Papillons

Papillons (French: butterflies) op.2 for piano two hands is a piano cycle by Robert Schumann. Composed in the years 1829-1832 work is Therese, Rosalie and Emilie Schumann dedicated. The Papillons incurred in connection with the reading of the novel fragment Flegeljahre of Jean Paul.

Background

In April 1832 Schumann wrote to Ludwig Rellstab, the poet and founder of the music magazine iris in the areas of music: "Less for the editor of the iris, as for the poet and the kindred spirit of Jean Paul, erlaub ' I Papillons few words about their origin add, since the thread which is supposed to tie together, is barely visible. Eu. Honour remember the last scene in the Flegeljahre larvae dance Walt Vult Mask Wina - Vults Dancing the Exchange and the mask confessions Wrath Revelation Fort ropes Final dream and then the departing brother. Yet many times I turned the last page at: for the conclusion seemed to me just a new beginning - I was almost unconscious on the piano and as a Papillon originated after the other. "

Schumann recycled while also compositions that had already emerged earlier. In Schumann's personal copy of the awkward age, there are marginal notes, associate the individual numbers of the Papillons specific text. That this is however not a novel setting, is from a letter to Henriette Voigt forth: "I may mention that I have highlighted in the text of the music, not vice versa - otherwise it seems to me a > foolish Start <. Only the last one the gambling chance to answer at first designed, was awakened by Jean Paul. "

The two main characters of the novel are Walt Harnisch ( a rather quiet poet - nature) and his brother Vult ( a swashbuckling flute virtuoso and a brilliant dancer). They both love the same woman, namely Wina, the daughter of a Polish general. Your choice of Vult and Walt will be decided at a masked ball.

Walt armor is made from a piano tuner 's attention in the novel that his name contains the tone letters AS (Es) -CH. Schumann noted here that they exist within his surname, which led him to identify with the two armor - brothers and establish a connection between his music and the novel. In the event later piano cycle Carnaval Schumann has this tone letters even used explicitly. Walt and Vult were the role models for split Schumann Alter Ego ( Florestan and Eusebius ).

Interpretations

The title refers Papillons - as Schumann himself is said to have conversationally explained - on the colorful " mess flutter on a carnival ball ."

The link with the mask feast at the end of Jean Paul's novel is indisputable. How concrete are the references to the literary counterpart, but is seen differently.

• Reclam's piano music leader comes to the following assessment: " The Labyrinth of the ball here is a magical space in which the dream fantasies condense on the rhythms of the dances and the veil of the tones to poetic existence. You to interpret programmatically within the meaning of literary text, but would not be very productive. "
• Left and Kneip comment: "Obviously, leads us Schumann different moods before, in the can expire a ball Visitors ( bustle, adjustment, masking, Success, bluntness, melancholy, longing, surprise, humor, sudden feeling of loneliness, depression, etc.) "
• Misha Donat comments on the margin notes in Schumann's personal copy of the awkward age, " although one should not overestimate such parallels, there are quite significant connections. "
• Akio Mayeda goes further and tries a very specific assignment of the music on the events in the novel and to the people involved. It is based and in addition to Schumann's entries in his novel copy in part to musical analysis findings, but in part it also sets out allegations that are motivated not closer. The core of Mayedas interpretation is based on the observation of a motivic- thematic link between the introduction and the cycles 41 to 48 of the tenth part. The " obvious " questioning gesture of introduction passage suggests Mayeda as a question of who Wina would turn their favor. The decision on this fall during the masked ball in the tenth piece, where " eloquent modifications of the opening melody of " would mark their choice.

The individual records

Introduzione - Moderato

The only six-bar introduction consists of an enriched overtones ascending refraction of the D- major triad, with a certain resemblance to the introductory bars of Weber's Invitation to the Dance is recognizable.

Mayeda interpreted the questioning gesture that passage as a novel based musical expression of the question of who Wina would turn their favor.

# 1

The piece is characterized by a simple and serene scale theme, which is included as Waltz No.6 in the study book 3 and reappears in the No. 12. Thus here the general theme of the work is presented.

The painted by Schumann at Jean Paul passage reads:

Mayeda suggests this piece as " Walt's appearance ."

No. 2 - Prestissimo

Brilliant rushing E-flat major chords in fortissimo follows a passage with zigzagging melody ( only mezzo forte, then pianissimo ). A D.C. ( Da capo ) calls for the complete repetition of this short Srücks.

The music corresponds very vividly the painted hand in the copy text. This refers to the ballroom, the Walt enters after a wrong path by other rooms:

Without giving reasons Mayeda describes this piece as " the contrasting counter- Vult portrait of his spirited performance in Stormy accomplished elegance. "

# 3

A vigorously and consistently accented octave played theme in F sharp minor is first presented in unison in the bass, then the same tune appears more than two octaves higher in A major, supported by octave bass tones and with an altered second part. In a third section (again, in F sharp minor ), a canon of leadership between the upper and lower voice. The topic can be found in the Study Book V under counterpoint exercises. Mayeda said that Schumann's most misunderstood statement that he had learned counterpoint with Jean Paul, here find an explanation.

The highlighted text passage reads:

After Ernst stooping " is the third piece different masquerades is that cross each other ( in the canon ) ".

Reclam's piano music leader commented: " The F sharp minor octaves may mean the giant boots of the grotesque, Jean -Paul- mask. ".

No. 4 - Presto

The piece is at the 3/8-time and has a three -part form (AB -A '). The period beginning in A Major A ( A ') - part ending in F sharp minor and oscillates in its course between these two keys. Melody and rhythm are differentiated and supple vitality, dynamism progresses from piano to forte. The B section gets et al by the sudden breakdown between right and left hands and the dynamics ( crescendo - subito pianissimo ) and agogics ( accelerando, ritenuto ) a very capricious paint. The final part (A ') is different from the A- part by the fact that in the 3rd and 4th cycle, the two-stroke sustained fis3 by the sigh gis3 - is replaced fis3, as well as by the more intense Schlussteigerung to fortissimo.

The assigned in manual copy text reads:

Since hides behind the mask nuns Wina, Mayeda concludes: "The music, full of longing and graceful gesture, must be understood as a portrait Wina. "

Left and Kneip see the character of the music slightly differently: " A harlequin teasing mingles among them. "

# 5

The music is an arrangement of the trio from the No. 7 of the eight Polonaises for piano four hands.

Selected text in hand specimen:

Mayeda said, in the Polonaise, it 'll go to the dance with Walt's Wina ( the beautiful Polish woman ). In addition, he believes that the music contains a representation of Walt's double mask as a miner and truck driver. From bar 9 he hears " the diligent blade movement " of the miner out, while from bar 13 was " the brisk pace of propelling " for the work of Fuhrmann.

# 6

This piece is created formally rondo -like: A triple erklingendes, each slightly varied ritornello is alternately interrupted by two couplets of different character.

Marked point in hand specimen:

Left and Kneip see in this piece " a scene in the drinking room, in between ( the 2nd and 4th part ) music outside in the hall ... "

Mayeda suggests this piece as a representation of the dancing Walts. " The energetic main theme - without passionate elegance - " is "the increase of Bergmann motif from No. 5". The pianissimo of the A major theme of the first couplets (from T.7 ) is seen by Mayeda as timid awkward appearance Walts. If the same topic later transposed into No.10 in fortissimo and to G major re-emerges, post it there from the confident appearance of Vult in Walt's panel dar.

No. 7 - Semplice

After eight introductory pianissimo bars in F minor of pensive melancholy - character follows in A Flat Major " a Sehnsuchtswalzer in Jung- Schumann shear type ".

Following the entry in the hand specimen it is about Vults idea to replace the panel with Walt. Vult sees that Walt is in love, but can not dance well. Therefore it makes sense to step in for him. In the story created by the mask are replaced, the problem that in the end is not clear whether the Liebeszugeständniss Wina heard the dancer Vult or his brother Walt.

# 8

The piece begins with a fortissimo energetic eight-bar opening in C sharp minor, which is determined by the 3/4-Rhythmus. Also the subsequent Waltz in D flat major is marked by the same rhythm.

This of Mayeda perceived as unusual rhythm he assigns to the extravagant Vult: " No 8 is obviously the brilliant dance of Vult. " Walt, however, is by Mayeda by the more normal, for example, characterized in No. 6 occurring rhythm.

No. 9 - Prestissimo

The sketch of the initial underlying theme was originally designed as a waltz tempo giusto in. The pace and nature of change ( prestissimo ) was " no doubt with the intention " to adapt the music to the plot of the novel ( in the opinion Mayedas ).

The marked in the hand specimen passage reads:

The " fleeing clocks " (from T.9. ) Suggests Mayeda as a " reflection of the hasty mask exchange ". .

No. 10 - Vivo piu lento

The first 16 ( 3/8- ) bars of the piece ( tautly held pianissimo ) start with a C major fanfare. Then the hasty eighths of No. 9 appear again, reminiscent of the exchange of masks ( by Mayeda ).

Then, in the 3/4-time slightly modified first couplet of No. 6, but here instead of in A Major in G major, instead of pianissimo and fortissimo by the vollgriffigeren rate and the slower pace ( più lento ) overweight appears.

The rest of the (larger) part of the piece fills a waltz that is interrupted just before the end of a 4 -bar fortissimo throw and soothes after a pause clock with fermata ( ritenuto ) decays (as of the last bar is required ppp ).

The marked in the hand specimen passage reads:

The weight G major passage (mm. 17 ff ) suggests Mayeda as "... Vult, who stepped forward with great male steps in Walt's double masks as mountain and Fuhrmann: I am, Walt, I ask for this dance! "

In the clock from 25 flowing dance ( instead of the English dance in the novel text here Waltz ) discovers Mayeda a " ... music semantic function of the melody, which reveals itself as augmentation of Introduzione melody. The initially erected question is here [ ... ] theme (mm. 25-40 ), then in the clear contour of the opening melody of spoken directly to Wina ( T. 41-44). In expressive reflection on ( T. 45-48 ) Wina is to recognize Love Yes clearly, which is also confirmed by the blissful counter- melody of Nachtanzes [ ... ]. "

The fortissimo outburst ( T. 65 ff ) suggests Mayeda as sudden awakening Vults from his blissful dream. Here appear immediately one after the " Vult - rhythm " () and " Walt rhythm " (), which indicates a realization: " I ​​, Vult [ ... ], but I am Walt! . [ ... ] - This is his vows " The angry reaction Vults to this realization in the novel, however, remains from the music: " ... in a quiet tone of noble resignation ends his dance with his beloved Wina ".

# 11

The preform this glamorous capricious D major Polonaise found in the Jugendpolonaisen for piano, four hands, but here is extended so that it becomes the most extensive and probably the most effective set of the whole cycle.

In hand specimen the following passage is highlighted:

Mayeda notes here that "... such poetic musical analogies that are understandable only in the newly - composed passages that are missing in the Jugendpolonaise. This is especially the developed midsection from Più lento ( T. 32 ff) with the enigmatic unison point ( T. 42 ff). "

No. 12 - Finale

The finale begins in the sense of a clean sweep with a quote from the then famous grandfather dance, followed by a rapid dance in 2/4-cycle. After the repetition of the Great Father dance, the theme appears in measure 25 from the No. 1 and is combined from bar 31 to the grandfather theme. While the latter always fades away quietly becoming the subject of No. 1 is first veiled rhythmically, then the scale- like top is only repeated and shortened at each iteration by a tone ( from an initial 7 to 0), so that finally only one of him break remains. In the notes there is an entry: " The sound of the carnival night silent. The tower clock strikes six. " This is realized by a fading away while the music is accentuated six battered a2. The motif of fading away is taken again in the closing bars: an arpeggiated dominant tapers by successive damping the harmony notes to the single tone. The basic design idea of this finale was, as Schumann discovered by chance that the first issue (No. 1) is a counterpoint to the grandfather theme.

At the No. 12 no entry exists in the hand specimen. However, Schumann wrote to Castelli, the conclusion is consistent with the sentence: " Even from a distance [ from Paul: Alley ] up heard Walt delighted to talk the fleeing tones, for he did not notice that flee from his brother with them," That last phrase of the awkward age had Schumann originally prefixed to his Papillons as a motto, but the citation was published in the print edition.