Schoenberg

Author(s): Arnold Whittall

Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 114, No. 1562 (Apr., 1973), pp. 377-378
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/955183
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 Despite the similarities, Handel's duets differ and highly improbable in nos. III, VIII, IX, XV
from Steffani's in two main respects. About a third and XVII: Handel apparently chose to end away
of them (nos. Ia, Ic, III, VIII, IX, XI, XV and from the tonic key.
XVII) end in a different key from that in which His duets also differ in matters of form. About
they begin. This striking feature is foreign to Steffani half of Steffani's duets might be described as
and untypical of duets by his contemporaries (but through-composed: no movements are repeated,
typical of Handel's solo cantatas). In many of his so there is no overall formal pattern. The other half
duets, Steffani achieves uniformity of key by are in a variety of forms that depend on repetition,
restarting all or part of the first movement at the like ternary, rondo and strophic-rondo. Handel
end. Handel does this in Va, speme infida (VII), almost entirely avoided repetition: only one of his
though even here he reworks the material in the duets (Vd, speme infida) is not through-composed.
repeat. The autograph of Tacete, ohime, tacete (X) Moreover, while the majority of Steffani's duets
includes an instruction (not printed in Chrysander) include solo movements, Handel's have none. This
to repeat the first movement after the second; since may be a sign that Handel studied the contents of
Conservate, raddoppiate (XI) resembles these Add. 37779. The duets in this book are unascribed;
movements in style, there may be a case for a da the first 12 are by Steffani, but the last two are by
capo here. But there are no grounds for repeats in Carlo Luigi Pietragrua (originally known as Pietro
the other duets. The type of triple-time fugue that Grua), vice-Kapellmeister at Diusseldorf c1700-
concludes Chrysander's edition of Sono liete, for 16. Although the Grua duets are complete with
instance, is invariably found at the end in Steffani's their solo movements, these are lacking in all
duets; Handel followed his example in Troppo cruda, five of the Steffani duets that should have them.
so presumably intended the same here. For musical The Ms must have given Handel an unbalanced
and poetical reasons a final restatement of the first impression of Steffani's duets, and it apparently
movement would be impossible in duets la and Ic, influenced his attitude to the form.

Letters to the Editor

SCHOENBERG he himself dismisses the associated comment about

In his review of Schoenberg Chamber Music (Jan whether Schoenberg meant merely listing sets in
MT, p.35), Oliver Neighbour makes nonsense of a sequence. I do consider the implications of Schoen-
quotation by turning my 'with' into his 'without'. A berg's remark, and I don't believe it requires us to
trivial matter in isolation, but symptomatic of a underplay the fundamental relationship between
tendency to present parts of my book in a thoroughly tonal and serial hierarchies which is what my book-
misleading light. in necessarily simplified terms-is all about. To
Mr Neighbour considers that my general plan Neighbour, this amounts to a 'special' viewpoint.
'involves subordinating the individual works to the I see it simply as a response to Schoenberg's own
technical development, instead of placing them at concept of his position in musical history, a position
the centre of interest in their own right'. He seems to he defined in the remarks quoted at the beginning
believe that the subordination of such technical and end of the book.
matters is the best way of meeting Schoenberg's own Mr Neighbour credits me with the idea that
requirement-by analysis-that it throws 'the idea Schoenberg's greatest serial works are those in
into relief and shows how it is presented and worked which all 48 versions of the basic set appear. What I
out'. Yet I do not see that to discuss a sequence of actually wrote was: 'his greatest serial works are
compositions in terms of particular technical issues those in which that tonal background is interpreted
fundamental to them all removes the centre of through the properties of the entire 12-note group-
interest from those works. Schoenberg, we know, the 48 versions of the basic set-even when P-O
was 'dead against' showing people 'how it is done', is treated, in combination with 1-5, as primus inter
but in favour of helping them to see 'what it is'. pares'. To your reviewer this may read like an
Did he mean that 'what' could be adequately attempt to 'by-pass complexity', but its meaning is
defined without reference to the 'how'? Or was he rather different from that of his own over-simplified
merely objecting to the 'how' without the 'what'? precis. There are other examples of such over-
In an early letter referring to the 12-note method, simplification, notably with reference to the Fourth
Schoenberg announced a 'precisely definable String Quartet, as well as a tendency to criticize,
aesthetic discipline', and it is as such that I discuss rather than answer it. Neighbour's own apparently
it. I give the greatest emphasis possible in severely uncritical approach to Schoenberg is most apparent
limited space to fundamental, background matters when he refers to the dance movements of the
which link tonal and serial procedures, and I do Serenade. He detaches my remark about Schoenberg
this because I believe that such analysis enhances and simplicity from its origins in the context of what
and increases the audible aspects of complex I call the 'Mahlerian fixation on a powerful con-
compositions, as well as highlighting that 'idea' junction of grandeur and banality', and dismisses
which can be experienced as the totality of relation- these admittedly speculative opinions as 'total
ships between all the various elements of a work. misunderstanding' with no real discussion of their
When Mr Neighbour claims that I dismiss Schoen- implications. It is also ludicrous to suggest that my
berg's warning about the dangers of 'serial analysis', uneasiness about these movements may be the
377
result of 'anxietynot to lose all creditwith orthodox related set-forms handy as an aid to cogency and,
serial opinion'. in a sense, to inspiration. The preferencethat he
The review describes in caricatured form the gives to initial set-forms and to certain notes and
'theoretical jungle' (presumably of American intervalswithinthemas recurrentpoints of reference
writing on 12-note theory by Perle, Babbitt and continues a practice already observable is several
others) through which I have had to fight my way pre-serialatonal works. Whittall writes well about
and fromwhoseeffectsNeighbourimaginesI am still the way in which Schoenberg's tonal habits of
suffering.If it werenot for this infection,apparently, mind are reflected here and in related serial pro-
I would realize that it is somethingof a red herring cedures. It is clear that Schoenberg,though appar-
to ask the question 'why, in his serial works, did ently unawareof his frequentstylistic reminiscences
Schoenberg retain forms developed during the of tonality, sometimes employed such analogies
years when tonality was central to all music?'. consciously. But he did not follow them through
Neighbour assumes that I pose this question in a as he would have felt it a point of honour to do (to
tone of surprise, but the book makes it clear that use one of his phrases)had he consideredthema real
the question is simply a response to the facts. element of composition. They do not seem to me a
Broadly speaking, Schoenbergretainedtonal forms sound basis for a theory of his serial writing.
in his serial works, whereasin some earlier, atonal
works he had shown signs of moving in a different
direction. So my question implies curiosity, not TOLHURST'S RUTH
criticism.But, since I am supposed to be in a state I enjoyed Sir Anthony Lewis's witty article (Feb
of convalescenceafter a severebout of the Princeton MT, p.142) very much indeed. But before we start
Disease, Neighbourcan side-stepthe most important merry-makingat poor Tolhurst'sexpense, would it
aspect of the later part of my book, which aims to not be wise to see this regrettablecomposition in
trace the emergenceand exploitation of hierarchies
-those elementswhich establish so much common perspective?Emphaticpublic ridicule of the tenth-
rate invariablyhas the effectof hardeningprejudice;
ground between Schoenberg's tonal and serial and it would be a pity if denigrationof one deplor-
compositions. able example from a genre now generally out of
In writingan introductionto a group of elaborate, favourwereto encourageunwarrantedcontemptfor
sophisticated compositions, I chose to stress the music of composers who did so much better
continuity of development, but only to the point what the Tolhurstsof this world were only fumbling
where it did not compromisethe identitiesof indi- to achieve.Nothing sickensme more than to have to
vidual works. This, to me, is what the natureof the contemplatethe growingbody of evidencethat much
music demands.I believe that the profound vitality English music of Tolhurst's period has been
and individuality of Schoenberg'sworks, and the decisively and authoritatively condemned by
ability to sense the 'particularconception' of each, superiorpeople who have never heard a note of it.
are enhanced by analysis of what they owe to Let us by all means admit that most of the Ruths,
each other, and above all by study of how serial and Daniels, Judiths,Last Judgmentsand so forth are
tonal proceduresinterrelate. I am naturally sorry unacceptableto those who have been brought up
that Mr Neighbourshould rejectthis approach,but on Beethoven,Wagner,Berlioz and Mahler; at the
that rejectiondoes not justify the presentationof my same time it might be helpful to ask exactly why
argumentsin so barely recognizablea manner. at one time Costa'sEli and Sullivan'sGoldenLegend
Cardiff ARNOLD WHITTALL
gained the respect and admiration of not wholly
unintelligentmusicians.The answer might surprise
OLIVER NEIGHBOUR writes: US.
First my apologies for blotting that quotation. The University of Sheffield E. D. MACKERNESS
error bringsits own punishmentsince my argument
depends on the correct text. I do not think I mis-
representedDr Whittallin other ways,but readersof STEREO STRINGS
his book must decide about that for themselves,as The picture of Queen's Hall on p.72 of the Elgar
about Schoenberg'sSerenade. book is Queen's Hall as I first knew it (Feb MT,
Dr Whittall and I disagree about the relative p.145). Whetherthe alterationto the organ and the
importance of the various traditional elements in lighting (and also general decoration) was done
the serial works. He finds a fundamentalrelation- before or after the 1914 war I cannot remember,
ship betweentonal and serialhierarchieswhereI see but it is quite correct that the console was finally
only an analogy which cannot be pushed very far. placed in front of the organ, as your correspondent
The tonal hierarchiesin a composition are audible says, on a little shelf in the middle.
and can make sense of a kind as a graph; the serial In regard to the placing of the second violins
ones are only partially audible and do not yield a Mr Collier touches a tender spot for me. I have
quasi-Schenkerian substratum with any overall always,with very rareexceptions,placed the second
structuralmeaning. Analysis and aural experience violins as they were invariablyseated in my young
alike confirm the primary importance of two of days. I am convincedit sounds better in every hall,
Schoenberg'spronouncements:that serialism is a and this has beenconfirmedfor me by manylisteners
method, not a system, and that the series functions in many places. The new seating is, I admit, easier
in the mannerof a motif. Throughserialismhe was for the conductor and the second violins, but I
able to createa motival perspectiverich enough to firmly maintain that the second violins themselves
compensate in part for the loss of the coherence soundfar betteron the right. The tone from a violin
provided by tonality (some aspects of this task does not come out of the f-holes, but from the
devolved on rhythmicorganization),and to elevate whole instrument-I believe this has been scientifi-
developing variation to the leading structuralrole. cally proved.Whenthe new fashionreachedus from
The livingtissueof developmentis the sole consistent America somewhereabout 1908 it was adopted by
vehicle of Schoenberg'sthought, its demands often some conductors,but Richter,Weingartner,Walter,
dictate the choice of set-form in a purely ad hoc Toscanini, and many others kept what I feel is the
fashion,thoughthereis certainlya two-wayprocessat right balance:in a very faithfulplace like the Royal
work here: Schoenberg liked to keep a table of Festival Hall I find it most unpleasantto hear most
378