Some Observations on the Row Technique zn Webern's Opus 25 Donald Chittum There are many aspects of Web ern's Drei Lieder that are noteworthy and deserve discussion in their own right. I am thinking specifically of the com- poser's penchant for creating discrete cellular structures, each with its own pitch, rhythmic, dynamic, and articulative character, and his way of shaping these structures into a well organized, but still multifarious, work of art. As interesting as these phenomena are to the theorist, I nevertheless wish to devote my attention in this article to the specific properties of the row, the manner in which it is used, and how it affects certain aspects of harmonic organization. The row of the songs (see Example 1) is composed essentially of seconds and thirds; it contains only one perfect interval and no tritones. In keeping with other rows used by Webern, it has an internal symmetrical organiza- tion'! For instance, the row may be divided into four three-note aggregates, each containing a major third and minor second. Aggregates A, B, and Dare transpositions of each other, while aggregate C is a variant of these, with the minor second added beneath the lower member of the third rather than the upper. EXAMPLE 1 1 2 " 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 $ #* ., • .. .. p .. ., "'i W..,. I $ fl ;j It A B C D A row such as this, containing certain inner symmetrical relationships, is like those used by Schoenberg in that it is not merely an arbitrary ordering of twelve pitch classes, but rather an unfolding of a central pitch concept which initially manifests itself in much smaller aggregates or row segments. These then evolve into the entire row through various transpositions, inversions, retrogrades, or variants.2 It would therefore seem more prudent to think of the row not so much as the representation of the primordial pitch concept of the piece, but rather as a more complex manifestation of this concept. Once these pitch concepts reach this state of evolution (the row), Webern, like Schoenberg, tries to emphasize certain inherent relationships among various forms of the row and their transpositions. He accomplishes this by binding various forms of the row together through tones which function in both sets. This process occurs in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the 96 f piece by means of elisions between both simultaneous and successive state- ments of the row. Consequently, the function of the elision goes well beyond that of merely avoiding any unnecessary duplication. In the first song Webern limits his use of the series to the original (0), the inversion transposed up two semitones (12), and the respective retrograde forms. A comparison of 0 and 12 reveals that the pitches C:lj: and G fall in identical positions in both forms.3 In the chart below, as well as in others subsequently presented, the tones holding the same position in various forms of the series are connected in boxes, and the tones involved in elisions are connected in circles. Webern emphasizes the relationships between 0 and RI2 by stating the original at the outset and following it immediately with a statement ofRI2 in both piano and voice. The pitch G performs a dual function, or elision, in both series. There are only two departures from strict serial writing in the first song. One occurs in measure 5, where Web ern repeats pitch 9 of RI2 in the piano after it is sung by the soprano. The other instance takes place in measure 11, where Webern repeats pitches 10 and 11 and B) of R. Curiously enough, this is done in the line "noch einmal bin ich ganz ins Werden hingestellt und bin auf Erden."4 Could it be that Webern resorts to a subtle bit of word painting by using two unaccountable pitches in refer- ring to mortality? In the second song Webern uses 0 5, 17, and their respective retrograde forms. Notice that these series stand in the same relationship to each other as do those of the first movement, except that they are both transposed a perfect fourth higher. The example below indicates tones which appear in identical positions in these various forms, as well as tones which frequently are involved in elisions. EXAMPLE 3 1 2 ;) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 r -r"\ J '-" , 1 1 4-C.M. 97 Interestingly enough, these elisions always occur between voice and accom- paniment, and not in either part alone. Webern uses four different types of elisions in this song, the most common occurring when the original and retrograde forms of the same transposition appear simultaneously. The following chart indicates the measure, the form, and the pitch integer involved. Form and Tone performing Measure transposition dual function 7 R5 and 0 5 4 11-12 17 and RI7 10 30 RI7 and 17 6 40 0 5 and R5 8 A second type of elision takes place when original and retrograde forms appear consecutively. For instance, in measure 9 the last three tones of 0 5 are also the first three tones of R5, and in measure 18 the last two tones of RI7 are the first two tones of 17. A third type of elision occurs when Webern combines two separate state- ments of the same form. One statement begins before the other; the second is stated in quicker rhythmic values, so that it ultimately coincides with the first. At this point, a single statement of the remaining pitches suffices to complete both statements. Illustrations of this procedure appear in measures 15 (RI7), 20 (R5), and 27 (17). The last type of elision involves two different forms, each transposed to a different pitch. Here, Webern permits a single pitch to function in both statements simultaneously. (See the chart below and Example 3.) Measure Form and transposition Elision 6 RI7 and R5 2=7 14 0 5 and RI7 10=5 15 and 29 0 5 and RI7 12=12 22 and 30 17 and R5 12= 12 31 RI7 and R5 4= II and 2=7 35 RI7 and R5 3=6 Two other departures from strict serial writing appear near the end of this song. Both are quoted in Example 4. Notice that in the first illustration (measure 33) pitch 3 ofRI5 appears prematurely, and in the second illustration (measure 39) pitch 12 of 17 appears prematurely and the statement of pitch 12 of R5 is deferred. In the third song Webern returns to the forms and transpositions used in the first song. Again he uses both tones eight and twelve of 0 and 12 in elisions. An interesting device appears in measures 48 to 54, where a state- ment of the original is interrupted by the completion of a statement of the retrograde. This is followed by a statement of 12, which shares certain pitches of the 0 form. (See Example 5.) 98 EXAMPLE 4 A B EXAMPLE 5 Langsamer, ;. ca 84 11 end-lich Imrner langsamer, J. ca 58 05 3'1 Z ann f rif. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - u...po -+8 ==-3 +.1 50,----:-15J 51 er 5J -- I@ i Z .3 S" sie an ----- p bis zum Rand A " - 7 J-Iff, 17 sf f Sx-{ ) ,-,:. ® 'l y. 99 The chart below shows the first and last notes of the various forms used in the three songs. EXAMPLE 6 0 R 12 R12 Song 1 $ ........ ' , .... ', j, l' I' Song 2 $ 05 RS I7 RI7 II .... , hd' .' I' 0 R 12 RI2 Song 5 $ I' ...... ' ,-#' /. " q, I, Since the role of the series has grown to include a greater number of formative functions, and since it has become increasingly more necessary to speak of serial technique in terms of a more pervasive musical control, it has become equally unfashionable to think of the series primarily as a substitute for tonality. However, we do know that Schoenberg and most of his early disciples understood that the row could replace the formative function of tonality within a piece, and that "transpositions function in a similar man- ner to modulation in tonal music .... "5 This is nowhere more evident than in these three songs. For instance, notice (in Example 6) that Webern has created two tonal areas, represented by O-R and 12-RI2. O-R can be understood to be the tonic area, while 12-R12 can be understood to be its most important auxiliary area (analogous to the dominant in tonal music). In the second song O-R is transposed to 05-R5, and 12-R12 to 17-RI7; thus while both are transposed, the same relation remains intact (again having analogous antecedents in tonal music). In the final song Web ern returns to the forms and transpositions of the first song. Therefore, we see that, in addition to creating a tripartite tonal organization, Webern regards the function of these transpositions as analogous to that of modulations in tonal mUSIC. It is customary to think of Berg, rather than Webern, as the link between serialism and the tonal music of the past. Even the last works of Schoenberg seem, on the surface, to have a closer kinship to their classical forebearers, and this is especially true when one takes into account their harmonic vocabulary and the nature of their gestures. Because of his enormous originality and depth, Webern is generally accepted as the point of departure for the second and third generations of serialists. To many minds it is Webern, and not Schoenberg, who stands out as the consummate creative spirit of this school. It is interesting, therefore, to see that Webern did not, in fact, turn his back on the past but rather was able to rework older concepts of organization and blend them with new approaches, materials, and gestures into a highly original and provocative musical language. 100 NOTES 1 The row of the Symphony, Op. 21 is arranged so that the second hexachord contains the intervals of the first hexachord but in reverse order; the row of Cantata No.1, Op. 29 is arranged so that the transposed retrograde is the same as the inversion, and the retrograde inversion the same as the original. 2 For a fuller discussion of the process, see George Rochberg's The Hexachord and Its Relation to the 12-Note Row (Bryn Mawr, Pa., 1955); George Perle's review of Rochberg's book in the Journal of the American Musicological Society (1957) 10: 55-59; Donald Martino "The Source Set and Its Aggregate Formations," The Journal of Music Theory (1961) 5: 224-73; and John Verrall's "A Method for Finding Symmetrical Hexachords in Serial Form," The Journal if Music Theory (1962) 6:277-82. 3 In this article only forward forms of the row are given; i.e., 0 and I, since Rand RI can easily be deduced by reading these forms backwards. 4 "Once more I in creation's portal live my hours and yet am mortal." (Translated by Eric Smith.) 5 J. Rufer, Composition with Twelve Notes, trans. H. Searle (New York, 1954), p. 86. 101