| Schoenberg's Die glückliche Hand is a work which | | | | measures of the opera. This table is preferable to |
| combines music with other elements, such as drama, | | | | Crawford's because it clearly demonstrates to the |
| visual effects, libretto, and art. It is perhaps different | | | | reader the relationship of the musical events with the |
| than other musical works falling into the category of | | | | drama and the required colors. Whereas Crawford's |
| opera in that these non-musical elements are so | | | | chart lines up the Kandinsky chart next to the color |
| closely connected to the music that they are strictly | | | | crescendo to display a correlation, Truman's chart is |
| notated in the music score. These non-musical factors | | | | only of the color crescendo and gives a more |
| could be problematic to an analyst seeking to discover | | | | adequate description of musical events, including each |
| structural elements of the work in a solely musical | | | | appearance of the three motives. |
| environment. This paper will examine the various | | | | Although Crawford and Truman differ slightly in their |
| approaches toward this work, determine to what | | | | presentation of the color crescendo, their claims (that |
| extent non-musical factors play a role in the decision | | | | the crescendo is held together by three reoccurring |
| of musical structure, and discuss the effectiveness of | | | | themes) are essentially the same. What the reader is |
| such analyses. Based on the writings below, the areas | | | | to infer (especially from Truman's chart) is that |
| of examination will be the influence of color (in this | | | | dynamics, orchestration (timbral decisions), and texture |
| work, colored lighting) on the music, the approach to | | | | (doublings and "thickness") are the musical aspects |
| formal examinations of the work (including the influence | | | | influenced by the colors specified in these measures. |
| of the text on the music), and the aspect of motivic | | | | The discussion of the color-sound correlation is |
| processes (primarily the "leitmotif"). The non-analytic | | | | expanded in Truman's article to other places in the |
| aspects of the following articles will not be discussed in | | | | opera. He demonstrates that the opening measures of |
| this article. | | | | the work are synchronized with music, color, and |
| Although much of the discussion about Die | | | | drama. This is shown by comparing the visual aspects |
| glückliche Hand has been historical in nature, the | | | | to the musical aspects: |
| most significant historical topic relevant to this | | | | . . . one sees the gazes of the twelve men and |
| examination is the influence of painter Wassily | | | | women of a motionless chorus illuminated by twelve |
| Kandinsky's theoretical work Über das Geistige in | | | | green spots; the rest is swathed in soft red veiling. The |
| der Kunst, in which he proposes the existence of a | | | | "sound" compromises an unchanging pedal chord |
| union of all artistic categories into a higher form of | | | | (tremolos in 3 solo violas and 3 solo cellos) and two |
| "monumental art." As a part of this union, color and | | | | ostinatos C one for bass clarinet and bassoons, the |
| sound are closely linked, and Kandinsky offers tables | | | | other for harp and timpani; the chorus sings of the |
| that show his idea of various colors, their effect or | | | | stillness and silence.[4] |
| mood, and their timbral correspondences. Most colors | | | | Truman italicized the words in the above quote to |
| are likened to a particular instrument or group of | | | | clarify his comparison of the music and the visual |
| instruments that produce the timbre of that color. An | | | | events at the opening of the work. The words gazes, |
| example is the color light blue having a sound | | | | spots, and motionless used to define the |
| "equivalent" of a flute, or vermilion being likened to a | | | | Anon-action@ in the drama is represented by such |
| tuba or loud drum beats. At the time Schoenberg | | | | "stationary" musical events as ostinato and pedal. |
| began writing the libretto for Die glückliche Hand in | | | | A brief study of the color crescendo is by Harald |
| 1908/9, Kandinsky began his own stage work, Der | | | | Krebs entitled "The 'Color Crescendo' from Die |
| gelbe Klang, in which he sought to incorporate the | | | | Glückliche Hand: A Comparison of Sketch and |
| sound-color principles of his Über das Geistige in | | | | Final Version,"[5] which provides a different analytic |
| der Kunst, which he was writing at the time. | | | | approach than Crawford and Truman. Although not |
| Many writers have concentrated on Schoenberg's | | | | entirely analytical, this article provides another, more |
| connection with Kandinsky's color scheme in | | | | detailed look at this section of the work. Beginning with |
| understanding the relation of musical to non-musical | | | | an examination of what he terms "surface |
| aspects of Die glückliche Hand. A particular | | | | relationships," Krebs claims that four themes are |
| occurrence in the work, the so-called "color | | | | prevalent in the crescendo, as opposed to only three |
| crescendo" (scene 3, mm125-153), has been the most | | | | as Crawford and Truman indicate. He adds to the |
| widely discussed as an example of Kandinsky's color | | | | previously mentioned themes, one consisting of "an |
| scheme influencing the music in Die glückliche | | | | oscillation between two notes a third apart," beginning |
| Hand. It is a point at which wind, light, and music | | | | at measure 125 in the flute and bassoon. Further |
| crescendo simultaneously. | | | | appearances of this theme (motive 'a' in the article) are |
| One such discussion is by John Crawford, who, in his | | | | at measures 135 (harp), m. 138 (clarinet and bassoon), |
| "Die Glückliche Hand: Schoenberg's | | | | m. 140 (cellos 3 and 4), and measures 144-147 in the |
| Gesamtkunstwerk,"[1] presents a table by Kandinsky | | | | strings and woodwinds. Next, Krebs indicates several |
| that lists colors with their psychological effects and | | | | of the occurrences of "motive 'b'" (the same as |
| their instrumental equivalents. Next to this, a table of | | | | Crawford's first theme in Crawford's analysis). Krebs |
| the "color crescendo" is given to show the colored | | | | indicates a "variant" of the motive in which the final |
| lights specified in the score and the instruments used | | | | interval of a whole step is replaced by a third, and |
| with them (Table 2 in his article, pp. 586-588). This table | | | | refers to measures 131 (cellos), 133 (trumpet), and 137 |
| of the color crescendo does little to show the musical | | | | (clarinet). In a footnote to this paragraph, Krebs states |
| correlation with Kandinsky's table, aside from the | | | | regarding motive 'b': |
| similarity of the colors violet, "more glaring" red, and light | | | | This motive, like motive 'a,' originates near the beginning |
| yellow, which do correspond to Kandinksy's table. It | | | | of the opera. The motive is first stated in the bass |
| does show the common succession of light between | | | | clarinet part in m. 4 (with register transfer). The man's |
| the two tables, however. He gives examples of three | | | | first vocal utterance (mm. 29-31) is set to the inversion |
| motives "which recur in many rhythmic and melodic | | | | of the form found in the color crescendo.[6] |
| variants,"[2] (Examples 1a, b, c in his article, p. 592) | | | | Krebs concludes the examination of the motivic |
| throughout the crescendo, but does not elaborate on | | | | structure by identifying (as he did with 'a' and 'b') the |
| their significance or their relationship to the rest of the | | | | appearances of motives 'c' and 'd.' This aspect of |
| work. | | | | Krebs' analysis demonstrates in much more detail than |
| A more convincing correlation between the "color | | | | Crawford or Truman the motivic figures that musically |
| crescendo" and Kandinsky's color-sound table is | | | | hold this section together. |
| shown in Philip Truman's article "Synaesthesia and Die | | | | Krebs next examines the "large-scale relationships" |
| glückliche Hand."[3] In this article, which was | | | | within the color crescendo. Here, Krebs makes the |
| written to prove that the opera is an example of a | | | | claim that the opera as a whole hints at the key of D. |
| successful "translation" of color into sound, a more | | | | He first examines the color crescendo in terms of |
| detailed table is included (pp. 498-499 in his article). Not | | | | tonality, stating, "Allusions to the key of D permeate the |
| only does the author reveal more musical events in this | | | | first few measures of the completed scene (the color |
| example (listed measure by measure, which | | | | crescendo)."[7] Krebs is attempting to tie the "key" of |
| Crawford's does not specify for each color), but | | | | the color crescendo to the "key" of the entire work. |
| Truman has also pointed out the three primary motives | | | | After this statement, the color crescendo is then |
| that appear in the crescendo, which concur with | | | | examined measure by measure, first using melodic and |
| Crawford's (Ex. 4a, 4b, and 4c in Truman's text, p. | | | | harmonic elements, then by observing notes |
| 498). Truman likens these themes to the opening | | | | emphasized in the bass parts. |