108
DA SHELDON
suggest the typically homophonic (theme and accompaniment) texture of the mode
style, with its Ouctuatlng number of parts, It was also used on occasIOn 10 reference ~
contrapuntal textures (fugue, and even canon). To Marpurg, author of the first monogr a
devoted to canon and fugue, "a rather galant three- or four-part counterpoint" m aph
counterpoint that was freely imitative and open, and the "galant canonic manner of
signified canons in which the strict rules were relaxed. See Friedrich Wilhelm Marp 109
Abhandlung von der Fuge, 2 vols. (Berlin: Haude und Spener, 1754), 2: xix and 94 respurg,
ively.
eCI­
43 As Siegfried Kross has pointed out, Mattheson was not as rigidly rationalist on the ma
of taste as was, for example,: Scheibe. Responding to.Scheibe's reliance on rules in
of taste, Mattheson wntes: It IS true that taste exammes and Judges; however, it can n
draw final conclusions. Used properly, it is like a comfortable wagon. However, if Onever
not
the
can be. overturned." See Siegfried Kross, "Mattheson
Gottsched, New Mallheson StudieS, ed. George J. Buelow and Hans Joachim M
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983),341. Cf. Johann Mattheson, Die
Untersuchung der Stngsplele, nebst bryge/ugter muslkaluchen Geschmacks-Probe (Hamburg, 1744
fac. repr., Kassel: Barenreiter, 1975), 123.
'
44 Indeed, the great popularity of the word galant was due in large part to its many shades and
amblgUltles of meanmg. With regard to galont Ideahsm, as well as lts styhstic/aestheti
meaning, one is reminded of Marpurg's response to Johann Philipp Kimberger, to
galant merely meant the breaking of rules. "Mr. Kirnberger says furthermore: In a free
fugue one can take certain freedoms which I myself take, which would not pass for galanl.
Then what does galant mean to a composer? It seems very much to me as when in a musi­
cal work, whatever the outer form, is found a pleasing melody, suitable to its prescribed
purpose, above a correct harmony so easy to comprehend that every listener, even those
who know nothing of the deep secrets of crab canons, finds pleasure in it and is moved by
it. In this sense do I defend the (use of the) word galant. If you like, my Herr Kimberger,
not to be galant in this sense, you may for all I care, for I certainly grant you the right not to
be galant. I assume, however, that you will call me galant because I ask a more correct
modulation of you in measures 38 and 42." See friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg, Kritische Briefl
uber die Tonkunst, 3 vols. (Berlin: Birnstiel, 1760-1764), 1: 202-03.
45 One might cite in this regard the title of one particular doctoral dissertation: See Howard].
Serwer, Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg (1718-1795): Music Critic in a Galant Age (Ph.D. dissen­
ation, Yale University, 1969; Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms, 70-2801). Roben
Marshall, in response to the translated portion of Dahlhaus' "Einleitiing," points out that
the phenomenon of national styles of mlisic constitutes one of the hallmarks of the
eighteenth century as a "music-historical e~och," but adds, however, that the "entire
century would be occupied first with the definition and description; then with attempts at
their combination, coordination and fusion; and ultimately with their transcendence and
transformation into something perceived as' ideologically and aesthetically far more
desirable: a uni"ersal musical style." See Robert Marshall, "The Eighteenth Century as a
Music-Historical Epoch: A DifIerent Argument for the Proposition," College Musu
wri~ant
Schubert's IIDie Liebe hat
gelogen": The deception of
mode.and mixture t
mat:~%
carefu~,
wa~on
~n~
neu~:
who~
SympoSIum 27 (1987): 202.
DEBORAH STEIN'·
IN SETTING VON PLATEN'S poem about the deception of love, Schubert
seemed to take on the challenge of finding a musical equivalent for the notion
of "deception." This terse song of painful deceit vividly projects a number of
innovative musical structures that suggest, even savor, deception. The present
paper thus wil.l study.these structu:es a.s both portrayals of poetic deception
and as innovatIve mUSICal constructIOns In theIr own nght. Ultimately, the use
of ~usical innovation in "Die Liebe hat gelogen" (Op. 23/1, 1822?) offers a
microcosm of a broader use of similar musical inventiveness throughout the
19th and early 20th centuries.
.' There is of course a danger in relating the music of a single art song to its
te)(J. In the present case, however, several factors support this interpretation of
SQ~ubert's musical portrayal of poetic deception. First, the specific musical
pRQGedures found in this song - use of modal ambivalence and the resultant
~.b$9,matic third relations, exploitation of plagal ambiguity, and creation of
,n.t.etijc tension and ambiguity - all exploit elements of amiguity.l These
~~~h.fliques certainly are used by Schubert to express a number of poetic ideas;
1It0~tver, as will be shown in "Die Liebe", the exploration of ambiguous
,rillabionships is particularly effective in depicting the poetic idea of betrayal. 2
,econd factor supporting the notion of Schubert using musical ambiguity
"e· service of the specific poetic idea of betrayal is the recurrence of such
)al structures in other songs setting poetry about deception. For
Rle, the following songs, representing a wide span of the composer's
,similarly depict some form of deception: "Meeres Stille" (Reichardt,
?~Das Madchen" (Schlegel, 1819); "Ge?eimes" (Goethe, 1821); and of
·jndebted to three Eastman graduate students, Hali Fieldman, Margaret Henry, and Steven Laitz,
colleague, Robert Morris, for their thoughtful reading of this paper and their many exceJlent
for both stylistic and conceptual revisions.
I
ical Research, 1999
09-131
\.
lilable directly from the publisher
:[tying permitted by license only
© Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, Inc., 1n9
Printed in the United Kingdom
110
D. STEIN
particular interest, the three songs published alongside "Die Liebe hat
gelong" in Op. 23: "Selige Welt" (Senn, 1822'), Op. 23, No.2; "Schwanen­
gesang" (Senn, 1822?), Op. 23, No.3; and "Schatzgrabers Begehr" (Schober,
1822?), Op. 23, No.4. The famous "Meeres Stille" depicts the irony of the
sea's foreboding stillness, "Das Madchen" speaks of a deceitful lover and
"Geheimes" portrays what Schubert scholar John Reed calls "a kind of secret
drama" of private love. 3 Meanwhile, all the Op. 23 songs convey poetry that
deals with some form of deception, be it delusion ("Selige Welt"), derange­
ment ("Schatzgrabers Begehr"), or ambivalence ("Schwanengesang"). The
present examination of "Die Liebe hat gelogen" thus is one of several songs
that aptly demonstrate what might be considered a Schubertian portrayal of
the recurring poetic problem of deception.
In its broadest sense," the term "musical deception" here denotes the
composer's setting up of certain musical expectations and then thwarting
them ("deceiving" the listener) with alternative musical structures. 4 The
musical expectations manipulated by Schubert in this song are predicated
upon the predictability of a normative melodic, harmonic, and metric syntax
within the common-practice tonal language, and while deviations from
traditional common-practice norms often are considered to be musical
innovations, such innovations in the context of this song are also understood
to be "deceptive" structures that embody important aspects of the poetic text.
The ensuing analysis will show that Schubert's musical deception spans a
wide spectrum of innovation - from a subtle transformation of commonplace
modal mixture to a bold exploitation of chromatic third relations. Indeed, the
stunning effect of the song derives from the fact that so much musical tension
is created and developed in such a short and seemingly simple setting.
Schubert deceives his listener in two different realms: the harmonic and the
metric. Within the harmonic realm, the composer thwarts aural expectations
through unusual forms of modal mixture and harmonic substitution, and
through an expansion of the plagal domain. 5 Within the metric realm,
Schubert confounds the listener either generally by creating an unpredictab~e
formal structure using uneven phrase lengths or specifically by creating metJ1C
discontinuity between vocal line and piano accompaniment, especially in ~e
musical setting of Stanza 2. In both realms, the composer depicts paJ n
through musical ambiguity and tension: in the harmonic realm, some of theSe
ambiguities are clarified by motivic interconnection and enharmonic reinter:
pretation; in the metric realm, phrasal expansion eases at least part of t~"e.
metric tension and irregularity. That some of the tension and ambiguI~i
s
remains unresolved at the song's conclusion will-be shown to be Schubert·
ultimate portrayal of the poet's deception.
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
111
THE POEM
John Reed's recent Schubert study has pointed out that in von Platen's poem
the composer took the unusual liberty of dramatically altering the poem's
6
original form. While the poem was originally two four-line verses (AB), the
setting changes the poem to three four-line stanzas (ABA), Stanza 2 offering
contrast to, and Stanza 3 literally repeating Stanza 1:
Die Liebe hat gelogen,
Die Sorge lastet schwer,
Betrogen, ach, betrogen
Hat alles mich umherl.
Love lied,
Sorrow weighs heavily,
Deceived, ah, deceived
By all around me (am 1)1
Es flieBen heisse Tropfen
Die Wange stets herab,
LaB ab, mein Herz, zu klopfen,
Du armes Herz, laB ab l
, Hot tears flow
Continuously down my cheeks,
Cease, my heart, to beat
'x: ou poor heart, cease I
Die Liebe hat gelogen,
Die Sorge lastet schwer,
Betrogen, ach, betrogen
Hat alles mich umher!
Love lied,
Sorrow weighs heavily,
Deceived, ah, deceived
By all around me (am IW
Von Platen's original poem was simple and direct. In the opening stanza, the
poet laments the pain of deceptive love, and in the second stanza, "hot tears"
?ow in a physical response to love's betrayal. The poetic address shifts inward
In Stanza 2, the poet beseeching his heart: "laB ab ... zu klopfen"; the poetic
change of address and the accompanying introspection in the second stanza
constitutes the climactic moment in the poem, whose simple progression
moves from declaration to despair.
SchUbert's change in poetic form dramatically alters the poem's meaning.
While the return of the opening stanza seems to be a literal repetition of the
?ening, it can be --...: and seemingly was by Schubert - interpreted as a trans­
lormation of the opening: from Stanza 2 we know the import of the poet's
.~ment; initial anguish of Stanza 1 has turned into a resigned acceptance of
t
of love's deception in Stanza 3. The return of Stanza 1 thus creates
w. a.t IS actually a "deceptive" symmetrical reprise, the symmetrical return was
by the poet and the
setting adds a new dimension to
ng of the poem. Henceforth 10 thIS paper, any reference to poetIC
~r,.roogrmeaOl
.
.' 'F' esslO n will refer to the composer's altered, three-part poetic form.
Igure 1 Shows the scansion and rhyme scheme of both stanzas 1 and 2.
~ P~in
~~ lnten~ed
comp~ser's.
112
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
D. STEIN
113
The Setting
Die Liebe hat gelogen,
Die Sorge lastet schwer,
:!
Betrogen, ach, betrogen
a
Hat alles mich umher l
b
Es OieBen heisse Tropfen
c
A
[declaration:
love deceived J
:I
Die Wange stets herab,
LaB ab, mein Herz, zu klopfen,
d
Du armes Herz, laB ab l
FIGURE 1
B
[change in address:
physical response]
i
Scansion and Rhyme scheme
The poem falls into consistent iambic trimeters with an extra halffoot at the
end of the first and third lines; these alternate lines link Stanza 2 to Stanzas 1
(and 3) by rhyming "-gen" (Stanzas 1 and 3) with "-fen" (Stanza 2). The poet
also creates continuity both within and across stanzas with several instances of
assonance (Figure 2).
Stanza 7
Stanza 2
(1)
"gelogen/Sorge/betrogen" ­
"Tropfen/klopfen" (within Stanzas)
(2)
"alIes"­
"Es OieBen heisse LaB/armes" (across Stanzas)
FIGURE 2
Poetic Assonance
Several factors about the poetic content, including Schubert's stanzaic
changes, have important implications for a musical setting. First, the poem
begins with the fact of love's deception: love's deception is neither mysteriouS
nor ambiguous; it is the central issue of the poem. Second, the poetic progreso
sion involves an emotional transformation, as painful despair becomes
resigned acceptance. The poem thus remains conceptually fixed on decepti~e
love, and only the poet's response to that deceit changes over time. The poetI~
pairing of conceptual fixation and emotional transformation in turn pos:s
specific' formal challenges to a musical setting; the "deceptive" symmetr\~
reprise must convey conceptual stasis even as it depicts emotional shift. W~
will see presently that Schubert's solution to this formal dichotomy is a
musical pairing of varied reprise with musical transformation.
This study will focus on two specific elements of Schubert's setting of "Die
Liebe": (1) the composing of musical structures that embody poetic decep­
tion; and (2) the song's evolutionary process that depicts the poem's emotional
transfOimation. The musical depiction of deception involves a variation
procedure, where a progression from C minor to A major (hereafter to be
called motive P) will recur in varied form throughout the song; the musical
transformation results from this variation process, as variants of motive P
ultimately involve conciliatory elements that reflect the poem's progression
from despair to resignation. The song's large-scale structure replicates the
altered form of the poem: in a modified ternary ABA', section A' (mm. 14-18)
begins as an exact repetition of section A (mm. 3-7). While the extent to which
the second A section (A') differs from the first (A) initially appears to be
relatively modest, we will see how the subtle changes found in A' evince the
composer's sophisticated treatment of his highly interpretive poetic progres­
sion.'
We initiate our study by establishing the musical context out of which
Schubert's deceptive musical structures emerge. A brief piano introduction
sets the stage for the musical drama; along with the song's essential motivic
material, the piano introduction presents as well several elements that will con­
spire toward the ensuing musical deceit. For reference, the score is included
(see Example 7) along with a voice-leading sketch of the entire song (Example 1).
Schubert begins "Die Liebe" with a relatively simple vocal line and piano
accompaniment. The piano introduction, which presents a number of
chromatic details in a low register, offers an unadorned progression that
captures the poem's somber" Stimmung."H Example 2(a) shows a detailed
reading of the piano introduction. The rhythmic motive R (bracketed in the
sketch) haunts the A and A' sections and becomes, as well, a foil for the
rythrnic tensions that ensue with the singer's upbeat to m.3. The simple
chordal texture continues inthe A and A' sections and is in contrast to the
synCOpated chordal accompaniment of Section B.
d As Example 2 (b) demonstrates, one crucial melodic motive occurs in thirds: a
boubl e neighbor motive in the low soprano, Eb-F-D-Eb, is mirrored below
pY the alto C-Db-(C)-B q-C. Though the upper double-neighbor figure (Eb­ h-D-Eb) is initially more audible, it is the lower configuration (C-Db-B q-C;
. [ ereafter called motive N) that generates the song's harmonic ambiguities. In
act
c , the initial foreground veiling of motive N might be considered the
i omposer's first act of musical chicanery.9 Note that motive N not only occurs
n transposed form in the uppermost voice, Eb-F-D-Eb, but also is echoed in
114
D. STEIN
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
~
rn
~
.1/
1
a,.
I
"
l[
.. .1.4 ..__._._
:R:
....11> .__ ..... _....._
-_. ---,.
c.. -mJ.n~
B
rnJ
~
\
I
J
;
- ,---_.-
rL
I
- - - - - - ._-_.
.
. " . ~1I ~
b.
.,.,::>
+6
:i
/
1.
....... 1....5
I
I
.....
-/
~l.i
[K]
Example 2: Piano Introduction
'"
~
"Z,
"
.1.
®
____
..JY'1r
....
i
__.k ..
Y!
® cknDl.9 .!> "d.
iv' +1>
3YoUUd..
Example 1
Middleground Sketch
the bass, as neighbour notes F and Ab resolve to G in m. 2. The analysis that
f@llo ws will show that the pairing of double-neighbor figures in the piano
!!iHroduction is a subtle foreshadowing of the complex two-fold melodic struc­
~k1r~ (C-Eb vs. C#-Eq) that shapes the remainder of the song.
The piano introduction also introduces two specific pitches - Db and Ab
~"i that will participate with the development of motive P throughout the rest
~!;the song. While all the chromatics of this opening two bars occur within the
~~~text of sonorit!es .characteristic of Schubert's tonal language, the Db and
.. Ab undergo slgmficant transformatIOns over the course of the song. Both
116
D. STEIN
the Db (of motive N) and the Ab (of the bIIland +6 chords) recur throughout
the song both melodically and harmonically and function ultimately as
crucial enharmonic puns, C#/Db and G#/Ab. 1O These pitches participate
within two forms of deceptive harmonic structuring: they create, in part
through modal mixture, various tonal ambiguities; and they form, through an
unusual kind of harmonic substitution, a complex network of chromatic third
relationships.
The motive P progression that depicts the poetic deception sets, appro­
priately, the words "gelogen" and "betrogen" in mm. 3-5. The chromatic third
relation C minor to A major captures the disorientation of the deceived lover.
The setting embodies confusion, first through the C major mode and then
through the agogically emphasized A major sonority; the modal change
seems to shift us out of C minor and the A major triad presents a harmony
that is remote to C in either mode. This laconic depiction of "gelogenl
betrogen" has a dual effect: the major mode becomes associated with the
poetic notion of deceit, and the third relationship between two sets of
harmonies built upon C and A forms a progression of deception that is
developed through variation - and is ultimately transformed - over the rest
of the song.
Example 3a shows how motive P arises from a normative tonal syntax: in
m. 3, C minor as I moves in logical fashion to Ab as VI en route to V (through
II ~-+6) in m. 4. 11 In m. 5, the tonic recurs in the major mode and moves to an
altered form of the submediant, A major (VI#). The function of A major in
m. 5 seems to be analogous to that of Ab in m. 3, upper neighbor to the V
(here by way of IV) of m. 6. Section A then concludes in C major, retaining
the modal "deception" of m. 5, and the listener awaits further clarification of
the meaning of both the major mode in general and of A major in particular.
Example 3b then shows how motive P is developed over the course of
Section B. First, a progression beginning in C minor (m. 8) moves to Ab (I-IV)
in m. 9; then a sequence of the progression, up a semitone in the neighboring
region of C# /Db minor (m. 10), concludes in A major, m. 11. Thus from m. 8
to m. 11 we have traversed the same progression, C minor to A major, as
heard in mm. 3-5, Section B serving to develop the terse progression of Section
A. The final two bars of Section B then resolve the A major of m. 11 as an
upper neighbor to V (m. 13), the dominant being the goal of the entire
section. Example 3c shows the final version of motive P in Section A': the C
minor triad (m. 14) moves ultimately to an A minor triad (m. 16) which
resolves to V (this time through Ie) in m. 17. The shift to minor mode for the
chord on A will be shown to be the crucial resolution of the recurring conflict
between the tonality of C and the major chord built on A in Sections A and B:
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
!>a-.: A
5
(,
"
~
d 1 1)
/I
"
-Sb: B
\...
·~i~P
i
'JL -".".'E
/---
1~ ~
8 __ .
If
-
._. .u...
..... . ~i~P_
I
~
~
.~
...
.L
lfo
~
j
.,
_
. ----W-.-.---~. ._.­
_ _...__ Jr. t>1I _
~
:d ....- .--.­
1C
~
_3c.;"'A~. __
· 14
'J
I
.1.D
L.....,~
---.i.(~)
..L.
117
11
d
Example 3: Motive P: The Progression of Deception
118
D. STEIN
Example 3 demonstrates how motive P develops the poetic idea of
"gelogen/betrogen" in concert with Schubert's revised poetic progression:
from acknowledgement of deceit and betrayal (Stanza 1) to physical response
and despair (Stanza 2) to an ultimately resigned and internalized acceptance
of love's deception (Stanza 3). The analysis that follows will study the
"gelogen/betrogen" motive P in greater detail by tracing how two compo·
sitional procedures - the use of modal mixture and enharmonic reinter­
pretation - generate, vary, and transform motive P over the course of the
song.
We return first to the "deceptive" progression C minor to A major of mm.
3-5. The word "gelogen" occurred on Ab (VI) and is aligned with pitches C,
Eb, and Ab. The chromatic pitches that depict "betrogen" in m. 5, are, first,
Eq, and then Aq and C#: the Eq and Aq can be understood to derive from
modal mixture and the C# is the aforementioned enharmonic equivalent of
the Db neighbor from m. 1. The first depiction of musical deception thus
invokes an unusual form of modal mixture and the notion of enharmonic
reinterpretation. 12
The procedures of modal mixture and enharmonic reinterpretation work in
the following way: Schubert sets up the first of his enharmonic puns in m. 1.
The pitch Db is heard initially within bII6/C minor, and thus is originally
affiliated with the third C-Eb and the minor mode. The introduction of the
melodic pitch Eq then occurs in m. 5 with the shift to C major. The C major
chord is heard initially as a form of modal mixture, a major tonic within the
minor mode; the Eq then is prolonged into m. 5, when the poetic repetition of
"betrogen" is set through the A-major sonority. In the context of the A-major
triad, the earlier C-major chord ceases to be merely a chord of modal mixture
and becomes instead a vehicle for the more innovative chromatic third
relation C to A, the Ob-within-C minor being transformed into C#-within-A
major. The C-major mode of deception becomes associated with A major
through the common tone Eq, and Eq also is linked with C#, that third
opposing the opening third C -Eb, with its C minor association. The shifts
between Eb and Eq and their respective associates, C q and C#, remain a
generating force throughout the rest of the song, and the pun C#/Db
continues to function as a mediator between the two conflicting harmonies of
C major/minor and A major/minor.
.
Just as the enharmonic relationship of C# /Ob relates to the double assoCi­
ations of the C-Eb third with C minor and C#-Eb third with C major, the
enharmonic dyad G # / Ab functions both within the C major/minor tonali~Y
and its third-related regions of A major/minor. In Section A (mm. 1-4), thIS
pivotal pitch is first heard as b6, where it always functions as upper neighbor
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
119
to G. In section B, Ab first is transformed to a local tonic such that G resolves
as a leading tone to Ab, which is now 8, in m. 11. The Ab then becomes
reinterpreted as G# in mm. 10-12, G# becoming the leading tone to the new
local goal of A major/minor. This new function of G# -as-leading-tone is
reinforced in m. 12 only to set up yet another deception; in m. 13, the G#
once again becomes Ab-as-b6, b6 resolving, once again, as upper neighbor to
G (5) at the ensuing half cadence. The resolution of the enharmonic pivots
C# /Db and G# / Ab occurs in Section A' and will be discussed in greater
detail below. Suffice to say here that the C# ultimately returns to its initial Db
(b2) function and that Ab retains its original function: b6 (realigned with Aq
as q6) as upper neighbor to V.
.
The creation of modal ambivalence through the transformation of simple
modal mixture is a subtle form of musical deception. Schubert recalls this
deceitful use of mixture throughout the rest of the song by incorporating
chords of traditional modal mixture into sections of both C major and C
minor: in C major, the minorJV chords of mm. 6, 7. and 18, and in C minor,
the passing VI~ chord from the parallel major of m. 16.
The modal ambivalence resulting from the use of C major in m. 5 thus
initiates a complex network of harmonic relations that involves both simple
and deceptive mixture within the two harmonic functions of C (major and
minor) and A (major and minor). In fact, this brief song is a virtual catalog of
19th-century third relations, both the traditional diatonic (e.g., in C minor:
I-VI) and the innovative chromatic (e.g., in C major: I-VI#). Example 4 traces
the structures that evolve on a middleground level; the notational device
~-b denotes the shifts between the two sets of pitches - Eb/Eq and Ab/Aq ­
th~t mediate between the third-related keys of C major/minor and A major/
mlOor. Note that the C-major chord of m. 5, the A minor chord of m. 12, and
the A-minor 6 chord of m. 16 all are heard initially as foreground sonorities
---q
~--~
Ii
1>
B
q- - ­
1>
12..
T
_
~
l~.·
'.
I
if_ p,_--:-?
t."F
i ·:H~
-.1
1\1]1#-;---,­ ,._--:- --l1rLI1f~-- - ':1'-.-1----------· H[\
Example 4: Harmonic Tensions, MiddJeground
1
120
D. STEIN
~
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
121
)
resulting from traditional modal mixture and are understood subsequently as
middleground elements of a pervasive modal ambivalence.
Schubert captures the poetic climax in a remarkable conciliation of the two
harmonic domains of C minor and A major/minor. By the end of m. 11, A
major is once again a polarity to C minor of m. 8, the resolution of this
harmonic tension occurring within the pivotal text "LaB ab, mein Herz, zu
klopfen,/du armes Herz, laB ab."lJ At the moment of the poet's deepest intro­
spection, the G# in m. 12, that had functioned as the leading tone in A
major/minor is reinterpreted in m. 13 as Ab: the b6/C cast within minor IV
en route to V/C.14 The crucial return to Aq occurs in mm. 15-16, where in
m. 15 the Ab of the b ~ and IV progresses in m. 16 through the +6 [F-Aq-C­
Eb(=D#)] to A-minor ~, A minor once again being heard as VIIC. As
mentioned earlier, this return to A minor occurs on the repetition of
"betrogen" in Section A'; here the A-minor ~ chord replaces the divisive A
major triad of m. 5 with a more conciliatory harmony that avoids the deceitful
C#. The song concludes in what is now the deceptive mode of C major, the
implication being that the singer remains in a state of betrayal even at the
song's conclusion.
As suggested earlier, the middleground conflicts between Aq and Ab are
echoed in foreground diminution in a recurring cadential phrase: mm. 6-7,
which closes section A, and mm. 17-18, which ends the entire song. In both
cases, the Aq (of m. 5 and m. 16) descends to Ab in a chromatic neighbor-note
configuration in the tenor. Despite the literal reiteration of this surface descent
in mm. 17-18, the respective functions of these two cadential gestures are
almost contradictory as they occur within wholly different poetic and musical
contexts. The first occurrence of this gesture Aq to Ab in mm. 6-7 serves the
crucial function of linking the close of Section A in C major with the opening
of Section B in C minor. The second occurrence (mm. 17-18) involves a trans­
formation of the shift from Aq to Ab; here, the goal is not C minor, but is
instead a preservation of C major. The Ab is a passing reminder of both the
pitch and the mode with which the piece began, the two having yielded to
counterparts of deceit: the pitch A and the C major mode.
Another way to conceptualize Schubert's portrayal of the poetry's decep'
tion is through two other techniques of harmonic manipulation: harmonic
substitution and plagal development. Harmonic, or third, substitution, is the
use of a chord a third away from an expected sonority, for example VI for I in
the deceptive cadence. For the substitution to work, there must be at least onl~
common tone between the expected chord and the substitute one.
Harmonic substitution occurs twice in the song, in the aforementioned setting
of the text "betrogen," in m. 5 of Section A and analogously in m. 16 of
.
I
\
•
Section A'. Especially notable here is that the deceptive sonorities here not
only substitute within third relations (I-VI) but also by what might be called
chromatic inflection: in lieu of the expected Ab chord (VI) of m. 3, m. 5
includes the chromatic variant A major (WI#), which initiates the polar­
ization of Ab and A q that continues throughout the song. As noted earlier,
when the A' section repeats the opening A material in mm. 14-18, the A major
substitute of m. 5 itself recurs by proxy, namely by its modal counterpart, A
minor (in ~ position).16 The original Ab submediant once again has been
substituted, this time so that the song may conclude in C major. Schubert's
use of harmonic substitution thus creates a direct musical counterpart to the
poetic notion of "betrogen", and the poetic deception is intensified by the
substitution of chromatically altered chords for the more traditional,
common-practice diatonic third substitutes.
Schubert develops the plagal domain in two distinct ways, first by his
exploration of the rich variety of plagal elements in expanded plagal sections
(in Section A alone, mm. 1,3,4,5-7), and second in his use of a form of plagal
ambiguity called "translormation of tonic function" (hereafter called TIF),
where the tonic function is transformed into V of the subdominant. '7 In
general terms, the "plagal domain" denotes both the subdominant harmony
and a complex network of harmonic relationships that expand upon the
traditional common-practice subdominant function. This involves any
prolongation of the predominant function, and includes various forms of II,
IV, VI, (e.g., using mixture bIl, IVb, bVI, etc.). Expansion of the plagal
domain often involves some form of mixture (e.g., in major, IVb) or substi­
tution (e.g., in major, VI# for IV), and these changes often create ambiguity,
for example, in this song, A major for Ab major in m. 5. A special part of the
exploitation of ambiguity within the plagal domain is the functional shift of I
becoming V of IV; this TIF, which destabilizes the tonic, will be discussed
mare fUlly below. 18
The ubiquitous rhythmic motive R helps focus upon the first form of plagal
development; the plagal sonorities always receive agogic emphasis by falling
On the half note. Further, Example 5 shows that while Schubert does use
plagal harmonies for the traditional predominant function, the weight of
musical activity and development takes place within this plagal domain rather
t?an the tonic or dominant areas; the dominant is never prolonged, but func­
hons solely as an articulative, cadential harmony.
Example 5 also shows the variety inherent within the plagal domain: m. 1
~:esents bII6: m.2, the +6 chord; m.3, the crucial bVI chord; m.4, the
dIatonic II~ and +6 chords; and m.5, the substitute A major, VI#. The
evelopment of the plagal domain also veils the song's metric organization as
122
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
D. STEIN
. _._-_.=
voice exchanges between F/F# and Ab of Section A (mm. 1-2 and 4) now are
answered by one between F and D#(Eb)/Dq of Section A' (mm. 16-17). Two
changes result from this shift from the third Ab-F /F# to the third F-D# /Dq.
First, while the diatonic and chromatic pitches of the voice exchange in
Section A resolve to the dominant (F, F#, and Ab to G), the analogous voice­
exchange pitches of Section A' elaborate upon plagal harmonies (F and D# to
the Eq, and Dq to the C of the A-minor ~ chord) and thereby defer resolution
to the dominant. 20 This corresponds to the functions of the respective sections:
Section A defines the tonality of C with neighbor notes to its dominant, G,
and Section A' prepares for closure in C through prolongation of the plagal
domain with neighbor notes to pitches C and Eq. A second change is that this
voice exchange spans not a passing V as it had in m. 2, but rather the
conciliatory harmony: VI~.
.
The harmonic progression that results from relegating the VI~ to a passing
function is shown in Example 6: I-VI-bII~-IV-+6-P-IF-V-I.
'--t
~.rr~
.,
··~(~)]I--ii~"'·::"'-
---IiI' JI----~-(y')-::- . Jr
Example 5 Development of the Plagal Domain
it extends across bar lines between mm. 1-2 and 3-4 (the V with its 4-3 suspen­
sion on the downbeat of m. 2 is a passing chord between bII 6 and +6). The
dominants that close the first two phrases thus occur not on downbeats but
rather on beat 3 of mm. 2 and 4. The metric ambiguity that results from this
expanded use of plagal elements will be explored further below in a discussion
of the song's metric structure.
As already suggested, Section A' continues to elaborate upon the song's
important plagal development. The plagal elements of Section A are
expanded into more complex harmonies: in m. 15, the Neapolitan of m. 1
returns in its dissonant ~ position and leads to [V 7 ]-IV; the first sonority of
m. 16 initially sounds like a V7(Bb within the subdominant (IV/IV), but
actually functions as +6 of A, VI in C. These altered harmonies intensify the
"reprise" of A' and, at the same time, reassert the conflict between the pitches
Ab and Aq. The subdominant setting of "alles" in m. 6 now recurs in the
guise of a IF in m. 17, which leads to the authentic cadence in C major. This
substitution of IF for IV in m. 17 contributes to a motivic third descent, Eq­
Dq -C, which brings the song to an unexpected C major close; this is in
dramatic defiance of the Eb-Db-C third that opened Section A' in both the
voice and the right hand of the piano.
Several additional plagal issues surrounding the harmonic design of A'
warrant discussion. While many of the elements of A are reiterated in A', the
syntax of the two sections differs dramatically. First, the anteceden t­
consequent phrase structure of A is elided in A', the half-cadence of m· 4
being replaced by the plagal expansion in m. 15 (bII~-[IF-V~]-IV). Second, the
return of Eq in the voice and right hand piano part occurs supported not by
the I-VI # progression of m. 5, but by the A-minor chord in ~ position of m· 16.
This contributes to the overall plagal expansion in the song as well as
initiating the motivic third descent in the bass, Eq -Dq _C. 19
A third important component to the plagal development of A' is that the
123
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(£)
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Example 6 Deceptive Voice Exchange in Section A'
,i
While the
VI~ chord seems easily subsumed by the voice exchange,
the crucial
~elnterpretation of the Eb as D# (over the F chord in m. 16; denoted by
racket above the stafO and its resolution to Eq creates two types of harmonic
tr~nsformation: first, the +6 function of the F7 chord (m. 16) recalls and
reInterprets the function of the tonality-defining +6 chords in Section A; and
the resolution of this +6 chord to the VI~ provides the modal shift
rOm C minor to C major, creating a transformation of its counterpart in
~econd,
124
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
D. STEIN
Section A. The modal ambivalence of Eb/Eq now is resolved through
enharmonic reinterpretation, with the result that the +6 and passing VI~
chords are in reality the modal pivots of the entire A' section. As such,
Example 6 confirms the extraordinary function of the VI~ chord, whose
dramatic resolution of tonal and modal tensions is deceptively veiled by its
contrapuntal passing function: in a deceitful twist of remarkably irony,
Schubert shifts from the minor to the major mode with a passing chord in ~
position, and with the pivotal A harmony being not in major but in minor!
The material of the A section thus is entirely recast in a deft expansion,
synthesis, and reconciliation of previously deceptive harmonic elements.
The prolongation of plagal harmonies is crucial to this song, since they
incorporate the very pitches and sonorities Schubert uses to create deception:
C# IDb, Abl Aq, variously resolving +6 chords, and a variety of plagal chords
in both diatonic (II, IV, VI) and chromatic (bII, minor IV, VIi) versions.
Indeed, it is within the plagal domain that Schubert initiates and ultimately
resolves most of his most ambiguous musical structures.
Schubert also exploits the plagal domain through the aforementioned TTF,
where the tonic C major becomes V 7 of IV in mm. 6-7 and 17-18. These
cadential areas have already been described in some detail; what should be
emphasized here is that the closure of Section A and of the song as a whol~
occurs through the deceitful gesture of turning the tonic into a dominant an~
thereby threatening a shift in tonal focus. The effect is two-fold: first, th~
importance of the plagal domain is underscored by the allusion to IV as a
potential tonal polarity; and second, the functional transformation of C maj0Il,
however tentative, has the effect of casting into doubt the role of C as toni
Equally important, of course, is the fact that the cadential gesture initiated by
the TTF passes from major to minor IV, which incorporates the crucial Aq·
Ab shift. Once again betrayal involves the tension between Aq and Ab, this'
time in a context of harmonic transformation. This is vivid text portrayal, as
Stanza 1 has just stated "betrogen hat alles mich umher." What seems to b~
our new tonic, C major, may actually be V of F: once again, C major
uncomfortably associated with the notion of betrayal.
Turning now to the metric realm, we find that Schubert's techniques 0.
metric deception equal in ingenuity his structures of harmonic deceit. Tn
general metric ambiguity of Sections A and A' has already been mention e
More specifically, the song's opening and closing sections depict the poeJ
singer's dilemma through use of contradictory metric designs between vor{;
line and piano accompaniment. This discontinuity between melody an:
harmony continues in heightened form in the B Section, where phras
ambiguity is cast into a new context of triple meter groupings.
is
125
To demonstrate the metric tensions of the song, Example 7 suggests that
the listener might hear the opening piano phrase within an entirely different
metric scheme from that of the printed score. The initial tonic would be heard as
an upbeat to the metrically stressed bW, which in turn would lead, through the
plagal extension of +6, to the metrically stressed dominant in the song's second
full measure. While many Schubert songs set iambic poetry in duple with strong
accents on 3 as well as 1, the ambiguity of metric weight between beats 1 and 3
in "Die Liebe" creates subtle metric tension, especially when the piano has, as
written, stronger stresses on beat 3 and the voice enters, was written, with a
stress on beat 1. The rebarred entrance of the vocal line creates metric
dissonance with the accompaniment, then, as it would be heard to enter with
an anacrusis to beat 3 rather than to beat 1. The rebarring of Example 7 shows
how the phrase structure continues to place the dominants and the final tonic
on (rebarred) downbeats, and thereby allows the vocal line to stress the
poetry's inherent rhymes and assonances: "gelogenlbetrogen" and "schwerl
umher". The suggested rebarring also gives metric prominence to the earlier
described plagal pfolongations.
While Example 7 underscores the song's unique plagal development
through metric ambiguity, it also creates unsettling metric contradictions
within many of the vocal line's most dramatic moments: the setting of the text
"Die Liebe" through an ascending leap of a 6th, of "die Sorge" above a
dissonant II~, the initial setting of "betrogen" through a chromatic 6th leap (G
to E ) above the tonic in major, and the climactic setting of "alles" over the
subdominant (including the tenor descent A -Ab-G) all now occur on beat 3
rather than beat 1. While the rebarring of the A section returns the metric
weight to the more traditional dominant and concluding major tonic in the
accornpaniment, it undermines the interrelationship between melodic
. structure and harmonic support: the vocal line does not really fit.
Section A thus contains several forms of metric ambiguity: (1) the metric
arnbival~nce of the piano introduction suggests at least two metric designs
that might follow in the piano accompaniment, only one of which coincides
~ornfortably with either the actual or rebarred vocal line; and (2) the vocal line
Itself is metrically problematic. As already stated, the rebarring of the opening
creates formal contradictions in melodic shape and text declamation; as the
sc
.
. ore IS notated, on the other hand, the end of the first vocal phrase comes not
On the expected downbeat, but rather on beat 3 of m. 6: the vocal line ends too
soon, necessitating the piano interlude of m. 7.
th By the ~nd of Section A, metric ambiguity is a formal factor, both within
e v.ocal hne and between the vocal line and piano accompaniment. 21 The
rnetnc tensions continue in Section B, which begins either as written - on the
D. STEIN
126
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
127
Die Liebe hat gelogen.
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128
D. STEIN
downbeat of m. 8 after the truncated tonic arrival of m. 7 - or, as in Example
7 - on beat 1 of a rebarred m. 7. In both versions, metric problems ensue; as
written, Section A ends too soon and in the rebarred version, Section B begins
prematurely. The metric ambiguities of Section B intensify the initial tensions
in two ways: first, the harmonic progression suggests a possible shift to triple
meter or a rebarring in duple, and second, the section incorporates a two-bar
interpolation (mm. 10-11).22 The harmonic design suggests a 3+1 beat
grouping so that tonicized harmonies are given traditional metric stress. As
the section comes to a close, the three-beat phrases yield to a six-beat phrase
(denoted by the bracket) thereby allowing the V~ to arrive on a downbeat
(agogically emphasized by the fermata). This rebarring creates the same
problem for the return of A in m. 14 as had been encountered with the
beginning of Section B: A' seems to begin too soon.
While Example 7 suggests a reconsideration of the metric scheme in
Section B that coincides with traditional tonal function, the fact remains that
viewed either way the section contains extraordinary metric tensions that
remain unresolved at the return of A (A') in m. 14. Corresponding to the close
of Section A, both Section A' and the song as a whole conclude half a measure
prematurely in the vocal line and piano accompaniment, leaving the piano
postlude to provide the necessary phrasal conclusion. Even so, the piano
postlude ends early, the final tonic occurring not on a downbeat but, in the
context of the written score, on beat three of the final measure. Section A'
then, both continues the metric tensions of section B and repeats the metric
ambiguities of Section A: the song ends in a state of unresolved metric tension
that dramatically depicts the poet's lingering despair.
Schubert's use of deceptive musical structures, both harmonic and metric,
has proved extraordinary. As a final act of deceit, Schubert brings the song to
a close with neither reconciliation of harmonic and modal tensions nor
resolution of metric and rhythmic ambiguities. Though the voice-leading
sketch of Example 1 shows a clear Urlinie descent, the piano postlude ends
problematically: the song appears to conclude in the wrong mode as well as
on the wrong beat.
The curious ending of this song underscores the remarkable innovativen esS
of Schubert's setting. The metric confusion of the final C major chord tends to
undermine its cadential effect, and the ending in C major is tonally unsettling,
in part because of the shift in mode and due, as well, to a general uncertainty
surrounding C major as tonic. That the song ends in such a state of harmonIc
and metric irresolution challenges our traditional concept of musical
coherence. The tendency to attribute such anomalous musical structures
solely to an extra-musical poetic depiction is unfortunate in that it denies the
l
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
129
song's inherent, if not immediately comprehensible, musical logic. The
ambiguity surrounding this piece, and the other songs of Op. 23, suggests it to
be a precursor of later 19th-century works - both vocal and instrumental _
that embrace formal ambiguity as a new dimension to a heightened tonal
language. These Schubert songs thus require the listener to accept an inno­
vative concept of tonality, one that utilizes ambiguity as a formal element and
demands new criteria for apprehending a unique inner coherence.
Notes
1. My book, Hugo Wolf's Lieder and Extenszons of Tonality (Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press,
1985), proposes a concept" called "the ambiguity principle." According to this principle, an
initial creation of ambiguity (harmonic, metric, textural, etc) and its subsequent c1ariIi­
cation are powerful formal devices which replace traditional common-practice formal
designs based on repetition and contrast (see especially pp. 5-12).
2. These general stylistic features are found in many, diverse Schubert Lieder. For example,
the following songs, seHing a variety of poets over a wide spectrum of the composer's short
life (1797-1828), all use similar procedures to treat diverse poetic subjects: "Die
Mondnacht" (Kosegarten, 1815); "Vergebliche Liebe" (Bernard, 1815); Hymne IV
(Novalis, 1819); "Ihr Grab" (Roos, 1822?); "Nacht und Traume" (Collin, 1825?); along
with two songs that have the additional feature of beginning and ending in different keys,
"Die Schatten" (Matthisson, 1813) and "Die verfehlte Stunde" (Schlegel, 1816). These
songs set such disparate poetic ideas as longing for peaceful death ("Nacht und Traume"
and "Ihr Grab") and the pain of obsessive, heart-breaking love ("Vergebliche Liebe").
3. John Reed, The Schubert Song Companion (New York: Universe Books, 1985), 238.
4. For several penetrating discussions of innovation in musical language, see Leonard
Meyer's essay, "Innovation, Choice, and the History of Music," (Critical Inquiry 9/3 [1983J:
517-44) and Leo Treitler's earlier study, "History, Criticism, and Beethoven's Ninth
Symphony," (79th-Century Music, III/3 [1980J: 193-21).
5. The richness of the pIa gal function was first noted by Charles J. Smith in "Prolongations
and Progressions as Musical Syntax" (Music Theory: Special Topics, Richmond Browne, ed.,
[New York: Academic Press, 1981): 139-174); see particularly pp. 157-161. The concept of
a -"plagal domain" was developed in my doctoral dissertation, Extended-tonal Procedures in the
Lieder of Hugo Wolf, (Yale University, 1982) and subsequently refined in an article, "The
Expansion of the Subdominam in the Late Nineteenth Century" (]MT 27/2 [Fall, 1983J:
153-180) and the above-cited book, Hugo WOlf's Lieder. The use of the plagal domain in the
6 present Study will be explicated below.
.
~ee
Reed, Compamon, p. 169. The author also chronicles how and when he believes
. chubert obtained a copy of the poem through a mutual friend, Franz Bruchmann, who,
In 1822, forwarded Schubert's setting to the poet. Schubert's revision of von Platen's poem
COnfirmed through August Graf von Platens Samtliche Werke [Funfter Band, Vierter Teil]
7. T elpzIg: Max Hesses Verlag, 1909).
it
Ghe translation, by the author, is literal and attempts
8 Terman as possible.
. r.he useful concept of "Stzmmung"
to
be as faithful to the original
is explained by Jurgen Thym in his 1985 edition, 700
TeaTS of Ezchendorff Songs, Recent Researches in the Music of the Nineteenth and Early
Wentreth Centuries, Vol. 5, (Madison: A-R Editions, Inc). Thym uses the term
speCIfically to refer to a "state of Stzmmung [wherein] one experiences an interrelationship
130
t
D. STEIN
between the self and nature; an outside phenomenon such as the nocturnal landscape
reflects the disposition of the soul, or the soul corresponds harmoniously with the
landscape." (p. xi). Here the term is invoked for a more general meaning, i.e., a poetic
mood that captures and embodies a complex mixture of ideas and emotions.
9. In an informal presentation at the Eastman School of Music during the Spring of 1984,
Carl Schachter discussed the important motive N of this song within several contexts, one
being how the motive recurred in all three sections of the song and at a variety of structural
levels. Within the present discussion of anomalous structures, however, motive N is consid·
ered to be relatively normative and is not of primary concern.
10. The term "enharmonic pun" can denote a variety of functions. Here, the enharmonic pun
of C# /Db has two distinct meanings, each within a dilTerent structural level. First, on a
foreground level the pitch Db has. a contextual meaning distinct from its enharmonic
counterpart, C#. The pitch Db is b2 (or the root of BII) within the tonality of C, while C#
is #3 within the submediant, VI#, of C major. In a second sense, the two dilTerentiated
foreground functions of pitch class C# /Db merge on the middleground level as two sides
of a musical pun. Within the overriding cont<;"xt of C as prevailing tonic, all Cis are under·
stood as enharmonic equivalents of Db (b2). Therefore, the middleground C# upper
neighbor in Section B (m. 10; see Example I) is really a misspelled Db neighbor to the C
of m. 8 and m. 14.
II. Because of the numerous occurrences of modal shift in this song, the normal convention of
upper case Roman numerals for major and lower case for minor is avoided; rather, all
Roman numerals will be upper case, with minor chords more clearly denoted by the label
«minor."
12. The theoretical terms "secondary" and "double" mixture are deliberately avoided in this
discussion in order to focus upon the use of modal mixture for poetic expression. The more
technical terms are aptly described by Edward Aldwell and Carl Schachter in Chapter 30
of their text, Harmony and Voice Leading, (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.,
1979), 186-193. The text olTers a clear explication of all forms of mixture in tonal mUSIC:
simple mixtyre is, of course, the traditional borrowing of chords from the parallel minor,
including blI; secondary mixture, meanwhile, is a chromatic alteration of diatonic chords,
making traditionaJly minor chords major (e.g., in the major mode, H#, III #, VII) or tradl'
tionally major chords minor (e.g., in the minor mode, blIb, I1Ib, Vlb); double mixture,
finally, is a two-stage mixing of mode, where secondary mixture (chromatic alteration)
occurs within the opposite mode: in C Major, bIIb or bIlIb; in C minor, II#, III # . In the
song under analysis, the use of A major within C major is a form of secondary mixture
(VI#); the song is cited as such in the text's Workbook, Vol II, p. 142. The use of A maJo~
within C minor, meanwhile, is double mixture (qVI#). In order to highlight the use 0
these complex mixtures in the service of text depiction, I prefer to label any form of mixture
beyond simple mixture to be "deceptive" rather than "secondary" or "double".
. A
13. Interestingly, historical editions of this song vary with respect to the mode of this crucial
harmony at the end of m. II. The most reliable sources print A major in m. II; these
include the score used herein, from the Schubert's Werlce [Series 20, no. 410J (Leipzig: Breltj
kopf & Ha.rtel, 1895), and more recently, the Neue Schubert-Ausgabe.(Lieder, Band 2, Tell:
n
(Kassel: Barenrelter-Verlag, 1975) and the C.F. Peters editIon publIshed In 1986. JO
Reed reports that while both the autograph and most contemporary copies do not s~rvIVC;
"in August 1823 the song was published by Sauer and Leidesdorf [and thatJ in thlsfa~
edition, ,and subsequent reprintings, the last chord of ?ar II is that of A minor. In the
samtausgabe, however, the phrase ends, more convInCIngly, on the major chord, and.
analogy with the preceding phrases is preserved." Companion, 169.
"d
14. The transformation of A minor from minor I to VI of C major/minor had been preP%~g
on the foreground level. The tenor chromaticism, occurring first in mm. 6-7 and recuJ11
;t;;
SCHUBERT: DECEPTION OF MODE AND MIXTURE
131
later in 17-18, includes a chromatic descent Aq-Ab-G. This elegant chromatic gesture will
be explored further below.
IS. For a fuller explication of the concept known as "harmonic substitution" see Hugo Wolf's
Lieder, 7-12.
[
16. Robert Morris has noted how the progression +6 on F to A-minor ~ of m. 16 reverses the
harmonic syntax of th~ A major to F major/minor chords of mm. 5-6. Monis points out
that the ensuing progression of A minor to D minor (VIIC-IF/e) in m. 17 this resolves the
potential function of A major in m. 5 as V/II in C.
17. For references to the development of the plagal domain, see Note 5.
18. The use of TTF to destabilize the tonic is altogether different from that progression in
either opening or cadential passages, where TTF actually reinforces the tonic through
reference to IV prior to an authentic cadence. This important functional distinction in use
of TTF will be further clarified presently.
19. Note the progressive nature of plagal expansion: where the pJagal prolongation in Section
A had spanned either 3 or 4 beats, the prolongation of plagal harmonies in A' spans almost
three full measures (11 continuous beats).
20. In the colloqium mentioned in Note 9, Carl Schachter cited this voice exchange in a
slightly dilTerent context.
21. Recall the ambiguity principle cited in Note I.
22. In the presentation at Eastman, Schachter also noted the metric tensions within Section B.
In addition to stating the need for metric expansion in this section, he pointed out that the
rests on the downbeats of the vocal line create an eighth-note displacement that continues
into m. II. The vocal line's displacement is enhanced by the accompanimental
syncopation that characterizes Section B. This syncopation exacerbates Section B's already
formidable metric distress and contributes to the section's overall rhythmic contrast to the
surrounding A sections.