How Important Were the Operas of Weber and Marschner in the Development of Wagner

8/3/2019 How Important Were the Operas of Weber and Marschner in the Development of Wagner

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How important were the Operas of Weber and Marschner in the Development of Wagners

style?

Richard Wagners relationship with Weber and his music could be described as similar to that of an

adult of present times with a band or group from their youth. A childhood fascination with an idol can

often lead to disappointment as the youth grows older and more mature. Frequently, it is the case that

the group progresses too far ahead of the child, going in new directions which the youth does not

relate to. Or, the child may simply become bored and move on to the next big thing. Neither was the

case for Wagner. His mind began to surge ahead, forming opinions and laying the foundations for his

future philosophies about Art. Instead of searching for another idol, he searched for a new art. He

believed that he was to become the next great Artiste (maybe even the greatest) and the world owed

him his living. He embarked on an exploration of all music that had gone before; adapting, developing

and fusing styles on the hunt for his own unique and all embracing meta-art.

The Napoleonic wars ended in 18th

June 1815, two years after Wagners birth. They were preceded by

many years of the Holy Roman Empire, which after the treaties of the Peace of Westphalia, which

ended the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648 in the Holy Roman Empire and also the Eighty Years

War of 1568- 1648 between the Dutch Republic and Spain, led to the creation of the Kleinstaaterei; A

political situation consisting of many small states and city-states. There was a drive in for a unified

folk of the Germanic land; a cultural unification as well as a political one. In music this meant an

increased push for a German Opera style; A Genre that held true to Germanic ideals and was not

taken from other places, for example, Italy (like the Mozart/ De Ponte Opera Buffe,Le Nozze de

Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cos fan tutti). Carl Maria von Weber, Wagner believed, was attempting

this:

Earnest Composers [...] whilst by no means negating the claims of melody, held that Rossinis melody was

cheap and superficial, and endeavoured to derive it more directly from the fountains of expression of the folk.

This was the course taken by Weber, who gave opera-aria the deep and genuine feeling of the folk-song.1

On the other hand, as Wagner matured he grew to dislike Webers work. He continues:

1 Newman, 83


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; though the flower, thus torn from its native meadow, could not thrive in the salons of modern luxury and

artificiality. And Weber, no less than Rossini made his melody the main factor of opera, though of course it was

far worthier and more honest that the melody of the Italian composer. Weber repressed and controlled the poet

of Die Freischtz as much as Rossini did the poet ofTancredi. And Webers failure proves afresh the assertion

that instead of drama being taken up into the being of music, music must be taken up into the drama2

The young Wagner disapproved of Webers control of the poet who wrote the libretto to Euryanthe

(1823). He felt that Weber had been too conscious of musical ideas whilst suggesting alterations in the

text. This ultimately led to the loss of drama and tension within the text, which was after all, in

Wagners eyes, the noblest sphere of art.

But Wagner must have taken something from the failures of Weber. It must have been clear to him

that the text and music must be unified from creation, but ultimately it is the work of the libretto to

absorb and enhance the drama. Webers interjections and modifications for the librettist for

Euryanthe, Helmina von Chzy are a step behind Wagners complete conception of his music dramas.

He had the ability to keep all of the Arts in his mind whilst composing and writing his own text.

While writing the poem [Wagner] probably had a general feeling of what the actual music was going to be, just

as a dramatist keeps in his mind a fairly clear idea of the scene and the action of the play he is writing3

Weber and Mendelssohn were both writing at a time in Germany when the vocal talent available was

less polished than that of their Italian rivals. The composers of this period needed to strip away the

complex coloratura in order to make the works singable and comprehensible to listeners. Wagner says

in an Essay of 1834, titled German Opera (No.1) that Weber had some lyrical capacitybut never

knew how to handle singing.

In another of Wagners prose works this time for the Dresdener Abendzeitung, Wagner gives an

ironic account of an adaption ofDie Freischtz for the Opra, in Paris, which he regarded as a

massive disappointment. He discusses the bad translation of the libretto and a reconstruction of the

2Newman, 83

3 Parry, 322


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The Romantic opera of Weber popular at the time, and the new appearance of Marschner in Leipzig, where I

was living, inspired me to imitate it. I produced just what I wanted, an opera libretto: I set it to music according

to my impression of Beethoven, Weber and Marschner7

Wagner had learned to master the magic of the stage, particularly, off-stage effects. More significantly

he grasped the great Romantic theme that was developed by writers like Hoffmann, Foqu and

Novalis and composers such as Weber and Marschner; the tales of the Spirit world and the Human

world coming together, usually with cataclysmic consequences. MarschnersHans Heiling is a good

example; A story of forbidden love, magic, jealousy and redemption.

Das Liebsverbotwas written in 1834-5 and was premiered at Magdeburg where he was conductor.

Apart from works by Weber and Marschner, he primarily conducted Italian and French operas during

his time at Magdeburg, including AubersLa muette de Protici, RossinisIl Barbiere de Saviglia and

BellinisI Capuleti e i Montecchi.Das Liebsverbotis dissimilar toDie Feen in some respects. Its

aesthetics are along similar lines to Italian and French light opera with its Modest posturing, its

transparent frivolities8. Part of the reason for this could be justified by some of Wagners own prose

works written and the time. In the Essay German Opera (No.1) Wagner assaults Webers Euryanthe

as the quintessence of German Profundity9

in music.

Instead of quickly capturing a feeling with a single bold and telling stroke, he hacks to pieces the impression of

the whole with petty details and detailed pettiness... Oh this unhappy eruditionthis source of all German ills10

A negative criticism ofWebersopera could be related to Wagners relative youth. He was still

twenty-one going on twenty-two whenDas Leibesverbotwas composed. He attempted to pad out

the work but at the expense of musical substance. His key concern was that of length, which left

voids of misconnection between parts of the opera. Had he written this opera a bit later, he may have

been able to weave these ideas together with Leitmotifs, creating a more unified whole.

7Wagner, 404-406

8

Mller and Wapnewski, 69Mller and Wapnewski, 406 -408

10Mller and Wapnewski, 406-408


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Wagners next venture is probably the most famous of all of his early operas. It certainly draws on the

most diverse influences.Rienzi was written in 1938-40 and was premiered at the Hofoper in Dresden

in 1942. The structure of the works bears resemblance to AubersLa muette de Portici (1828), and

other French Grand Operas with its vast five Act span. Wagner pays homage to the Italian composer

Spontini, in particular, his opera Fernand Cortez (1936). In his autobiography Wagner writes that the

style of the performance gave him a fresh insight into the inherent dignity of major theatrical

undertakings, which in all their parts could be elevated by alert rhythmical control into a singular and

incomparable form of art11

. The influence of Meyerbeer must not be forgotten here, although Wagner

would be very reluctant to confess to it. Wagner praises his own work as follows:

Each of the five acts presented a graphic image of the most common vividness, in which arias and duets in the

conventional operatic sense could scarcely be perceived... or at any rate did not function as such; it was always a

whole act done like this with every bit of its ensemble that was fascinating and thrilling12

Wagner would not deny the opra comique and opra semiseria links withDas Liebesverbotor

Sponini and Meyerbeers grand opera influences onRienzi. DespiteDer Feens distinctive Italian and

French influences it is unquestionably a German Romantic Opera. Robert Schumann described this

style as a musical juste milieu or happy mediumwhich had always been a feature of Marschners

work. The suggestion of German Romantic Opera is of course not really true. Germany was still not

politically united, so we must accept the genre as a culturally inspired.

Das Fliegende Hollnder, Tannhuserand Lohengrin, and in anticipatory formDie Feen belong to a type of

musical drama whose name, Romantic Opera, suggests a clearly defined genre with a history of its own.13

This history began with Hoffmanns opera Undine (1816) and Spohrs Faust(1816) and continues up

toLohengrin with pre-Wagnerian characters, Weber and Marschner deemed to be the chief

representatives. What differentiates Wagners music fromDas Rheingold(1954) on is the binding

compositional device of the Leitmotif.

11

Mller and Wapnewski, 408-41312Mller and Wapnewski, 414

13Mller and Wapnewski, 100


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Figure 116

Figure 217

It is often said that Marschner is a strong stepping stop between Weber and Wagner. This is true, but

as Dalmer writes, he was not the only logical link... with respect to the expansion of the Singspiel

format18

. As French Opera grew towards its grandest, the length of German operas being written

followed. The introduction of a new type of musical number became widespread. A Scenais a

16

Warrack, 33617Warrack, 336

18Dalmer, 217


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dramatic unit consisting ordinarily of arioso and/or accompanied recitative19

. This Italian element

was designed to replace the out-of-date secco recitative that came before an Italian aria and all or part

of the dialogue that happens prior to a German aria.

Marschner began experimenting with the sections of his Operas. He started to remove the

independent solo song by adding scena. He increased the number of ensembles and began the

lengthening of sections into ensemble complexes. These are longer sections of multiple divisions of

the cast singing solos, duets ensembles and chorus numbers which constructs the essence of pre-

Wagnerian Romantic Opera. Figure 3 shows a simple representation of the Vorspielto Marschners

Hans Heiling (1833) with each line to be read as a continuation of the line previous to it.. It shows the

quick succession through varying keys and a vast array of ensembles. Ensemble Complexes had been

used before and were in no way unique to German Opera but never before had they been so long and

had so many of them been used. They remove unnecessary action and the stop-start motions created in

a Singspiel. Marschner had allowed the drama of the text and the story to determine the format of

ensemble complexes. Wagner only had to use this theory in vast expanses to create a uniform and

seamless Music Drama.

19Dalmer, 217-218


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Figure 320

Franz Schubert, though not particularly remembered for his works for the stage, was an eminent

figure in the expansion of the pit orchestra and for composing large ensemble numbers (Alphonso und

Estrella (1821) and Fierrabras (1823)). The role of the Baritone voice appears in MozartsDon

Giovanni but it is with Schubert, along with Albert Lortzing that helped to develop the demonic

Baritone role that Wagner would use extensively for (Alberich inDas Rheingold, Siegfriedand

Gtterdmmerung for example). In SchubertsAlphonso und Estrella, the character Troila, and

LortzingsZar und Zimmermann, the character Peter the Great both sing Baritone, but they lack the

supernatural element that Marschner uses for character Hans Heiling21

. In Webers Euryanthe, Lysiart

is a foreshadowing of the Wagnerian Heroic Baritone, like the Dutchman inDas Fliegende

Hollnder. Hans Heiling and Ruthven not only prefigure the Dutchman in characteristics but they

are not the clich villain. They have been hardened in the gloom through horror and suffering; they

are fallen angels, as Wagner said of the Dutchman22

20

Dalmer, figure 74, 24321Dalmer, 247

22Mller and Wapnewski, 531 - 535

Openi ng Ritornel lo Chorus of Earth Spirits Duet (Heiling and Queen) Recitati ve (Heiling) Chorus of Earth Spirits

4/4 A minor B minor/ G major B minor

Recitiative (Heil ing) Ensemble (Queen and Chorus Duet (Heil ing and Queen) Recitiative (Queen) Duet (Heil ing and Queen)

F# minor C major 3/4 D minor

Arioso (Heiling) Duet (Heiling and Queen) Arioso (Queen) Add Heiling Add Chorus

modulating 4/4 F major/ D minor a minor A major F# minor -> B minor

Arioso (Queen) Chorus Chorus Ritornello

E minor F major -> A minor -> (B minor) A minor


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The ever increasing complexity of harmony and the move towards chromaticism exist in the operas of

Hoffman and Spohr, as does the advance in through-composition. The blurring or even total removal

of Dominant to Tonic cadences began to imply multiple keys or even no strict tonic.

Figure 423

(Marschner)

Weber avoided chromaticism and only used to achieve a very specific effect. Lortzing opted for the

safe diatonic language that secured the Singspiels popularity. Kreutzer, on the other hand, chose to

concentrate on simple effects, occasionally using exotic scales within a reinforced diatonic system.

Marschner was the one who transmitted to Wagner much of his material for his concept of chromatic

Harmony24

.

Figure 525

- the end of Die Walkre (Bright shooting flames surrounded Wotan. With his spear he

directs the sea of fire)

23

Dalmer, figure 712, 24524Dalmer, 246

25Dalmer, figure 7-13, 246


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Marschner was also an important figure in the increased importance of low brass in his compositions.

Although Mozart had used trombones inDie Zauberflte (1791), as did Weber in Euryanthe,

MarschnersDie Vampyr, especially when Ruthven warns Aubry not to break his oath of silence

(Figure 6)may well have been the spark that led Wagner to develop his tenor tuba. Marschner also

had used Serpents inDie Vampyrand Ophicliedes inAustin. Wagner would continue with the

exploration of the lower end of orchestral colour (Opening the das Rheingoldfor example, with eight

horns starting very low and in canon).

Figure 626

Perhaps then, if Marschner cannot be regarded as a great creator we should conclude that he was one

of those curious composers whose fate it is to live on in the works of others. Not every genius is an

innovator; and not every innovator has... creative genius27

Wagners style has been influenced by many things that an essay ofthis length could never address. I

have attempted to show Weber and Marschners influences but also mentioning other important

factors where necessary; some of these being Italian and French genres. Overall, Wagner had always

been searching for a total German art form. As the Knleinstaaterei enforced a non-political union with

the Germanic folk, Weber attempted a cultural one. His involvement with the librettists for his operas

produced a connection between words and music Wagner was keen to explore. Also the Romantic

themes of magic and supernatural relations with humans inspired Wagner to create the Ring. Working

with many Italian and French operas, Wagner was clearly influenced sometime by their Grand, or

even humoresque aesthetics. This created dislike towards Weber, but it was not to last forever.

26Dalmer, figure 7-17, 249

27Mitchell, 218


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Wagners boyish admiration would prevail and he would die at peace with Weber and appreciative of

his work. Wagner took a lot from his fellow German Composers. The development of the

Reminiscence motif into the Leitmotif was one of the most important progressions in Western music.

The ability to lengthen drama with Scena and ensemble complexes allowed immense theatre to be

woven and hold firm all the complicated ideas of the composer. Marschners development of low

Brass techniques and increased use of chromaticism helped Wagner on his way to the harmomic

language and sound world ofTristan and Isolde and all his other late Music Dramas.

Bibliography

Newman, Earnest,A Study of Wagner(London, 1899)

Mller and Wapnewski, Wagner Handbook(Harvard University Press, 1992)

Williams, Simon, Wagner and the Romantic Hero (Cambridge University Press, 2004)

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Vol. 14, ed. Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell

(Macmillan, 2001)

Dalmer, A. Dean,Heinrich August Marschner 17951861: His Life and Stage Work(UMI ResearchPress, 1980)

Mitchell, Donald, Contemporary Chronicle, Britten and Marschner, Musical Opinion, 77 (1954),218

Warrack, John, Carl Maria von Weber, Second Edition (Cambridge University Press, 1976)

Tusa, Michael C.,Euryanthe and Carl Maria von Webers Dramaturgy of German Opera (OxfordUniversity Press, 1991)

Parry, C. Hubert H., The Evolution of the Art of Music (London, K. Paul, Trench, Trbner, 1893)

Wagner, Richard, Gesammelte Schriften und Dichtungen, 2nd Edition (Leipzig, 1887-8)

Wagner, Cosima,Die Tagebcher, ed. Martin Gregor-Dellin and Dietrich Mach, Vol. I (Munich andZurich, 1976) p941

How Important Were the Operas of Weber and Marschner in the Development of Wagner

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