Alban Berg Op.4 (René Lebow.)
Alban Berg Op.4 (René Lebow.)
Alban Berg Op.4 (René Lebow.)
SONGS
487
488 The Musical Quarterly
Englander), who lived just outside of Vienna, sent his friends and
enemies postcards covered with his impetuous and frantic scrawl, in
which he presented all sorts of non-conformist ideas and erotic allu-
sions in the form of aphorisms. Of course, it goes without saying that
Berg chose such texts not because they would shock people, but
Alban Berg
Alban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 489
The second stage of the suspension of tonal functions is found in
the String Quartet, Op. 3. Here the form itself necessitated a less
aggressive attitude; Berg had to devote his principal efforts to the
realization of the large symphonic form without the aid of tonality.
Up to a certain point, this Quartet is still the work of a pupil, not
This is a real motivic germ from which almost all the other
figures of the prelude are derived. In fact, we note: 1) that this motif
is underlined by a figuration of the first violins (Ex. 2), which adds
tones a major third lower than those of the motif. Aside from the
Ex. 2
Alban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 493
fact that this interval appears twice in the motivic germ (between
the first and fourth tones and between the third and fifth tones), we
thus hear a sort of imitation of the motif a third lower. 2) The
motif is strictly imitated: a) by the xylophone at the distance of a
sixteenth note (syncopated); b) by diminution in the second and
Ex.
Ex. 4 (underlined by the pizzicati of the second violins divisi), is
based on the interval of a minor third, the initial interval of the
Ex.4J
motivic germ A; c) the motif of the second and third trumpets
(Ex. 5) elaborates the intervals of a half step and a whole step found
in the motivic germ (B and D); d) the figure of the celesta as well as
its free imitation in the harp (Ex. 6) elaborates the interval of a
major third (taken from the figuration of the violins—c/. Ex. 2), the
intervals of a half step and a whole step (B, D), and especially an
interval that was not yet elaborated in the other secondary voices,
the augmented fourth (C).
This complex superposition of various elements, which seems to
be laid out on a number of different levels and appears somewhat
chaotic at first glance, nevertheless obeys the laws of a precise organi-
zation, produced by a strong sense of compositional economy. Variety
is achieved not only by the abundance of highly contrasted figura-
tions, but also by the perpetual shifting of accents which results
494 The Musical Quarterly
from the irregular meters of the figures contained within the regular
meter of the measure.
It is this superposition that determines the main part of the
prelude. A series of transpositions of the whole structure leads into
a ff climax at m. 15.
Ex. 7 S
make up the cadence. We recognize tones 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the motivic
germ, completed by the entrance of the voice with tone 4.
The next seven measures (mm. 20-26) may be considered a con-
trasting middle section in which the voice dominates. The voice
begins by sounding, in a hesitating fashion and without words (with
the mouth half closed), first B and then C. With its ascent to C-sharp,
the first phrase (antecedent) of this section begins. The connection
between the new section and the cadence is assured by the instrumen-
tation; the cadential elements of the flutes (Ex. 7) dissolve into a
melody which unfolds in an accompanying phrase. The vocal part
first uses (in the antecedent) four motifs built almost exclusively
on the intervals of the whole-tone scale; only the last motif begins
with the leap of a minor third. The harmony of the orchestra is
built on the same intervals and introduces the Schoenbergian
technique of the Klangfarbenmelodie, in which the same chord is
repeated with almost imperceptible changes of the instrumental
grouping.6 (This procedure, as we shall see, undergoes further
development in the third song, where it becomes one of the structural
bases of the composition.) I should like once more to call attention
to the way in which Berg tries to connect the discoveries of his
master with the musical language of the past. Schoenberg uses the
abovementioned procedure in a very complex way; the chord is
8
Sec Schoenberg's Op. 16, No. 3.
Alban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 495
formed every time by heterogeneous combinations of solo instru-
ments. Berg simplifies the procedure by giving the chord each time
to homogeneous orchestral groups (woodwinds, brass, strings), and
thus, in a certain sense, makes the historical implications of the
technique explicit.
Ex. 8!
Even more interesting is the sixteenth-note figure which is found,
during these.measures, in the basses, 'cellos, and violas, and which
is simply the augmentation of the celesta figure of Ex. 6. Obviously,
then, Berg took great pains in establishing a connection between
this little section and the first section; this is also shown by the last
four notes in the vocal part (Ex. 9), which correspond literally to
the last four notes of the motivic germ. After a brief transition, the
recapitulation of the first section occurs in an extremely varied way.
The end of the transition takes place on a heavy chord which is
organized according to the following scheme:
It contains (on the upper staff) two augmented fifth chords belong-
ing to two different whole-tone scales (mixing the chromatic and the
whole-tone systems), and (on the lower staff) the "fundamental"
chord which persists as a pedal point until the end of the piece. This
produces the essential quality of recapitulation, although we should
also note that the motif of Ex. 6 is repeated literally by the violins
playing pizzicato, by the contrabassoon, and several other times in
free variants.'
496 The Musical Quarterly
To all this is added a new element, the last phrase of the vocal
part. Its style, declamatory rather than melodic, is based on Berg's
typical procedure of starting with the smallest interval, the half
step, and gradually increasing the size of the intervals7: G—A-flat
(minor second), G—B-flat (minor third), G—C-sharp (augmented
Ex. 14
• r
(Ex. 15), which elaborates the interval of a fourth twice; the first
elaboration contains two fourths, the second three fourths. The
Ex. 15 =
two elaborations are separated by.a major third.10 This motif intro-
8 First used in Schoenberg's Second Chamber Symphony, this motif recurs in
Webem's Op. 7 and plays a considerable role in Lulu.
• This vocalise seems to have been suggested by Schoenberg, according to the testi-
mony of the first pencil manuscript of the fourth and fifth songs. This manuscript
contains the vocalise, written on the last page in Schoenberg's handwriting. Egon
Wellesz reported on the manuscript in Tempo, No. 15 (London, 1946); since the other
songs were not available to him he affirmed a little too rashly that this passage "has
nothing to do with the Five Songs".
10 Ernst Krenek remarked that this motif returns in the last song, where it plays an
important role, and that it foreshadows certain typical aggregations in Wozzeck. (Reich,
op. cit.)
498 The Musical Quarterly
duces a short codetta which consists of a ninth chord with pedal
point.
After the pedal point of m. 7, there begins a final segment, which
we may consider a varied recapitulation of the first segment. Thus,
the complete form of this song again follows the A-B-A1 scheme.
Ex. 16 a
motif b (B-natural in place of B-flat); 2) its last three notes (NB) are
a variant of motif a.
The third song is also rather short. The tempo is moderate. The
orchestra is fuller than in the preceding piece: 3 flutes, oboe and
English horn, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon,
3 horns, 1 trumpet, 2 trombones, tuba, tympani, tamtam, celesta,
piano, harp, and strings. Again the structure follows the A-B-A1
scheme. The form, very simple in this song, is largely elaborated by
purely orchestral means. In fact the two outer sections are dominated
by a twelve-tone chord (Ex. 17 a, b). This chord is first presented by
the woodwinds alone. It is held throughout the first five measures
and is then dissolved during the two following measures. But it is
Ex. 17
not simply held, since the different instruments are constantly chang-
ing their roles. This perpetual change in tone-color is again derived
from Schoenberg's concept of Klangfarbenmelodie, which also plays
an important part in the middle section of the piece. It should be
remarked that this procedure, each time it occurs in Op. 4, is not
simply imitated or copied by Berg. Instead, the composer of the Five
Songs adapts his master's device to his own needs, and uses it to
fulfil certain precise and traditional functions. Let us not forget that
the twelve-tone chord serves here as an accompaniment to the vocal
part TKus, its continuous changes of tone-color create an extremely
Alban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 499
mobile accompaniment. Since there is only one twelve-tone chord
to be found within the total resources of chromaticism, it is clear
that it can only be varied through the use of Klangfarbenmelodie.
As regards structure, we observe that the vocal part is exactly the
same in the two principal sections (A and A1), except for the final c,
Ex. 18
The vocal part begins with the same interval, presented in con-
trary motion to the motif of the flute. The succeeding motifs of the
vocal part, although they continue to emphasize the half step, also
500 The Musical Quarterly
introduce new intervals which are subsequently used according to
principles already familiar to us.
The first section of the piece ends with a contracted repetition of
the motif of the flute, and with a free imitation of a fragment of the
vocal part by the English horn. A chord (Ex. 19) is constituted at
KBl
A solo viola takes up the low A with which the vocal part ended,
and extends the motif to the A-flat a fifteenth above, where it remains
during the transition of A1 (Ex. 21). This segment is also introduced
by the chord of Ex. 19, played this time by the four clarinets.
Ex. 21
EX. 22
22), the intervals of which are familiar to us (cf. Exx. 11 and 12). The
dissolution of this chord produces some new "extravagant" effects:
a glissando in harmonics on the C-string of the solo 'cello, followed
by a glissando on the kettle drums which is achieved by tuning them
down during the roll.
The fifth song is by far the longest of the group: 55 measures
in slow tempo. The orchestra is the same here as in the first song.
The form is that of a passacaglia. Here, therefore, we observe the
Alban Berg's Five Orchestral Songs 501
tendency to organize vocal forms according to strictly instrumental
and symphonic principles, a tendency that finds its culmination in
Berg's operas. Furthermore this will to a priori organization which
impresses itself upon the last song of Op. 4 gives rise to a mode of
expression slightly calmer than that to be found in the other pieces
ALBAN BERG
ORCHESTERLIED
(Ansiditfkartentext von Peter Altenberg)
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