction between himself and another culture. Third, Mahler
named the work Das Lied von der Erde. Unlike Bethge’s title, Die chinesische Flöte, Mahler’s title points out that
the work will concern a more universal outlook on life beyond a specific culture. Finally, discussion of orientalism
would simply require more space than could possibly be accommodated in this thesis and take the study in a
different direction. For all these reasons my thesis will not venture away from its primary goal in order to discuss
orientalism.
8
life was interpreted, that Mahler perhaps addressed in the – certainly not always competently
conveyed – verses of poetry of the Tang Dynasty.”18
The last category of studies of the music is the largest and the most intriguing one, in
which different perspectives are used to interpret Das Lied von der Erde. David Birchler views
Mahler’s works explicitly as an autobiography and thus Mahler’s relationship with nature can be
known through the works. In Das Lied von der Erde he focuses on the separation between past
and present in “Der Abschied.” Birchler includes Mahler’s works from different periods. This
methodology helps him achieve a more objective understanding of Mahler’s music. Barbara
Barry, on the other hand, uses a philosophical point of view for interpretation. She states, “In
both its poetic and musical textuality, Das Lied von der Erde is a powerful narrative full of
longing and beauty, a journey whose content is the experience of mortality and transcendence.”19
To Barry Das Lied von der Erde is a place for past experiences.
Pu-qu Jiang’s and Haiping Hu’s dissertations make connections between Das Lied von
der Erde and Chinese poets or philosophy. Jiang relates the lives of Li Tai-Po and Mahler, as
well the music’s structure with Chinese poetic structure, “Qi (introduction), Cheng (elucidation
of the theme), Zhuan (transition to another viewpoint), and He (summing up).”20 The
biographical information about the Chinese poet and the introduction of Chinese poetic form are
pertinent. The way in which Jiang relates them is, however, not convincing, because the essence
of Das Lied von der Erde lies in the differences rather than similarities between two distinct
cultures. An earlier dissertation by Haiping Hu introduces different philosophies that had
influenced Mahler in different periods and then relates Chinese and Western philosophies. He
proposes that Mahler’s life philosophy in Das Lied von der Erde can be summarized under three
aspects: perceptions of human destiny, transformations of nature into music, and spiritual
culmination. Hu describes Mahler as a “musical philosopher.”21 Using “spiritual culmination”
18
Kii-ming Lo, “Chinesische Dichtung als Textgrundlage für Mahlers Lied von der Erde,” in Das Gustav-MahlerFest Hamburg 1989, ed. by Matthias Theodor Vogt, 509-29 (Kassel and New York: Bärenreiter, 1991), 518.
19
Barbara Barry, “Eternal Return in Das Lied von der Erde,” in The Philosopher’s Stone: Essays in the
Transformation of Musical Structure, ed. by Barbara Barry, 203-21 (Pendragon, 2000), 203.
20
Pu-qi Jiang, “An Integration of Ancient Chinese Poetry and Western Post-Romantic Music: A Study of Gustav
Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde,” DMA diss. (University of Cincinnati, 2003), ii.
21
Haiping Hu, “Das Lied von der Erde: The Culmination of Mahler’s Artistic Life,” Ph.D. diss. (University of
California at Los Angeles, 1991), 6.
9
and “musical philosopher” to interpret Das Lied von der Erde and Mahler does not seem
appropriate. Although Mahler did have strong interest in philosophy and searched different
philosophies for the answer to life, he did not claim to be a philosopher. Both of these
dissertations started with good designs but are guilty of overstatement in their conclusions.
Konrad Kenkel first uses musical analysis to uncover personal emotions such as
loneliness, desperation, and nostalgia in fin-de-siècle Vienna. For instance, the frequent use of
solo instruments in the first movement of Das Lied von der Erde is understood to portray the
poet’s loneliness. Kenkel then suggests that the compositional techniques used by Mahler to
present the decadent world also led to something new: “Mahler’s predilection for
dematerialization displays a characteristic which, although originating in the basic experience of
decadence, ultimately leads to a new conception of art.”22 Kenkel’s conclusions integrate the
personal and aesthetic aspects: “On the personal level, it was a farewell without a future; within
the aesthetic realm, it became an escape into the future.”23 Kenkel’s short article not only
portrays Mahler’s musical presentation of emotions but also indicates this work’s historical
importance in terms of its aesthetic values.
Arthur Bampton Wenk views Das Lied von der Erde as a work that presents two main
ideas: “resignation in face of the transitory character of existence” and “celebration of the
endless renewal of life.”24 In order to understand how Mahler presents these two ideas, Wenk
investigates the composer’s compositional decisions on setting poems and alterations of the texts.
Through the connection between musical decisions and philosophical ideas, Wenk presents
Mahler as a poet who integrated seven poems into “a single cycle of valediction and renewal.”25
Both Hans Wollschläger and Hermann Danuser focus on the last movement of Das Lied
von der Erde and use its musical structure to understand the work’s meaning. In Wollschläger’s
article, “Abschied from Das Lied von der Erde: Mahler’s Late Work,” he investigates this
work’s central theme, contemplation of the concept of time. Wollschläger describes Das Lied
22
Konrad O. Kenkel, “Gustav Mahler’s Song of the Earth: Farewell or Escape?” in Focus on Vienna 1990: Change
and Continuity in Literature, Art and Intellectual History, ed. by Erika Nielsen, 125-30 (Munich: Wilhelm Fink,
1982), 129.
23
Kenkel, 130.
24
Arthur Bampton Wenk, “The Composer as Poet in Das Lied von der Erde.” 19th-century Music 1 (1977): 33.
25
Wenk, 43.
10
von der Erde as a “Basis-Kunst-Werk des Zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts” (basis of the art work of
the twentieth century) because it attempts to answer a question that is universal to humans.26
Hermann Danuser also interprets the musical structure to understand the work’s meaning. He
suggests that the ending of “Der Abschied” is both concluding and open-ending; therefore, the
concept of “ewig” is presented in music: “the word ewig has a semantic meaning far beyond the
immediate context of the passage, extending, as a metaphor for nature’s process of life and death,
to the central content of the entire work.”27
In her doctoral dissertation “Mahler and the Music of fin-de-siècle Identity,” Francesca
Lurana Draughon situates Mahler’s four large works (Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, First
Symphony, Ninth Symphony, and Das Lied von der Erde) within the historical and social
background of Vienna at the turn of the century. She explains people’s anxiety and how they
sought for comfort in various fields such as the Orient and philosophy. This dissertation has two
focuses: Orientalism and transcendence. Draughon addresses the way in which Mahler portrays
the “Orient” as “Other” and relates this issue to the composer’s own status as being an outsider
in his society. Regarding transcendence, Draughon discusses the connection between Buddhism
and Schopenhaurian philosophy in Das Lied von der Erde.
Donald Mitchell interprets Das Lied von der Erde with its Chinese elements and the
structure of “Der Abschied.” Mitchell explains that heterophony is significant in Chinese music.
The use of counterpoint in Das Lied von der Erde thus shows the influence of Chinese music:
“much of the counterpoint in Das Lied was heterophonically conceived.”28 Besides harmonic
texture, Mitchell discusses the work’s exotic quality in structure. The last movement “Der
Abschied” is different from all the other movements, in that it is not in strophic form. Its free
form and open ending represent a departure from the Western tradition. Mitchell thus states, “It
is in these dimensions of the finale of Das Lied that we can with confidence speak of the work’s
exoticism, of its orientalism.”29
26
Hans Wollschläger, “Abschied from Das Lied von der Erde: Mahler’s Late Work,” Musik & Ästhetik 1, 3 (1997):
19.
27
Hermann Danuser, “Musical Manifestations of the End in Wagner and Post-Wagnerian ‘Weltanschauungsmusik’”
19th-Century Music 18 (1994): 81.
28
Mitchell, “New Light on Das Lied von der Erde,” 21.
29
Mitchell, “New Light on Das Lied von der Erde,” 24.
11
This literature survey has shown that research on the music-text relationships and the
sources of the texts for Das Lied von der Erde is abundant, whereas there is still room for
musical analysis and interpretation of the work. Based on and departing from the previous
studies, my research will interpret Das Lied von der Erde by examining the lyric persona’s
philosophical search for a deeper understanding of life across the borders of cultures.
Method
This study regards Das Lied von der Erde as an ongoing journey of a single speaker; the
six movements reveal various experiences and contemplations. Each of the following chapters
will discuss one movement, starting with the texts and then the music. Nature is always present
in all movements, but its meaning changes; for instance, nature is used to indicate the brevity of
humans’ lives in “Das Trinklied vom Jammer” and to symbolize the speaker’s emotions in “Der
Einsame im Herbst.” Nature is thus traced as a main theme that constitutes the meaning of the
music.
The discussions of the texts include that of the Chinese original, Bethge’s paraphrase, and
Mahler’s alterations. Different approaches have been applied to compare texts; Renkang Qian
translated Bethge’s versions into Chinese and compared them with the Chinese originals, and
Stephen Hefling used English translations of different versions for the same purpose. Translation
inevitably reduces the accuracy of the text. In order to truly comprehend texts, my approach is to
examine all three versions in the original language and use English for explanation.
An examination of the Chinese poem manifests the original look and meaning of the
poem. Bethge’s paraphrase is then compared to the original poem to point out any change of
structure, mistranslations, discrepancy in symbols, and difference in styles. A comparison
between Bethge’s version and the text used in Das Lied von der Erde shows the composer’s
alterations. These changes are examined closely to show how they nuance the lyrics, how they
impact the structure, and how they suit a musical composition more effectively.
Musical analysis of each movement begins with an overview of central themes and
musical figures. The introduction of themes shows their characters, effects, and rhythmic and
melodic features. A formal and stylistic analysis then examines the music to demonstrate the
speaker’s specific experience in each movement as part of the journey. These experiences
12
represented by individual movements are integrated to form the speaker’s journey that continues
throughout Das Lied von der Erde.
13
CHAPTER 1
“DAS TRINKLIED VOM JAMMER DER ERDE”: AN INVITATION TO THE
JOURNEY
The speaker in “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde” exhorts his listeners, “doch trinkt
noch nicht, erst sing’ ich euch ein Lied!” inviting the audience to enjoy the music. This opening
movement also singles out nature, the important symbol of Das Lied von der Erde. Moreover,
the speaker reflects upon life, but his musings will not reach a conclusion until the last
movement.
Li Tai-Po (701-62) and Du Fu (712-70) were the two greatest poets of the Tang Dynasty.
Li’s craft appears so effortless and natural that he received the nickname “Poetry Sage.” His
poems show a vivid imagination, a variety of themes, and rich descriptions. He mainly used his
talent in writing poems to protest political and social injustice. Although his ambition did not
achieve positive results, Li’s persistence in promoting integrity never ceased. Throughout his life,
Li continued using poems to express his passion for influencing the world. His rough path in
politics also resulted in a pessimistic attitude in his poems, revealed by the protagonists’ use of
alcohol for escape. Despite such pessimism, the proactive ideas to improve society are
characteristic of his poems. Li is therefore regarded as one of the most important Romantic poets
of the Tang Dynasty.30
Xuanzong (685-762), a Tang emperor who reigned from 712 to 756, recognized Li TaiPo’s talent and appointed him to a post in the Hanlin Academy, an institution founded by
Xuanzong to perform secretarial or literary work for the court. Li accidentally offended another
powerful person while pursuing a position in the palace and was forced to give up his ambition
in the palace and to resign from the court life. Li’s career story provides an explanation of his
protagonists’ desire to withdraw from the world.
The original poem of “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde” is Li’s “悲來乎” (“Pei-LaiHo”), whose title is a declamatory expression conveying one’s sorrow. Hans Bethge’s paraphrase
only includes the first half of the poem. Donald Mitchell explains that Bethge left out the second
30
Yue-yuan Chu and Chin-cheng Chu, ed., 中國古典文學叢書: 李白集校注 (Chinese Classic Literature: Poems by
Li Tai-Po) (Shang Hai, China: Shanghai Ancient books publisher, 1998), 1-20.
14
half due to the difficulty of translating names. Even if the second half were translated literally, it
would have required a lot of explanations, or the poem would only make sense to those who
were already familiar with Chinese history.31 The following discussion will explain the entire
poem, placing more emphasis on the first half.
The poem consists of three stanzas. Each begins with the declamatory expression “PeiLai-Ho,” which establishes the tone and structure of the poem. In the first stanza the poet asks
the host not to drink yet, because he is about to sing a song. He explains that drinking and music
go well together. The second stanza states that humankind’s lives are so short that the pursuit of
wealth and fame is meaningless. The image of an ape under the moon symbolizes one’s
loneliness. The third stanza, omitted in the translation, references many actual people who did
not receive fair treatment from the authorities. These instances explain the poet’s hopelessness;
being moral is pointless, since manipulative people can easily sabotage one’s work.
The first half of the poem thus manifests an attitude of aloofness in life, and the second
half shows the rationale behind such an attitude. Contemplating the unfair events in history, the
speaker has come to realize that it is pointless to struggle with or fight against injustice. Enjoying
the moment and appreciating liquor are more fulfilling alternatives. Nature is important for both
the original poem and the German paraphrase, although, as we shall notice, the German text uses
nature symbolically to question the meaning of life.
The following discussion of the German text consists of two parts: the comparison
between the Chinese original and Bethge’s paraphrase, and a comparison between the versions of
Bethge and of Mahler. Table 1.1 shows the original Chinese poem with an English translation,
and Bethge’s paraphrase and its English translation.
Table 1.1: Chinese original, Bethge’s paraphrase, and an English translation
Das Trinklied vom Jammer der The drinking song of earth’s
悲來乎32
Erde33
sorrow34
31
Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death, 164.
32
The Chinese translation is adapted from Ching-wah Lam’s in Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of
Life and Death, 163.
33
34
The English translation is adapted from Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death, 171.
15
Table 1.1 – continued: Chinese original, Bethge’s paraphrase, and an English translation
悲來乎
Erde
sorrow
Schon winkt der Wein in
Now beckons the wine in the
悲來乎,悲來乎
goldenen
Pokalen,
golden goblet,
(How sad! How Sad!)
Doch trinkt noch nicht! Erst
but don’t drink before I sing
主人有酒且莫斟
sing ich euch ein Lied!
you a song!
(The host has wine, but do not
pour yet.)
Das Lied vom Kummer soll
The song of sorrow shall
聽我ㄧ曲悲來吟
resound in gusts of laughter
(Let me sing a song of sorrow.) euch in die Seele
through your soul.
Auflachend klingen! Wenn der
When sorrow draws near,
悲來不吟還不笑
Kummer
naht,
(I cannot express my sorrow nor
can I laugh.)
So stirbt die Freude, der Gesang Joy and song wither and die.
天下無人知我心
erstirbt,
(No one understands me in the
world.)
Wüst liegen die Gemächer
The chambers of my soul lie
meiner Seele.
wasted.
Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der
Dark is life, and so is death.
Tod.
君有數斗酒
(You have several measures of
wine;)
我有三尺琴
(I have a three-foot long qin.)
琴鳴酒樂兩相得
(The qin is sounded and the
wine is drunk with joy;)
一杯不啻千鈞金
(One cup is worth a thousand
taels of gold.)
悲來乎,悲來乎
(How sad! How sad!)
天雖長,地雖久
(Although heaven and earth are
everlasting,)
Dein Keller birgt des goldnen
Weins die Fülle,
Your cellar holds its fill of
golden wine!
Herr dieses Hauses, - ich besitze
andres:
Hier diese lange Laute nenn ich
mein!
Die Laute schlagen und die
Gläser leeren,
Das sind zwei Dinge, die
zusammenpassen!
Ein voller Becher Weins zur
rechten Zeit
Ist mehr wert also die Reiche
dieser Erde.
Tod.
Master of this house! I am
holding
this lute here that I name my
own!
To strike the lute and to drain
the glasses,
These are the things that go
well together.
A full goblet of wine at the
right time
Is worth more than all the
kingdoms of this earth!
Dark is life, and so is death.
Das Firmament blaut ewig, und
die Erde
The firmament is blue
eternally, and the earth
16
悲來乎
Erde
sorrow
Wird lange feststehnauf den
Will long stand fast and
金玉滿堂應不守
alten
Füssen,
blossom in spring.
(It is impossible to keep gold
and jade for ever.)
Du aber, Mensch, wie lange
But thou, O man, for how long
富貴百年能幾何
lebst
denn
du?
do you live?
(What is the use, after all, of
being rich for a hundred years;)
An all dem morschen Tande
In all the rotten trash of this
死生一度人皆有
dieser
Erde,
earth!
(Everyone will face birth and
death.)
孤猿坐啼墳上月
(A lonely ape sits above the
grave and cries at the moon;)
且須一盡杯中酒
(One must finish the wine in
one’s cup.)
Nur Ein Besitztum ist dir ganz
gewiss:
Das ist das Grab, das Grinsende,
am Ende.
Tod.
Only one estate is totally
certain.
That is the grave, the grin, of
the earth.
Dark is life, and so is death!
Seht dort hinab! Im Mondschein
auf den Gräbern
Hockt eine wild-gespenstische
Gestalt.
Ein Affe ist es! Hört ihr, wie
sein Heulen
Hinausgellt in den süssen Duft
des Abends?
Jetzt nehmt den Wein! Jetzt ist
es Zeit, Genossen!
Leert eure goldnen Becher bis
zum Grund!
Look down there! In the
moonlight, on the graves.
Squats a mad spectral figure.
Tod.
Dark is life, and so is death!
It is an ape! Hear him howling
And yelling and shattering the
sweet fragrance of life!
Now take the wine! Now it is
time, companions!
Drain your golden goblets to
the dregs!
In the German paraphrase, the reason for the speaker’s pessimism and disappointment is
not addressed because of the omission of the original’s second half. Bethge’s version starts, as in
the Chinese poem, with the speaker asking the guests to defer drinking to hear him sing. The
image of the garden depicts the effect of sorrow’s closeness: “Wenn der Kummer naht, So stirbt
die Freude, der Gesang erstirbt, Wüst liegen die Gemächer meiner Seele.” The analogy points
out the significance of nature, which will be specified more clearly in the next stanza. Stanza 1
17
ends with a refrain, “Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod,” which also presents the speaker’s
pessimistic point of view – life and death are both dark. In Stanza 2, the speaker continues his
singing. He says that drinking and music are two of the greatest things; thus he invites the guests
to enjoy the moment, because good wine at the right time “is worth more than all the kingdoms
of this earth!”
After the second stanza, which is rather close to the Chinese poem, the singer indicates
the longevity of nature: “Das Firmament blaut ewig, und die Erde wird lange feststehn auf den
alten Füssen.” The permanence of nature contrasts to humans’ short life span in the following
question, “Du aber, Mensch, wie lang lebst denn du?” Indicating human limitation, nature
represents the speaker’s wondering about the meaning of life.
In the next and last stanza another image depicts loneliness: an ape crying under the
moon. This image reflects the speaker’s sorrow and disappointment in life. He then finishes the
song and invites the guests to drink. In Bethge’s paraphrase, two images of nature, the
everlasting firmament and the lonely ape, inspire the speaker’s musings about life.
Table 1.2 includes Bethge’s paraphrase, Mahler’s version, and an English translation:
Table 1.2: Bethge’s paraphrase and Mahler’s alterations35
Das Trinklied vom Jammer der
36
Erde (Bethge)
Erde (Mahler)37
Schon winkt der Wein in
Schon winkt der Wein im
goldenen Pokalen,
gold’nen Pokale,
Doch trinkt noch nicht! Erst sing
Doch trinkt noch nicht, erst
ich euch ein Lied!
sing’ ich euch ein Lied!
Das Lied vom Kummer soll euch Das Lied vom Kummer soll
in die Seele
auflachend in die Seele euch
klingen.
The drinking song of
earth’s sorrow38
Now beckons the wine in
the golden goblet,
but don’t drink before I
sing you a song!
The song of sorrow shall
resound in gusts of
laughter through your
soul.
35
* Indicates Mahler made a change in the line.
36
37
38
The English translation is from Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death, 171.
18
Table 1.2 – continued: Bethge’s paraphrase and Mahler’s alterations
Erde (Bethge)
Erde (Mahler)
Auflachend klingen! Wenn der
Wenn der Kummer naht, liegen
Kummer naht,
wüsst die Gärten der Seele,
So stirbt die Freude, der Gesang
erstirbt,
Wüst liegen die Gemächer meiner
Seele.
Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod.
Dein Keller birgt des goldnen
Weins die Fülle,
Herr dieses Hauses, - ich besitze
andres:
Hier diese lange Laute nenn ich
mein!
Gläser leeren,
Das sind zwei Dinge, die
zusammenpassen!
rechten Zeit
Ist mehr wert also die Reiche
dieser Erde.
die Erde
Wird lange feststehnauf den alten
Füssen,
Du aber, Mensch, wie lange lebst
denn du?
Nicht hundert Jahre darfst du dich
ergötzen
dieser Erde,
Nur Ein Besitztum ist dir ganz
gewiss:
Das ist das Grab, das grinsende,
am Ende.
earth’s sorrow
When sorrow draws near,
the gardens of the soul lie
wasted,
Welkt hin und stirbt die Freude, Joy and song wither and
der Gesang
die.
Tod.
Dark is life, and so is
death.
Herr dieses Hauses!
Master of this house!
Dein Keller birgt die Fülle des
goldenen Weins!
Hier, diese Laute nenn’ ich
mein!
Gläser leeren,
Das sind die Dinge, die
zusammen passen.
rechten Zeit
Ist mehr wert, als alle Reiche
dieser Erde!
Dunkel is das Leben, ist der
Tod.
Your cellar holds its fill
of golden wine!
Here, this lute I name my
own!
To strike the lute and to
drain the glasses,
These are the things that
go well together.
A full goblet of wine at
the right time
Is worth more than all the
kingdoms of this earth!
death.
die Erde
Wird lange fest steh’n und
aufblüh’n im Lenz.
Du aber, Mensch, wie lang
lebst denn du?
Nicht hundert Jahre darfst du
dich ergötzen
dieser Erde!
The firmament is blue
eternally, and the earth
Will long stand fast and
blossom in spring.
But thou, O man, for how
long do you live?
Not for a hundred years
can you delight,
In all the rotten trash of
this earth!
19
Erde (Bethge)
Erde (Mahler)
Seht dort hinab! Im Mondschein
Seht dor hinab! Im Mondschein
auf den Gräbern
auf den Gräbern
Hockt eine wild-gespenstische
Hockt eine wild-gespenstiche
Gestalt.
Gestalt.
Ein Affe ist es! Hört ihr, wie sein Ein Aff’ ist’s! Hört ihr, wie
Heulen
sein Heulen
Hinausgellt in den süssen Duft
Hinaufgellt in den süssen Duft
des Abends?
des Lebens!
Jetzt nehmt den Wein! Jetzt ist es
Zeit, Genossen!
Leert eure goldnen Becher bis
zum Grund!
Jetzt nehmt den Wein! Jetzt ist
es Zeit, Genossen!
Leert eure gold’nen Becher zu
Grund!
Tod!
earth’s sorrow
Look down there! In the
moonlight, on the graves.
Squats a mad spectral
figure.
It is an ape! Hear him
howling
And yelling and
shattering the sweet
fragrance of life!
Now take the wine! Now
it is time, companions!
Drain your golden goblets
to the dregs!
death!
Mahler made only a few changes, and none of them drastically influences the text. The
first change is the deletion of several phrases at the end of the third stanza: “Nur ein Besitztum
ist dir ganz gewiss: / Das ist das Grab, das grinsende, am Ende. / Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der
Tod.” The omission of these three phrases makes the text more concise, so that the comparison
of firmament and human lives is immediately followed by the ape under the moon. Juxtaposing
these two images heightens the audience’s sympathy with the speaker’s frustrations. Mahler also
put a brief break in the fourth stanza before “Jetzt nehmt den Wein! Jetzt ist es Zeit, Genossen!”
In the music the break is indicated by a change of key at m. 369 and the decreasing intensity
before this phrase enters. The word “Leben” was set to twelve beats of B-flat and two beats of Aflat (mm. 361-65). In mm. 366-67 the orchestra plays long notes and descending lines before the
word “Jetzt.” These two elements provide the audience a chance to reflect upon the speaker’s
oration; such reflection is not an explicit feature of the original poem or Bethge’s paraphrase.
Mahler’s minor but meaningful changes allow the speaker to express his feelings more
concretely and the audience to experience the speaker’s feelings.
As mentioned before, this movement singles out the symbolic meaning of nature, poses
the speaker’s search for the meaning of life, and invites the audience to join him on his journey.
20
The discussions of the music will focus on these characteristics. Table 1.3 below provides an
overview of this movement’s form.
Table 1.3: Tonal analysis of “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde”
Section
Measure Key
Text
number
Introduction 1-16
A minor
Stanza 1
A minor
Schon winkt der
17-24
Bb major
Wein im gold’nen Pokale,
25-28
A minor
Doch trinkt noch
29-32
A major
Nicht, erst sing’ ich euch ein
33-43
A minor
Lied!
Das Lied vom Kummer soll auf lachend in die Seele
44-62
Bb major
Euch klingen.
Wenn der Kummer naht, liegen wüsst die
63-96
G minor
Gärten der Seele,
Welkt hin und stirbt die Freude, der Gesang.
Stanza 2
97-125
C minor
Herr dieses Hauses!
Dein Keller birgt die Fülle des goldenen Weins!
126-36
A minor
Hier, diese Laute nenn’ ich mein!
137-44
B-flat major
Die Laute schlagen und die Gläser leeren,
145-52
G-flat major
Das sind die Dinge, die zusammen passen.
153-78
A-flat minor Ein voller Becher Weins zur rechten Zeit
Ist mehr wert, (ist mehr wert, ist mehr wert,) als alle
Reiche dieser Erde!
179-82
A-flat major
(Interlude)
183-92
A-flat minor Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod!
193-262 A-flat major
(Interlude)
Stanza 3
263-98
A-flat major
Das Firmament blaut ewig, und die Erde
Wird lange fest steh’n und aufblüh’n im Lenz.
Du aber, Mensch,
299-325 Chromatic
wie lang lebst denn du?
Nicht hundert Jahre darfst du dich ergötzen
An all dem morschen Tande dieser Erde!
Stanza 4
326-42
A minor
Seht dort hinab! Im Mondschein auf den Gräbern
Hockt eine wild-gespenstiche Gestalt.
343-52
B-flat major
Ein Aff’ ist’s!
353-68
A minor
Hört ihr, wie sein Heulen
Hinausgellt in den süssen Duft des Lebens!
(Fifth stanza) Jetzt nehmt den
368-92
A major
Wein! Jetzt ist es Zeit, Genossen!
Leert eure gold’nen Becher zu Grund!
21
Table 1.3 – continued: Tonal analysis of “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde”
Section
Measure Key
Text
number
(Stanza 4)
393-405 A minor
Tod!
As shown in Table 1.3, the changes of key areas do not coincide with the change of
sections. The division of sections follows the poetic structure, but the constant change of keys
makes it difficult to identify sections by means of harmonic analysis.39 Thematic features,
however, clarify the structure. A new section in the poem frequently opens with a horn-call
theme and ends with a refrain, as will be explained in more detail shortly.
Four important themes in this movement serve as meaningful signals. The horn-call
melody (Example 1.1) opens the movement in a festive style.40 Besides opening the entire work,
it also signals the beginnings of new sections. The theme is prominently used with mutations;
such variation technique is a significant feature of Das Lied von der Erde. This theme is first
played by the brass instruments, but its instrumentation will not be limited to one kind of
instrument, especially when it becomes subjected to variation.
Example 1.1: The horn-call melody (horns in F, mm. 1-3)
The character of the second theme, shown in Example 1.2, contrasts to that of the horncall melody. This theme exhibits darker, mellower traits. The theme frequently changes the mood
of the music from festive to sorrowful. For example, this theme is used before the first refrain,
39
Paul John Whitworth discusses discontinuities in the last movement in his dissertation “Aspects of Mahler’s
Musical Language: An Analytical Study.” He explains that discontinuities appear in texture, timbre, dynamics, and
gesture. He also addresses how disjunct cadences at strategic highpoints create unfulfilled longing in both the
technical and rhetoric aspects. Further discussion see the section “Discontinuity and Formal Resolution in ‘Der
Abschied’” in pp. 302-33.
40
Theme 1 comprises three notes (A-G-E) from a C-major pentatonic scale. This feature is not addressed because
the Oriental sound is not the focus of this chapter. For a more detailed discussion on the use of pentatonic scales in
Das Lied von der Erde, see J. Randall Wheaton, “The Diatonic Potential of Strange Sets: Theoretical Tenets and
Structural Meaning in Gustav Mahler’s Der Abschied,” Ph.D. dissertation (Yale University, 1988), 1-32.
22
“Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod,” creating a foreboding atmosphere for the refrain, “dark life
and death.”
Example 1.2: The second theme (two solo violins, mm. 179-85)
The ecstasy melody (Example 1.3) only appears occasionally, but its importance cannot
be overlooked. The ecstasy motive in Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde connotes an
entangling emotion that reflects love and death (see Example 1.4). Reminiscent of that motive,
Mahler’s ecstasy melody also carries the emotional intensity. This melody thus allows the
composer to comment on the text with music. The use of this theme in the first movement also
prepares the audience for its more prominent use in the sixth movement, “Der Abschied.”
Example 1.3: Ecstasy melody (tenor and cellos, mm. 121-25)
Example 1.4: Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, ecstasy motive (Scene 3, oboe, mm. 210)
23
Both the words and the thematic contour construct the refrain’s significance (see
Example 1.5). This phrase indicates the central idea of this poem: life and death are both dark.
Mahler set the phrase to the same melody each time that it occurs. This refrain consists of two
descending phrases of four and five measures, respectively. The notes in the first phrase outline a
descending G-minor triad, and those in the second phrase descend in nearly scalar fashion. The
smaller intervals slow down the pace, and the combination of two descending lines creates a
solemn melody for the pessimistic statement: “Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod.”
Example 1.5: The refrain (tenor, mm. 81-89)
As already stated, the design of the movement relies on the poetic structure. The four
stanzas can also be heard as two large parts, and the entire movement can be divided into five
musical sections. Table 1.4 lists the division of sections. Each division will be discussed
individually in the analyses that follow.
Table 1.4: Formal analysis of “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde”
Part
Stanza
Section
Measure Text (incipit)
number
Part 1
Stanza 1 Section 1 16-89
Schon winkt der Wein im gold’nen Pokale
Stanza 2 Section 2 112-202 Herr dieses Hauses!
Part 2
Stanza 3 Section 3 263-325 Das Firmament blaut ewig, und die Erde
Stanza 4 Section 4 326-66
Seht dort hinab! Im Mondschein auf den
Gräbern
Section 5 367-93
Jetzt nehmt den Wein! Jetzt ist es Zeit,
Genossen!
After fifteen measures of introduction, in which the horn-call melody creates a festive
mood, the first section starts with the speaker trying to draw people’s attention to his singing.
The ecstasy melody soon appears in the tenor voice in mm. 31-33 and the cellos in mm. 42-43.
The speaker continues to address an important symbol – the garden of the soul. The use of the
24
garden points out the role of nature in this work, and the withered joy and song present the
nearness of sorrow in life. In this section about the garden, the first flute plays trills and
alternations between neighboring notes in mm. 56-60, and the oboes play trills in mm. 63-65.
Both instruments provide a pastoral sound to reflect the text. The sorrowful second theme is
played by the first clarinet in mm. 77-83, leading to the refrain in mm. 81-89. The speaker sets
out his pessimistic view of life. The first section has already brought out some core elements of
Das Lied von der Erde: the speaker’s declarative speech, the importance of nature, and central
issues about life.
The interlude between the first section and the second uses the horn-call melody again,
and it lightens the mood after the solemn refrain. The ecstasy figure again plays an important
role in this section, continuing to remind the audience of the hidden side of life that can bring
unfortunate incidents. Since the speaker has posed his musings about life, he also wants to
address the importance of enjoying life. Therefore he proposes a toast to the host, praises the
wine, and indicates that drinking and music go together as important things in life. Music is
painted in the word “Laute” in mm. 137-38. The gliding sound of the portamento, not belonging
to the German language, creates a self-consciously musical effect for the word. Like the first
section, the second is followed by the refrain. After the rather joyful opening, the section again
leads to a serious ending.
The long interlude before the next section is important. Several themes are played by
various instruments; the interlude serves as a musical review of the first two sections. At the
same time, changes of instrumentation alter the mood. For example, the English horn plays a
more important role in the interlude. As Hector Berlioz describes the English horn: “Its tones are
melancholy, dreamy, noble, somewhat veiled – as if played in the distance.”41 The more
prominent use of the English horn projects a more sorrowful mood. Therefore, as the music
approaches the second half, the somewhat joyful spirit of the first half has disappeared.
The third section indicates the eternal existence of the blue firmament. To contrast such
eternity, the speaker points out that human lives can last no more than a hundred years. This
observation focuses his main view about life: the brevity of lives cannot be changed, no matter
how much worldly success one achieves. Hence the first climax appears towards the end of this
41
Hector Berlioz, Treatise on Instrumentation, enlarged and revised by Richard Strauss, translated by Theodor Front
(first published in 1844/5; New York: Edwin F. Kalmus, 1948), p. 184.
25
section. This section does not end with a refrain; the music can therefore sustain the climatic
development, whereas the refrain would calm down the excitement.
The fourth section uses another symbol to continue the speaker’s agony: an ape crying
under the moon, which represents humankind’s loneliness. The music reaches its highest tension
in this section. The speaker first points out the figure sitting on a grave in the moonlight. In mm.
328-65 the vocal line stays in higher registers, and the orchestra plays many ascending lines. The
tension in music thus continues to accumulate, while the text goes on to reveal that the figure is
an ape yelling and shouting. The horn-call melody and the ecstasy melody are both used in this
section. Neither the second theme nor the refrain is used, because either would interrupt the
climax.
The speaker calms down in the fifth section, and his mind returns to the party. He asks
the assembled guests to take their glasses and drink with him. The music reflects his mood
change; after being so overwhelmed by his contemplation, he now feels only fatigue and wishes
to use drinking as a means of temporary escape. The refrain at the end of this section not only
reflects his calming down but also recasts the speaker’s contemplation. After the refrain the
horn-call melody appears in the short coda, and the movement ends.
Serving as the opening movement, “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde” draws the
audience’s attention to the speaker’s interior journey. This movement sets out the speaker’s
musings about life, and he will continue his contemplation throughout the entire work. The
movement sets up the centrality of nature and the speaker’s pondering about life, which are
crucial to Das Lied von der Erde. The speaker starts contemplating life in this movement, but he
has not reached his conclusion before the movement ends. While he invites the guests to drink
the wine at the end of this movement, he also invites the audience to join the ongoing journey
with him. The musings about life are posed, but the answers will not be found until the end of
Das Lied von der Erde.
26
CHAPTER 2
“DER EIMSAME IM HERBST”: NATURE AS SORROW
Nature continues to play an important role in the second movement, where it symbolizes
sorrow. In the first movement nature provided the speaker a place for reflection, and its
permanence contrasted human life’s brevity. In “Der Einsame im Herbst,” rather than
contemplating the meaning of life, the speaker expresses his affliction. Symbolizing a present
suffering, nature expresses the emotional aspect of the speaker’s journey.
Chien Chi’s “Imitation of Old Poems: Long Autumn Nights” was translated into French
as “Le soir d’automne” (The Autumn Night) by Judith Gautier in her anthology of Chinese
poetry, Le livre de jade. Fusako Hamao explains the problems that arise from Gautier’s
attribution and style of translation.42 In the anthology the poem is attributed to “Tchang Tsi.” The
names of two poets in the Tang Dynasty could be translated into this name, but none of their
poems shows an affinity with the translated poem. Furthermore, Gautier included the Chinese
characters “李巍” (Li Wei) next to the poet’s name. This name not only differs from the
pronunciation “Tchang Tsi” but also refers to no poet in the Tang Dynasty. Scholars thus
searched various poems to match the translation; among them was Li Tai-Po’s “烏夜啼” (“The
Crows that Caw at Night”). Chien Chi’s poems were also considered as possible sources, since
the pronunciation of his name is close to “Tchang Tsi.” After describing her research and
opinions of other scholars such as La Grange and David Hawkes, Hamao states “All of this
strongly suggests that Gautier’s poem was indeed based on the first four lines of Ch’ien-Ch’i’s
poem [i.e., ‘效古秋夜長’].”43 Investigation of the source of this text also took place in China, as
exemplified in Renkang Qian’s article, which recognizes the same poem as the source.44
Chien Chi (722-780) was a highly respected poet in the Tang Dynasty, although not as
well known as Li Tai-Po, Wang Wei, and Mong Kao-Ren. He was appointed to a position at the
42
Fusako Hamao, “The Source of the Texts in Mahler’s ‘Lied von der Erde’” 19th-Century Music 19: 83-95.
43
Hamao, 90.
44
Renkang Qian, “大地之歌歌詞溯源” (“Tracing the Origin of the Texts of Das Lied von der Erde.”) Yinyue Yishu:
Shanghai Yinyue Xueyuan Xuebao (Art of Music: Journal of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music) (2000): 12-19.
27
Hanlin Academy and has been considered as one of the ten most talented poets of his time. He
was a prolific poet; more than ten books of his poems are preserved.45 The poem “效古秋夜長”
reflects the poet’s skillful use of language. The depiction of a woman’s being left alone perhaps
indicates the poet’s effort to arouse others’ empathy for the minority in the society.46
In “效古秋夜長” (“Imitation of Old Poems: Long Autumn Nights”), Chien Chi draws on
images of nature – clouds, moonlight, and falling leaves – to symbolize the speaker’s bitter
sadness. This poem consists of five lines, each with two phrases. Among these ten phrases, only
the first four were included in the French and German translations. Bethge’s paraphrase thus
only includes the four phrases as well. Nevertheless, I will discuss the entire Chinese poem to
show Chien Chi’s vivid portrayal of the woman’s sorrow.
In the four lines that were translated (see Table 2.2), the speaker is sewing alone in an
autumn night. The stars and the cold wind both aggravate her sadness. The lamp that lights her
work is about to go out, but the night seems endless. Table 2.1 shows the omitted remainder of
the poem and my translation.
Table 2.1: The six lines that were omitted and an English translation
簷前碧雲靜如水 The clouds are floating above the roof in the middle of this silent night.
月弔棲烏啼鳥起 The moonlight shines on the ground and scares the raven on the tree, who
then crows while flying away.
誰家少婦事鴛機 A neighboring woman is sewing late at night.
錦幕雲屏深掩扉 Behind doors and screens, the woman is probably not known by anybody.
白玉窗中聞落葉 It is getting chilly. I hear the sound of falling leaves outside the window.
應憐寒女獨無衣 Who would care about me, a woman feeling cold without winter clothes?
The gender of the lyric persona in this poem is indicated by the word “女” in the last line,
meaning female. As the table shows, she expresses her misery throughout. Chien uses clouds and
moonlight to paint a picture of a quiet night. The raven’s movement appears intrusive; the
serenity of the night is thus emphasized. The speaker implies her situation in the next two
phrases. By describing the neighbor woman who is also sewing late at night and not known by
45
Ting-yu Ruan, ed., 錢起詩集校注 (Annotation and Collection of Chien Chi’s Poems), (Taipei, Taiwan: National
Publisher, 1996), 839-840.
46
Ting-yu Ruan, 67-69.
28
anyone, she expresses her sorrow at being left alone in the world. The last two lines indicate her
affliction more directly. The coldness of the night reveals her joyless feeling. After various
analogies by means of objects in nature, the neighboring woman, and the cold weather, the last
line states her lament overtly: “Who would care about me, a woman feeling cold without winter
clothes?” The poem thus uses nature to symbolize loneliness, and this remains true in Bethge’s
and Mahler’s versions.
Table 2.2 shows the original text (only the first four phrases), Bethge’s paraphrase, and
an English translation.
Die Einsame im Herbst48
The lonely one in autumn49
效古秋夜長
(In imitation of the
old poem: Long
Autumn Nights)47
Herbstnebel wallen bläulich überm Autumn mists drift blue over the
秋漢飛玉霜
Strom.
river
(Jade frost flies
Vom Reif bezogen stehen alle
Covered with rime stands every
through the Milky
Gräser,
blade of grass;
Way of autumn
Man meint, ein Künstler habe Staub It is as though an artist had strewn
sky.)
von Jade
dust of jade
Über die feinen Halme ausgestreut. Over the delicate stems.
Der süsse Duft der Blumen ist
The sweet fragrance of the flowers
北風掃荷香
has faded;
(The wind from the verflogen,
Ein
kalter
Wind
beugt
ihre
Stengel
A cold wind bows down their
north sweeps the
nieder;
stems.
scent of lotusBald
werden
die
verwelkten
Soon the withered golden petals
flowers.)
goldnen Blätter
Der Lotosblüten auf dem Wasser
Of the lotus-flowers will be
ziehn.
floating away on the water.
47
The English translation is adapted from Hamao, 88.
48
49
29
Die Einsame im Herbst
The lonely one in autumn
效古秋夜長
(In imitation of the
old poem: Long
Autumn Nights)
Mein Herz ist müde. Meine kleine
My heart is weary. My little lamp
含情紡織孤燈盡
Lampe
(The lamp is the
Erlosch mit Knistern, an den Schlaf Has burnt out with a splutter; it
only thing that
gemahnend.
puts me in mind to sleep.
accompanies me
sewing alone in the Ich komme zu dir, traute Ruhestätte, I come to you, beloved resting
place!
middle of the night.
Ja, gib mir Schlaf, ich hab
Yes, give me sleep, I need
Now the lamp is
Erquickung not!
refreshment.
about to go out.)
Ich weine viel in meinen
I weep much in my loneliness.
拭淚相思含漏長
Einsamkeiten,
(The night that
makes me weep by Der Herbst in meinem Herzen währt Autumn in my heart is lasting too
long.
myself never ends.) zu lange;
Sonne der Liebe, willst du nie mehr Sun of love, will you never shine
scheinen,
again
Um meine bittern Tränen
To dry up my bitter tears?
aufzutrocknen?
Table 2.2 shows how each phrase in the Chinese poem was expanded into four phrases in
the German paraphrase. The German paraphrase remains close to the original poem in terms of
the choice of words; it preserved symbols such as autumn, the wind, lotus-flowers, the lamp, and
tears. Nonetheless, the poem’s atmosphere was changed; the terse, symbolic style of the Chinese
poem was transformed into more descriptive writing in the translation.
The first stanza presents a misty picture of nature in which the world is covered with fog
and rime. The focus on the sky in the first phrase of the Chinese poem shifts to images on the
ground. The image “autumn sky” is replaced by another image, “river.” This mistranslation
explains the shift of focus. Hamao explains how such a mistranslation proves Chien Chi’s poem
to be the real original and the reason for Gautier’s mistake:
Such a difference, however, does not indicate that they are two different poems. On the
contrary, it emphasizes the strong connection between them, because the second Chinese
character of the first line of Ch’ien-Ch’i’s poem includes two meanings, ‘Han River,’ and
the ‘Milky Way’ by commentators and translators of Chinese poems. . . . Given the
character’s ambiguity, however, it is understandable that Gautier translated it as ‘Han
River’ and then changed the proper noun to the common noun, a river . . .50
50
Hamao, 89.
30
Additionally, the figure of an artist was inserted, emphasizing the artistic quality of the picture.
The next three stanzas differ from the original poem in two aspects. The translations were
expanded from the original and appear, as a result of expansion, less symbolic. Moreover, the
speaker states her wish by pleading overtly. The second stanza does not contain newly invented
ideas, but the third stanza does – “Ich komme zu dir, traute Ruhestätte, / Ja, gib mir Schlaf, ich
hab Erquickung not!” The speaker pleads for a resting place and rejuvenating sleep. The speaker
continues to declare her wish overtly in the last stanza; she asks when the sun of love will return
to dry her tears. In short, Bethge’s paraphrase adopts a more direct and descriptive way to
express emotions.
Table 2.3 lists these two versions and an English translation of the text used in music.
*Der Einsame im Herbst
52
(Bethge)
(Mahler)53
Herbstnebel wallen bläulich
Herbstnebel wallen bläulich
überm Strom.
überm See,
Vom Reif bezogen stehen alle Vom Reif bezogen stehen alle
Gräser,
Gräser;
Man meint, ein Künstler habe Man meint, ein Künstler habe
Staub von Jade
Staub von Jade
Über die feinen Halme
*Über die feinen Blüten
ausgestreut.
ausgestreut.
verflogen,
Ein kalter Wind beugt ihre
Stengel nieder;
Bald werden die verwelkten
goldnen Blätter
Der Lotosblüten auf dem
Wasser ziehn.
verflogen;
Ein kalter Wind beugt ihre
Stengel nieder.
Bald werden die verwelkten,
gold’nen Blätter
Der Lotosblüten auf dem
Wasser zieh’n.
The lonely one in autumn54
Autumn mists drift blue over
the lake
Covered with rime stands
every blade of grass;
It is as though an artist had
strewn dust of jade
Over the delicate blossoms.
The sweet fragrance of the
flowers has faded;
A cold wind bows down their
stems.
Soon the withered golden
petals
Of the lotus-flowers will be
floating on the water.
51
52
53
54
31
*Der Einsame im Herbst
The lonely one in autumn
(Bethge)
(Mahler)
Mein Herz ist müde. Meine
Mein Herz ist müde. Meine
My heart is weary. My little
kleine Lampe
kleine Lampe
lamp
Erlosch mit Knitstern, an den *Erlosch mit Knistern, es
Has burnt out with a splutter; it
Schlaf gemahnend.
gemahnt mich an den Schlaf.
puts me in mind to sleep.
Ich komme zu dir, traute
Ich komm’ zu dir, traute
I come to you, beloved resting
Ruhestätte,
Ruhestätte!
place!
Ja, gib mir Schlaf, ich hab
*Ja, gib mir Ruh’, ich hab’
Yes, give me peace, I need
Erquickung not!
Erquickung not!
consolation.
Einsamkeiten,
Der Herbst in meinem Herzen
währt zu lange;
Sonne der Liebe, willst du nie
mehr scheinen,
Um mine bittern Tränen
aufzutrocknen?
Einsamkeiten.
Der Herbst in meinem Herzen
währt zu lange.
Sonne der Liebe, willst du nie
mehr scheinen,
*Um meine bittern Tränen
mild aufzutrocknen?
I weep much in my loneliness.
Autumn in my heart is lasting
too long.
Sun of love, will you never
shine again
And dry up, tenderly, my bitter
tears?
Mahler made some minor changes in this movement. The change in the title, however,
merits attention. By changing “Die Einsame im Herbst” to “Der Einsame im Herbst,” Mahler
changed the gender of the speaker from a woman to a man. This change reveals a difference
between Chinese poetry and Western music. A female speaker is not uncommon in Chinese
poetry, especially for poems that express loss of love. Mahler’s change shows that the composer
was more accustomed to male speakers. Nevertheless, this movement was indeed set to an alto
voice. The female singer can bring out the feminine, more sensitive emotions in the text. The
alteration thus shows that Mahler was accustomed to male personae, but he was also aware of the
sensitive emotions in the text. Besides this significant change, Mahler slightly altered one
sentence’s structure, replaced three images, and added the word “mild” to the last phrase. As for
the images, he replaced “Strom” (river) with “See” (lake), “Halme” (stems) with “Blüten”
(petals), and “Schlaf” (sleep) with “Ruh” (rest). Changing from “Strom” to “See,” Mahler
created a more static picture. The replacement of “Halme” with “Blüten” increases femininity in
the text. Using “Ruh” instead of “Schlaf,” the composer emphasized the need of rest rather than
simply sleep, which might be restless or even with nightmares. These alterations thus create a
motionless, sensitive scene in which the speaker desperately needs rest for rejuvenation.
32
A declamatory instrumental melody opens and ends the movement. This section not only
shapes the movement’s structure but also reflects the speaker’s sorrowful mood. In this passage,
the first oboe functions as the solo voice (see Example 2.1). The moderate tempo playing of the
oboe creates a declamatory effect, in which a singer expresses feelings in a monologue. The
accompaniment is a scalar countermelody played by the first violins, as shown in Example 2.2.
The repetitive, wave-like pattern produces little action and expresses a melancholy mood. Also
reminiscent of gentle wind, the accompanying line presents the omnipresence of nature
throughout the movement. Together the solo line and repetitive accompaniment paint a picture in
which the speaker contemplates life.
Example 2.1: Oboe solo, mm. 3-21
Example 2.2: Violin countermelody, mm. 1-3
An inverted arch shape occurs frequently in the vocal line, starting at a high note and
descending at first, and then ascending in the second half of the phrase (see Example 2.3). This
33
shape creates more movement than the instrumental introduction. It seems to suggest the
speaker’s emotions in his musings.
Example 2.3: Vocal line, mm. 25-31
Another significant element is a rocking figure that appears in multiple movements of
Das Lied von der Erde. As shown in Example 2.4, this rocking figure, alternating between two
notes, creates a hypnotic effect that expresses the speaker’s peaceful mood in contemplation.
This figure is used in various passages in this movement, but it always creates the same effect.
Example 2.4: Rocking figure (cellos, mm. 19-20)
This movement starts and ends in D minor, and it modulates to B-flat major. As the Table
2.4 makes clear, the frequent change of key does not correspond to changes in the poetic content.
Therefore, the following discussions will focus more on thematic analysis.
Table 2.4: Formal analysis of “Der Einsame im Herbst”
Stanza
Line
Measure Key
Text
number
Introduction
1-24
D minor (Declamatory opening)
Stanza 1
Lines 1-2
25-32
D minor Herbstnebel wallen bläulich über See,
Vom Reif bezogen stehen alle Gräser;
34
Table 2.4 – continued: Formal analysis of “Der Einsame im Herbst”
Stanza
Line
Measure Key
Text
number
(Stanza 1)
33-38
B-flat
(Interlude)
major
Lines 3-4
39-46
G minor Man meint, ein Künstler habe Staub von
Jade
Über die feinen Blüten ausgestreut.
47-49
G minor (Interlude)
Stanza 2
Lines 5-6
50-59
D minor Der süsse Duft der Blumen ist verflogen;
Ein kalter Wind beugt ihre Stengel nieder.
60-62
B-flat
(Interlude)
major
Lines 7-8
63-70
B-flat
Bald werden die verwelkten, gold’nen
major
Blätter
Der Lotosblüten auf dem Wasser zieh’n.
71-77
B-flat
(Interlude)
major
Stanza 3
Line 9
78-81
D minor Mein Herz ist müde.
Lines 9-10 82-91
B-flat
Meine kleine Lampe
major
Erlosch mit Knistern, es gemahnt mich an
den Schlaf.
Lines 1192-101
D major Ich komm’ zu dir, traute Ruhestätte!
12
Ja, gib mir Ruh’, ich hab’ Erquickung not!
102-108 D minor (Interlude) (declamatory)
Stanza 4
Line 13
109-120 D minor Ich weine viel in meinen Einsamkeiten.
Line 14
121-27
B-flat
Der Herbst in meinem Herzen währt zu
major
lange.
Line 15
128-132 E-flat
Sonne der Liebe, willst du nie mehr
major
scheinen,
Line 16
133-37
D minor Um meine bittern Tränen mild
aufzutrocknen?
Coda
138-42
D minor
143-54
(Declamatory closing)
The movement starts with the declamatory instrumental introduction stated by the first
oboe and the first violins. The first clarinet joins the solo line at m. 9. The accompaniment is
enriched by the horns’ long notes and the second violins’ accompanying line as well as that of
the first violins. The music remains in a calm, contemplative mood despite the increase in
scoring.
When Stanza 1 starts at m. 25, the important elements in the introduction persist in the
background. The vocal line, in exclusively conjunct motion, joins the introductory music to
35
present the speaker’s observation that the scene looks like an artist’s work. In mm. 47-49 the
brief interlude incorporates the first oboe’s solo line, the first violins’ accompaniment, and the
violas’ rocking figure. The interlude compresses the important musical elements, and it provides
the audience some time to reflect upon the words in Stanza 1 before the next stanza.
Stanza 2 is presented in a similar way as the first stanza; the arch-shaped vocal line is
accompanied by the rocking figure and wave-like accompaniment. Mahler set three repetitions of
two notes to the end of the third phrase, “Bald werden die verwelkten, gold’nen Blätter” (see
Example 2.5). The repetitions create a static phrase and freeze the musical flow temporarily; this
momentary pause seemingly represents the soon-to-wither golden petals, whose lives have
ceased flowing and are approaching the end. After this phrase only one more phrase is sung
before a longer interlude in mm. 71-77, which will change the mood.
Example 2.5: Alto, mm. 63-66
The first half of the interlude (mm. 71-73) starts with a tutti section, but the ensemble
sound is suspended at m. 74. The first violins play several descending motives successively (see
Example 2.6). In this phrase, the lengths of groups of notes also contract from three beats to two.
The cello line creates a retarding effect through the gradually shorter notes in the rocking figure;
the triplet eighth notes become eighth notes at first and then triplet quarter notes, and the ties in
m. 77 further the retardation. With these features, this passage reduces the interlude’s energy and
prepares the audience for Stanza 3. The interlude therefore changes the mood from sorrowful to
depressing. Stanza 3 opens with the statement “Mein Herz ist müde.” Set to a musical phrase
with little movement, this line portrays the speaker’s fatigued heart (see Example 2.7). This
stanza will lead the music to the first climactic moment in mm. 92-99, when the vocal line sings
“Ich komm’ zu dir, traute Ruhestätte! / Ja, gib mir Ruh’, ich hab’ Erquickung not!” The climax is
produced by the wide range.
36
Example 2.6: First violins and cellos, mm. 73-77
Following the first climax, another declamatory instrumental passage (mm. 102-8)
reduces the tension. Stanza 4 begins rather peacefully. A more intense climax appears in mm.
128-35, when the singer says, “Sonne der Liebe, willst du nie mehr scheinen, / um meine bittern
Tränen” (see Example 2.8). This is the speaker’s most intense lament. The music achieves the
climax through several means. Mahler set the word “Liebe” over two full measures of 3/2 to
express the speaker’s longing for love. The phrase “willst du nie mehr scheinen” reaches to the
contralto’s highest register. Furthermore, the dynamic level of this phrase increases to fortissimo.
This emotional passage is followed by a motionless musical passage underscoring the last part of
the text (see Example 2.9). Identical to the notes in Example 2.7, this passage reminds the
audience of the speaker’s fatigued mind as the text concludes. A declamatory closing by the oboe,
bassoon, horns, and violins then concludes the movement in mm. 138-54.
37
“Der Eisame im Herbst” carries on several aspects of the first movement. Nature
continues to play a central role; the cold and cheerless season symbolizes the speaker’s present
affliction. Furthermore, although the speaker does not explore the intellectual response to his
experience in this movement, his journey continues when he examines his feelings
introspectively.
38
CHAPTER 3
“VON DER JUGEND”: DISTRACTED AT A PARTY
The third movement, “Von der Jugend,” expresses the least sorrow in Das Lied von der
Erde. After voicing his sorrow in the second movement, the speaker enjoys the company of
friends at a party. Mahler uses music to emphasize the moment when nature stimulates the
speaker’s contemplation in the middle of the party; this moment also reveals the connection
between nature and the speaker’s intellectual journey.
The original poem of Von der Jugend is Li Tai-Po’s “宴陶家亭子” (“A Party at Mr.
Tao’s Pavilion”). Since the poet has been introduced in Chapter 2, we may turn our attention to
the content of the poem directly. Renkang Qian explains the poem’s background.55 Around the
year 742 Li and five other poets lived for a while in the mountains, where they enjoyed singing
and drinking, praising nature, and writing poems. Among the five poets was 陶沔 (Tao Mien),
and this poem probably portrays one of the parties at Tao’s house.
The title of the poem indicates a party (宴, meaning banquet) and a location (Mr. Tao’s
Pavilion). Li uses two phrases as a unit to portray different aspects of Mr. Tao’s mansion; the
party itself is, however, mentioned nowhere except in the title. In the first two phrases Li
describes the house’s reclusive location and luxurious vistas. The description then concerns the
scenic features such as a lake, a garden, and the flowers in the garden. In the fifth and sixth
phrases, Li acknowledges nature’s presence in the mansion (the sun and the sunset). In the last
two phrases, the poet praises the mansion and says that this place would be perfect with music.
Through his skill in portraying images, Li vividly expresses his enjoyment at the party.
Bethge’s paraphrase “Der Pavillon aus Porzellan” was clearly modeled on Gautier’s
“Pavillon de Porcelaine.” Gautier’s version, however, does not clearly identify its original poem.
Fusako Hamao explains how this came about.56 Gautier attributed this poem to Li Tai-Po, but
scholars could not match the translated poem with any of Li’s poems. Hamao examined Li’s
55
Renkang Qian, “大地之歌歌詞溯源” (“Tracing the Origin of the Texts of Das Lied von der Erde”) Yinyue Yishu:
Shanghai Yinyue Xueyuan Xuebao (Art of Music: Journal of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music) (2000): 15.
56
Fusako Hamao, “The Source of the Texts in Mahler’s ‘Lied von der Erde’” 19th-Century Music 19: 83-95.
39
poems and noticed the resemblance between Li’s “A Party at Mr. Tao’s Pavilion” and Gautier’s
“Pavillon de Porcelaine.” Hamao also indicates that Gautier’s mistranslation of the word “Tao”
led to the confusion:
In the title of Li-Tai-Po’s poem, the first character means “a party” and the last two
characters designate “a pavilion.” The middle characters, though – the second and third –
present a problem. The second character depicts either “porcelain” or “Tao” (a person's
name). The third character has several meanings including “a house” and “a family.”
Although the second character sometimes means “porcelain,” when it is used with the
third character, it is customary to understand the two characters as “Tao's family,” not “a
porcelain house.” . . . In short, although the last four characters of the title are correctly
translated as “the pavilion of Tao's family” or “Mr. Tao's pavilion,” it is likely that
Gautier misinterpreted the same characters as “the porcelain pavilion.57
Several years later, Chinese scholars also conducted the search and identified the same poem as
this movement’s source.58
Table 3.1 includes the original poem (with a separate translation), Bethge’s paraphrase,
and an English translation.
Der Pavillon aus Porzellan60
Youth61
宴陶家亭子
(A Party at Mr. Tao’s
Pavilion)59
Mitten in dem kleinen Teiche
In the middle of the little pool
曲巷幽人宅
Stands a pavilion of green
(A winding path leads to Steht ein Pavillon aus grünem
Und aus weissem Porzellan.
And white porcelain.
Mr. Tao’s quiet
residence.)
Wie der Rücken eines Tigers
Like a tiger’s back
高門大夫家
Wölbt
die
Brücke
sich
aus
Jade
Arches the bridge of jade
(His house is a fine
Zu dem Pavillon hinüber.
Over to the pavilion.
mansion with a high
gate.)
In dem Häuschen sitzen
In the little house friends are sitting,
Freunde,
57
Hamao, 92.
58
See Renkang Qian’s “大地之歌歌詞溯源” (“Tracing the Origin of the Texts of Das Lied von der Erde”)
59
The translation of the Chinese is adapted from Hamao, 93.
60
61
40
Der Pavillon aus Porzellan
Youth
宴陶家亭子
(A Party at Mr. Tao’s
Pavilion)
Schön gekleidet, trinken,
Beautifully dressed, drinking,
池開照膽鏡
plaudern,
chatting.
(The clear surface of the
Manche schreiben Verse
Several are writing down verses.
lake in the garden
nieder.
reflects everything like a
mirror.)
Ihre seidnen Ärmel gleiten
Their silken sleeves slip
林吐破顏花
Rückwärts, ihre seidnen
Backwards, their silken caps
(The flowers that
Mützen
everyone praises for
Hocken lustig tief im Nacken. Perch gaily on the back of their
their beauty bloom in
necks.
the wood.)
綠水藏春日
(The sun in the spring is Auf des kleinen Teiches stiller On the little pool’s still
Oberfläche zeigt sich alles
Surface, everything appears
sinking into the
Wunderlich im Spiegelbilde:
Fantastically in a mirror image.
turquoise surface of the
lake.)
Wie ein Halbmond scheint der The upside-down arch of the bridge
青軒祕晚霞
Brücke
appears like a half-moon.
(The sunset glow
Umgekehrter Bogen. Freunde, Friends,
spreads behind the blue
Beautifully dressed, are drinking
edge of the roof.)
plaudern,
and chatting.
若聞弦管妙
(If one can listen to
Alle auf dem Kopfe stehend,
Everything is standing on its head
music in this view,)
In dem Pavillon aus grünem
In the pavilion of green
金谷不能誇
Und
aus
weissem
Porzellan.
And
white porcelain.
(he will enjoy the
scenery more than at the
famous Kinku garden.)
As Table 3.1 shows, the stanzas of the German paraphrase cannot be traced back to
specific phrases in the Chinese poem. The paraphrase contains seven sections. The first two
describe the place: a pavilion made of green and white porcelain and a bridge arching like a
tiger’s back. Stanzas 3 and 4 continue to describe the party by introducing people’s activity:
nicely dressed friends gather in the house to drink, chat, and write poems. Stanza 5 and 6 shift
the focus to the pool, which reflects the image of the bridge. The last section of the sixth stanza,
“Freunde, schön gekleidet, trinken, plaudern,” refers to the inverted image in the pool. The last
stanza concludes the poem by readdressing the mirror image and the pavilion made of green and
white porcelain, thus recalling the title.
41
Bethge’s text paints a similar picture to that of the original poem. Nevertheless, rather
than Li Tai-Po’s serene picture, Bethge’s scene is filled out with more actions in the details about
the guests’ activity. Furthermore, the last two phrases in the Chinese poem are nowhere to be
seen in the translation. The poet’s praise and favor of the place remains unexpressed. Bethge’s
paraphrase thus focuses on the more apparent aspects of the party without overtly explaining the
speaker’s inner thoughts.
In setting Bethge’s paraphrase to music, Mahler made some substantial alterations. Table
3.2 sets out Bethge’s paraphrase, Mahler’s alterations, and an English translation.
Von der Jugend (Mahler)64
63
(Bethge)
Mitten in dem kleinen Teiche Mitten in dem kleinen Teiche
Steht ein Pavillon aus grünem Steht ein Pavillon aus grünem
Youth65
In the middle of the little pool
Stands a pavilion of green
And white porcelain.
Wölbt die Brücke sich aus
Jade
Zu dem Pavillon hinüber.
Wölbt die Brücke sich aus
Jade
Zu dem Pavillon hinüber
Like a tiger’s back
Arches the bridge of jade
Freunde,
plaudern, Manche schreiben Verse
nieder.
Freunde,
plaudern.
Manche schreiben Verse
nieder.
In the little house friends are
sitting,
Beautifully dressed, drinking,
chatting.
Several are writing verses.
Mützen
Hocken lustig tief im Nacken.
Mützen
Hocken lustig tief im Nacken.
Their silken sleeves slip
Backwards, their silken caps
Over to the pavilion.
Perch gaily on the back of
their necks.
62
* Indicates that Mahler made a change in the line.
63
64
65
42
Von der Jugend (Mahler)
Youth
(Bethge)
Auf des kleinen Teiches stiller Auf des kleinen Teiches stiller On the little pool’s still
Oberfläche zeigt sich alles
*Wasserfläche zeigt sich alles Water surface, everything
appears
Wunderlich im Spiegelbilde:
Wunderlich im Spiegelbilde.
Fantastically in a mirror
image.
Wie ein Halbmond scheint der
Brücke
Umgekehrter Bogen. Freunde,
plaudern,
Alle auf dem Kopfe stehend,
Alles auf dem Kopfe stehend
In dem Pavillon aus grünem
In dem Pavillon aus grünen
Und aus weissem Porzellan;
*Wie ein Halbmond scheint
die Brücke,
*Umgekehrt der Bogen.
Freunde,
plaudern
Everything is standing on its
head
In the pavilion of green
And white porcelain;
Like a half-moon appears the
bridge,
[an] inverted arch. Friends,
Beautifully dressed, are
drinking and chatting.
As shown in this table, the first alteration appears in the second phrase of Stanza 5.
Mahler replaced the word “Oberfläche” (surface) with “Wasserfläche” (water’s surface). The
alteration specifies the object that reflects the inverted images. The next alteration is more
significant; Mahler reversed Stanzas 6 and 7. By changing the order, Mahler placed Bethge’s
Stanza 7 after Stanza 6; the phrase “Wunderlich im Spiegelbilde” (Fantastically in a mirror
image) now is followed nicely by “Alles auf dem Kopfe stehend” (Everything is standing on its
head). In other words, the mirror image is better developed. Moreover, the phrase “Freunde,
schön gekleidet, trinken, plaudern” (Friends, beautifully dressed, are drinking and chatting) now
concludes the poem. This phrase therefore refers more clearly to the real guests rather than to
their images in the pool. Mahler’s alterations thus structure the poem into descriptions of four
categories: the place, the people, the mirror image, and again the people.
43
Mahler made two more alterations. In the last stanza of Mahler’s version, the phrase
“Wie ein Halbmond scheint der Brücke umgekehrter Bogen” (The upside-down arch of the
bridge appears like a half-moon) was changed to “Wie ein Halbmond scheint die Brücke,
umgekehrt Bogen” (Like a half-moon appears the bridge, [an] inverted arch). The word “der
Brücke” was changed into “die Brücke”; the noun “Brücke” is therefore changed from a genitive
to nominative case. As a result, the subject of the clause is now the bridge (“Brücke”) instead of
the upside-down arch (umgekehrter Bogen). In short, Bethge’s phrase is more poetic, and Mahler
changed it into a simpler sentence and provided the singer a place to take a breath.
This movement introduces exotic sounds that are reminiscent of Chinese music. The
Chinese-like character is widely recognized and discussed by scholars. Hefling describes this
movement:
“Von der Jugend” is the lightest and shortest of all the symphony’s movements, and the
most transparent in its chinoiserie; “Leicht und phantastisch (Light and fantastic)”was
Mahler’s provisional tempo marking in the piano autograph. It is indeed “Chinese
rococo” in style, and comes closest to the function of a scherzo, as several reviewers of
the premiere noted.66
Theordo Adorno also discusses exoticism in Das Lied von der Erde:
Directly, with tangible connections through motives, the world of Chinese imagery of
Das Lied von der Erde is derived from the biblical Palestine of the Faust music,
particularly in the outwardly most cheerful song, “Von der Jugend.” The exoticism is not
content with the pentatonic and the whole-tone scales, but molds the whole texture;
Mahler’s old bass-lessness has its homecoming in the alien world. That which cannot be
entirely reproduced in the remote musical system becomes an ingredient of meaning, as if
the world of his past life had become as removed from the subject as such languages. . . .
But it is above all in Das Lied von der Erde that exoticism provides the thematic principle
of construction. Mahler selects the critical tones from the pentatonic scale, the melodic
sequence of second and third, that is, a deviation from the scale in seconds.67
Represented by tonal, textural, and melodic construction, the exoticism denotes alienation and
foreignness in which the speaker can forget his afflictions and experience a happy moment. To
justify the speaker’s search for a deeper understanding of life by way of different experiences,
this foreignness in fact needs to be attached to an identity, which in this case finds the requisite
specificity through the Chinese locale of the poems. Unlike mythological figures or fictional
66
Stephen E. Hefling, Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), (New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2000), 95.
67
Adorno, 150.
44
characters, these individuals in the Chinese poems are grounded in a world no less real than the
speaker’s own and therefore have similar earthly concerns. It would make a much weaker case if
the foreignness were represented by a fictional culture in which mortal worries did not exist.
Four themes play significant roles in this movement. Theme 1 (see Example 3.1) is spun
out of a pentatonic scale of B-flat major (B-flat, C, D, F, G, B-flat). It is played by woodwind
instruments. The pentatonic scale and the scoring thus create a Chinese-like sound. Its fast tempo
also expresses a festive atmosphere. Opening the movement, this theme signals a beginning of a
section and functions as a ritornello.
Example 3.1: Theme 1 (first flute and second oboe, mm. 3-5)
Theme 2 (see Example 3.2) also features an exotic sound, derived from four notes in the
B-flat-major pentatonic scale (B-flat, D, F, and G). Although the first and fifth measures in the
example do have notes that do not belong to the pentatonic scale (E-flat and A-flat), the
pentatonic sound in the other four measures undoubtedly colors this passage with a Chinese-like
character. The leaps in the third and fourth bars of the theme distinguish this theme from Theme
1 and produce a playful mood for this passage.
45
Example 3.2: Theme 2 (tenor, mm. 13-18)
Theme 3 features alternations between the rhythmic figure of a dotted half note and a
quarter note and four quarter notes. The figure creates a sighing effect when the quarter note
descends from the dotted half note, for example, in the first measure of Example 3.3. The longer
values of the notes also slow down the tempo. As a result, the theme has a more sorrowful
character.
Theme 4 is the saddest melody in this movement (see Example 3.4). This theme shares
the rhythmic figure of Theme 3, but the intervals are no longer pentatonic or diatonic ones. As
shown in Example 3.5, the intervals in the first three bars are an augmented second and minor
seconds. As a result, Theme 4 has a more apparent sighing effect and a darker character.
46
Two more musical elements are essential in this movement. As discussed in Chapter 2,
Mahler frequently uses a rocking figure in Das Lied von der Erde. In this movement, the rocking
figure can first be heard in mm. 29-34 (see Example 3.5). Since this figure is only used to create
an effect, it is not as important as in other movements. Due to its faster tempo, this figure
produces a busy, festive mood rather than the hypnotic effect that it produced in the preceding
movement.
Example 3.5: Rocking figure (bassoon, mm. 29-34)
A percussive rhythmic figure becomes another noteworthy element in this movement (see
Example 3.6). This figure’s four eighth notes produce sound as open fourths and fifths. This
short figure resembles the animated sound of percussion instruments.
Example 3.6: Percussive figure (B-flat clarinets, mm. 40-44)
This movement features a structure closely related to the poetic structure, repetitive use
of thematic materials, and a relatively simple harmonic design. Table 3.3 shows the formal and
harmonic structure of this movement.
47
Table 3.3: Formal, harmonic, and thematic analyses of “Von der Jugend”
Section
Stanza
Measure number Key
A
Introduction
1-12
B-flat major
Stanza 1
13-19
Stanza 2
20-28
Interlude
29-34
A’
Interlude
35-38
G major
Stanza 3
39-47
Interlude
48-50
Stanza 4
51-59
Interlude
60-69
B
Stanza 5
70-85
G minor
Interlude
86-96
A
Introduction
97-99
B-flat major
Stanza 6
100-105
Stanza 7
106-118
Melodic material
Theme 1
Theme 2
Theme 3
Theme 2
Theme 2
Theme 3
Theme 2
Theme 3
Theme 3
Theme 4
Theme 4
Theme 1
Theme 2
Theme 3
As shown in Table 3.3, “Von der Jugend” can be divided into four sections; each contains
one or two stanzas. The movement opens and ends in B-flat major, and modulating to G major
and G minor in the middle. The only minor-key section (mm. 70-96) reveals the composer’s
emphasis in the text; it will be discussed in more detail below.
The movement opens with an introduction (mm. 1-12), in which Theme 1 plays a
dominant role. Bell-like repeated notes from the horn (see Example 3.7) in mm. 1-5 suggest the
sound of a Chinese percussive instrument, the tam-tam. When the long notes become four shorter
notes in mm. 6-12, the effect evokes a tambourine, which also suggests an exotic origin. These
notes characterize the repetitive and rhythmic use of a tam-tam or tambourine despite the lack of
the echoing effect of the two instruments. The music of the opening thus reflects the source of
the text and sets the scene. Stanza 1 is sung to Theme 2, and Stanza 2 to Theme 3. The
percussive figure in the background creates excitement. These two stanzas both describe the
location, and the joyful sound reflects the mood of a party. This section is followed by a short
interlude that contains the rocking figure and Theme 2.
Example 3.7: The bell-like sound (horns in F, mm. 1-5)
48
The next section concerns the guests at the party and retains the cheerful mood of the
previous section. Tonally, the music shifts to G major while the woodwinds play staccato eighth
notes in mm. 35-38. The tonal shift and the eighth notes bring a livelier mood to the music; this
mood change reflects the text, which now mentions the guests at the party for the first time. This
section includes Stanzas 3 and 4, both sung to Theme 3. The music’s character becomes slightly
darker because of the sighing effect in Theme 3. The percussive figure permeates this section; its
excitement remains but the festive character is here transformed into a restless one. In the
interlude (mm. 48-50), where the vocal part rests, the agitation from the percussive figure is
especially apparent. Theme 3 is the main theme in Stanza 4, which provides more details about
the guests’ clothes and praises their beautiful appearances. The section ends with an interlude
built out of Theme 3.
The third section (shown as Section B in Table 3.3) is the only minor-key section and
contains only one stanza. Theme 4 is introduced in this section. These elements reveal the
composer’s intention to emphasize this section. The text states “Auf des kleinen Teiches stiller
Oberfläche zeigt sich alles Wunderlich im Spiegelbilde” (On the little pool’s still surface,
everything appears fantastically in a mirror image). Focusing solely on the mirror image in the
pool, Stanza 5 emphasizes the speaker’s contemplation when he steps outside the scene and
views the party and the guests from a new perspective. The contemplative mood of Theme 4
confirms his pensive state. This section therefore depicts a moment of solitude for the speaker to
reflect upon his observations of the people and scene. The speaker’s intellectual journey, which
began in the first movement, continues into this movement. This section ends with an interlude
that also consists of Theme 4.
After the dark third section, the introduction reappears in mm. 97-99, and the tonality
returns to B-flat major. As in the opening section, the introduction is dominated by Theme 1 and
the bell-like sound and it carries a joyful, festival mood. This section contains two stanzas; each
depicts images that have appeared. Stanza 6 recalls the friends who are drinking and chatting in
Stanza 3, and Stanza 7 reintroduces the pavilion of green and white porcelain from Stanza 1.
Recollection also appears in music; Stanza 6 is sung to Theme 2 and Stanza 7 to Theme 3. The
percussive motive also permeates the music and sustains the sense of restlessness. These
49
recurrent musical elements therefore shift the section’s focus from the speaker’s musings back to
the party. This movement concludes at the end of Stanza 7.
Stanza 7 is also noteworthy for word-painting. When the speaker sings “wie ein
Halbmond scheint die Brücke, umgekehrt der Bogen.” the vocal line clearly presents an arch
shape (see Example 3.8). Furthermore, the first violins play a compressed melody of the vocal
line (mm. 106-7) in m 106. The arch shape appears in mm. 108-9 of the first violins and in m.
109 of the oboes. In other words, this shape is omnipresent from m. 106 to the end, both in the
vocal and instrumental parts. Musically, the repetitive use of an arch shape creates an image full
of bridges or half-moons. It is curious that Mahler did not invert the arch shape to represent
mirror images, but his decision to retain the arch shape created a different effect – the music is
filled with the arch image in the text so that the audience cannot overlook or forget the object.
Example 3.8: Oboes, violin 1, and tenor, mm. 106-10
In “Von der Jugend,” the speaker joins a party and enjoys a joyful event. The speaker’s
intellectual journey and the significance of nature, however, are not absent from this movement.
Gazing at the pool (nature), the speaker temporarily leaves the social setting and enters his own
inner world. This brief moment of losing oneself in reflection is vividly presented in the music.
The party goes on, but it does not stop the speaker from contemplating life.
50
CHAPTER 4
“VON DER SCHÖNHEIT”: OBSESSIONS IN LIFE
In the fourth movement, “Von der Schönheit,” the speaker narrates a story about a girl
who falls in love with a young man. The girl’s love and loss, put into the context of the speaker’s
intellectual journey, symbolizes infatuations in life more generally. This movement thus
continues the speaker’s intellectual journey to discover the aspects in life that cannot be easily
relinquished. After recognizing such obsessions, one can look beyond them and live more freely,
which is what the speaker hopes to achieve in this journey.
The original poem of “Von der Schönheit” is Li Tai-Po’s “採蓮曲” (“Lotus-plucking
Song”). In the Chinese poem, nature constitutes the scene; the girls are plucking lotus at a river.
Furthermore, the poet uses objects of nature to portray characters. For instance, the lotus
symbolizes the maidens’ youth and beauty. The men’s horses, on the other hand, represent their
energy and wildness.
The poem consists of eight phrases, each comprising seven characters. Pairs of phrases
form sections. The first section paints the picture of the river and the girls – some maidens are
having fun while collecting lotus at the river. The second section describes the girls’ beauty. The
third section introduces the young men’s entrance, intruding into the picture and arousing the
girls’ curiosity. The young men walk away in the last section and the most beautiful maiden is
heartbroken because she has fallen in love. These four sections thus structure the poem into an
introductory situation (the girls plucking lotus), incidents (the young men entering the scene),
and resolution (a girl is sad because of the man’s leaving). The last two characters in the last
phrase, “斷” (to break) and “腸” (intestines), together portray a strong feeling of loss by using
the pain of broken intestines as an analogy. The introductory and incidental phases of the poem
are thus set up to reach the last phrase, which expresses the girl’s heartache.
The content of Bethge’s paraphrase remains close to the original, but its structure and
atmosphere are changed. Table 4.1 shows the original Chinese poem and an English translation,
and Bethge’s paraphrase and its English translation.
51
Am Ufer69
At the Shore70
採蓮曲 (Lotusplucking Song)68
Junge Mädchen pflücken Blumen Young maidens are plucking
若耶溪旁採蓮女
flowers
(The lotus-collecting
An dem Uferrande.
by the river’s edge.
girls by the Ruo Ye
River)
Zwischen Blättern sitzen sie
Amid the bushes and leaves they
笑隔荷花共人語
sit
(Laugh and chat among
Und
sammeln
Blüten,
Blüten
in
and gathering flowers, flowers in
the lotus flowers.)
den Schoss und rufen
their laps, and calling teasingly
Sich einander Neckereien zu.
To one another.
日照新妝水底明
(The sun reflects their
painted beauty clearly
at the bottom of the
water.)
風飄香袖空中舉
(The wind makes
perfumed sleeves blow
in the air.)
Goldne Sonne webt um die
Gestalten,
Spiegelt sie im blanken Wasser
wider.
Golden sunlight weaves around
their forms,
Mirrors them in the shining water.
Ihre Kleider, ihre süssen Augen,
Und der Wind hebt kosend das
Gewebe
Ihrer Ärmel auf und führt den
Zauber
Ihrer Wohlgerüche durch die
Luft.
Their dresses, their sweet eyes,
And the wind lifts the breeze
岸上誰家遊冶郎
(Who are these
wandering young men)
Sieh, was tummeln sich für
schöne Knaben
An dem Uferrand auf mutigen
Rossen,
Zwischen dem Geäst der
Trauerweiden
Traben sie einher.
Das Ross des einen wiehert auf
Und scheut, und saust dahin,
Und zerstampft die
hingesunkenen Blüten.
Look, racing along, what
handsome lads,
On the river bank, on spirited
horses,
Between the branches of the
weeping willows
They canter along.
The horse of one of them whinnies
And shies and tears away,
And tramples the fallen flowers.
三三五五映垂楊
(Gathering by the
willow trees?)
紫騮嘶入落花去
(Their horses disappear
into the flowers;)
From their arms and bears the
magic
Of their pleasing fragrance
through the air.
68
The Chinese translation is by Ching-wah Lam from Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and
Death, 267.
69
70
52
Am Ufer
At the Shore
採蓮曲 (Lotusplucking Song)
Und die schönste von den
And the loveliest of the maidens
見此踟躕空斷腸
sends
(Seeing this makes one Jungfraun sendet
Lange
Blicke
ihm
der
Sorge
Long glances of care for him.
[of the girls] sorrow in
nach.
vain.)
Ihre stolze Haltung ist nur Lüge: Her proud bearing is only
pretence.
In dem Funkeln ihrer grossen
In the flashing of her large eyes,
Augen,
Wehklagt die Erregung ihres
The tumult of her heart laments.
Herzens.
Bethge’s paraphrase contains four stanzas. The first two stanzas paint a joyful picture,
parallel to the first two sections in the Chinese poem. The first stanza describes the young ladies
gathering at the river, plucking lotus, and laughing and teasing with one another. The second
stanza describes the girls’ beauty and fragrance. The happiness is interrupted in the third stanza,
which includes the third section and the first phrase in the last section; the third stanza introduces
the young men’s entering and leaving the river scene. The last stanza in Bethge’s paraphrase thus
focuses solely on the girl’s heartbrokenness.
Besides the differences in structure, Bethge’s paraphrase uses more descriptive words.
The form in the Chinese poem, just seven characters in each phrase and eight phrases total, is
replaced with freely composed verses. The difference is especially obvious in the last stanza; the
girl’s feelings for the young man are portrayed overtly – “And the loveliest of the maidens sends
long glances of care for the man” and “In the flashing of her large eyes, the tumult of her heart
laments.” These characteristics in the paraphrases are common in Das Lied von der Erde,
perhaps owing to the different natures of Tang poetry and modern German poems.
Table 4.2 includes Bethge’s paraphrase, Mahler’s version, and an English translation.
Am Ufer (Bethge)72
Von der Schönheit (Mahler)73
71
72
53
Beauty74
Am Ufer (Bethge)
Von der Schönheit (Mahler)
Beauty
Junge Mädchen pflücken
Junge Mädchen pflücken
Young maidens are plucking
Blumen
Blumen
flowers
An dem Uferrande.
*Pfücken Lotosblumen an dem
Plucking lotus-flowers by the
Uferrande.
river’s edge.
Zwischen Blättern sitzen
*Zwischen Büschen und
Amid the bushes and leaves
sie
Blättern sitzen sie,
they sit,
Und sammeln Blüten,
*Sammeln Blüten in den Schoss Gathering flowers in their laps,
Blüten in den Schoss und
und rufen
and calling teasingly
rufen
Sich einander Neckereien
Sich einander Neckereien zu.
To one another.
zu.
Goldne Sonne webt um die
Gestalten,
Spiegelt sie im blanken
Wasser wider.
Ihre Kleider, ihre süssen
Augen,
Und der Wind hebt kosend
das Gewebe ihrer Ärmel
auf
und führt den Zauber
Ihrer Wohlgerüche durch
die Luft.
Sieh, was tummeln sich für
schöne Knaben
An dem Uferrand auf
mutigen Rossen,
Zwischen dem Geäst der
Trauerweiden
Traben sie einher.
Gold’ne Sonne webt um die
Gestalten,
wider.
Sonne spiegelt ihre schlanken
Glieder,
*Ihre süssen Augen wider,
Golden sunlight weaves around
their forms,
Mirrors them in the shining
water.
Sunlight mirrors their slender
limbs
And their sweet eyes,
*Und der Zephir hebt mit
Schmeichelkosen
Das Gewebe ihrer Ärmel auf,
And the breeze lifts with
wheedling caresses
The fabric of their sleeves,
Führt den Zauber
Ihrer Wohlgerüche durch die
Luft.
Bears the magic
Of their pleasing fragrance
through the air.
O sieh, was tummeln sich für
schöne Knaben
Dort an dem Uferrand auf
mut’gen Rossen,
Weithin glänzend wie die
Sonnenstrahlen;
*Schon zwischen dem Geäst der
grünen Weiden
Trabt das jungfrische Volk
einher!
O look, racing along, what
handsome lads,
There on the river bank, on
spirited horses,
Afar off shining like the sun’s
rays;
Now between the branches of
the green willows
They canter along, lads in the
flush of youth!
73
74
54
Am Ufer (Bethge)
Von der Schönheit (Mahler)
Beauty
Das Ross des einen wiehert Das Ross des einen wiehert
The horse of one of them
auf
fröhlich auf,
whinnies joyfully,
Und scheut, und saust
Und scheut, und saust dahin,
And shies and tears away,
dahin,
Über Blumen, Gräser wanken
Over the flowers and the grass
hin die Hufe
his hooves are scudding,
Und zerstampft die
*Sie zerstampfen jäh im Sturm
They trample in sudden
hingesunkenen Blüten.
die hingesunk’nen Blüten.
onslaught the fallen flowers.
Hei! Wie flattern im Taumel
Hey! Look at its mane flapping
seine Mähnen,
frenziedly,
Dampfen heiss die Nüstern!
Its nostrils steaming hotly.
Jungfraun sendet
Lange Blicke ihm der
Sorge nach.
Ihre stolze Haltung ist nur
Lüge:
In dem Funkeln ihrer
grossen Augen,
Wehklagt die Erregung
ihres Herzens.
[Gold’ne Sonne webt um die
Gestalten,
wider.]
[Golden sunlight weaves around
their forms,
Mirrors them in the shining
water.]
Jungfrau’n sendet
*Lange Blicke ihm der
Sehnsucht nach.
*Ihre stolze Haltung ist nur
Verstellung.
In dem Funkeln ihrer grossen
Augen,
In dem Dunkel ihres heissen
Blicks
*Schwingt klagend noch die
Erregung ihres Herzens nach.
And the loveliest of the maidens
sends
Long glances of yearning after
him.
Her proud bearing is only
pretence.
In the flashing of her large eyes,
In the darkness of her passionate
glance.
The tumult of her heart still
surges painfully towards him.
As shown in Table 4.2, Mahler not only expanded the text into five stanzas but also
changed the title from “Am Ufer” to “Von der Schönheit.” The new title therefore reveals more
than a location; it indicates the girls’ significant character – their beauty. The alterations in the
first stanza make only minor differences. In the second phrase, for example, Mahler inserted
“pflücken Lotosblumen” to clarify the type of flowers. This alteration indicates that Mahler
might have access to the source of Bethge’s paraphrase, since the word “Lotosblüten” appears in
55
Hans Heilmann’s “An den Ufern des Jo-yeh” in Chinesische Lyrik (1905). It is not clear whether
Mahler consulted Heilmann’s version, but this alteration suggests the possibility.75
In the second stanza, a phrase “Sonne spiegelt ihre schlanken Glieder,” is added to more
explicitly describe the girls’ body image. Furthermore, some alterations change the nuance in
words. The “dress” is omitted in the fourth phrase in Mahler’s version; instead, the phrase “Ihre
süssen Augen wider” focuses more on the girls’ facial features. In the next phrase, Mahler
replaced “der Wind” with “der Zephir” to portray the gentleness and warmth of the breeze.
The third stanza includes only the third section of the Chinese poem, in which the young
men enter with their horses. “Weithin glänzend wie die Sonnenstrahlen” is inserted after the
second phrase, emphasizing the men’s attractiveness and energy. In addition, Mahler used
“der grünen Weiden” to replace “der Trauerweiden.” As a result, they appear between the
branches of “the green willows” instead of “the weeping willows.” These alterations thus
describe the young men in a more positive light.
The fourth stanza is parallel to the first half of the fourth section of the Chinese poem,
which describes the horses trampling flowers while the young men are leaving. The composer
added “Über Blumen, Gräser wanken hin die Hufe” after the second phrase in this stanza. The
departure is therefore depicted more explicitly, with the flowers and grass being trampled down;
furthermore, this added detail also anticipates the girl’s sorrow. In the next phrase, Mahler
changed the phrase “Und zerstampft die hingesunkenen Blüten” into “Sie zerstampfen jäh im
Sturm die hingesunk’nen Blüten.” The alteration emphasizes that the men leave suddenly and
stormily. Moreover, the composer added two more phrases to the end of this stanza, “Hei! Wie
flattern im Taumel seine Mähnen, / Dampfen heiss die Nüstern!” The frenziedly flapping mane
and the steaming nostrils of the horse reiterate the men’s departure as a sudden change to the
maidens.
Between the fourth and the fifth stanzas Mahler repeated the phrases “Gold’ne Sonne
webt um die Gestalten, / Spiegelt sie im blanken Wasser wider” to refocus attention on the
maidens. In the fifth stanza Mahler replaced “Sorge” (care) with “Sehnsucht” (longing) in the
75
Kii-ming Lo also argues that Mahler’s work goes beyond Bethge’s paraphrases and presents a closer outlook of
Eastern philosophy, although he refers to the entire work rather than this specific alteration. In his article
“Chinesische Dichtung als Textgrundlage für Mahlers Lied von der Erde,” Lo explains that Das Lied von der Erde
interpreted the essential aspect of Tang poetry, an attitude towards life, instead of Bethge’s words and therefore
presented the poetry more effectively; see Kii-ming Lo, “Chinesische Dichtung als Textgrundlage für Mahlers Lied
von der Erde,” in Das Gustav-Mahler-Fest Hamburg 1989, ed. by Matthias Theodor Vogt, 509-29 (Bärenreiter,
1991).
56
second phrase; the girl’s desire for the man is portrayed more directly. In the next phrase “Lüge”
(falsehood, lie) is replaced with “Verstellung” (presentation); thus the girl tries to hide her
feelings rather than to lie. The fourth phrase, “In dem Funkeln ihrer grossen Augen,” is followed
by a new phrase, “In dem Dunkel ihres heissen Blicks.” By adding a new phrase with a parallel
structure, Mahler adds emphasis to the girl’s infatuation for the young man. The same emphasis
appears in the last phrase, “Schwingt klagend noch die Erregung ihres Herzens nach” – the
tumult of the girl’s heart surges “painfully.” These alterations present more vividly the girl’s love
and the pain of seeing the loved one leave. The emphasis on the strong emotions thus portrays
first the positive then the negative side of the power of love.
This movement contains fewer themes than the other movements. An opening figure and
one theme are used predominately. The opening figure (see Example 4.1) is characterized by
trills, dotted rhythms, and woodwind timbres. It carries a joyful, festive mood and also functions
to signal the beginning of a section. An articulation pattern (the second beat in the second
measure of Example 4.1), two legato notes and followed by two staccato notes, becomes an
important figure in this movement, bringing energy and youth to the music.
Example 4.1: The opening figure (flutes, mm. 1-4)
Theme 1 (see Example 4.2) predominates throughout this movement, despite the change
of mood in different sections. It is based on a G-major pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale
provided the music a Chinese-like character and reflects the origin of the text.
57
Example 4.2: Theme 1 (first flute, mm. 7-13)
Examination of the text shows the composer’s emphasis on the girl’s obsession with the
man. Musical analysis shows the musical presentation of this topic. Table 4.3 provides the
formal and tonal design of this movement.
Table 4.3: Tonal analysis of “Von der Schönheit”
Section
Measure Key
Tempo marking
number
Introduction 1-6
G major
Comodo
Dolcissimo
Stanza 1
7-23
G major
Etwas fließend
Stanza 2
24-29
G major
30-42
E major
A tempo
(ruhiger)
Interlude
43-49
G major
Allmählich
belebend
Interlude
50-61
C major
Più mosso subito
(March I)
(Marschmäßig)
Stanza 3
62-74
C major
Noch etwas
flotter – Immer
fließener
Interlude
75-87
E-flat
Allegro
(March II)76
major / C
minor
Stanza 4
88-95
F major
Immer fließend
96-103
B-flat
major
Tempo I subito
(Andante)
76
Text (Incipit)
Junge Mädchen pflücken Blumen,
Gold’ne Sonne webt um die Gestalten,
Sonne spiegelt ihre schlanken Glieder,
O sieh, was tummeln sich für schöne
Knaben
Das Ross des einen wiehert fröhlich
auf,
Gold’ne Sonne webt um die Gestalten,
spiegelt sie im blanken Wasser wider.
The first march is indicated in the score at m. 53 with the tempo marking “Più mosso subito (Marschmäßig).”
Both marches are marked in the text in Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death, 272.
58
Table 4.3 – continued: Tonal analysis of “Von der Schönheit”
Section
Measure Key
Tempo marking Text (Incipit)
number
Stanza 5
104-24
G major
Ganz ruhig
Und die schönste von den Jungfraun
sendet
Coda
124-44
G major
“Von der Schönheit” begins with an energetic introduction (mm. 1-6) dominated by the
opening figure. Stanza 1 starts at m. 7 with a moderate tempo, the first flute, first oboe, and first
clarinet playing Theme 1. The vocal line mainly employs conjunct motion; the smoothness in the
vocal line makes the music sound peaceful. The music thus presents a joyful atmosphere in a
controlled way. In this stanza, nature not only serves as the scene but also has symbolic meaning;
the maidens’ peaceful emotions are reflected by the beautiful lotus-flowers, and this calmness is
reflected in the music. Stanza 2 does not start with a different key; the first two phrases of Stanza
2 are still in G major. The G-major section ends with fragments of Theme 1 in mm. 27-29. The
opening figure in m. 30 begins a new section in E major, in which the rest of Stanza 2 is played
in a similar fashion to the first stanza. Stanza 2 concludes with an interlude at m. 43. The blurred
line between Stanzas 1 and 2 and the clear division after Stanza 2 thus group the first two stanzas
more closely. The music connects the text in the first two stanzas; the depictions of the maidens
at the river (in Stanza 1) and of their beauty and fragrance (in Stanza 2) are presented as a single
section in the music.
The interlude between Stanzas 2 and 3 consists of two sections, mm. 43-49 in G major
and mm. 50-61 in C major. This interlude is significant in terms of changing the key and the
musical character; in particular, the prominent use of brass instruments adds force to the music.
Furthermore, the glissando in the harps (mm. 45-50) intensifies excitement and busyness. Theme
1 is played by more instruments and with a faster tempo; the character of the theme is thus
transformed into one of frenzy and excitement. Tension builds to direct the audience’s attention
to the forthcoming section.
Stanza 3 starts at m. 61 in an agitated mood. In the text, the young men ride into the
picture and interrupt the maidens’ peaceful working day.77 Continuing the growing tension and
fast tempo from the interlude, Stanza 3 presents in music the maidens’ excitement at noticing the
77
The seeds of lotus-flowers are edible and commonly used in Chinese cooking, for making soup in particular.
Therefore, the girls might be collecting lotus-flowers as part of their responsibility for their households.
59
opposite sex. Stanza 3 is also marked in music as a march, which confirms the rising excitement
in this stanza. Again, nature is used symbolically here; the presence of horses and the excitement
in the music reveal the young men’s energy. A short interlude (mm. 75-87) connects Stanza 3 to
Stanza 4. The interlude maintains the large scoring, especially featuring brass instruments, and
the fast tempo; the high tensions in music are thus continued into the next stanza.
In Stanza 4, the vocal line is sung to ascending and descending lines; the flowing
movement thus expresses the vigorous activity. The text of this stanza describes the young men
riding away and one of the horses trampling on flowers and grass while leaving. Nature again
portrays personal feelings – the horse trampling the petals symbolizes the girl’s feeling of being
hurt. The clarinets are used to imitate a horse’s whinny in m. 91 (see Example 4.3). The tempo
increases to its fastest in mm. 93-94 with the marking “immer noch drängender” (more and more
forward-pressing). The last measure of Stanza 4, however, suddenly slows down and reduces the
excitement in the music. This dramatic change in music thus reflects the girl’s infatuations and
disappointment.
Example 4.3: Imitation of a horse’s sound (clarinets, mm. 90-91)
The frenzied section emphasizes the lively action and turmoil of Stanzas 3 and 4, in
which the young men enter and leave the picture, causing the loveliest girl’s heartbreak. On the
other hand, the shifts of tonality set these two stanzas apart from each other. The key areas in
Stanzas 1 and 2 feature sharp keys like G major and E major; Stanzas 3 and 4, however, contain
flat keys such as E-flat major, C minor, F major, and B-flat major. Mahler’s musical design thus
accentuates first the excitement and then the sorrow caused by love.
Part of the opening figure returns in mm. 96-97 for the lines that Mahler used as a refrain
in mm. 96-103; this return signals the end of excitement. Functioning as a ritornello, the opening
60
figure brings back the more peaceful mood of Stanzas 1 and 2. A more complete opening figure
is played in mm. 104-5, and this is followed by the last stanza, in which the girl laments her
admired one’s leaving. The tonality also returns to G major, and the moderate tempo resumes.
Contrasting to the previous agitated section that represents the girl’s anxiety, this calmer section
portrays the girl’s disappointment and sorrow. The contrast between Stanzas 1, 2, and 5 and
Stanzas 3 and 4 also coincides with the presence of the young men. In other words, the young
men are accompanied with higher musical tension when they interrupt the maidens’ peaceful
lotus-plucking activity. After they leave, the maidens’ activity becomes mundane again. This
contrast is clearly reflected in the music. Furthermore, as in German, Bewegung means motion
and emotion; physical motion can reflect emotional fluctuation.78 The men’s physical
movement – cantering, racing, and rushing – thus concretizes their impact on the maiden’s
emotional response.
Stuart Feder, one of Mahler’s biographers, provides a different interpretation of the last
stanza:
Sehnsucht, or the sense of longing, is explicit as the movement ends with the desire of
“the loveliest of the maidens” for the “handsome lad,” whose horse “whinnies joyfully . . .
and tears away.” Both text and music exude eroticism as all the senses are evoked. More
than this is the potent expression of sexuality – in both masculine and feminine aspects
and, again, in text and music alike.79
Although words like “Sehnsucht” and “whinnies joyfully” could be related to sexuality, the
sexual implication does not seem explicit in the text and the music. Nevertheless, Feder
continues to relate this interpretation to Mahler’s life:
With respect to sexuality, one may seek some biographical reference to the composer’s
life as the seasons turn in Das Lied, the flowers and “golden sunlight” in Von der
Schönheit suggest the metaphoric potency of spring and summer. Mahler had been
apprehensive about marrying Alma when he was – as he put it – in the autumn of his own
life. In this respect Von der Schönheit may be viewed as an artifact of mourning that
looks back vividly on a more potent time of life.80
78
This idea is taken from Douglass Seaton’s lecture on Schubert’s setting of Gretchen am Spinnrade; by setting
music with constant motion to the text, Schubert expresses movement in the spinning wheel as well as Gretchen’s
heartache.
79
Feder, 148.
80
Feder, 148.
61
The connection between this movement and the composer’s personal life seems speculative. This
instance shows how Feder used musical works as evidence for psychoanalysis and how this
method can be unconvincing.
In the current movement, the musical design allows the composer direct the audience’s
attention to Stanzas 3 and 4, in which a group of young men disrupt the maidens’ day and
emotional peace. Furthermore, when one of the men attracts the loveliest maiden and causes her
sorrow by leaving, Mahler uses music to reflect the sadness that follows her infatuation. In the
overall context of the speaker’s intellectual journey in contemplating life, the girl’s strong feeling
of loss in this movement can by extension symbolize the power of obsessions in life in general.
This movement seems to concern someone else’s story, but the story could motivate the speaker
to relate to other obsessions in his own life. Watching the girl’s affliction, the speaker thus
understands the power of obsessions and learns not to be obsessed with ephemeral or material
things.
62
CHAPTER 5
“DER TRUNKENE IM FRÜHLING”: CONVERSING WITH NATURE
In the course of his journey the speaker has expressed different emotions that have been
evoked by various occasions or other people’s stories. In “Der Trunkene im Frühling” he returns
to his sense of alienation. The current movement thus leads the journey into a more introspective
state and prepares the audience for the last movement. It is important to understand how this
movement continues the journey and shifts the focus back to the speaker’s inner self. Mahler’s
musical design reveals his emphasis on the speaker’s conversation with a bird and the inspiration
that comes from nature.
Li Tai-Po’s “春日醉起言志” (“Feelings upon Awakening from Drunkenness on a Spring
Day”) manifests a pessimistic attitude towards life. This attitude reflects the misfortunes of the
poet’s life experience.81 Behind a pessimistic outlook, the poem actually shows the speaker’s
passion for a better world; his pessimism arises from his disappointment with this world in
contrast to his happier hopes. This second layer of meaning, however, is not preserved in the
German paraphrase.
The Chinese poem contains twelve phrases of five characters; every pair of phrases forms
a section. The last character of each section rhymes with an “ng” sound. The speaker expresses
his thoughts or feelings in these six sections. In the first section, he regards work as meaningless,
since life is but a dream. In the second section, he decides to drink all day and sleep. When he
wakes up in the third section, he hears a bird chirping among the flowers. In the fourth section he
asks the bird whether spring has come. In the fifth section, as the speaker hears the bird’s answer,
he feels a sense of loss because he has been an outcast. After this short contact with nature, the
speaker isolates himself again and returns to drinking. In the last section the speaker sings to the
moon and attempts to forget everything. In this soliloquy the speaker expresses his pessimism
about life, and such a disappointment indicates that he expected more from society.
Bethge’s paraphrase clearly portrays the speaker’s pessimistic attitude and the use of
alcohol. Nevertheless, the original poem’s deeper meaning does not appear in the paraphrase.
81
See the introduction of Li Tai-Po’s biography in Chapter 1.
63
Table 5.1 shows the Chinese poem (with a translation), Bethge’s paraphrase, and an English
translation.
Der Trinker im Frühling83
The drunkard in spring84
春日醉起言志 (Feelings
Upon Awakening from
Drunkenness on a Spring
Day)82
Wenn nur ein Traum das
If existence is but a dream,
處世若大夢
(Living in this world is like Dasein ist,
a dream,)
Warum dann Müh’ und Plag’? Why then toil and fret?
胡為勞其生
(Why should I exhaust
myself and work so hard?)
Ich trinke, bis ich nicht mehr
I drink till I can drink no
所以終日醉
kann,
longer,
(Therefore I decide to be
Den
ganzen
lieben
Tag.
The whole livelong day.
drunk all day.)
頹然臥前楹
(And lie listless by the front
pillar of the house.)
覺來盼庭前
(When I wake up I look at
the front of the house.)
一鳥花間鳴
(A bird is chirping among
the flowers.)
借問此何時
(I ask him what time in a
year it is now.)
Und wenn ich nicht mehr
trinken kann,
Weil Leib und Kehle voll,
So trauml’ ich hin vor meiner
Tür
Und schlafe wundervoll!
And when I can drink no
longer,
Since belly and gullet are full,
Then I stagger to my door
And sleep wonderfully!
Was hör’ ich beim Erwachen?
Horch!
What do I hear when I awake?
Listen!
Ein Vogel singt im Baum.
A bird sings in the tree.
Ich frag ihn ob schon Frühling
sei,
I ask him if the spring is here;
Mir ist als wie im Traum.
I feel as if I were dreaming.
82
The Chinese translation is adapted from Lam Ching Wah’s in Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of
83
84
64
Der Trinker im Frühling
The drunkard in spring
春日醉起言志 (Feelings
Upon Awakening from
Drunkenness on a Spring
Day)
Der Vogel zwitschert: Ja!
The bird twitters ‘Yes!
春風語流鶯
Der Lenz sei kommen über
Spring came overnight!’
(The bird answers that it is
Nacht!
spring.)
Ich seufze tief ergriffen auf,
Deeply moved, I sigh.
感之欲嘆息
(I am moved and want to
sigh)
Der Vogel singt und lacht!
The bird sings and laughs!
對酒還自順
(I fill my own glass of
wine,)
浩歌待明月
(I sing and wait for the
moon to come out.)
Ich fülle mir den Becher neu
I fill my glass again,
Und leer ihn bis zum Grund
Und singe, bis der Mond
erglänzt
Am schwarzen Himmelsrund.
And drain it to the dregs,
And sing, until the moon
shines bright
In the black sky.
曲盡已忘情
(And when I finish the song singen kann,
I have forgotten everything.)
So schlaf ich wieder ein.
Was geht mich denn der
Frühling an!
Lasst mich betrunken sein!
And when I can sing no longer,
Then I go back to sleep;
For what does spring matter to
me?
Let me be drunk!
Bethge’s poem contains six stanzas, but they do not correspond to Li’s six sections.
Besides expressing the speaker’s hopeless view of life, the paraphrase includes more details. In
the first stanza, after the speaker claims that work is meaningless, he explains the reason why he
sleeps all day – he cannot drink more. In the second stanza the speaker again cannot drink more,
so he sleeps at his door. This idea of his having drunk as much as he is able does not appear in
the Chinese poem. It returns in Bethge’s paraphrase repetitively to provide an explanation why
the speaker goes to sleep. Moreover, this explanation portrays the speaker as having given up on
hope.
The next two stanzas are similar to the middle section of the Chinese poem, which
describes the speaker waking up and conversing with a bird. These two stanzas expand the
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original with details such as the bird’s answer “Ja!” and the overnight arrival of spring. The
bird’s singing and laughing at the end of Stanza 4 contrasts to the speaker’s gloomy mood.
The fifth stanza remains similar to the original, in which the speaker starts pouring wine
into his glass and singing to the moon. The last stanza presents a different scene from the original;
it provides a more pessimistic end for the poem. The speaker goes back to sleep because he can
no longer drink. He continues to express that the season does not matter to him – “Lasst mich
betrunken sein!” In the Chinese poem the speaker uses drinking to forget unhappy thoughts but
is essentially hopeful. In Bethge’s poem the speaker drinks for the sake of drinking because he
has given up on the world completely. The speaker’s lack of hope perhaps stems from the fact
that the original speaker’s optimism is lost in the translation.
Table 5.2 compares Bethge’s paraphrase, Mahler’s version, and an English translation.
Der Trunkene im Frühling
(Bethge)86
(Mahler)87
Wenn nur ein Traum das
*Wenn nur ein Traum das
Dasein ist,
Leben ist,
Warum dann Müh’ und
Warum denn Müh’ und Plag’?
Plag’?
Ich trinke, bis ich nicht
Ich trinke, bis ich nicht mehr
mehr kann,
kann,
Den ganzen lieben Tag.
Den ganzen lieben Tag!
The drunkard in spring88
If Life is but a dream,
Why then toil and fret?
I drink till I can drink no
longer,
The whole livelong day.
trinken kann,
Weil Leib und Kehle voll,
So trauml’ ich hin vor
meiner Tür
trinken kann,
Weil Kehl’ und Seele voll,
*So trauml’ ich bis zu meiner
Tür
And when I can drink no
longer,
Since gullet and soul are full,
Then I stagger to my door
And sleep stupendously!
Was hör’ ich beim
Erwachen? Horch!
Horch!
What do I hear when I awake?
Listen!
A bird sings in the tree.
85
86
87
88
66
Der Trunkene im Frühling
The drunkard in spring
(Bethge)
(Mahler)
Ich frag ihn ob schon
Ich frag’ ihn ob schon Frühling I ask him if the spring is here;
Frühling sei,
sei,
I feel as if I were dreaming.
Der Lenz sei kommen über
Nacht!
Ich seufze tief ergriffen auf,
Der Lenz ist da, sei kommen
über Nacht!
*Aus tiefstem Schauen lauscht’
ich auf,
The bird twitters ‘Yes!
Spring is here – came
overnight!’
In deepest wonder I listen
Und leer ihn bis zum Grund
erglänzt
Am schwarzen
Himmelsrund.
Und leer’ ihn bis zum Grund
erglänzt
*Am schwarzen Firmament!
I fill my glass again,
And drain it to the dregs,
And sing, until the moon
shines bright
In the black firmament.
singen kann,
So schlaf ich wieder ein.
Frühling an!
Und wenn ich nicht mehr singen
kann,
So schlaf’ ich wieder ein.
Frühling an’?
And when I can sing no longer,
The bird sings and laughs!
Then I go back to sleep;
For what does spring matter to
me?
Let me be drunk!
Mahler employed the six stanzas in Bethge’s version but changed a few words. These
alterations nuance the meaning of the poem. Mahler first changed the title “Der Trinker im
Frühling” into “Der Trunkene im Frühling.” Both “Trinker” and “Trunkene” mean a drunkard.
“Trinker” more actively describes a drunk person, but “Trunkene” focuses more on the state of
being drunk. The composer’s alteration thus portrays the speaker as someone who is currently
drunk rather than an alcoholic. In the next alteration Mahler replaced “Dasein” with “Leben” in
the first stanza to indicate more explicitly the speaker’s problem in one’s life rather than in
existence, which includes the outer world and nature. The alteration reveals that what troubles
the speaker is his life rather than the outer world.
In the second stanza “So trauml’ ich hin vor meiner Tür” is replaced with “So trauml’ ich
bis zu meiner Tür.” This alteration creates motion; rather than stumbling drunkenly at the door,
67
the speaker is now on the way to the door and stumbling as he goes. The composer thus
described the drunk speaker more vividly with his awkward movement.
In the fourth stanza “Ich seufze tief ergriffen auf” is changed into “Aus tiefstem Schauen
lauscht’ ich auf.” Bethge’s phrase shows deeper afflictions: “Deeply moved, I sigh.” Richard
Specht describes this phrase as “almost . . . a summary of his [Mahler’s] own nature.”89 Stephen
Hefling seems to refer to this character trait when he describes Mahler’s habit of immersing
himself in his own thoughts: “. . . Mahler would frequently remain motionless in one spot for
hours on end, ‘lost to the world’ in daydreaming, music, and later, literature.”90 Mahler’s phrase
changed the verb from “seufzen” to “lauschen.” Instead of sighing, the speaker now listens with
deepest wonder. The alteration reveals the speaker’s hope for change in the current situation.
Besides presenting a more positive attitude, the alteration reflects Mahler’s intent of choosing
words suitable for a musical experience. The word “lauschen” fits the musical context when the
audience is indeed listening to the music, as opposed to reading a poem. The music to this phrase
will be discussed again in a later section of this chapter.
The last alteration reflects the composer’s preference in words. In the fifth stanza Mahler
changed “Himmelsrund” into “Firmament.” The word “Himmelsrund” was used in the Middle
Ages when people thought of sky as a round disc. This word is also more commonly used in
poetry or other literary works. “Firmament,” on the other hand, is more modern and colloquial.
Mahler perhaps changed this word simply to make the text seem less artificial.
The central themes include an opening figure and three melodies. The opening figure of
this movement (see Example 5.1) has a festive character, derived from its two musical elements.
The woodwind instruments play a series of grace notes and trills (Example 5.1 only shows the
first oboe part), which create a busy atmosphere. The horn call alternates between quarter notes
and triplets at first, and then the triplets become sixteenth notes to heighten the excitement.
These two elements combine into an exciting and heroic figure. This opening figure also
functions as a ritornello.
89
Richard Specht, “Feuilleton: Das Lied von der Erde,” in Mahler and His World, ed. by Karen Painter (Princeton
and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2002), 337.
90
Stephen E. Hefling, “Aspects of Mahler’s Late Style,” in Mahler and His World, 203.
68
Example 5.1: Opening figure (first oboe and horns in F, mm. 1-4)
It is noteworthy that this opening theme also clearly symbolizes the birds. The text has
not addressed birds in this opening section. By situating the birds in the background from the
beginning, the composer sets up the audience’s anticipation of birds and nature. This is one of
the several instances in the cycle in which Mahler provides the audience a musical experience
not available for the poetry reader. Another example in this movement appears in Stanza 4,
which will be discussed later.
Theme 1 features an arch shape with two shorter notes in the middle. The ascending line
in the first four notes builds up the anticipation for the speaker’s statement of significant ideas.
The shape of this melody appears like a rocket, but the tempo marking “zurückhaltend”
(moderate, reserved) indicates a slower tempo than that in a typical rocket. A rocket gesture’s
energy and a slower tempo thus shape the passionate character of this theme. Furthermore, the
tenor’s first phrase, in which the speaker compares life to a dream, is set to this theme. Theme 1
thus also conveys the speaker’s introspective thoughts.
The rhythmic pattern of a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note is characteristic
of Theme 2. The longer values of the notes slow down the tempo and give Theme 2 a calmer
character than Theme 1. The leap between the last two notes (a minor seventh in this example) is
69
another feature of this theme. This upward leap creates a declamatory effect and proposes a
question, as the pitch rises at the end of a question in most languages.
Theme 3 is an extended version of Theme 2. It repeats the rhythmic pattern of Theme 2
several times with four descending eighth notes in the middle. Retaining the declamatory
character of Theme 2, Theme 3 symbolizes a speech in both vocal and instrumental parts.
Example 5.4: Theme 3 (first violins, mm. 8-11)
Table 5.3 provides an overview of the structure. Musical analysis shows that Mahler’s
musical design directs the audience’s attention to the middle sections, Stanzas 3-5. The speaker’s
contact with nature in these three stanzas is therefore the focus of this movement.
Table 5.3: Formal, tonal, and thematic analyses of “Der Trunkene im Frühling”
Stanzas
Measure Key
Text
Thematic material
number
1-3
A major
(Introduction)
Opening figure
Stanza 1
4-5
B-flat
Wenn nur ein Traum das Dasein ist, Theme 1
major
6-8
A major
Warum denn Müh’ und Plag?
Theme 2
8-11
F major
(Interlude)
Theme 3
12-15
G minor
Ich trinke, bis ich nicht mehr kann,
Theme 3
Den ganzen lieben Tag!
Theme 2
15-17
A major
(Interlude)
Opening figure
70
Table 5.3 – continued: Formal, tonal, and thematic analyses of “Der Trunkene im Frühling”
Stanzas
Measure Key
Text
Thematic material
number
Stanza 2
18-21
B-flat
Und wenn ich nicht mehr trinken
Theme 1
major
kann,
Weil Kehl’ und Seele voll,
Theme 2
22-25
F major
(Interlude)
Theme 3
26-28
D minor
So tauml’ ich bis zu meiner Tür
Theme 3
Theme 2
29-32
A major
(Interlude)
Opening figure
Stanza 3
32-34
B-flat
Theme 1’
major
35-44
A major
Horch!
Bird call (piccolo)
Theme 1’
Theme 3 (violin)
Ich frag’ ihn ob schon Frühling sei, New theme – 1
Bird call (piccolo)
Mir ist als wie im
New theme – 2
Bird call
45-46
F major
Traum.
Stanza 4
47-50
B-flat
Der Vogel zwitschert: Ja! Ja!
Theme 1
major
Transparent texture
and speech-like
singing (Ja)
Der Lenz ist da, sei kommen über
Theme 3
51-64
D-flat
major
Nacht!
Bird call
(with tonal Aus tiefstem Schauen lauscht’ ich
New theme – 3
shifts)
auf,
Bird call
Bird call
Stanza 5
65-71
C major
Theme 3
Und leer’ ihn bis zum Grund
Und singe, bis der Mond erglänzt
Am schwarzen Firmament!
Theme 2
72-73
A major
(Interlude)
Opening figure
74
G minor
(Interlude)
Stanza 6
74-83
B-flat
Theme 1
major
kann,
Theme 3
kann,
So schlaf’ ich wieder ein.
84-86
E-flat
Was geht mich denn der Frühling
Theme 2
major
an’?
Lasst mich betrunken
87
A major
sein!
88-89
A major
(Postlude)
71
As already discussed, the movement begins with the energetic opening figure that implies
the surrounding of nature and foretells the speaker’s encounter with a bird. In Stanza 1 the
speaker poses his questions about life. The tonal shift from A major to B-flat major at m. 4
exemplifies one of this movement’s features – the constant tonal shifts as shown in Table 5.3.
Stanza 1 also displays all three themes. Stanza 2 is similar to Stanza 1 musically; it opens with
the opening figure and contains all three themes. In this stanza the speaker continues drinking
and sleeping as a pessimistic outcast.
In the next two stanzas the speaker hears a bird and nature pulls him out of his deep
thoughts; his conversation with the bird reveals nature’s inspirational power. Mahler’s musical
design in these two stanzas accentuates their significance in the movement. Stanza 3 presents a
drastically different mood. Theme 1 is recognized only by its rhythmic pattern (see Example 5.5).
The melodic shape now has little motion, portraying the speaker’s contemplative mood. The
opening horn call is played here by the first oboe and the grace notes by the second oboe; the
opening figure thus resembles a bird’s sound and reflects the text. The solo violin plays Theme 3
(see Example 5.6), indicating the speaker’s contemplation from the background. At the end of
the stanza the speaker sings, “Ich frag’ ihn ob schon Frühling sei, mir ist als wie im Traum” to a
melody that is reminiscent of Theme 2, but the melodic shape changes so much that the theme
can be regarded as a new theme (see Example 5.7). Birdcalls are now more explicitly present in
the piccolo part (see Example 5.8). Presenting a dark mood and a bird’s sound, the music thus
portrays the speaker’s gloomy mood while talking to the bird.
Example 5.5: Tenor, mm. 32-34
Example 5.6: Solo violins, mm. 36-41
72
Example 5.8: Piccolo, mm. 41-44
Stanza 4 retains the sorrowful mood and birdcalls. The music to the phrase “Der Vogel
zwitschert: Ja! Ja!” has a transparent texture, which helps to convey the speaker’s soliloquy and
the bird’s presence (see Example 5.9). The speaker’s reiteration of the bird’s answer – “Ja! Ja!” –
is set to two pitches to simulate a bird’s speech. Furthermore, the piccolo and the oboe are both
used to depict the birds in this phrase. The bird’s answer draws the speaker’s attention to the
overnight arrival of spring. An upward octave leap creates an uplifting mood and portrays the
beauty of spring in mm. 50-51 (see Example 5.10). This effect also contrasts to the speaker’s
depressed mood. At the end of this stanza, Mahler uses another octave leap to portray the
happiness of the bird in mm. 62-63 (see Example 5.11). As in Stanza 3, Mahler uses music to
paint the pictures presented in the text; the composer’s musical design successfully draws the
audience’s attention to these two stanzas.
Stanza 4 also includes the audience in the speaker’s experience through the musical
setting. When the speaker listens to the bird “with the deepest wonder” in the third phrase of
Stanza 4 (see Example 5.12), his pessimistic mood is portrayed by the lack of motion in the
vocal line (mm. 56-58). The word “lausche” in the next phrase directs the audience’s attention to
listen to the music – at this moment the flute and the piccolo are playing birdcalls in mm. 57-58
73
and mm. 59-61, respectively. Mahler’s lyrical alteration and musical design together allow the
audience to listen to the bird with the speaker. The song thus provides the music’s audience an
experience not available to the poetry reader.
Example 5.9: Piccolo, oboe, and tenor, mm. 47-49
74
Example 5.12: Piccolo, flutes, and tenor, mm. 56-61
Stanza 5 still belongs to the middle section, although nature does not play an important
part in this stanza; here the speaker withdraws from the world and resumes drinking. The speaker
pours drinks and sings to the moon, as in the Chinese poem. Themes 3 and 2 are sung in their
original form. Stanza 5 concludes the middle section. In other words, the speaker leaves his inner
world to converse with the bird and appreciates nature in Stanzas 3 and 4, and he ignores nature
again when he returns to inner thoughts in Stanza 5. The boundaries of the middle section
(Stanzas 3-5) are also marked by the use of the opening figure in the interludes (mm. 29-32 and
mm. 72-74) before and after this section. Besides using the opening figure, the interlude after
Stanza 5 also includes glissandos in the harp (see Example 5.13). The glissandos add excitement
to the music and conclude the movement with a splendid ending.
75
Example 5.13: Harps, mm. 72-73
In Stanza 6, Themes 1 to 3 are used in the original forms. The speaker returns to his
pessimism and states his desire to escape in drink. The speaker’s passionate side is nowhere seen
in the music, overtly or implicitly. The movement ends with a busy postlude (mm. 88-89), but
the speaker’s low spirit still resounds in the audience’s mind.
As this musical analysis has shown, this movement focuses on the middle section.
Mahler’s emphasis on Stanzas 3-5 manifests the importance of nature, although at the end of this
movement the speaker returns to drinking and pessimism. This change of attitude should not
imply that the inspiration of nature is meaningless. Rather, the significance of nature goes
beyond one movement; nature will help the speaker gain a deeper understanding of life in the
next movement. The significance of nature is manifested here in the speaker’s sober moment,
although only briefly.
As in the previous movements, nature provides the speaker space for contemplation. In
“Der Trunkene im Frühling,” the speaker withdraws from the world, but nature, symbolized by
the bird, inspires him to ponder life. This movement thus continues to use nature as an
inspirational source and directs the speaker’s journey into the next movement, “Der Abschied,”
in which the speaker carries on his musings and eventually reaches his understanding about life.
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CHAPTER 6
“DER ABSCHIED”: FAREWELL TO ALL
He turned the manuscript over to me to study. . . . When I brought it back to him, almost
unable to utter a word, he turned to the Abschied and said: “What do you think? Is this to
be endured at all? Will not people make away with themselves after hearing it?”91
In this passage Bruno Walter describes Mahler’s question “Will not people make away
with themselves after hearing it?” Indeed, this pessimistic movement portrays the speaker’s
disappointment and frustrations in the world and his desperate wish of going away. This
movement sets two poems, both closely related to nature. In the first poem, the speaker is
waiting for a friend alone on a mountain. In the second poem, the speaker narrates two friends’
conversation about withdrawing into nature. Mahler chose these two poems to create musical
settings that accentuate the eternal presence of nature, which symbolizes the speaker’s desire to
relinquish the material world and transcend life and death.
“Der Abschied” incorporates Mong Kao-Jen’s “宿業師山房待丁大不志” (“Staying at a
Teacher’s Mountain Retreat, Awaiting a Friend in Vain”) and Wang Wei’s “送別” (“Farewell”).
These two poems both reflect their authors’ most successful genre – pastoral poetry; both poems
use objects in nature to emulate the characters’ emotions. These two poems describe the speaker
first waiting for his friend in vain and then deciding to retreat from the world. The desire to
withdraw oneself could be interpreted as reflecting the composer’s own experience, but this is
not my intention.92 The connection between the text and the composer’s life merely assists us to
apprehend Mahler’s preference in poems and his empathy with the speaker.
Coming from a city called Xiang-yang in Xiang Province (now Hu-bei Province), Mong
Kao-Jen (689-740) was one of the representative poets of the Tang Dynasty. Pastoral poems, of
which more than 260 remain extant, characterize his style. In these poems he expresses nostalgia
for Xiang-yang by recapturing the residents’ life styles, friendships among people, and scenic
91
Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death, 342; quoted from Bruno Walter, Gustav
Mahler, 59-60.
92
Written in 1908, Das Lied von der Erde has been connected to Mahler’s unfortunate experiences in 1907,
including his resignation from the Vienna Court Opera, his daughter’s death, and his heart problem.
77
views of the mountains, rivers, moon, and boats. Therefore he was given the nickname Mong
Xiang-Yang.93
Mong’s “Staying at a Teacher’s Mountain Retreat, Awaiting a Friend in Vain” depicts the
speaker’s anticipation of meeting a friend on a mountain. Mong paints pictures in which the sun
is setting, the valley darkening, and the woodcutters going home. These images present a
quieting world, evoking the speaker’s isolated feeling. Furthermore, the concept of returning
symbolizes reunion, which contrasts to the speaker’s loneliness. The images of the pine trees and
the cold evening, of the sounding wind and streams, and of the roosting birds reaffirm the
speaker’s loneliness, since observing his surroundings is his only way to pass time, as he is
waiting alone for his friend. After all these portrayals, Mong finally arrives at the last two lines,
the most important part of this poem, which depict the speaker’s whereabouts: “The person I
expect to stay the night here has not yet come. I carry my single qin and wait on the path
bordered by rattan groves.” Since the first six lines have set up a mood of sorrow and seclusion,
the speaker’s feelings need no more descriptions than one adjective “single” to describe qin,
which can also mean “lonely.” Mong’s skill in presenting images thus allows him to illustrate
emotions vividly. Using scenic images to depict emotional states, this poem well represents
Mong’s style.
Wang Wei (701-761) was also one of the highly-respected poets in the Tang Dynasty, as
demonstrated by his nickname “Poetry Buddha.” His reputation is partly due to the vivid images
in his poems. Wang and Mong were not only contemporaries but also good friends and
colleagues who shared a similar style. Among Wang’s pastoral poems, more than 400 were
preserved. In these poems he skillfully portrays the sublimity of nature, details of objects, and the
colors, sounds, and motions in nature. He once served at the court, but he was not treated well
there. The portrayal of nature thus expresses Wang’s desire to leave court life behind, become
one with the nature, and transcend the material world.94
Wang’s “Farewell” presents two friends’ farewell. One character asks his friend’s
destination, and the friend pessimistically expresses his disappointment in the world and wish for
escape. Retreating to nature provides him hope. Understanding his friend’s decision, the main
93
Pei-chi Tong, ed., 中國古典文學叢書: 孟浩然詩集箋注 (Chinese Classic Literature: Poems by Mong Kao-Jen)
(Shang Hai, China: Shanghai Ancient books publisher, 2000), 1-8.
94
Tie-min Chen, ed., 王維集校注 (Poems by Wang Wei with Annotations), (Beijing, China: Chung-hua Publisher,
2005), 1-11.
78
speaker stops his inquiry but affirms that their friendship will last forever like clouds.95 The
images used to depict emotional status in this poem are “the Southern Mountain” and “the white
clouds.” Both of them symbolize sublimity: the mountain portrays absolute solitude and the
clouds eternal existence. Besides imagery, Wang uses the succinct conversation to depict two
speaker’s friendship – they understand each other so well that small talk or redundant words
have no place in their conversations. As in the first movement, nature is described as everpresent, especially in comparison with the brevity of humans’ life. Nature serves as a symbol that
goes beyond life and death.
The Chinese originals (with a separate translation), Bethge’s paraphrase, and an English
translation are shown in Table 6.1:
The farewell98
宿業師山房待丁大不志(Staying In Erwartung des Freundes97
at a Teacher’s Mountain Retreat,
Awaiting a Friend in Vain )96
Die Sonne scheidet hinter
The sun is going down
夕陽度西嶺
behind the mountains.
(The sun has passed the Western dem Gebirg.
summits;)
In alle Täler steigt der Abend In every valley evening is
群壑倏已暝
nieder
descending
(The valleys suddenly become
dark,)
Mit seinen Schatten, die voll
With its shadows, which are
松月生夜涼
Kühlung sind.
full of coolness.
(The moon above the pine trees
makes the evening very cold,)
95
In Chinese poetry, clouds can carry a different symbolic meaning from that which we would expect in Western
literature. While clouds are commonly seen as transitory in Western literature, they are often to be understood as a
permanent phenomenon in Chinese texts. Despite the fact that clouds appear in different shapes every day, they are a
natural object that will always show up in the sky. Furthermore, they can be seen by people from anywhere. The
clouds can have one more implication in Chinese poetry; as the clouds sometimes cover the sun, they can mean the
manipulative people in the court who deceive the emperor. In Wang Wei’s “Farewell,” the clouds most likely have
the first two meanings: their friendship will always be there and it will accompany the departed friend no matter
where he goes.
96
The Chinese translation is by Ching-wah Lam from Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and
Death, 267.
97
98
79
The farewell
宿業師山房待丁大不志(Staying In Erwartung des Freundes
at a Teacher’s Mountain Retreat,
Awaiting a Friend in Vain )
O sieh, wie eine Silberbarke
O look! like a silver bark
schwebt
Der Mond herauf hinter den
The moon floats up behind
dunkeln Fichten.
the dark spruces.
Ich spüre eines feinen Windes I sense a delicate breeze
Wehn.
shivering
風泉滿清聽
(And the sounds of the wind and
streams fill my ears.)
樵人歸欲盡
(The woodcutters are almost
home;)
煙鳥棲初定
(The birds in the mist are
roosting.)
Der Bach singt voller
Wohllaut durch das Dunkel
Von Ruh und Schlaf . . . Die
arbeitsamen Menschen
Gehn heimwärts, voller
Sehnsucht nach dem Schlaf.
The brook sings
melodiously through the
darkness
Of rest and sleep, the
laborious people.
Are going home filled with
longing for some sleep.
Die Vögel hokken müde in
den Zweigen.
The birds huddle wearily on
their branches.
Die Welt schläft ein. . . .
之子期宿來
(The person I expect to stay the
night here has not yet come.)
孤琴候蘿徑
(I carry my single qin and wait
on the path bordered by rattan
groves.)
The world is falling
asleep. . . .
Ich stehe hier und harre
I am standing here and
waiting
Des Freundes, der zu kommen For a friend, who promised
mir versprach.
me that he would come.
Ich sehne mich, o Freund, an
deiner Seite
Die Schönheit dieses Abends
zu geniessen.
Wo bleibst du nur? Du lässt
mich lang allein!
I long, O my friend, to be by
your side,
To enjoy the beauty of this
evening.
Where are you? You leave
me long alone!
Ich wandle auf und nieder mit
der Laute
I wander to and fro with my
lute
80
In Erwartung des Freundes
The farewell
宿業師山房待丁大不志
(Staying at a Teacher’s
Mountain Retreat, Awaiting a
Friend in Vain )
Auf Wegen, die von weichem
On pathways which billow
Grase schwellen.
with soft grass.
O kämst du, kämst du,
O come, you, unfaithful
ungetreuer Freund!
friend!
送別 (Farewell)99
下馬飲君酒
(Please dismount from the
horse and drink some wine.)
問君何所之
(I ask you where you want to
go.)
君言不得意
(You say you have achieved
nothing.)
歸臥南山陲
(And want to live alone by the
Southern mountain.)
但去末復問
(As you wish, please go. I will
not question you any more.)
白雲無盡時
(But our friendship lasts
forever, like the white clouds
in the sky.)
Der Abschied des Freundes100
Ich stieg vom Pferd und reichte I alighted from the horse and
ihm den Trunk
handed him the drink
Des Abschieds dar. Ich fragte
ihn, wohin
Und auch warum er reisen
wolle. Er
Sprach mit umflorter Stimme:
Du, mein Freund,
Mir war das Glück in dieser
Welt nicht hold.
of farewell. I asked him
where he was going,
And also why he wanted to
travel.
He spoke with a veiled voice:
‘Ah! my friend –
Fortune was not kind to me in
this world!
Wohin ich geh? ich wander in
die Berge,
Ich suche Ruhe für mein
einsam Herz.
Ich werde nie mehr in die
Ferne schweifen,
Müd ist mein Fuß, und müd ist
meine Seele,
Where am I going? I am
going to wander in the
mountains,
I seek rest for my lonely
heart!
I shall never again go seeking
the far distance.
My heart is tired, and my soul
is tired.
Die Erde ist die gleiche
überall,
Und ewig, ewig sind die
weißen Wolken . . .
The earth is the same
everywhere.
And the white clouds are
forever, forever.
99
The Chinese translation is adapted from Ching-wah Lam from Mitchell, Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of
100
81
Bethge’s paraphrase of the first poem remains rather close to Mong Kao-Jen’s original. It
starts with descriptions of the sinking sun and descending valley. The images from the original
poem’s third line are expanded with more details, describing objects more closely or explaining
hidden meanings. For example, the third line in Chinese, “The moon above the pine trees makes
the evening very cold,” is expanded into four lines, each focused on an object: coolness, a boat,
the moon, and the breeze. More importantly, the last lines in the German paraphrase clearly
express the speaker’s longing to see his friend: “Ich sehne mich, o Freund, an deiner Seite / Die
Schönheit dieses Abends zu geniessen.” The speaker’s sorrow is also depicted outwardly in the
last line, “O kämst du, kämst du, ungetreuer Freund!” The expansions and explanations of the
German paraphrase alter the mood in the original poem, in which the terse, compact verses
create a rather mysterious character in the Chinese poem that does not transfer to the more
explicitly emotional German text.
The second poem also remains close to the Chinese original but adds more detail and
explanation. For example, the speaker’s friend explains his purpose of going into the mountain
and adds that he has no desire for anything in the world, “Ich werde nie mehr in die Ferne
schweifen / Müd ist mein Fuß, und müd ist meine Seele.” The original poem does not provide
overt explanations about his heart’s fatigue, since the scenic images communicate the emotional
content sufficiently. Moreover, the last lines, “Die Erde ist die gleiche überall / Und ewig, ewig
sind die weißen Wolken . . .” further use the earth’s permanence to contrast the brevity of human
life. The German elaboration, as the first poem, clarifies the picture but disturbs the mysterious
character of the Chinese poem.
Table 6.2 compares Bethge’s paraphrase and Mahler’s alterations and an English
translation of the German text used in the music.
Der Abschied (Mahler)103
(Bethge)102
The farewell104
101
102
103
104
82
Der Abschied (Mahler)
The farewell
(Bethge)
Die Sonne scheidet hinter dem Die Sonne scheidet hinter dem The sun is going down behind
Gebirg.
Gebirg.
the mountains.
In alle Täler steigt der Abend
In alle Täler steigt der Abend
In every valley evening is
nieder
nieder
descending,
Bringing its shadows, which
Kühlung sind.
Kühlung sind.
are full of coolness.
O look! like a silver bark
schwebt
schwebt
Der Mond herauf hinter den
*Der Mond am blauen
The moon floats up through
dunkeln Fichten.
Himmelssee herauf.
the blue lake of heaven.
Ich spüre eines feinen Windes Ich spüre eines feinen Windes I sense a delicate breeze
Wehn.
Weh’n
shivering
*Hinter den dunklen Fichten!
Behind the dark fir trees.
Der Bach singt voller Wohllaut Der Bach singt voller Wohllaut
durch das Dunkel
durch das Dunkel
Die Blumen blassen im
Dämmerschein.
Von Ruh und Schlaf . . .
Die Erde atmet voll von Ruh’
und Schlaf.
Alle Sehnsucht will nun
Träumen,
Die arbeitsamen Menschen
Die müden Menschen geh’n
gehn heimwärts,
heimwärts,
voller Sehnsucht nach dem
Um im Schlaf vergess’nes
Schlaf.
Glück
Und Jugend neu zu lernen!
Die Vögel hokken müde in den *Die Vögel hocken still in
Zweigen.
ihren Zweigen.
Die Welt schläft ein . . .
*Die Welt schläft ein!
So that, in sleep, they may
learn anew
Forgotten joy and youth.
The birds huddle silent on
their branches.
The world is falling asleep!
Es wehet kühl im Schatten
meiner Fichten.
Ich stehe hier und harre meines
Freundes.
A cool breeze blows in the
shadow of my fir trees.
I stand here and wait for my
friend.
Ich harre sein zum letzten
Lebewohl.
deiner Seite
zu geniessen.
I wait for him to take a last
farewell.
I long, O my friend, to be by
your side,
To enjoy the beauty of this
evening.
Ich stehe hier und harre des
Freundes, der zu kommen mir
versprach.
deiner Seite
zu geniessen.
83
The brook sings melodiously
through the darkness.
The flowers grow pale in the
twilight.
The earth takes deep breaths
of rest and sleep;
All desire now turns to
dreaming.
Weary people go homewards,
The farewell
(Bethge)
Wo bleibst du nur? Du lässt
Wo bleibst du? Du lässt mich
Where are you? You leave
mich lang allein!
lang allein!
me long alone!
Ich wandle auf und nieder mit Ich wandle auf und nieder mit I wander to and fro with my
der Laute
meiner Laute
lute
Auf Wegen, die von weichem Auf Wegen, die von weichem
On pathways which billow
Grase schwellen.
Grase schwellen.
with soft grass.
O kämst du, kämst du,
ungetreuer Freund!
O Schönheit, o ewigen
O beauty! O eternal-love-andLiebens, Lebens, trunk’ne
life-intoxicated world!
Welt!
Der Abschied des
Freundes105
Ich stieg vom Pferd und
reichte ihm den Trunk
Des Abschieds dar. Ich fragte
ihn, wohin
Und auch warum er reisen
wolle. Er
Sprach mit umflorter Stimme:
*Er stieg vom Pferd und
reichte ihm den Trunk des
Abschieds dar.
*Er fragte ihn, wohin er führe
Du, mein Freund,
Mir war das Glück in dieser
Welt nicht hold.
*Und auch warum es müsste
sein.
*Er sprach, seine Stimme war
umflort:
Du, mein Freund,
*Mir war auf dieser Welt das
Glück nicht hold!
Wohin ich geh? ich wander in
die Berge,
Wohin ich geh’? ich geh’, ich
wand’re in die Berge.
einsam Herz.
einsam Herz!
Ich wandle nach der Heimat,
meiner Stätte!
Ich werde nie mehr in die
Ferne schweifen,
Müd ist mein Fuß, und müd ist
meine Seele,
*Ich werde niemals in die
Ferne schweifen.
*Still ist mein Herz und harret
seiner Stunde!
105
84
He alighted from his horse
and handed him the drink of
farewell.
He asked him where he was
going,
And also why it had to be.
He spoke, his voice was
veiled:
‘Ah! my friend –
Fortune was not kind to me in
this world!
Where am I going? I am
going to wander in the
mountains,
I seek rest for my lonely
heart!
I am journeying to the
homeland, to my resting
place;
I shall never again go seeking
the far distance.
My heart is still and awaits its
hour!’
Der Abschied des Freundes
The farewell
(Bethge)
Die Erde ist die gleiche
*Die liebe Erde allüberall
The dear earth everywhere
überall,
Blüht auf im Lenz und grünt
Blossoms in spring and grows
aufs neu!
green again!
Allüberall und ewig blauen
Everywhere and forever the
licht die Fernen,
distance shines bright and
blue!
Und ewig, ewig sind die
*Ewig . . . ewig!
Forever . . . forever . . .
weißen Wolken . . .
The composer’s alterations in the first poem, “In Erwartung des Freundes,” start with the
division of the fifth line, “Der Mond herauf hinter den dunkeln Fichten,” into two lines;
furthermore, “am blauen Himmelssee” was inserted to describe how the moon floats up through
“the blue lake of heaven.” A few lines later, “Von Ruh und Schlaf . . . Die arbeitsamen
Menschen / Gehn heimwärts, voller Sehnsucht nach dem Schlaf” is relocated and rephrased into
“Die müden Menschen geh’n heimwärts, / Um im Schlaf vergess’nes Glück / Und Jugend neu zu
lernen!” The hope to learn new things in retreat from the world is thus inserted into the text.
Before this replacement, Mahler inserted two lines that describe the weariness of the flowers and
the earth. The lines concerning the speaker’s anticipation of the friend mostly remained
unchanged, although Mahler did insert several lines expressing the speaker’s desire to see the
friend specifically in order to bid farewell. These bridge the two poems, since the second poem is
about farewell. To end the first poem, he replaced “O kämst du, kämst du, ungetreuer Freund!”
with a different line, “O Schönheit, o ewigen Liebens, Lebens, trunk’ne Welt!” This alteration
changes the poem’s focus from the speaker’s anxiety and disappointment to the beauty, life, and
love of the eternal world. In short, Mahler’s alterations in the first poem enriched Bethge’s
version and made the speaker’s attitude more positive.
In the second poem Mahler made fewer but more critical alterations. In the beginning, he
changed the pronoun from “ich” to “er.” This alteration significantly changes the perspective
from which the scene is narrated – the speaker becomes a narrator rather than a participant in the
conversation. Stuart Feder explains this alteration, “In this Mahler placed himself equidistant
85
between the one who left and the one who remained behind, identifying with both.”106 In other
words, the change of pronoun switches our perspective from that of either character to that of the
narrator.
The next alteration is also subtle but significant; Mahler changed “Und auch warum er
reisen wolle” to “Und auch warum es müsste sein.” The main question changes from the reason
for traveling to a sense of compulsion – “and why it has to be.” Feder explains the change, “And
in answering his own question – warum es müsste sein, why it had to be – in Das Lied von der
Erde, Mahler mastered his all-too-human loss, creating his personal artistic vision of ‘world
without end.’”107 This alteration reveals the character’s acceptance that travel is necessary,
although the destination remains uncertain. A few lines later “Ich wandle nach der Heimat,
meiner Stätte” was inserted, accentuating the speaker’s longing for home or homeland. Another
minor alteration occurs in the insertion of an adjective “Die liebe Erde,” emphasizing the
dearness of the nature.
Some major alterations conclude the poem: “Blüht auf im Lenz und grünt aufs neu! /
Allüberall und ewig blauen licht die Fernen.” As at the end of the first poem, Mahler emphasizes
the eternal presence and the energy of the world. At the very end, “Und ewig, ewig sind die
weißen Wolken . . .” is replaced by simply “Ewig . . . ewig!” As noted before, the meaning of
symbol is different in Western literature and Chinese texts. The composer might have omitted
the image of clouds because using a transitory symbol to describe friendship did not seem
appropriate. The repetition of “eternal” creates an open, unresolved ending, which is reflected by
the lack of resolution in music. This open ending is significant and will receive more discussion
in the musical analysis that follows.
Corresponding to the division of two poems, “Der Abschied” is also divided into two
sections musically. The structures of the two sections will be shown in later sections (Table 6.3
and Table 6.4). The significance of nature in poetry is manifested in Mahler’s music to reveal the
speaker’s philosophical understanding of life.
The first three figures all symbolize isolation and loneliness; each is always played by a
single instrument. The turn-figure (Example 6.1) usually opens a section. Example 6.2 shows a
counter figure of the turn-figure. These two figures are combined and developed into a longer
106
Feder, 151.
107
Feder, 151.
86
phrase that functions as an ending signal, identified in the following discussion the ending figure
(see Example 6.3).
Example 6.1: Turn figure (oboe, m. 3)
Example 6.2: Counter of the turn figure (oboe, mm. 28-30)
Example 6.3: Ending figure (oboe, mm. 41-43)
Another significant musical figure (Example 6.4) consists of alternations of two notes,
which generates a hypnotic effect. This rocking figure first appears in the harp parts in mm. 1718, and it will be used more prominently than in the second stanza. The rocking figure returns in
mm. 34-37 by the harps. The last words of Stanza 1, “dunklen Fichten,” are sung to this figure.
The darkening, fatigued world is well depicted through the use of this figure in a slow tempo.
The figure had also appeared in other movements, where it had different effects and usages; it
creates a hypnotic effect in “Der Einsame im Herbst” and a festive, busy mood in “Von der
Jugend.”
An ecstasy figure shown in Example 6.5 is reminiscent of the ecstasy motive in Wagner’s
Tristan und Isolde. Related to Isolde’s ecstatic love after Tristan’s death, this ecstasy figure has
mingled meanings of death and love. Mahler was, of course, intimately familiar with Wagner’s
music, but determining whether this figure is intentionally quoted from Wagner is beyond the
scope of my thesis. I will focus more on the figure’s function and usage instead.
87
Example 6.4: Rocking figure (harps, mm. 39-42)
Example 6.5: Ecstasy figure (first horn in F, mm. 87-91)
Another figure is significant in the second half of the movement (see Example 6.6). This
figure is only one-measure long, and it is usually used repetitively. It stops the flow and creates a
static effect. This theme may reflect the speaker’s feeling of lethargy.
Example 6.6: Static figure (clarinets, mm. 323-24)
These figures are crucial to understanding “Der Abschied,” and the variety of Mahler’s
uses of these elements is also characteristic of this movement. Besides the melodic figures, other
88
important musical elements include word-painting, the use of recitative, and change of the
speaker. Table 6.3 provides an overview of the structure of the first poem in “Der Abschied.”
Table 6.3: Structure of the first poem in “Der Abschied”
Measure
Key
Thematic
number
material
Introduction 1-18
C minor Long drones,
1
turn figure,
ending figure.
Stanza 1
19-26
C minor Turn figure,
(Recitative
counter of the
1)
turn figure.
27-54
Stanza 2
55-80
Counter of the
turn figure,
turn figure,
ending figure,
rocking figure
F major Turn figure,
/C major rocking figure
81-99
F major
100-129
F major
130-46
Stanza 3
C minor
147-49
150-57
158-165
(Recitative
2)
Rocking
figure, ecstasy
figure
Rocking
figure, turn
figure, ecstasy
figure
Text
Die Sonne scheidet hinter dem Gebirge.
In alle Täler steigt der Abend nieder
Mit seinen Schatten, die voll Kühlung
sind.
O sieh! Wie eine Silberbarke schwebt
Der Mond am blauen Himmelssee
herauf.
Ich spüre eines feinen Windes Weh’n
Hinter den dunklen Fichten!
(C major) Der Bach singt voller
Wohllaut durch das Dunkel.
(F major) Die Blumen blassen im
Dämmerschein.
(Interlude)
Die Erde atmet voll von Ruh’ und
Schlaf.
Alle Sehnsucht will nun Träumen,
Die müden Menschen geh’n heimwärts,
Um im Schlaf vergess’nes Glück
Und Jugend neu zu lernen!
Unstable Turn figure (as Die Vögel hokken still in ihren
birdcall),
Zweigen.
rocking figure,
ending figure
D minor
Die Welt schläft ein!
F major Ending figure, (Interlude)
rocking figure
F major Turn figure,
Es wehet kühl im Schatten meiner
counter of the Fichten.
turn figure,
Ich stehe hier und harre meines
ending figure
Freundes.
Ich harre sein zum letzten Lebewohl.
89
Table 6.3 – continued: Structure of the first poem in “Der Abschied”
Measure
Key
Thematic
Text
number
material
(Stanza 3)
166-287
Bb
Rocking
Ich sehne mich, o Freund, an deiner
major
figure, ecstasy Seite
figure
Die Schönheit dieses Abends zu
geniessen.
Wo bleibst du? Du lässt mich lang
allein!
Ich wandle auf und nieder mit meiner
Laute
Auf Wegen, die von weichem Grase
schwellen.
O Schönheit, o ewigen Liebens,
Lebens, trunk’ne Welt!
Interlude
288-302
C major Turn figure,
rocking figure
Introduction 1 opens this movement with two distinctive elements: low drones played by
the contrabassoon, horns, tam-tam, harps, cellos, and contrabasses; and the turn-figure played by
the first oboe. The long drones are used to imitate the tam-tam, a Chinese instrument.108 This
section functions as a ritornello, as it will return to signal the beginning of the movement’s
second half. The long drones and the turn figure situate a lonely speaker in a quiet world. This
soft, somewhat foreboding opening (mm. 1-18) sets up the sorrowful atmosphere for the first
poem, in which the speaker is waiting for a friend at sunset.
When Stanza 1 starts at m. 19, the alto voice joins and the scoring is reduced to a flute
and the cellos. The first section in Stanza 1 (mm. 19-26) is clearly a recitative, as many scholars
have noted.109 Recitative is not usually used in a symphonic song, but here it creates a soliloquy
that not only suits the images in the first three lines of the first stanza but also accentuates the
speaker’s loneliness, since it establishes the quality of a monologue in which the singer expresses
emotions. The motionless melodic shape further reveals the speaker’s heavy-hearted mood. The
108
Donald Mitchell also discusses the sound of tam-tam in his Gustav Mahler: Songs and Symphonies of Life and
Death, 340, 355.
109
Paul John Whitworth clearly points this out in a figure on page 272 in his “Aspects of Mahler’s Musical
Language: An Analytical Study,” Ph.D. diss., Cornell University (Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms
International, 2002). He also includes the form analyses by Donald Mitchell and Stephen Hefling, both of whom
agree about the three recitatives in Der Abschied.
90
rest of Stanza 1 retains stillness and tranquility by applying a small orchestra and a serene vocal
line.
Stanza 2 continues the serene atmosphere of the first stanza but the energy is slightly
rising; an increase of motion is reflected in the music from m. 55 through the tempo change and
the use of the rocking figure. The figure presents consistent alternations of two notes, but,
exemplified by the first harp’s part illustrated in Example 6.7, the constant change between a
triplet and a duplet creates irregularity and an animated mood. In this opening section of Stanza 2,
the rocking figure is continually played by clarinets, harps, and violas in mm. 55-77.
Example 6.7: First harp, mm. 55-58
Two more examples of word painting are worth discussion in Stanza 2. In m. 118 the
phrase “Die müden Menschen” is portrayed by a motionless melodic line (see Example 6.8). In
this phrase, the only change of pitch is an interval of a minor second. The three repeated quarter
notes help express the stasis. The people’s fatigue is delicately depicted by the minimal
movement in the music, both melodically and rhythmically. Another example of word painting
appears with the phrase “Die Vögel hokken still in ihren Zweigen.” The birdsong is first played
by the oboe and then the flute; as shown in Example 6.9, this melody is derived from the turn
figure. Whitworth indicates the presence of the birdsong, but he describes the birdsong as
“stylized” because “the birdsong is neither ‘real’ birdsong, nor an attempt to re-create real
birdsong.”110 One might disagree with Whitworth and consider the birdsong as a quite faithful
imitation. Whether the birdsong is stylized or faithful, the musical representation of a bird’s
sound is hard to miss. These two examples demonstrate Mahler’s portrayal of human feeling and
nature, respectively.
110
Whitworth, 298.
91
Example 6.9: Birdsong (oboe and flute, mm. 139-46)
When Stanza 3 begins, Mahler uses another recitative to express the speaker’s lonely
monologue. As before, Recitative 2 features the solo flute and alto voice. Again, it also
comprises the first three lines in the stanza. As previously discussed, Mahler inserted the word
“Lebewohl” at the end of Recitative 2 to anticipate the next poem. The use of recitative also
reflects the sadness upon farewell. Recitative 2 closes with a shortened ending figure in m. 165.
The next section, from m. 166, has a faster pace, in which the music moves to a climax at
m. 229. The speaker’s mental condition is depicted by the musical climax; he is overwhelmed by
longing. The pervasive presence of the ecstasy figure here reinforces the climatic moment.
Another distinctive character of this section is more prominent use of the harps; the plucking
sound evokes some Chinese plucking instrument such as a zheng. This sound definitely suggests
92
the poem’s Eastern origin. The climax will then lead to the postlude (mm. 288-302) of the first
poem.
In the first half of “Der Abschied” (mm. 1-302), Mahler uses thematic materials,
monologue in recitative, and word painting to depict nature and lonesomeness. Nature serves
mostly as an environment in which the speaker reflects alone. The relationship between nature
and loneliness will become more intimate in the second poem. Moreover, many of the musical
elements from the first half will be used in the second half.
Table 6.4: Structure of the second poem in “Der Abschied”
Section
Measure
Key
Thematic material
number
Introduction 303-22
C minor Turn figure, counter
2
of the turn figure,
Introduction 323-73
C minor Static figure, ecstasy
3
figure
Stanza 1
374-81
C minor Static figure
(Recitative
3)
Stanza 2
382-93
C minor
394-409
(change of
narrator)
410-29
C minor
C minor
430-59
F major
460-508
C major
Text
Er stieg vom Pferd und reichte
ihm den Trunk des Abschieds
dar.
Er fragte ihn, wohin er führe
Und auch warum es müsste
sein.
Static figure, counter Er sprach, seine Stimme war
of the turn figure,
umflort:
ending figure
Static figure, counter Du, mein Freund,
of the turn figure,
Mir war auf dieser Welt das
turn figure
Glück nicht hold!
Counter of the turn
Wohin ich geh’? Ich geh’, ich
figure, ecstasy
wand’re in die Berge.
figure, turn figure,
ending figure
einsam Herz!
Rocking figure, turn Ich wandle nach der Heimat,
figure
meiner Stätte!
Ich werde niemals in die Ferne
schweifen.
Still ist mein Herz und harret
seiner Stunde!
Die liebe Erde allüberall
Blüht auf im Lenz und grünt
aufs neu!
Allüberall und ewig (ewig)
blauen licht die Fernen,
93
Table 6.4 – continued: Structure of the second poem in “Der Abschied”
Section
Measure
Key
Thematic material
Text
number
(Stanza 2)
509-66
C major Rocking figure
Ewig . . . ewig!
567-72
C major Rocking figure
(Postlude)
As shown in Table 6.4, the form of the second half is reminiscent of the first half; a
recitative is used to emphasize the emotional side of the speaker, in this case his reclusive mood.
The introduction comprises two section, mm. 303-22 and mm. 323-73. Mahler gave Introduction
2 a heavier sound than Introduction 1 by replacing the oboe with the English horn for the turnfigure. Moreover, by using a different instrument to play the same figure, Mahler marks the
beginning of a different poem with a similar atmosphere in this new poem. Introduction 3 is a
long section that incorporates different elements. The static figure is omnipresent in Introduction
3, played repetitively by various instruments. The expansive use of few musical elements creates
a lethargic character for the introduction; the music remains passive and motionless. Such stasis
reflects that the speaker has decided to relinquish the material world in the forthcoming poem.
Like the recitatives in the first poem, Recitative 3 appears immediately after the
introduction and includes three lines. This recitative, however, presents an even more sorrowful
soliloquy. The accompaniment is reduced to merely long notes in the cellos and contrabasses; the
flute in Recitatives 1 and 2, which created some movement there, does not play here. The
speaker narrates two friends’ farewell in these three lines. They drink, and one asks the other his
reason for leaving. Mahler’s use of a recitative here thus expresses his own interpretation of this
farewell – it is filled with sorrow. The farewell seems heartbreaking.
With a short interlude (mm. 381-85), the narrator says, “Er sprach, seine Stimme war
umflort,” to introduce the departing character’s words. Mahler again expresses his interpretation
in music; the pitches in this phrase barely move (Example 6.10). The motionless melody again
indicates the character’s heavy-hearted mood. This phrase also prepares for the change of
speaker in the next phrase.
94
Example 6.10: Alto, m. 392
The departing character begins to speak at m. 398 with a rather high note for the alto
voice, a C5. In the beginning of the section the presence of larger leaps clearly indicates the
change of speaker. His statement starts with his disappointment in the world. In the beginning of
Stanza 2 he continues to express his feeling of being lost in the world, and his mood becomes
more solemn. The music shows this by another motionless melodic line in mm. 410-14 (Example
6.11). The lack of motion in this phrase not only indicates the character’s heavy mood but also
contradicts the verb “go.” In other words, the idea of going somewhere is negated by the
melody’s inactivity. In this contradiction Mahler expresses the character’s pessimism.
Furthermore, the woodwinds play the figure shown in Example 7.2, but the minor harmony
darkens the figure’s color to reveal the character’s mood.
Just when the music seems hopelessly sorrowful, the character’s mood lightens in the
third to fifth lines in Stanza 2. The ending figure (shown in Example 6.3) in the first clarinet in
mm. 424-25 signals an approaching end, and the character expresses his thoughts with a slightly
more positive attitude, indicated by the change of key from C minor to F major at m. 430. The
rocking figure returns in the English horn, clarinets, and first harp. The turn figure is played by
the violins and the first flute. This combination provides a feeling of comfort, since it has already
been used in this movement. This comfort is reassured when the character says, “Ich wandle
nach der Heimat, meiner Stätte!” With this different attitude, the character seems to be more
willing to accept the situation. He can now relinquish the world and set himself free into nature.
95
The narrator returns at m. 460, and he has gone beyond the story of two friends’
farewell – his focus has shifted to the world. The key changes again from F major to C major,
further signaling the positive side of the narrator’s thought. He describes the sublime world in
which the earth blooms and grows green. The long phrases depict the permanence and broadness
of the world. The sublimity of the world is also illustrated by a figure shown in Example 6.12.
This figure is played by the harp and the celesta, instruments whose sound can be related to
heaven. The combination of the arch-shape melody and the choice of instruments creates an
unearthly sound, representing the eternal presence of nature and the speaker’s hope to go beyond
life and death, since only nature can outlive humanity.
Example 6.12: Second harp, mm. 495-98
From m. 509 to m. 566, the only text is “ewig,” repeated seven times. As shown in
Example 6-13, this word is sung to a melody with very little motion. The repetition, which
Adorno described as stuttering, and the slow pace paint a world that is broad and eternal.111
Through repetitions of the same word, the music approaches the end. The tonality of this word
has been discussed widely; the lack of tonal resolution reflects the poem’s opening ending and
the world’s eternity.112 From m. 567, the text ceases and the movement ends with a peaceful
section, in which not much action takes place and long-sustained notes present the eternal earth.
111
Theordo W. Adorno, Mahler: A Musical Physiognomy, translated by Edmund Jephcott (Chicago and London:
The University of Chicago Press, 1992), 154.
112
Further discussion see Hermann Danuser, “Musical Manifestations of the End in Wagner and in Post-Wagnerian
Weltanschauungsmusik,” 19th-century Music 18 (1994): 64-82.
96
Through the composer’s skillful word painting, orchestration, and use of genres, “Der
Abschied” presents an intimate journey bridging two poems. In this movement, the speaker
experiences disappointment with the world and then decides to withdraw from the material world.
Nature becomes the speaker’s hope to transcend beyond the material world; he therefore retreats
to nature and uses objects in nature, clouds, to describe the two friends’ long-lasting friendship.
Moreover, the free use of form and recitative in a symphonic song symbolize a farewell to the
conventional forms, whether the farewell is from the speaker or the composer. This movement is
the destination of the work; through the various experiences in the first five movements, the
speaker reaches a deeper understanding of life in this movement. The life of the earth is eternal,
but that of humankind is ephemeral. Death is not frightening, for it can be a relief. He has come
to understand that once he renounces the obsession with reputation and material, life can be free
and positive, as shown in the change from minor to major tonality. At the end the speaker bids
farewell to the world and turns to nature for a transcendent life. All that is left is the word “ewig”
resounding in an open space.
97
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Combining seven poems originally from ancient China, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde
presents the speaker’s intellectual journey. Consideration of this source provides the hearer a
new way of thinking about this work, 超然 (chao-ren), as mentioned in the introduction to this
study. Although this point of view cannot necessarily be translated into Western terms, the
transcendental thinking the speaker eventually chooses makes an effective connection with
Eastern philosophy.
In Das Lied von der Erde, nature serves as a bridge between two cultures, a symbol that
both ancient Chinese and early twentieth-century Europeans can share. Nature plays a significant
role, although differently in each movement, to symbolize important concepts, to provide the
speaker a space to think, or to inspire the speaker’s contemplation. Das Lied von der Erde thus
connects two cultures to express a philosophy that values spirituality over materialism.
Tracing the original poem reveals mistranslation of certain symbols and misattribution of
the poet. The original poet of “Der Einsame im Herbst” was misattributed by Gautier, and the
family name “Tao” was mistranslated into “porcelain” in “Von der Jugend.” Fusako Hamao’s
article present logical reasoning of the process and provides important information for this issue.
The examination of the texts shows that Chinese poems are written in a symbolic, concise
fashion, whereas Bethge’s poems as well as Mahler’s versions present a more amply descriptive
style. This difference arises from the different styles of Tang poetry and contemporary German
poetry. Nevertheless, the translations often preserve important symbols that are in the Chinese
original. These symbols sometimes create an exotic impression, such as the ape in “Das
Trinklied vom Jammer” and the lotus-flower in “Von der Schönheit.” These similarities,
differences, and mistranslations all become part of the history of Das Lied von der Erde.
The music, on the other hand, reveals the composer’s creative approach in composition.
The structural designs of most movements cannot be determined solely by tonal or formal
analysis; for instance, the constant changes of keys do not correspond to divisions in the poem,
as discussed in Chapters 1 and 2. This thesis thus uses the poetic structure as the main frame to
recognize the forms. Mahler’s use of thematic material in this work is particularly noteworthy.
His memorable melodies easily draw a listener’s attention. Recognizing themes thus becomes an
98
important key to comprehending and interpreting Das Lied von der Erde. Moreover, variations
or mutations of the thematic materials are also crucial in analyzing the music.
Mahler’s musical setting of these poems not only reveals his interpretation but, more
importantly, incorporates the audience into such a journey. That is to say, Mahler’s musical
design often transforms the text into musical surroundings to allow the audience to experience
the speaker’s feelings or observations and perhaps space to develop their own. These features
present Mahler’s idiosyncratic style of composing in the later stage of his life.
Employing the analyses of the different texts and music, my thesis traces the course of
the speaker’s intellectual journey. He begins the journey by questioning the meaning of life in
“Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde.” As the journey continues into various scenes, the speaker
reflects upon life from various angles. He experiences sorrow through a girl’s story in “Der
Einsame im Herbst.” After such a distressing movement, the speaker joins a party with friends in
“Von der Jugend.” A story about a maiden falling in love with a young man soon follows in
“Von der Schönheit.” The happy moments end, however, at the fourth movement. The speaker
returns to his personal misery in “Der Trunkene im Frühling” and drinks excessively. His
journey eventually leads him to deeper understandings of life in “Der Abschied,” in which he
resolves to relinquish the material world, retreat into nature, and look beyond life and death.
99
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104
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Shih-Ni (Sidney) Sun
Shih-Ni (Sidney) Sun received her Bachelor of Arts degree in foreign languages and
literatures from National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, in 2000. Two years later she
came to the United States for higher education. She received her Master of Arts degree in
Comparative Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in
2004; her Master of Music degree in Saxophone Performance from University of North Carolina
at Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2006; and the Master of Music degree in Historical
Musicology at Florida State University in May 2009.
105

Gustav Mahler`s Das Lied Von Der Erde: An Intellectual

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