POETIC STRUCTURE AND MUSICAL RESPONSE IN BRAHMS’S “An die Heimat”

Na, Jun Young

Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

POETIC STRUCTURE AND MUSICAL RESPONSE IN BRAHMS’S “An die Heimat” Public Deposited

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/3b591b19h

Abstract

Johannes Brahms composed “An die Heimat” in 1863, in response to a poem by C.O.
Sternau (1823-1862). This setting is the first of three vocal quartets published as Opus. 64; the
score indicates that the quartets may be performed by four solo voices or a mixed chorus.
Though less well known than Brahms’s solo Lieder, the quartets are worthy of close study and
performance by choral musicians. This study aims to demonstrate the composer’s subtle,
profoundly expressive engagement with Inkermann’s poem—not only with the meaning of
words but also the sound of the words.

Many musicians and scholars have studied the complex relationship between words and
music. Two studies have been especially useful to my own research. Having reviewed many
published analyses of German Lieder, Kofi Agawu proposed several theoretical models for
understanding the relative roles of words and music. He mentions examples where the music
existed before the words and thus recommends that song analysts consider aspects of musical
structure apart from the poetry. I do not adhere to one of Agawu’s four proposed analytical
models, but his long article caused me to reflect on the ways one might understand the process of
analyzing a song.

Matt BaileyShea’s recent book pays close attention to the close analysis of the words. As
he shows, poetry offers countless points of approach to a poem. In the process of poetic analysis,
we can listen to the sound of words, varieties of rhyme, patterns of meter and rhythm, etc., even
before considering the music. BaileyShea shows how the best poets provide composers with
various artistic devices, such as repetitions and interruptions, shifting patterns of vowels and
consonants, shifting forms of address, and so on. Composers transform features of the poem by
drawing on a rich variety of musical elements: melodies, harmonies, rhythms, musical texture,
etc. Inspired by BaileyShea, I present a close analysis of Inkermann’s poem before discussing
Brahms’s musical response.

I have arranged my analysis of “An die Heimat” into two main chapters. Chapter Two
presents a close investigation of poetic sound and structure. In that chapter, I highlight
noteworthy poetic features and focus on sound patterns more than the meaning of Inkermann’s
poem. In Chapter Three, I explore Brahms’s musical responses to many of the poetic features
considered in Chapter Two, with special attention to how Brahms incorporates the sounds of the
words into his music. For the choral conductor, I have incorporated into both analytical chapters
practical advice that draws on insights from vocal pedagogy and voice science.

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