Bibliography

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/goethe.htm

http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/clas/index.htm

http://www.andreas-praefcke.de/wunderlich/

Newbould, Brian (1999). Schubert: The Music and the Man. University of California Press.  

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44183/Austria/33361/The-Age-of-Metternich-1815-48

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars#Start_date_and_nomenclature

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_vienna

Following, is my eclectic analysis (in backwards order)...

Schubert "Heidenröslein, D. 257 (Op.3/3)" - Meta-Critique

The eclectic analysis of "Heidenröslein" generated a lot of valuable data about the poem, the song, and their relationship as a lied.  The most success was found in Steps 3 though 6 (syntax, phenomenology, musical and textual representation, virtual feeling).  The movement between each step truly built upon itself each time and led to a comprehensive understanding of the nature of the piece upon completing Step 6.

The flaw of this eclectic analysis is perhaps its eclectic-ness.  In analyzing "Heidenröslein," one must consider the poet, the composer, and the vocalist.  None of these three artists can be left out since each plays such a crucial role in this analysis: phenomenology could not be completed without thoughts on the vocalist, musical and textual representation relied on the poet, and syntax was based in the composer.  The true issues surfaced in the relms of onto-historical world and historical background, during which the analyst attempted to include information stemming from all of the artists.  However, as one knows, the more information one tries to squeeze in then the less specific one can be.  Additionally, it might have been beneficial to do a brief analysis of "Heidenröslein" set to different music by different composers (at least one or two) in order to set up another step of the eclectic: comparative analysis.

Schubert "Heidenröslein, D. 257 (Op.3/3)" - Performance Guide

When performing Schubert's lied "Heidenröslein" the most important thing is to completely understand the poem.  One cannot simply sing the text as if it is just a group of meaningless syllables.  On the other hand, one cannot simply give the song any direction he or she wants.  Rather, the poem must be interpreted in a way that is cohesive with the poem, so that if one were to take away the text, then one's tone of voice could still tell the same story.

Other important techniques in performing "Heidenröslein" are rubato and volume.  Rubato should be used liberally with taste.  Do not make the listener feel sick by the instability of your tempo.  However, it is the nature of this simple song to be dramatized in this way.  The same goes for volume - the volume should change with the tone of voice and the mood of the specific part of the poem.  

Overall, treat each stanza like a different scene in a play.  Even though the notes are exactly the same, the character must be completely different depending on if one is singing the opening, the middle, or the ending.  Each portion of Goethe's has its own flavor and it should be treated as such.

Schubert "Heidenröslein, D. 257 (Op.3/3)" - Second Open Listening

Even without acknowledging the text, the song feels like a story with Schubert and Fritz Wunderlich as the narrators.  As story teller, Wunderlich emphasizes the emotions of each character in his voice.  He is a sympathetic commentator - the dramatic changes in the countour of his voice both within and between phrases reflect both the attitudes of each character and of his own opinions/observations (which is really Goethe's third person commentary, but it functions as the vocalist's commentary in this setting.) Additionally, each time the song repeats, it is in a different context as the lyrics are at a different point in the poem.  Wunderlich reflects this in changing the character of his voice completely with each repeat.  And finally, there is Schubert; the puppet master behind Wunderlich's narration, he composed the piece to reflect the tone of the characters and the conflict that make up the poem.

Schubert "Heidenröslein, D. 257 (Op.3/3)" - Onto-Historical World

CULTURAL WORLD OF COMPOSITION:

Schubert composed the lied to Heidenröslein in 1815 in Vienna.  This was an extremely turbulent time in all of Europe.  After the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars were sparked in 1803.  These wars involved Russian and most major European countries.  Aside from the United Kingdom, Austria became the most resolute enemy of France and had over a million men fighting in the wars.  The wars ended at the Congress of Vienna, when European ambassadors met to discuss the issues that arose from the wars and to redraw the political map of Europe.  These discussions lasted from September of 1814 until June of 1815, and bear particular historical significance in that they mark the first time that people came together from all over the continent to meet in one place to make peace over a treaty.  The settlements they reached at these meetings were held up until 1914.  A major result for Austria was changes in territorial claims.

CULTURAL WORLD OF POEM:

Heidenröslein was one of Goethe's early poems. Many people took to the poem's unconventional simplicity.   It was written in 1771 and published in 1789, which was a pivotal time in Goethe's life, as he took off in the whirlwind of his self-made (with a partner) period of literature.  [Since I have already spoken about the time period in regards to Schubert's composition, I will now expand upon this major period that followed Goethe's composition of the poem.]

Weimar Classicism was a period from (1788-1832) during which two thinkers/writers, Goethe and Schiller, searched for "aesthetic standards in contemporary literature". They did not wish to copy Classic Greek literature, but hoped to infuse those aesthetic qualities found in Classic Greek literature (such as genre or structure) into their contemporary German literature, as a way of creating new forms for their own culture.  Examples of subject focuses in their literature were the development of individuality and finding direction through experience.  Both men were extremely multi-talented, and each put out a vast array of literature during this time period, from the solely literary to the scientific to the philosophical.

After Schiller died in 1805, it is believed that Goethe began to move toward Romantic styles of writing in his poetry.  His poetry of this time is characterized by exoticism, or the borrowing of style from a distant culture, which also characterized Romantic poetry of the time.  However, it is believed that Goethe was able to distinguish himself from Romantic poets by using his own distinct expressive mode.

Schubert "Heidenröslein, D. 257 (Op.3/3)" - Virtual Feeling

After analyzing the text of Goethe's poem, many of the phenomenological and syntactical observations can now be put into the context of the story.  I will provide an outline of the text and use referential meanings to describe how the subject of each line is reflected in both the composition and the voice of the tenor.

Crude boy saw a tiny new

Rosebud in the heather,

During the first two lines, when the boy is noticing the rosebud in the heather, the music is bouncing around, pleasant and innocent, as if the boy has no ulterior intentions.

Young as dawn and fresh as dew;

The naïveté of the music continues until the word "fresh", which is the first mention of the rose's chasteness.  It is at this point when the music dabbles in the minor mode and the voice becomes a bit uneasy.

Ran straight up and stooped to view,

There is a deliberateness in the voice, and strong major chords on the upbeats imply that the character is eager and after something.

Filled his eyes with pleasure,

The voice seems overcome with passion and desire.  As the stepwise passage of sixteenth note is sung it feels like the character is floating down from a cloud of elation.  Overall this phrase feels like love song being sung from afar, and the rose cannot hear it being sung.  This longing still carries an air of innocence with it.

Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose

An ascending scale and a glorious affirmation that it is this rose that he desires.

Rosebud in the heather.

As the music falls down from the high G to the low G, the character also seems to be falling down from his cloud of passions.  The voice is calm and assuring as the character falls back into reality, in which he will pursue the rose.

Said the boy, "I will pick you,

Rosebud in the heather".

The increased volume, vigor and enunciation in the voice exemplify the character's shameless and confident declaration that he will have the rose.

Rose replied, "Then I'll stick you,

The voice almost responds to itself in a different tone that is much more anxious, as it begins to characterize the rose speaking.  The voice seems to grace each note without letting it ring out, as if trying to run away while singing.

Let my sharp thorns run you through,

You will not forget me, ever!"

The tone of the voice changes almost to say "don't you have any pity on me?  I am merely a rose".  This seems to embody a deliberate contradiction between the text which is angry and the voice which is heartbreaking - this is also a characteristic that many women embody when they are being sly in argumentative situations.

Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose

Rosebud in the heather.

Almost in direct response, the voice of the boy comes back in to reassure.  This time, the text seems directed at the rose not as a love song but in a way that says: "Rosebud, rosebud, little rose, don't you see? You are naïve and I am going to have you no matter what".  It is almost as if he is speaking this portion in his head, as if to say "you don't know this now, but you will later...".

So the rough boy ripped the little rose, 

Rosebud in the heather,

The voice is loud and tension is building as the voice links and draws out each syllable and seems to sway back and forth between each note, growing and growing, without taking a single breathe!  This commotion personifies the boy beginning to rape the rose.

Though she pricked, he held her close,

The voice remains loud and powerful, as if the vocalist, as a third person narrator, cannot believe what is happening.

Though she cried, the poor little rose,

Made no difference for her,

The voice, still strong and powerful, takes on an apologetic tone.  The vocalist seems to be crying out for this injustice that he is witnessing.

Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose

In what still seems like the voice of the narrator, the vocalist reflects on the events that have just happened in a sad, faint, and quiet tone.  The ascending scale, previously sung gloriously, is now sung with despair and forlorn.

Rosebud in the heather.

Finally, the voice jumps back into the character of the boy for one final phrase.  Content with himself for what he has just accomplished (rape), the music becomes happy and bouncy in a major mode once more. The boy walks away, whistling to himself, as he goes off to resume his day.

Schubert "Heidenröslein, D. 257 (Op.3/3)" - Musical and Textual Representation

Heidenröslein by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

Sah ein Knab ein Röslein stehn,

Röslein auf der Heiden,

War so jung und morgenschön,

Lief er schnell, es nah zu sehn,

Sah's mit vielen Freuden.

Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot,

Röslein auf der Heiden.

Knabe sprache: Ich breche dich,

Röslein auf der Heiden!

Röslein sprach: Ich steche dich, 

Daß du ewig denkst an mich,

Und ich will's nicht leiden.

Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot,

Röslein auf der Heiden.

Und der wild Knabe brach

's Röslein auf der Heiden;

Röslein wehrte sich und stach,

Half ihr doch kein Weh und Ach,

Mußt es eben leiden.

Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot,

Röslein auf der Heiden.

TRANSLATION BY LESLIE NORRIS AND ALAN F. KEELE:

Crude boy saw a tiny new

Rosebud in the heather,

Young as dawn and fresh as dew;

Ran straight up and stooped to view,

Filled his eyes with pleasure,

Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose

Rosebud in the heather.

Said the boy, "I will pick you,

Rosebud in the heather".

Rose replied, "Then I'll stick you,

Let my sharp thorns run you through,

You will not forget me, ever!"

Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose

Rosebud in the heather.

So the rough boy ripped the little rose, 

Rosebud in the heather,

Though she pricked, he held her close,

Though she cried, the poor little rose,

Made no difference for her,

Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose

Rosebud in the heather.

This poem by Goethe contains many common symbols.  The rose is a common metaphor for virginity and femininity.  The rose therefore resembles a young and delicate virgin woman.  Sex is also a common subject of poetry, but it is covered up with metaphors such as the rose because of its taboo nature.  (Sex is so taboo because it comes with many dangers and fears, such as sexually transmitted diseases and rape).

The story, therefore, might be interpreted as such: A boy comes upon a girl ("rose") he has never seen before.  This girl stands out from the rest of the flowers (" the heather").  Young, gorgeous, and most likely a virgin ("fresh"), he is overcome by sexual desires ("filled his eyes with pleasure") and decides he must have her.  He tells her right out that he desires to have sex with her and it is not up to her to decide if she wants to or not ("I will pick you").  The girl ("rose") responds in a fury and tells the boy that if he tries to have sex with her, she will use violence and fight back against him ("Let my sharp thorns run you through").  However, the boy does not care about what the young girl ("rose") has to say.  Through the use of force, he begins to have sex with her ("ripped the little rose").  She tries to fight him off ("though she pricked") but the boy, being much stronger than this young and fragile girl, holds her in place and forces her submit to his desires ("he held her close").  The girl, now aware that she is unable to escape, begins to cry and hopes that the boy might have pity on her sadness ("though she cried").  But the boy is relentless.  He has forgotten about how special that one "rose in the heather" was, and does not care about the girl's ("rose"'s) feelings, only about his own wishes ("made no difference for her").

*It should also be noted that the poem consists of 3 stanzas each having 7 lines.  This odd number of 7 throws off the traditional balance of symmetrical musical structure, but Schubert obviously works around this in his construction of the lied.