(1) I demonstrate an analytical and in part compositional approach that is intended to highlight and elucidate irregular declamation-an approach that performers can easily apply, and that will be helpful to them in making interpretive decisions while learning Schumann’s late songs. In this article, I present examples of such deviations and investigate the performance issues that arise from them. In his late songs (in contrast to the songs of the Liederjahr), Schumann frequently deviates from the characteristics listed above. BRD-conformant musical settings have the following attributes: 1) poetic and musical stress patterns are congruent poetic stresses coincide with metrical beats, and strong poetic stresses coincide with strong beats 2) large-scale poetic units are congruent with large-scale music-metrical units specifically, poetic couplets (or single lines) align with four-bar hypermeasures 3) silences within the vocal rhythm correspond to silences implied by the poetic rhythm (these normally occur at the ends of poetic lines) 4) the declamation matches the regularity of the poetic rhythm that is, the durations of poetic feet and the intervals between poetic stresses, which would be approximately equivalent in normal recitations of most nineteenth-century German lyric poems, are also equivalent in the vocal rhythm. The new style of declamation in the late songs has also been noted by Ulrich Mahlert ( 19), Jon Finson ( 2007), Laura Tunbridge ( 2007), and Yonatan Malin ( 2010). Among these features is the distinctive nature of the declamation: the vocal rhythm strays much further than in Schumann’s earlier songs from the rhythm in which the poetry would be recited (I call this rhythm the basic rhythm of declamation, or BRD for short see Krebs 2010a). Careful listening and study, however, reveal numerous interesting features that render the songs worthy of the attention of performers and analysts. Part of the reason for this neglect may be the apparent simplicity of the later songs since many of them are harmonically, texturally, and metrically less adventurous than those of the miraculous first Liederjahr, they may on first contact seem rather bland. The products of Schumann’s second songwriting phase (1849–52) are much less well known and much less frequently performed. Robert Schumann’s first outpouring of Lieder in 1840–41 yielded a wealth of wonderful songs that are beloved by singers, pianists, and audiences. Analysis and recomposition highlight Schumann’s unorthodox but expressive declamation, and help performers to make decisions that enhance the song’s expressive attributes.Ĭopyright © 2014 Society for Music Theory Schumann’s new manner of declamation is a significant locus of expression in songs where other potentially expressive features are attenuated. Poetic feet, which would be approximately equivalent in duration in a normal recitation, are set to a wide variety of durations, producing irregular and unpredictable vocal rhythms. One striking aspect of the songs is their manner of declaiming the texts their vocal rhythms depart more drastically from the poetic rhythm than is ever the case in Schumann’s earlier songs. Those who wish to explore Schumann’s “second practice” of song writing must grapple with the questions: 1) What is interesting and expressive about the late songs? and 2) How can their interesting and expressive elements be communicated to listeners? Paradoxically, it is their apparent simplicity that poses a challenge for performers harmonically, texturally, and metrically less adventurous than the songs of 1840, they may on first contact seem rather bland. KEYWORDS: Robert Schumann, late songs, declamation, vocal rhythm, poetry, analysis, recompositionĪBSTRACT: Robert Schumann’s late songs (1849–52) are in some respects difficult to understand and to perform.
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