THE EARLY INSTRU~1ENTAL STYLE OF KURT WEILL

Presented by

Michael David Luxner ~·

To fulfill the thesis requirement for the degree of

Master of Arts

Department of Theory

Thesis Director: Dr. David Russell Williams

Eastman School of Music

of the

University of Rochester

June 4, 1972

- ------------------

ACKNOY..rr.EDG~lENTS

The author gratefully acknowledges permission to

include in this thesis short examples from Kurt Weill's

Symphony in One Movement, granted by Belwin-Mills Publishing

Corporation, sole selling agent in the United States for the

copyright owner, B. Schott's Sohne. Acknowledgment is also

made to Theodore Presser Company, sole representative of

Universal Edition in the United setates, Canada, and ~Texico,

for permission to use examples from the following works by

Kurt Weill: Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra, String

Quartet No. 1 op. 8, and Quodlibet for Orchestra op. 9.

At this point, the author would like to express his

deep gratitude to Dr. David Russell Williams for his time

and effort spent in guiding· this project to its completion.

Special thanks are also due to Beverly Wilcox for her help

in translating various materials from the French and German.

ii

·'/ .

. • I

ABSTRACT

Kurt Weill is known primarily as the composer of The

Threepenny Opera and other German stage works written in

collaboration with Bertold Brecht. There exists, however,

a remarkable body of work from Weill's early years (1920-27)

that is virtually unknown today. The works of this period

are distinctly different from the later works in many im­

portant respects, not the least of which is that they include

purely instrumental compositions (after 1924, Weill was to

compose without the use of the voice only once, in the com­

missioned Symphony of 1933).

It is with the instrumental compositions that this

study is concerned (the early vocal works serve as a sty­

listic transition to the later Brecht operas, and are not

representative of the early style). Written during the

years 1920-24, they are the work of a young composer at­

tempting to discover the musical language through which his

creative impulses could best be expressed. The result, in

some cases, is bold experimentation in the areas of harmony,

melodic structure, and form, partially in an attempt to trans­

late the expressionism of German drama into a musical idiom;

other attempts resulted in a more traditional approach. Over­

all, the early instrumental works represent a fascinating but

neglected body of music.

iii

Of the eight instrumental works written between 1920-24,

two have been lost. One of the others (the 1920 cello sonata)

has never been published.and is unavailable; a fourth (the

1921 ballet Zaubernacht) exists only as an unpublished set of

orchestra parts, the score having been lost. The remaining

four works have been published in score and are still in

print, and form the basis of this study. They are:

Symphony in One Movement, 1921

String Quartet No. 1, op. S, 19231

Quodlibet for Orchestra, op. 9, c. 19232

Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra, 1924

The purpose of this study is not to provide a note-by­

note analysis of the four works, but to attempt to define the

musical style they represent. This is accomplished through

discussion of the following musical parameters in individual

chapters: harmony, melody, texture, form and motivic

deve~opment, rhythm and meter, and orchestration. No single

analytical technique is used; the compositional techniques

used by Weill are, for the most part, verbally described and

illustrated with examples drawn from the music.3

!Although the op. g Quartet was designated "No. 1," no other work in that medium has ever been published.

2The Quodlibet is a suite drawn from the lost ballet "Zaubernacht."

3Generally, musical examples are included individually where referred to in the text. Where there are a large number of short examples related to a particular aspect of style, they are collected on a page of examples placed immediately after the page of the text on which mention is made of the first example.

iv

It has been found that the four works differ from one

another in many respects. This situation, attributable to

the fact that the young composer was exploring many avenues

in search of his own particular musical language, makes it

difficult to determine an overall early style. Nevertheless,

important compositional techniques and principles are common

to all of the early works, and the differences between them

result largely from shifts of emphasis of the various tech­

niques from one work to another. Thus, although the

predominantly atonal harmonic idiom is altered by tonal

influences to a different degree in each of the four works,

the techniques through which atonality and tonality are

achieved are basically the same throughout the early music.

Similarly, differences between the textural constructions of

the four works can be seen as a shifting of emphasis. The

Violin Concerto is dominated by complex non-imitative counter­

point to an extent not approached by the other works, but the

counterpoint itself is similarly constructed in all of them.

Many different types of formal structures are created, but all

make use of certain methods of return and restatement and are

unified by a few governing principles of motivic transformation.

In order to clarify the differences between the four

works, the general characteristics of each are discussed in

Chapter II. The main body of the thesis explores in greater

depth the techniques used throughout the early instrumental

music and indicates to which of the works each technique is

most relevant.

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNO\\'LEDGMENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

PART I. BACKGROUND

CHAPTER I. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH • • • • • • • • • • •

CHAPTER II. THE EARLY INSTRU~~NTAL MUSIC

PART II. ASPECTS OF STYLE

• • • • • •

CHAPTER III. HARMONY

CHAPTER IV. MELODY

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

CHAPTER V. TEXTURE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

CHAPTER VI.

CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER IX.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FORM AND l·TOTIVIC DEVELOP~1ENT • • • •

RHYTHM AND METER • • • • • • • • • • • •

ORCHESTRATION • • • • • • • • • • • • •

PART III. CONCLUSION

SU~~~RY AND OBSERVATIONS • • • • • • • •

. . . . . . . . . . . . • • • • • • • •

vi

ii

2

7

17

51

72

100

131

145

161

167

PART I. BACKGROUND

0

CHAPTER I

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

The art of Kurt Weill is inseparably linked to the

remarkable era in which his best works were written. The

idealism of the young postwar German intelligentsia, and,

later, the boiling tensions of pre-Hitlerian Europe, are

given powerful and remarkably direct expression in Weill's

works of the 1920's and early 1930's. The purpose of the

present chapter is to outline the important events and

influences of Weill's life (with an emphasis on the early

years) in the hope that some impression of the crucial and

artistically vital era between the wars and its influence on

Weill's music can be given.

Kurt Weill was born on March 2, 1900 in Dessau, where

his father was a composer and Cantor of the Synagogue. His

gifts were discovered early, and musical studies began when

Weill was about eight years old. In 1914, Weill began

private lessons in theory and composition with Albert Bing,

Conductor of the Dessau Hoftheater, with whom he studied for

four years. From Bing, Weill learned rudimentary tools of

composition, but he could not find in him or in the city of

Dessa~ the inspiration to put those tools to creative use.

The city of Berlin, in which a stimulating battle for ar­

tistic dominance was being fought, held an attraction for

2

Weill; at the age of eighteen he moved to that city to begin

study at the Hochschule fur Musik.l

Weill's composition teacher at the Hochschule was

Engelbert Humperdinck; his influence on Weill would prove to

be small. The young composer's first major student work, a

symphonic poem based on Rilke, was written and performed at

that time. Weill found the atmosphere of the Hochschule un­

sympathetic, and remained only one year.2 His conducting

studies with Rudolf Krasselt, first Conductor of the Deutschen

Opernhaus in Berlin, enabled him to secure a position at the

Hoftheater in Dessau under Bing and Hans Knappertsbusch.

After a short time, he advanced to the position of first

Conductor in the small Westphalia town of Ludenscheid.3 Thus

began Weill's connection with the theater, which was soon to

become the focal point of his creative efforts.

Weill returned to Berlin in 1920 and finally found the

musi~al environment that he needed. He and five others were

accepted by Ferruccio Busoni as members of a new Master class

in composition at the Prussian Academy of the Arts. The

members of the class were not given instruction in the usual

sense, but helped to develop a sense of musical taste and

aesthetics through Busoni's insights to the classics and the

!Helmut Kotschenreuther, Kurt Weill (Berlin: Max Hesses Verlag, 1962), p. 5. ----

2David Drew, notes accompanying recording (Weill, Symphony No. 1, Angel S-36506).

3Kotschenreuther, pp. 5-6.

4 works submitted to him. In addition, Busoni made no effort

to force the incorporation of his ideas into the styles of

his pupils, although he would not hesitate to make his re­

actions known. Busoni showed favor to Weill, who impressed

him as an intelligent young man who knew how to listen and

how to think,4 but reacted unfavorably to Weill's Symphony in

One Movement and its overstated expressionist idiom. Weill

worshipped Busoni and remained in the class until the Master's

death in 1924.5

The social and political environment in which Weill

found himself in Berlin made as~much of an influence on his

art as did his musical environment. Weill became a member of

the nNovembergroup," a band of idealistic young artists that

saw itself as the cultural arm of a new humanism based on

individual freedoms and other socially leftist principles.

The artistic idiom of the group was expressionism, as repre­

sented by the drama, paint.ing, and music of the time; although

the humanitarian message might seem contradictory to the over­

stated pathos, even distastefulness of expressionism, they saw

it as an idiom of moral integrity. Weill's Concerto for

Violin and Wind Orchestra, the most thoroughly expressionist

of the early works, must be approached from this standpoint.

In it, the rhetoric of Strauss and Mahler, with which Weill

had been ingrained, is transformed into a radical aesthetic

principle, an expression of the idealism of a generation.6

4Ibid., p. $. 5orew, ££· cit.

6Kotschenreuther, pp. 10-12.

5

After 1924, Weill turned exclusively to music for the

theatre. It was perhaps inevitable, as the result of his un­

finished experiments in Ludenscheid and the success of German

expressionisrn as a dramatic medium. His first collaborations

were with Georg Kaiser, one of the leaders of the expressionist

movement. The early operas, including Der Protagonist and Der

Zar lasst sich photographieren, met with acclaim from pro­

gressive critics but did not attract any significant popular

following.? Gradually, however, Weill was working toward a

more accessible, more personal idiom that was to define the

works of his second major style period. The turning point

came when Weill decided to collaborate with Bertold Brecht.

The result was the works of 1927-1933, the best known today

being The Threepenny Opera. Here Weill embraced a new

aesthetic, in which the music was tonal and jazz-influenced,

the forms strophic in the manner of cabaret ballads, and the

text political, though in a satiric, understated manner

{admirably reflected in the music) especially appropriate to

the underground tension of the uneasy years before Hitler

came to power. Weill won wide acclaim from critics and

audiences alike, and for the first time came to the attention

of America through an article by Virgil Thomson that appeared

in 1933. Thomson wrote of Weill as a "new model" of German

composer, without the "flavor of scholasticism or officialdom

about him."g

1Hans F. Redlich, "Kurt Weill," Music Review, XI (August 1950}, p. 20e.

Svirgil Thomson, "Most Melodious Tears," Modern Music, XI, p. 13.

6

The political message of Weill's operas, as well as his

Jewish descent, was not lost on the Third Reich. Hitler

issued an order banning all his works, and, faced with

imminent arrest, Weill fled Germany for Paris and London.9

After several uneasy years, devoted mostly to the composition

of sundry ballet scores and incidental music, he carne to

America, where he remained for the rest of his life. In

America, Weill set out to become ingrained in the ~ulture of

the new world, and began to write for the musical stage in

collaboration with Maxwell Anderson and others. The American

works of 1936-1949 form the third style period of Weill's

output, in which the music is of a less complex, less pungent

nature. It brought him his greatest measure of popularity

and success. The more significant German works of 1927-33

were forgotten, and remained so until the process of re­

discovery began in 1954 with a highly successful revival of

Threepenny Opera in New York.

While planning an opera on Huckleberry Finn,lO Weill

suffered a heart attack. He died in a New York hospital on

April 3, 1950.

9"The Story of Kurt Weill," Music Journal, XIII (March 1955), p. 28.

10Ibid., p. 30.

CHAPTER II

THE EARLY INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

The·present study of Kurt Weill's early style is based

on the four published instrumental works he composed in the

early 1920's: the Symphony in One Movement of 1921, the

String Quartet and Quodlibet for Orchestra of 1923, and the

Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra of 1924. The present 0

chapter is intended to serve as a· general introduction to

each of the four works, and to present pertinent facts per­

taining to them that do not logically fit into the main body

of this thesis, which is organized by parameter. The works

are discussed here in order of musical importance.

Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra

The last of Weill's purely instrumental works until the

Symphony of 1933, the Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra

(hereafter referred to as "the Concerto"} was composed in the

summer of 1924 and first performed in Paris by ~~reel Darrieux

the following year. The full score remained in manuscript

until its publication by Universal Edition in 1965, although

a reduction for violin and piano (made by Weill himself) was

published by Universal as Op. 12 in 1925. The work enjoyed a

modest popularity in Europe for several years, but was seldom

7

if ever heard between 1930 and 1955, when it was revived with

great success in Central Europe, the United States, and

Israel.l Several recordings have been made since that time.

The Concerto bears the influence of the post-Romantic

expressionistic style of Strauss and Mahler, although to a

lesser degree than does the earlier Symphony in One Movement.

Harmonically, the Concerto is in a free atonal style,2 al­

though intimations of tonal stability appear at various

places and grow stronger as the work progresses. In addition

to the solo violin, the Concerto is scored for two flutes

(second alternating with piccolo), one oboe, two clarinets in

B-flat and A, two bassoons, two horns, one trumpet, contra­

basses, and percussion. The demands on the soloist are great;

the violin is active almost constantly throughout the thirty­

three minute work, and the solo part is written in a highly

virtuosic vein.

The Concerto is in three movements. The first is

organized along the principles of arch form, and is unified

throughout by a motto chord consisting of a short vertical

sonority generated by the interval of a fourth, lightly

accompanied by the snare drum. The movement opens lyrically,

building to a climax of great dramatic power, then gradually

. falls away through a jazz-like passage and a return of the

lnavid Drew, "Two \'leill Scores," Musical Times, CVII (September, 1966), p. 797.

2~t a performance of the Concerto in New York's Town Hall in April, 1957, the concert program incorrectly identified the work as a twelve-tone composition. See Philip C. lenni, "Music for Moderns Begins Series" in Musical America, LXXV I I O··ia y , 19 57 } , p • 2 5 .

9

opening section. The first movement is the freest of the

three as far as tonality is concerned, although it ends on a

G-sharp minor chord. The outstanding feature of the movement

is the skillful manipulation of broad, sweeping themes into

elaborate non-imitative counterpoint.

The second movement forms a central triptych, with its

three sections bearing the individual titles "Notturno,"

"Cadenza," and "Serenata." Although each section stands in­

dependently, the references to "night music" in the titles of

the outer components and the contrasting nature of the

"Cadenza" seem to imply the existence of a symmetrical

organization of the Concerto as a whole. The influence of

tonality is stronger in all three sections than in the first

movement, although not dominant, and the outer components

rely more heavily on secundal harmony than does the first

movement. The dominant texture throughout the second move­

ment. is one of solo melodies with distinctive accompaniment

figures, rather than counterpoint.

The third movement begins with a saltarello rhythm that

may have been suggested to Weill during his visit to Italy

immediately preceding the composition of the Concerto. A

perpetual, forward-moving rhythmic impetus dominates the

movement, while form and texture are less distinguished. The

tendency toward tonal stability is strongest in this movement,

finally ending on a dominant-tonic cadence in the key of F

major.

10

Symphony in One Movement

The Symphony in One Movement (hereinafter referred to

as "the Symphony") was composed in Berlin in April, May, and

June of 1921, while Weill was attending Busoni's newly-formed

Master class. Never having been published or released for

performance, the score disappeared in 1933.3 It fell into the

hands of the German musicologist Walter Fleischer, who guarded

the manuscript throughout the war years, and did not re-emerge

until 1955.4 The long-delayed first performance of the work

took place in Hamburg in 1957, and was followed by a New York

premiere in 195S. A study score ~as published by B. Schott's

Sohne, Mainz, in 196$.

Although the Symphony has no specific program, Weill

added to the title page of the autograph an epigraph taken

from the play Festspiel by Johannes R. Becher. The play

concerns world war, revolution, and man's relationship to God,

and is written in the expressionist idiom then in vogue in

Weill's Berlin.5 It is not impossible to relate certain parts

of the Symphony to the action of the play, although to do so

in no way enhances the effect of the music.

The Symphony shows the influence of two strikingly

different idioms: the post-Romantic expressionism of Mahler,

3David Drew, notes accompanying recording (Weill, Symphony No. 1, Angel S-3b506).

4Chris Nelson, "'Lost' Kurt Weill Symphony to have N.Y.C. Premiere," Musical Courier, CLVIII (July, 195S), p. 4.

5nrew, .2.12.· cit.

ll

and the neo-classicism of Busoni. The expressionist idiom

dominates most of the work, although it proves to be extremely

compatible with the fugal and chorale passages. Other, more

specific influences might be mentioned: the single-movement

structure and the use of the melodic fourth reveal an in­

debtedness to the Chamber Symphony, op. 9, of Schoenberg,

whose work Weill respected tremendously; also, the use of a

richly divided string section shows the influence of the 1916

Chamber Symphony by Franz Schreker, with whom Weill had con­

sidered studying.6

The resulting style is a fascinating one, combining

elements of tonality and atonality in sharp contrast. The

use of tertian triads is far more important to the Symphony

than to the Concerto, as is the use of quartal harmony, al­

though the influence of the fourth on harmonic structure is

not as great as its extensive use as a melodic interval would

seem to indicate. The orchestra consists of a wind section

identical to that of the Concerto, plus one trombone and bass

clarinet (played by the second clarinetist) and a somewhat

larger percussion section, and a large string section divided

into a minimum of nine parts.

Although nominally in one movement, the twenty-five­

minute Symphony actually consists of three major sections,

framed by a prologue and an epilogue.(theterms "introduction"

and "codan do not effectively communicate the importance of

6Ibid.

n these sections to the overall structure). The three major

sections are referred to throughout this $tudy as "movements,"

because they are delineated and function as such, and because

they contain elaborate structures of sections and subsections

within themselves. The prologue, three "movements," and

epilogue are unified by two cyclic motives that recur both by

quotation and transformation throughout the work. The first

"movement," a modified sonata form, includes several strident,

march-like sections, perhaps evocative of the highly mechanized

modern armies of Becher's play, as well as passages of repose

and lyricism. The second "movement," an ABA structure which

takes on the function of a slow movement, is marked "andante

religioso" and contains some of the most lyrical writing of

the Symphony. The third "movement," in which the influence of

Busoni is manifest, contains two fugal sections, a chorale,

and a passage in which the chorale melody acts as a cantus

firmus of a contrapuntal texture. The epilogue dramatically

sums up the preceding material, at first jubilantly, but

ultimately with a grave final cadence in the key of C minor.

A detailed study of the form of the Symphony is made in

Chapter VI.

String Quartet

Very little can be determined concerning the genesis of

the String Quartet, op. 8. Written in 1923, the score

(bearing a dedication to Weill's father) and parts were

published by Universal the following year. The fact that the

13

third movement relies almost entirely on material borrowed

from the Symphony might seem to indicate that the work was

written to fulfill a commission on short notice or for some

other expedient purpose. An early performance was given by

the Hindemith-Amar Quartet.?

The primary stylistic difference between the String

Quartet (hereinafter referred to as "the Quartet") and the

other works is that the original thematic material is based

on short motives rather than long themes. This affects the

overall form as well as the nature of the thematic material

and its development, in that long sections are replaced by

many short subsections, each based on various combinations

of several motives (excepting, of course, the material

borrowed from the Symphony). Harmonically, too, the Quartet

differs from the other works; although it is almost completely

atonal, the sense of atonality is achieved through more con­

triv~d means, such as polyharmony and tritone relations.

The Quartet is in three movements, although they are

not numbered and the rehearsal numbers run consecutively from

beginning to end. The three movements are marked "lntro­

duktion," "Scherzo," and "Choralphantasie," and are to be

played without pause. The brief opening movement is in a

modified A B A form and is predominantly vertical in texture.

The sec.ond movement is a scherzo and trio, in which the trio

is a humorous march parody borrowed from the Quodlibet for

Orchestra. The third movement adopts the subject of the fugal

7Kotschenreuther, p. 9.

14

sections from the third "movement" of the Symphony, and

develops it similarly (though less extensively); the chorale

and part of the epilogue material are also used. The over­

all structure, however, is substantially different from that

of the Symphony, and includes a new "recitative" section,

consisting of a series of cadenzas.

Quodlibet for-Orchestra

In 1921, Weill provided an orchestral score to Zauber­

nacht, a dance-mime by Vladimir Boritch that tells the story

of a fairy who brings toys to life.8 Although the score of

that work has since been lost, Weill extracted a suite from

it that was published in 1926 as the Quodlibet for Orchestra,

op. 9. The suite was probably compiled in 1923, at about the

same time the Quartet was being composed. It is subtitled "an

entertainment music" ("Eine Unterhaltungsmusik") and bears a

dedication to Albert Bing, Weill's first teacher. The Quod~

libet for Orchestra (hereinafter referred to as "the Quodlibet")

is organized according to symphonic principles, its four move­

ments {numbered but not titled) corresponding to those of a

traditional symphony.

The Quodlibet is specifically pictoral and written in a

deliberately simplified idiom, perhaps reflecting the influence

of his earlier teacher, Humperdinck. It is the least inspired

of the early works. It is predominantly tonal, and almost

gJohn Aroloin, "Orchestras," Musical America, LXXXIII (April, 1963), p. )6.

completely vertically organized with only the most rudimentary

types of counterpoint; themes are repeated rather than de­

veloped. The slower sections contain some lyrical ideas that

are interesting from the standpoint of melodic structure, but

the thematic material of the faster sections is, for the most

part, "busywork" constructed around various rhythmic patterns.

The orchestra. employed is the largest of the three symphonic

works, consisting of pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bas­

soons, horns, trumpets, and trombones, in addition to strings

and percussion, but is the least imaginatively used. The

Quodlibet is most useful in studying the various approaches

Weill takes to establishing tonality.

Of the four movements, the best is by far the third.

It is organized according to a harmonic principle (tritone

relation) and successfully unified by it, despite great

variety in the thematic material and the lack of any sub­

stantial recapitulation. This movement is described in

detail in Chapter VI.

PART II. ASPECTS OF STYLE

CHAPTER III

HARMONY

The difficulty in attempting to define an overall style

in Weill's early instrumental music is felt most acutely,

perhaps, in considering the subject of harmony. Although

many of the harmonic techniques discussed in this chapter are

used in each of the four pieces under consideration, others

may pertain to only one of them, and many techniques, of

course, play a more important role in one or two of the works

than in the others. Thus, the discussion of chromaticism in

a melodic line concerns itself chiefly with the Violin Con­

certo, although chromaticism is certainly present in the

other works; it is simply less important in determining the

harmonic nature of those works.

The most important aspect of Weill's harmonic language

is his own particular brand of free atonality, that is, music

which does not rely on any one pitch as a place of harmonic

repose, yet is not based on a pre-existing principle of pitch

organization that would automatically impose this condition

(i.e., serialism). Tonality is also an important part of the

harmonic style, established by traditional tonal harmony in

some p~aces and by more irregular means in others. The present

chapter considers first both the extended and isolated tonal

17

18

passages and the methods· by which tonality is established,

followed by an analysis of the atonal music in an attempt to

discover exactly how "free" atonality is successfully achieved.

This is followed by a discussion of overall harmonic structure,

including relationships between some of the segments of an

entire movement.

Tonality

Extended sections of tonal music are found only in the

Quodlibet, which makes greater use of tonality than the other

works. Several of the extended tonal sections are based on

traditional functional harmony. The C minor theme at figure

2 of the third movement proceeds over a tonic pedal and ends

with an imperfect authentic cadence. In the second movement,

the key of A minor is established in the passage extending

from figure 16 to figure 17. This is accomplished through

the use of a functional bass line somewhat in the style of 8

Baroque passacaglia (see Example 1). The vertical structures

in this passage are not complete chords, but imply a

functional progression. A tonic pedal is present throughout.

Ex. 1. Quodlibet, p. 37, m. 5-p. JS, m. 51

Vc ~rT-:r~=J~±~F F eT·Ir~ F!lf.rd :::t1~ t '::!:~- "'"d±f :t;;i. lo;~ k\, r molto cresc.

lKurt Weill, Quodlibet, op. 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

19

The first movement of the Quodlibet includes a modulation

from G minor to A minor, proceeding with strict adherence to

the traditional practices of tonal harmony. In this pro­

gression, a diminished seventh chord on the raised seventh

degree of the G minor scale resolves enharmonically to a

second-inversion tonic chord in A minor.

Other extended sections of the Quodlibet are firmly

tonal,. but make use of chord progressions that are somewhat

beyond the realm of traditional tonal harmony. A typical

section of this type can be seen in the first movement, be­

ginning at figure 7. The chordyrogression of this passage

can be outlined as follows (melody excluded):

(-e-) (~)

~(~~~§~*§~9 ~~~§~b~~~~!~-lt~~ ~~:~4ti§·' ~~li~t~!~!]~l(5tii)~~~~g ~v/

Fig. 1 Harmonic Outline of Q_uodlibet, p. 10, mrn. 1-5.

Although extended passages in a definite tonality exist

only in the Quodlibet, the other works include many examples

of brief sections that establish a temporary tonic. Many of

these make use of functional or quasi-functional progressions.

One of the most extended examples apart from those in the

Quodlibet can be seen at the end of the first "movement" of

the Symphony (mm. 220-224). This passage establishes a tonic

of D major through a progression involving the tonic, sub­

dominant, submediant, and Neapolitan chords of that key; no

dominant harmony is used. A temporary tonality of E minor is

20

reached at the end of the Symphony's third "movementr also

through functional harmony. In this case, atonal lines in

the brass, violin, and low strings merge to form a dominant

chord in the key of E minor, which resolves in measure 390.

An example of a somewhat similar type of quasi-functional

progression can be found in the third movement of the Concerto

{Example 2). The solo violin reaches a series of higher and

higher peaks, aiming toward the ~3 in the 2/4 measure. The

accompanying wind chords are non-functional, but by combining

the notes of the violin with the third wind chord (otherwise

identical to the first), a dominant ninth chordinG minor is

formed, which resolves on the downbeat of the 2/4 measure.

This type of progression is also common in the Symphony,

Ex. 2. Concerto, p. 98, mm. 4-62

Ob.

Cl.

(A) fg.

Co. (f)

VI.

·l'l

-t)

" .. ~ .;

3 4

" ~~~ .., Jp

"" tJ - ,.

~ 3 '!!:.

4

p ..

II I)

P. h;

I ,..

":;_ ~~-~ 3

J. i'

v ~~ II

v 2,J II

4

q;_ .... b~ !" ·~I=

3 ~.f 4

2Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

21

usually involving a chromatic approach to a dominant chord

which resolves to a temporary tonic. In the example from the

Concerto, however, the element of tonality is not permitted to

become an important one. The passage quoted in Example 2 is

rollowed immediately by a similar progression in which the

violin aims toward an ultimate peak of ~3; a diminished triad

on g-sharp is formed, but as the violin resolves to a the

basses enter on a g-sharp and the winds fall silent, entering

one-half beat later with the triad d ~ £• Thus the expec­

tation of a second tonal cadence is set up and rrustrated.

The beginning of the second "movement" of the Symphony

shows a dirferent approach to the use of temporary tonality

through quasi-functional means. In this case, the temporary

tonic is not arrived at by progression; it simply begins

directly arter a substantial break in the texture and is re­

inforced arterward. The passage is shown in Example 3. The

opening E minor triad gives the feeling of tonic, and the f £

diad on the next beat that of a Neapolitan. The return to the

E minor triad on the next beat establishes the note~ as tonic.

Ex. ). Symphony, p. JB, m. 6.

22

Following this, the tonality is subverted by a series of non­

functional sonorities beginning with the ~b bb diad on the

fourth beat.

Not all the brief, temporary tonics in the music are

established by functional or quasi-functional means. A

common technique, especially in the Symphony, involves a

linear, predominantly chromatic approach to the notes of an

emphasized major or minor chord. Example 4 shows one instance

of this technique, taken from the Symphony; only the string

choir is shown, as the winds and brass simply double the lines

of the strings. The approach to the root of g in the basses

is chromatic, while the cello, viola, and third violin lines

are stepwise and at least partially chromatic. The first and

second violins approach the tonic with a series of descending

fourths, the fourth being the primary melodic interval of most

of the Symphony.

_Ex. 4. Symphony, p. 46, m. 3.

Sehr breit

23

In some cases, it is not the tonic that is approached

chromatically, but a dominant chord immediately preceding the

tonic. The chorale harmonization contains an example of this

technique, taken in Example 5 from the Quartet. The last

chord in the measure preceding the A-flat tonic is its domi­

nant with an anticipation in the first violin; each member of

this chord is approached by half-step.

Ex. 5. Quartet, p. 31, mm. 9-10.3

One other method of establishing a temporary tonic, in­

frequently used, may be mentioned. This involves the sounding

of a tonal theme in unison, with no chordal support. Example

6 demonstrates an application of this principle from the Quartet.

Ex. 6. Quartet, p. 11, mm. 7-13.4

3Kurt Weill, Streichguartett No. 1, ££• 8 (partitur), C 192~, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and 1-'!exico.

4Ibid.

24

One important group of brief tonal sections has not been

mentioned; that is, the endings of those movements that do, in

fact, establish a final tonality. Because of the importance

of these tonal endings to the overall harmonic structure of

the various movements, they are discussed in the last part of

this chapter.

Atonality

The use of tonality is an extremely important aspect of

Weill's early harmonic style, but much of its effect derives

from the fact that most tonal sections are brief interludes

in a predominantly atonal texture. It is the atonal aspect

of the music, then, that is the more important. It merits

closer study not only because it is the dominant feature of

the early harmonic style, but because Weill's approach to

free atonality is a highly personal one involving many origi­

nal and effective techniques. In attempting to define these

techniques, the present discussion divides them into two large

groups. The first deals with those that create the phenomenon

of atonality in a single line, an important consideration due

to the highly contrapuntal nature of much of the music; the

second with those techniques that cause the overall texture

to be termed "atonal."

The most obvious method of creating an atonal line is

by avoiding the duplication of any one pitch until all twelve

tones have sounded, thus attempting to make each pitch of the

chromatic scale equal in importance. Although Weill never

resorted to full-fledged serialism in linear construction,

many of his melodies avoid pitch duplication to a significant

degree. Nine- and ten-tone rows are not uncommon, especially

in the Concerto. Example 7 shows a typical approach to this

technique. In this important horn theme from the Concerto,

the first note is repeated at the octave, and is then followed

by nine consecutive different pitches. As in this case, it is

Ex. 7. Concer~o, p. 24, m. 3 - p. 25, m. 2.5

common for a theme to break a "rulen of tone-row construction,

yet seem to be otherwise based on the principle of avoiding

pitch repetition. Another example can be seen in Example 8,

again from the Concerto. In this first entrance of the vio­

lin, the note d is duplicated at the octave fairly quickly,

yet the first twelve notes of the theme contain eleven

different pitch classes.

Ex. 8. Concerto. p. 3, mm. 3-6.6

5Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

6rbid.

26

One other example of a theme in which pitch duplication

is avoided might be mentioned; that is the important fugato

theme from the third "movement" of the Symphony (used again

in the Quartet) shown in Example 9. This theme makes use of

ten different pitch classes in its first eleven notes, but

also works against the emphasizing of any one pitch by using

equal time values for most of the pitches and a regular sub­

division of the basic time value for the others. Thus the

pitches are made equal in status through the elimination of

agogic accent. A more thorough study of this phenomenon will

be made in the chapter concerned with melodic construction.

Ex. 9. Symphony, p. 50, mm. 2-3.

Interestingly enough, one of the most common methods or

avoiding tonality in a single line involves the irregular use

of blatantly tonal pitch materials. This technique can be

described as a rapid succession of small groups of pitches,

each small group functioning within a key but not remaining

in that key long enough to establish it as tonic. In some

cases; the pitches fall into clear scale- or arpeggio­

patterns that are repeated rapidly in a series of

VI.

27

contrasting keys. An example from the Concerto is shown in

Example 10.

2.7

A somewhat less contrived and more typical application

of this principle can also be shown by an example from the

Concerto (Example 11). In this passage, the solo violin at

first shapes its theme out of pitches from the G minor dia­

tonic scale, but switches (in measures four and five) to the

scale of F-sharp minor.

Ex. 11. Concerto, p. 44, rnrn. 1-68

VI. I@ -;anquillo m~~ Rndanfe ,_.---

A related technique that might logically be considered

at this point is the use of sequences. They are, in fact,

comparatively rare, and usually involve atonal material

repeated at a different pitch level. A typical atonal

7Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by perm1ss1on of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Y.exico.

erbid.

28

sequence is illustrated by Example 12, taken from the Quartet.

The sequence occurs in both the first and second violins.

Ex. 12. Quartet, p. 15, rr~. 22-26.9

"t ~i.--~-~~~~~ v/ 'J.. -

:2 .

Melodic chromaticism is another important method of

avoiding tonality in a single line. In the present study,

the term refers to the use of linear half-step relations to

weaken the potential stability ef a pitch. The chromaticism

does not imply a shift to a group of tones representative of

a specific tonality, as in the technique previously described.

It is one of the more subtly used devices, and the best

examples can again be found in the Concerto (see Example 13).

Ex. 13. Concerto, p. 53, m. 5-p. 54, m. 110

9Kurt Weill, Streichguartett No. 1, ££• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A.,. Canada and Mexico.

10Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S. A. , Canada and t>lexico.

29

The use of successive melodic fourths is an important

method of avoiding tonality, now recognized as common practice

in the works of the early twelve-tone composers and in other

schools of twentieth-century composition. Weill adopted the

technique in a characteristically individual manner. He does

not, for instance, appear to make any substantial distinction

between the perfect, augmented, and even the diminished

fourth., using all three forms interchangeably and the first

two fairly equally. This technique is used most consistently

in the Symphony, which is, in fact, systematically and

thoroughly based on the princip~e of successive melodic

fourths, and makes use of either disjointed or unbroken stacks

of fourths in virtually every important theme. The use of

fourths in the other works is equally important, but less

systematic and all-pervasive; in addition, the augmented

fourth tends to outweigh the perfect fourth in importance,

whereas in the Symphony th~ reverse is true. Examples 14

through 18 show some of the typical applications of this

technique. Example 14 illustrates a stack of perfect fourths

used melodically, Example 15 the use of disjointed fourths,

Example 16 a melody whose framework outlines a tritone, Ex­

ample 17 the use of disjointed tritones, and Example lS

isolated tritones (Example lS is from the beginning of the

third moverr.ent of the Quodlibet, which is based on tritone

motion throughout).

A fairly simple but highly characteristic technique

is the deliberate avoidance of octave duplication in scale

30

Ex. 14. Symphony, p. 3, mm. 2-3.

~t ~ . -

- cF;>.; _ · tt/ J;;r-- ---(dH\ ~ j'~ . -1 ,

,. ~~8;)-d"£ =-==-~ w' j' .. _""

Ex. 15. Symphony, p. 18, mm. 1-3.

Ex. 16. Concerto, p. 113, mm. 1-4.11

Ex. 17. Concerto, p. 57, mm. 1-2.12

VI.~~ • ·~·, . . "j;• ~

Ex. 18. Quodlibet, p. 44, mm. 3-4.13

v.... \,

llKurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by perm~ssion of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

12Ibid.

13Kurt \veill, Quodlibet, .2..E· 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

and arpeggio figures, and also in the general contour of a

melodic line. In these cases, the expected octave duplication

is replaced with a major seventh or a minor ninth. Example

19 illustrates this technique as applied to a scale figure,

and Example 20 as applied to an arpeggio. In Example 21, the

peaks and valleys of the overall contour show constant

avoidance· of 9ctave duplications.

A somewhat related technique, and- one that is often used

in combination with the above, involves the employment of a

half step as the final melodic interval of a descending line;

in most cases, the note resulting from the final half step is

not one o:f those that naturally occurs in the diatonic scale

upon which the rest of the line is based. This leaves the

listener with the somewhat unstable sensation of an out-of-

place leading tone. Examples 22 and 23 illustrate this tech­

nique as used in the Concerto and the Quartet. A slightly

more complex application of the same principle is illustrated

by Example 24. In this case, the half-step interval at the

end of the descending line creates an octave duplication of

the first note of the figure; the implication of C-sharp

minor within the line is subverted by the two £'s at either

end.

Many of the most important harmonic techniques are not

relevant to the treatment of a single line, but are concerned

with the problem of creating an overall atonal texture. Some

of these procedures give a definite sense of working against

the seemingly natural tendency of the music to become tonal,

Ex. 19.

32

2.14

Ex. 20. Concerto, p. 12, m. 3.15

cb. ;,, . ..

Ex. 21. Quartet, p. 6, mm. 1-2.16

Ex. 22. Concerto, p. 2, mrn. 6-8.17

C(. *I .. {ill-

''"' ·~ -~i~ (Sh) • s• maHo &>pr. ,.....

Ex. 23. Quartet, p. 6, mm. 7-8. 18

I .. ,, il ; Ell ~~

14Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

15Ibid.

16Kurt Weill, Streichguartett No. 1, £2.• 8 (partitur}, C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

17see fn. 14.

l8see fn. 16.

33

Ex. 24. Concerto, p. 53, mm. 2-).19

.; !1-

while others reflect a very natural manipulation of pitch

materials into an atonal texture.

Perhaps the most obvious method involves the contra­

puntal combination of individual lines which are in themselves

atonal as the result of one or more of the techniques mentioned

above. The counterpoint is in some cases imitative, such as

the fugal section of the Symphony (beginning at measure 2S9);

the subject of the fugato is a wedge-shaped theme that in­

cludes ten different pitch classes in its first eleven tones.

More frequent than this, however, is the contrapuntal combi­

nation of independent atonal lines, not in imitation; an

example of this type can be seen in Example 25.

Another method of creating an atonal texture is by com­

bining tonal and quasi-tonal lines, each of which emphasizes

a different pitch. This is distinguished from polytonality

(discussed below) in that the individual lines do not

necessarily establish two clear tonics through functional

means that remain recognizable when combined; they merely

represent different emphasized pitches. An example of this

type of counterpoint is shown in Example 26. In this passage

19Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edit~on, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

34

Ex. 25. Quodlibet, p. 19,. mrn. 7-12.20

'.fl L'lsr~sso 1V:."1po

~£~ r"'1~ I -- I M

7. f~'·

., ,~ dolce e:!>pr; -

r. VI.

2.. I"' ~ ~~ ... ~~~ ~~-;~~~,._~

VIQ. ;j; --t~

21' Ex. 26. Concerto, p. 7, m. 1-p. S, m. 1.

lJ.n poco piU. anaa.nte

VI.

pp

i .. ~d-'

I

20Kurt Weill, Quodlibet, op. 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and :t<Iexico.

21Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Un1versar-Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

35

from the Concerto, the soloist plays a series of arpeggio-like

figures that emphasize the note ~ by repetition and by using

it as its highest note. It is combined with·a tonal theme in

the winds and basses that comes to rest on a. The result can­

not be said to be true polytonality, but the unsettled

harmonic feeling is due to the contrast of pitch emphasis of

the two lines. This type of contrast is often complicated by

the use of additional tonal or atonal lines, such as at the

beginning of the third movement of the Concerto. The two

clarinets are genuinely polytonal, playing similar lines in C

minor and B-flat minor. The accompanying pizzicato bass, how­

ever, is atonal, as is the violin at its entrance on beat four

of the first measure.

Another type of tonal contrast based on this same

principle can be seen later in the same movement, in the meno

mosso section after figure 25 (Example 27). The bass pedal of

~ combines with the oboe to imply G major-minor, while the

flutes and clarinets imply A major through different means in

a contrasting textural style.

True polytonality is also used, but never for an ex­

tended period of time. This technique is reserved almost

exclusively for the Quartet, which takes a generally more con­

trived approach to atonality than do the Concerto and Symphony;

indeed, the brief polytonal effects of the Quartet, consisting

mostly of parallel scales and arpeggios from two different

keys, ~an be considered a more rigid equivalent of the tech­

nique discussed above, which is used primarily in the more

36

Ex. 27. Concerto, p. 125, mm. 5-6.22

·~ Un poco meno m~o

,-:: -...

Fl. ~---..c;.:..~-::- -· ·------pp

f) -= =----= ~ - ~~ . :=x-~ =><- '!".,"...____. "'PP II 1'!:>-fl- jl~

()b. -.., pp

A -==== ===~ ... pp fl Cl.

- --" ;..-

(p) ;~ ~

Fg. pp J

~------------· ·- ...

rpiuJ

Cb • ... PP

sophisticated Concerto. Examples 28 through 30 show some of

22Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

23Kurt Weill, Streichouartett No. 1, ££• 8 (partitur), C 1924., Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

. .

37

Ex. 29. Quartet, p. 7, m. 1.24

Ex. JO. .Quartet, p. 16, mm. 13-16. 25

~ ~ :..~.. ~~ ~t

t:i:-S=~f=.._ ·. =- v/ -f-= ~ r~ - l r : :;=.· ~ ~ v/' c~

E ---4. f --- --k. c;.

J J __

~~'·.~-~t:: . ./ B ... f~ - i~ b Jl.:i--:t. !)

lt._._ t=~- ...

J L ~ ~~.-- .,/

f

In many cases, a theme that might otherwise imply a

tonality is prevented from doing so by the harmonic nature of

the accompaniment. This is accomplished in a variety of ways.

In the first measure of the Quartet, for example, the first

violin theme strongly implies the key of F mi.nor. The other

three voices, however, play a progression of three atonal

chords made up entirely of the pitch materials of the C-flat

major scale, with all seven pitches represented; thus, the F

minor implication is destroyed by pandiatonic harmony in the

key most distant from it.

24Kurt Weill, Streichouartett No. 1, ££• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publ1sher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A.> Canada and l,1exico.

25Ibid.

)8

One of the most common methods of subverting the implied

tonality of a melodic line is through the use of tertian

triads elsewhere in the texture that work against the tonal

direction of the theme. Two instances illustrate typical ways

of employing this technique. In the second movement of the

Concerto (beginning at figure 10), the solo violin embarks on

a melodic line that descends in sequence, clearly aiming

toward an implied tonic of G. The expectation is reinforced

by the fact that the line leads to small ~' the violin's

lowest note. As it arrives, however, the wind accompaniment

forms two successive vertical sonorities such that the ~ fits

in not as a root, but as the third of an E minor triad, and

on the next half-beat, an E-flat major triad. Earlier in the

same movement, the xylophone plays a figure with an implied

harmony of tonic-dominant in A as part of a long theme. On

the beat in which the xylophone melody implies tonic harmony

(third measure of figure 3, beat two) the accompaniment con­

sists of an A-flat major triad; as the melody shifts to

implied dominant harmony in A major on the next beat, the

accompaniment moves to a diminished triad on a. In these two

instances, then, foreign tertian triads are used to weaken the

tonal implications of the melody, in one case by incorporating

the melody into the sonority and in the other by clashing with

it.

Contrasting sonorities functioning in this manner need

not be tertian triads. Many tonal themes are weakened by

accompanying sonorities of various types that create a

39

dissonance or non-functional relationship with the theme. An

example can be found in the third movement of the Concerto.

The A-flat major theme beginning on the third measure after

figure g descends from dominant to tonic; as it reaches tonic

in the fourth measure after figure 8, the accompanying

sonority consists of gb, ~' and b.

The various types of vertical sonorities used by Weill

are, of course, important to creating an atonal texture.

Many specific varieties can be found, including non-functional

tertian, quartal, and secundal sounds, along with various

combinations of these. Following the enumeration and illus­

tration of the types of sonorities, the more important

question of progression of vertical sonorities will be

con~idered.

Tertian harmony as part of an atonal texture is more

common in the Syrr~hony than elsewhere. Example 31 illustrates

harmony in triads and seventh chords, although the melodic

motion is primarily in fourths and minor seconds.

Quartal harmony is also important in the Symphony, al­

though the term must be modified to include the augmented and

diminished fourths in most cases. In addition, very few

sonorities are generate~ by fourths alone; it is very common

for a predominantly quartal sonority to be firmly rooted with

tertian materials in the lower voices (see Example 32). A

most important vertical sonority--the motto chord of the first

movement of the Concerto--is generated by fourths (Example JJ).

40

Ex. Jl. Symphony, p. 43, rom. 1-2.

Ex. )2. Symphony, p. 1, m. J. ~ ~

I

(

) )

. ' /

:; C 26 Ex. JJ. oncerto, p. 1, m. 1.

~

'

} t.,

I """'' , , '

~ ir

26Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur}, C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

41

Ex. 34. Concerto, p. 79, mm. 1-3.27

...

Ex. 35. Quartet, p. 31, mm. 3-8.28

--. -

--=

~

'P- ··- ·- ---= I -~

w~~-;-~-~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~==~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~-~~~w·

The general lack of quartal constructions in the Concerto

helps the motto chord to stand out at each of its entrances.

Although there are examples of pure secunda! sounds in

all of the works, they do not occur with great frequency; it

is more common for a vertical sonority to combine secundal

ingredients with other intervals, particularly fourths and

fifths (see Example 34). Another common construction involves

the juxtaposition of several pairs of tones in a secunda!

relationship.

A particularly characteristic vertical sound is that of

a major or minor triad with one of two added notes in secunda!

27Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur}, C 1965, Universal Ed~tion, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Corr.pany sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

28Kurt Weill, Streichguartett No. 1, QE• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and !viexico.

42

relation to the notes of the triad. They occur even in as

carefully constructed a vertical passage as the chorale

harmonization (See Example 35).

The final point to be considered with respect to those

techniques that cause an overall texture to be termed atonal

is that of chord progression. In general, progressions of

vertical sonorities in atonal passages are of three basic

types. The first and most common can be described as a

series of tertian triads (or, rarely, seventh chords) based

on non-functional, usually random root movement. The second,

which is most common in the Symphony but present in the other

works as well, involves a progression of sonorities, the com­

ponents of which are determined by chromatic motion in some

or all of the voices. The third type can be described as a

progression in which the components of each successive chord

are manipulated so as to increase the degree of tension,

primarily through the addition of dissonance.

Examples of non-functional progressions of tertian

triads are plentiful throughout the early music. One such

instance already quoted can be seen in Example 31. This par­

ticular series is unordered as are most of the others.

Example 36, however, illustrates an ordered series of non­

functional tertian triads; the root movement is by whole step

throughout.

To illustrate clearly the type of progression in which

the structure of each sonority is determined by chromatic

motion in the individual voices, two examples are given.

43

Ex. )6. Symphony, p. 66, mm. 3-4. Viol.

Vlo.

Vel

Ex. 37. Concerto, p. 67, mm. 1-4.29

(~;~~ t I : 1:: = I~ -

Ex. 38. Symphony, p. 9, mrn. 3-4.

29Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

44

Example 37 is a relatively simple application of this tech­

nique, taken from the beginning of the "Cadenza" section of

the second movement of the Concerto. Example )8 illustrates

the application of this procedure to a thicker texture. In

moving from the first sonority to the second, the top three

voices descend one half step and the bottom three ascend one

half step. In moving to the next chord, all six voices

descend, four of them by half-step; the same number move by

half-step to the next sonority (all but one descend) and again

all six to the downbeat of the next measure, four descending

and two ascending. Thus the quality of the chords is

constantly changing and doublings affect different members of

the structure with each progression.

An example of the third type, that is, manipulation of

the components of each chord to increase the degree of tension

in the progression, can be seen in the 'pesante' section of

the first movement of the Concerto, !rom five measures before

figure 16 to figure 17. The first several chords of the pro­

gression can be described as either tertian triads with added

tones or quintal sounds with added tones, none of which in­

cludes a severe dissonance. Beginning with the fifth measure,

however, the chords begin to contain tritones, minor seconds,

and major sevenths. The climax of the progression is reached

at figure 17, at which point all the members of the chord are

in a half-step relation with some other member (b and £, e and

f, ~-sharp and~). A somewhat different application of this

technique is illustrated by the second phrase of the chorale

45

harmonization, as shown in Example 39. The first violin line

is stationary for the duration of the example, while the other

three voices ascend towards it in predominantly chromatic

motion. The "tightening" of the texture, as well as the

alteration of the intervallic structure of the sonorities, pro­

vides a perpetual increase in harmonic tension.

Ex. 39. Quartet, p. 31, mm. 10-14.30

t!'lpr.

y./

+- ..,../

---w""

- .--- ,.../

Overall Harmonic Structure

For the most part, Weill exhibits a deliberately casual

approach to overall harmonic organization. Many thematic

sections, for instance, are returned with completely con-

trasting harmonic schemes, and the briefly established

tonalities, including most tonal endings, show little relation

to each other and seem to be selected almost at random. An

examination of some examples of this "random" harmonic

structure will be made, following brief mention of the only

significant exception to this general tendency.

30Kurt Weill, Streichauartett No. 1, ££• 8 (partitur), C 19-24, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

46

The third movement. of the Violin Concerto reveals a

deliberate attempt on the part of the composer to work toward

and establish clearly a final tonality of F major (ironically

enough, an overemphasis on the dominant of the key causes a

certain amount of confusion in the final aural impression,

which seems to give as much weight to the key of C major as

it does to F). Various hints of this appear throughout the

movement, beginning as early as the third measure; at that

point the timpani begins an intermittent series of entrances

on the note c which ultimately resolves down a fifth to f at

figure 2, even though the harmonic scheme of the rest of the

orchestra bears no relation to either £ or f at that point.

The third major section of the movement, extending from

figure 18 to the meno mosso after figure 25; is punctuated

throughout by the timpani with interjections of the notes f,

~, and £ in various rhythmic patterns. The final notes of the

move~ent are foreshadowed in the transition to this section

(Example 40}. At the very end of the section (figure 25),

Ex. 40. Concerto, P• 115,m. 2.31

~ .PJ ¥ ../ pmarc.

31Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

47

there is a brief polytonal passage in which the F-sharp minor

tonality of the violin is overpowered by the full orchestra,

half of which emphasizes the key of C major and the other half

F.

The effort to establish the tonality of F is strongest

in the coda, which is based on the.same thematic material as

the section discussed above. In the coda, however, this

material is presented in the key of F major instead of the

previous key of A major (beginning four measures before

figure 36). The timpani continues its reiteration of the

notes c and f, sometimes in the~form shown in Example 40 and

sometimes reversed, in the manner of a half-cadence. For the

last thir~y-four measures of the ~ovement, the trumpet plays

only the dominant note £• Example 41 shows the final four

measures of the work, providing further proof that Weill's

intention was to end in F major: the trumpet {the only

rhythmically independent yoice) and the soloist preserve the

dominant note, while the cluster in the rest of the orchestra

(based on the notes of the E major scale) resolves to a

dominant seventh chord on £• The timpani's final strokes are

clearly meant to represent the missing resolution of the

dominant chord. As stated above, however, the ear does not

substantiate what was clearly Weill's intention on paper.

The predominance of the note £ for so long, the brevity of

the C major-minor seventh chord, and the somewhat unfocused

pitch inherent in the timpani all contribute to a final aural

impression that emphasizes C, rather than F major.

48

Ex. 41. Concerto, p. 155, rnm. 5-8.32 I':!!-- - - - -------------·

.a_• >'

~ p~ .fl,.,~

Fl. I~ .:;:_,: t -•. h':

Ob. ~~

Cl. tT.: -:_

(A) r:~: fg.

I .0: ....

,.. ;.

::- •

Co • rJ=r'i. ~

.... II l >

Tr. (c) r'"'

Timp ... .

8'15!- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -I .H ...

ll ,...fi! :K 1t.. !l' VI. ..,

~ ~ -~=· ,... +

Cb. ;ins

For most of the other movements in the early works, any

ambiquities in overall harmonic structure are clearly in­

tentional. Several recurring techniques seem to indicate the

existence of what has already been termed "random" harmonic

organization. One of the most important of these involves

the return of an earlier thematic section with a completely

different harmonic scheme. In the Quartet, for instance, the

passage beginning at figure 4 is returned at figure $ with

similar materials: each passage contains a pedal note, a

variant of the main theme, a chromatic line (descending at

figure 4, ascending at 8), and a free voice (similar in

?2Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and ~exico.

49

contour and rhythm in both places). The pitch relationships

of the various lines, however, are completely ·altered: At

figure g, the pedal note is a major third lower than at 4,

the thematic variant is lowered (or raised) a tritone, the

chromatic line begins one half step higher, and the free voice

is raised a minor third. A similar though less involved ex­

ample can be seen in the Concerto. At two measures before

figure 20 in the first movement, a theme is stated in the horn

with a chordal accompaniment in the winds; two measures later,

the theme is restated in the trumpet a perfect fourth higher,.

yet the sequence of wind chords is repeated verbatim.

One other, somewhat different application of this tech­

nique might be mentioned: the return of the opening theme of

the Syrr.phony at the end (measure 40) of that work. The

initial quartal setting of this motive is replaced at the end

with a harmonization in simple triads, thus showing an en­

tirely new concept of harmonization other than the alteration

of the relationship of various lines.

Another evidence of "random" harmonic structure is

Weill's tendency to make use of overall schemes of unrelated

keys and temporary tonicisations. Both the first "movement"

of the Symphony and the "Serenata" section of the second

movement of the Concerto recapitulate entire sections in keys

one half step away from the key of the original setting. In

the Quartet, the tonalities emphasized by the chorale near the

end are A-flat major and C major, yet the work goes on to

close in G major.

50

The entire question-of endings is relevant to the

problem of overall harmonic schemes, since Weill shows a

preference for tonal conclusions (ten out of thirteen move­

ments end tonally, counting the Symphony, Concerto, and

Quartet as consisting of three movements each). In most cases,

no hint is given of the ultimate tonality; the "Serenata,"

which ends the second movement of the Concerto, contains im­

portant tonal sections in A major and A-flat major, yet ends

in B-flat minor. In many cases, the immediate approach to the

final tonality is through a distantly related key. In the

first movement of the Concerto, a sudden whole-tone shift in

the violin from a double stop of ~ and £-sharp to b and d­

sharp precipitates an ending in G-sharp minor, one half step

away from the A major implied by the original double stop.

One more example, out of many, might be cited: the third

movement of the Quodlibet settles on an implied A-flat

tonality over a pedal of d; the last three measures, however,

unexpectedly outline the notes of a D minor triad, thus ending

the movement with a tritone relation.

CHAPTER IV

MELODY

Throughout the early instrumental music, Weill takes

many different approaches to melodic structure. To a certain

extent, this is due to the use of specialized techniques which

are applied to one of the works and not to the others; thus,

the melodies of the Violin Concerto can generally be described

as long, sweeping, and often lyrical, while those of the

String Quartet are short and motivic in nature. Melodic style

is not solely determined by the general characteristics of

each overall work, however, as there is usually great variety

in approach to melodic structure within individual movements

and even sections. Melodic technique, in fact, shows very

little standardization and is one of the most problematic of

the parameters with respect to determining an overall style.

The first part of this chapter is concerned with the

pitch materials drawn upon by Weill in his various approaches

to melodic structure, and primarily with his manipulation of

these pitches so that one of them or none of them is empha­

sized. The remaining four parts of the chapter deal with

further aspects of melodic organization: contour, type of

motion, phrase structure, and repetition.

51

52

Pitch Materials

The first group of melodies to be considered with respect

to pitch materials are those that avoid emphasis of a single

pitch as a point of reference. This usually involves the use

of many different pitch classes and the avoidance of dupli-

cation, in the manner of tone-row construction. With respect

to pitch only, this is an important method of creating

atona~ity in a single line and is illustrated in the previous

chapter (Examples 7 and 8}.

Equally important to melodic structure as pitch variety,

however, is the problem of the relative importance of the <

pitches, as influenced by agogic and metric accent, peaks and

valleys, and beginnings and ends of phrases. In many themes,

there is a conscious effort to avoid emphasizing any single

pitch through careful manipulation of these parameters. The

subject of the fugato from the Symphony, quoted again in

Example 42, provides a case in point. The theme is presented

mostly in even eighth notes, thus avoiding agogic accent. The

few sixteenth notes that are used appear on different beats in

measures one and two; thus, the regularity of the quadruple

meter is disturbed and metric accent is lessened. The wedge

Ex. 42. Symphony, p. 50, mm. 2-5.

53

shape of the theme provides frequent new peaks and valleys, so

that none stands out as an emphasized pitch.

These techniques, particularly the use ·of equal note

values, are used in many melodic constructions in all four

works. Mention should be made of two important themes that

bear a strikingly close resemblance to the fugato subject

quoted in Example 42: the wind theme at six measures before

figure 6 in the first movement of the Concerto, and the wind

melody at 14 measures before figure 4 of the first movement of

the Quodlibet.

In a sizable number of melodic structures, pitch ma­

t~rials are manipulated so that a single pitch class is

successfully emphasized, even though as many as eleven or

twelve tones may be used in all. Rhythmic considerations are

often the most important in this regard, as can be seen in

Example 43. This theme from the Symphony shows no emphasis

by virtue of pitch succession alone, yet the c in the fourth

Ex. 43. Symphony, p. 6, mm. 3 - p. 7, m. 2.

Nicht schleppen ; Solo _(Solo)

Vn. 1 ~~€=¥.kf J r r . F I cj . t'IWfFP' r I f" - - - df • . p..,-.

full measure (the first ~ used in the melody) is successfully

emphasized by agogic accent, and also by the fact that it

comes at the end of a phrase. Metric accent is also used

frequently, especially in the strident, heavily accented

passages of the first "movement" of the Symphony. An example

{not quoted) is provided by the theme introduced in the cellos

•.

54

and bassoons at measure seventy-one, in which the note £ is

heard on the downbeats of the first two measures. As a re-

sult, £ is made to sound like a pitch of reference, or "home"

pitch, despite the interpolation of the distantly related

notes f-sharp and a-sharp between the two c's.

Another method of emphasizing a particular pitch class

is by intermittent but frequent reiteration of that pitch in

the course of a melodic line. The best examples of this tech­

nique can be found in the "Cadenza" section of the second

movement of the Concerto, in which the note ~-flat is empha­

sized in several important thematic statements by reiteration.

A brief example is quoted in Example 44.

Ex. 44. Concerto, p. 6S, m. 4 - p. 69, m. 1. 1

. Perhaps the most obvious method of emphasizing a par­

ticular pitch, the use of repeated notes, is fairly uncommon

in Weill's early music. Examples do exist, however, such as

in the long xylophone solo extending from figure 3 to figure

4 in the second movement of the Concerto. The fifth and

sixth measures of this theme are based on repeated e's and

f-sharps in a dotted eighth-sixteenth note rhythmic pattern.

Other instances of pitch repetition take place mostly in

lKurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur}, C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

55

short, motivic themes, such as the opening motive of the

second movement of the Quodlibet; this melodic fragment con­

sists of six repeated ~'s (one measure of 6/8 meter) framed

by a d-sharp anacrusis and a g-sharp on the downbeat of the

following measure.

It should be pointed out that in some cases the nature

of the emphasis given to a single pitch and the techniques

used to achieve that emphasis cause the melody to become

tonal, either by functional means or by implication. The

first phrase of the main theme of the "Serenata" (oboe, be­

ginning four measures before figure 27 in the second movement

of the Concerto) is in the key of A major because it is

constructed primarily of the notes of the A major scale, and

implies functional harmony in that key. Similarly, the first

theme of the "Notturno" section of the same movement (partly

quoted in Example 45) can be said to begin in the key of G­

sharp minor because of the g-sharp valleys in the first and

third measures of the theme and the use of the G-sharp minor

diatonic scale.

Ex. 45. Concerto, p. 51, mm. 2-4.2

2Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965,. Universal Ed1tion, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

56

A third approach to the problem of pitch emphasi~ is

applied so often as to merit attention. This involves me­

lodic structures which begin with an emphasis on a single

pitch and later move away from that emphasis. In some cases,

the nature of the shift is such that a clearly tonal melody

becomes atonal, as in the oboe theme from the "Serenata"

mentioned above. The first phrase, as noted, establishes A

major.and ends on a half-cadence in that key; the second

phrase, however, gradually loses the ~ as a point of refer­

ence and becomes atonal. Example 46 quotes an important

Ex. 46. Concerto, p. 7, m. 3 - p. 9, m. 2.3

Ob-I~ lp; ~· ! ;@~i : n ·r 1~; ~-14 j i >£ i si ti l:·ffi ~PAq J lq fifi ~J I

theme from the first movement of the Concerto which is a

special case insofar as pitch emphasis is concerned. The

theme is divided into the two phrases, the first of which

clearly establishes~ as tonic; the second phrase begins

atonally but the ~ is re-emphasized at the end by the me­

lodic cadence on the 2/4 measure and by agogic accent of the

tonic.

3Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 19b5, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

57

Contour

There is a definite sense of shape in most of Weill's

melodies, but few actual patterns are used often enough to be

singled out as predominant, recurring ones. In addition, the

substantial length of many of the melodies causes problems in

determining an overall contour. The examples on the following

page illustrate the various types of general patterns commonly

found,_ as discussed below.

Example 47 can be described as an arch contour, with a

peak of f-sh~rp3 in the eighth and ninth measures. The term

"arch" is applicable, even though the rising and falling

motion is not perfectly smooth from beginning to end; indeed,

it would be extremely difficult for so long a theme to make

use of continually rising and falling motion and to remain

interesting. This melody, then, demonstrates the problems

involved in assigning an overall shape to an extremely long

theme. Example 48 illustrates an inverted arch contained in

the first two phrases of a theme from the Quartet. There are

also examples of inverted arch contours within a single

phrase, such as in the violin melody quoted in Example 49.

Examples 50 and 51 illustrate contours that are con­

tinually rising and continually falling, respectively. A

fairly common practice involves the successive use of these

two types of contours in consecutive, but distinct melodic

ideas, resulting in an overall arch made up of contrasting

material. An example can be seen in the Symphony, in the

passage extending from measures ninety-five to ninety-eight;

53, m. 5.4

,3--.§r ~r-m!·;,. ,

Ex. 48. Quartet, p. 13, m. 23 - p. 14, m. 1.5

Ex. 49. Concerto, p. 107, m. 1-5.6

VI.~~ )• ~ ! l• 3;£10, ;,.t ; I 1 r

4Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Ed1t1on, used by permiss1on o£ the publisher. Theodore Presse~ Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

5Kurt Weill, Streichouartett No. 1, 2£• g (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A;, Canada and Mexico.

6 See fn. 4.

._,

59

Ex. 50. Concerto, p. 30, m. 1- p. 32, m. 1.7

~il~ a.! .,. .J J.l J if J no ;ra j

> ... ... ,.. > >

.f ~CZJ"C.

~ .. iii l t j g ~ ,.. > ·~

v./ i; ! t =! t _g;_ .. I~ . . ;;;;;;; J ,.. ... ,.. ,.. >

Ex. 51. Quodlibet, p. 57, m. 7 - p. 58, m. 1.8

Ex. 52. Symphony, p. 57, mm. 5-8.

the rirst two measures end a theme with an. upward contour, and

the following two measures add a codetta to the theme in a

falling contour. On a larger scale, the series of recitatives

in tpe third movement of the Quodlibet can be observed to

follow a similar pattern. Beginning at figure 5, the flute

recitative reaches its peak near the end, and the succeeding

clarinet statement descends throughout. The following pair

of recitatives played by the bassoon and solo cello stand in

a similar relationship. On yet a larger scale, an entire

7Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universar-Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

BKurt Weill, Quodlibet, ££• 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permissTon of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

60

subsection of the first "movement" of the Symphony follows

this same pattern. The passage extending from measure forty­

one through measure sixty consists of a series of predominantly

rising lines, finally reaching a peak of ~-flat3, followed by

a series of descending lines to the end of the section at

measure seventy.

The use of a wedge-shaped contour is particularly im­

portant to the third "movement" of the Symphony. The subject

of the fugato that begins the "movementn (quoted in Example

42) shows the influence of wedge contour on the first two

beats of the first two measures and in all of the third

measure. Another example of wedge contour in this movement

is quoted in Example 52. At the end of the Symphony (measure

411} the wedge-shaped theme quoted in Example 43, first heard

in the beginning of the work, is returned. The extensive use

of wedge contour in the final move~ent gives this return a

part;icularly satisfying effect; the theme now "fits" as a

result of its relationship to the materials of the third

"movement" (It is also rhythmically related to the chorale).

The contour of a fair number of melodies (especially

longer ones) can be seen as combinations of various smaller

shapes, without an overall pattern. Certain of the Quartet's

themes fall into this category, such as the first long theme

of the Scherzo (nine measures before figure 9); the contour

of this theme is determined by the shape of the various

motives that serve as its components. Other melodic structures

lacking a consistent pattern as far as shape is concerned can,

61

at least, be described as having a smooth or jagged contour.

There is often an effective contrast between simultaneous or

consecutive melodies in this regard. The theme extending from

five measures before figure 16 to figure 18 in the first move­

ment of the Concerto is in two parts, of fourteen and eight

measures, respectively; the first part is extremely jagged,

while the second consists of a series of small arches, all

outlining a smooth contour.

A most important aspect of melodic structure, the tech­

nique of theme widening, is most logically consi~ered along

with the topic of contour. In its most common form (used to

some extent in virtually every movement) theme widening in­

volves th~ immediate repetition of one segment of a melody

with the distance between its peak and valley increased; often

the other intervals are correspondingly ''stretched out." Ex­

amples 53 through 56 illustrate several uses of the technique

of theme widening in this .manner. A different application of

the same concept involves the widening of a repeated segment

separated from the initial statement by several measures, or

situated at the beginning of a new phrase. An important ex­

ample from the Serenata is quoted in Example 57.

As a final aspect of melodic contour, the question of

overall range should be mentioned. In fact, the broad,

sweeping nature of many of the longer themes is as much the

result of range as it is of shape. The theme played by the

solo violin at its first entrance in the Concerto (extending

from figure 2 to figure 3 of the first movement) covers two

62

Ex. 53. Concerto, p. 67, mm. 1-4.9

1 ~ ~rta rb 1 £7ET l

Ex. 54. Symphony, p. 4, m. 3 - p. 5, m. 2.

. ()b. r

Ex. 55. Symphony, p. 9, mm. 4-7.

~- --.. .. 1--1 c~) ~~~ttr fEtHk§:ctf tm ~

L,__....JL_._j > Ex. 56. Quodlibet, p. 2, mm. 9-17.10

Kl. z. ~PU-~r r=Mt ~~~~&ls:hs=:ir (C) i~ , Ff · . ===f~

~ ;C-t~fl ftit?t J

Ex. 57. Concerto, p. 80, m. 3 - p. 81, m. 2.11

• 9Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Ed1tion, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

lOKurt Weill, Quodlibet, ££• 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Nexico.

llsee fn. 9.

63

octaves and a sixth, an unusually wide range for a lyrical

theme in a single voice. When more than one voice is used,

the total range covered by a single theme can be extraordi­

narily wide, such as the melody starting in the basses at

figure 8 of the same movement. The theme is eventually

doubled by the oboe, and ultimately moves to flute. All

voices considered, the melody extends from B-flat to £4, or

a total range of over five octaves.

~ of Motion

Concerning the question of conjunct vs. disjunct

motion,l2 few concrete conclusions can be drawn. Weill's

melodies are rarely entirely conjunct or disjunct, and al­

though the two techniques are often combined with very

effective results, no one specific pattern of combinations is

used more than any other.

Several varieties of conjunct motion can be identified,

and are used in all types of melodic lines: thematic, contra-

puntal, accompanimental, and ornamental. Scalar motion is

very common, especially in the Quodlibet and in the figurative

cadenza-like solo passages of the Concerto. Many of the

melodic ideas of the first "movement" of the Symphony rely

heavily on conjun~ scalar motion, especially accompanimental

ones. Some themes are made tonal by the use of conjunct

motion centered around a particular pitch, as in the first

12For the purposes of this study, "conjunct" and "disjunct" refer to stepwise motion and motion involving melodic leaps, respectively.

64

phrase of the wind theme quoted in Exarr.ple 46. Another

frequent type of conjunct motion involves alternation between

two pitches (See Example 58).

13 Ex. 58. Concerto, p. 82, rnm. 1-6.

j l~t ;J i • ___,.. : ; @ l ~~ I ~

--· ..____

Disjunct motion also takes many forms, including ar­

peggiated triads in the figurative passages of the Concerto

(particularly the "Cadenza" section of the second movement)

and in many places in the Quartet. In addition, the atonal

style allows for the use of arpeggio-like figurations that are

not triadic, such as in the important passage quoted in Ex­

ample 59. Many melodies are made disjunct by leaps of perfect

Ex. 59. Concerto, p. 9, mm. 1-).14

and augmented fourths, especially in the Symphony. In the

other works, leaps are used less systematically, but remain

an important part of melodic construction. Certain passages

in the Concerto show the use of extremely wide and frequent

13Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Ed~tion, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

14Ibid.

leaps, such as that quoted in Example 60, which the horn is

called upon to perform.

Ex. 60. Concerto, p. 24, m. 3 - p. 25, m. 1.15

J jv/ ...

The melodic structures that are of greatest interest with

respect to type of motion are those that combine c~njunct and

disjunct progression in various ways. Occasionally, a theme

will begin with a disjunct figure and continue in stepwise

motion, in the manner of the familiar arpeggio-scale pattern

of co~on-practice music. In Weill's early music, however,

the reverse is much more frequently encountered; many themes

begin with conjunct motion and gradually become disjunct. In

at least two important cases (one of which is quoted in Ex­

ample 46) the change from conjunct to disjunct accompanies,

and partially causes, a shift from tonality to atonality.

Other themes mix conjunct and disjunct motion in a variety of

ways. Example 61 illustrates a fairly typical type in which

the melodic structure is basically conjunct, but contains

certain crucial leaps. In other cases, small melodic units

consisting of pitches in conjunct motion alternate with

similar groups in.disjunct motion; this is particularly

15Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Unl.versal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

common in the Quartet, in which long themes are constructed

out of short, individual motives.

Although more pertinent to texture than to the structure

of an individual melodic line, it is interesting to observe

how two melodies sounding simultaneously will make use of

opposite types of motion. Such is the case in the second

main section of the first movement of the Concerto, in which

the melodies of Examples 46 and 59 are heard in counterpoint.

Phrase Structure

Almost all of Weill's melodic structures show clear

phrase divisions, but only rarely (such as in "Serenata"

melody quoted in Example 57) are these divisions marked by

strong or implied cadences·. Phrase endings are usually indi­

cated by long notes, rests, or the beginning of a new melodic

idea. Phrases within a single melody tend to be regular and

fairly equal in length (especially in the Quodlibet) although

it is not uncommon for the second phrase of a two-phrase idea

to be longer than the first. In some extremely long melodies,

the divisions delineate sections rather than phrases, as in

the unbroken solo violi.n line extending over the first

16Kurt Weill, Streichguartett No. 1, ££• g (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

67

forty-six measures of the third movement of the Concerto.

More conventional phrases can be discerned within the sections.

Another type of melodic division occurs when a short

motive is heard and isolated, and is then followed by a full f

melody based on that motive. This type of "head motive" is

used sparingly by Weill, but always at an important place in

the music. Example 62 illustrates the application of this

technique to the opening theme of the c·oncerto. The same

Ex. 62. Concerto, p. 1, m. 1 - p. 2, m. 2.17

procedure is followed at the return of this section near the

end of the movement, with the nhead motive" repeated twice

{See Example 6J}.

Ex. 63. Concerto, p. 49, mm. 1-8.18

! _;_! ide: pmaHao.spr.

Of Ji I t ;:,..-· ____ _

17Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universar-Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and 1'~exico.

18Ibid.

68

Some melodic structures resist division into phrases,

although internal contrast may be present. In the opening

theme of the Quartet (quoted in Example 64), the nature of the

melody in measure t~o is different than in measure one, be­

cause of the elimination of the eighth-note rests. These

rests return, however, in the fourth measure. This three-part

theme, then, undergoes significant change but no real divisions

by ph:x~ase are apparent. Other "seamless" melodies are of a

Ex. 64. Quartet, p. J, mm. 1-5.19

. Sostenuto,con malta espressione

· t.v.onne (~_rp ~ J p · J: § · · #f~ ~t:::Sz:::gq

quite different kind; these are the nperpetual motion" melo­

dies of the fast sections of the Quodlibet. In these themes,

rhythmic impetus is stressed over other aspects of melodic

structure. The theme extending from four measures before

figure 4 to figure 4 in the first movement makes use of

running sixteenth notes, with the accompaniment manipulated

so that there are always four sixteenth notes on every beat.

Melodies made "seamless" through rhythmic impetus are usually

very regular harmonically, and thus rely on other parameters

to provide the stability that is lost through the elimination

of phrases.

19Kurt Weill, Streichouartett No. 1, ££• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

69

Repetition

One of the most important aspects of melodic structure

is the reuse of material within a single melodic line. The

most common type in Weill is immediate repetition of a melodic

segment of the same pitch level, and, less often, at a differ­

ent pitch level (sequence), while other melodies make use of

return of a melodic segment after a certain amount of con­

trasting intervening material. Some melodies, of course,

contain no reused material at all; most of these, interest­

ingly enough, are of the extremely long, "sectionalized" type

of structure mentioned above (Concerto, third movement,

measures one through forty-six).

The Symphony is particularly rich in examples of immedi­

ate repetition of a melodic segment. One instance of this can

be seen in the closing theme to the prologue of that work, the

first phrase of which is quoted earlier in this chapter (Ex­

ample 43). Example 53 illustrates the generation of a theme

by the repetition of a motivic cell in the first measure, and

by the subsequent modified repetition of the first two

measures as a melodic unit in itself. Most of the thematic

material of the section from which the example is extracted

{the "Cadenza" section of the second movement of the Concerto)

is based on immediate repetition of the original motivic cell.

The most extended example of melodic sequence, or im­

mediate repetition at a different pitch level, can be seen in

the second movement of the Concerto beginning at figure 9.

The violin theme in this passage consists of a short figure

70

which is heard three times, one half step lower at each repe­

tition. The entire sequence is then repeated with melodic

figurations. Example 65 shows two consecutive melodic

sequences in a theme from the Quartet. The material of the

first measure is repeated a perfect fourth higher in the

second measure, and the material of the third measure a di­

minished fifth higher in the fourth measure.

Ex. 65. Quartet, p. 11, mrn. 24-28.20

Very few themes employ exact return (as opposed to

repetition) as an aspect of melodic construction. Many, how­

ever, make use of a highly modified return, an aspect of

structure that is often paralleled by Weill's approach to

overall form. Just as later sections of a movement can often

be described as showing a relation to an earlier one, so can

a later melodic segment be shown to be derived from a previous

segment, although exact repetition is not employed in either

case. The opening theme of the Quartet, quoted earlier in

Example 64, demonstrates this phenomenon. The material of

measure one and the material of measures four (beginning on

the second beat) and five are related by virtue of the shared

rhythmic pattern and the similar mixture of conjunct and

20Kurt Weill, Streichouartett No. 1, op. 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and fJ:exico.

ob.7.

71

disjunct motion. The intervening material contrasts the two

related segments by eliminating the characteristic eighth-•

note rests and employing syncopation. The resulting melodic

form can be described as ABA', which, interestingly enough,

is an accurate description of the form of the first movement

as a whole.

It should be added at this point that repetition of

rhythmic patterns is a very common technique, and serves as an

important unifying device both within individual themes and

throughout entire movements. For this reason, discussion of

repeated and recurring rhythmic.patterns will take place in

the chapter on Form and Motivic Development •. More relevant

to the pr~sent discussion is the illustration of a theme from

the Quodlibet (Example 66) in which rhythmic repetition is the

primary aspect of melodic structure.

Ex. 66. Quodlibet, p. 56, mm. 1-5.21

21Kurt Weill, Quodlibet, ££• 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

CHAPTER V

TEXTURE

Weill's mastery of compositional skills is best seen in

the study of texture. Working with the various types of

melodies discussed in the previous chapter, he builds textures

involving highly inventive accompaniment figures which nearly

always challenge the melodies for the listener's attention.

There are also examples of extensive and complex counterpoint,

primarily in the Concerto and the Symphony. Even in basically

vertical sections made up of a melody and chordal accompani­

ment (as in the Quartet), the individual lines seem to acquire

a character and direction of their own.

The present chapter is in three main parts. The first

of these outlines the types of texture used by Weill, in­

cluding imitative and non-imitative counterpoint, melody and

accompaniment figures, vertical harmony, and single-line

texture; detailed descriptions of some of the more important

passages are included. The remaining two parts deal with

simultaneous combinations of the various types of textures and

textural development (chronological alteration of texture).

Types of Texture

Weill's use of non-imitative counterpoint is one of the

most striking aspects of the early music. In its most common

72

73

form, it can be described as the simultaneous presentation of

contrasting and independent lines of equal importance. Non­

imitative counterpoint is present to some extent in all of the

works, but is far more important as a characteristic of the

Concerto than of the others; indeed, the first movement of

that work serves as a veritable catalogue of non-imitative

contrapuntal techniques. Parts of it are discussed in detail

below.

The first two main themes of the movement, extending

from the beginning to figure 2, are stated by the clarinets in

two-voice counterpoint. An excerpt from the second of these ~

themes is quoted in Example 67. Although the lines are

Ex. 67. Concerto, p. 2, mm. 9-11.1

melodically and rhythmically independent, they are combined in

a note-against-note style that is revealing in terms of the

harmonic intervals that result. An intervallic analysis of

these two themes shows 2$ thirds and 12 sixths, 12 seconds and

8 sevenths, $ perfect fourths, 3 perfect fifths, 9 tritones,

and 4 unisons or octaves. The comparatively heavy reliance

on seconds, sevenths, and perfect and augmented fourths is

fairly typical of many contrapuntal and harmonic passages.

lKurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, UnJ.vers"Bl"EdJ.tion, 'US'ed by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

Fl.

VI.

74

It should also be noted that many of the thirds and sixths are

actually spelled as augmented seconds, diminished fourths, and

diminished sevenths, so that there appear to be an even greater

number of dissonant intervals than actually exist.

At figure 2, the violin enters with its first extended

theme. The two-voice counterpoint in the clarinets moves to

the flutes and takes on an accompanying role; now in strict

note-against-note style, the flutes contrast with the violin

melody rather than each other (see Example 68}. Within the

Ex. 68. Concerto, p. 3, mm. 3-7.2

".,_il-l'-- ~ 1;':. . ,.---~

~ II.

..,

~ -.., -p fl

. p

~-~ )

00~--±.!' ----,

~ ....... "':1'

p

------

#U/[J lqJl.J . ~ p

upressrvo, ..,. poco vt"bJoQ.I"o

I~ -

_I

' -2

-~ - --;-.._

It: lg ..

I .:::::.. .. ~- --"=- l!a

flute counterpoint, there is an even greater emphasis on

seconds and fourths than previously. As the violin reaches

its melodic peak of g3 in the third measure before figure 3,

there are no less than three additional independent contra­

puntal lines in the texture.

Another kind of non-imitative counterpoint determines

_,.....-f-

-I

the texture of the next major section, beginning in the third

2Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and ~exico.

75

measure after figure 5. In this type, strikingly independent

and contrasting lines are sounded simultaneously so that any

one might be considered the most important. They are set

against one another rather than combined in the manner of the

opening clarinet passage; therefore, the nature of the counter­

point would not be illuminated by an analysis of the resulting

melodic intervals. The beginning of this passage is quoted in

Example 26 in Chapter III. It shows contrast between the two

lines in harmonic scheme, range, and type of motion. At figure

6, a third line enters which further contrasts the first two;

it is rhythmically independent, more melodic, and includes an

important ornamental triplet figure. As shown in Example 69,

Ex. 69. Concerto, p. 10, mm. 1-3.3

3Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Ed1tion, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

76

this ornamental figure becomes an important ingredient of a

kind of rhythmic "double counterpoint" that takes place

between the new melody and the original wind theme (now in

the basses only).

The important thematic section beginning at figure 12

illustrates another method of combining independent, con­

trasting lines of equal importance (See Example 70). The

Ex. 70. Concerto, p. 16, mm. )-8.4

VI.

:::

3 4

2 4

tension created by the contrast between the two lines is great

enough to sustain the texture, although only two instruments

are used. As before, additional contrapuntal lines join the

texture {this technique is discussed more fully at the end of

this chapter as an aspect of textural development), but in

4Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur}, C 1965, Universal Edition, l.i"S'ed by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

77 this case they show a relationship to the original material.

The oboe theme that enters at figure 13 is based on the pairs

of sixteenth and thirty-second notes shown in the horn line

in Example 70, while the bassoon counterpoint that enters one

bar later is based on the dotted-note rhythmic patterns of

that same theme.

The·technique of contrapuntal combination of independent

lines of equal importance is a major aspect of Weill's compo­

sitional style, and can usually be found in the most e£fective

passages of his early music. Examples are plentiful in all of

the works except the Quodlibet {although one instance from

that work is quoted in Example 25); Example 71 shows a par­

ticularly successful use of non-imitative counterpoint from

the Symphony. The cello melody, which is the main theme of

the second "movemen~" is particularly suited to the smooth

clarinet counterpoint that invariably accompanies it because

of its "delayed" start and its long rests between phrases •.

Additional contrapuntal lines are again added in the ensuing

measures.

Ex. 71. Symphony, p. 3S, m. 5 - p. 39, m. 1.

~~~v/'

~~~~~~~~~~J

~~~~~~~~~v

~~~~~~~~~~~/

78

One additional variety of non-imitative counterpoint is

significant enough to merit attention. This involves con-

trasting independent lines in which one is clearly more

important than the others. One typical application of this

principle involves a theme and an independent {though less

important) bass line, as shown in Example 72. Another kind,

Ex. 72. Concerto, p. 66, mm. 1-5.5

\,'V/

in which vertical harmony is skillfully handled so as to give

the supporting lines an independent melodic structure, is

shown in Example 73.

Ex. 73. Symphony, p. 44, mm. 4-8.

~~ Anmutig

,;~:~~~~

.5Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and ~exico.

79

Weill also makes use of imitative counterpoint, although

less consistently. Only one major portion of a work is domi­

nated by imitative texture: the third "movement" of the

Symphony. The imitative passages of this "movement" can be

described as fugal, although there is no absolutely strict

imitation and the conventions of traditional fugue are not

adhered to. Weill's approach to imitative counterpoint as

demonstrated in this "movement" is described below.

The fugal subject is the atonal, wedge-shaped theme

shown in Example 42. It serves as the basis of two fugal

sections of ten and twenty-four measures, respectively, which

are separated by the first statement of the chorale. The

first section gives the effect of being interrupted, and the

second that of a more complete development of the subject.

The first section, in fact, includes only two complete state­

ments of the theme; they are quoted (except for orchestral

doublings) in Example 74. It will be observed that the

answer begins on the same pitch as the subject, but is not an

exact repetition of it (except rhythmically); it is, in fact,

Ex. 74. Symphony, p. 50, mm. 2-9.

80

a fairly free variant of the subject with regard to pitch

content. Both, however, end with the distinctive descending

thirty-second-note scale which serves to identify the subject

in the more complex texture of the second fugal section. The

countersubject is a fairly traditional one, based on fragments

of the theme. The section ends with an episode that is re­

markably iike·a typical model of Bach, also based on fragments

of the. subject (not shown). It is cut off, however, by a

transitional passage leading to the chorale.

The second fugal section (measures 317-340) begins with

a statement of the subject as h~ard in the first section, but

with the first four notes removed. Before the answer, the

basses enter with an unrelated line that continues for nine

measures. The answer is in the bassoons in the measure

following the bass entrance, and is an exact repeat of the

subject on the same pitch. It is joined after one and one­

half measures by the violas, who at first play a matching but

different line, then simply double the bassoon. The next

entrance is in the clarinets a perfect fifth higher, but this

statement overlaps the previous one in stretto fashion. The

next two entrances also overlap: the third violins and then

the second violins play the theme at different pitch levels

within two beats of each other. The third violin statement,

however, jumps from the beginning of the subject to the end

and concludes only two and one-half measures later. All of

the statements mentioned above end with the descending scale

and are followed by free counterpoint which tends to parallel

Bl

itself in the various voices. Starting at measure 328, the

second fugal section concludes with a six-voice stretto on

different pitch levels, starting in the high·instruments and

continuing down. Most orchestral doublings drop out in the

middle of each statement, and there is no free counterpoint

afterward; upon completing the subject, each voice falls

silent, leaving the basses unaccompanied on the final

descending scale.

It should be pointed out that although the third move­

ment of the Quartet uses the same subject in imitation as the

fugal sections of the Symphony, the two show little textural

similarity. In the Quartet, no two statements of the subject

are alike, and there is no rigid structure of entrances,

stretto, or other deferences to traditional fugal writing.

There are some parallel passages between the two works, but in

general, the counterpoint of the Quartet is much more free

than in the Symphony.

Aside from these larger fugal sections, there are

several shorter, more isolated examples of imitative counter­

point. The most successful of these can be found in the

Symphony. In the other works, the examples of imitative

counterpoint tend to be fairly simple, such as the excerpt

.from the Quartet quoted in Example 75.

The second main type of texture to be considered is that

which involves a single important theme and accompaniment

figures. The use of distinctive, highly individualistic

accompaniment figures is very characteristic of Weill and an

82

Ex. 75. Quartet, p. 10, mm. 21-26.6

important aspect of the texture of all the early works. The

accompaniment figures are often as important as the melody it­

self, but should not be considered contrapuntal since they are

repeated rather than extended and would not, in most cases,

stand very well independently.

There are many different types of accompaniment patterns,

six of which are mentioned and illustrated here. They are

divided into two groups: the first three are perpetual ac­

companiment figures (used throughout a section or movement),

and the last three are intermittent (used sporadically).

The first of the perpetual types is epitomized by the

accompaniment figure that is used throughout the "Serenata"

section of the second movement of the Concerto. It is com-

prised of a characteristic rhythmic pattern that is altered

in various subtle ways, a recurring contour similarly treated,

and often makes use of secundal harmony. It is heard at the

outset.of the "Serenata," before the entrance of the theme

6Kurt Vv'eill, Streichauartett No. "*-' QE.• $ (partitur), C 1924, Universal ~d1t1on, used by perm1ssion of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company ~ole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

,11 Fl.

G Ob. ...

rg. -

(see Example 34 in Chapter III). It is shown in Example 76

with the main theme. An embryonic form of this motive can

Ex. 76. Concerto, p. $0, mm. 3-6.7

t• !I t• '!I ,....L... 3 - "'!I

PP .... - ~ " ,.----;::;:; . ,...... .... ., ,...., --,.,_

!I

<4 .. -..--:.- =.:a Q2Qjf I

pup-. .kh·s~~~~ --~ .... ~ :.l!...o.11'-...a.t-_~, ..... ~ t.:.- ita+- .& • h..,0.11'= ...-.t ....

~ -- ~ -·· .. ,... pp ~ a a i)

' ~ .

be found in the Quodlibet, written three years earlier (see

Example 92) •

a

The next type to be considered involves the use of

ostinato rather than varied repetition. In several places

in the first movement of the Concerto, continuous sixteenth­

note accompaniments (often in the two horns) play an im­

portant role in establishing an effective texture. In

Example 77, this type of accompaniment is combined with non­

imitative counterpoint and a pedal point.

The third type of perpetual accompaniment figure is less

substantial, but no less striking; it involves a novel treat­

ment of an absurdly simple accompaniment pattern, used to

create a special effect of some kind. The best example is the

"oom-pah-pah" accompaniment to the first theme of the

"Notturno" section of the second movement of the Concerto; it

7Kurt \~eill, Kon.zert fur Violine und Blasorchester (Partitur), C 1965,- Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

/

.,.,/

84

Ex. 77. Concerto, p. 5, mm. l-3.8

VI. pp - c~.

div. .----- - - ---------------- .------- --------- ---- --- ~------ -- --------

~-~~~--~-~--~--~-~--~--~-~--~--@-~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ;JO :$ ------------------- ~ ---------------

pp

is given added character of a satiric nature by the use of

secundal harmonics and the employment of the quasi-comical

xylophone {see Example 78).

Ex. 7$. Concerto, p. 51, mm. 1-4.9

Rllegro un poco fenu.to

Xi I. & df >

3 p 2

~ * 9¥1 ;! "'A I \.V

> ,..

3 4 4 4 3

VI. ...

I ,/' .~

p

pta,._. .> ,..

Cb. >

vi § p

$Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universar-Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

9rbid.

85

The three intermittent types are illustrated on the following

page. The first is the type that fills in a gap in the theme

with so~e kind of connecting figuration (Example 79); the

second punctuates the theme, and is very common in the Quartet

because of its motivic nature (Example 80}; the third is the

somewhat curious phenomenon that arises in the third movement

of the Quartet when the imitative counterpoint is itself ac­

companied by sporadic, but recurring figures (Example 81).

One additional variety of accompaniment texture might

logically be mentioned at this point; that is, the type of

undistinguished "background" accompaniment usually involving

an unimaginative ostinato rhythm and a redundant series of

pitches. This is actually a "catch-all" category for most of

the weaker textural writing. Two typical examples are shown

in Examples 82 and $).

The third major type of texture used by Weill is that

which involves a melody and an accompaniment consisting

primarily of vertical harmony. The vertical accompaniment

may be susta~ned throughout the passage, or might sireply con­

sist of a series of short sonorities used to punctuate an

otherwise unaccompanied theme.

Sustained vertical harmony occasionally consists of

static chords (slow or missing harmonic rhythm) under a moving

melody, such as in the passage quoted in Example 37 in Chapter

Irror in the case of the chords supporting the cadenzas in the

Quartet (figure 57) and the third movement of the Quodlibet

{figure 5). Much more often, however, vertical harmony is

86

Ex. 79. Symphony, p. 16, mm. 4-7.

Ex. 80. Quartet, p. 10, mm. 5-1~.10

II'

Ex. Sl. Quartet, p. 21, m. 26 - p. 22, m. 3.11

10Kurt Weill, Streichquartett No. 1, £E• S (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and l\1exico.

llrbid.

•.

Ex. 82. Quartet, p. 25, ~~. 2-4.12

Ex. 8). Quodlibet, p. 11, mm. 1-2.13

1· ()b. z.

established by the combination of moving lines that show some

individuality and melodic interest in themselves, but not

enough independence to be classified as counterpoint. This

type of vertical writing is very characteristic of the early

style and is used in all of the works, including the Quod­

libet. Two examples are given: in Example 84 the melody is

in the flute, emphasized by a doubling in the trumpet one

octave lower (not shown); the melody i.n Example 85 is carried

by the first cellos. In both cases (as well as in most others)

the melody relies on at least some use of disjunct motion,

12Kurt Weill, Streichguartett No. 1, £E.• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Nexico.

13Kurt \'Jeill, Quodlibet, .QE.• 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole represen~ative in U.S.A., Canada and 1-1exico.

88

Ex. 84. Concerto, p. 116, m. 1 - p. 117, m. 5.14

Con brio ... ~ . ...

1\ " ~*~ i: *~ 1: t ~ ..i. .#t ~ ~

::::;

fl. .... J 1'1 .. :. ~:..

,.. ~ ~t; ~ .... ~

Ob. <) J II "~ ~ > ,.. > ~>. ">·

Cl. .., .fl tio

aZ t.A, Q_. . ..... 1,; ~i

>

~ ,:> ... ~ > li-t: ... (A)

fg. .J

. h ~~ b..i. ;_ . ... .t, bi. it t .i: #i ..i.~~ :t:

.... ""

A p:;_ b+ hi: .ib+- .:. 1>.;.__M .L ~ b~ !>.::

ju

II a2. ,... > .> - >

' .., :> ;· aR. >

> ~ ... ': !: > •

..

Ex. $5. Symphony, p. 16, mrr.. J-6.

t f" If=

;

....

-':

~

lL_ ==J :?. . r -:r-J k/

14Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by perm1ss1on of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

while the voices comprising the vertical harmony move mostly

by step, often chromatically. In some vertical passages,

little or no concern is shown for the individual lines, but

these are comparatively rare. One instance is shown in Ex­

ample 3 in the Chapter on Harmony.

The other variety of vertical texture, that which

consists of a series of short sonorities used to punctuate a

theme, is used in a number of different settings. It is

frequently employed in the virtuosic display sections of the

Concerto to provide a rhythmic and harmonic background for

the soloist. The harmonic progression described earlier and

illustrated in Example 2 is effected·by vertical sonorities

arranged in this manner. Example S6 provides an additional

example, in which the first main theme of the Scherzo of the

Quartet is punctuated by vertical sonorities as well as by

the motive that appears in the accompanying voices in the

fifth measure.

Ex. S6. Quartet, p. 9, mm. 1-10.15

15Kurt Weill, Streichquartett No. 1, ~· g (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S. A., Car.ada and !·:exico.

90

The final type of texture to be considered is that in

which only a single line is used. In Weill's music, this is

as likely to consist of a solo voice as it is a tutti section

with many instruments playing in unison or octaves, although

neither variety is relied upon heavily. The most extensive

use of solo texture is found in the "Cadenza" section of the

second movement of the Concerto; most of the sub-movement, in

fact, is based on unaccompanied material played by the soloist

and the trumpet. The final note of the "Cadenza" is a single,

unaccompanied !-flat2 in the trumpet extendi~g over six

measures.

Tutti scoring on a single line ·is usually melodic, as in

the passage from the Quartet shown in Example 6. In one place

in the Concerto, however, an effective orchestral "blur" is

created with this type of texture (Example $7). Although only

one line is heard at any one time, the effect is that of a

thicker texture with many more instruments playing.

Combinations of Textures

Part of Weill's skill in creating effective textures

lies in his ability to use the above-mentioned types of

textures in combination as well as individually. The several

possible combinations are discussed below, along with the

various ways Weill approaches their use.

Counterpoint and accompaniment figures are most

successfully combined in the Concerto, where the texture is

generally richer throughout. One instance of this type of

combination is quoted in Example 77. The oboe melody is

91

Ex. 87. Concerto, p. J$, mm. 1-2.16

Fg. I .if tl:'"'

-

,. -Co. (f)

..., , I ~~ :;:._· -Tr.

(C) ,...,

2 Fu.rioso

A4~1 VI. .... .u

16Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur}, C 1965, Universal .Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

/ ,-l

•I

.,.._/·

92

actually a repeat of the second main theme of the movement,

heard originally at figure 2 (twenty-one measures earlier) in

simple two-voice counterpoint. The change in textural setting

effectively disguises the return of the theme. A somewhat

similar type of combination occurs later in the same movement,

and is quoted in Example SS. In this passage, the sixteenth

notes in the horns have the effect of "anchoring" the wind

theme,. which is made disjointed by wide·leaps and sudden

shifts of instrumentation.

Ex. SS. Concerto, p. 11, ~m. 3-5.17

Fl.

=-· == ==== = . ,HI. I {FA Q II ... ~,co.¥f,J"

Combinations of counterpoint and vertical harmony are

particularly common in the Symphony. In most cases, the

counterpoint is emphasized and supported by an independent

vertical progression, as is the two-voice counterpoint shown

17Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur}, C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Ccmpany sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

93

with its harmony in Example 71. Another method of combining

counterpoint and vertical harmony is shown in Example 89,

taken from the Concerto. In this case, the contrapuntal line

in the trumpet is itself harmonized, independently of the

violin.

Ex. 89. Concerto, p. 121, mm. 4-6.18

"'n!-.

rg.~

The two types of combining counterpoint and vertical

harmony are paralleled by similar methods of combining ac­

companiment figures with vertical harmony, as illustrated by

two excerpts from the Quartet. In Example 90, the "quasi

Tromban accompaniment figure in the viola is added to a pre­

dominantly vertical texture; in Example 91, the rhythmic

accompaniment figure is itself presented in three-voice

vertical harmony.

Concerning textural combinations in general, it can be

shown that some of the most elaborate juxtapositions occur

where the materials being used are the simplest. In the

lBKurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universar-Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Kexico.

94

Ex. 90. Quartet, p. 13, mm. 23-25.19

Alia marcia ~------{-- l, 1 . lf{6-:e. . ; . • -· •

Ex. 91. Quartet, p. 3, m. 9 - p. 4, m. 2.20

b~

./ L

./ .sc- ./

./

passage from the Quodlibet quoted in Example 92, five distinct

ideas are heard and the overall texture makes use of counter-

point, accompaniment figures, and vertical harmony.

Textural Development

The topic of textural development deals primarily with

the manner in which one textural section leads to another and

with recurring patterns of textural contrast. Mention should

be made, however, of a related phenomenon which has been

19Kurt Weill, Streichouartett No. 1, .QE.• $ {partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

20Ibid.

95

Ex. 92. Quodlibet, P! 13, mm. 1-2.21

I . .

~1:!!1 ~ . --- -

{~··· l=f-=i -+=:: • .;c'L'c,o • ~~ - --a-_>•:F=t=;~·:;:t -·-· A~r-· ~~·-v - . '-"·~ J e.:<""~:J I~,~

~. +-:_·=::r"· ,:.~ c::¥ "' ;;! 9J I ~j ~ ~.~~ ~'Cl;t: Cd ~ ~ --

a 2 ~:·+--, - - .. j •

R;.. .-::=:==:.~.

.,. Kl. t..

: (c) 7.

Fas. 2.

1. Hr: 2.. (f:") [V

~-itJ r Trgl.

#. ~ o;~ ~t= :t:.. .£: _t: _______

7. "'/ 4/ . ~ .....

' " ~ '. . ;,. Jl:. . , ~ ... . . VI.

z. ~ ''-1~"'.4- -

~·- i. .....

! ... • -9- :. . ,!.., ,..__ . /!-;$ B ..,.,..

"' .

,. c .. -:: .. ~~·~;__~ -r:..::

_. v

VIa.

,._.....__ - l I

Vel. r I .

~ - l I -~~~

!-t I . Kb.

alluded to at various places in this chapter, that of in­

creasing textural complexity in the Violin Concerto. This

technique is employed in various places in the first and

third movements, and contributes significantly to the overall

textural sophistication of that work.

The second major section of the .first ~ovement provides

a case in point. It begins with the arpeggio-like violin

theme accompanied only by the motto chord, but this is soon

combined with the tonal wind theme, as shown in Example 26

21Kurt Weill, Quodlibet, oo. 9 (partitur), C 1926, _._ -Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Kexico.

96

(Chapter III). To this counterpoint is added a third line,

part of which can be seen in the oboe and clarinet in Example

69. At figure 8 the counterpoint is again in only two voices,

but the increase in complexity is continued through the ad­

dition of the accompaniment figure in the horns (see Example

88). This in turn grows stronger with the addition of the

trumpet to the horn accompaniment and the thickening of the

orchestration ~f the wind theme at figure 10, at which point

another new contrapuntal line enters in the basses and

bassoons. These materials build to a great climax at figure

12, where a new section commences. This section, the be­

ginning of which is quoted in Example 70, follows a similar

pattern of increasing textural complexity.

In moving from one type of texture to another, the

progression involves either a sharp contrast or a smooth

"dovetailing" procedure. Sharp contrasts of textural styles

can be found on all levels of organization, such as between

large sections or within a theme. In the Concerto, for ex­

ample, the long, gradual increases of textural complexity

discussed above are often resolved by reaching a climax and

then suddenly shifting to an entirely new type of texture.

On a somewhat smaller scale, very sharp contrasts of texture

can be found in the third "movement" of the Symphony. In

fact, the contrast of textural styles epitomized by the alter­

nation of the fugal sections and the chorale (~easures 289-357)

is one of the major structural aspects of the "movement."

97

Sharp textural contrast within a thematic section is

illustrated by the first main theme of the "Notturno" in the

second movement of the Concerto (see Example 93). In the

Ex. 93. Concerto, p. 51, m. 7 - p. 52, m. 2.22

fourth measure of the excerpt, the obtrusive accompaniment in

the basses and xylophone is dropped and the agitated parallel

fourths in the flutes are replaced by smoothly flowing

·parallel thirds in the violin. Although fewer instruments

are involved in this example than in the abrupt shifts

following the climaxes of the first movement, the aural

effect is no less striking.

Examples of sharp textural contrast on an even smaller

scale can be found in the Quartet, due to the motivic nature

of that work. In the theme from the Scherzo partially quoted

in Example $6, the texture is altered every few measures: it

22Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S. A., Canada and r.~exico.

98 •

is unisonal in the first measure, vertical for the next three,

accompanirnental in the next, and then vertical once again.

Dovetailing of different textural styles, as opposed to

sharp contrast, is found frequently in the Quartet and the

Symphony. One important dovetailing technique involves the

"merging" of contrapuntal lines into less independent ones

that act as parts of a vertical sonority. In Example 94, the.

four voices are independent in the first measure, but begin

to parallel each other rhythmically (although not exactly) in

the second. In the third measure they are rhythmically

identical, and compriSe .a texture Jn which the primary interest

is vertical rather than horizontal.

Ex. 94. Q~artet, p. 3, mm. 7-9.23

The reverse procedure is also used. In Example 95, the

vertical harmony from the beginnine of the second "movement"

of the Symphony "dissolves" into independent contrapuntal

lines.

Occasionally, the succession of textural styles within

a movement determines an overall textural "form." This is

23Kurt Weill, Streichquartett No. 1, ££• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

99

Ex. 95. Symphony, p. 38, m. 6 - p. 39, rn. 4.

true of the "Cadenza" and "Serenata" sections of the second

movement of the Concerto, both of which comprise three main

textural sections in a symmetrical relationship. In the

"Cadenza," the textural form can be described as ABA', in

which the middle section has the thickest texture {an or­

chestral tutti) while the first section is mostly unaccompanied

and the third primarily soloistic with short vertica.l sonori­

ties. In the "Serenata" this pattern is reversed, with the

simplest texture coming in the middle. The textural form is

A B A, in which the outer sections of twenty-nine and twenty­

four measures (as well as the eight-measure introduction) are

dominated by the main accompaniment motive {see Example 76).

The middle section consists of a fourteen-measure interlude

in which a £lute solo is accompanied only by pizzicato chords

on the violin.

Other movements, such as the third movement of the Quod­

libet, show clearly defined textural sections but lack the

logical overall organization necessary to determine a textural

"form."

CHAPTER VI

FORM MrD YCTIVIC DEVELOH·fENT

The study of form in Weill's early music is of particular

interest, since it is in that aspect of style that the early

works stand completely apart from the operas of the following

years. Weill's early experiments in harmony and melodic

structure were to have an important influence on The Three­

pennx Opera, but his varied and intriguing approaches to the

organization of large structures found no place in the simple

strophic songs that were to become his chief vehicle of

expression.

In his approaches to form, it is the problem of unity

that seems to have been uppermost in Weill's mind. In his

first major work, he set for himself the formidable problem

of working the extremely varied materials of the Symphony into

a single unified moverr.ent of nearly one-half hour's duration.

In the other works, too, individual movements present a large

number of highly contrasting themes that require a unified

overall structure in order to make any formal sense. To this

end, Weill makes use of the principles of recapitulation and

restatement, but in his own particular manner; he also experi­

ments with a large number of smaller unifying devices,

including cyclic motives of various types. Inherent in the

100

101

problem of unity and variety on a large scale is the thematic

process of the music: how are individual themes varied, or

two "independent" the~es related, and how does this affect

overall structure?

The present study of ~eill's approaches to form will

first consider four individual movements (including the en­

tire Syrnp&ony} in some detail, in order to illustrate the

variou~ methods he uses to create a unified overall structure.

This is followed by a surr~ary of the formal and developmental

techniques used throughout the body of early instrumental

music.

Overall Structures

Given below are formal analyses of the first movement of

the Concerto, the entire Symphony, the second movement of the

Quartet, and the third movement of the Quodlibet. The manner

of description used in each case (verbal, graphic, outline,

etc.) is that which is best suited to the formal character­

istics of the movement. The selected movements are those of

each work that show the greatest formal interest; in ad­

dition, they display between them a great variety of important

structural and developmental techniques.

The first movement of the Violin Concerto is in seven

large sections, two of which are restatements of earlier

sections. Characteristics of arch forrr. can be seen in the

first section and in the movement as a whole, both in terms

of thematic restatement and psychological effect. The movement

102

is unified throughout by the motto chord, which is usually

heard at the beginnings and ends of themes. Its first

appearance i~ quoted in Example 96. The themes themselves

tend to be broad, sweeping melodies that are extended for

long periods of time; ten basic themes have been identified.

Ex. 96. Concerto, p. 1, mm. 1-3.1

Corm' (Fa)

Trombe (R--.,)

TamL.-.u.ro piccolo .1 '1 ) l

PP

fjp~., ~~'I ~in, .5~~~-l . .,/

Section A is an arch form thematically. It extends from the

beginning to the fifth measure of figure 5.

Theme A is stated by two clarinets in non-imitative

counterpoint (see Example 62). The motto chord

is heard at the beginning of the theme (see Ex­

ample 96) and at the end, 2 one measure before

figure 1.

lKurt \'ieill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 19b5, Jnivcrsal 8dition, used ty perrrission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Cana~a and ~~xico.

2At this point and at several others, the specific pitches of the motto chord are slightly altered. The orches­tration and rhythrr:., unless otherwise noted, remain unchaneed.

103

Theme B begins at .figure 1. It is stated by the same

instrurr.ents as theme A and remains contrapuntal,

but a clear phrase division identifies it as a new

idea. Theme B ends two measures before figure 2

with a statement of the motto chord.

Theme C is the first statement by the solo violin. It

forms the center of section A (from one measure

before fieure 2 to the fermata after figure 3) and

does not return. The motto chord is heard near

the end.

Theme B' begins exactly as does theme B, but is eventu­

ally transformed. The textural setting of theme

B' also contrasts that of B (see Example 77 in the

previous chapter). The motto chord is not heard

during the course of this theme, but at the be­

ginning of the following one.

Theme A' begins two measures before figure 5, accompa­

nied by the motto chord. Its melodic structure,

contour, rhythm, texture, orchestration, and

ending formula are identical to those of theme A,

but the actual pitches are somewhat different.

Section B(a) extends from the sixth measure of figure 5 to

figure 8. It includes two main themes and elaborate

contrapuntal combinations.

Theme D is the two-phrased wind theme shown with its

violin counterpoint in Example 26. Theme D alone

is quoted in full in Example 46. The motto chord

104

is heard first with the violin counterpoint (which

actually begins two measures before the theme) and

is heard again at the end of each phrase of theme

D.

Theme E begins in the clarinet, in the third measure of

figure 6, along with a repeat of theme D and the

continuation of its counterpoint. Theme E is in

two parts, divided by a shift to the flute after

figure ?. Themes D and E and the violin counter­

point all end at fieure 8, accompanied by the

motto chord.

Section B(b) represents a continuation of section B(a) in

terms of tempo, rhythm, and textural development, but

includes new thematic material.

Theme F extends throughout the sub-section (figure 8 to

figure 12), serving as the backbone for a dramatic

buildup of textural complexity (see Chapter V).

It begins in the basses but moves to the winds at

figure 9. The beginning of theme F with its

counterpoint and accompaniment is quoted in Ex­

ample 88. It reaches a climax just before figure

12, and is linked to the next section with a

single fortissimo drum stroke used in place of

the motto chord.

Section C(a) [along with section C(b)] represents the

emotional and technical center of the movement, and

includes the peaks of rhythmic activity, violin

virtuosity, and dissonance.

105

Theme G begins in the horn at figure 12; it is shown

with its violin counterpoint in Example 70.

Additional lines are added, and theme G eventually

dissipates into figurations in the winds and

basses, accompanied by a new version of the motto

chord (without the drum) at figure 15.

Section C(b) beeins at the 'Pesante' before figure 16.

Theme H is in two parts. The first part (a fragment

of which is shown in Example 60) leads to a

series of extreme dissonances at figure 17 which

culminate the textural, melodic, and harmonic

tension that has been building since the beginning

of section B. The final eight measures of theme H

(part two of the theme) represent a dying away of

the massive texture of the 'Pesante'. This is

followed by a long silence.

Section B(a) is returned at figure 1$. The first three

measures present the wotto chord and a variation in

triplets of the violin counterpoint heard at the first

statement of theme D.

Therr.e D is returned in the key of B-flat; it is heard

in its entirety only once, along with the varied

counterpoint in the violin.

Section D replaces the expected return of section B(b), and

extends from 2 measures before figure 20 to the 'Furioso'

after figure 21. Its texture is somewhat similar to that

of section C(b), but is of a lesser degree of intensity.

106

Theme J is heard twice, in the horn and then the

trumpet (it is quoted in Example 50). It is ac­

co~panied by the violin counterpoint, continued

from the previous section. Theme J dissolves

into figurations, and ends with two fortissimo

statements of the rr.otto chord in the full

orchestra at figure 21. This is followed (at the

'Furioso' after figure 21) by a non-thematic

transition, partially quoted in Example 87. The

mood again calms and leads to the next section.

Section E begins four measures ~efore figure 24. It is

surprisingly reminiscent of the texture, rhythm, and

overall mood of theme B' in section A.

Theme K . is in the violin, and extends until figure 25.

At that point, the melodic activity consists of a

fragmented extension of theme K. The accompani­

ment is light ~nd jazz-like.

Section A returns at figure 2$ and ends the movement.

Theme A2 combines the "head motive" from theme A and

the continuation (after the "head motive") of

theme A'. It is played by the soloist in double

stops rather than by the clarinets; the motto

chord is heard at the beginning and end. The

movement concludes with a sustained G-sharp minor

triad punctuated by a series of snare-drum figures

derived from the motto chord.

Thus the movement is clearly sectionalized and relies to

some extent on the principle of return·and restatement. The

.107

overall form can be represented as A Ba b Ca b Ba D E A, with

the motto chord serving as a connecting link between sections.

The movement is also given organic unity by the elements of

arch form that are used: the outer sections are related,

while the penultimate section is reminiscent of part of the

first and the second section is returned in the latter part

of the piece.· In addition, section C serves as a center of

gravity for the whole, containing the dramatic and rhythmic

peaks of the work. The movement also forres a strict rhythmic

arch; this will be discussed in the following chapter •

.., The formal interest of the Symphony in One Kovement

lies in the remarkable complexity of its divisions and sub­

divisions; and in the motivic and thematic relationships that

unify the whole. The Symphony actually consists of three

main "movements" framed by a prologue and an epilogue. Two

cyclic motives are introduced in the prologue and recur

throughout; they are shown· in Examples 97 and 98, respectively.

Ex. 97. Sy~phony, p. 1, mm. 1-2.

108

Ex. 98. Symphony, p. 4, m. 3 - p. 5, m. 2.

Ob.

Many of the themes of the sections and subsections are also

cyclic, in the sense that they recur in later sections or

"mover.1ents." In order to represent the forn~al complexities

and thematic relationships of the Symphony in the clearest

possible manner, a diagram of the work's structure is given

on the following page. Read from left to right, the diagram

gives a chronological outline o~ the major sections and their

subdivisions. Beneath the formal analysis is a summary of

the appearances of the two cyclic motives (Example 97

represented by an asterisk, Example 98 by a five-pronged

star) and an indication of those themes and accompe.nin~ents

that are based on earlier mc.terial. The two cyclic motives

occasionally recur in dir.inution; this is indicated by the

abbreviation "dim." in parentheses below the appropriate

symbol. Themes or accompaniments that are based on previous

material are connected by lines in blue ink to the first

appearance of that material. Not conriected, of course, are

reused themes within the same section or subsection that are

shown to be identical by structural designation (a b a, etc.).

I·~easure numbers above the analysis give the location of the

various structural phenomena; those not parenthesized desig­

nate formal divisions, while those that are indicate the

appearance of a cyclic motive or reused thematic idea. It is

Pro\co.ue \\ J._ 1/

F i Y:S~ Move.....-, e.Y)I

lt)eo.s"t~~ I S" 13 (li) -:;1:1 , 3t (4c) 4\ (PI) (bS) (6G.) "'t '21 "14 'i'1 lo'1 i";.'J. (t'H)(i:,\{) P-'1 ii>\ lb·,- t"~) ,_:-lll E 'X.fOS itio \"'\

A I"'t~'<lucle IB b Puv"t Pa..tf?",t lq Jb ForM~ P.::.v-t I Pa.tj P"<vt'

I. li J!r_

filaterio.l: I * 1' *

JY1 (t9 ;() 1'13

)(

P,eca..p'itu\ctt•ov-.

p,.. t JY_

a.

1'1 <l i 1'\

I .t "* Tl-l.c.~e + 1' II • ,. (d,.) f:J~'

~01 )o'N -;(11']

® ,,(£) I@ :L n. Tit: I (8

» (*) )f ld.i .. ,,) (J.ir-.~

* IJ'. X} l=F 1 1' ~

li. II H t'' Second rlove.me..\'"11 Th,,-J f'1u'Je..·Me_v,

?.1'1 L'2'11-() :ZI\l"J 'l.S''l ?.0 7.1:."7 (?..'76) 7~i (J.'t&) ~o·). C-;o'{) 3Gl -?'71 '3"t.). Jq3

A I,{\evluJe B Tra h.,it\on A B A I A lr~"'·~'~S'. B Tn\.nS.

a.. Pc.{t :rrr. a. a.. b c b I (m. l~b)

~ -,1.:_ ' \,l ·-;:C-:<"t~.tC'-~-;;:::==::::::===== T ... -t,.. 0 ,.- l"la. • .., 1ho"e. -;f.· Tlo,eW>a K 1' T\.~"'~ IF"~"" To." Ch . .:.r.:<"clct t ~ Th~,..e,

T - ·=rl t .- t 1 ::r::: 1' (d., .... ) (J;..,) I ~ ~ T

Erdo']ue. -

3'1'1 t.to3 wc'7 y(l

P"tl P.,tlr,,;t Pn,t

1r; T1~= jt

Fig. 2 Symphony in One 1!.ovement:

Structure and Thematic Relationships ~ cyclic motive ~ )'?. cyclic motive b

f

..... 0 '-0

110

beyond the scope of the diagram to show the nature of the

relationship between a reused theme and its original ap­

pearance; most are exact quotations, but some are modified

by fragmentation or transformation. Examples of these modi­

fied restatements are included in the summary of developmental

techniques at the end of this chapter.

The second movement of the Quartet is a rather con­

ventional scherzo and trio. Within this large A B A, however,

the structure is very much affected by the fact that the

thematic material is motivic rather than melodic. Instead of

large sections made up of long, spun-out themes, the Scherzo's

outer sections consist of a series of small subsections uni­

fied by recurring motives. Occasionally the motives are

extended or are combined to form themes, such as in the opening

viola idea quoted in Example 99, but in most cases the sub­

sections consist of disjointed motives. Subsections are

delineated by new thematic ideas, changes in texture, cadences,

or combinations of these. The motives themselves are quoted

and identified on the following page; in their various ap­

pearances they are often partially transformed in interval and

pitch content while rhythm and contour remain constant. This

and other aspects of thematic transformation are discussed

later in the chapter.

Section A

Subsection 1 (theme only) is shown in full in Example 99,

ending with the violin entrance. Many important

motives are included in this opening statement.

111

Ex.

LQ--l Lb...J

~

VI~ I~ I-~*F#+Q¥fF¥4-~J . ~ \/ ... -, .• y T +•<" -.

Lc...J L-Cl.'--1

Ex. 100. Quartet, p. 9, mm. 28-29.4

v; ~~~@B~J Le__j ,

Ex. 101. Quartet, p. 10, mm. 5-9.5

Ex. 102. Quartet, p. 11, mm • l-io.6

.--h---. v ...

t

v. 1

-. pfu .•

3Kurt Weill, Streichouartett No. 1, oo. 8 {partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permissiOn of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

4Ibid.

6Ibid.

112

a: a melodic motive, heard in the first measure

in all voices.

b: used primarily as a rhythmic·motive through­

out; first heard in the fourth measure.

c: characterized by a descending second and

fourth; first heard in the thirteenth

measure.

a': a free inversion of motive~; used here and

elsewhere as an ending formula.

Subsection 2 extends from figure 10 to figure 11, and

begins with the violin theme quoted in Example 99.

It includes the following motives:

d: beginning at figure 10 in the violin, this

motive is characterized by a strong ana­

crasis, an even eighth-note rhythm, and a

descending, disjunct contour.

c: restated three measures before figure 11.

Subsection 3 extends from figure 11 to figure 12, and

contains new material in the inner voices.

~: first heard at figure 11; characterized by the

rhythmic pattern and close conjunct motion.

a: forms part of the interpolation that follows

motive ~; heard in the fourth measure of

figure 11.

Subsection 4 states a new theme in the second violin

and extends from figure 12 to figure 13.

f: comprises the first five measures of the new

theme, and recurs in identical form in the

113

last section. An inversion of motive c is

heard in the fourth full measure.

c: heard in the accompanying voices, in the ana­

pestic rhythm of motive b.

a': used again as an ending formula in the first

violin.

d: appears in varied form in the second violin,

immediately following motive f.

Subsection 5 extends from figure 13 to the seventh

measure of figure 14.

d: a variant of this motive begins the subsection

in the first violin.

~: characterized by a group of three ascending

eighth notes in stepwise motion, usually

representing the first three scale steps of

a diatonic scale; appears at this point as

part of the first violin theme.

h: heard in the violins after figure 14. Com­

prised of the dotted rhythmic pattern and

always heard in two voices simultaneously,

beginning in parallel thirds.

g: precedes and accompanies motive h.

a': identical to the two previous hearings, used

as a closing formula.

Subsection 6 extends from the seventh measure of

figure 14 to figure 16.

i: a rhythmic motive; last new motivic idea.

114

a': used as an ending formula in the cello; trans­

posed from G minor to C minor.

i: continues to end of subsection.

Subsection 7 extends from figure 16 to the start of the

trio, and includes a codetta to section A.

d: cello, at figure 16.

i: second violin and cello, fifth measure.

c: before and after figure 17 in all voices;

uses anapestic rhythm of motive b.

d': rhythmically varied, but identical in pitch

to figure 13.

d: first measure only, in fourth measure of

figure 18.

d: forms basis of codetta (last fourteen

measures of section A).

Section B is marked "alla marcia" and begins in the tenth

measure of figure 21. It is in compound quadruple

meter throughout, and contains no material from section

A. The main theme is borrowed from the ballet Zauber­

nacht, where it probably depicted toy soldiers being

brought to life; it is shown with its accompaniment in

Example 90. Section B ends with a codetta beginning

at figure 25. A retransition in 3/8 begins three

measures later, the final measures of which (eight

measures before the 'Tempo I' after figure 28) are

based on motive d.

Section A returns at the 'Tempo I' after figure 28.

115

Subsection 1 continues until figure 30.

d: first violin.

b: measures four through seven, all voices.

g: in inverted form, six measures before figure

30 (cello).

Subsection 2 extends from figure 30 to figure 32 and

includes much unrelated material.

~: in inverted form in various places after

figure 31; premonition of f in first violin

at figure 31.

Subsection 3 extends fro~_figure 32 to figure 33.

h= more fully developed than previously.

Sub~ection 4 extends from figure 33 to figure 34.

f:. returned in the cello at figure 33.

~: accompanies f.

g: accompanies fin the seventh measure (inverted).

Subsection 5 presen~s new and unrelated material between

figures 34 and 35 (fifth measure).

Subsection 6 parallels subsection 3 of the first A

section and extends rrom the sixth measure or figure 35 to figure 37.

~: returned and extended.

Subsection 7 extends from figure 37 to the 'animate'

before figure 38.

h: returned in lower voices.

a: used as an ending formula (violins).

Subsection 8 forms a coda, beginning at the 'animate'

116

before figure J$; it is pervaded by a new ~hythmic

pattern.

a: first violin before figure 38 and in

second measure after figure 38.

c: various places between figures 39 and

in the third measure of figure 41.

lower voices at figure 44.

h: violins, fifth measure of figure 44.

g: figure 45 to the end (first violin).

the

40 and

a': used as a closing formula three measures be­

fore figure 46.

The third movement of the Quodlibet is far superior to

the other movements of that work, although similar to them in

structure. The fact that the Quodlibet is a suite results in

a highly sectionalized form without significant return; the

third movement follows this pattern, bu~ unlike the other

movements, shows imaginative thematic and textural contrast

between its five unrelated sections. In addition, the third

movement is unified by a recurring timpani motive, shown in

Example 103. The tritone leap of this motive also becomes a

Ex. 103. Quodlibet, p. 44, m. 1.7

Pauke

7Kurt Weill, Quodlibet, ..QE• 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

117

structural principle incorporated into many of the themes,

thus further unifying the diverse elements of the movement.

Section A, extending from the beginning to figure 5, is in

three parts. The first is introductory in nature; it

is based on the melodic tritone and is accompanied by

the drum motive (Example 103) throughout. One motive

from this section employing the melodic tritone is

quoted in Example lS. After a small climax is reached,

a series of descending scales leads to the second part

of section A, in which the first major thematic idea is

presented. It is quoted in Example 104. Its two·

settings are separated by the drum motive. Section A

ends with a closing theme in sixteenth notes that is

somewhat similar to the introductory material. A

fragmented statement of the drum motive is heard in the

final measures.

Ex. 104. Quodlibet, p. 46, mm. J-6.S

· doJcq tzS-rJr: -----=- . . -- r+ . . .----.... - -· K:i. -~~rvz6§~LS@ (C.) [" p . ~ -

• - a •· •

Section B consists of a series of recitatives by the flute,

clarinet, bassoon, and cello over triadic and seventh­

chord harmony. They are unrelated to each other, and

are followed by a transitional passage based on a

SKurt Weill, Quodlibet, ££• 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

118

dotted-note rhythmic figure first heard in the trumpet.

The rhythmic freedom of the recitatives is partially

retained through the use of changing meters. The drum

motive acts as a connecting link to the next section.

Section C extends from figures 7 to 9. The first part of

t:.:!>5f: eection (to figure 8) makes use of the tritone

figure from section A (Example 26) and a rhythmic

transformation of it in triplets. The drum motive

continues throughout. From figure g to figure 9,

these ideas are replaced by a new motive derived from

the rhythm of the descending scales that connect the

second and third parts of section A.

Section D, beginning at figure 9, is based on a motive in a

recurring dotted rhythm (unrelated to the earlier

dotted material following the recitatives). A theme

based on this motive (quoted in Example 66) is pre­

sented in rhythmic canon and set against a broader

theme in the cellos. At figure 10, both the dotted

theme and the cello theme begin a second phrase; the

cello ends after three measures, but the dotted ma­

terial continues until three measures before figure 12,

at which point the drum motive introduces a transition

consisting of non-thematic material (reminiscent of the

earlier recitatives) and a solo cello theme that leads

to the final major section.

Section E, beginning eight measures before figure 14, is

marked "marcia funebra" and consists of several im­

portant themes. The first is a two-phrase idea in

119

dotted rhythms which is based on a tritone relation, and

is similar in rhythm and contour to the dotted theme set

against the cello at figure 9 in·section D. It is

partially quoted in Example 105. A central idea be­

ginning at figure 14 is shared by the strings and winds,

with the "funeral" r}?.ythm used as an intermittent ac­

companiment figure. The first theme returns in a

somewhat more complex texture at figure 15, and is

rhythmically altered. A six-measure coda, based on the

rhythm and pitches of the drum motive, ends the movement.

Ex. 105. Quodlibet, p. 60, mm. 6-9.9

Tft) ·l@£!J· ;;:; 'j J (c . . p~

.tr.Je:::g F Ll r It~ .

i l~tY-t4 ~

1~4 ~;~ a 1 ~iW&J .- - -

The remaining movements of the various works can be

rather easily summarized. The first movements of the Quartet

and the Quodlibet are basic A B A' structures; the third move­

ment of the Quartet is also of this general type but should be

considered separately because of its particularly important

coda (the chorale harmonization). The third movement of the

Concerto and the second and fourth movements of the Quodlibet

are sectionalized and without significant return or restate-

ment, as is the Quodlibet movement discussed above. The

9Kurt Weill, Quodlibet, Q£• 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

120

second movement of the Concerto is a special case, as it

consists of three separate pieces, each with its own form.

Summary of Formal and Developmental Techniques

Some of the methods used to achieve structural unity

through manipulation of motives, themes, and sections are

described below. They are divided into three main categories:

principles of return, unifying devices, and thematic transfor­

mation.

Among principles of return, the traditional technique of

recapitulation of a large section containing contrasting themes

is used least by Weill, and is highly modified when used at

all. The only· examples of recapitulation in the early music

are in the first "movement" of the Syyr.phony and the "Serenata,"

both of which are actually only sections of larger structures.

Both recapitulations are drastically shortened. In the

"Serenata," the exposition contains four themes, while the

recapitulation uses only fragments of three of them. In the

first "movement" of the Symphony, the exposition contains two

contrasting sections (each with two main subdivisions) sepa­

rated by three short "interlude" themes; in the recapitulation,

only part of the first subdivision of each of the contrasting

sections is returned, along with only one of the "interlude"

themes. The recapitulation in the "Serenata" is one half step

lower than the exposition; in the Symphony, the material of

the first section is returned in the same key, but the second

section is one half step higher.

121

Much more frequent than the sonata-form type of reca­

pitulation discussed above is the modified return of a large

section after contrasting material in the manner of an A B A

structure. The Quartet movement described above is typical

of Weill's adaptation of this form in that the material of the

first section is returned in the last, but in a different

order and with different textural settings. The third move­

ment of that same work follows a similar pattern, as does the

second "movement" of the Symphony, in which material from the

contrasting middle section appears in the return of the first

section. The first movements of the Quartet and Quodlibet

show even greater modifications in the return of the first

section, but there remains enough similarity in terms of

tempo, texture, and thematic material to consider the overall

form as ABA'. Return of a major thematic section does not

necessarily occur within the context of three-part form, how­

ever~ in the Concerto movement discussed above, two early

sections are returned near the end of the work and contribute

to the overall feeling of arch form.

The final type of return to be considered involves the

reuse of a specific theme without implying the return of an

entire section. An example is provided by the third movement

of the Concerto, in which the Coda begins with a theme from

an earlier section (in a new key) but continues in an entirely

different manner. Many of the reused themes indicated in the

diagram of the Symphony are of this type, such as the premo­

nition of the third "movementn chorale melody in the second

.. _ ~·· ·.110:·:···

122

section of the exposition of the first "movement," the return

of the theme of the third "interlude" of the first "movement"

in the third "movement," and many others.

Unifying devices are of two main types. The first, and

less frequently used of the two, involves a recurring idea

that is an entity in itself and that returns intact in recog­

nizable form •. Several exa~ples have already been discussed,

including the motto chord of the first movement of the Con­

certo (Example 96), the cyclic motives of the Symphony

(Examples 97-9g), and the tritone drum motive of the third

movement of the Quodlibet (Example 103). Some of the motives

of the second movement of the Quartet also fall into this

category, such as motive ~' (see Example 99) which recurs

intact in four different places, always used as an ending

formula {although transposed on one occasion). The various

themes of the "Notturno" are similarly unified; the motive

quoted in Example 106 recurs four times in that sub-movement~

each time as a component of a longer theme.

Ex. 106. Concerto, p. 51, mm. 6-7.10

VI.

The more frequent type of unifying device can best be

described as a structural principle that is incorporated into

lOKurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

123

several themes (or even movements) in various manifestations,

but is not an entity in itself. Many of the motives of the

second movement of the Quartet are of this type; motive h, for

example (see Example 102), can be described as a structural

principle consisting of the characteristic rhythm and its in­

variable appearance in two voices beginning in parallel thirds,

but is actually used differently at each appearance. Rhythmic

patterns alone are frequently used as unifying structural

principles (see Chapter VII for a more detailed discussion of

this technique). Most of the themes of the "Notturno," for

example, are based on a single rhythmic fragment consisting of

two pairs of notes in a dotted sixteenth-thirty-second-note

relationship. A unifying structural principle may be even

less specific. In the case of the Symphony, the melodic

fourth functions in this manner; although the leap of a fourth

is hardly distinctive in itself, the fact that virtually every

important theme makes noticeable use of that principle helps

to unify the work effectively.

In the Quodlibet, two recurring structural principles

are used throughout. One of these, the melodic tritone, is

particularly emphasized in the third movement but can be found

in the first measure of each of the four movements. The other

is a rhythmic motive that is featured in nine different themes,

again in all four movements. Examples 107 through 110 show

four of its appearances.

The accompaniment motive of the "Serenata" (see Examples

34 and 76) is a special type of unifying device in that it is

•

124

Ex. 107. Quodlibet, p. 2, mm. 9-14.11

Ex. 108. Quodlibet, p. 41, mm. 4-7.12

. r-~ (I_ •

p ! _E L E i- I F

Ex. 109. Quodlibet, p. 78, m. 3 - p. 79, m. 1.13

VI. 1· pa JqP ~ruaa:r l,r ¥ rfr1 [1 ;E!E ~ v

1---. ____ _.t .

Ex. 110. Quodlibet, p. 85, mm. 5-7.14

/(/ .. (c)

perpetual rather than recurring. It is also somewhere between

an entity and a structural principle, since it is constantly

altered throughout the piece.

Many of the restatements of themes and motives shown in

the diagram of the Symphony and the outline of the second move­

ment of the Quartet are not literal repeats but variants of the

llKurt Vieill, Quodlibet, .QE• 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

12Ibid.

14Ibid.

13rbid.

125

original material. The manner in which these variants are

transformed differs in each case, but several frequent patterns

can be cited. By far the most common is the type of transfor­

mation in which the pitch materials of a theme or motive are

changed while the rhythm and/or contour remain constant. The

alterations in pitch content do not serve to disguise the

theme, perhaps because the atonal nature of the music results

in more or less of an equality of the different pitch classes.

The three varied settings of the "second theme" of the third

movement of the Concerto (at figures 8, 12, and 14) illustrate

a fairly simple application of this type of transformation. A

less obvious relationship exists between the third and fourth

measures of the chorale in the Symphony and its derivation

five measures earlier. The chorale is shown in Example 112

and its derivation in Example 111; Examples 113 and 114 quote

two later transformations of this fragment, as indicated by

the diagram in the first part of this chapter.

Ex. 111. Symphony, p. 50, mm. 11-13.

Ex. 112. Symphony, p. 51, rnm. 4-5.

126

Ex. 113. Symphony, p. 58; mm. 2-4.

Ex. 114. Symphony, p. 63, mm. 3-7.

3 4 . n. 4 4

(~) Uo/5-fftHtEft=Hif~ r-f I~ lw' Many of the motives of the second movement of the Quartet are

similarly transformed when reused. Examples 115 through 119

show some of the many returns of motive d in that work in

their various transformations. The rhythm and contour are

constant in all of these except Example 117; in that case,

the rhythmic alteration is compensated for by the fact that

the pitches are identical to an earlier transformation (see

Example 116). The original form of motived is quoted in

Example 115.

Ex. 115. Quartet, p. 9, mm. 17-20.15

v., I

15Kurt Weill, Streichguartett No. 1, .QE.• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

127

Ex. 116. Quartet, p. 10,_ mm. 9-19.16

Ex. 117. Quartet, p. 12, rnm. 5-8.17

Ex. llS. Quartet, p. 16, mm. 1-12.18

~ \~Tempo I.

fl accel. aema sord.~~ £[;i.. .,......._ -.

~.3 ~-:...: y ~<--- senz~ sord.~ ........ • '-.:

. . -- J

0 ,./ ff o) ..,.

} .... ~- T -~ .... 'Y .... _::- .

l ~- --- ~ =-= .-_-p .._. l! ~=-- "';;+ ::T

~-

·~·-;:::- ?"; T• ~'T ~- .~

' :_•: fr~ lt~ seaua sord._ff -= . The type of thematic transformation that involves

rhythmic alteration while pitch relationships remain constant

is used in only a few specialized cases. One instance from

the Quartet is shown in Examples 116 and 117. Most of the

others occur in the Symphony, such as the various appearances

of the two cyclic motives in diminution. The main theme of

the first section of the first "movement" is transformed

rhythmically in two instances: in its premonition three

16Kurt vleill, §.!reichauartett No. 1, QE.• g ( parti tur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S. A., Canada and 1-1exico.

17Ibid. 18rbid.

128

measures before the initial statement, and in its jubilant

return in the winds at the end of the work. The main theme

is shown in Example 119, and the transformations in Examples

120 and 121.

Ex. 119. Symphony, p. 9, mm. 1-2.

4 ·4 .

-~ ~~~~-Jffr (c) .. • ,

Ex. 120. p. 8, mm. 5-7.

Ex. 121. Symphony, p. 65, m. 2 - p. 66, m. 1.

6 4=

Ob.~~- !v .... .JT

Finally, some pairs of themes can be described as

closely related although no single aspect of structure is

exactly duplicated throughout both of them. In these cases,

the themes may show partial duplication at the beginning and

then proceed differently, or may share a rhythmic scheme and

textural setting. Themes A, A', and A2 of the first movement

of the Concerto are related in this way, as are themes B and

~' of the same movement. Another example is provided by the

main theme of the third rr.ovement of the Quartet, which was

originally the fugue subject of the Symphony; Examples 122

through 124 show three versions of this theme.

129

Ex. 122. Quartet, p. 21, m. 26 - p. 22, m. 2.19 .

Ex. 123. Quartet, p. 22, rnrr. 2-6.20

Ex. 124. Quartet, p. 23, m. 7 - p. 24, m. 2.21

Vc. -l¥t?~#??=::£JQ:J J tt®=! ~~ ~ ip;,o m'iirc. .

The structural similarities and differences between the

third movements of the Quartet and Symphony, which use much

of the same thematic material, might logically be mentioned

as a conclusion to this discussion of forrr. and motivic

development. In the Quartet, part of the material of section

A of the Symphony "movement" and part of the epilogue is used,

but is altered and reordered. The two fugal sections are

paralleled by similar though less complex contrapuntal

sections at the third measure of the Quartet movement and at

two measures before figure 50. Whereas in the Symphony the

19Kurt Weill, Streichauartett No. 1, ££• g (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

20Ibid. 21Ibid. -

130

chorale harmonization alternates with the fugal sections, in

the Quartet the chorale melody is worked into the contrapuntal

texture and the harmonization itself is saved for the coda.

The use of the chorale in the counterpoint (the first phrase

in the first contrapuntal section and the second phrase in the

second) was probably suggested by the beginning of Section B

of the Symphony "movement," where the chorale melody is used

as a cantus firmus in the bass voices underlying free counter­

point in the high winds and strings. Although Section B of

the Symphony "movement" is not used in the Quartet, there is

a corresponding segment that shares the rhapsodic, soloistic

nature of Section B, ending with the recitatives at figure 57.

After the return of the opening material, the Quartet adds a

lengthy coda. This begins with both phrases of the chorale in

harmonized form, followed by an "extra" chorale phrase with

staggered entrances. The sources for this passage in the

Symphony are the identical harmonization at measure 302 and

an "extra" chorale phrase with staggered entrances (though

different from the Quartet phrase) at measure 357. The final

passage in the Quartet (beginning at figure 69) is taken from

the beginning of the epilogue of the Symphony, and even dupli­

cates the meter change in that passage (see Example 114).

Finally, the first two introductory measures of the Quartet

can be traced to measures 378 and 379 of the Symphony. The

mood created by the natural harmonics in the latter passage

(it is marked "mystisch") is clearly transplanted to the

Quartet through the use of similar vertical sonorities.

CHAPTER VII

RHYTHM AND METER

The·importance of rhythm in Weill's melodic structure

and deyelopmental techniques has been partially indicated in

the previous chapters. The present chapter deals with the

rhythmic characteristics of the music on a somewhat larger

scale and in greater detail. It is divided into four main

parts, dealing, respectively, with the unification of themes

and sections by rhythmic properties, rhythmic development

(chronological alteration of basic rhythmic properties),

simultaneous rhythmic contrast, and meter and pulse regularity.

Unifying Rhythmic Patterns

A rhythmic figure that serves to unify a theme or section

may be either perpetuai or intermittent. The accompaniment

motive of the "Serenata," for example (see Examples 34 and 76),

is essentially a rhythmic figure that is repeated perpetually,

although not always in exactly the same form. The only passage

in which this motive is not heard makes use of an accompani­

ment figure (pizzicato violin chords) that is also presented

as a perpetually repeated rhythmic pattern; it, too, is not

always heard in exactly the same form. · The perpetually

repeated rhythmic figure is rarely used as a unifying device.

;1.31

132

Another, much more frequent type does not involve re­

iteration of a specific figure, but consists instead of a

continuous rhythmic background based on a single metric unit.

Many sections of the Concerto and Quodlibet are unified in

this manner. In section B of the first movement of the Con-

certo, for example, a group of four sixteenth notes comprises

each beat·of the forty-seven-measure passage. This rhythmic

ostinato serves as a background for the intense buildup of

textural complexity that occupies the section. The perpetual

sixteenth notes are incorporated into both the important

thematic material and the accompaniment (see Examples 26 and

88). In some cases, this type of perpetual rhythmic motion

is-accomplished by dividing the pattern between two or more

lines. Thus, when a melody does not make use of the rhythm

of the perpetual background, it is sustained in the accompani­

ment. Example 125 shows a fragment of a theme from the

Quodlibet that is constructed in this manner.

Ex. 125. Quodlibet, p. 7, m. 1.1

1. II A --r. - --

Ob. Z. rf v

A

K/. 1. 0 (c) z. r if

----. -....<·--=·--

' ! p -+--~

'i ... Fag.

=-~ ... ' p

lKurt Weill, Qaodlibet, QE• 2 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

133

Intermittent rhythmic patterns are used much more

frequently than perpetual ones in unifying a theme or section.

Section B of the first movement of the Concerto, mentioned

above as an example of the latter, also makes use of the

former; it is unified by a one-measure rhythmic motive first

heard at the beginning of the oboe theme three measures after

figure 6. The same motive is used at the beginning and end

of two subsequent phrases: the bass melody extending from

figure 8 to figure 9, and the continuation of that theme in

the winds extending from figure 10 to the second measure be­

fore figure 12.

The outer sections of the first movement of the Quartet

are similarly unified, but by a much less specific motive.

The rhythmic pattern of the opening theme, with its charac­

teristic small groups of notes separated by short rests, can

be seen as the basis for much of the thematic and accompani­

mental material of the first section. Examples 126 and 127

show part of the opening theme and a later idea that is based

on a diminution of the initial rhythmic pattern.

Ex. 126. Quartet, p. 3, m. 1.2

.· Sostenuto, con malta espressione

~.Violine_(~ • J @tt~@ • ffw

2Kurt Weill, Streichquartett No. 1, ££• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

134

Ex. 127. Quartet, p. 4, m. 6.3

The middle section of this same movement presents an

extreme case of unification by recurring rhythmic motives.

Virtually every musical idea in this fourteen-measure section

is based on one of three rhythmic patterns. Example 128

quotes a short thematic fragment in which all three motives

are used.

Ex. 128. Quartet, p. 6, mm. 3-5.4

Entire movements as well as individual sections can be

effectively unified by recurring rhythmic patterns. Although

small, the two syncopated figures shown in Examples 129 and

130 (the second of which might be considered a broadened

version of the first} recur recognizably throughout the first

movement of the Concerto and help unify the themes in which

they appear. The rhythmic unit shown in Example 129 returns

eight times in the course of the movement; the broadened

version (Example 130) recurs five times, is always used to

3Kurt Weill, Streichguartett No. 1, QE• 8 (partitur), C 1924, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

4Ibid. --

135

emphasize a melodic peak at the end of a theme, and alw~ys

appears in a similar contour.

Ex. 129. Concerto, p. 2, ~. 1-2.5

Ex. 130. Concerto, p. 3, mrn. 1-2.6

J&Jbt I~ (B\,)

The-unifying function of the motto chord is discussed

elsewhere, but it remains to be pointed out that its dis­

tinctive nature (hence its success as a motto} is due

primarily to its rhythmic setting. The actual pitches of

the chord are varied, but its short, percussive statements

(usually in groups of two} make it instantly recognizable,

and contrast the broad, sweeping melodies of the movement.

It is usually stated on weak beats, especially when accompa­

nying a theme that ·starts on a weak beat or an upbeat (see

Example 96); in section B(a}, however, both of the contra­

puntal themes begin on strong beats, and the motto chord

proceeds similarly.

5Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur}, C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

6Ibid.

136

Rhythmic Development

Throughout the four works, formal sections tend to be

characterized by a particular type of rhythmic motion or

specific recurring pattern. The contrast between the patterns,

then, is an important determinant of the overall effect of the

work. In some cases, the contrast is one of extreme rhythmic

rigidity and extreme freedom, such as in the third movement of

the Quodlibet where the perpetual sixteenth-note background of

the last part of section A is followed by the recitatives of

section B. This type of contrast can also occur within a

section, as in the third movement of the Quartet. The middle

section of that movement, which in itself contrasts the outer

sections, is in two parts; the first has a rhythmic background

' of constant sextuplets (see Example 82) while the second is an

unmeasured recitative-like statement of the same theme that

the sextuplets have just finished accompanying.

Sometimes the rhythmic contrast between sections is

based on a conflict between specific motives. The clearest

example of this is provided by the second movement of the

Quodlibet, in which the alternation of the "scherzo" and "trio"

sections provides the major structural interest. The "scherzo"

material is based entirely on an eighth-note motive in com­

pound duple meter, while the "trio" sections are based on a

dactylic motive (an eighth note followed by two sixteenth

notes) in simple duple meter.

More subtle contrasts involve various aspects of the

psychological effect of rhythmic organization. In the first

137

"movement" of the Symphony, for example, the heavy, march-like

quadruple meter of section A with its relentless emphasis on

the downbeat is strongly contrasted by the following "inter­

lude" themes, the first of which is of a deliberately less

decisive pulse and is notated in alternate measures of 5/4

and 4/4. The second interlude theme is also irregularly

organized, and is notated in groups of three measures of 3/4,

3/4, and 2/4.

Rhythmic contrast is important to the Symphony in an­

other way. Throughout tbat work, individual themes and motives

are given distinctive rhythmic characteristics; thus, chrono­

logical contrast becomes an important method of signaling the

reuse of earlier material and of isolating that material and

making it recognizable. An example is the theme quoted in

Example 131, first heard in section B of the first "movement."

Ex. 131. Symphony, p. 28, m. 3 - p. 29, m. 3.

The melody begins with the interval of the fourth, which is

not at all uncommon, and it is the characteristic rhythm of

the theme (the anacrusis and the smooth, even eighth-note

pattern) that distinguishes it. It is significant that this

theme is never transformed, and thus creates a similar 6/S

feeling at each of its reappearances that makes it immediately

recognizable.

On the smallest level of organization, the contrast be­

tween thematic sections can be determined by the manner in

which individual beats are divided. In the prologue of the

Symphony, the themes of the first and second sections are set

against each other in this way. The strong downbeats and

steady quarter-note rhythm of the first theme (Example 97)

are contrasted in the second, in which quarter-note patterns,

sixteenth- and thirty-second-note patterns; dotted patterns,

and triplets are all used _equally and sometimes simultaneously.

In some extended sections there is little or no chrono­

logical contrast. This is particularly true of certain

passages in the fourth movement of the Quodlibet, but can also

be observed in the Symphony. The entire second "movement" of

that work is in a relentless compound meter, with only slight

(and much-needed) relief just before the return of the first

section (measure 263) and at the very end.

· Occasionally the progression of sections delineated by

rhythmic characteristics seems to suggest an overall scheme.

In several cases, a tendency for the rhythmic activity to

quicken and grow more complex as the work progresses can be

discerned. A clear example is provided by the return of the

first section in the third movement of the Quartet. This

begins at figure 59, where the chorale melody acts as a cantus

firmus and the basic rhythmic motion is in eighth notes.

Eight measures later the pace is quickened by the addition of

sixteenth notes at irregular intervals, which become perpetual

after four more measures. The second phrase of the chorale

139

melody is now used as a cantus firmus, but in diminution.

After figure 62 sextuplets are introduced, which are soon set

against sixteenth notes in simultaneous contrast. The last

three measures of the section are comprised of perpetual

thirty-second notes.

There are also examples of overall rhythmic schemes in

the form of an arch. The first section of the first movement

of the. Quartet functions in this manner~ as the rhythmic motion

quickens until reaching figure 4 and then relaxes to the

original meter and pulse. The most important and extended ex­

ample, however, is the first movement of the Concerto, in ...

which the progression of rhythmic motion as determined by

each sect~on forms a nearly perfect arch. Section A is per­

haps the least rhythmically consistent (because it is a small

arch form in itself), but the basic overall unit of rhythmic

motion is the eighth note. In section B, as discussed above,

it is the sixteenth note, and in section C(a) (as shown in Ex­

ample 70) it is the thirty-second note. In section C(b), the

rhythm becomes indeterminate, as it consists of trills and

tremolos. The "eye of the hurricane" is reached with the

return of section B(a), which is dominated by the triplet

figure of the violin counterpoint. With section D the basic

rhythmic motion is again indeterminate (although the violin

triplets continue), and the process is reversed to the end.

The rhythmic arch of the movement is depicted in Figure 3.

Ob.

VI.

140

Formal section: A B Ca Cb

Basic rhythmic unit: ) <:>) J } J Fig. 3.

Ba 1

m I

D transition E A

1 ' J J )

Rhythmic arch form in the first movement of the Violin Concerto

Simultaneous Rhythmic Contrast

Cont-rasting rhythmic schemes are often used to accentu-

ate the independence of lines in contrapuntal passages. This

is sometimes done with themes of equal importance, as shown

in Example 132. It is more commonly used, however, to help

Ex. 132. Concerto, p. 80, mm. 3-6.7

~'~ v..-

.....--;:;;:. ,-.., ..... ~ - ---- -~ c= -

I

-- . . -. -.

I

.. ,., r it. r ~~~ ~ t;-~ -r - ------~~~ ~ ~

:-:!•:i '"'P';~~~

distinguish melody and accompaniment. Very often, a theme

with a distinctive rhythmic organization is balanced by a

relatively simple accompaniment (as far as rhythm is con­

cerned), such as in Example 78. In parts of the "Serenata"

the roles are reversed, with the rhythm of the main accompani­

ment figure being far more distinctive than that of the theme.

Simultaneous rhythmic contrast often takes the form of

actual polyrhythm. The most common type involves contrast

7Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

141

between basic simple and compound meter, usually in a measure

containing two or three main pulses. There are many examples

in the first "movement" of the Symphony, but.few are of sig­

nificant duration. This technique is of far greater •

importance to the third movement of the Concerto, where, in

fact, the entire rhythmic impetus of the movement is based

on the contrast of simple and compound meter. In some

sections one clearly dominates the other, but there are many

periods of extreme tension resulting from the superimposition

of the two. In several of these passages the contrasting

voices are actually assigned different meter signatures, as

in Example 133. g

Ex. 133. Concerto, p. 120, mm. 1-3.

1" II ~. ~~ ~1:: ~ b, ~~ '1=1=

--- -n. .., pp II

Ob. ...

t: -~i .j..j!.;. .;.. i f=' i j; ,Ll>~~

PP .. ... .;.. .,.;. ;... ~-i-

p- p:: II ~ ,. ; ;. . . . .

Cl. (A) fg.

VI.

."' ! a.Z

9 Bc.,,m.]

II ~~-

..,

p-

T 11 ':>

~~ '-"-~ .~ ~ ..

-~p

>

~· I p , ii ....

~:r= ~~ :t= ~~#~~tt~~!h~ ·-- . -·~

.. - ...

~/

./

/ .v

,I

There are several unique examples of different types of

polyrhythm in the Symphony, the most important occurring at

gKurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

142

the superimposition of the premonition of the chorale melody

and the string counterpoint in the first "movement" _{Example

134). Another instance occurs at the return of the second

Ex. 134. Symphony, p. 26, mm. 1-7.

4 Nlcht schleppend (ruhige ganze Talde)

1914 Die J • den J. der Streidler

(f)'~~-;--e;; ~ •• Tr. 8 . m '

Nicht schleppend (ruhige g:rrrzeTakte) ~"""' __

lit i:.J ~;? -~v'

I •. . .. I ! I v l I

-., 'II/ --=== ---=

cyclic motive in measure 126. At that point the motive (shown

in its original form in Example 98) is rewritten in triple

meter, but the accompaniment retains its duple setting.

Much of the music, of course, makes little or no use of

simultaneous rhythmic contrast. In the Quodlibet, for example,

there are no examples at all, except for a single measure in

the finale in which a triplet is set against a sixteenth-note

scale figure.

Meter and Pulse Regularity

Extremes of pulse regularity and irregularity can be

found throughout the music. Passages such as the "military"

music of section A of the first "movement" of the Symphony

and the string counterpoint shown in Example 134 have

~a · Vn.

143

decisive, regular pulses·that agree with the metric organi-

zation. Many of the most interesting themes, ·however, do not

show a decisive pulse; no beat is stressed over any other,

and the theme might fit into any one of a number of different

meters. Examples include the tonal wind theme from the first

movement of the Concerto (Example 46} and the first cyclic

motive of the Symphony (Example 97), which actually does ap­

pear in a different meter (J/4} in one place, with the notes

unchanged.

Meter changes are used primarily to establish a series

of irregular pulses, especially in the Concerto (see Example

135). They are also used to destroy any feeling of pulse,

as shown in Example 1)6. Occasionally a pulse is set up that

Ex. Concerto, p. 54, m. 2 - p. 55, m. 2.

Ex. 1)6. Concerto, p. 3, mm. 4-8. 10

2 4

r

6 8

9

•

3 4

9Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S. A., Canada and fw1exico.

10Ibid.

144

conflicts with the meter, as in Example 137, but this o~curs

very infrequently.

C 0. 11 Ex. 137. oncerto, p. 4o, mm. 4-7.

1/

llKurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

CHAPTER VIII

ORCHESTRATION

The ensemble called for by Weill and the manner in which

it is employed is considerably different in each of the three

orchestral works. The richness of the large, complexly di­

vided string section of the Symphony is one of the most

striking characteristics of that work, while the equally

effective scoring of the Concerto relies on an ensemble of

only fourteen wind, percussion, and bass players (in addition

to the soloist); the Quodlibet employs the largest orchestra

of the three but is the least imaginative in its scoring.

Thus, the discussion of certain individual techniques may be

relevant to only one work.

Many of the most effective scoring techniques of the

Concerto and the Symphony are the result of the unusual body

of instruments that comprise the orchestra in each case

(given in Chapter II). Weill employs only one trumpet and

one oboe but relies heavily on these soloists in both works.

The amount of percussion used is somewhat large considering

the size of the orchestra, and the percussion instruments

are often put to surprising use. The unusual function of the

basses in the Concerto results, of course, from the omission

of the rest of the string choir. Weill's manipulation of

these forces results in a wide range of orchestral effects,

145

146

some of which reflect his modifications of traditional scoring

practices and some which are thoroughly original. The present

chapter will consider first the former and then the latter,

followed by a discussion of successive changes in orches­

tration.

~pltr.~ti~~ v~ Traditional ~coring Techniques

Herein discussed is Weill's use of solo instruments,

doublings, orchestral choirs and tutti scoring. It is these

basic techniques that determine the overall orchestral style

of the music, both in the manne~ in which each is employed

and in the amount each is used in comparison with the others.

Most orchestral composers, for example, use solos on occasion

but not to the extent Weill does in certain places; the over-

all style is thus greatly affected.

The use of solo instruments to introduce important

thematic material is the modus operandi of the Concerto, due·

to the nature of the ensemble and to the predominantly contra­

puntal texture, which is best served by solo voices. The two

clarinets at the beginning forewarn the listener of the im­

portant role this type of scoring is to play throughout the

work. The most important solo voice is, of course, the violin,

but it is not always the most prominent; in many passages the

relationship of the violin to the rest of the orchestra is a

contrapuntal one between soloists rather than the traditional

solo with tutti accompaniment. Also important are instruments

not normally used extensively in a solo capacity, such as the

147 •

trumpet (throughout the "Cadenza"), the•basses (Example SS),

and the xylophone (in the "Notturno"). The other wind instru­

ments are also used frequently, and the flute often with great

effect in the low register (see Example 138). In general,

Ex. 138. Concerto, p. 55, mm. 4-6.1

~ «~ Fl. If; ,.> m m:. £]~·· ~ ~a fittrti J - . p .. _·: :- ."· .. · .. ·. -'!~.

almost all of the important thematic ideas (especially in the

first two movements) are announced by solo voices, and some

extended sections (such as the ttNotturno") consist almost

entirely of solo statements.

Solo wind instruments are also used frequently in the

Symphony, but are not as important in the exposition of the­

matic material as in the Concerto. An important exception is

the trumpet, which is entrusted with the first main theme of

the first "movement" (see Example 119) and other thematic

material, particularly in the strident "military" sections of

that "movement.n The trumpet is the primary melodic voice in

many additional places, but is frequently doubled by other

instruments. Some attempts at solo wind writing reflect

Weill's inexperience with orchestral textures in this early

work; in the passage quoted in Example 139, for example, the

solo flute cannot possibly be heard over the tutti in a live

performance.

lKurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965,--Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

148

Ex. 139. Symphony, p. 11, mm. 3-4.

< 0-I -. ~01--~E l t.~ r: ~ - -~:o_of t'-t-=h-~ ·fF '~--~~-~====

,f fl. 1

I

!m-./ .. - ·- ~ , j• J --...;;;, '3"" ' fog.

2 .. f

~; I ,.--- 3

~ ~r•~#r?!L4 Hm.

(F) Sehr wild

~' l!-:-e t.8 • . e~ ;. • . ~-~ ·~i: • .....-~ ~i: - -

ol ":f

,;f/~·lo. .;. ·_ .... --;.. . • -:fi" -e. ..... ~;.~ Viol. 2

• . ":/'

... - - - .... ---· f(.or-- -, .. • J T ' . > . -:!

~ -.;.~o. ,h ... ~ ~!!'"

I -/ J -q-

~::r:- - ~ ~

~

'""t"' J • ~ -:I

Yfo.

2

/"1'. . ~.,.,: ;.. l~

. .... .-.ll.!--ri· '""" •{' . ":/'3 J - 3 J -

VeL ;

-. ·"

.f ..,..., J ~ --;-- J -

vi

More important in the Symphony than solo wind writing is

the use of solo strings. Occasionally a section leader will

play alone in an obbligato role, but the most effective

passages combine several string soloists in a concertina-like

ensemble. The last theme of the prologue, for example, is

played by a solo quartet of one violin, one viola, one cello,

and one bass. Another example, this one contrapuntal, occurs

in section B of the first "movement" and is partially quoted

in Example 134. To the solo violas shown in the example are

149

later added two solo violins and one cello. Solo strings are

also used in pairs, as in the two-voice counterpoint shown in

Example 140.

Ex. 140. Symphony, p. 5S, m. 7 - p. 59, m. 4.

_,.,.·.tu'f'UIIfdWif'llldil -----~

Salol

. ~--::--.. ~~~ ~~_!._~ ~.e.-;:-~·~~ ~~ ... ~-~.. ~ ~e· ~'F::: F=~~ . t=. n1.E ..=~~ _.!_:,_• .... - ~ ;: - t: ·- -· +-_._ ___ ....___

I I"' -P I -l: ·~ =-- '

II,._~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~E. _,...- l~ ~ ~r, . ..r -.... tF~~~-;='~ -~ .. SoloZ I"' -P p I ---= =--~ I

The quodlibet relies very little on solo instruments to

introduce important thematic material; more common are tutti

statements and "standard" orchestral doublings, such as flute

and violin. There are, however, the important cadenzas played

by the solo flute, clarinet, bassoon, and cello in the third

movement.

A very typical procedure in the Symphony is to present

a thematic idea with parallel scoring in the wind and string

choirs; this type of doubling is discussed as an aspect of

tutti scoring below. Aside from this basic technique, how­

ever, there are many examples of effective doublings that

make ingenious use of the limited resources of both the Con-

certo and the Symphony. Examples involving the winds can be

found in both works. Theme D of the first movement of the

Concerto (Example 46) is heard in the flutes, oboe, clarinets,

and basses, all in different octaves with the basses two

octaves below the clarinets. The result is a hollow, airy

sound that contrasts the arpeggiated violin counterpoint. An

\.•/

150

effective use of the winds alone is shown in the scoring of

the second cyclic motive of the Symphony (Example 98); it is

scored (in the third measure of the example) ·for flute, oboe,

and two clarinets all in the same octave, resulting in a dark,

nasal sound characteristic of the middle symphonies of Mahler.

In both the Concerto and Symphony, many important themes

are introduced by a doubling of the trumpet and some other

instrument or instruments. In most cases the orchestration is

carefully manipulated to avoid balance problems, but occasion­

ally the trumpet overpowers the rest of the texture. A

typical doubling involving the trumpet, in this case success­

fully balanced, is shown in Example 141.

Ex. 141. Symphony, p. 35, mm. 2-3.

n.

2 J

Ob. ./ t ! Trp. ./ ~(c.)

Other effective doublings include both the cantus firmus

setting of the chorale in the Symphony, where the combination

of solo trombone and low strings evokes a solemn, liturgical

mood, and the first "interlude" theme earlier in the same

work, where the mellow combination of clarinet and violas

151

helps contrast the harsh military quality of the preceding

section.

Scoring techniques involving the use of instrumental

choirs pertain only to the Symphony and Quodlibet, since the

Concerto has only one full choir and its use as an entity is

discussed as an aspect of tutti scoring. Of primary interest

is the use of the string choir in the Symphony. Its basic

division is in nine parts, with three violin parts and two

each of viola, cello, and bass. Further division within this

is very common, and in at least one place (measure eleven)

the string choir is divided into thirteen parts. The inde­

pendence of each part is generally preserved, even in the

bass part. Example 142 illustrates a typical division of

Ex. 142. Symphony, p. 39, mrn. 2-3.

PP ~ ==---

. __.,._,~~

1.1'1dtl'.oct;?""":·~==="~-,=tf~~1'~~: @%f~32~ ,./ molto cspr.. =::=- ·"if' --==- ==-- f-=-

consol"d. --

Vc:l.2.l'IIH ' . d•v ~~~f=-i.'l:=t: . .,/. pp

Solo ~'

152

the strings, taken from the second "movement." Occasionally

a choir is formed out of a single section, such as in the

second "interlude" where the theme is stated by the cellos in

four-part harmony.

The wind choir is rarely used independently in the

Symphony, the primary exception being the chorale harmoni­

zation. in addition, neither the string nor the wind choir

is heard in unison, with a few exceptions: the string ac­

companiment to the first theme of the first "movement," and

an occasional unison statement by the brasses alone.

The use of individual choirs in the Quodlibet is, for (

the most part, undistinguished. The string choir retains

the standard division of two violins, one viola, one cello,

and one bass for the entire work, and the pairs of wind

instruments are usually scored in unison or in parallel

figures, such as in Example 143. Throughout the work, there

is a fairly even balance between the separation of choirs

(usually with the theme in one choir and the accompaniment

in the other) and cross-choir doubling, a method of tutti

scoring borrowed from the Symphony.

The technique of cross-choir doubling is the predomi­

nant method of using the entire orchestra in the Symphony.

Typically, the wind and string choirs show parallel con­

struction from top to bottom, often with the solo trumpet

doubling the flutes and violins one octave lower. The first

two measures of the work present the first cyclic motive

orchestrated in this manner, and the theme of the prologue's

second section, which is contrapuntal rather than vertical,

153

Ex. 143. Quodlibet, p. 30, mrn. 2 5-7 •

F!. 7. (f. • .u • .... ;;;~y r+ j .. =+==!=-+

";)" ...........- -f'l ~· . • . ... .

.if.• "-;) - - -"

> t > 1' .:;- > I

'1. Ob. Z. .,

~ v./

7. (\. :::.. > > 1" ~- > I

/\Ia 2. .,

(c) .J

~. .,. :::> ::> t .:;- 1"

fcs. 2. " - -·

4: ~-

~---.M •• .;c:L• .....

•

is similarly scored. Although the Concerto has only one

choir, a related technique is used in some of the more

thickly scored sections of that work; it involves several

lines that contribute to an overall vertical texture but re-

main somewhat independent, each of which is scored with a

distinctive doubling that helps to individualize it. The

passage quoted in Example 84 provides an example; the flute

melody is doubled in the trumpet one octave lower as is the

bassoon line in the basses, although these two lines are not

shown.

Another effective use of the tutti is typical of the

first movement of the Concerto; this involves the use of

~Kurt Weill, Quodlibet, oo. 9 (partitur), C 1926, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

154

fortissimo trills and tremolos as an.accompaniment text~re.

The amount of sound created by this technique is remarkable

considering the size of the orchestra. A passage employing

this type of tutti scoring is quoted in Example 144. The

doubling of the clarinet theme in the horn and flute is not

shown.

Ex. 144. Concerto, p. 23, mrn. 1-3.3

r;,. - l)p.P t..~ "t. tr~tc-~.,..,_...,..,__·

II j,~." ~ b.a. ~ ..;. - ·-... Ob • ... II~ ;, + - ~ ,.. ,.. .. ... ~=: ~ JL ~ ,..

& ,ttmarcat•-<>•mt,.~. ;.~ ,.. ... . t..L- ~,.,..,...,.._~:;:.__

II $- '~ •4- -~ "-'C ... .> • ·-.. I t..~ !' t,.b ~ !':...-...:.Jt-----!!'-;... .-"

Fg. .if ... t.. ~ tr ''"

t.-~-!!'-·=- .. ...._ •

.ff 3 Pesanfe 4

JJ. e ~ ?; ,.. ,.. ""' 4'"'

VI. " ... ,.. ,..

:j: iii :f ~ .ff

di.,. :p_ i:I:P. ~ "~ L~ "'~ ~#i _ __::':t==::=:: .

... lF .,.

The entire orchestra is rarely used in the Quodlibet;

the full tutti is saved for a few places in which sheer

volume and power is desired. In these cases, the orches-

tration consists mainly of massive doublings of a

predominantly vertical texture.

3Kurt Weill, Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester (partitur), C 1965, Universal Edition, used by permission of the publisher. Theodore Presser Company sole representative in U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.

155

Other Techniques

Of those scoring techniques that are particularly

characteristic of Weill's early music, one of the most im­

portant is his use of percussion. There is an unusually wide

array of instruments used in both the Concerto and the

Symphony, including timpani, snare drum, bass drum, xylophone,

triangle, suspended cymbals, glockenspiel, tam-tam, and

chimes. In general, the percussion writing is much more ef­

fective and evenly balanced in the Concerto than in the

earlier Symphony, where it is overused in some places. The

use of the snare drum illustrates this point. In the epilogue

of the Symphony, the snare drum plays a loud roll throughout

one passage, and extends it into what is a silent beat for the

rest of the orchestra (measures 395 and 397). This obtrusive

use is contrasted by the subtle addition of the snare drum to

the motto chord of the first movement of the Concerto, where

it ~dds distinction and helps make the motto recognizable in

its unifying role.

The timpani is used in traditional style in most places,

consisting of pedal points and short figures involving leaps

between the tonic and dominant notes of a given key. Oc­

casionally it seems to parody itself with similar leaps but

between two notes in tritone relation; this occurs in the

Symphony and throughout the third movement of the Quodlibet.

The familiar timpani pedal point is often taken over by the

bass drum, presumably to provide a pitchless foundation to

the thematic activity. The string counterpoint shown in

Example 134 is accompanied in this way.

156

The other instruments are employed sparingly, often no

Eore than once or twice (although the xylophone is very im­

portant to the "Notturno"). They are often used to create a

particular mood or effect, such as the glockenspiel in the

"jubilant" segment of the Symphony's epilogue, or the jazz-like

suspended cymbal (played with drum sticks) in the Concerto.

Most of the other characteristic techniques are also

aimed at creating a specific effect suitable to the thematic

material or texture. One type is the orchestral "blur," of

which two highly contrasting varieties can be found in the

Concerto. The first is employed in the 'furioso' section of

the first movement (see Example S7) and the second in the third

movement (Example 27), where it evokes an elegiac mood.

Certain techniques are used in the second movement of

the Concerto to help create the ghostly, mysterious atmos­

phere of the triptych. The use of flutes in the low register

has already been mentioned; they are combined with bassoons to

create the hollow quality of the main accompaniment motive of

the "Serenatatt (see Example 34). The orchestration of the

openings of the first and third movements of the Quodlibet are

not without inspiration; the combination of high string tremo­

los and glockenspiel at the beginning was probably very

successful in conveying an image of the world of spirits and

fairies in the original ballet, and the third movement com­

bines isolated fragments from the various families of

instruments very effectively.

Those scoring techniques often referred to as "special

effects"--common in much music of the early twentieth century,

157

including Mahl~r--are little used by Weill. At one point in

the Symphony the horns are directed to play with their bells

high, and there is one passage in the Quodlibet marked "col

Successive Changes in Orchestration

An impo~tant technique used frequently in the Concerto

involv~s the addition of instruments to·a melody as it

progresses; thus, a solo voice grows into a doubling and

tripling. This type of orchestral crescendo is often used

in conjunction with the technique of increasing textural f

complexity to help build a climax~ It is also used at vari­

ous places in the Symphony, including several of the statements

of the second cyclic ~otive. The Symphony also includes ex­

amples of orchestral decrescendo, although these are less

frequent. The passage beginning with the material quoted in

Example 141 is treated thi~ way; after beginning in the winds

and trumpet (shown in the Example) the theme continues in the

winds alone, with the next phrase heard only in the horn and

the phrase after that only in the cello.

Because of the larger orchestra employed in the Symphony,

it is possible for themes to switch from one instrument to an­

other. This technique is employed in the second phrase of the

chorale harmonization, where the melody moves from the clarinet

and horn to the flute and oboe. Another example occurs at the

return of the first section in the second "movement." The

original clarinet counterpoint (quoted in Example 71) returns

158

with the same pitches as previously but is divided between the

clarinet and horn. In some parts of the passage, which ts

quoted in Example 145, the voice which is not at that point

concerned with the original counterpoint has its own free

counterpoint.

Ex. 145. Symphony, p. 47, mm. 5-S.

. I . _ 1 , Andante (wie friiher)

' " . r--T"""""'"'!

:r,

..... Jaor.t

itt) lid.

.. ---··::-· ., dim. T

(8'-) . Fag. 1

.L

~~~~~~~~./ vi

It is interesting to observe, by way of summary, the

close relationship between orchestration and texture in Weill's

early music. In those parts of the music that are primarily

contrapuntal the emphasis is almost invariably on solo voices

and isolated tone colors, such as in the string concertina

passage of the Symphony (Example 134) and other places. The

Concerto, which is the most contrapuntal of the early works,

has the smallest orchestra and is even more dependent on solo

voices and isolated tone colors, such as the trumpet, xylo­

phone, and even the violin itself, which is isolated due to

the elimination of strings from the ensemble. Important ac­

companiment figures, such as the motto chord and the

accompaniment motive of the "Serenata," are also characterized

159

and emphasized by the orchestration. Only the Quodlibet lacks

a distinguished orchestrational style; in that work, the

scoring serves only as a vehicle for its melodic emphasis and

primarily vertical texture.

PART III

CONCLUSION

CHAPTER IX

SUMMARY AND OBSERVATIONS

The conclusion to this thesis must, to some extent, be

a contradictory one. The differences between the individual

instrumental works of Weill's early years make it very diffi­

cult, in the final analysis, to define an overall style as

represented by those works. The differences are manifest in

the compositional techniques used in each, as discussed in

the preceding chapters, but the real basis for distinction is

at the aesthetic level.

Throughout Weill's early instrumental music, the picture

emerges of a highly gifted and skilled young composer searching

for an appropriate means of musical expression. On a technical

level, the result is (as with many young composers) a marked

indebtedness to the styles of his teachers and contemporaries;

thus, the contrasts in Weill's early music are due in part to

the extremely diverse influences of Busoni, Mahler, Schoenberg,

Humperdinck, and even Stravinsky and Hindemith, all of whose

works were familiar to Weill. Aesthetically, the motivations

and influences were even more urgent, as they must have been

in the artistically, socially, and politically turbulent

world of post-war Berlin. The combination of all these forces

necessitated for Weill the extensive experimentation evident

161

162

in the early music, ranging from the religious expressionism

and neo-classicism of the Symphony to the Humperdinck-inspired

"entertainment music" of the Quodlibet and to the radical

humanitarianism of the "Novembergroup" in the Concerto. Only

after these excursions was Weill able to find an aesthetic

home in "topical" theatre music, and even there his youthful

experiments remained an important influence.

~espite the inconsistency of style, some generalities

can be made about the best of Weill's early instrumental

writing. As an art, it is very much at home in the early

twentieth century. The free atonal harmonic style represents '

a logical continuation of the dissolution of tonality begun

by Wagner and continued in the German-Austrian lineage of

Strauss, V£hler, and Schoenberg, all of which stands somewhat

apart from the revolution of Debussy. It is significant that

Schoenberg's application of the twelve-tone system, the next

step in that evolution, began at about the same time Weill was

completing his experiments in free atonality. In the Violin

Concerto, too, the twentieth century's return to counterpoint

is clearly reflected. Although lacking the scholasticism of

Hindernith, Weill's contrapuntal style is a valid return to

the aesthetic of Palestrina and Bach, where harmony is created

to a large extent by the combination of independent lines. In

this respect the influence of Wagner is not as great; in the

works of that master, contrapuntal lines are superimposed on

a pre-existing harmonic structure, and the passages with the

most inventive counterpoint are often the most conservative

harmonically.

163

In terms of extra-musical aesthetic, too, the early

music of Weill clearly reflects its times. Shaken from its

proud tower by the First World War, the human experience was

irrevocably altered in the years following the Armistice. A

new life- and world-consciousness brought with it a struggle

for a new concept of morality and individual freedom, and a

feverish search for the means to express that struggle; just

as the social and political structure could not remain aloof

from this new consciousness, so could art no longer remain

aloof from the struggle itself. Wagner had erected a shrine

to which people would come as pilgrims to hear his music,

presumably forever; Weill and his colleagues in the "November­

group" wrote for the moment, for the expression of the

idealism of a generation. His search for an appropriate

musical language, however, was not fulfilled by his early

experiments, and it was one particular aspect of the new

awareness of the human condition that led him to the popular

musical theatre, where his most important and lasting contri­

bution was made.

After the war, society adopted a new attitude concerning

the responsibility of men for their fellow men. The exploi­

tation of the working class and the callous indifference to

its social plight that accompanied the Industrial Revolution

gave way to a new ethic which ended forever the notion that a

ruling class could exist in blatant disregard of the sufferings

of humanity. It was in this atmosphere that Weill must have

decided that the elitist intelligentsia that provided the only

accepting audience for his early music should not be the sole

164

judge of his art. He wanted to reach the people, and did so

with success by turning to the theatre. Using the convenient

and accessible framework of the strophic popular song, Weill

communicated the vital messages of Brecht with a strikingly

original and effective harmonic and melodic idiom. In The

Threepenny Opera of 1928, the musical language sought by

Weill is reached and perfected; the writing is completely

assured, the text effectively conveyed, and audiences and

critics have responded to it with enthusiasm (except for the

initial disappointment of the avant garde in 1927) ever

since.

The style of Weill's theatre music could not have been

synthesized had the early music never been written. Although

the later music is tonal, it relies for much of its effect on

a disturbing harmonic instability that aptly conveys the

mysterious and barely sinister nature of Brecht's words. The

instability is the result of occasional disruptions of normal

functional root movement and especially of chromatic triad

progression, both techniques that are fundamental to the

Symphony of 1921. The Overture to The Threepenny Opera, in

which the twisting chromatic lines that comprise the vertical

harmony are individualized by their melodic structure and

orchestration, is related to the early music texturally as

well as harmonically. f..iany operatic passages can be shown to

be specifically derived from places in the early music, but

to proye such a relationship is not the purpose of this study.

It is, rather, to propose the re-evaluation of a practically

165

unknown body of music, the connection of which to the more

successful works of the same composer serves to hint at its

importance and musical worth.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Book

Kotschenreuther, Helmut. Kurt Weill. Berlin: Max Hesses Verlag, 1962.

Articles

Aroloin, John. "Orchestras." Musical America, LXXXIII (April, 1963), p. 36.

Drew, David. Notes accompanying recording. Weill, Symphonies 1 and 2. Angel S-36506.

------~· "Two Weill Scores.tt Musical Times, CVII (September, 1966), p. 797.

lenni, Philip C. •':P..1usic for Moderns Begins Series." Musical America, LXXVII (~my, 1957), p. 25.

Nelson, Chris. "'Lost' Kurt Weill Symphony to have New York City Premiere." Musical Courier, CLVIII (July, 1958), p. 4.

Redlich, Hans F. "Kurt Weill." Music Review, XI (August "1950) ' p. 208.

"The Story of Kurt Weill." Music Journal, XIII (March, 1955), pp. 27-30.

Thomson, Virgil. n~~ost Melodious Tears." :P.1odern Music, XI, pp. 13-17.

Waterhouse, John C.G. "Weill's Debt to Busoni." Musical Times, CV (December, 1964), pp. 897-99.

Scores

Weill, Kurt. Konzert fur Violine und Blasorchester. Vienna: Universal Edition, 1965 •

• Quodlibet (Eine Unterhaltungsmusik), op. 9. ------=vTienna: Universal Edition, 1926.

. 1. Sinfonie (1921) in einem Satz. Edited from the ---TAu-tographs by David Drew. Mainz: B. Schott's Sohne,

1968.

167

168

___ ':!:"':". Streichquartett No. 1, op. 8. Vienna: Univ_ersal Edition, 1924.

Recordings

Weill, Kurt. Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra. Westminster WST-17087. - --

Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra. MGM E-3179.

--------· String Quartet No. 1. Privately recorded under the supervision of the author.

Symphonies 1 and ~· Angel 5~36506.