Nilo Alcala

Just want to share this paper I wrote:

Richard Strauss:  Allerseelen (All Souls’ Day)

Opus 10, No.8 (Composed 1885)

Poetry: Hermann von Gilm

 Nilo B. Alcala

ERNEST Newman, an English music critic in the early 1900s, has remarked in his book about Richard Strauss how the composer “is not a born song writer.”  He has dismissed a number of the composer’s songs “not as music but merchandise” and even deemed questionable Strauss’ taste in poetry.  Newman’s reasoning is that most of Strauss’ lieder are “absolutely formless, with no more organization than a jellyfish.”   He continues that “…the music simply wanders on from one line to another without reason and without connection….you will have a sense of drifting aimlessly through one key after another, such vague emotions  as have been stirred now and then being quite unrelated to each other.” (Newman 1908, 89, 92-93)

Newman declares that Strauss already has a “musical frame of mind” prior to the selection of poetry to set into music, and only looks for “the right vessel into which to pour his ideas.”  Thus, for Newman, a song by Strauss “is made, not born” (Newman 1908, 94).   Yet Newman could have overlooked, in his hasty conclusions about Strauss’ music, how the context of the poetry might have guided Strauss in shaping his songs, no matter how “aimlessly wandering” Newman have felt these songs be. 

Allerseelen is the eight song of Opus 10.  Consistent with Newman’s observation, the song seemingly has numerous key shifts and, upon first hearing, evokes an aural sense of drifting from one place, or feeling, to another.  This lied is among Strauss’ most popular, frequently performed even in concerts and recitals up to this day.  Newman fleetingly acknowledges then that Allerseelen could be among the few songs of Strauss worthy of immortality.  Yet even at the mention of this positive remark, Newman readily labels the emotional content of the song as “a little solid and beefy” (Newman 1908, 99).  He goes no further as to why he thinks the song could potentially be deemed timeless.

Beginning in the supertonic

The lied is in Eb Major and begins with a melody outlining a downward arpeggio of the tonic on scale degrees 3, 1, and 5.  From root position, the chord shifts to I⁶ in measure2, then to I^6/4 in m.3.  This successive change in inversions creates an ‘aural illusion’ of variety or shifts in harmony even as the chord remains the same.  The downward stepwise bass line in m.3 lands on the note F on 1^st beat of m.4, the note F anticipating its full disclosure as F minor on the 3^rd beat (m4), and more strongly on the 3^rd beat of m.5.  The F minor chord, which is ii of Eb, is introduced twice by a vii^o7/ii (E^o7 chord) (m.4 & m5).   By the second ‘appearance’ of the F minor chord (m.5), it has in effect been tonicized, moreover by assertion as the F minor lingers from measures 4 to 9.    The vocal line enters at the tonicized supertonic on m. 7 which aurally seems to have subtly “drifted away” from the beginning Eb Major.   

An understanding of the text may account for this unconventional choice of Strauss not to begin the vocal line on the tonic.  The character in the poem addresses a departed loved one saying, “Put on the table the fragrant mignonettes….” seemingly speaking to someone physically alive and present.  This is essentially a spiritual, even metaphysical act of communing with someone in a different, probably higher realm or dimension – and is metaphorically represented by Strauss through aural suggestion of a “new realm” which is F minor, incidentally a step above the Tonic Eb.

The person continues to tell the departed love one, “carry the last red astors here….”  From F minor, the chord moves to Bb which is V of Eb (see m.10), and at the end of the phrase makes a cadence to the ‘original’ tonic (Eb).  The shift from F minor to Bb is seemingly that of a subtle aural “lift” aptly in context of the word ‘tragen’ (to carry; to lift); this “lift” reinforced by a leap of a minor sixth in the melody.  Notably, towards the end of the phrase and in the word ‘herbei’ (here), the phrase resolves to the original tonic Eb – a probable and certainly apt reference to the ‘here and now’ (m.11).

Reminiscing

                After a brief reference to the “now,” the person then continues to address the departed loved one, “…and let us again talk of love like once in May.”   The aural “feeling” of the harmonic progression at the start of the phrase (Und lass uns wieder von der Liebe reden…) is that of an abrupt shift to a higher “plane” and from then on a feeling of rising higher and higher and drifting further and further.  The phrase begins at the end of m. 11 which is still in the tonic (Eb) and at the next measure (m.12) abruptly “enters” into a G Major chord, apparently not diatonic in the key of Eb.  The bass line from m.12 to m. 16 descends stepwise, yet analysis of the root of the chord progression reveals a suggestion of “remote key modulations” using root movements either a Major 3rd or  an Augmented 4^th apart – a process gaining popularity among composers of the Romantic period that allows more possibilities for “breaking free” from the original key.   The G Major is a Major 3rd apart from the previous Eb Major, which, after two measures (m.14), “modulates” to Eb – now aurally “remote” in context and not serving as the tonic of the original key.  As the person sings the phrase “Wie enst im Mai (like once in May)” (m.14 – m.15) which suggests a longing for and reminiscence of a particular time in the past, the root movement becomes an Augmented 4^th apart – from Eb Major to A Major; this root movement of a tritone aurally reinforces the feeling of drifting further - and in this case, further back to the “past”, sometime “in May.”  A two-measure instrumental interlude (m.16-m.17) ensues, again a Major 3^rd apart in root position from the previous chord, and thus further “drifting away” – the interlude being a probable allusion to reminiscence.  The “new tonic,” a I^4/3 is in Db Major, which moves to its Dominant, Ab Major.   

Back to reality?

                After being caught in a moment of nostalgia (2 measures), the speaker of the poem abruptly shifts back to seeming “reality” and addresses the departed beloved, again as if physically alive and present, saying, “Give me your hand, that I may secretly press its, if anyone sees it, it does not matter”.  Indeed, the music abruptly “cancels” its accidentals and moves back to its key signature of three flats (m.18).  Yet as this “conversation” is not of a physical and present nature, Strauss sets the music not in the original tonic of Eb (with which the notion of here and now is a probable allusion) but in its relative C minor key – reinforcing the notion of “another” realm.  The root movement of the chord from the Ab of the instrumental interlude (m.17) to the C minor of the new phrase (m.18) is once again a Major 3rd apart, hence the abrupt aural shift to this “other realm”.   From measures 21 to 26, Strauss allows for a stepwise, chromatic bass line which sets a tonal stage for a “harmonically wandering” vocal line from measures 22 to 26 where the speaker asks the beloved, “give me one of your sweet glances….”  Incidentally, at the word “süssen” (sweet), the mood is recognizably different as the somber key of C minor at the start of the phrase (m.27) has been “transformed” to allow a “sweeter sounding” D Major chord to accompany the phrase “sweet glances”.  The chromatic bass line continues as the speaker mentions again, “…like once in May.”  The phrase lands on the V^4/2 of the original key, preparing the resolution back to Eb.

The “here and now”

                Upon resolving to the original tonic which may aurally be perceived as a return to the “here and now”, the speaker notably speaks of “heute” (today) , the phrase not necessarily directed towards the departed loved one, saying, “Today, it (the mignonettes) blossoms and smells on each grave....”  The speaker then continues, “one day in the year indeed the dead are free…” and upon realizing that it could be so, the speaker summons the departed loved once again,   “come to my heart, that I may have you again...”   The harmonic progression beginning at m. 27 up to the phrase “das ich dich wieder habe” (m.34) is as follows:    I- viio7 – ii  –  #ivo7 – V – I – vi – ii.  This progression allows for the upper outer notes of the vocal line to follow an ascending direction, aptly illustrating and evoking a sense of setting something “frei”.  The ascending contour reaches its peak as the speaker summons the  departed loved one that they may be together again, this section notably marked by the composer with molto espressivo. 

Realization and acceptance

                Upon reaching the climax, Strauss, for the first time in the piece, allows for a moment (a quarter beat) of complete silence for both piano and vocal line (m.35), as if the speaker has realized the impossibility of physically bringing back the departed loved one.  In a seemingly discouraged melodic contour, the speaker refers back to the past, “wie einst in Mai…”  with a descending melodic line (Eb, D, C, Bb) landing on the a V6/5 chord (Bb Major)  – which the piano alters to become a painfully somber diminished chord (E^o7) (m.37) and carries through a line descending further (Db, C, Bb, Ab, G, F) – the piano as if singing through a line which the speaker can no longer finish.  It lands on a I^6/4 chord (m.38), seemingly refusing to completely resolve to root position tonic chord, still holding on to that “time in May”.    

One last glance

Once again and for the last time, the voice sings “wie einst in Mai” following an upward direction with scale degrees 5(#) – 6 – 7 – 1, the last two notes notably transposed in a lower octave (m.39 - 40), thus firmly grounding the entrance of the tonic Eb.   The accompaniment in measures 38 and 39 significantly reduces rhythmic activity as it only plays half notes and quarter notes in the last two beats of m.39, preparing for a resolution to the tonic.  Yet in a probable impulse to quickly “glance back to the past” once again, the piano resumes active rhythmic activity on the tonic of M. 40, playing ascending notes in triplets.  This allows for one last set of harmonic progression, as follows:  I – vii^o7 – IV^6/4 – iv^6/4.  Eventually this “quick glance” resolves to the Eb – the “here and now”.  Notably, Strauss employed not a strong cadence from Dominant to Tonic at the closing of the lied, but rather a subtler Plagal cadence with the top note on the 3^rd degree of the tonic chord.  This allows for an aural impression of return without the intensity and finality of a perfect authentic cadence.  This may imply how the speaker will continue to hold on to that sweet memory in May, long after Allerseelen.

Conclusion

The analysis of the harmonic scheme and melodic contour of Allerseelen vis-à-vis the context of the poetry reveals that the compositional choices of Strauss are arguably in congruence with the denotative and connotative essence of the text.  This congruence may or may not be present in all of Strauss’ lieder, yet may be enough to let listeners consider that Strauss’ lieder do not “aimlessly’ wander.    Had Ernest Newman spent more time deciphering why Strauss’ music “wanders” into different harmonic fields and thus evoke “unrelated emotions”, he may have not concluded that Strauss’ lieder are conceived “apart” from the text.  Strauss possibly had been more purposive in his compositional choices than what Newman may have surmised. 

Reference:

Newman, Ernest.  1969.  Richard Strauss.  Freeport, NY:  Books for Libraries Press.  (Orig. pub. 1908)

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Copyright © May 2008  Nilo B. Alcala II

Reproduce only with permission

written for Advanced Tonal Analysis  MTC 646 S.U. Setnor School of Music