Schubert's Late Lieder : Beyond the Song-Cycles

Rating:
Summary: Youens to the rescue
Review: Youens' systematic treatment of texts from six marginal poets of the 19th century is followed by a discussion of the music itself-which, for Youens (and for her readers), ought to be a pinnacle in her musicological enterprise. In each poet's case, the arrival of musical discourse becomes a moment of genuine anticipation. However, one quickly finds that this moment of anticipation for the music is closer to a dénouement than a climax in Youens' project.

The sense of dénouement can be felt on two planes. First, the relatively concise discussion of the musical settings is noticeably out of balance with the extensive treatment of the poets' biographies. There is no need to adduce numerical percentages to substantiate this claim, but examples such as Carl Gottfried Ritter von Leitner's Der Kreuzzug ("The Crusade" pp. 232-236) and Die Sterne ("The Stars" pp. 265-273) are mere representatives for Youens' more universal approach, which can shortchange musical commentary. In the case of Der Kreuzzug, there is not a single musical example despite references to particular measure numbers, along with specific pitches and tonalities that, for Youens, define the piece!

The second sense of what I am calling 'dénouement' comes in the form of shallow 'music analysis'. Indeed, Youens dutifully exposes some of the inner-workings of Schubert's music, particularly with insightful remarks concerning text setting in the music, which spring from her preceding literary exegesis. For instance, she successfully sharpens our attentiveness to such musical references as the Zugenglöcklein ("passing bell"), which tolls in memory of the dead throughout several of the late songs (pp. 295-7, 390). Her sensitivity to vocal declamation (especially problems of breathing as on p. 280) likewise represents another important contribution of Youens in the musical domain.

Beyond these simpler associations, however, Youens seems to fall short in her promise to demonstrate the "precision of musical language" (xiv) in Schubert's lieder. Her musical commentary and descriptions of local phenomena ultimately fail us, particularly in these conventional strophic settings, where music recycles as text evolves. But perhaps her descriptions have to fail us in the context of these miniature masterworks. Youens often succumbs to a linear, more narrative 'analysis' (as in Pyrker's Die Allmacht). In many cases, she places too much emphasis on the local meaning of major and minor tonalities (as in Leitner's Vor Meiner Wiege). We ache for Youens to talk more about this music, perhaps at the expense of some anecdotal evidence in the poets' biographies. We invite more speculation from her about things like tonal 'eschatology' (as she posits in Schlechta's Todtengräber-Weise) and Schubert's location of the musical moment of death in Collin's Der Zwerg. All too often we are left in shallow waters when it comes to Schubert's actual musical craftwork. (The imbalanced and often shallow treatment of music that I have found in Schubert's Late Lieder is not intended to be an unsympathetic criticism of Youens' style, considering that richer musical analysis does not appear to be part of her authorial project. However, I believe I have a critical responsibility to set expectations for those who come to this tome expecting more systematic musical discourse.)

Indeed, in Schubert's Late Lieder we become acutely aware that the real substance of Youens' scholarship is rooted more in texts than in the music. Her endeavor underscores more broadly our dependence on words to anchor studies of music--our logocentricism as a musical culture. (Put another way, where would this book be without texted music?) In short, our quest for meaning in Schubert's lieder is incalculably bolstered by the presence of texts. Thorough literary exegesis adds rich meaning to our understanding of the poetry, but exegesis will only take us so far in musical matters, as music (with or without text) seems to escape us in its layers of public and private meaning. For her next lieder project, Youens should be challenged to unearth the countless musical layers (in desperate need of rescue) as insightfully as she has excavated literary meaning in the Schubert's selected poetry. Nevertheless, for the present, Schubert's Late Lieder will remain stimulating reading for scholars, students, and the general audience of Schubert lovers. In all of her scholarship (and this book is no exception), Youens' enthusiasm for Schubert overflows and drives her tireless pursuit of meaning in his music.