TRABAJO FINAL DE ARMONIA IV

Obra a ser analizada: Der Zwerg (El enano) de Franz Schubert

EL TEXTO
El texto del Lied fue escrito por Matthus von Collin, un caballero influyente en la Viena
de principios del siglo XIX, que se hizo amigo de Schubert y desafortunadamente, muri
joven, a los cuarenta y cinco aos, y de quien Schubert us 5 textos de los que resultaron
5 lieder.
El poema nos habla sobre una situacin terrible: una reina y su enano navegan al
atardecer; la reina tiene la sensacin de que el enano la matar porque le ha sido infiel
con el rey. En sus ltimas palabras, la reina le pide al enano no sufrir con su muerte,
pero el enano, quebrado por el dolor, no volver a puerto nunca ms. La historia es
interesante porque invierte el orden social normal, pues la reina tiene una relacin
prohibida con su sirviente; el sirviente cree en sus derechos sobre la reina; la reina se
siente culpable por haberse casado con el rey y el sirviente no es un joven apuesto sino
un ser humano deformado. Tiene nueve estrofas, todas ellas con tres versos, excepto
el ltimo, que tiene cuatro versos, y posee tres personajes o voces: el narrador, la reina
y el enano.

Texto del poema (Alemn-Espaol)

Im trben Licht verschwinden schon die Berge,

Es schwebt das Schiff auf glatten Meereswogen,
Worauf die Knigin mit ihrem Zwerge.

Sie schaut empor zum hochgewlbten Bogen,

Hinauf zur lichtdurchwirkten blauen Ferne;
Die mit der Milch des Himmels blass durchzogen.

Nie, nie habt ihr mir gelogen noch, ihr Sterne,

So ruft sie aus, bald werd ich nun entschwinden,
Ihr sagt es mir, doch sterb ich wahrlich gerne.

Da tritt der Zwerg zur Knigin, mag binden

Um ihren Hals die Schnur von roter Seide,
Und weint, als wollt er schnell vor Gram erblinden.
Er spricht: Du selbst bist schuld an diesem Leide,
Weil um den Knig du mich hast verlassen,
Jetzt weckt dein Sterben einzig mir noch Freude.

Zwar werd ich ewiglich mich selber hassen,

Der dir mit dieser Hand den Tod gegeben,
Doch musst zum frhen Grab du nun erblassen.

Sie legt die Hand aufs Herz voll jungem Leben,

Und aus dem Aug die schweren Trnen rinnen,
Das sie zum Himmel betend will erheben.

Mgst du nicht Schmerz durch meinen Tod gewinnen!

Sie sagts, da ksst der Zwerg die bleichen Wangen,
Drauf alsobald vergehen ihr die Sinnen.

Der Zwerg schaut an die Frau, von Tod befangen,

Er senkt sie tief ins Meer mit eignen Handen.
Ihm brennt nach ihr das Herz so voll Verlangen,
An keiner Kste wird er je mehr landen.

En la luz sombra, las montaas ya estn desapareciendo

En las olas marinas planas flota un bote:
a bordo estn la reina y su enano.

Ella mira hacia la bveda de arco alto,

en la distancia azul, tejida de luz
que con la leche del cielo est veteado de azul.
"Nunca, nunca me habis mentido todava, estrellas".
Entonces ella llora, "y pronto me desvanezco,
decidme vosotras; pero en verdad, morir de buena gana ".

Entonces el enano se acerca a la reina

atando un cordn de seda roja alrededor de su cuello,
y llora como si quisiera cegarse a s mismo con dolor.

l habla: "T misma tienes la culpa de este sufrimiento

porque me has abandonado por el rey.
Ahora solo tu muerte despertar alegra en m.

"Es cierto que me odiar a m mismo por siempre

por haberte dado muerte con mi propia mano;
pero ahora, plida, debes ir a tu tumba temprana ".

Ella pone su mano sobre su corazn lleno de vida juvenil,

y lgrimas pesadas corren de sus ojos
que ella elevara implorantemente al cielo.

"No sufras dolor a travs de mi muerte!"

ella dice; el enano besa sus plidas mejillas
y en ese momento sus sentidos la abandonan.

El enano mira a la dama, vencida por la muerte,

y la hunde profundamente en el mar con sus propias manos.
Su corazn arde de deseo por ella;
en costa alguna vez volver a desembarcar.
LA MSICA
No se sabe con certeza cundo Schubert compuso el Lied; pero probablemente lo hizo
a fines de 1822. Schubert probablemente conoca el poema a travs del poeta, a quien
le dedic la cancin. Su estructura recuerda la de Erlknig, por la agitacin del piano, el
trmolo continuo que representa al agua calma y los cambios violentos que crean una
atmsfera opresiva desde el inicio.
El compositor se centra en el sufrimiento del enano, enfatizando los ltimos versos de
algunas estrofas: en el cuarto, "und weint" y "schnell vor Gram erblinden"; en el quinto,
"enzig mir noch Freude". En la ltima estrofa, repite todo el tercer verso antes de repetir
nuevamente las palabras "so voll Verlangen"; De esta forma, el ltimo verso, que nos
dice que el enano no volver a desembarcar, se destaca por algunos pianos de piano
antes y despus de l. La primera estrofa termina con el verso "worauf die Knigin mit
ihrem Zwerge" y el piano repite las notas de estas palabras, repitiendo la frase para no
pasarla por alto. Una de las caractersticas ms significativas del acompaamiento, es
el llamado motivo del destino, tres notas cortas seguidas de una larga, que se repite
en diferentes momentos de la cancin. Se puede escuchar fcilmente al inicio de la 4ta
estrofa.
La escena tiene lugar en un barco y el agua est representada por los trmolos y las
repeticiones de notas desde el comps 1, algo que aumenta el peso de la atmsfera de
la situacin ya mencionada. Los registros utilizados para dar vida a los diferentes
caracteres de la pieza
Chapter 28 The German Romantic Lied: Chromatic Harmony in Context

.. Example 28.1

15

24 32 40 46 54 58 65 72 73

(::;\ F S F [:;\E f.\ S*

77 81 86 F CD f)= ~,, J 0l . ~ ,g:. Jb ~ (0 ~~~~---------~--~ . (JI~=};~ 111

Gm B~M Gm

111

B~M

Vflll 111 (i) {qi)

(Gm) (Bm)

98 102 106 112 116 123 124 130 131 @ ~1f.

(vii) (#iv) (111?)

(Am) (C#m) Dm

the end, when he becomes threatening), and although he also sings in a high register, his
melodies are diatonic, and his speeches are in the major mode, nonmodulating, and perfectly
stable and closed tonally. ls the accompaniment for father and son different texturally than the
accompaniment for the Erlking? Notice also the grouping of the persons in each of
the.stanzas. Stanzas 1, 4, and 6 are shared by father and son, while the Erlking sings his solo
stanzas 3 and 5. By stanza 7, however, we have the Erlking and the son grouped together in
the same stanza, representing the final victory of the Erlking in his attempt to take the child
away from the father.

3. The tonal and formal plan. Examine the score again, and now identify the key areas in the
complete song. Make a simple graph showing how these key areas correspond with the eight
stanzas/musical sections. After you do this, study the tonal and formal graphs in examples 28.1
and 28.2, comparing them with both the score and your own graph. The bass line reduction in
example 28.1 shows sections and their correspondence with text stanzas (in circled numbers),
underlying tonal motion in the form of tonal areas and sorne other important tonal events,
and speaking characters for each of the sections/stanzas (N, F, S, and E, above the staff).
Example 28.2 presents a further reduction of the formal/tonal scheme, including stanzas,
characters, and tonal motion. The grouping of the stanzas as represented in example 28.2
shows the initial and final sections spoken by the narrator and three large formal areas that
group two stanzas each (2-3, 4-5, and 6-7). In each of these groups, the first stanza is a f-S
dialogue, and the second stanza is an E monologue, except for stanza 7, wiich toward the end
incorporates the last phrase by S. The three

<ml

IV

CM

'! ]zr

825

826 PART 2 Chromatic Harmony and Form

Example 28.2

2 3 4 5 6 7 N FS F E S* F E S* F E

8 S* N

1 III 11 ->- III 1 III 11 (i) (1 i) 1 IV 11 (vii) (#iv) v 1 v 11 11 ~ ~ ~ ~----------

asterisked phrases by S (S*) are the recurring call of the child, "Mein Vater, mein Vater!" which
functions as a refrain of sorts. Several things become immediately apparent through these
graphs: a) Sections 1 and 8 frame the song, not only narratively, but also tonally. They are
harmonically closed, in the tonic Gm, and section 1 prefigures the first largescale tonal motion
(to III, in sections 2-3) with a i-III-i motion.

b) E's monologues (3, 5, 7) are tonally closed and in major keys, except for the last one in the
minor dominant key (the keys are III, IV, and v).

e) The F-S sections are modulating, and unstable tonally. In sections 4 and 6 key areas are
touched on (the keys in parentheses on the graph), but only as stepping stones toward the
following, stable sections. Sections 2, 4, and 6 are thus transitional.
d) The music rises by steps (see E monologues, in III, IV, and v), and we hear that especially in
the son's calls of distress to his father (sections S*), which are one step higher each time, rising
along with the tension.

e) The overall tonal plan, then, is'i-III-IV-v-i. We can notice here two harmonic elaborations of
this general tonal plan: the neighbor m area in Dm, which ornaments v in mm. 117-119, and
the implied III area in mm. 124-127. Taking these two secondary areas into consideration, we
could think of the tonal plan as i-III-IV-v-(HI!v)-v-(III)-i. We will comment more on this tonal
design below.

4. Harmonic detail. Two aspects of this song deserve more detailed attention: first, the use of
vii 0 7 sonorities on pedals, and second, sections 4, 6, and the end of 7, all of which begin with
the S* refrain (that is, the unstable sections).

a) Schubert uses the beautiful, but tense, sonority of a vii0

chord against a pedal in association with the son. First, in m. 25-27, vii0 7 of m against the B~
pedal accompanies the first mention of the child. The next two appearances of this sonority
take place during the child's first phrase, stressing the fear and tension ofhis words (mm. 42
and 47, against C and F pedals).

b) All three beginnings of the S* sections also feature the same sonority. First, in mm. 73-76,
the same chotd which, in mm. 25-27 was functioning as vii0 7 of m (A-C-E~~) now appears as
F#-A-C-E~, vii07 of G, over a D pedal, and now leading to Gm. In mm. 98-101, vii07 of A over an
E pedal takes us to Am. Following the seqence up by steps ofthe "Mein Vater" cry (Gm-Am-
mM), the

Chapter 28 The Gennan Romantic Lied: Chromatic Hannony in Context

next S* section begins in m. 124 with viio 7 of B~, spelled as if going to m. This is, again, the
same chord which in mm. 25-27 took us to m, and in mm. 73-76 took us to Gm. The ambiguity
is renewed here, where instead of the expected m, the chord takes us back to the home key,
Gm (and hence B~ is only implied). e) Now go back to the beginning of section 4, m. 73, and let
us study the modulating process in the S* phrase. After the vii0 7 takes us to Gm, the music
moves on immediately to Bm. How is this modulation realized? Gm to Bm is a chromatic third-
related motion (i to #iii). There are two modulating techniques at work in these measures. One
is the chromatic bass from G to B. The other one is the one you would expect in a chromatic
third modulation. What is it? d) We do not stay in Bm for long, either (this is the unstable,
modulating section). Instead, the music moves to CM by way of G. Bm to CM is a modulation
from i to m, the Neapolitan key. What is the role of G in both keys? You can see this even
better in the next S* section, stanza 6, where the whole process is a step up from stanza 4. The
vii0 7 took us to Am, and we move, by chromatic bass and common tone, to #iii, C#m. In m.
106 we reach i in C#m, and we move immediately to the minor Neapolitan key, Dm. How?
What is the function of the modulating chord, the AM7 chord in m. 108, in both keys? e)
Finally, let us examine further the role of the Neapolitan in the song. Besides the modulations
to Neapolitan areas we just discussed, a m relationship appears prominently, as a brief key
area, in mm. 117-119. This is the phrase where the Erlking goes from charm to threat: "Listen,
1 love you, but if you don't want to come, 1'11 take you by force!" We are in Dm, and we go
directly to E~M. We hear, again, the vii07 on a pedal, this time vii0 7/1.11 in Dm (m. 118). The
final, and most dramatic Neapolitan area, however, comes at m. 140, when the father reaches
"home with effort and toil," only to find that his child is dead in his arms. Here again we hear,
one last ti~e, not only m, but also the vii0 7MI on the ~2 pedal.

As a conclusion of our analysis, examine example 28.3a. This example shows a reduction of the
complete tonal structure of the song: beginning in Gm, motion through the areas of mM, CM,
and Dm, the H Neapolitan area as a neighbor note (NN) to D, then the implied m area, and the
retum to Gm. As we saw above, this design can be

Example 28.3

a.

b.

827

PRACTICAL APPLICATION AND DISCUSSION

Our study of Erlkonig serves as an introduction to the analysis of song. We have taken into
account the text, its divisions and meanng, and its characters. We have seen how the music
reflects the sections, meaning, and mood of the text. We ha ve demonstrated that tonal
motion, modulations, tonal stability and instabilty, rhythmic figuration, texture, and register,
all serve the dramatic and textual purpose of the poem. After listening again to the song,
discuss in class how the analysis and in-depth knowledge of the structure of the song can help
you listen to it or perform it. Would you rather perform the song without having any of these
insights on how it works and why? How could the insights affect and improve your
performance?

For instance, how could you make sure that your performance contributed to the enhanced
tension provided by the tonal plan as it rises by steps toward a higher register? How can you
emphasize the sense of distress and instability in the S* sections? Stanza 8 features two
important dramatic characteristics. First, the return of the narrator, instead of the expected
response of the father to the last cry of his son, is a signa! to the listener to expect the worst.
Finally, when the riders reach borne we learn the tragic outcome of the story, punctuated by
the ~II harmony and the closing recitative passage. What would you do to enhance the drama
and horror of this section?

828

summarized as i-III-IV-v-{HI!v)-v-(III)-i. Now compare this sketch with example 28.3b, the
"galloping motive" in the piano's left hand: i-2-3-4-5-6-5-3-i. This is an instance of replication of
a me/odie motive at the deeper leve! of tonal structure. One can only admire Schubert's
amazing compositional craft at age 18!2