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    "Polarity in Schubert's Unfinished  Symphony" David P. Schroeder Canadian University Music Review / Revue de musique des universités canadiennes , n° 1, 1980, p. 22-34.

     

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    POLARITY IN SCHUBERT S

      UNFINISHED

    SYMPHONY

    David P. Schroeder

    I t is a w ell -k no w n fact tha t the ye ars 1818 to 1822 wer e

    diff icult ones for Schu ber t as a com poser of in s t ru m en ta l m usic .

    At no t ime in his career did he have as much trouble gett ing

    ins t rumenta l compos i t ions beyond the ske tch s tage and th i s i s

    pa r t i cu la r ly t rue o f the symphony . The sugges t ion has been pu t

    forward tha t h i s indec is iveness conce rn ing ins t rumenta l and

    espec ia l ly symphonic wri t ing a t th is t ime was the resul t of h is

    having to cope with the long shadow cas t by Bee thoven (Chusid

    1968:9-10) . W hile th is un do ub ted ly w as a fac tor , ano ther

    impor tant s ide to the problem has been la rge ly ignored, and th is

    concerns the much more in t imate issue of what the composer

    hopes to accompl i sh wi th a symphony . Wi th the Unf in i shed

    Symphony, i t had been about four and a ha lf years s ince

    Schube r t had comple ted a symphonic movement , and those

    years saw not only the des i re on his par t to c rea te a grand

    symphony bu t a l so a sp i r i tua l change which was to shape the

    na ture of the symphonic content . This work marks a s ignif icant

    change in Schub e r t s ap proac h to the sym ph ony , a s the ske tch

    symphonies of the years preceding i t appear to be unsuccessful

    e f for ts in rea l iz ing the concep t ion w hich he w as grad ua l l y

    envisaging. While he fa i led to achieve i t in ins t rumenta l works

    before 1822, h is new approach can be observed taking shape in

    other c rea t ive ac t iv i t ies before tha t da te , and the para l le l

    be tween the achievement of the Unf inished and the genes is of

    the idea in these ac t iv i t ies is remarkably c lose . The impor tance

    of the Lied to Schuber t cannot be doubted, and the cons is tency

    wi th which he wro te songs th roughout h i s ca ree r a l lows them

    to be taken as a type of sounding board of h is musica l and

    spir i tual ideas a t any given t ime. I t is , in fact , in the activity of

    Canad ian University Mu sic Review No. 1, 1980

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      3

    wri t ing songs tha t one can see the discovery of the spir i tua l ,

    musica l , and dramat ic pr inc iples which gave r ise to the

    Unfinished.

    In the two years immedia te ly preceding the Unf inished,

    one f inds a notable inc l ina t ion in Schuber t ' s songs . No s ingle

    poe t he ld a p lace comparable to Goethe in the composer ' s

    es t imat ion, and the par t icula r Goethe texts which he se lec ted in

    the f irs t half of 1821 m ay give som e indic atio n of the d irectio n

    in which he was moving . The no tewor thy tex t s f rom th i s t ime

    are taken f rom Goethe 's Der West-ôs t l iche Divan ( Versunken,

    Su leika I , Su leika II and G eheim es ) , WiJheJm M eiste r

    ( Mignon I and M ignon II ) and a se pa ra t e poem , Gren zen

    der M enschheit . Throu gh his career , Goethe grad ually developed

    a notio n of po lari ty , the belief th at the na tu re of M an and of

    the universe (of which man was, for him, a microcosmic image)

    is formed of two 'pola r ' oppos i tes , and tha t the task of wisdom

    is to br ing these op pos i tes in to un i ty and ha rm on y (Gray

    1967:40). In

      er

      West-ôs tJ iche Divan (1819) , a mature work

    w hich ha s be la tedly been recognized as one of Go ethe 's g rea te s t ,

    the theme of polari ty comes to i ts full realization. This is f irs t

    of a l l apparent in the a t tempt to combine Eas t and West whi le

    a l lowing each to preserve i ts essence , providing a uni ty in

    duali ty. The work consis ts of lyrics organized into a cycle of

    tw elve books , an d the var iou s poem s are both se r iou s and

    ironic ; both in te l lec tua l and emotiona l ; the speaker is both

    Hatem and the ' rea l ' Goethe ; the love ce lebra ted here conta ins

    ha pp ine ss and res ig na t ion (Hatf ie ld 1963:115). A no the r s igni

    f icant part of the duali ty of

      er

      West-ôstl iche Divan is i ts dual

    authorship; some of the lyr ics , such as those spoken by Sule ika ,

    were wri t ten by Marianne von Wil lemer . Goethe , near ing the

    age of seventy a t th is t ime , deve loped a re la t ionship wi th her

    which s ta r ted as something playful but became very se r ious . In

    spi te of the i r s t rong love , the re la t ionship remained Pla tonic ,

    and som e of the du ali ty in th is w or k could s tem from the

    pa ra do x of a love w hi ch is req uit ed bu t not fulf i l lable (Hatf ie ld

    1963:115) . Within the work, Sule ika s tands as a representa t ion

    of perfect beauty, and in the poet 's love for her , no dis t inction is

    made be tween the rea l woman or an i l lusory image of her . But

    po la r i ty is not s im ply a l i te r a ry d evice . I ts em bod im ent in

    l i t e ra tu re po in t s to fundamenta l ma t te r s o f ex i s tence . Taken to

    i ts u l t im ate end , as seems to be the case here and in othe r w or ks

    such as Faus t , Goethe appears to be put t ing forward the not ion

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      4

    that one must accept both good and evil as equal forces, mean

    ing that evil must be reconciled as belonging to the general

    order of things (Gray 1967:234-35).

    In Wilhelm Meister , the idea of polari ty is a lso present as

    the main charac te r a t tempts to reconc i le h is two conf l ic t ing

    sides. In part , the possibil i ty of a fusion of opposites is realized

    in the charac te r Mignon who is a lways myste r ious and is a lso

    herm aph rodi t ic , re fe rred to by Goethe as both he and she .

    Her myste r iousness prevents the discovery of her fu l l s igni

    f icance but i t is probable that Goethe envisaged her as a symbol

    of the unification of the opposite sides of the

      self,

      some th ing

    which remained one of the poe t ' s persona l a ims throughout h is

    l ife (Gray 1967:187-89). Mignon, i t is eventually discovered, is

    the child of the Harper (whose three songs Schubert had set in

    1816—D.478-80). In contrast to Mignon, the Harper has suffered

    as a result of opposites and has found no underlying unity: in

    his own w or ds , I am enti t led to speak , for I hav e suffered as

    few men have, from the supreme, sweetest exalta t ion to the

    most te r r ib le deser ts of he lplessness , vacui ty , annihi la t ion and

    despair , f rom the loft iest int imations of superterrestr ia l beings

    down to the most radica l

      disbelief,

      to disbelief in

      myself

    (Quoted in Gray 1967:187-88). The a t tempt to bring opposites

    into a coexistence pervades the work a t a l l levels and i t is a lso

    apparent that Goethe sees this as a means for the betterment of

    mankind. Wilhe lm is occas iona l ly confronted by myste r ious

    strangers who offer advice and guide the course of his l i fe . They

    prove to be members of a type of Masonic society known as the

    Company of the Tower and i t i s noteworthy tha t Goethe was

    a Freemason most of his life. The notion of finding a higher

    uni ty which a l lowed the coexis tence of opposi tes was funda

    menta l to Freemasonry and can be seen in such prac t ica l

    mat te rs as the fac t tha t Freemasons not only admit ted members

    of d i f fe rent re l ig ious denomina t ions but encouraged members

    to practice the re l igion of their choice . Human conflic ts were

    recognized as inev itab il i t ies , an d a gen uine sens e of un ity w as

    seen as being able to transcend these .

    1

      Freemasons believed i t

    was their responsibil i ty to spread this idea and the fact that so

    many wri te rs and music ians of the la te e ighteenth and ear ly

    nine teenth centur ies were Freemasons a t tes ts to the compat i

    bi l i ty tha t a r t is ts saw be tween the ir a r t is t ic and dramat ic a ims

    and Masonic ideology.

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      5

    The song Grenzen der M enschhe i t , com posed by Schu bert

    im m ediate ly prior to Suleika II, is the set t in g of a mu ch earl ier

    poem by Go ethe (1779), but , a long w ith G esan g der Geister

    2

    and Mahomets -Gesang ,

    3

      is representa t ive of Goethe ' s ear ly

    explorat ion of the theme of polari ty . The polari ty is not neces

    sari ly contained within a single poem but can exist in a com

    parison of different poems. The portrayal of the Supreme Being,

    for exam ple, can be con trad icto ry in different poem s. In Ge sang

    der Geis ter N atur e p lay s a benef icent ro le w he rea s in Grenzen

    der M ens chh ei t the gods are mere obse rv ers of the dr am a of

    men rising briefly and then sinking eternal ly. And within the

    poem Gren zen der M ens chh ei t , logical sequ ence is ver y often

    lacking. Goethe begins by describing poets ' devot ion to the

    Heavenly Father and s ta tes tha t men should not a t tempt to

    compare themselves wi th the gods , but concludes by making

    the comparison , asking in what ways the gods can be d is t in

    guished from mortals . The fact that the gods merely watch as

    men rise and sink in an endless chain is hardly cause for the

    fil ia l sh ud de rs t rue in my br ea st (Zeydel 1955:65) ex pre sse d

    in the fi rst verse. I t is possible that Goethe was becoming so

    consumed by the idea of polari ty that his expectat ion of opposi

    t ion and contradict ion as an essent ial part of l i fe was encroach

    ing on his own sense of logic (Gray 1967:42-43).

    A ny attem pt to find biograp hical verification for S ch ub ert 's

    interest at this t ime in Goethe 's theme of polari ty would be

    highly specula t ive , a l though in consider ing the var ious face ts

    of Schubert 's l ife, i t is not difficult to see possibil i t ies. His

    Alleg orical T ale of 1822 and en trie s in his dia rie s in 1816 an d

    1824 show that paradox was by no means a foreign idea (Deutsch

    1946:226-28,

      70 -71 ,

      336-37) . This concerns la rger archetypal

    m at ter s such as a par ad ox ica l re la t io nsh ip betw een life and

    death, and also the impossibi l i ty of people reaching each other

    in human re la t ionships or the connect ion between ar t and

    suffering. I t could, of course, be argued that his darker com

    ments of 1824 were the resul t of his i l lness which fol lowed the

    Unfinished but these remarks seem to be more the resul t of

    cont inuous exper ience than a s ingle event . Whatever the

    paral lels with his l i fe may have been, he did concentrate his

    efforts early in 1821 on po etr y in w hic h pol ar i ty w a s the over

    riding theme, and his new approach in the f i rst movement of

    the U nfinished Sy m ph on y is one in w hic h opp osin g forces are

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      6

    engaged in complex re la t ionships . The connect ion between the

    Goethe songs and the Symphony i s made s t ronger by the fac t

    tha t ce r ta in mu sica l s im i lar i t ies can be observ ed.

    4

      Of the songs

    ci ted, the key of B m inor oc curs w ith some cons isten cy , being

    the key of M ignon I, M ignon II, an d Su leik a I. One w ri te r

    who draws a para l le l i s Alfred Einste in , poin t ing out tha t

    Suleik a I is not only in B min or, bu t also an t ici pa tes the

    rhythm and figurat ion of the beginning of the 'Unfinished '—so

    l i te ra l ly tha t the under ly ing connect ion can hardly be denied

    (Einstein 1951:219-20). Other paral lels can be found and tonal

    re la t ionships can be important here . As Tovey poin ts out ,

    Schubert ' s use of the submediant key ra ther than the re la t ive

    major for the second group of the first movement of the

    nfinishe

    i s unique in h is sonata form movements (Tovey

    1949:150). The only m od ulat io n aw ay from B m inor in M ignon

    I is also to the su bm ed ian t , and it seem s not wi tho ut

    significance that this occurs at the point of exchange between

    darkness and l ight , emphasiz ing the re la t ionship of these

    a rche typa l oppos i t e s .

    A s imi lar tona l re la t ions hip exis t s in Grenzen der

    M ensch hei t , in th is case es ta bl i sh ing a pow erfu l dua l i ty w hich

    crea tes a musica l polar i ty and ant ic ipa tes the Unfin ished. The

    introduct ion to this song is symphonic in scope, ful l of

    ambigui ty as i t nei ther begins nor quickly set t les in the home

    key of E major. T he tonal a rea s E and C dev elop a relat io ns hip

    in this song , and these a re l inked by B w hic h is the do m inan t of

    one and leading tone of the other (F sharp will be seen to have a

    sim ilar funct ion in the U nfinished ). Th at the brid ge note B

    is of the greatest importance can be seen in the fact that i t is the

    fi rst note of the song, where i t unexpectedly funct ions as a

    leading tone . The cadent ia l pa t tern of measures 5-6 suggests

    tha t the B of m ea su re 6 sho uld be a do m ina nt , bu t now i t

    becomes an even more emphat ic leading tone .

    Exam ple 1. Sch ub ert : Gren zen der M ensc hh eit (1821),

    mm. 1-7

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      7

    The l i s tener m ust w ai t u nt i l me asu re 19 to hea r B funct ioning

    as a t rue dominant . The E-C re la t ionship cont inues to be a

    fac tor as the ins t ru m en ta l p ass age (mm. 49-52) linking the

    first tw o vers es lea ds from E to C. Th ro ug ho ut the song, B

    continues to be a type of pivotal note, having the abi l i ty to lead

    in different direct ions. But curiously, the f inal four measures of

    the song, w hich are ins t ru m en ta l , conta in a p lagal ra th er tha n

    perfect caden ce, an d B is therefo re ab sen t excep t as a pa rt of the

    final E major chord . In the pen ul t im ate chord , a f i rst in ver sion

    of the subdominant , the th i rd degree i s lowered to C natura l ,

    and, therefore, the f inal two chords again offer a st rong C-E

    relat ionship. In this song, then, Schubert bui lds a sense of

    du al i ty through an am big ui ty -s ta bi l i ty re la t ion ship , the key of

    E provid ing the s tabi l i ty and the tonal ambigui ty be ing gener

    ated by C. B fun ction s as a typ e of unif ying ag en t, bu t at the

    sam e t ime, i t s in terva l l ic connect ion w i th E and C sup po rts

    the sense of duality as the perfect fifth offers stabil i ty while

    the semi tone genera tes ambigui ty . The uni ty i s one in which

    opposi tes are able to coexist .

    The

      Unfinished

    as different as i ts conception is from

    earl ier sym pho nies , d id not or ig inate in a vac uum . In Grenzen

    der M ensc hhei t Sch ube rt pre sen ted the kerne l of the m usica l

    and dramatic problem in the introduct ion, and in the

      Unfinished

    one cannot doubt that the f i rst e ight measures are of the great

    es t poss ib le importance .

    5

      The dynamic mark ings and ins t ru

    menta t ion here seem designed to sharpen the l i s tener ' s aware

    ness of this passage (and they must also at test to Schubert ' s

    bel ief in the goodwil l of his potent ial audience). In this passage,

    one finds a type of musical epigram which contains the polarit ies

    that wil l give rise to the intense drama of this movement ,

    al though the actual nature of the polari t ies is not readi ly

    apparent but only gradual ly becomes evident throughout the

    movement .

    6

      The fact that these eight measures are often

    improper ly phrased in performance has drawn not ice more

    than once . Schubert ' s phras ing i s essent ia l to h is purpose . The

    outer notes of each uni t are very important and the correct

    phrasing is necessary for the point to be made. The interval l ic

    movement is always that of a third: B-D, B-G, and D-F sharp (Ex.

    2).

      Within this, other relationships can be observed, although their

    significance wil l not become apparent unt i l la ter . In the f i rst

    two phrase uni ts , B-D and B-G form the out l ine of a G major

    triad, and both the note G and the key of G will prove to be of

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      8

    Vet. Oa.

    ^tUV  ç N U L U 'j j U J j - J J

    Example 2. Schu bert: Sym phony in B Minor ( Unfinished)

    (1822).

      I: Allegro moderato, mm. 1-8.

    pr im ary im por ta nce to the expos i t ion . A gain s t th is , F sha rp is

    sus ta ined for three b ars , and F sh arp , the dom inan t , is a lso

    the leading tone of G. Beside the ser ies of thirds , then, a semi

    tone emerges , w hich m ay be no more tha n subl im inal here but

    ul t imately proves to be a major force.

    As the movem ent p rogre s ses , these r e la t ionsh ip s g radu a l ly

    begin to make themselves fel t and the f i rs t ins tance of this

    occ urs as ea rly as m ea sur e 10. In the final half beat of th at ba r,

    the C sha rp and E in the upper s t r i ng s sugges t a d om inant

    sev en th, but ins tea d of an F sha rp in the* low er s tr in gs , there

    is a G, which i s in a semitone re la t ionship wi th the expected

    note and a th i rd re la t ionship wi th the os t ina to B.

    Example 3. Symphony in B Minor, I, mm.

      10-11.

    The une xpe cted ap pe ara nc e of G at this point is the f i rst mild

    sugges t ion of i t s impor tance . When a s t rong dominant occurs ,

    f i rs t a t me asu re 20 and late r at m ea sur e 29, G is pre sen t as

    the top note of the chord in each case. The dominant ninth can

    simply be taken for the color i t provides , but with these

    chords , emphas ized by   forzato  m ark ing s , there i s a lso the

    poss ib i l i ty of hear ing the re la t ionship of the top and bot tom

    notes (G and F sharp) .

    The appearance of the key of G at the beginning of the

    second g rou p (m. 42) com es as a su rp r is e but som e clar if icat ion

    is now shed on the f i rs t four measures of the work. The previous

    sect ion ends in B m inor and the t rans i t io n to G is broug ht abou t

    by way of D (mm. 38-41) . At the end of the exposi t ion, a fair ly

    direct reference is made to the opening eight measures of the

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      9

    w ork. The mot ion s tops a t m eas ure 104, and as un exp ected ly

    as G had en tere d at m eas ure 42,  re turns a t th i s poin t , accented

    and for t i ss imo . A s the B und ergoe s a decre scen do in the w ind s ,

    the p izz ica to s t r ing s a ns w er a t a p ian iss im o level w i th G, F

    sharp and D (semi tone- th i rd) : the opening epigram is now

    reduced (in different order) to i ts s t ructural notes.

    Exam ple 4. Sy m ph ony in B Minor, I , mm . 104-08.

    The development wastes no t ime in ge t t ing on wi th the th i rd-

    semi tone re la t ionship . After a par t ia l re turn of the opening

    figure, now in E minor, a canonic exchange begins at measure

    122,  each uni t made up of an ascending third fol lowed by a

    descending half s tep.

    \\£- \i- \i- \i- \£ \i- \i- ' £

      <

    Exam ple 5. Sy m ph ony in B M inor, I, mm . 122-29.

    Also begining at this point , the cel los and basses carry on a

    sep ara te a c t iv i ty , m oving ch rom at ica l ly f rom C to F sh ar p . A

    pedal F sharp i s then susta ined for jus t over e leven measures

    (mm. 134-45) wi th no h in t o f dominan t func t ion . The

    predominant themat ic ac t iv i ty above tha t i s the out l ine of the

    third. This is fol lowed by a new sect ion of potent ial resolut ion

    and tension in which two cadent ia l pa t terns fa i l to resolve but

    a re m e t w i t h d i m i n i sh e d c h o rd s t h a t a r e d y n a m i c a l l y

    cont ras ted in the grea tes t poss ib le way. By measure 170,

    expecta t ion has been reversed so tha t the now expected

    dim inished chord i s rep laced by a resolu t ion . The resolu t ion

    is,  in fact , a return of the opening passage of the work, now in

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    3

    unison in a lmost the ful l orches t ra and a lso dynamica l ly

    contras ted with the beginning of the work in the grea tes t

    po ssible w ay . Follow ing the brief excu rsio n in E m inor, the

    deve lopment goes on to genera te cons iderable tens ion, wi th the

    ton ic p r e p a r a t i o n F s h a r p be g in n ing a t m e a s u r e 202 )

    immediate ly preceded by eight measures buil t on a pedal G. Just

    before the beginning of the recapitula t ion, the problem is again

    presented, now very gently in the f lute .

    Example 6. Symphony in B Minor, I, mm. 213-18.

    Start ing on E, the l ine moves up a third to G, oscil la tes between

    G and F sh arp for tw o bars an d then mo ves up a third to the tonic .

    Since stability is desired at the beginning of the recapit

    ula t ion, i t should now come as no surprise that this section

    omits the f irs t e ight measures which were seen to contain the

    tens ion-genera t ing forces . The main changes in the recapi tu la

    t ion a re tona l ones w i th the rea pp eara nce of E mino r at m easu re

    231,  a second gro up in D major and a re t ur n to B this t ime B

    major) for the closing theme. Aside from these, the second

    theme is extended an extra four measures , de laying the measure

    of silence and  fort chords in a way tha t may for a moment

    suggest to the l is tener that the tension has been removed.

    Tension, however, is not removed, and the fact that the recapit

    ula t ion re i te ra tes both the s tabi l i ty and tens ion of the expos i

    t ion suggests that resolution is not about to occur here . Rather ,

    the recapi tu la t ion seems to represent a type of immutabi l i ty ,

    an a f f i rmat ion of the ubiqui tous na ture of opposi tes and

    conflict.

    S ince the recapi tu la t ion has not provided a conc lus ion, the

    coda is given the function of drawing things together and

    making a f ina l s ta tement . A re la t ionship can be observed in

    this movement be tween motivic mater ia l and harmonic or tona l

    events . The in te rva l l ic re la t ionships of the f i rs t e ight measures

    contain the kernel of both the s tabil i ty and the tension of the

    movement and these a re rea l ized in mot ivic and tona l re la t ion

    s h i p s .  The end of the recapitula t ion, l ike that of the exposit ion,

    pre sen ts the four imp or tan t notes B, G, F sh arp , and D) , a l low

    ing one to ref lect on the various ways in which these have

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    31

    inte rac ted. Having omit ted the or igina l e ight measures a t the

    beginning of the recapi tu la t ion, Schuber t now presents them in

    the ir or ig ina l s ta te . This exac t re turn of the beginning epi

    grammatic par t of the work in a sense places the coda outs ide

    the discurs ive por t ion of the movement . These e ight measures

    or igina l ly s tood as a type of compressed commentary on th ings

    to come, and the coda a lso functions as a cr i t ique. The harmonic

    tens ion which has cont inued unt i l the coda is now absent as

    harmonic s tabi l i ty becomes f i rmly entrenched. Before the

    or ig ina l e igh t -measure s ta tement i s comple ted , the winds tu rn

    the F sharp in to a dominant chord, leaving no doubt as to i t s

    func t ion. This s tabi l i ty sugges ts tha t some type of resolut ion

    has been found, but in order to see the full pic ture , thematic

    mater ia l must a lso be taken in to account . Immedia te ly a f te r

    the opening s ta tement , the upper s t r ings reca l l the beginning of

    the deve lo pm ent , a t w hic h point a pa ssag e occurred (Ex. 5)

    which had placed the th i rd and semitone toge ther and had been

    canonica l ly expanded .

    Example 7. Sym phony in B Minor, I, mm.

      338-41.

    The development, of course , had gone on to generate a high

    degree of tension, and the reflection here on the tension-creating

    forces would seem to sugges t tha t they have not d isappeared.

    This point i s then reaff i rmed as the semitone is incessant ly

    repea ted in the whole orches t ra in measures 340-47, bui ld ing

    dynamically and accelerating in pace, followed by a s imilar

    treatment of the third in measures 352-63 (Ex. 8) .

    By present ing the semitone and th i rd separa te ly in these la rge

    blocks , the composer seems to be emphas iz ing the ir pola r

    charac te r . In the end there is no rea l synthes is but ra ther the

    opposing forces are placed s ide by s ide in a way that they may

    be seen as being compatible .

    Not unl ike Go ethe , Sch ub er t s v iew of exis ten ce a t th is

    t ime was shaped by an unders tanding of pola r i t ies . His new

    concept ion of the sym ph on y wa s one in w hich the sy m ph on y

    became a much closer ref lection of matters of exis tence, moreso

    than a s ty l is t ic change in tended to br ing his symphonic works

    in l ine with those of another composer.

    7

      The par t icula r v iew of

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    3

    Exam ple 8. Sy m ph ony in B Minor, I , mm . 340 -63.

    exis tence which Schuber t shared with the grea tes t minds of h is

    gen era t ion w as on the one ha nd a m at te r of grea t in t im acy s ince

    his own inner peace was very much at issue. But a lso, l ike his

    contemporar ies who shared the view, there was a sense of

    respons ibi l i ty to soc ie ty in tha t the rea l iza t ion of how opposi tes

    can coexis t wi thout caus ing dis in tegra t ion should be shared

    with a l l . In a musica l work th is coexis tence could be demon

    s t ra ted be t te r than by any other means , and the symphony,

    inten ded as i t w as for la rge aud ience s , becam e the idea l vehic le .

    The fact that the  nfinished  w as not perform ed un t i l 1865

    sho uld not de trac t from th e po ss ib i l i ty tha t Sc hu be r t s n ew

    concept ion of the symphony may have been re la ted to a new

    at t i tude on his par t to h is audience .

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    NOTES

    1.  This view is s trongly advocated by Gotthold Lessing in his Masonic

    work Erns t

      und Folk

    See Allison 1966:137-39.

    2.

      Set by Schu bert for M ale Voice Octet wit h str ing accom panim ent

    (D .

      704) and Male Voice Chorus with pianoforte accompaniment (D. 705) in

    December 1820, and again for Octet, four tenors and four basses, with accom

    paniment for s tr ing instruments (D. 714) in February 1821.

    3.  A fragm ent for a male voice (D. 721) w rit ten in March 1821 . Ac cord ing

    to Deu tsch, the fragment of March 1817 (D. 549) for a female voice wa s pr ob ab ly

    completed.

    4.

      It is a lso noteworthy that some of these songs were very much on

    Sc hu ber t's m ind late in 1822. On 7 Decem ber 1822, he inform ed Joseph vo n

    Spaun that a long with three songs dedicated to him would be issued the three

    songs of the Harp er, Suleika, and Geheim es. See Deu tsch 1946:247-49.

    5.

      A fact to which others would certainly attest. See Griffel 1975:252.

    6. By the end of the exposition the polarities have become fairly evident,

    and the practice of omitting the repeat of the exposition in perform ance dep rives

    the l is tener of the opportunity to reaffirm the presence of the polarit ies in the

    first eight measures.

    7.

      A strong case could be mad e, howev er, for an awa ren ess on

    Schubert 's part of Beethoven's use of the symphony as a means for disseminat

    ing ideas which could contribute to the betterment of mankind. See Downs

    1970:585-604.

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      4

    REFERENCES

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    CHUSID, M.

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      The His tor ica l Background , in Franz Schu ber t :

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      ( Unfinished ) . N ew Yo rk: W.W. No rton.

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    DOWNS, P.G.

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      Eroica The Musical

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      Tonal i ty in Sch uber t , in Essay s and

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      Goethe, the  Lyricist.  2nd edit ion. Ch apel Hill : U niv ersi ty of

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