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8/6/2019 Diction Article 3

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MENC: The National Association for Music Education

Singing in Style: RomanticAuthor(s): Edward F. Menerth, Jr.Source: Music Educators Journal, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Oct., 1966), pp. 79-83Published by: MENC: The National Association for Music EducationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3390782 .

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Singing i n S t y l e : Romanticby Edward F. Menerth,Jr.

(PART I)* Individualism, both national andpersonal, was the greatest singlestylistic influence on nineteenth-century music. Encouraged by theCongress of Vienna (1814-1815),Louis XVIII had brought the Bour-bons back to the throne of France,the German Confederation wassanctioned, England gained theseeds of an eternally sun-lit empire,and Austria secured a strangleholdon Italy. In this process, National-ism, as a consciously-articulatedemotional ideal rather than as anuncertain groping for politicalidentity, flourished. By mid-cen-tury, Napoleon III was reestab-

lished in France, Italian patriotshad begun the activities that wereto result in a unified kingdom by1870, Bismarck was at work de-signing a German empire, and Vic-torian England was ready to act onDisraeli's imperial dreams. Every-where smaller countries aped theexample of their larger neighbors,and short-sighted pride in provin-cial distinctions pressed a heavy-handed stamp upon music that onlytwentieth-century "atonality" wasto eradicate.Within the macrocosms of the ris-ing individual States, the micro-cosms of each individual soul also

fought to be recognized as unique.Intimidated by the uneasy domin-ions of science and industry andambivalent about the relaxing ofreligious controls, man soughtwithin himself for the eternal veri-ties. Hence, all nineteenth-centurycomposers (Romantic, Pre-roman-tic, Post-romantic, Neo-romantic,and even Anti-romantic) tend tohold one belief in common: the in-trinsic value and unlimited poten-tial of the individual human soul.Those who wished each such soulto yield itself to them and share ina basically mystical experiencewrote music which might, to bor-

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nome when he wrote on the manu-script of his song Nord oder Sud:"100 according to Maelzel. But thismust be applicable only to the firstmeasures, for feeling also has itstempo and this cannot be entirelyexpressed in this figure." It shouldnevertheless be emphasized that abasic principle of time is requisiteexcept for those places where thepoetic concept demands freedomfrom "the tyranny of the barline"in order that it be most effectivelyexpressed.While it is specifically prescribed,passages can be found where thetotal impact of Beethoven's mark-ings results in today's concept ofrubato. This is clearly revealedthrough a gradual modification oftime signatures. Performers willdiscover that close adherence tothem will produce the desiredeffect. Otherwise, let the text bethe guide. In moments of spiritedexpression or especially intenseemotion, a conscious use of rubato,under complete control, will servethe music nicely. Beethoven usesthe expressivo designation as anindication of a ritardando or rallen-tando, and the same techniques arein order at the ends of cadences,time transitions, and where thetempo giusto does not allow for fullclarity of either text or ornament.Still, nothing-not even rubato-must interfere with sustaining theunderlying harmonic rhythm thatis, possibly, Beethoven's most nota-ble characteristic.

SA brief look at some of the mostpopular of Beethoven's vocal worksmay help illustrate some of theseprinciples. The "Choral"movementof the Ninth Symphony, for ex-ample, must be considered as muchfor its dramatic elements as from asimple attempt to produce a greaterclimax than the orchestra alonecould accomplish. Wagner, afterall, admitted that "the musical-poetic synthesis in this final move-ment paved the way for the idealdrama," and, despite Czerny's re-port that Beethoven contemplatedanother revision, its implicit rhe-torical structure from the contra-basses' introductory recitative tothe final peroration must be con-sidered in the design of its per-formance as an inflexible dramaticunity.The Missa Solemnis, clearest in-

dication Beethoven has given of hisdeep devotion to and comprehen-sion of the basic meaning of thechurch service, is an outstandingexample of the early nineteenth-century concept that music mustassume an "uplifting"function. Be-hind the use of concise and plasticleading themes and wide varietyof imitative devices is a concen-trated thoughtfulness toward use oftext that has rarely been equalled.So far as text-painting itself is con-cerned, the singer must realize thatalmost every single word becomesits own musical motif, often havinggrown organically from a natural

''Verbally-oriented,the new audiencesbrought about analteration in the

literary-music re-lationship as their

need grew for de-scribed experienceand superficialsensation.

rhythmic inflection that involvesthe meaning of that word bothconnotatively and denotatively.Note, for instance, the other-worldly setting for Incarnatus, therepressed agony of Crucifixus, thevirile affirmation of the Credo.Fidelio must be interpreted in aspiritual context, one that reachesan inevitable conclusion in thechoral Finale. To this end is a

relentless dramatic movement, al-though there might not be muchconventional dramatic activity.Within each aria the psychologicalmomentum directly advances aninternal development toward aninevitable conclusion. As an ex-ample one could cite Florestan'scomposite aria (with integrated re-citative) at the beginning of ActII, where there is a clear psycho-logical progression from despair tohope. The singer must not onlyproject this movement, but do so

with a technique capable of pro-ducing the top tones without strainand an absolute minimum of"white" showing through.To summarize the performancetechniques required, it must alwaysbe remembered that Beethoven in-herited certain systems of musicaldesign, and that the singer needs athorough knowledge of, and thediscipline to adhere to, this omni-present underlying form. In thesearch for a proper tempo, clarityand distinct execution are the basicrequisites, demanding educatedjudgment and discriminating taste.Huge reserves of breath are neededto sustain long lines of vocal coun-terpoint without loss of the capa-bility to deal with sudden contrastsof dynamics as well as crescendiand decrescendi. And, finally, onemust bring to this vocal literaturea wide tonal range and control.Beethoven casts an enormousshadow, setting a standard for com-parison which intimidated andhaunted many who came after. Still,there are those who maintain thathis vocal music is basically unsing-able. This is not true. It simplydemands that the singer share thesame ideal of human perfectionthat the composer mined from theprofound depths of his own vision.* The chief representational devel-opment in vocal form of the nine-teenth century was the Lied, anintimate musical-literary relation-ship of the finest subtlety. Its earli-est manifestations were in theefforts of the Minnesingers andMeistersingers, but its concept waslater enlarged under the influenceof the ballad. The form of themusic is determined by the text,whether strophic or non-strophic,but its lyrical content exerts a tre-mendous pressure on the singer'ssensibility to poetic gesture. Foreven as the great Lieder achieve aperfect wedding of form to content,so must the Lieder singer achievea like blend of mind and matter.

Perhaps more than in any otherform of vocal literature, the Liedoffers to the singer a role as co-creator. In performance, each songmust achieve a life of its own, avitality whose essence lies specifi-cally in the act of recreating, notreproducing. This calls for the ac-quired technique of producing awarm, smooth vocal tone, enlivenedOCTOBER, NINETEEN SIXTY-SIX 81


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with color and controlled in in-tensity, and an instinct for inter-pretation which can penetrateincisively to the dramatic heart ofa lyric and translate its basic moodinto sound. To this end, the part-nership of voice and accompani-ment is one of equals, and extensiverehearsals and discussions becomemandatory. Each has his rights;each has his duties. Only the philo-sophic concept or dramatic expres-sion of the song is superior in thismusical manage & rois.Schubert, the master melodistwhose some six hundred or soLieder established the "artsong" asa musical means of expressing dra-matic vignettes, sets the style forthe generations to come. His earlytraining and associations had beenmore literary than musical, stronglyinfluenced by the Sturm und Drangmovement, and his concern for textnever slackened. Admirers right-fully claim that he reached not onlyto the heart of the poem, instan-taneously, but also to the heart ofthe poet, so that his use of text-painting becomes simultaneously aliteral and emotive device. All ofSchubert's musical arts, in fact, aresubordinated to illumination of thepoetry.His most distinctive contributionof interest to the performer is thecreation of lovely melodies, requir-ing an artful simplicity of renditionthat one associates with folk sing-ing. The problem of subjective feel-ing versus objective representationis readily resolved in the light ofthe wide variety of emotions thatcan be covered in a single work.Heavily-annotated expression marksare clues to the introduction of thecomposer's desire for the fullestemployment of vocal color in theservice of creating a mood. A studyof the way the motif found in theroots of the song is repeated andcontrasted sheds even further lighton the desired mood. This makesit necessary for the singer first tofind the basic melodic motif andthen its sequencing, often based onharmonic modulations, yet alwaysintended, imaginatively and in-tellectually, to render the text freelyand graphically.A wide dynamic range thatsuffers no loss of dramatic fervoror intensity in quiet passages isanother requisite in singing thesecapsule music dramas. Transitions,

particularly in those songs that arethrough-composed, from a lyric toa declamatory style, put an empha-sis on the singer's strength ofrhythmic sense. Extreme care forand attention to detail make furtherdemands on immaculate dictionand a broad spectrum of shading.Above all, however, Schubert wasessentially the melodist whose mindfunctioned most characteristicallyin terms of song.This quality appears equally inSchubert's larger works. Althoughhis operas are rarely performed, hissuperb Masses are deserving ofcomment. Here again are foundrising sequences and repeatedphrases used as techniques to un-derscore the "universally personal"emotion which derives from theoverall setting. Soloists in the Massin G, for example, will want tobring a complete accuracy in deal-ing with such subtle devices as thefalling minor sixth and frequentintervals of the minor third. Thechoir is entirely dependent uponits conductor for the precise han-dling of quick crescendi and de-crescendi, and for most effectivedelineation between the staccatoand legato contrasts in the Credo.* Brahms' vocal literature, fromthe aphoristic to full-scale compo-sitions, reveals the chaste masteras less the intellectual composerthan is generally conceded. Hisdifficult rhythmic counterpoint,wide intervals, use of arpeggio fig-ures, double fugues, characteristictriumphant triplets, and sonorousharmonies require a high degree ofmusicianship, true, but the singeris best advised to bear in mind thatbeneath the musicianship of thecomposer was a great sensitivity to

This article is the fourth in a series onthe subject of vocal interpretation inwhich stylistic features of all periodsare explored from the historical view-point with careful consideration forthe musical characteristics which pre-sent particular problems for vocalists.The first article in the series, "Singingin Style: Renaissance," appeared inthe April-May 1966 issue. Successivearticles featuring the Baroque andClassical periods have appeared inthe June-July 1966 and the September1966 issues of the Journal. The authorof this series is the Executive Directorof the Fort Wayne Fine Arts Founda-tion, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

peasant tunes and gypsy melodies,and a guiding interest in spiritedexpression. Another notebook-keeper, Brahms lavished much ofhis slow and careful process ofcreation on such considerations asthose of color in tonal positions.And, although he allowed text tocontrol melody, musical considera-tions controlled form.In large choral passages, as amatter of fact, communicating thebasic mood of the text is more im-portant than the intelligibility ofeach individual word. The doublefugues in the non-liturgical Eindeutsches Requiem, for example,are more a part of the general moodof overcoming the terror of deaththan they are the musical settingof specific Biblical passages. Onthe other hand, the Vier ernsteGesiinge, virtually a solo cantata,discloses a great deal of near-sylla-bic text-setting, and although alsoromantically concerned with tran-scendency over death, puts muchstronger emphasis on articulation.His Lieder, for which he generallyfavored a strophic form, require,first and foremost, the communica-tion of a mood: elegiac, subjective,resigned, or reflective.The love of extra-musical asso-ciations, self-expression, and funda-mental long-line lyricism are Schu-mann's gifts to performers, andmake him the most Romantic of all.He even managed to personalizeBachian counterpoint into a "con-versational exchange." The delib-erate ambiguities of Heine's poemsespecially beguiled him when se-lecting Lied texts. The singers mustshare this deep fascination withpoetic fantasy and mystery. Schu-mann's warm and expressive Liederfurther require the singer to acceptthe pianoforte as an equal, even tothe extent of sharing melodies withthe accompaniment. The techniquehere is to sustain, silently and withgreat concentration, the continua-tion of a musical idea and then toenter with no breaking of the line.Melody is all, and structuremerely a clothesline on whichthemes are hung for display. Be-cause of this, the performer mustbeware of rhythmic monotony andfind within the meaning of the texthis varieties of intonation. Schu-mann's models in German Romanticopera only serve to emphasize hisintrinsic lack of genuine theatrical

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sensitivity and inability to sustainlengthy build-ups to climax. Toooften the parts seem more import-ant than the whole, and the burdenon the singer in performance be-comes one of imposing a smoothemotional shape to the square-cut,improvisational nature of the "de-velopment" sections. In his choralworks, it is important to reflect inperformance that older types ofrecitatives have now been replacedwith a more melodic type of de-clamation.[ Mahler, rather than indulging intext-painting (aside from such gen-eral techniques as the use of adarker tone in Das Lied von derErde when speaking of "night"),used texts as points of departure-and was at his supreme best whenwriting for the voice. The mostgeneral clue to his style is the com-bination of sensuousness and appre-hension seen in his careful alterna-tion of variety and unity within agenerally tight organization. Thisdualism has the capability of sus-taining long works, but resists theextraction of individual componentsfrom larger wholes. Performersshould note his intricate dynamicmarkings, tremendous interest intonal color, seen especially in theprecision of his choices of colnsti-tuent parts, and even such seem-ingly minor instructions as when tosit and when to stand-instructionswhich have a perceivable effect onthe "sound" of the voice.This composer's heart-searching"symphonic" song cycles mark achange in function of the Lied fromSchubert's "chamber" to the largerconcert halls, and therefore, a cor-responding change in performancetechnique. To find the balance be-tween that which is personal andthat which is universal in the crea-tion of a particular character, com-plete involvement in the textualsetting is needed. But a consciousexercise of linguistic techniquesmust also be drawn upon in orderto cope with Mahler's subtle manip-ulation of the German language insuch works as the Kindertoten-lieder. Primarily, however, a strongand beautiful vocal tone must beproduced with particular care thatis not sacrificed in dealing with theunusual leaps, extended ranges,and large orchestral forces thiscomposer delights in using.

"Beethoven .intimidated andhaunted all whocame after."

Wolf, a "psychologist in music,"aimed at a faithful rendition of thetext, but his overall impact is inthe creation of a vague longing forthe unattainable which often callsfor a shaded, mystic quality on thepart of the singer. Second only tothis is the necessity for rapidchanges of mood, with little or nopreparation, calling for rapid modu-lation or the unexpected device ofchromatic voice-leading. Specialcare must also be accorded appo-giaturas, nearly always representa-tive of Wolf's great respect for thepoet and desire to create an over-all atmosphere composed of amosaic of moods. Although thesinger's line is often in declamatoryor arioso style, it never loses itsessential vocal character.* In the field of Romantic vocalliterature of a representational na-ture, the varieties of music for theChurch merit brief attention. Thefirst major statement that can bemade is with regard to the en-largement of media due to expand-ing orchestras and choruses; andthe second concerns the extent towhich national traits and seculariz-ation were accepted into formerlyrestricted forms. A proliferation ofnew forms mingled with the old,with some returns to the "GoldenAge" of Bach and Palestrina, tomonody and a cappella styles, thefreest use of the anthem since Ren-aissance times, a stretching of theliturgical Mass beyond the limitsof reverence, a formalization of theLutheran Deutsche Messe, andenough variety in re-awakeningmusical England to warrant its ownparagraph.On the island country Mendels-sohn replaced Handel as the rulingpassion, and the Romantic oratoriomet the tests of being both respect-fully old and within the bounds ofthe influential evangelicals' insist-ence upon propriety. The self-imposed disciplines of later Vic-torian life found compensations in

the roulades and arias of Italianopera, but this was tolerated onlybecause it was foreign. Locally, theunblemished strain of vocal puritywas maintained through endlessvariations on those "Lo, the GentleLark" things which ask only of asinger the discipline of utter sin-cerity and subjection to the ma-terial. Choral singing, given im-petus by the Massed Choirs at theCrystal Palace, the WorcesterThree Choirs-Festival, the continu-ing tradition of the Choir Schoolsthemselves, and the invention ofthe Tonic Sol-Fa system of nota-tion, caused Anglican church serv-ices to be much adorned with choirand voice anthems that sustainedtraditional forms.In performing such works, choralstyle will depend on a knowledgeof when the chorus was meantsimply as a division of larger forces,and when it was meant to be, itself,in the spotlight. Knowing whetherthe work was intended for concert,stage, or Church production willalso affect performance considera-tions. These are vital questions, forthe main strength in many worksof the Spohr-Liszt-Mendelssohncanons is, indeed, the use of thechorus. Whether oratorio or can-tata, and no matter if found, actu-ally, in Protestant England or Ger-many, sheer weight of vocal soundis frequently the chief aim in per-formance.In Catholic France, Berlioz'Grande Mlessedes Mlortes (and theTe Deum) relies on extreme con-trasts in dynamics as a key to keep-ing the grandiose medium undercontrol, while Gounod's non-liturgi-cal "St. Cecelia" Mass deviates sofar from the prescribed text as tohave song interpolations in theAgnus Dei. Liszt's "Hungarian Cor-onation" Mass provides opportunityof singing chant themes, but raisessevere problems in choral intona-tion. These and other "abuses" ofthe Church music idiom were di-rectly responsible for the issuanceby Pope Pius X in 1903 of the Motoproprio, which unilaterally struckall "dramatic" music from RomanCatholic church use.The above information coversonly representational aspects ofRomantic vocal literature. Thepresentational styles, along withthose identified chiefly with thetheatre, are the subject of Part II. 1

OCTOBER. NINETEEN SIXTY-SIX 83

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