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.

Schubert "Heidenröslein, D. 257 (Op.3/3)" - The Sound-in-Time

0:00 - 0:07

The music begins with a playful pulse.  The voice is soft and pastel.  The bass line bounces up and down and then recoils all the way down.  The high soprano note is left alone suspended in air.

o:07-0:10

The voice rises while the melody falls.

0:10-0:14

The voice becomes slightly more forceful.  The end of this phrase feels open yet on edge.  The forward-moving-ness of the music is felt here.

0:14-0:20

The notes flow into each other delicately.

0:20-0:25

Abruptly the delicate fluidity is lost. The voice now sounds a bit shaky as it jumps on to each note.  However, after 2 seconds it returns to the delicate fluidity from before which now seems somehow even more fluid.

0:26-0:33

The voice becomes extremely light.  Enunciated with an air of pompousness.  The piano mimics the voice.

0:33-0:39

The voice becomes stronger and robust.  The syllables are enunciated with more vigor.  The voice feels like it starts off at a distance and comes closer until it reaches that same high note from the beginning, except this time the high note is sung out with power and assertion.

0:39-0:42

The voice grows louder and louder, the tension is building, the piano speeds up.  The melody ascends.

0:43-0:46

A stark contrast.  The voice has lost its vigor.  The tone of the voice is more gentle.  The melody descends.

0:47-0:53

A continuous downfall in loudness and melody.  The gentleness in his voice grows until the melody ends and he shies away.

0:53-0:58

The voice begins to regain its strength, building up to the end of this phrase.  It takes him longer to get to the highest note this time, the voice struggles to reach this point.

0:58-1:05

The piano is soft and so is his voice, which here resumes the same quality it possessed in the beginning.  The piece tenderly comes to an end...

1:06-1:12

... only to resume once more in the most dramatic way.  The piano is more enunciated.  The voice is rich and full of flavor.  The syllables are more drawn out, and there is barely an audible gap between each note.  This time, the high note rings out with glorious resonance.

1:12-1:15

The voice remains full-throated.  The syllables are still drawn out until the end when he starts to cut short his sounds and almost yell the words.

1:16-1:19

In a more delicate way, the rich and flowy nature of his voice returns abruptly.

1:20-1:26

The syllables flow into each other more than ever here, as the voice floats around serenely, and is gently put down.

1:26-1:32

The voice, having lost its fullness, remains soft and does not regain strength in this part, as it had before.  The high note at this point is the faintest note heard in the entire song.

1:32-1:40

The vocalist breathes out the final notes - they fall hushedly from his mouth and the piano catches them.  

1:41-1:46

Silence, white noise fades out.

----Phenomenological Conclusion:

Throughout the piece, certain syllables are always emphasized.  This, plus the extreme rising and falling of each phrase, the overall continuity (no rests), and the deliberate rubato make the piece actively move in all sorts of directions at once.

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

The specific recording being analyzed is from an album entitled "Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin & Three Lieder".  It was recorded in stereo.

Tenor: Fritz Wunderlich; Piano: Hubert Giesen

Recording Supervision: Hans Ritter.

Recording Engineer: Heinz Wildhagen.

Recorded at Akademie der Wissenschaften, Munich from July 2, 1966 through July 5, 1966.

Label: Deutsche Grammophon

Released: September 17, 1996

Heidenröslein is in G Major, and in 2/4 time.  The instrumentation is for piano and one voice (The voice may be in any range. In this case it is a tenor voice.).  The vocal range marked in the score is from G4 to G5.  However, in adapting the song to the tenor vocal range, in this recording it is sung from G3 to G4.  The song is 16 bars in length and is repeated three times for a total of 48 bars of music.  The style marking is Lieblich, which translates from German to mean lovely, gentle, sweet, and charming.  The tempo marking in the score is quarter note = 69.  This recording starts off at tempo 69, however the tempo is not steady throughout.  The length of the recording is 1:46.  

The piano part is chordal. The majority of the piece is structured as such:  the downbeat is in the bass clef and the subsequent chord follows on the upbeat.  This is consistent until the final 3 measures of the 16 bar song, when the piano takes up the melody in a simple restatement.

The chord structure is as follows:

Phrase 1 With Tonic as I:   ||: I  I  ii4/2  ii4/2  V6/5  V4/2  I6  I

Prase 2 With Dominant as I:   IV IV V#4/2 V #4/2 I6 ii6 V7[#3] VI

Extention of Phrase 2 with Dominant as I: I6 ii6 V7[#3]  I

Phrase 3/ Coda with Tonic as I: V V4/2 I6 I, IV IV6 I

Afterthought: IV ii I6/4 V7 I  :|| x3

The first phrase ends somewhat openly on a sort of dragged out Imperfect Authentic Cadence.  The second phrase introduces C# accidentals and modulates to the dominant key of D Major, ending on a deceptive cadence.  The D major segment is then brought to a close with a short 2 bar extention that ends with a Perfect Authentic Cadence in the key of D.  There is a fermata hold on this final chord in the key of D.  The third phrase, which feels more like a coda, revists G Major.  There is a breathe halfway through what I have marked as Phrase 3, on a fermata on the I chord - this can be called a short Imperfect Authentic Cadence.  Then the vocal melody finishes its song with with a plagal cadence in the next 2 bars.  The piano ends the piece with a 2 and a half bar afterthought that solidifies the home key of G major with a Cadential 6/4 chord and a Perfect Authentic Cadence.

There are various stylistic and dynamic markings.  The music is marked pp at measures one and eleven, which is at the beginning of Phrase 3/Coda.  At this second pp, the music is also marked "nachgebend", which translates to mean getting slower, yielding.  However, two measures later in measure thirteen, the music is marked "wie oben" which translates literally as "in the style of above", so it is implied that Schubert wanted to performer to slow down leading up to the end of measure twelve, and then to resume his original tempo upon reaching measure thirteen.  In the piece, there is also one crescendo marking in measure 9, as the music reaches its PAC in D Major, and two decrescendo markings in measure 15, as the song winds down.

Link to score

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

The song begins without any introduction, or even a breathe by the vocalist. The melody simply starts and then moves forward.  When the first phrase begins it feels like the singer is skipping along while remaining in a legato style, as the piano bounces back and forth between the bass note and the chord (This piano part is consistent until the last few measure of the song, and it is the driving force of the piece.  The part bounces while remaining a distinct legato quality, which is probably due to a deliberate use of the sustain pedal). As the music moves toward the end of the first phrase, the dynamic grows from a gentle mp to a solid mf - this is especially emphasized in the piano part.  And as the tenor reaches the high note at the end of the phrase, he suddenly softens his voice and almost whispers the syllable.  Additionally, when the singer reaches the end of the phrase he employs rubato.   In fact, there is a rubato feel throughout the phrase from the beginning to the end, and moreover, the tempo fluctuates throughout the whole piece.    

The second phrase begins in the same resilient manner as the first.  However, an accidental is quickly introduced and suddenly the song is filled with an apologetic instability; yet in the next 4 bars this same accidental transforms the melody into a glorious statement that still bears a touch of remorse.  This middle portion of the song ends powerfully in the dominant key, and after a short held out note, the melody swiftly moves back to the original key without any hesitation whatsoever.

We hear an ascending scale that brings us up to the tonic.  It is held out for a moment, and then, as if letting out a deep sigh, the melody arpeggiates downward and lands on the tonic one octave below.  The piece comes to a close with a short restatement of the melodic theme in the piano.  This short composition is repeated three times through, which is the length needed to go to span the entirety of Goethe's poem.  The second time the song begins with more fury, at a slightly faster tempo, in a louder dynamic, with the ends of phrases being sung out rather than whispered.  The notes are almost sung staccato and the syllables seem to be pronounced more clearly, almost as if the singer is speaking or yelling rather than singing and is trying to emphasize the words to a non-German speaker.  Halfway through the second time, the vocals reach a calm legato again, and the rubato is more dragged out, and more dramatic.  During this portion, the piano is also much lighter than before.  Overall, the second time through we see much more stylistic and dynamic contrast.  And the third time through sees even MORE dynamic contrast than the first and second - the first half is ff and full of vigor and the second half is supple and forgiving.  Finally the piece ends, with the restatement of the melody that occurred each time in the piano voice - there is no large cadence, just a gentle affirmation of the tonic that is quickly left alone.

This piece is brief yet it packs a big punch.  It is full of dynamic contrast and deliberate details that bring a bit of magic to the song.  Also, Goethe's poem fits perfectly in the context of this lieb.  The syllables of the poem bounce and roll from note to note and the unbroken sound that springs from this relationship between music and text makes it hard to believe that the poem ever existed separate from the song.

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

Schubert was born and died in Vienna, Austria (1/31/1797-11/19/1828).  As a composer, he may be considered a bridge between the "classical" and "romantic" musical periods. Schubert is known for his ingenius melodic writing and his original sense of modulation in harmonic writing.  His music is often described as passionate, dramatic, and above all, extremely inventive.  He composed operas, symphonies, chamber music and more, yet throughout his short life of 31 years the majority of Schubert's output were lieder.  Heidenröalein, one of the 600 or more lieder that Schubert composed, was written in 1815 which may have been his most prolific year (in 1815, Schubert composed around 140 lieder, in addition to other works).   (Newbould)

Franz Schubert is very closely tied with the form of the lied.  A lied is an "art song," usually written for piano and one voice, that is set to the lyrics of a highly literary poem.  Lieder are associated with 19th century European romantic music and the simultaneous flowering of German poetry.  Though seen elsewhere, lieder developed in Germany and specifically, in the hands of Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann.

The poem "Heidenröslein" was an early work composed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), one of the most influential thinkers and writers in Western culture.  He has an immense history of literary output, his most famous work being the two-part poetic drama "Faust".   Though Schubert was one of the pioneers of setting such well-known poetry to song, he was not the only one to write music to Heidenröslein. (Others such as Brahms and Schumann composed for the poem). 

Since the phenomenology of this analysis will be greatly affected by the vocalist in the recording, it is important to acknowledge the historical background of said vocalist. Fritz Wunderlich like Schubert lived a short life, dying at just 35 years old.  The German tenor was born into a family of music and upon receiving a scholarship to Frieburg School of Music, he began to study both french horn and voice. During his career, he performed many operas in his local language of German, including Mozarts' "Magic Flute".  He also especially noted for his interpretations of Schubert and Schumann's lieder cycles.