The Tragic and the Ecstatic: The Musical Revolution of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde

344 Pages·2008·5.347 MB·English

by  Chafe, Eric Thomas

The Tragic and the Ecstatic
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The Tragic and the Ecstatic
The Musical Revolution of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde
Eric Chafe
1
3
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Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chafe,Eric Thomas,1946–
The tragic and the ecstatic :the musical revolution ofWagner’s Tristan and Isolde/ Eric Chafe.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN978-0-19-534300-7
1.Wagner,Richard,1813–1883.Tristan und Isolde. 2.Schopenhauer,Arthur,1788–1860—
Views on music. 3.Music—Philosophy and aesthetics. I.Title.
ML410.W14C432004
782.1—dc22 2004007871
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
on acid-free paper
To my friend and colleague Martin Boykan
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Acknowledgments
FOR MANY YEARS I have felt the need for a study ofTristan and Isoldethat would
do justice to the influence ofArthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy on its musico-
dramatic character and design.Many studies have dealt with the influence ofScho-
penhauer on Wagner in a general way, whereas others have made it their central
theme.Some ofthese studies,most notably in English Bryan Magee’s The Philoso-
phy of Schopenhauer and his Wagner and Philosophy, have greatly illuminated our
understanding ofthe subject from the standpoint ofWagner’s biography,his philo-
sophical interests in general,and the poetic text ofTristanand the operas that fol-
lowed it in Wagner’s oeuvre.Bridging the gap between those investigations and the
composition ofthe music has proven less tractable,however.I hope with this study
to carry the torch further, even to lay a basis for understanding the processes by
which extramusical ideas,philosophical and other,became the material ofmusical
designs for Wagner.
I have been helped in this undertaking by many persons.Some have given me con-
crete assistance in the preparation ofthe manuscript or acquisition ofsource material.
Among them are Ray Komow,Heather Shaw-Philips,Joseph Morgan,Rachel Cama,
Annegret Klaua,Michael Hamad,Rick Beaudoin,Silvio dos Santos,and Katarina
Markovic´-Stokes.A few persons have given selflessly oftheir valuable time reading
drafts ofpart or all ofthis book and making suggestions,most ofwhich I have fol-
lowed:William Youngren,Bonnie Gordon,and Elizabeth Joyce.Mr.Günther Fischer
and the staffofthe Richard-Wagner Archive in Bayreuth gave every possible assis-
tance to my study ofthe original sources on the spot and through photocopies.Traate
Marshall very kindly read over my translations from Hermann Kurtz’s edition ofthe
Gottfried von Strassburg Tristan poem and made suggestions, all of which I fol-
lowed.And the Brandeis University Mazer Fund for Faculty Research supported this
project with grants that enabled me to meet some ofthe expenses.
I gratefully acknowledge permission from Penguin Books to cite excerpts from
A. T. Hatto’s magnificent English prose translation of Gottfried von Strassburg’s
Tristan.Schott and Co.,London,gave me permission to use a modified version of
the1906London edition ofKarl Klindworth’s piano-vocal score ofTristanfor many
ofthe musical examples (piano-vocal reduction by Karl Klindworth © Schott).I have
made corrections and adjustments to Klindworth’s score where it seemed necessary,
as well as removing obvious pianistic elements.And the Richard Wagner Archive in
Bayreuth gave me permission to reproduce the five photographs from Wagner’s
compositional draft in the appendix.I am grateful to Gertrude Föttinger for her as-
sistance in this regard.
Among those who have helped me out in very substantive ways relating to the
content ofthe book itself,one person stands out,both for his depth ofunderstand-
ing ofTristan,Wagner,and music in general,and for the patience and generosity in
listening and becoming involved in someone’s else’s work that very few persons are
willing to give.I am speaking ofmy friend and colleague ofmore than twenty years,
composer Martin Boykan,who shared his profound musical understanding on oc-
casions vastly too numerous even to remember.Marty has taught composition and
analysis at Brandeis for well over forty years now;and there are a great many musi-
cians across the country who will know what I am talking about.I have been un-
usually lucky to have such a resource close at hand,and dedicating this book to him
is the best way I can think ofto thank him.
Contents
Introduction 3
1. The Path to Schopenhauer 16
2. Tristanand Schopenhauer 32
3. Tristanand Gottfried von Strassburg I:Minne 49
4. Tristanand Gottfried von Strassburg II:Honor 68
5. The Desire Music 85
6. The Prelude:A Musico-poetic View 100
7. Tragedy and Dramatic Structure 121
8. The Two Death Motives 134
9. Musico-poetic Design in Act 1 155
10. Act 2,Scene 1:Night and Minne 176
11. The Love Scene in Act 2:Transition and Periodicity 194
12. Tristan’s Answer to King Mark:Moral and Philosophical Questions 221
13. Act 3:Musico-poetic Design 230
14. Love as Fearful Torment 242
15. The Road to Salvation 266
Appendix:Transcriptions from the Compositional Draft ofAct 2,Scene 2 285
Notes 297
Bibliography 319
Index 327