If you don't have any knowledge of music theory, you might want to skip this one. :)
Beim Schlafengehen ("Going to Sleep"), the third installment in the collection "Four Last Songs" by Richard Strauss, is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful pieces in existence. The extensive chromaticism Strauss utilizes with utter precision and care tugs your heart-strings hither and yon at just the right times. In Strauss's world, key areas are colors that paint poetry with breathtaking vibrance onto the canvas of your very soul.
I suppose my title for this post was a bit misleading. While I would very much like to explore the piece as a whole and discover all the hidden yet wonderfully subliminal mysteries it holds, for the time being, I will focus my disquisition on the first fifteen measures of the work. I think you'll see that this is plenty for the intellect to dwell on.
The song opens with a deliberately ambiguous three measures of low divisi strings which seem ("seem" being the operative word) to be standing rather hesitantly on the dominant of F minor with hints of Ab Major. Beginning with the bassi and first celli, a slow four-note motif consisting of what appears to be a pair of fragments which are typical of an appagiatura and could be applied to many different keys - namely, Ab, Db, and F minor - is stated and then layered over by the same figure beginning on different scale degrees and simply adding to the obscurity of the key rather than confirming it.
Finally, on the downbeat of the third measure, an "E-natural" appears in the second celli and further (though not unconditionally: that would be too easy and inflexible) confirms the key of "F" minor. But, while the "E" resolves to an "F," the "C" goes to a "Bb" creating a IV chord whose function is simply to pass to a V7 built on "Ab."
Just as the first violins enter, the harmonic rhythm quickens a bit, and we seem to be establishing some more definitive harmonies, a quick "Cb" is thrown in, the voice comes in and a literally and figuratively falling (practically stumbling) scale of a fifth eludes to "Gb" Major as our first vague arrival at a key (not, as I might remind you, Ab, Db, or F minor as our ears had previously predicted). But this truly is only a key area because, although "Gb" is the tonicized key, a tonic chord of said key never actually appears. Every time we expect it, Strauss gives us two common tones and a tonally altered one. The first time we expect it at "A," we instead get a deceptive cadence followed by what our ears would like to call a "I6" but, the needed "Gb" being lowered to an "F," it is actually a "III" in Gb.
The first line of text reads "Now that I am wearied of the day," and on the word "wearied" ("müde" in German), Strauss dissolves the harmony and replaces it with a cadential "6/4" in F minor. The effect is incredibly haunting. It's as if he has written something in the sand on a beach and has brought a silent but sudden wave that has left no trace of what once was, or like turning a vibrant leaf over to discover rustic, more earthy colors beneath.
I would like to propose that from the beginning section to this place is in F minor and the "Gb" key area is a harmonic interruption that serves as an upper neighbor (neapolitan "II").
From here, "Ab" Major takes over and there is a relatively straight-forward (it's about time!), descending, strictly passing scale of a fifth over two and a half measures in the bass.
The passage that follows has always been one of my favorite parts of this piece, and since studying it, I have come to love it even more:
The text of this last part that I will be examining is roughly, "...I will let the friendly, starry night greet all my ardent desires like a sleepy child." On the word friendly, Strauss brings in the first bassoon to announce the arrival of the winds. The word ends in a string flourish which leads to the word "starry" on an "Fb" supported by high winds on a minor IV chord. This leads to another sweeping string chord on "I6" decorated by a flourish in the violins with the voice dropping a minor ninth on the word "night." Once again, on the word "sleepy," the winds come in on a high tessitura on a pivot "A" major chord which, with the help of enharmonics and the relationship to the previous wind chord, helps to establish "E" major. A triumphant "E" major harmony which lasts a whole measure and is contributed to by all parties previously involved sets the word "child" to glorious visuals. All of this happens within the span of three measures, each chord being in sudden stark yet complimenting contrast. But if the purely aesthetic brilliance and awe-inspiring nature of this section is not enough, "starry" sounds like a twinkling galaxy, "night" sounds like the grounded peacefulness of the evening, and it all paints a picture that is so clear, words are merely a backup plan. I have no idea how he does it, but I love it!
The last thing I would like to discuss is the transition into "C#" minor at letter B. If analyzed vertically, it would seem that the chromatic descent on the two eighth notes before B are a dominant seventh chord built on "Eb" followed by an augmented 6th chord on D natural that leads down to C#. I may be making this more complicated than it is but I would like to propose that, starting in measure 11, an implied "Ab" is sustained in the bass until the measure before B and acts as an anticipatory pedal on the 5th scale degree, filling-in for the dominant of what eventually becomes "C#" minor. What brought my attention to this possibility is the second bassoon on the second chord in measure twelve. Strauss has it playing a "Bbb" even though all the other winds have switched to sharps. To me, this indicates a desire to really illustrate a strong pull to Ab which eventually becomes "G#." Though it is never actually played, I believe it is strongly implied. Perhaps more so because it provides the adhesive that holds this whole section together yet is avoided in that octave entirely.
The gift that Strauss has in undeniable. The fact that there is so much packed in 15 measures, and that it paints such a strident, heart-wrenchingly beautiful portrait is mind-blowing. I desperately wish that I could post a link to the score of this, but it is still under copyright, so I am unable to at this time. I hope that, by reading this and following along, you will be able to hear the analysis without the need of a reference score. Here is my absolute favorite recording of this piece (though there are some other rather fantastic ones out there, too) with Renée Fleming, Eschenbach, and the Houston Symphony.
Thank you very much. Very good and interesting article.
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