The Standard Cantatas Part 21

The second part opens with a reflective soliloquy by the giant, followed by a plaintive chorus ("All now is lone and silent") describing the suffering of our Saviour on the cross and the sadness of a hermit gazing upon the scene. The giant approaches the latter, and a dialogue ensues between them, in which the ident.i.ty of the victim on the cross is revealed. Having found the King of the universe, Christophorus determines to devote himself to His cause, and inquires how he may serve Him. He is informed he must go to the swiftly-rolling river and carry the pilgrims across. A chanting chorus ("As flows the River seawards, so onward glide the Years") describes the work of the faithful toiler. Then comes a voice calling him, and he beholds an Infant waiting for him. He takes Him upon his shoulders and bears Him into the flood, but as he advances, bends and struggles beneath his load "as though the whole world he bore." He inquires the meaning, and the Voice replies:--

"Thou bear'st the world and bearest its Creator: This Child is Jesus, G.o.d's own Son.

Soldier of Christ!

Thine arms were charity and mercy, The arms of love.

Now mayst rejoice: The prize of thy faith is won."

A joyful, exultant chorus, ("Blessed of Rivers, the Child embrace") closes this very graceful little "legend."

Toggenburg.

"Toggenburg," a cycle of ballads, was written in 1880. The music is for solos and mixed chorus, the ballads being linked together by motives, thus forming a connected whole. The story is a very simple one. The bright opening chorus ("At Toggenburg all is in festive Array") describes the pageantry which has been prepared to welcome the return of Henry, Knight of Toggenburg, with his fair young Suabian bride, the Lady Etha.

The chorus is followed by a duet and alto or barytone solo, which indicate the departure of the Knight for the wars, and the Lady Etha's loss of the wedding ring. The next number, a solo quartet and chorus ("Ah! Huntsman, who gave thee the Diamond Ring?"), is very dramatic in its delineation of the return of the victorious Knight, who, observing the ring on the finger of the huntsman, slays him, and then in a fit of jealousy hurls the Lady Etha from the tower where she was waving his welcome. The next number is a female chorus ("On mossy Bed her gentle Form reposes"), very slow in its movement and plaintive in character. It is followed by a weird and solemn chorus ("Through the Night rings the Horn's Blast with Power"), picturing the mad ride of the Knight through the darkness, accompanied by the dismal notes of ravens and mysterious sounds like "greetings from the dead," which only cease when he discovers the corpse of his lady with the cross on its breast. A short closing chorus, funereal in style, ends the mournful story:--

"Toggenburg all is in mourning array, The banners wave, the gate stands wide, Count Henry returns to his home this day, In death he anew has won his bride.

Once more for their coming the hall is prepared, Where flickering tapers are ranged around, And far through the night in the valley are heard The chants of the monks with their mournful sound."

Though the work has somewhat both of the Schumann and Mendelssohn sentiment in it, it is nevertheless original and characteristic in treatment. The melodies are pleasing throughout, and cover a wide range of expression, reaching from the tenderness of love to the madness of jealousy, and thence on to the elegiac finale.

ROMBERG.

Andreas Romberg was born April 27, 1767, at Vechte, near Munster. At a very early age he was celebrated as a violinist. In his seventeenth year he made a _furor_ by his playing at the Concerts Spirituels, Paris. In 1790, with his cousin Bernhard, who was even more celebrated as a violoncellist (indeed the Rombergs, like the Bachs, were all musicians), he played in the Elector's band, and also went with him to Rome, where the cousins gave concerts together under the patronage of one of the cardinals. During the next four years Andreas travelled in Austria and France, and during his stay at Vienna made the acquaintance of Haydn, who was very much interested in his musical work. In 1800 he brought out an opera in Paris which made a failure. He then left for Hamburg, where he married and remained many years. In 1820 he was appointed court capellmeister at Gotha, and died there in the following year. Among his compositions are six symphonies; five operas, "Das graue Ungeheuer," "Die Macht der Musik," "Der Rabe," "Die Gross.m.u.th des Scipio," and "Die Ruinen zu Paluzzi;" and several cantatas, quartets, quintets, and church compositions. Of all his works, however, his "Lay of the Bell" is the best known. A few years ago it was the stock piece of nearly every choral society in Germany, England, and the United States; and though now relegated to the repertory of old-fas.h.i.+oned music, it is still very popular.

Lay of the Bell.

The "Lay of the Bell" was composed in 1808, the music being set to Schiller's famous poem of the same name, whose stately measures are well adapted to musical treatment. It opens with a ba.s.s solo by the Master, urging on the workmen:--

"In the earth right firmly planted, Stands well baked the mould of clay: Up, my comrades, be ye helpful; Let the bell be born to-day."

The full chorus responds in a rather didactic strain ("The Labor we prepare in Earnest"), and as it closes the Master gives his directions for lighting the fire in the furnace and mixing the metals. In this manner the work progresses, the Master issuing his orders until the bell is ready for the casting, the solo singers or chorus replying with sentiments naturally suggested by the process and the future work of the bell. The first of these responses is the chorus, "What in the Earth profoundly hidden," a smoothly flowing number followed by a soprano solo ("For with a Burst of joyous Clangor"), a pleasantly-rippling melody picturing the joys of childhood, and a spirited tenor solo ("The Youth, Girl-playmates proudly leaving") indicating the dawn of the tender pa.s.sion which broadens out into love, as the two voices join in the charming duet, "O tender Longing, Hope delightsome." The ba.s.s still further emphasizes their delight in the recitative, "When stern and gentle Troth have plighted," leading up to a long but interesting tenor solo ("Though Pa.s.sion gives way") which describes the homely joys of domestic life. The male chorus thereupon takes up the story in a joyful strain ("And the good Man with cheerful Eye"), and tells us of the prosperity of the happy pair and the good man's boast,--

"Firm as the solid earth, Safe from misfortune's hand, Long shall my dwelling stand;"

to which comes the ominous response of the female chorus:--

"Yet none may with Fate supernal Ever form a league eternal; And misfortune swiftly strides."

The Master now gives the signal to release the metal into the mould, whereupon follows a stirring and picturesque chorus ("Right helpful is the Might of Fire") describing the terrors of fire, the wild alarm, the fright and confusion of the people, the clanging bells and crackling flames, and the final destruction of the homestead, closing the first part.

The second part opens with the anxious orders of the Master to cease from work and await the result of the casting. The chorus takes up a slow and stately measure ("To Mother Earth our Work committing") which closes in a mournful finale describing the pa.s.sing funeral train, followed by a pathetic soprano solo which tells the sad story of the death of the good man's wife, while "To the orphaned Home a Stranger comes unloving Rule to bear." The scene now changes from a desolate to a happy home as the Master bids the workmen seek their pleasure while the bell is cooling. A soprano solo takes up a cheery strain ("Wends the weary Wanderer"), picturing the harvest home, the dance of the youthful reapers, and the joys of evening by the fireside, followed by a tribute to patriotism, sung by tenor and ba.s.s, the pleasant scene closing with an exultant full chorus ("Thousand active Hands combining"). The Master then gives the order to break the mould, and in contemplation of the ruin which might have been caused had the metal burst it, the chorus breaks out in strong, startling phrases picturing the horrors of civil strife ("The Master's Hand the Mould may shatter"). The work, however, is complete and successful, and in the true spirit of German Gemuthlichkeit the Master summons his workmen:--

"Let us, comrades, round her pressing, Upon our bell invoke a blessing.

'Concordia,' let her name be called: In concord and in love of one another, Where'er she sound, may brother meet with brother."

The cantata closes with a last invocation on the part of the Master, followed by a jubilant chorus ("She is moving, She is moving").

SCHUBERT.

Franz Peter Schubert was born in Vienna, Jan. 31, 1797, and received his first musical lessons from his father and his elder brother Ignaz. In his eleventh year he sang in the Lichtenthal choir and shortly afterwards entered the Imperial Convict School, where for the next three or four years he made rapid progress in composition. In 1813 he returned home, and to avoid the conscription entered his father's school as a teacher, where he remained for three years, doing drudgery but improving his leisure hours by studying with Salieri and devoting himself a.s.siduously to composition. His life had few events in it to record. It was devoted entirely to teaching and composition. He wrote in almost every known form of music, but it was in the Lied that he has left the richest legacy to the world, and in that field he reigns with undisputed t.i.tle.

Unquestionably many of these songs were inspirations, like the "Erl King," for instance, which came to him in the midst of a carousal. The most famous of them are to be found in the cycluses "Mullerlieder," "Die Gesange Ossians," "Die Geistlichen Lieder," "Die Winterreise," and "Der Schwanengesang." They are wonderful for their completeness, their expression of pa.s.sion, their beauty and grace of form, the delicacy of their fancy, and their high artistic finish. Among the other great works he has left are the lovely "Song of the Spirits over the Water," for male voices; "Die Allmacht;" "Prometheus;" "Miriam's War Song;" the eight-part chorus "An den Heiligen Geist;" the "Momens Musicale;" impromptus and Hungarian fantasies for piano; the sonatas in C minor and B flat minor; nine symphonies, two of them unfinished; the trios in B flat and E flat; the quartets in D minor and G major; the quintet in C; two operas, "Alfonso and Estrella" and "Fierrabras;" the ma.s.s in G, which he wrote when but eighteen years of age, and the ma.s.s in E flat, which was his last church composition. His catalogued works number over a thousand. He died Nov. 19, 1828, and his last wish was to be buried by the side of Beethoven, who on his death-bed had recognized "the divine spark" in Schubert's music. Three graves only separate the great masters of the Symphony and the Lied in the cemetery of Wahring.

Miriam's War Song.

The majestic cantata, "Miriam's War Song," was written in March, 1828, the last year of Schubert's life,--a year which was rich, however, in the productions of his genius. The beautiful symphony in C, the ma.s.s in E flat, the string quartet in C, the three piano sonatas dedicated to Schumann, the eight-voiced "Hymn to the Holy Ghost," the 92d Psalm, a "Tantum Ergo," and several songs, among them "Am Strom," "Der Hirt auf den Felsen," and a part of the "Schwanengesang," all belong to this year.

The authorities differ as to the time of the first performance of "Miriam's War Song." Nottebohm in his catalogue says that it was first sung at a concert, Jan. 30, 1829, given for the purpose of raising funds to erect a monument in memory of the composer, who died on the 19th of the previous November. Others a.s.sert that Schubert was induced to give a concert, March 26, 1828, the programme being composed entirely of his own music, and that it was first heard on that occasion.

The work is for soprano solo and chorus, the words by the poet Grillparzer, and the accompaniment, for the piano, as Schubert left it.

He had intended arranging it for orchestra, but did not live to complete it. The work, however, was done a year or two afterwards by his friend Franz Lachner, at that time officiating as Capellmeister at the Karnthnerthor Theatre in Vienna.

The theme of the cantata is Miriam's hymn of praise for the escape of the Israelites, and the exultant song of victory by the people, rejoicing not alone at their own delivery but at the destruction of the enemy. It opens with a spirited and broad harmony, "Strike the Cymbals," changing to a calm and graceful song, describing the Lord as a shepherd leading his people forth from Egypt. The next number, depicting the awe of the Israelites as they pa.s.sed through the divided waters, the approach of Pharaoh's hosts, and their destruction, is worked up with great power. As the sea returns to its calm again, the opening chorus is repeated, closing with a powerful fugue. The cantata is short, but it is a work of imperishable beauty.

SCHUMANN.

Robert Schumann was born at Zwickau, in Saxony, June 8, 1810. In his earliest youth he was recognized as a child of genius. His first teacher in music was Baccalaureus Kuntzch, who gave him piano instruction. He studied the piano with Wieck, whose daughter Clara he subsequently married, now world-famous as a pianist. In 1830, in which year his artistic career really opened, he began the theoretical study of music, first with Director Kupsch in Leipsic and later with Heinrich Dorn, and at the same time entered upon the work of composition. Schumann was not only a musician but an able critic and graceful writer; and in 1834, with Schunke, Knorr, and Wieck, he founded the "Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik,"

which had an important influence upon musical progress in Germany, and in which the great promise of such musicians as Chopin and Brahms was first recognized. He married Clara Wieck in 1840, after much opposition from her father; and in this year appeared some of his best songs, including the three famous cycluses, "Liederkreis," "Woman's Life and Love," and "Poet's Love," which now have a world-wide fame. In the following year larger works came from his pen, among them his B minor symphony, overture, scherzo, and finale in E major, and the symphony in D minor.

During this period in his career he made many artistic journeys with his wife, which largely increased the reputation of both. In 1843 he completed his great "romantic oratorio," "Paradise and the Peri," set to Moore's text, and many favorite songs and piano compositions, among them the "Phantasiestucke" and "Kinderscenen," and his elegant piano quintet in E flat. In 1844, in company with his wife, he visited St. Petersburg and Moscow, and their reception was a royal one. The same year he abandoned his "Zeitschrift," in which "Florestan," "Master Raro,"

"Eusebius," and the other pseudonyms had become familiar all over Germany, and took the post of director in Dusseldorf, in the place of Ferdinand Hiller. During the last few years of his life he was the victim of profound melancholy, owing to an affection of the brain, and he even attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Rhine. He was then removed to an asylum at Endenich, where he died July 20, 1856. The two men who exercised most influence upon Schumann were Jean Paul and Franz Schubert.

He was deeply pervaded with the romance of the one and the emotional feeling of the other. His work is characterized by genial humor, a rich and warm imagination, wonderfully beautiful instrumentation, especially in his accompaniments, the loftiest form of expression, and a rigid adherence to the canons of art.

Advent Hymn.

In a letter to Strakerjan, Schumann writes:--

"To apply his powers to sacred music is the artist's highest aim. But in youth we are all very firmly rooted to earth, with its joys and sorrows; in old age the twigs tend upwards. And so I hope that that day may not be too far distant from me."

The first of his works indicated in the above words to his friend was the "Advent Hymn," written in 1848, based upon Ruckert's poem. It was followed later by a requiem and a ma.s.s, these comprising his only sacred music.

The "Advent Hymn" describes the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, reflectively considers his peaceful career as compared with that of earthly kings, and appeals to His servants to bear tidings of Him throughout the world, closing with a prayer that He will bring His peace to all its people. It is a hymn full of simple devotion and somewhat narrow in its limitations; but Schumann has treated it with all the dignity and breadth of the oratorio style. It opens with a melodious soprano solo ("In lowly Guise thy King appeareth"), with choral responses by sopranos and altos, leading to an effective five-part chorus ("O King indeed, though no Man hail Thee"), begun by first and second tenors and ba.s.ses, and closing in full harmony with the added female voices. The soprano voice again announces a subject ("Thy Servants faithful, Tidings bearing"), which is taken up by full chorus, in somewhat involved form, though closing in plain harmony. The third number ("When Thou the stormy Sea art crossing") is given out by the soprano and repeated by the female chorus with a charming pianissimo effect. A few bars for male chorus ("Lord of Grace and Truth unfailing") lead into full chorus. The fifth number ("Need is there for Thyself returning"), also choral, is very elaborately treated with interchanging harmonies and bold rhythms, leading up to the final choruses, which are very intricate in construction, but at the close resolve into a double chorus of great power and genuine religious exaltation.

There are other works of Schumann's which are more or less in the cantata form, such as "The King's Son," op. 116, set to a ballad of Uhland's; "The New Year's Song," op. 144, poem by Ruckert; "The Luck of Edenhall,"

op. 143, poem by Uhland; "Of the Page and the King's Daughter," op. 140, poem by Geibel; the "Spanish Love Song," op. 138; the "Minnespiel," op.

101; and the "Ritornelle," op. 65.