Page 262 - Vinkler, Jonatan, in Jernej Weiss. ur. 2014. Musica et Artes: ob osemdesetletnici Primoža Kureta. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem.
P. 262
musica et artes
But we musicians also find fascination in dismantling the building blocks, in
following the reverse path from finished opera to germinal ideas. A long time
ago, as a student, I analysed the score of Wozzeck, discovering step by step the
complexity of Berg’s thought5. I shall retrace here a number of these analyti-
cal paths, looking at the way in which the composer met the challenges aris-
ing from Büchner’s play.
The opera’s three acts reveal a certain amount of symmetry in their du-
ration and structure: put simply, two suites frame a symphony. Each contains
five components, connected by orchestral interludes, similar to the kind of
modern opera Claude Debussy had proposed not long before in Pélléas et
Mélisande (1902), adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck. In Berg’s work, the or-
chestral interlude (the change of scene) is not a respiro moment during which
the audience can cough and shift position in their seats, but rather it condens-
es, comments on, and thematically and expressively prefigures the dramatic
action. But before we come to such details, we should make clear that strat-
egy of construction that governs the opera Wozzeck as a whole is twofold,
consisting of variation and development. In particular, the technique of var-
iation governs the microstructure, not only in specific forms (passacaglias,
doubles, themes with variations), but also as a means of tackling the modern
invention, seemingly guided by Goethe’s idea of the original plant. Another
of Berg’s favourite ways of achieving symmetry is to invent circular acoustic
structures: setting off from a given point, the musical movement traces a cir-
cular acoustic event, be it harmonic (the same chord at the end of the acts),
be it architectural, using palindromes (often encountered throughout Berg’s
work), be it imaginary or dramaturgic. As the composer himself says: »the
first measures of the opera might without difficulty be linked to the closing ones,
thereby closing the circle.« (Berg, Écrits: 121.)
The five character pieces that make up the First Act serve the function
of presenting the characters and introducing the conflict, after which the
five parts of a symphony–Act Two–develop it, and the inventions on vari-
ous themes in Act Three emphasise the dramatic effect of the denouement.
All the forms chosen by the composer show his concern with finding suit-
able means whereby to channel the acoustic material into a coherent course,
on the one hand, and, on the other, his concern with matching (however sub-
tly) the drama and character of a form. Obviously, the »character« of a form
derives from long practice in musical history, one that has established certain
customs (clichés?).
5 Valentina Sandu-Dediu, Wozzeck, profeție și împlinire (Bucharest: Editura Muzicală, 1991).
260
But we musicians also find fascination in dismantling the building blocks, in
following the reverse path from finished opera to germinal ideas. A long time
ago, as a student, I analysed the score of Wozzeck, discovering step by step the
complexity of Berg’s thought5. I shall retrace here a number of these analyti-
cal paths, looking at the way in which the composer met the challenges aris-
ing from Büchner’s play.
The opera’s three acts reveal a certain amount of symmetry in their du-
ration and structure: put simply, two suites frame a symphony. Each contains
five components, connected by orchestral interludes, similar to the kind of
modern opera Claude Debussy had proposed not long before in Pélléas et
Mélisande (1902), adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck. In Berg’s work, the or-
chestral interlude (the change of scene) is not a respiro moment during which
the audience can cough and shift position in their seats, but rather it condens-
es, comments on, and thematically and expressively prefigures the dramatic
action. But before we come to such details, we should make clear that strat-
egy of construction that governs the opera Wozzeck as a whole is twofold,
consisting of variation and development. In particular, the technique of var-
iation governs the microstructure, not only in specific forms (passacaglias,
doubles, themes with variations), but also as a means of tackling the modern
invention, seemingly guided by Goethe’s idea of the original plant. Another
of Berg’s favourite ways of achieving symmetry is to invent circular acoustic
structures: setting off from a given point, the musical movement traces a cir-
cular acoustic event, be it harmonic (the same chord at the end of the acts),
be it architectural, using palindromes (often encountered throughout Berg’s
work), be it imaginary or dramaturgic. As the composer himself says: »the
first measures of the opera might without difficulty be linked to the closing ones,
thereby closing the circle.« (Berg, Écrits: 121.)
The five character pieces that make up the First Act serve the function
of presenting the characters and introducing the conflict, after which the
five parts of a symphony–Act Two–develop it, and the inventions on vari-
ous themes in Act Three emphasise the dramatic effect of the denouement.
All the forms chosen by the composer show his concern with finding suit-
able means whereby to channel the acoustic material into a coherent course,
on the one hand, and, on the other, his concern with matching (however sub-
tly) the drama and character of a form. Obviously, the »character« of a form
derives from long practice in musical history, one that has established certain
customs (clichés?).
5 Valentina Sandu-Dediu, Wozzeck, profeție și împlinire (Bucharest: Editura Muzicală, 1991).
260
