Page 182 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2018. Nova glasba v “novi” Evropi med obema svetovnima vojnama ?? New Music in the “New” Europe Between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 2
P. 182
nova glasba v »novi« evropi med obema svetovnima vojnama
Der Kreidekreis with new characters and additional dramatic features, and
published it in Berlin in 1925.13 Klabund’s play soon became very popu-
lar all over Central Europe, with two operatic settings appearing in quick
succession, the first by Osterc in a Slovene translation and the second by
A lexander Zemlinsky completed in 1931 (Der Kreidekreis).14 Brecht later
modified the story for his play The Caucasian Chalk Circle.15
Osterc’s opera presents a wide-ranging synthesis of his then current
stylistic traits. Some notable features can be listed:
1. It is through composed, superficially abandoning the traditional
separation of individual ‘numbers’.
2. There are passages, however, in which traditional set-pieces such
as arias, recitatives and choruses can be recognised, a feature that
gives Osterc a foothold in the past. He composed transitions from
one section to the next which maintained dramatic continuity,
but which allowed him to set his words effectively.
3. The words of the strophic parts of the libretto are set almost as
arias with uncomplicated melodies and flexible rhythms.
4. The prose parts of the text are set to flexible recitative-like vocal
lines.
5. Orchestral counterpoints support and blend with the freely sung
vocal parts without detracting from their interest and without
disguising the words.
6. Recurrent musical motifs appear, some associated with the evil
characters, as well as some related to the chalk circle itself, an ef-
fective dramatic device that was well known in many previous
operas. There is no comprehensive system of Leitmotifs of a Wag-
nerian type.
7. The harmonies that Osterc used often contradict the possible ton-
al-harmonic implications of many of the vocal lines. There is a
13 Klabund [Alfred Henschke]: Der Kreidekreis (Berlin: J.M. Spaeth, 1925); Klabund:
The Circle of Chalk, translated by James Laver (London: William Heinemann, 1929).
14 See Alfred Clayton, “Zemlinsky, Alexander,” The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
(London: Macmillan, 1992), vol.4, 1225–26 and “Kreidekreis, Der,” Ibid., vol.2, 1043.
15 This was published as Der kaukasische Kreidekreis (Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag,
1955) and in its English version by James and Tanya Stern with W. H. Auden as
The C aucasian Chalk Circle (London: Methuen, 1960; revised version, London: Eyre
Methuen, 1976). The latter replaced Eric Bentley’s English version used in the first
American production.
180
Der Kreidekreis with new characters and additional dramatic features, and
published it in Berlin in 1925.13 Klabund’s play soon became very popu-
lar all over Central Europe, with two operatic settings appearing in quick
succession, the first by Osterc in a Slovene translation and the second by
A lexander Zemlinsky completed in 1931 (Der Kreidekreis).14 Brecht later
modified the story for his play The Caucasian Chalk Circle.15
Osterc’s opera presents a wide-ranging synthesis of his then current
stylistic traits. Some notable features can be listed:
1. It is through composed, superficially abandoning the traditional
separation of individual ‘numbers’.
2. There are passages, however, in which traditional set-pieces such
as arias, recitatives and choruses can be recognised, a feature that
gives Osterc a foothold in the past. He composed transitions from
one section to the next which maintained dramatic continuity,
but which allowed him to set his words effectively.
3. The words of the strophic parts of the libretto are set almost as
arias with uncomplicated melodies and flexible rhythms.
4. The prose parts of the text are set to flexible recitative-like vocal
lines.
5. Orchestral counterpoints support and blend with the freely sung
vocal parts without detracting from their interest and without
disguising the words.
6. Recurrent musical motifs appear, some associated with the evil
characters, as well as some related to the chalk circle itself, an ef-
fective dramatic device that was well known in many previous
operas. There is no comprehensive system of Leitmotifs of a Wag-
nerian type.
7. The harmonies that Osterc used often contradict the possible ton-
al-harmonic implications of many of the vocal lines. There is a
13 Klabund [Alfred Henschke]: Der Kreidekreis (Berlin: J.M. Spaeth, 1925); Klabund:
The Circle of Chalk, translated by James Laver (London: William Heinemann, 1929).
14 See Alfred Clayton, “Zemlinsky, Alexander,” The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
(London: Macmillan, 1992), vol.4, 1225–26 and “Kreidekreis, Der,” Ibid., vol.2, 1043.
15 This was published as Der kaukasische Kreidekreis (Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag,
1955) and in its English version by James and Tanya Stern with W. H. Auden as
The C aucasian Chalk Circle (London: Methuen, 1960; revised version, London: Eyre
Methuen, 1976). The latter replaced Eric Bentley’s English version used in the first
American production.
180
