Zwei Parabeln nach Franz Kafka:
A Composer’s Reflections
Joseph Klein, D.Mus.
University of North Texas (USA) josephklein.music.unt.edu
About Franz Kafka (1883-1924)
n  Born
and raised in Prague; fluent in German and
Czech.
n  Two
younger brothers died in infancy; three
younger sisters died in concentration camps after
Franz’s death.
n  Earned
a Doctor of law degree in 1906.
n  Worked
as an insurance clerk to support himself
while writing on the side.
n  Requested
that his writings be destroyed upon his
death; executor Max Brod did not honor this request.
n  Died
in Vienna of complications from tuberculosis at the age of 40.
n  Thematic
elements in his work include:
•  Surreal distortions of mundane events and characters.
•  Senselessness, disorientation, menacing bureaucratic complexity.
•  Pervasive sense of impending danger.
•  Hopeless, illogical, or bizarre situations.
Compositional Considerations
n  Selection
of texts: Die Brücke and Der Geier.
n  Function
of the narrator in relation to the choir: complete parable read in
vernacular while choir elaborates on fragments of the text in German.
n  Use
of computer music as an extension of the choral forces.
n  Balancing
practical issues with musical concerns:
•  Clarity of pitch material through repetition, conjunct motion, tonal
references; pitch class sets used to unify material.
•  Simplification of rhythmic materials, often repetitive, and usually following
natural speech patterns.
•  Pitch cues provided by computer music.
n  Variety
of compositional devices incorporated, including polytempo, polytonality,
mobiles, senza misura, micropolyphony, pitch class sets, and extended techniques
(glissando, sprechstimme).
n  Emphasis
on process: transformation, expansion/contraction, changes in density.
Stage Setup: Zwei Parabeln nach Franz Kafka
L Channel
R Channel
S3
S4
S5
S6
B6
B5
B4
B3
S2
B2
S1
A3
A4
A2
A1
A5
A6
T6
Sub-choir 1
(mixed)
T5
T4
B1
T3
T2
Sub-choir 2b
(male)
Sub-choir 2a
(female)
T1
G
N
C
Die Brücke: Pitch Materials
Opening Soprano solo:
Pitch class sets:
Interval vector:
m2 M2 m3 M3 P4 TT
Cell #1:
5-22(12)
[0,1,4,7,8]2
0
2
3 2 1
Cell #2:
4-3(12)
[0,1,3,4]
2
1
2
1 0 0
Cell #3:
3-1(12)
[0,1,2]
2
1
0
0 0 0
Composite Interval vector:
6
2
4
4 2 1
Die Brücke: Textural Transformation
Rehearsal A-D (pp.1-4):
Coordinated ostinato
In Soprano/Alto parts
Temporal separation of
Soprano/Alto parts
Independent mobiles in
Soprano/Alto parts
Processed Soprano/Alto
parts in computer music
Die Brücke: Polychoral Layering
Rehearsal G-H (pp.7-11):
Choir 2:
Choir 1:
Die Brücke: Ascending Contrapuntal Lines
Rehearsal H (pp.12-13):
Die Brücke: Ascending Contrapuntal Lines
Rehearsal H (pp.12-13):
Die Brücke: Cyclical Mobiles
Rehearsal I-L (pp.7-11):
Mobile 1:
Mobile 2:
Mobile 3:
Die Brücke: Registral Expansion
Rehearsal L-M (pp.18-21):
Die Brücke: Registral Expansion
Rehearsal L-M (pp.18-21):
Die Brücke: Registral Expansion
Rehearsal L-M (pp.18-21):
Der Geier: Pitch materials
Opening choral sonorities:
Pitch class sets:
Interval vector:
m2 M2 m3 M3 P4 TT
4-10(12) [0,2,3,5]
4-3(12) [0,1,3,4]
1 2
2 1
§  Four nested [0235] sets: SA, TB, SB, AT
§  Composite set = octatonic scale
§  Second pitch class set [0134] also derived from octatonic scale
§  These two cells are the pitch basis for the entire movement.
2 0 1 0
2 1 0 0
Der Geier: Timbral Transformation
Rehearsal A-B (pp.23-24):
Der Geier: Mobiles
Rehearsal A-B (pp.23-24):
Soprano/Alto mobile:
Tenor/Bass mobile:
Each mobile consists of two [0235] tetrachords; combined to form octatonic collection
Der Geier: Tetrachordal Chain
Rehearsal D-G (pp.27-30):
[0235] cells: prime [2035] and inversion [3520]
Der Geier: Tetrachordal Chain
Rehearsal D-G (pp.27-30):
[0235] cells: prime [2035] and retrograde [5302]
Der Geier: Registral Expansion
Rehearsal G-H (pp.31-33):
[0134] cell
Octatonic collection
(two [0134] cells)
Der Geier: Registral Expansion
Rehearsal G-H (pp.31-33):