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8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
1/22
Structural Imagery: 'Pierrot Lunaire' RevisitedAuthor(s): Kathryn PuffettReviewed work(s):Source: Tempo, Vol. 60, No. 237 (Jul., 2006), pp. 2-22Published by: Cambridge University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3878705 .Accessed: 22/09/2012 04:27
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8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
2/22
Tempo
0
(237)
2-22
?
2006
Cambridge University
ress
DOI: 10.1017/S0040298206000180 Printed n
the
United
Kingdom
rA
A
0
u i
0\
-C?
STRUCTURAL IMAGERY:
'PIERROT
LUNAIRE'
REVISITED
Kathryn
uffett
In
1977 wrote n article
ntitled
Formal
rganisation
nd
Structural
Imagery
n
Schoenberg's
ierrot
unaire',
hichwas
published
n
vol.
2
of the
fledgling
tudiesnMusic
rom
he
University
f
Western
ntario.
More than quarter f a centuryater, fter 6years f teaching
Schoenberg,
nd
particularly
ierrot
unaire,
o British
tudents,
hree
things
avebecome lear o me.
First,
have ome to realize hat
o
one
outside anada ver eads
MUWO
which
s
a
great
hame),
nd,
second,
have
gained ufficiently
n
self-confidence
ver he
years
o
wish
hat
had tated
my
asewithmore
ssurance.
inally,
ontinued
acquaintance
ith
Pierrot as revealed ven more
subtletieshan
recognized
n
1977.
It s
a
commonplace
or
performer
o re-recordate
n
hisor her
career
works hatwererecorded
arly
n,
and the
public
welcomes
these ater eflections
nd
the
opportunityhey
ive
o
compare
he
youthful
ith he moremature
nterpretations.
he
situation
s of
course ifferentnmy ase:here heresno uggestionhat ragging y
old
piece
ut
or
omparison
ould e an xercisef
ny
alue,
hough
haveno reason o
discourage
t.A few
years go
I
shouldhavebeen
embarrassed
y
the'idea f such
elf-indulgence.
ut
oday
we live
n
very
elf-indulgent
imes,
nd
my
esire owrite bout favourite
ork
a
second ime trikes e
as
no more
utrageous
r
nsupportable
han
most
f the
narrative',
r
socio-,
sycho-,
olitico-
nd
gender-based
New
Agewriting
hat
asses
efore
my yes
hese
ays laiming
o
hed
light
n
the
workings
f music.
n
any
ase heres
some
precedent
or
what am about o do
n
David
Lewin's
evisiting
f the econdmove-
ment f
Webern's
p.
27
n
1993.1
mboldened
y
his,
offer
y
ater
reflectionsn three
ieces
hat ave
ontinuedo
engagemy
nterestn
the earlyhirtyearsince first rote bout hem.
Forme Pierrotunaireemains
mong
hemost
mpressive
nd
original
works f
Schoenberg.
t
comes
nearly
t the ndof
indeed,
t
seems
to be a sort f
anthology
f and
grand
inale o
-
a
period
n
which
Schoenberg
ad
purposefully
nd
nergetically
reed ismusic rom
variety
f constraints
not
only
tonality,
ut classical
tructures,
thematicism,
otivic
evelopment,epetition
f
any
kind);
nd
yet
n
this
et,
houlder-to-shoulder
ith nd
nearly
idden
mongst
ome f
his most
carefullyhrough-composed
ovements,
re three f the
most ightly-structuredieceshe everwrote:Nacht'no.8), Parodie'
(no. 17)
nd
Der
Mondfleck'
no.
18).
The ntense ocus n structure
n
1
'A
metrical
problem
in
Webern's
Op.
27',
Music
Analysis
12/3
(1993), pp.
343-54. Lewin's
ear-
lier
article,
with
the
same
title,
ppeared
inJournal f
Music
Theory
/1
(1962),
pp.
124-32.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
3/22
STRUCTURAL IMAGERY: 'PIERROT LUNAIRE' REVISITED 3
these
three
ongs
offers vividcontrast
with other
movements f
the
cycle
that
represent
n
aggressive
reedom
from
ust
the structural
canon
upon
which hese
hree
movements
epend.
ndeed,
forme
one
of
the
most
nteresting
spects
of the
cycle
s the
way
n
which
t
brings
together nd uses sidebyside the mostdisparate tyles ndtechniques
of
organization,
anging
fromthe strict
ontrapuntal
echniques
of
'Der
Mondfleck'
nd the
densely
saturated
organic
thematicism
f
'Nacht'
to the extreme
reedom
f
pieces
such
as 'Der kranke
Mond',
in
which all these
things
re
abnegated.
But
t s not
simply
he seem-
ingly
nomalous
appearance
of these
three
ightly
tructured
ieces
n
this
generally
ree
ycle
hat nterests
me;
what
find
specially
asci-
nating
s that
these
particular
tructures
nd
techniques
were chosen
and
manipulated
s
they
were
n
direct
esponse
o
the
texts,
s
means
of
expression.
he
'passacaglia',
fugue
nd
canons
of nos.
8,
17 and
18
go
far
eyond
he
types
f surface
ctivity
hat re
customarily
ssoci-
ated
with
word-painting',
o
imagery
t a
much
deeper
evel: what
I
havecalled structuralmagery'.
At
an
even
deeper
evel the structures
f
these three
ongs
express
the
central dea of the
cycle
tself.
ierrotunaire
s
parody:
the music
parodies
forms,
tyles
nd
techniques
'Valse
de
Chopin',
Passacaglia',
'Serenade',
Barcarole',
ugue)
ust
as the
text
arodies
rituals
'Prayer',
'Rote
Messe',
Galgenlied'),
haracters
'Madonna',
Der
Dandy',
Eine
blasse
Wascherin')
nd
deals
'Die
Kreuze',
Raub',
Gemeinheit').
he
poems
themselves re
in a form hat nvites
mbiguity:
rondeau
of
three
non-rhyming
uatrains
n
which
the
first wo
lines
of the
first
return
midway hrough
he
econd,
nd
thefirst
ine
reappears gain
as
an
added
line at
the
end of the third.
The
poems
as
written
learly
suggest
ternary
orm,
ut the
return
of
the
first wo
lines
halfway
throughmarks binary ivision s well.And the dded final inemakes
the
threeverses
unequal
while at the
same time
giving
certain
yclic
symmetry
o thewhole.
n
his
ettings
choenberg
makesuse of all the
possibilities
mplicit
n
this fertile tructure.
he three
pieces
to be
consideredhere
all
respond
differently
o the structure
f the
text,
he
three
trophes
f
Nacht'
reinforcing
he
ternary
ivision,
he
amazing
palindrome
f 'Der Mondfleck'
mphasizing
he
binary
mplications,
and
the
aptly
named 'Parodie'
quite
appropriately easing
the ambi-
guity.
Is
it
binary?
s
it
ternary?
es.)
'Nacht'
I can't think f a piece ofmusicfrom nyperiod nwhichthe texthas
wielded a
greater
nfluence
han t
does
in
Nacht',
the
first
ong
of the
second
group
of the
cycle.
This
is
surely
choenberg's
most
striking
example
of the
synthesis
hat
he valued
so
much:
n
this ase
not
only
the
horizontal nd the vertical
spects
of the
piece
but
the
temporal
and
structural imensions
s
well
are
directly
elatable to
a
single
source.
n
the
poem
swarms
f monstrous lackbutterflies
re used as
a
metaphor
or he
falling
f darkness.
he creatures escendthreat-
eningly
rom
heaven,
sinking
with
heavy
wings
upon
the
hearts of
men'
and
killing
he
ight
f the sun'.
Every
spect
and
every
etailof
the
music s directed owards he
expression
f this
metaphor; very-
thing
n
t derives rom
single
butterfly
There areonlytwo motivesn thesong,and one ofthese s already
inherent
n
the other: the second
is the
inescapable
outcome of
multiple
tatements f
the
first.Not
only
do these two
motives hus
replicate
he
cause-effect
elationship
escribed
n
the
text,
n
which
one of the motifs
the
falling
f
darkness)
s the result f the
prolifera-
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
4/22
4
TEMPO
Example1:
Butterfly
nd
nightfall
otives
tion
of
the other
the
swarm
of
black
butterflies);
ut the motives
re
themselves,
ndividually,
icturesque.
The word
used
in
the
poem
for
the
giant
reatures
Riesenfalter
translates
s
monstrous
utterflies
r
moths
I
have
also seen
it translated
s
bats),
but
the
essential
harac-
teristic fthis reatures ts creased'or folded' hape falten:o
fold r
pleat).
The
first,
nd
seminal,
motive
of the
song
-
hereafter
he
'butterfly
otive'
is a musical
manifestation
f
the
shape
which
has
been
used
by
artists
nd children
like
over he
ages
to
represent
lying
birds
or insects
(see
Example
la).
Schoenberg's
butterfly
s not
symmetrical,
owever;
ts second
wing
hangs
slightly
ower
than
ts
first,
nd it thus contains
within
tself
he seed
of chromatic
escent.
When
one of
these butterflies
s
followed
by
another
whole
tone
lower
this
descent
becomes
a
significant
lement,
a
second
motive
resulting
romthe
proliferation
f
the
first
hereafter
he
'nightfall
motive');
ee the stemmed
notes
n
Example
b.
The entire
material f
the
piece
is
presented
n
a
tightly
omposed
introduction. considerablemountof nformationsgivenushere n
a
very
hort
ime,
hough
n a
register
nd with
density
hat
make
ts
comprehension
nlikely.
he
butterfly
otive
s
presented
n such
a
way
as to make
clear,
f we are
attuned
to
it,
that there s
a
tonic
analogue
n this
piece.
This
piece
is not
n
a
key,
ut t
quite
definitely
returns o
the same
-
tonic
level
at
structurallyignificant
oments.
A
symmetrical
ircle
f
butterfly
otives
n
bars
1-3
begins
and
ends
with tatements
t the tonic
evel,
E-G-Eb.
Five
motives onstitute
his
circle,
ach
taking
he second
note
of the
previous
one as its
starting
point;
thus uccessive
utterflies
rogress
pwards hrough
series
of
minor
hirds
see
Example
Ic).
This
is
exactly nalogous
to the
tradi-
tional
gambit
round
he circle f
fifths,
ut s
accomplished
n a
much
shorter ime and withmanyfewer tatements,incetheminor hirds
one of
the ntervals
hat ubdivides
he octave
ymmetrically.
a)
Tk
buftfly
otiva
b) rlit
of o
motie
duc
llrtiv
b)
Proliferationf
bocbrfly
otives
rducesnigtfal
motive
c)
Tonal
ircle
f
uerfly
otives
NB
Everything
ounds n
octave
ower
than
rittenere
There
is an extra
butterfly
n
these
three
bars,
a sixth
Lepidoptera
which does
not observe
the
same
swarming
nstinct
s the rest.
This
one
begins
on
the third ote
rather
han
he
econd)
of the third
tate-
ment B-DV-A) and thusreads A-C-A (see againExample Ic). Thus
not
only
s the
nightfall
otive
ntroduced,
ut
the
relationship
f
the
two motives
s made
clear:
as a
profusion
f
downward-swooping
butterflies
auses darkness
o
fall,
o
a
descending
eries of
butterfly
motives
nevitably roduces
hromatic
escent.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
5/22
STRUCTURAL
IMAGERY:
'PIERROT LUNAIRE REVISITED
5
Nothing
ill ccur
n the
ong
hat
asnotbeen
directlyuggested
in thefirst
hree
ars.
he two
motives irst
resented
ere
revaried
and
ombined
n a
large
umber
f
ngenious ays,
nd
llthe
hords
in the
ong
are verticalizations
f
the
butterfly
otive
minor
hird
plusmajor hird)r nexpandedersionf t major hirdlusperfect
fourth,
erfect
ourth
lus
tritone,
ritone
lus
perfect
ifth;
here s
nothing
lse).2
But the
expression
f
the text
oes not
stop
with
he
choiceof
motives.
nce thebutterflies
ave
een
set
n motion
heir
ctivity
s
carefullyegulated
o
produce,
uring
he ourse
f
the
ong,
steady
decrease
n
definition
hat
s
equivalent
o
the
ncreasing
bscurity
hat
takes
lace
t
dusk.
n
the
first
lace,
f
course,
he
ong
s setfor he
two bass
nstrumentsf
the
group
bass
clarinet
nd
cello)
and the
piano,
laying
n an
extremely
ow
range
t
the
beginning
nd at the
end.
Thusthe
ound
s ndistinct
y
ts
very
ature;
his
murkiness
making
he
pitches
ifficult
o
distinguish
is
ncreased
n
the econd
strophey hemannerfperformance:he elloplays remolot the
bridge,
hebassclarinet
s
flutter-tongued
nd
he
piano
being
poor
country
ousinwhen
tcomes
o exotic
imbres)
s
played
taccato.
Between ntroduction
nd coda
(which
s not
strictly
peaking
coda,
ince hevoice
inishes
nly
alfway
hrough
t)
he
ong
ivides
clearly
nto
hree
trophes,
ollowing
he tanzas
f
the
poem.
These
strophes,
rticulated
y
hanges
f
tempo
toetwas
ascher
ndback
o
the
riginal
empo gain,
n
bars
11 nd
17
respectively
are
even,
ix
and even ars
n
ength
though,
s
we
shall
ee,
the
econd f
these
divisionss not
clearcut),
nd
becauseof
the
change
f
tempo
he
differenceetween
he outer
ections
nd
the horter
iddle
ne is
even
reater
han twould
ppear
obe.
Canon s usedthroughout.he firsttropheonsistsf a single
canon
which
akes ix
bars o unfold.
he
subject
f
this
anon s well
defined
rhythmically
istinctive
nd
melodically
emorable
and
the mitationan be
clearly
istinguished.
t s
a canon
n four
arts,
with ll the nstruments
aking
art,
he
right
nd eft
ands
f the
piano operatingndependently.
he second
trophe
onsists
lso of
one
ong
anon,
ut his ime
n
only
hree
arts,
ndon
a
subject
hat
is
anything
ut
clearly
efined:
ll themotion
s
in
quavers,
nd the
material
s a
sequence
which
ould
begin
and
end
anywhere.
he
uncertainty
ver
he
shape
of
this
ubject
s
complemented
y
the
playing
echniques
sed
by
llvoices
seeabove),
which
minimize
itch
recognition.
furtheroice
drops
way
at
the end
of
the
second
strophe,fter hicheveralrief anons ccurnquickuccession,he
first
oving
n
quavers
nd
the
ubsequent
nes
n
tripletuavers,
ll
sequential,
ith
hecomes
ncreasingly
rowding
he
dux.
These ast
canons re
fragments,
limpses
aught leetingly
utnot
recognized,
impossible
o
perceive,mbiguous
nd bscure.
sthe nd
fthe
hird
strophe pproaches,
he
descendingequence
f
the
final anon s
extended nd the two
canonic oices
thatwere
abandoned arlier
return,
ne at
time,
n
onger
ote alues.
he second
fthese
rings
back he
ubject
rom
hefirst
trophe
n
anticipation
fthe eturnf
the
irstine f text
though
t
s not
uite
s slow
s twas
originally
theminims f bar4 are crotchets
ere or as
clear,
incet s
played
with he remolohat haracterized
he econd
trophe.)
2
This
brings
o mind
comparison
hat
may
eem
unlikely
ut
s, think,
ogent.
hat
s,
he
Liszt
Sonata,
n which ll the basic thematic
materials run
through ery uickly
n the
introduction
nd then
roceeds
o
spin
tself
ut,
hough
n this ase
for
early
alf n hour
-
a Goliath eside
Schoenberg's
avid,
butnonethe ess
n this
espect ery
imilar.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
6/22
6
TEMPO
Example
:
Canon
subject,
irst
trophe
Figure
At
the
end,
the
circle of
butterfly
otives
from he introduction
returns,
nd even
this,
whichwas
unclear
the first ime because
of
its
register
nd the dense
overlapping
f
motives,
s less clear
upon
its
return
ecause it s
accompaniedby
a new and
even ower
part
n
the
piano left and andbythevoice,whichhas notyetreachedthe endof
the
text.
And,
as
in
the
return
of the
first-strophe
ubject,
the
momentumbuilt
up
in
the middle
of
the
piece
carries n so
that he
final
ycle
f butterfliesnfurls
t double
the
speed
of the nitial ne.
In
the first
trophe
he two
motives
hat
were introduced
n
inter-
locking
fashion
n
bars 1-3
are
picked
apart
and
presented
n succes-
sion,
with
two-note
scending
motive
dded
at the
end. The
subject
that
results s
by
far he clearest
nd
most
memorable
of the
song
see
Example
2).
The two
motives se
notes of
relativelyong
duration
nd
are
rhythmically
istinct:
he
butterfly
s
in
minims,
he
nightfall
n
crotchets.
4
ci.
-
"-ii
,
- -
-
This
subject
s
nteresting
n another
espect
which
s
quite
unrelated
to
either
nsects
r darkness.
t contains
complete choenberg
ipher,
though
with the notes
in the
wrong
order
see
Figure
1).
There
are
only
wo extra
pitches,
b
and
Gb.
EG S D
[D]
CH
BA
[G]
=AR
N OLD
SCHONBERG
This
canon
subject
has been described
s
the
generative
material f
the
piece.
Charles Rosen
says 'Night"
..
develops ntirely
rom ten-
note
motif:
verything
an be traced
back
easily
o that
kernel.'3
While
it is
certainly
rue that
everything
an
be
traced
back to this
ubject,
what
Rosen seems
not to
recognize
s that
here
s
one
very
mportant
further
tep
on
this
path,
which eads
directly
ack to the
three-note
motive lone.
Alan
Lessem
calls
this
ubject
the
passacaglia
theme',4
which
lso seems
to me to be
in
error,
ince
t occurs
only
once
more,
in a
varied
form,
n
anticipation
f
the return
f
the firstine of
text
t
the end
of the
ong,
nd
n
fact
he
piece
s
not a
passacaglia
t all
n the
normal
understanding
f the
term.
t
is
clearly
strophic
form
n
which
all
three
trophes
re built
from
he
same two short
motives,
combined
n a
wide
variety
f
ways,
ver
changing,
ften
verlapping
and
nesting,
nd
proceeding
t
many
different
peeds
(running
he
gamut
from
emibreves
o
triplet uavers).
The
subject
s first tated
at the
tonic evel
by
the bass clarinet
n
bass-clef
ange
and
imitated
y
cello,
piano
lefthand and
piano right
hand,
n
that
rder,
ll
one
or two
octaves
elow.
Each
entry
ollows
he
previous
one
by
one
fullbar
(three
minims).
The fourth
ntry oes
overthebarline ntobar
9,
where
the
ascending
ailmotive
s
replaced
by
continued hromatic
escent
o the
downbeat
of bar 10.
The first
trophe
nds
with
the two
motives
occurring
imultane-
ously
nbar
10,
over ow notes held
in the
piano.
The cello
plays
the
nightfall
otive
t the
bridge,
ntroducing
hemannerof
playing
hat
3
Charles
Rosen,
choenberg
London:
Marion
Boyars,
976),
.
60.
4
Alan
Philip
Lessem,
Music nd Text n
theWorks
f
Arnold
choenberg
Ann
Arbor:UMI
Research
ress,
1979),
p.
147.
n
spite
of his
slightly
isleading
dentificationf the
ong
first-strophe
anon
subject
s a
'passacaglia
heme',
however,
essem
does
recognise
his
theme as
growing
ut of the
three-note
generative
ell'
that have called the
butterfly
motive,
nd
this as been theview
taken f the
piece
generally.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
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STRUCTURAL
IMAGERY:
'PIERROT LUNAIRE
REVISITED 7
it
will
use
in
the second
strophe
nd
much
of
thethird.
he voice
sings
'Verschwiegen'
n
the notes
of
the
tonic
butterfly
otive,
n the
bass
clef. This is
an
important
moment:
not
only
are
the two motives
isolated
n
separate
voices
and
sounded
together
with
no
other
ctivity
to detract rom hem, utthesearetheonlythreenotes that resung
in
the entire
piece,
all the
restof
the
voice
part
being
performed
s
Sprechstimme.
his sudden
clarity
s
surprising
ere.
Verschwiegen
rans-
lates as
'secretly'
r
'silently'
r
'discreetly'
nd
is
the
last
word
in a
phrase comparing
he
horizon
to
a closed
book
of
charms,
n
unfath-
omable book of
secrets.
n a
strange
rony,
his
utterance
eems to
be
attempting
o revealrather
han
to
hide
the secret
f
the
two
motives
and of the
piece.
In
bar
11
the
bass clarinet
lays
nesting igure
n which series
of
butterflies,
moving
in
quavers,
outlines
the
nightfall
n
crotchets
starting
n the afterbeat.
he idea
of
nesting
irst
ppeared
s a
sort
of
countersubject
n bars 8
and
9,
when
both
the
bass clarinet
nd the
piano lefthand,havingfinishedwiththe canon subject,playedthree
butterflies
n
quavers
which
together
utlined
monster
utterfly
n
minims
see
Example
3a).
In bar
11
the
figure
has
changed
signifi-
cantly:
nstead
of
producing
larger
utterfly
he
three
mall
butter-
fliesnow descend to
produce
the
nightfall
see
Example
3b),
and
this
nesting igure
erves s
a transition
o
the
subject
of
the next
canon,
where
t s extended nd
further
mbellished.
Example
:
Nesting utterfly
otives,
s
8,
11
I
JI I
------.-----
I
..
b)
.
CL.
nightftal
roive
In
bars 11-13
a
preliminary
ar
built on
the two-note
scending
motive
hat nded the
first anon
subject
ets
the
pattern
f imitation
to be used
in
the
second-strophe
anon
(only
three
voices now:
cello,
bass
clarinet,
iano right
hand,
each
entering
fter full
bar).
The
canon subjectproperrunsdirectlyn from hisbar,beginningn the
cello
n
bar 12. After
ts
elongated
nitial
tonic)
note,
this
onsists
f
a
regular
descending
hromatic
equence
in
quavers,
whose
apparent
simplicity
omewhat
disguises
he
fact hat
t s
an even more
complex
nestingfigure
using
the
two
basic
motives
of
the
piece.
The back-
ground, long
chromatic
ightfall,
s
accomplished hrough
string
f
butterfliest the
middleground,
hese
being
n
filled
n
chromatically
(i.e.
the
nightfall
otive
n
both
ts
normal
nd
ts nverted
orm)
t the
foreground
see
Example
4).
Though
this
ubject,
ike hat f
the
first
trophe,
ses
both
butterfly
and
nightfall
motives,
his s a
combination
f
a
quite
different
ort:
instead of one
following
he other
as
happened
in
the
first
trophe,
here the two are inextricablyntermingled,ndtheresult s not,as it
was
there,
clear and distinctive
ubject,
but
a
sequence
thatmoves
along
in
notes of
equal
value
and
is
potentially
ndless.
That the
ending
point
s
arbitrary
s shown
by
the fact
hat
both the
answering
voices end short of
the material
n the
cello's
dux. In fact
all three
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
8/22
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
9/22
STRUCTURAL IMAGERY:
'PIERROT LUNAIRE' REVISITED 9
Example
:
Piano eft
and,
trophe
12
nightfall ~
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bummftp
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btfto.ypmwc
.
As
the second
strophe
s
ending,
n the downbeat
of bar
16,
with
a
ff
tonic
butterfly
n
the
owest
range
of
the
piano,
the other wo
instru-
ments
begin
another
anon.
Now
the
bass clarinet
ollows he cello
after
nly
one
minim.That this
s
a
canon
is
completely
bscured
by
thefact hat hetwo voicesbeginatthe same time, laying hromatic
rising
igures
n
parallel
hirds,
hich
give
no
hint f
mitation.
n
the
second beat of the bar the clarinet
egins
to imitate
he
cello,
and
the
third ote of the
mitated
material
s the first
ote of
a
butterfly.
he
butterfly
s
chromatically
illed
n,
as
it was
in the second
strophe,
nd
is
played by
the cello
in
the
manner that
it used
throughout
hat
strophe,
ut the
manner f
playing epresents
transition,
s
the clar-
inet
givesup flutter-tonguing
nd
plays
normally gain,
as it will
n
the
strophe
o
follow.
or
thefirst ime he
tonicdux
s answered
t
what
n
this
piece passes
for he dominant.
This canon is in
two
segments,
with
the comes
eaping
down after
this nitial
motive o imitate
t
the unison for
he
remaining
ar. The
material fthe econd
segment
sstrikinglyifferent.eginning n the
downbeat
of bar
17
the
familiarmotives
re
given
a
completely
ew
twist.
Here,
n
a
highly
eceptive
motion,
series
f
butterfly
otives
(a
motivewhich
n
theory
escribes
chromatic escent
nd has thus
far
always
had
this
aspect exaggerated)
scends
quickly
over
a
wide
rangeby
virtue f the third ote of each
figure
aving
been
displaced
upwards
by
an
octave
(see
Example
6a).
This
is the
only ascending
passage
n
the entire
ong,
nd
seems to be
either
n
preparation
or he
text Und vom Himmel' at the
beginning
f
the third
trophe
though
this
ext
s
associatedwith
description
f downward
motion),
r
a
late
reaction o
the
textof
bars 11-13
('Aus
dem
Qualm
verlorner
iefen
steigt
in
Duft'),
perhaps uggesting
hat n
the face
of the
nevitable
descent fdarkness
ny
referenceo
upward
motion s
only
n llusion.
This
series of
motives
s
sequential,
ike the
subject
in
the second
strophe,
nd,
also like
that
ubject,
nds
arbitrarily,
iththe comes ne
figure
hort f what occurred
n
the
dux,
both voices
continuing
n
to
complete
bar
18,
each
in
ts own
way.
The cello
s
played
on
the
finger-
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
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10
TEMPO
Example
:
Third
trophe
board.
Throughout
his canon
the
piano
left
hand holds
a
chord
an
expanded
nd verticalized
nversion
f the
butterfly
otive,
with
nter-
vals
of four
and five
semitones),
beginning
with
a tremolo
on the
second beat of bar 16.
The
right
and
ascends
n
sympathy
ith
the
canon in the othertwo instruments,laying seriesof threedyads
three
imes,
ach
time n octave
higher.
he
upper
voice
of each
group
is a tonic
butterfly,
hile
the ower
voice
s
the
first f the two
permu-
tations f this
motive ntroduced
n bars
14
and 15
see
Example
6b;
cf.
the owervoice and
the ast
system
n
Example
5).
a)
Third-itrophe
anon,
.
17f.
.17
I1
Tempo
...
I-9110i
i i
O
..I...
b)
Butterfly
nd
utterfly
ermutation,
. 17f.
Mi
'_
Bars
16-18 act
as a transition
rom
he second
strophe
o
the
third,
inthewaybars 10-11 oined thefirst nd secondstrophes. he transi-
tion s
given
more
time
on this
ccasion,
s
the
voice
s silent or
nearly
two bars between
second
and third
erses
there
was
no
pause
beyond
afermata
ver
hebarline
etween
first nd
second).
The
tempo change
at bar
17would
mply
hat he
third
trophe
egins
t
this
oint,
ut the
chord
n
the
piano
left and
-
the
goal
towards
which
hebass
part
has
been
moving
nexorably
hroughout
he second
strophe
finishes
nly
at
the end of that
bar,
nd
the motion
n the
upper
parts
n
16
and 17
s
in
quavers,
he
rhythm
hatcharacterizes
he
second
strophe,
ot the
third. n
the first
anon
in these
two
bars the cello
retains
he
manner
of
playing
hat haracterized
ts econd
strophe,
while
this s where
he
clarinet eturns
o the normal
playing
hat
t
will
use
in the third.
he
voice begins tsthird extended)quatrain n bar 18, and, in an exact
parallel
o bar
11,
where
hevoice
began
ts econd
quatrain,
his
s
the
bar
n
which he nstruments
et the
rules' for
he canons
to follow
n
the third
trophe.
In
bar
18,
the
piano right
and
plays
three
hords
n the
shape
of
a
butterfly,8
hile
the efthand
fills he
bar
exactly
with a
meandering
chromatic
melody
whose overall
motion
s
governed
y
permutations
of the
butterfly
otive;
hese
re outlined
y
the
extreme
otes
of
this
melody,
fter ach
of which
t
changes
direction
see
Example
7a).
This
is an
important igure,
s it ntroduces
ot
only
the note-value
hat s
used in
the canons
of the
third
trophe
quaver
triplets,
he ast
step
n
a
progressive
cceleration
f
motion
that
began
with
minims
n the
introduction,ncreased o crotchetsn the firsttrophe ndquavers n
the
second),
but
also the forms
he
butterfly
ill
take
(original
nd
8
Theouter
hords
reverticalized
nversions
f
the
motive;
he
econd s
an
expanded
nver-
sion:
major
hird
nd a
perfect
ourth.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
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STRUCTURAL
IMAGERY:
'PIERROT LUNAIRE' REVISITED
11
retrograde
nversion)
nd the
sort
of
convoluted
verlapping
f there
that
s
going
to be used
for
he
rest
f this
trophe
s well.
The
steady
increase
n motion
throughout
he
song
s of course
picturesque,
s
is
the
ncreasing
se of butterflies
hat
have
ost
their
orrect
rientation:
the rate at whichnightfalls eems to acceleratetowards he end of
dusk,
nd confusion
omes
with
darkness.
The
first anon to
use the
new
note
values
s
played
by
the
piano
in
bars 19-21
(see
Example
7b).
From
the
beginning
of
the
piece
the
canons have
been
getting
teadily
more difficult
o
distinguish;
t s
in
bar 19
that his
progression
owards
bscurity
eaches
ts climax.
Here
only
the chromatic
escent
will
be discerned:
he darkness
as
finally
made the
outline f
thebutterflies
hat ause
it nvisible.
o
start
with,
the fact
hatboth voices
are
played
by
the
piano
and
n
the
same
range
greatly
hampers
one's
ability
to
distinguish
he
two voices
or
to
perceive
heir inear
relationship
o
each
other.
The
hands
begin
at the
same
time,
both
playing
chromatically
escending
eries
of broken
thirds,lternately ising ndfalling,lternatelymajorandminor: hus
in
each voice
a dense
series
of
butterflies
verlaps
with
their nverted
retrogrades.
ach hand
s the
mitation
f
the other
t
the distance
f
one
triplet uaver.
The
phrasing
einforces
hisdouble-vision
iew
of
things:
oth voices
are
phrased
n three-note
roups
beginning
with
the
first
ote,
as
if the
parts
were
synchronized.
he left
hand has
a
slight
dge,
perhaps,
s it
begins
with
an
upright
nd
forward-moving
motive t the tonic
evel;
this
s
imitated
irectly
y
the
right
and
at
the dominant.
The canon
lasts for
one
bar
and
one
crotchet,
he hands
ending
together,
s
they
egan,
after
he
first hree
notes
n bar
20,
and for
he
rest f this
bar
the
piano
is treated
ery
much
as
the other
wo
instru-
mentswere towards he endofthe econd-stropheanon nbar 15:the
motion ubsides
pasmodically
s
small
groups
of
notes
alternate
with
rests.
This
fragmentation
erves
wo
purposes.
Most
immediately
t
s
thebreakdown
nd
tailing-off
f
the canon
n
bar
19,
but
n
separating
out thetwo constituents
f that
anon
-
the
butterfly
nd
ts
retrograde
inversion and
stating
hem
one
after
he
other
with
no
overlapping,
t
also ntroduces
he
material f
the
next
anon,
which
s
again
played
y
the
piano
in
two voices
and
is a version
of what
was
heard
n bar 19
without
he
overlapping
f
motives
Example
7c).
The hands
do
not
start
ogether
his ime
the
nterval
etween
entries
s extended
o
a
crotchet and
thedux
begins
once
again
at the
onic evel.
The climax
f
confusion nd
obscurity
as
reached
n bar
19;
now
Schoenberg
egins
to put on the brakes.Nighthas fallen; t remainsonlyforthe sun's
meniscus o slide
silently
rom
he
horizon.
The
material
f
this
final
canon,
ike ll those
ince
he
first
trophe,
s
sequential,
nd
tcarries n
until he end
of bar
23,
where
both
hands
stop
at
the same
time,
ach
having
allen
ome two
and one
half
ctaves.
These two voices
have
been
pushed
into the
background
ong
before
they
come to
their
arbitrary
nd,
however,
by
two
more
dramatic vents.
The
first f
these s
thebass
clarinet's
tatement
n
augmentation
f the
six notes
of this
subject,acting
as
a further
braking
motion.This
statement,
n
crotchets,
egins,
on the
tonic,
t
the
sametime s the
piano right
and's
comes,
nd
t s
striking
ecause
of both
the contrast
n timbre
ndthe
ong
note
values,
durations
hat
havenotbeen heardsincethefirst trophe.An evenmoreimportant
activity
ccurs in the
cello,
which
begins
a
long
process
of
slowing
down
halfway
hrough
bar 20
by
playing
chromatically
escending
figures,
irst
n
triplet
uavers,
then
in
quavers,
reaching
crotchets
halfway hrough
ar
22,
where
t at first
ppears
to be
answering
he
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
12/22
12
TEMPO
Example
:
Third
trophe
bass
clarinet's
ugmented
ubject
n thebar before.
However,
fter
he
first
hreenotes
-
a tonic
butterfly
the
cello
continues,
ot withthe
retrograde
nversion s
in
the
bass
clarinet,
ut with the
nightfall
motive,
n
a final
tatement
f the
first-strophe
anon
subject
minus
the tailmotive, ndplayedtremolo s in the secondstrophe, hough
not at
the
bridge).
This
prepares
he
way
for he
return f the
poem's
opening
ine.
The bass
clarinet,
aving
pened
the
way
for his
e-entry,
does
not
continue
n
sequence,
as the
piano
is
doing,
but
plays
nstead
two
additional
utterflies,
n
crotchets.
ll this
ctivity
nds at bar
24,
when
thecoda is
heard,
eproducing
he
events
f the ntroduction ut
in
notes
only
half as
long.
Although
he coda
balances the introduc-
tion,
he
two sections
being
of
equal length,
ecause
of
the
rhythmic
discrepancy
he musicof the
ntroduction
ills
nly
he first alfof the
coda.
The remainder
s
given
over
to
a
single
onic
butterfly
n
which
the
second
note
s
displaced
downwards
y
two
octaves.
L inyn retrogradeem inrtatio2
vwrtedetgradeutterfly
b)
p ,,
buter-fly
i
erteyretrogrpad
utterfy
permutati
butterly
inverted
inrd
rc
tr
de
A
-
--------
un BMW
4k
T)-O
..
... .
.. .... ..
m
..
y
inverted.. ....r..et..o....................
A
r: l -i
,
'
I
,
i "
I
I
l J :1
-
_.
i I t
...... ..... . ... .... .. ..
.
The
Sprechstimme
art
of 'Nacht'
is
permeated
with
the same two
motives that
preoccupy
he instruments
hroughout
he
song,
most
often
presenting
utterflieshat
are filled
n
chromatically
r semi-
chromatically.
his
part
never nters
nto
ny
anonic
relationships
nd
in
actual
fact s of
course,
n
spite
of its motivic
origin,
imply eye
music'
whose musical
relationship
ith heother
arts,
with he
excep-
tion of
the
sung
bar
10,
exists n
the
page only.
t
does
have one
impor-
tant
function,
which
if
it is
performed
houghtfully
hould
come
across: t stheonlypart o remember nd mark hebinary ivision f
the
poem.
The inevitable
dentity
f the ast two lines
of the second
strophe
with
the
first
wo
lines of
the
first
'Finstre,
schwarze
Riesenfalter
t6teten
der
Sonne
Glanz')
is remembered
n
the close
similarity
f
the
notated
voice
part
n these wo
places.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
13/22
STRUCTURAL
IMAGERY:
'PIERROT
LUNAIRE'
REVISITED
13
As
the
entire
motivic
ontent
f the
song
s
presented
n laconic form
in
the
first
hree
bars,
the
dramatic
form
of
the
whole
is
succinctly
hinted t n bar10, hat niquebar attheendofthefirsttrophewhich
is
sung
rather
han
spoken.
n this
bar
the
two
so-important
motives
are
played
t the
same
time;
these
same
two
shapes
unfold
imultane-
ouslythroughout
he
song.
have
argued
bove
that
handling
f
most
aspects
f
thecanons
the
teady
ecrease
n the
number
f
voices
and
the time between
entries,
he
hastening,
hortening,
onfusing
nd
hiding
are
aimed
at
a
steadily
ncreasing
bscurity,
he
aural
equiva-
lent
of
nightfall.
t the
same
time,
n other
respects,
he dramatic
progress
utlines
butterfly,
contour
hat
erves
s
a sort
of Ursatz
t
all
evels
of
the
piece.
The dramatic
hape
of
the
song
s
ABA,
with
ll
the
climaxes
n the
central ection:
he
dynamic
limax
s
in bar
16,
the
registral
limax
n
bar 18,thegreatestdensitys in bars 14-15, and thecontent s most
obscure
n bar 19.
These
heights
re
ike
the
apex
of
the
butterly
hape
drawn
n
Example
la and
portrayed
n the
butterfly
otive;
fter
his
things
ubside
until
the
end
is like
the
beginning,
hough
n several
ways,
all
of which
have
been
mentioned
bove,
the
end
falls little
short f
being
exactly
ike
the
beginning
note
values
are not
quite
as
long
(though
onger
than
n the
middle
section),
he
cello
plays
n
a
more
agitated
manner
than
t
did
at
the
beginning
but
not
quite
as
strangely
s
it
did
n the
middle
ection).
Thus
the
shape
of the whole
is
the
reverse
f
the
slightly
opsided
nsect
that
s
replicated
n the
motive:
he
structure
f
the
song
s
the
butterfly
n
retrograde.
The
rhythmic
ctivity
nd the
structure
f
the
canons
work
together
o createthis double picture.For themomentdisregarding
the
introduction
nd
coda,
the
notes
themselves
get progressively
shorter or
he whole
of
the
piece,
while
the canonic
partsplayed
n
these
rhythms
rop
from
four
to
three
to
two
and
their ntries
get
progressively
loser
together
n time
up
to
the climax
n bar
19,
after
which the
lost voices
return
ne
at
a
time,
and
the
entries
become
further
part
and
more
eisurely
gain.
n this
way
the
two
shapes
are
interlocked,
s of course
they
have
been
at various
other
evels
-
all
other evels
for
he whole
of the
song.
Why
did
Schoenberg
ubtitle
his
ngenious
iece
Passacaglia'?
The
passacaglia
s one of
the
oldest
of
the
traditional
orms
till
n
use,
and
one
of the
simplest;
he
expectations
aised
by
this
subtitle
re
thus
quite
definitend not
open
to much nterpretation,nd mostarenot
fulfilled
n
Nacht'.
There
should
be
a
ground,
robably
ppearing
irst
in
the
bass and
possibly
moving
round
to
various
other
voices
during
the
progress
of
the
movement,
nd
this
ground
should
be
repeated
continuously,
erhaps
with
diverse
igural
ariations
ut without
ny
alteration
f
ts
ength,
ts
ntervals
r
ts
key.
Historically
he
ground
s
usually
n
a
triple
metre
nd descends
hromatically,
n
ong
and essen-
tially egular
ote
values.
How
many
of
these
things
re
true
of
Schoenberg's
passacaglia?
The
piece
is
in a
triple
metre,
nd
the
first
nd
most
mportant
anon
subject
Lessem's
passacaglia
theme')
descends
chromatically
n
long
and
regular
note values.
It also
recurs
hroughout
he
piece,
n
varia-
tions
usingfiguration,
nd
always
at
the tonic evel. But it does not
recur
continuously.
What
does
recur
continuously
incessantly,
ven
obsessively
is the
three-note
utterfly
otive,
utthese
recurrences
are dense
and varied
at different
evels,
using
a
variety
f
durations,
at alltonal
evels,
ccupying
very
onceivable
position
n the
bar,
nd
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
14/22
14
TEMPO
Example
:
Sketch
or
Nacht'
very
ften
verlapping
and re
ubject
o
permutation.
his
s not he
sortof
repetition
hat
occurs
n
a
passacaglia.
hesitate
o use
a
Schoenbergian
erm hat
asbeen
verusedothe
oint
f
nausea,
ut
this
s
developing
ariation.
n
many
ways
his
assacaglia
s a
parody,
subvertinghetechniquesf thetraditionalorm nddenyinghe
expectations
aised
y
he
itle.
Yet thinkhat
his s not
he
whole
tory.
hile
enying
he ule
f
the
form,
his
passacaglia ives
ts all
in
conforming
o
its
spirit.
Because
of
its
repetitiveness,
hich
ules ut
both
modulation
nd
metric
rregularity,
he
passacaglia
s
surely
hemost
ppressive
orm
of
Westernraditional
usic.
here s no
escape
fromts
constantly
reiterated
round
rfrom
he
key
nd hemetric
hythm
stablishedt
the
outset,
ust
as in
Giraud/Hartleben's
Nacht'
here
s no
escape
from
he
warm
f
black utterflies
r thefall f
night.
Nacht' s a
supremelyppressive
oem,
nd
Schoenberg
as
provided
t with
supremelyppressive
etting.
here s not moment romts tart o
itsfinish henwe arenotbesiegedythebutterfliesndtheir onse-
quence
n
a
variety
f
ingenious
ombinations,
nd
usually
n all
voices.For
such a
claustrophobic
iece
whatmore
fitting
llusion
couldbe
magined
han
passacaglia'?
For llof
Pierrot
unaire
am
aware
f
only
ne extant
ketch,
or
he
beginning
f
Nacht'.9
t
s
nteresting
nd
puzzling,
s t eems obear
no
relationship
hatevero the
ong
hat
ventually
merged.
offer
transcription
f t s
Example
.
t
?
Ir
IbIL
M
&r&n m
.I
il
,
,
,j.
t,.
.
I?
-
-W
I-
I
A
Il~r
I
......
ox.
'Der
Mondfleck'
'Der
Mondfleck'
no. 18),
the
song
which
amously
urns ound n
itself
halfway hrough
at
the exact moment Pierrot
notices
a white
fleck f
moonlight
n the
backof
his
coat),
ets he ext s a
binary
form.his tructuresas directresponseothemage fthis oem s
the
picturesque
motives
and their
machinations,
nd
the subtitle
passacaglia',
were to Nacht'.
9
This
ketchs held
n
theArnold
ch6nberg
enter,
ienna.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
15/22
STRUCTURAL
MAGERY:
PIERROT
LUNAIRE'
REVISITED
15
Example
:
Opening igure
f Der
Mondfleck'
There
are four
ayers
f
activity
n
Der
Mondfleck',
ach
making
ts
own
distinctive
ontribution
o
the
eccentric
ehaviour
f
the
protago-
nist.
The
piano
plays
fugue
hroughout,
nd
the
Sprechstimme
oes
its
own
rather
ngular
way,
remaining
more
aloof
from
he
rest of
the
ensemblethanwas the case in 'Nacht'.
A
pair
of
woodwind
instru-
ments
clarinet
nd
piccolo)
play
in
canon,10
s
do
a
pair
of
strings
(violin
nd
cello);
both
of
these
canons
turn
ound
t the
centre
f
bar
10 and
play
n
retrograde
ntil
they
have
reached
the
point
at which
they
tarted.
But,
ust
as
Pierrot
s
presumably
ot
actually
walking
backwards
or
he second
halfof
the
song,
but
walking
orwards
hile
looking
back
over
his
shoulder,
he
piano
and
singer
arry
n
moving
in the
original
direction
while
the
other
four
nstruments
ook
back,
producing
structure
hich,
ike
he
character
imself,
n ts onfusion
progresses
n both directions
t once.
One
of
the
first
hings
ne
notices
s that
this
song
has
the
same
tonic
as 'Nacht'.
(This
'tonic'
is
not
a feature
hat
runs
through
he
whole cycle.)The motive hatbeginseach new sectionof the wood-
wind canon
and functions
s
the
ubject
f
the
piano's
fugue
begins
on
E and ends
on
E?
see
Example
9a);
it
appears
also
as an
answer,
egin-
ning
on
B
(the
conventional
dominant,
s
opposed
to
the
tritone,
which
played
hat
ole
n
Nacht').
It
s
tempting
o see
the
falling
emi-
tone of
thismotive
nd
the
one
in Nacht'
as
the
nversion/perversion
of
the
eading-note/tonic
elationship
f
tonal
music,
hough
n Der
Mondfleck'
he
two
tritones
f
the
subject
re
n
fact
esolved
n
quite
a
satisfactory
onal
manner
see
Example
9b).
b)
The
piano
plays
fugue
which
s
essentially
n three
voices,
hough
it
expands
to four
on
occasion.
It
is also
in three
ections,
ars
1-8,
8-15
and
15-19,
but,
hough
his
uggests
he
possibility
hat
he
piano
part
follows
he three-verse
tructure
f
the
poem,
this
s not
the case.
The secondstanzaofthe text egins nbar7,thethirdate n bar 12.
This
fugue
opens
in a rather
aring
way,
with
the
subject
tated
n
parallel
ugmented
riads,
ut
calms
down
quickly,
o
that
by
the
third
entry
he
only
remnant
f
this
nitial
udacity
s
the
first
ote,
which
s
doubled,
but now
at
the tritone.
Nevertheless,
ntil
ate
in the
fugue
the
first nd
astnotes
of
the
ubject
re
most
often
xpressed
s chords
or
dyads.
The
fugue
s
given
s
Example
10,
with
he
parts
disentangled
and written
n
separate
taves.
150
am
going
to call
the imitation
between
clarinet
and piccolo
a
canon,
for the sake
of con-
venience,
in
spite
of the fact that the
relationship
of the two instrumentsis very fluid. It
behaves
like
a
canon,
but
a canon
with
considerable
freedom.
On
his own
copy
of the
piece
Schoenberg
wrote
'fugue'
next
to
these
two
parts,
but I find
this
designation
-
a
not
uncom-
mon
situation
with
respect
to
Schoenberg's
remarks
about
his own
music
-
slightly
mislead-
ing.
It occurs
to me
to wonder
whether
this was
meant
to indicate
the
source
of these
two
parts,
which
duplicate
exactly,
t
twice
the
speed,
the first
wo
voices
of the
piano's
fugue.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
16/22
16
TEMPO
Example
0:
No.18,
Der
Mondfleck',
iano
ugue
EXPOSITION
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8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
17/22
STRUCTURAL IMAGERY: PIERROT LUNAIRE
REVISITED 17
FINAL
DEVELOPMENT
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cuo
The
exposition
s
fairly
nremarkable,
xcept
or
ne
thing:
here
are
wonotes nbar
that
reempt
he
ntry
fthe
ubject
n
he hird
voice.
This s a
curious
xception
o what s
otherwise
ather
trict
fugal ractice.
he
adherenceo
fugal
echniquesoes
far
eyond
he
replication
f the
subject:
here re two
countersubjects,
oth
of
which reheard n allthree oices,nd nadditionheres nthefirst
voice
a
further
egment
in
bars
4-5)
which
s
played gain
by
the
leading
oice
n
the econd
ection
f the
ugue,
n
bars11-12.As
this
is
not
layed
tthe ame
ime s the
ubject,
have
alled his contin-
uation'
ather
han
nother
ountersubject.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
18/22
18
TEMPO
The
second
section
begins
as
if t were
going
to
be
another
xposi-
tionbut
slips
n
to
development
with
he stretto
ntry
f
the
subject
n
the third
oice.
The
first
wo
voices
play
the same
music
as
before,
including
he
continuation
rom
ars
4-5,
but
the
third
oice
dispenses
withthecountersubjectsndbegins nstead stringf three ubjects,
all of which
re
elided.
The
second
of
these
s inverted
s well.
In
this
ectionof
the
fugue
the
subject
has
acquired
a second
rest,
between
ts ast
two
notes,
o
balance
that etween
ts
first wo."
In
the
following
ection
both
rests
have
been removed
and
the
first
note
greatly
hortened,
iving
he
subject
n
agitation
hat
t acked
before.
This section
pens
n bar
15 with
stretto
n
four
oices,
wo
of which
-
the
first
nd
third continue
with
the two
countersubjects.
he
fourth
ntry
s embellished
nd
lengthened,
s
is
a fifth
ntry
which
s
heard
n stretto
with
t
played
by
the voice
that
ntered
econd).
One
can see
these
digressions
in
bar
16)
as a
form f
distraction.
he
fugue
ends with
a
flurry
f
rapid
statements
f the
subject
n its new
fretful
form,n whichthe three entralnoteshavenowbecome triplets,hus
matching
hose
played
by
the
woodwind
parts
t
the
beginning
f
the
song.
Thus
the
fugue
becomes
increasingly
gitated
s
it
progresses,
moving
from
Exposition
o
Development,
ach
section
shorter
han
the one
before.
The normal
progress
s
first
uickened
by
stretto
nd
elision,
nd
then
by rhythmic
iminutions,
s
Pierrot
ecomes
more
distracted
nd
his
progress
ess
predictable.
The erratic
ature
f
Pierrot's
rogress
hrough
he
night
s
perhaps
seen most
clearly
n the woodwind
canon,
which
consists
f
the
first
two voices
of
the
piano
fugue
n
diminution,12
hough
he
correspon-
dence to
Pierrot's
agitation
is somewhat
anticipatory,
ince
the
growing
rritation f
clarinet
nd
piccolo
occurs
before
the
halfway
pointofthesong, husprecedinghemoment fPierrot's iscoveryf
the fleck
n
his coat.
Like
the
piano fugue
inevitably
this
ather
ree anon
starts
ver'
three imes:
on
four ccasions
both
voices
state
the
five-note
ubject,
the first hree
imes
at
the tonic
evel
answered
t
the
dominant,
he
fourth ime
with
both
voices
on
the tonic.
These
fresh
tarts
orre-
spond
to
bars
1,
8,
15 and
18
of
the
piano's
fugue:
s
in the
piano,
the
sections
become
progressively
horter
nd,
after
he
second
pair
of
entries,
he
entries
hemselves
et
closer
together
though
n this
ase
all
theseevents
ccur
n the
first
alfof
the
song
and are
subsequently
reversed).
he
fluid
tateof
the
mitation
n these
parts
an be
seen
in
Example
11,
where
mitated
material
s
bracketed,
with
arrows
ndi-
cating he orderof the voices. This irregularity,hichquickensand
becomes
exaggerated
s the
piece
approaches
the
centre,
eems,
in
spite
of
preceding
he
fact,
o
reflect
erfectly
ierrot's
tumbling
ait
as he walks
n
one
direction
while
facing
n the other.
At
the
same
time
the
strings
re
playing
strict
anon
built
from
quite
different
aterial,
n which
the
mitation
s so
exact
that ven
at
the axis
n bar
10,
where
t turns
ound
on
itself,
oth
horizontal
nd
vertical
symmetries
re
maintained
without
a break:
the leader
becomes
the
follower
without
ripple
n
either
he canonic
mitation
or the
palindrome
this
s
not the
case
in the
woodwind;
there
the
piccolo
hasthree
xtra
notes
while
the clarinet
omesnds
the
first
alf
and
carries
on
as the
dux
in the
second
half);
see
Example
12.
The
11
Only
ne
entry,
he econd,
nbars
9-10,
doesnot
ake his
ew
form.
12
This statement
erhaps
ives
confusing
icture
f
the
relationship
etween
he
parts:
t
would
seem obvious
that he woodwind
canon,
which
repeats
n
retrograde,
ust
have
come
first,
nd
the
piano
fugue,
n
augmentation
f
theforward
ortion
f
t,
ater.
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
19/22
STRUCTURAL
MAGERY:
PIERROT LUNAIRE REVISITED 19
Example
1:
'Der
Mondfleck',
oodwind
anon
strings erfectlyepresent
ierrot's
rritation:
is
enragedrubbing
nd
scrubbing
'Wischt
und wischt
.. er
giftgeschwollen
eiter,
eibtund
reibt')
at the
spot
that
refuses
o
disappear
see
Example
13).
His
continual
gitation
s
portrayed
y
the constant
nervous
repetitions,
butalsobytherhythmf this anon,whichgrates gainst he written
metre.
Since the material s
clearly
n
2/4,
neither
art
fitswithin he
written ars of
three; nd,
since the
mitation
ccurs fter hree
eats,
the
maginary
arlines f the two voices
disagree
with each other
s
well.
Metrically
his
s an unsettled
and
unsettling
canon,
reflecting
the state
of Pierrot's
mind
s he
progresses
hrough
he
night
ubbing
at
the
spot
that
refuses o be eradicated.
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8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
20/22
20
TEMPO
There are
several
discrepancies
n the canons
of
Der
Mondfleck',
n
both
pitch
nd
rhythm,
ostly
n the
retrograde
alf of
the
piece.
As
no
sketch
or he
piece
survives
t
s
impossible
o
check
Schoenberg's
intentions.
owever,
n
1977,
when
the
Schoenberg
Archive
was
still
n
Los Angeles, Leonard Stein wrote to me describing choenberg's
conducting
core,
on which
most
of
the
discrepant
otes
had
been
corrected
n
pencil.
This
score
s not
n thecollection
t the
Schoenberg
Center
n
Vienna.
'Parodie'
Number 17
perhaps
comes
closer
than
any
of
the other
songs
to
expressing
he
very
essence
of
the
cycle.
n
it
two distinct
ypes
of
parody
re used:
canonic
mitation
nd
structural
mbiguity.
he
whole
of Pierrot unaire
s
parody,
and
musically
t
parodies
forms
the
passacaglia
nd
fugue
hatwe
have
ust
examined),
tyles
the
Valse
de
Chopin',the Serenade', hebarcarole) ndtechniques. ut n this ong
the dea
of
mockery
s at
the
surface
nd is
admitted:
ere
the
ntent
implicit
n
the
whole
cycle
becomes
the
avowed
subject
of one
of its
parts,
he
strategy
f one
of
its characters.
he
duenna
of
the
text
s
cruelly
mocked
by
the
moon:
she
s
duped
nto
thinking
hat
he
hears
Pierrot,
ithwhom
she
s
painfully
n
ove,
when
n fact
he
whisper
he
hears s
only
puff
f
wind,
s the
moon
plays
games
with
he
knitting
needles
tuck
ntoher
hair,
making
hem
winkle
ike
moonbeams.
This
mockery,
nd her
onfusion,
etermine
he
tructure
f
the
music.
The
piece
is
a series
of canons.
As
there
s
no
musical
form
more
oppressive
han
the
passacaglia,
o
there
s no
clearer
orm f
musical
mimicry
han anon.
But
the
moon's
mockery
f
the old woman
s
not
simple; t s cruelandtwisted,ndso isthemusical mitation.nall the
canons one
voice
is
moving
t odds
with
the
other(s)
in inversion
and
surely
hemost
brilliant
arody
f all
s that
he
Sprechstimme
akes
part
n
all the canons.
That
this
voice,
whose
pitches
re fixed
nly
on
the
page
but not
n
practice
nd
vary
wildly
rom
ne
performance
o
another,
hould
partake
of
canon,
a
technique
n
which
pitch
s
all-
important,
eems
to me
the
perfect
rony.
As
for he
structure,
his
s articulated
y
changes
n the
canon,
and
these
changes
are
carefully
manipulated
o
express
both the
ternary
and
the
binary
ivision.
t s
perhaps
most
succinct
o
give
the canonic
structure
f the
piece
in
table
form.
bars1-10 bars11-15 bars16-21 bars22-6 bars26-9
lines1-4 lines
-6
lines7-8
lines
-11
lines
12-13
vla,clar., oice;
voice,
vla,clar.;
vla
and
clar.;
vla
and
flute;
vla
and
clar.;
clar. nverted
clar.
nverted
clar.
nverted
flute
nverted
clar.
nverted
voice
and
picc.
voice
and
clar.
pno
rh,
icc.
nd
voice
Itwill e noticed
mmediately
hat
he
ast
ivision
snot
xactly
here
it
hould
e;
t
comes
ne
ine
oo
soon.
So
perhaps
ven
he
arefully
worked-out
arody
f
the
inary/ternary
orms
s tself
arodied.
nd
the
iano
or
hemost
art gnores
he
ounterpoint
ltogether,
learly
markinghe inaryivisionyplayinghe amematerialtthe egin-
ning,
entre
nd nd
ofthe
piece
The other
nstruments
nd he
oice
have canon
nthree oices
or
the
first alf f
the
iece
nd
double
anon
ntwo
pairs
fvoices
or
the econd
alf.
hus
he ame
ype
fcanon
s maintained
hroughout
8/18/2019 Structural Imagery Pierrot Lunaire Revisited
21/22
STRUCTURAL IMAGERY:
'PIERROT
LUNAIRE REVISITED 21
each half
of the
piece,
but for
he ast two ines of
the first
alf
at
the
beginning
of the second
strophe,
t
bar
11)
the order
of entries s
changed
the
nstruments
re listed
n
the table
above
in the order
n
which
hey
nter),
nd after
hefirst wo inesof the
econdhalf
at
the
endof the secondstrophe,t bar22) the nstrumentsrepaireddiffer-
ently.
Also
at
this
point
the
piccolo
player
akes
up
the
flute
nd
plays
the
nverted oice for he
first nd
only
ime.)
The
three-part
anon
at the end
of
the
piece
(piano right
hand,
piccolo
and
Sprechstimme,
ars
27-9)
is
on
the same
material s the
three-part
anon at the
beginning.
In
'O
alter
Duft',
the
ast
song
in the
cycle,
he
poet
thinks
ondly
f
pleasures
oo
long neglected.
[...]
Ahappy ish or leasureshatlong ave corned,
O
ancient
cent romhe ime
f
fairies,
intoxicating
nce
gainmy
enses
[...]
Perhaps,
ven
n
1912,
nly
hree
years
fter
irst
reathing
he
ai