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Mondnacht (English: Moonlit Night) is a romantic era German poem by Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff written around 1835 and published in 1837. It has been set to music most notably by both Robert Schumann (Liederkreis, Op. 39 (Schumann)) and Johannes Brahms (WoO 21).

Text
{| Es war, als hätt' der Himmel,

Die Erde still geküßt,

Daß sie im Blütenschimmer

Von ihm nun träumen müßt.

Die Luft ging durch die Felder,

Die Ähren wogten sacht,

Es rauschten leis die Wälder,

So sternklar war die Nacht.

Und meine Seele spannte

Weit ihre Flügel aus,

Flog durch die stillen Lande,

Als flöge sie nach Haus.

Textual Analysis
Mondnacht is broken up into three quatrains in iambic trimeter that stray from the typical structure in the first and third lines of each stanza. The first and third line are composed of three iambic feet plus an extra syllable. The second and fourth lines have the required three iambic feet; the lines alternate between having seven and six syllables.

The first two stanzas focus on nature imagery, describing a tranquil landscape. In the first stanza, Eichendorff personifies the relationship between the earth and the sky. Note that in German, “Himmel” (“sky” or “heaven”) is a masculine noun and “Erde” (“Earth”) is feminine. The English translation uses the word “she” to refer to the word “Earth” and “him” to refer to the “sky.” With this clarification in mind, it is clear that the first stanza only describes the earth and the sky--it does not introduce a male character and a female character as the English translation may suggest.

The second stanza embellishes this description of the setting. The first three lines all describe specific features of the scene, emphasizing their tranquility with words like "sacht" (gently) and "leis" (faintly). The first three lines also share a simple sentence structure, which contrasts with the syntax of the final line. This contrast distinguishes the final line, which informs the context of the stanza, from the other three.

According to Dr. Wolf-Dieter Seiffert, the poem focuses on the death of the narrator, and the serenity that his soul experienced upon its release. This interpretation focuses on the last stanza, where the narrator is introduced and death is suggested by the description of the flight of the narrator’s soul as it returns “home.”

Seiffert also notes “the subtle intertwining of nature and personal inner reflections” in Eichendorff’s poem. Herein lies the connection between the first two stanzas and the third stanza. Seiffert’s interpretation suggests that the peaceful natural imagery described in the first two stanzas provides a setting for the death of the narrator in the third stanza. Hence, in this view, the theme of the poem is a peaceful death.

The rhyme scheme of the poem consists of even lines ending in perfect rhymes, and odd lines ending in near rhymes.The poem consists of three strophes, each with four verses, which alternately rhyme: the 1st and 3rd lines rhyme, as do the 2nd and 4th in each stanza.

Schumann’s Setting
Schumann’s setting of Mondnacht is part of a larger work--a song cycle entitled Liederkreis, Op. 39 (Schumann). The score can be found here.

Dr. Curt Cacioppo of Haverford College asserts that Schumann “matches the art of the poet in richness, nuance and form, creating a context in which verbal and musical elements embrace and reinforce one another.” Specifically, Schumann's rhythmic, harmonic, and formal devices capture the meaning of Eichendorff’s poem.

Rhythmic and Metric Structures
Mondnacht (the poem) is composed in iambic trimeter that strays from the typical structure in the first and third lines.The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is captured by the succession of alternating eighth notes and quarter notes in Schumann’s melody. Eighth notes occurring on upbeats correspond to unstressed syllables while quarter notes occurring on downbeats correspond to stressed syllables.

Schumann's choice of phrasing follows the rhythmic cadences of the poem. The last syllable of each pair of lines is stressed, which creates a caesura at the end of each couplet. In general, the longest rests in Schumann’s setting occur between stanzas, and the next longest rests occur between couplets, with only brief pauses between the lines in each couplet.

Pitch Structures
Schumann uses a variety of harmonic techniques. For example, the piano alternates between dissonances (mainly by using the interval of the second), and consonances (chords built from thirds). Schumann starts each phrase with a dominant functioning chord. He also tends not to resolve to the tonic chord; typically his phrases resolve to a dominant harmony.

For example, the last word of the poem, “Haus” (home) is not accompanied by a perfect authentic cadence (PAC). Instead, a V4/2 leads to V6/5 of IV. Landing on a secondary dominant chord leads away from the tonic chord and a full PAC, with root position V7 to I motion, is not achieved in the coda.

Formal Structures
The formal layout of Schumann’s setting is ambiguous– it could be considered strophic since the music is the same for the setting of the first two stanzas, but the third stanza is set to different music, which could be considered a coda. This matches the description of the text above. Specifically, the focus of the text clearly shifts when the narrator is introduced in the third stanza, and this shift is reflected in Schumann’s music: harmonically, melodically, and through use of dynamics. The texture becomes denser and the stanza starts with an unusual ii6 to I6 to V4/3, which is sustained for 3 measures whereas the other stanzas began with a circle of fifths progression– V6/5 of ii to ii to V6/5 to I. He reduces the length of rests between melodic lines and ends on the tonic, in contrast to how the harmony has resolved to the dominant in previous stanzas. Energy is also built significantly in the third stanza from the frequent use of crescendo markings.

Brahms' Setting
This early work, now catalogued as WoO 21, was published in an 1854 album of eight songs by various composers, and reissued separately in 1872. The score can be found here.

Rhythmic and Metric Structures
This composition is written in triple meter (⅜). There is rhythmic consistency in the piano part, which can emphasize some of the harmonic suspensions and resolutions. The upper system in the piano part has continual sixteenth notes, while the lower system has eighth notes and dotted-quarter notes.

Pitch Structures
Brahms’ setting relies heavily on V7 and V7/V chords in the opening section. Instead of rigidly adhering to the traditional Tonic-Predominant-Dominant-Tonic harmonic format, the piece alternates between I and V7 throughout much of the A section. Since the A section repeats, more than half of the material is simply I and V chords (not including the F flat chord and following harmonies from measure 20-23). In the B section the harmonies are more complex through use of chromaticism, and the piece does not end with a PAC but rather hints at a plagal cadence using a progression of I - ii4/3 - I.

Formal Structures
The piece is consistent and simple in form. It begins with a lyrical vocal line and a flowing piano accompaniment (this is section “A”) which is repeated, resulting in a doubled A section (AA). In the B section, the listener is presented with new material and harmonic progressions. Hence, the form is AAB, known as a Bar form. The form follows the text. The final stanza is more personal to the speaker of the poem and has more action than the first two. Indeed, the speaker’s “soul stretched its wings out far and flew.” This provides good material for the contrasting B section toward the end of the music, and once again shows that the formal structure helps reflect the poetic material in the poem.

Relationship of Musical Structure to Extramusical Elements
The vocal line is written within one octave (ranging from G4 to a Gb5). This range-set is very interesting for a piece that deals with the concepts of departure, travel, and intense existential feelings. In a piece that deals so freely with emotions, one might expect a vocal range that reflects such a large scope. Instead, the vocal line has a small tessitura and antithesizes these elements.