There are thousands of songs which please superficial singers and
audiences without awakening the least question as to the worth of the
poem and its author. This is not true of Franz's songs, however, and
never has a song writer succeeded better than he in doing his chosen poets
and poems full justice. He did not use them simply to serve his musical
purpose, but adapted himself to them in a way which might be called
self-abnegation of the highest form. It is this characteristic, together
with his use of the old contrapuntal and polyphonic art, that gives
Franz's compositions a classic aspect. His aim and task was to find a
formally clear, distinct expression for every kind of poetical sentiment,
and one hardly errs in saying that Franz has outgrown the romanticist
in himself and donned the superior garb of classical art. The musical
construction of his songs is firm and perfectly developed, and allows
no room for misunderstanding or individual conceptions. His ideas are
expressed fully and clearly, and although the general impression produced
may continue to move us, it is brought to a complete, satisfactory
conclusion by the last note. One feels that here a superior artistic
spirit, an eminent musical genius reigns; a genius drawing inspiration
from the purest musical source, guided by high literary and æsthetic
culture, scorning imitation and cheap, tawdry effects, but in each new
song striving for strength, character and perfect harmony with the poet
whose work his music honors.
It will readily be understood why the creator of such beautiful works of
art should be unwilling to make the piano accompaniment play a subordinate
part. However, he does not raise it to the principal position, as does
Wagner, in his latest music dramas, but melodically, rhythmically,
harmonically, interweaves it with the vocal strain in such a way that each
part completes the other, both forming a wonderful unity. In fact, as
regards this intimate and organic connection of song and accompaniment,
Franz hardly has his equal among the great song composers, notwithstanding
many splendid instances of this combining power found in the songs of
Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms. Quite often Franz's song
accompaniments are written in such a manner that each part forms a
beautiful song by itself, so that one is almost tempted to sing one of the
inner voices; while sometimes the accompaniment is even written strictly
in four parts, making it seem like a choral composition. This leads us to
the cardinal features of Franz's style, and shows his close relationship
to Sebastian Bach and to the already mentioned old hymns and folk songs.
August Saran has treated this subject most thoroughly in a very remarkable
book culminating in the statement, "Robert Franz's song is in its whole
nature and musical structure nothing else but the old German folk-song,
enriched and idealized by the peculiar expressiveness of modern music."
Those old folk-songs had once reached their highest development on sacred
ground in the protestant Choral as it became so wonderfully perfected in
Bach's polyphonic and contrapuntal art. We find that Franz has applied
this same art and spirit to modern lyric songs, although at the same time
he fully recognizes what all the later musical epochs have contributed in
the way of greater delicacy or intensity of expression, richer, and freer
use of the rhythms, new harmonic modulations, a closer regard for the
intelligent phrasing of poetic words, and a richer and far more varied and
effective technique of the pianoforte.
As regards his style Franz is thus an absolutely modern composer, else
his songs would be mere scholarly experiments, having no inner life. But
his melodies are evidently designed for a polyphonic treatment. They
need to be supplemented by other parts, not merely by a simple chord
accompaniment, although this is also used occasionally. Yet with all
these finesses, and the difficulties of such a complicated style, most of
the songs have quite a popular character in the noblest meaning of the
word. Only a small number are what the Germans term "durchcomponirt,"
(composed through), a large majority are in the strophe form. Yet the
composer understands just how in the most wonderful, scarcely perceptible,
and often extremely delicate manner, to do justice to the changing moods
of the different strophes. Quite a number of the compositions are true
folk-songs, the poems being old German, Suabian, Swiss, Bohemian and
Scotch.
Franz's favorites among prominent poets, are Heine, Lenau, Eichendorff,
Burns and Osterwald, while secondary are Goethe, Rückert, Geibel, Möricke
and Roquette. The subjects treated by him are many and varied; there are
many beautiful songs of nature in various deeply affecting, concentrated
moods, songs of night and stars, of water and waves, weather and storm,
autumn and spring, forest and heath; also songs of love in all the phases
which a heart may experience, from the first sweet, chaste dawn, to the
exultation of final happiness; the woe of a broken heart, and of parting
and death; nor are merry, dancing or humorous songs missing. Yet there are
no ballads.
How many remarkable, strong, or delicate features could be singled out of
this wealth of lyric music, but how much easier and more directly could
this be done with the songs themselves before one! The sharp eye or ear
would then be delightfully surprised by many strange and new details.
They would meet with unusual keys and modulations, intentional indefinite
fluctuations between major and minor keys, rhythmical finesses and
curious combinations such as a 7/4 time or the periodical change of the
time, impressive declamatory effects, an effective use of syncopations,
sequences, inversions, cadences, characteristic figures and ornaments.
And this never for purely musical purposes, but for the sake of a better
expression of the poetic meaning. Would that these lines might help to
induce many readers to study closely the songs of Robert Franz! They would
then experience delightful surprises with nearly every song, and their
hearts would be filled more and more with music of a new and independent
style, each tone of which has life and meaning, and helps to arouse one's
sympathy for a new, though limited, world of beauty and ideal contents.
But never will the student's surprise and pleasure be greater than when
meeting with songs such as are already familiar and dear to him in other
famous settings. For none of these need to step aside and shun comparison
with their more celebrated rivals. For illustration, his "Restless Love,"
by Goethe, certainly has not a less passionate melody than Schubert's
setting of the same subject, while the brilliant accompaniment of the
former is decidedly superior to Schubert's. "When Midnight Dreams"
("Allnächtlich im Traume") is a worthy rival of Schumann's fine song, and
much better than Mendelssohn's conventional setting of Heine's poem. It
is difficult to decide which deserves the preference, Franz's or Brahms'
setting of the beautiful slumber-song "Ruhe Süssliebchen" from Tieck's
"Schöne Magelone;" though quite dis-similar, both hold high places among
the songs of these two masters. Especially interesting is the comparison
of those, the poems of which, mostly written by Heine, have also inspired
Schumann to some of his very finest productions. These are the songs
which are recommended to all who desire to study the strong individuality
and significance of Robert Franz as a composer of songs. In such a rich
collection it is impossible to specify the merits of each song; for all
appeal equally to our sympathy and attention.
[Illustration: ROBERT FRANZ]
The adequate rendering of Franz's songs lies both with the singer and the
accompanist. Most of them demand a well trained voice of a fine musical
quality, and often of a wide compass, an unusual degree of general musical
education, a clear poetical comprehension of text and music, and a most
distinct enunciation and intelligent phrasing. The accompaniment calls for
a very clever player, well schooled in Bach's polyphonic style, who has
a singing tone and who, in the whole conception and delivery, is in full
harmony with the singer. Nearly all of these songs can be well rendered
and enjoyed in an English translation, if only the translator be guided
in his work by the utmost regard for the melos and rhythm of the poem and
its music. Franz's songs are still far too little known, although in the
old world, and we are proud to say in the new also, some enthusiastic
admirers, singers, musicians and writers have done a great deal for their
introduction. They are everywhere respected, but unduly neglected in vocal
concerts as well as in our homes, where their influence would be felt
still more. May these lines help to win them many true and lasting friends.
There remains still another highly important musical achievement of Robert
Franz to be noted,--a series of works through which he has deserved the
lasting thanks of all earnest friends of musical art, and which will
for all time connect his name with those of our greatest masters of the
oratorio, Bach and Handel. Before him Mozart had made a similar attempt
with the music of Handel, and Mendelssohn with that of Bach, but neither
achieved a complete success. These old masters did not fully write out the
accompaniments to their great works in the form which has become the rule
with their successors, but rather left them as outlines, a mere figured
bass indicating the accompaniment, which the composer either played or
personally supervised. The old art of playing from a figured bass has
in our time become almost obsolete; besides our ears have through the
wonderful development of instrumental music become accustomed to new
sounds and orchestral effects, which are now absolutely essential to us.
Also, some instruments have since been discarded and others modified. It
was an extremely difficult task to complete this accompaniment, which was
merely suggested, and arrange it for our modern orchestral instruments,
at the same time retaining the spirit and style of the old great masters.
It required a thorough historical and theoretical knowledge, a fine
sense of the peculiar character of the different instruments and a
complete mastery of polyphonic and contrapuntal art, qualities found
only in a true musician, who was himself highly gifted as a composer.
Scholarly professors might perhaps have performed this feat in a merely
correct and antiquarian manner, but only a true musician could inspire
these accompaniments with the same life as the old masters would have
done had they lived at the present stage of musical art. It will be
easily understood that such an undertaking excited the most animated
criticism, which several times led Franz to defend his standpoint in very
interesting publications. Against such attacks by more or less famous and
learned musical writers he was warmly assisted by enthusiastic friends
and admirers in Germany, England and America, where Franz had early
found many marks of a high appreciation of his genius. However the most
gratifying reward for his labors is the fact that his arrangements of the
old masterworks are steadily coming into general use. Modern as is his
sentiment as a productive musician, he stands nearer to Bach and Handel
in style and spirit than any other modern composer. We know of none who
could have performed this great task more conscientiously, with a deeper
comprehension of the old art and with a more loving devotion than Robert
Franz. What he has achieved in this line secures him immortality not less
than his songs.
The most important of these arrangements are: Handel's "Messiah,"
"Jubilate," "l'Allegro il Pensieroso ed il Moderato," and many arias and
duets; Bach's "St. Matthew Passion," "Magnificat," "Christmas Oratorio,"
"Tragic Ode," and many cantatas and arias; Astorga's "Stabat Mater,"
Durante's "Magnificat," and quite a collection of old German chorals and
songs.
Considering, then, all that Franz has done for us, we bow in
admiration and thankfulness before a genius, who is one of the noblest
representatives of the latest musical epoch, and whose name is one of
the few worthy to continue the list of those masters whom we honor as
the corner stones of musical art. For it is not the size, but the ideal
significance and degree of perfection, which determines the greatness and
lasting value of a work of art. Whoever produces works of absolute beauty
and perfection, even in a minor field, deserves a place of honor amongst
the masters of all times.
[Illustration: Louis Kelterborn]
[Illustration: GIACOMO MEYERBEER
_Reproduction of a lithograph portrait made from life by Kriehuber of
Vienna. Meyerbeer in his fifty-sixth year._]
[Illustration: MEYERBEER]
[Illustration]