Ed Zubrow <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I found this curious because its two parts don't seem to connect.  I
>view the "Latin tradition" as a largely melodic one; certainly Verdi's
>music is full of memorable melody.  And I can appreciate the assault on
>such a tradition from the harmonically dense music of Wagner.  And I can
>see where Stravinsky would be coming from in his statement given the
>rhythmic emphasis and short units in his music.  What I can't see is how
>they all fit together.  Where am I wrong in my assumptions, or what am I
>missing?

The mening of "Endless melody" is more complicated than it can be
described like a long chain of melodic bricks or similar, and the
term too often cause confusions.  I read a study on the impact of the
first performences of The Ring in Sweden by the - may I assume - ardent
Wagnerian Maria Evertsson which summaries and clarifies the meaning terms
excellently.  My translations follow the Swedish original (Detailed
References to Wagner's "Oper und Drama" not included by the author of
this post):

   "I Wagners musikdrama skulle musiken och poesin ingaa i en odlebar
   helhet.  "I 'Oper und Drama' diskuterade Wagner poesin respektive
   musikens uppgifter i dramat. Han liknade musiken vid kvinnan och
   poesin vid mannen. Musiken var det som uttryckte och foermedlade
   kaenslor: 'det kvinnliga'. Poesin var det som riktade sig till
   foerstaandet, intellektet: 'det manliga'. Det kompletta enhetliga
   uttrycket naaddes genom en kombination av dessa. Tonen skulle saa
   att saega 'gifta sig' med poesin. Musiken kunde naemligen inte
   'taenka', men hon kunde materialisera tankar, d.v.s. framkalla deras
   kaensloinnehaall. Inte bara erinrade utan aeven paagaaende tankar.
   Detta kunde hon emmelrrtid endast goera naer hon hade sin utgaangspunkt
   i poesin".

   "In Wagners music-drama the poetry and music should fusion to an
   atomic whole. In 'Oper und Drama' Wagner discussed the respective
   duties of music and poetry in the drama. He likened the music with
   the woman and the poetry with the man. The music was what expressed
   and supplied emotions: 'the feminine'. The poetry was what attracted
   the intellect: 'the masculine'.  The complett fulle xpression was
   reached in a sythesis of those. The tone should so to say 'marry'
   the word. The music could not 'think' herself, but she could materialize
   thoughts, that reads: potent their emotional content.  That counts
   not only for remembered, but also ongoing thoughts. However she could
   only do that with the starting point in the poetry."

And futher more a little later in the study:

   "Spraaket (Wortsprache) var organet foer foerstaandet.  Spraaket
   kunde skildra, begripliggoera och jaemfoera ting.  Men det kunde
   inte framstaella omedelbara kaenslor.  Foer att uttrycka kaenslorna
   behoevdes musiken.  De foerbaadande motiven som spelades av orkestern
   straevade efter en bestaemning, vilket skedde av ordet som slutligen
   utmynnade i versmelodin [Marschner:  Versmelodin var en spraakbunden
   diatonisk melodi].  Det var versmelodin som skapade foerbindelsen
   mellan ordeversen (Wortvers) och orkestermelodin.  I versmelodin
   aaskaadliggjordes diktarens avsikt genom musiken och omvaent motiverades
   musiken genom diktarens avsikt.  Enligt Wagner var det den versmelodi
   som tillhoerde skaadespelarna som var uttryckets livgivande fokus.
   Versmelodin kunde vid vissa tillfaellen hoeja sig till en lyrisk
   uttrycksfullhet och paa detta faa staellning som ledmotiv i
   fortsaettningen.  Versmelodin foermaadde dock inte sjaelv uttrycka
   alla kaenslor, tankar och handlingar hos personerna.  Det var daerfor
   orkestern maaste ingripa i den musikalisk-dramatiska framstaellningen.
   Orkestern gestaltar det dramatiska foerloppet genom att understoedja
   gester, mimik, den kan aeven antyda psykologiska inre sammanhang,
   foerstaerka staemningar och framkalla erinnringar.  Den oloesliga
   foerbindelsen mellan den vokala deklamationen och orkestermelodien
   med ess ledmotiv utgjorde det som Wagner kallade 'den oaendliga
   melodin'".

   The language (Wortsprache) was the organ of the conscious mind.  The
   language could describe, explain and compare things.  But it could
   not directly project emotions.  To express the emotions, the music
   was necessary.  The [...] motifs which were played by the orchestra,
   strived to enbodying, which finally ended up in the versemelody.  It
   was the versemelody which formed the connection between the wordverse
   (Wortvers) and the orchestra melody.  In the versemelody the poets
   intentions were luminated by the music, and vice versa the music was
   justified through the intent of the poet.  According to Wagner it
   was that versemelody which belonged to the actors which was the
   lifegiving focus of the dramatic expression.  The versemelody could
   at certain points rise to a lyric expressetiveness and gein position
   as a Leitmotif therefrom.  The versemelody however couldn't itself
   express all the emotions, thoughts and acts in the acting persons.
   Therefore the orchestra has to take action in the musical presentation.
   The orchestra describes the dramatic flow with powering up gestures,
   mimics, it can also suggest inner psychological connections, strengten
   moods and cause memories or suggestions thereto.  The unsolvable
   connection between the vocal deklamation and the orchestra melody
   with its leitmotifs consistuted what Wagner labelled 'the endless
   melody'".

Just that you see Wagner is still going strong ;-)

Mats Norrman
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