There are thousands of songs which please superficial singers and audiences without awakening the least question as to the worth of the poem and its author. This is not true of Franz's songs, however, and never has a song writer succeeded better than he in doing his chosen poets and poems full justice. He did not use them simply to serve his musical purpose, but adapted himself to them in a way which might be called self-abnegation of the highest form. It is this characteristic, together with his use of the old contrapuntal and polyphonic art, that gives Franz's compositions a classic aspect. His aim and task was to find a formally clear, distinct expression for every kind of poetical sentiment, and one hardly errs in saying that Franz has outgrown the romanticist in himself and donned the superior garb of classical art. The musical construction of his songs is firm and perfectly developed, and allows no room for misunderstanding or individual conceptions. His ideas are expressed fully and clearly, and although the general impression produced may continue to move us, it is brought to a complete, satisfactory conclusion by the last note. One feels that here a superior artistic spirit, an eminent musical genius reigns; a genius drawing inspiration from the purest musical source, guided by high literary and æsthetic culture, scorning imitation and cheap, tawdry effects, but in each new song striving for strength, character and perfect harmony with the poet whose work his music honors.
It will readily be understood why the creator of such beautiful works of art should be unwilling to make the piano accompaniment play a subordinate part. However, he does not raise it to the principal position, as does Wagner, in his latest music dramas, but melodically, rhythmically, harmonically, interweaves it with the vocal strain in such a way that each part completes the other, both forming a wonderful unity. In fact, as regards this intimate and organic connection of song and accompaniment, Franz hardly has his equal among the great song composers, notwithstanding many splendid instances of this combining power found in the songs of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms. Quite often Franz's song accompaniments are written in such a manner that each part forms a beautiful song by itself, so that one is almost tempted to sing one of the inner voices; while sometimes the accompaniment is even written strictly in four parts, making it seem like a choral composition. This leads us to the cardinal features of Franz's style, and shows his close relationship to Sebastian Bach and to the already mentioned old hymns and folk songs. August Saran has treated this subject most thoroughly in a very remarkable book culminating in the statement, "Robert Franz's song is in its whole nature and musical structure nothing else but the old German folk-song, enriched and idealized by the peculiar expressiveness of modern music." Those old folk-songs had once reached their highest development on sacred ground in the protestant Choral as it became so wonderfully perfected in Bach's polyphonic and contrapuntal art. We find that Franz has applied this same art and spirit to modern lyric songs, although at the same time he fully recognizes what all the later musical epochs have contributed in the way of greater delicacy or intensity of expression, richer, and freer use of the rhythms, new harmonic modulations, a closer regard for the intelligent phrasing of poetic words, and a richer and far more varied and effective technique of the pianoforte.
As regards his style Franz is thus an absolutely modern composer, else his songs would be mere scholarly experiments, having no inner life. But his melodies are evidently designed for a polyphonic treatment. They need to be supplemented by other parts, not merely by a simple chord accompaniment, although this is also used occasionally. Yet with all these finesses, and the difficulties of such a complicated style, most of the songs have quite a popular character in the noblest meaning of the word. Only a small number are what the Germans term "durchcomponirt," (composed through), a large majority are in the strophe form. Yet the composer understands just how in the most wonderful, scarcely perceptible, and often extremely delicate manner, to do justice to the changing moods of the different strophes. Quite a number of the compositions are true folk-songs, the poems being old German, Suabian, Swiss, Bohemian and Scotch.
Franz's favorites among prominent poets, are Heine, Lenau, Eichendorff, Burns and Osterwald, while secondary are Goethe, Rückert, Geibel, Möricke and Roquette. The subjects treated by him are many and varied; there are many beautiful songs of nature in various deeply affecting, concentrated moods, songs of night and stars, of water and waves, weather and storm, autumn and spring, forest and heath; also songs of love in all the phases which a heart may experience, from the first sweet, chaste dawn, to the exultation of final happiness; the woe of a broken heart, and of parting and death; nor are merry, dancing or humorous songs missing. Yet there are no ballads.
How many remarkable, strong, or delicate features could be singled out of this wealth of lyric music, but how much easier and more directly could this be done with the songs themselves before one! The sharp eye or ear would then be delightfully surprised by many strange and new details. They would meet with unusual keys and modulations, intentional indefinite fluctuations between major and minor keys, rhythmical finesses and curious combinations such as a 7/4 time or the periodical change of the time, impressive declamatory effects, an effective use of syncopations, sequences, inversions, cadences, characteristic figures and ornaments. And this never for purely musical purposes, but for the sake of a better expression of the poetic meaning. Would that these lines might help to induce many readers to study closely the songs of Robert Franz! They would then experience delightful surprises with nearly every song, and their hearts would be filled more and more with music of a new and independent style, each tone of which has life and meaning, and helps to arouse one's sympathy for a new, though limited, world of beauty and ideal contents. But never will the student's surprise and pleasure be greater than when meeting with songs such as are already familiar and dear to him in other famous settings. For none of these need to step aside and shun comparison with their more celebrated rivals. For illustration, his "Restless Love," by Goethe, certainly has not a less passionate melody than Schubert's setting of the same subject, while the brilliant accompaniment of the former is decidedly superior to Schubert's. "When Midnight Dreams" ("Allnächtlich im Traume") is a worthy rival of Schumann's fine song, and much better than Mendelssohn's conventional setting of Heine's poem. It is difficult to decide which deserves the preference, Franz's or Brahms' setting of the beautiful slumber-song "Ruhe Süssliebchen" from Tieck's "Schöne Magelone;" though quite dis-similar, both hold high places among the songs of these two masters. Especially interesting is the comparison of those, the poems of which, mostly written by Heine, have also inspired Schumann to some of his very finest productions. These are the songs which are recommended to all who desire to study the strong individuality and significance of Robert Franz as a composer of songs. In such a rich collection it is impossible to specify the merits of each song; for all appeal equally to our sympathy and attention.
ROBERT FRANZ
The adequate rendering of Franz's songs lies both with the singer and the accompanist. Most of them demand a well trained voice of a fine musical quality, and often of a wide compass, an unusual degree of general musical education, a clear poetical comprehension of text and music, and a most distinct enunciation and intelligent phrasing. The accompaniment calls for a very clever player, well schooled in Bach's polyphonic style, who has a singing tone and who, in the whole conception and delivery, is in full harmony with the singer. Nearly all of these songs can be well rendered and enjoyed in an English translation, if only the translator be guided in his work by the utmost regard for the melos and rhythm of the poem and its music. Franz's songs are still far too little known, although in the old world, and we are proud to say in the new also, some enthusiastic admirers, singers, musicians and writers have done a great deal for their introduction. They are everywhere respected, but unduly neglected in vocal concerts as well as in our homes, where their influence would be felt still more. May these lines help to win them many true and lasting friends.
There remains still another highly important musical achievement of Robert Franz to be noted,—a series of works through which he has deserved the lasting thanks of all earnest friends of musical art, and which will for all time connect his name with those of our greatest masters of the oratorio, Bach and Handel. Before him Mozart had made a similar attempt with the music of Handel, and Mendelssohn with that of Bach, but neither achieved a complete success. These old masters did not fully write out the accompaniments to their great works in the form which has become the rule with their successors, but rather left them as outlines, a mere figured bass indicating the accompaniment, which the composer either played or personally supervised. The old art of playing from a figured bass has in our time become almost obsolete; besides our ears have through the wonderful development of instrumental music become accustomed to new sounds and orchestral effects, which are now absolutely essential to us. Also, some instruments have since been discarded and others modified. It was an extremely difficult task to complete this accompaniment, which was merely suggested, and arrange it for our modern orchestral instruments, at the same time retaining the spirit and style of the old great masters. It required a thorough historical and theoretical knowledge, a fine sense of the peculiar character of the different instruments and a complete mastery of polyphonic and contrapuntal art, qualities found only in a true musician, who was himself highly gifted as a composer. Scholarly professors might perhaps have performed this feat in a merely correct and antiquarian manner, but only a true musician could inspire these accompaniments with the same life as the old masters would have done had they lived at the present stage of musical art. It will be easily understood that such an undertaking excited the most animated criticism, which several times led Franz to defend his standpoint in very interesting publications. Against such attacks by more or less famous and learned musical writers he was warmly assisted by enthusiastic friends and admirers in Germany, England and America, where Franz had early found many marks of a high appreciation of his genius. However the most gratifying reward for his labors is the fact that his arrangements of the old masterworks are steadily coming into general use. Modern as is his sentiment as a productive musician, he stands nearer to Bach and Handel in style and spirit than any other modern composer. We know of none who could have performed this great task more conscientiously, with a deeper comprehension of the old art and with a more loving devotion than Robert Franz. What he has achieved in this line secures him immortality not less than his songs.
The most important of these arrangements are: Handel's "Messiah," "Jubilate," "l'Allegro il Pensieroso ed il Moderato," and many arias and duets; Bach's "St. Matthew Passion," "Magnificat," "Christmas Oratorio," "Tragic Ode," and many cantatas and arias; Astorga's "Stabat Mater," Durante's "Magnificat," and quite a collection of old German chorals and songs.