Wiley

Schoenberg and Karl Kraus: The Idea behind the Music

Author(s): Alexander Goehr
Source: Music Analysis, Vol. 4, No. 1/2, Special Issue: King's College London Music Analysis
Conference 1984 (Mar. - Jul., 1985), pp. 59-71
Published by: Wiley
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/854235
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ALEXANDER GOEHR

SCHOENBERG AND KARL KRAUS: THE IDEA

BEHIND THE MUSIC

I
In the last scene of ArnoldSchoenberg'sincompleteopera Moses undAron,
Moses confrontshis brotherwith the wrath of the true Old-Testament
patriarch.Aronis barelyable todefendhimself:'I havedoneonlywhatwas my
task:whenyouridea [Gedanke]yieldedno wordfortheirears,whenmyword
yieldedno imagefortheireyes,I createda miracle'.Moses has beenawayfrom
his people for a long time, and they have believed him to be dead.
of the allhe asks Aron whetherhe has any understanding
Reproachfully,
of
in
Aron
a direct
the
Idea
and
and
seems
to
avoid
Word
pervasiveness
Image;
he
his
'I
this:
this
Instead
defends
understand
actions,saying:
reply.
only
to
I
is
be
saved.
.
love
this
But
Moses
will
not
'I
love
bend:
people
people'.
...
myIdea and liveforit. . . . The peoplemustunderstandtheIdea. It is onlyfor
thesakeofitthattheyexist'.Takingcourage,AronreproachesMoses: 'You are
boundtoyourIdea'. 'Yes', answersMoses, 'to myIdea, as thesetabletsexpress
it'. Aron:'But theytooareonlyan image,a partoftheIdea'. Moses nowseems
to grasp the inconsistency
of his position,and, at this moment,he angrily
smashesthe Tablets of the Law. He resignsfromhis self-appointed
task; he
standsdefeated:'InconceivableGod! Inexpressible,all-pervasive
Idea! . . . So
have I too made an image- falseas an image mustbe! So am I defeated.
I havethoughthas beenmadnessand cannotand mustnotbe said.
Everything
O Word,youWordthatI lack!'
I shouldliketo discusswhatSchoenbergwas trying
to conveywiththisIdea,
which his Moses seems to equate even with God ('Inconceivable God,
Idea'); and I shouldliketocommenton themanner
inexpressible,
all-pervasive
in whichhe chose to depicthis Moses - one mightsay,his peculiarstance.
Moses is absorbedbytheintegrity
ofhisconceptoftheIdea. This setshimapart
fromhisbrotherand hispeople.We knowthathe willnotlivetoleadhispeople
to thePromisedLand, butwillsee itonlyfromafar.He willdisappear('but no
manknowethofhissepulchreuntothisday': Deut. 34, 6). Buthisnamewillbe
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59

ALEXANDER

GOEHR

a memoryforhis people; it willembodytheIdea; his peoplewillbe calledthe

people of Moses; and theirlaw will be the Mosaic Law. They too, theywill
claim(and Schoenbergmusthaveclaimed,when,in theearlyThirtiesin Paris,
he was receivedback intothe faithof his fathers),will be set apartfromthe
peoplesoftheworldbythislegacy.
sense,a religiousthinker.His work
Schoenbergwas not,in anyconventional
as composer,writerand theoretician
is markedby a personalmode and style.
Even whereit is mostobviouslyderivativeof its models,as in his youthful
orwherehe dealswiththeoretical
and technicalmatters,
itis very
compositions,
to
him.
His
is
sometimes
elsewhere
laconic,
easy recognise
expression strident,
revealcontradictory
quitelong-winded;and hisargumentand logicfrequently
pressuresand aspirations.In hismusic,thecharacteristic
gestureis therapidly
the
not
closure. This is
forceful
when
foreshortened
risingvoice,
actually
the
mark
of
his
times
and
his
but
far
more
it
is
thevoiceofthe
partially
tongue;
man himself.Small wonder,then,if we thinkwe can see some connection
betweenhis viewof himself,as man and artist,and his portraitof Moses. It
wouldbe toaccusehimofan overwhelming
arrogancewerewe tosuggestthatin
his Moses he had in factattempteda self-portrait.
But it is quite possible,
indeedprobable,thathe shouldhave givenMoses wordswhichexpressedhis
own innermostbeliefsabout the natureof his workand his personalethics;
him
especiallyso, ifwe cometo recognisethatan ethicalconcerndistinguishes
fromrun-of-the-mill
who
not
want
are
not
able
to
think
so
do
and
composers,
about
the
and
wherefore
of
what
do.
I
intensely
why
they
'Everything have
written
has a certaininnerlikenessto myself,he wrote.2
II
In the argumentbetweenMoses and Aron describedabove, Aron catches
Mosesina contradiction.
Moses seemstoderivehisconceptofan inexpressible,
Idea fromtheJewishlaw,'Thou shaltnotmake theeanygraven
all-pervasive
image'(Deut. 5, 8). This initsturngivesrisetotheWordand theLaw, anditis
thislaw whichis engravedon thetwosidesoftheTablets. But thesewords,in
whichthelaw is written
and whichconveytheIdea behindit (as we wouldsay),
in themselvesconstitutean image and as such are false. Carryingthe
to such extremesmakes Moses realisethe impossibility
of the
interpretation
wholeundertaking.
At theend of theopera,in completegloom,he givesup;
and so did Schoenberg.The operaremainedincomplete,and despitesporadic
attemptsto continuethereis littleevidenceto supposethatthecomposerwas
reallyable to imaginea concludingact. Certainlythe textforthe thirdact,
printedin the score,givesone littleidea of whata conclusionworthyof the
venturemighthavebeen.
In an uncannyway,themotifofincompleteness
connectswithSchoenberg's
withhisconceptofan inexpressible
Idea. Unfinished
continuing
preoccupation
projectsabound in thelifeofthissingularly
impulsiveand almostover-fertile
man. A whole processionof such projectsis bound togetherby this single

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SCHOENBERG

AND

KARL

KRAUS

choralsymphony
of
preoccupation.Firsttherewas a plan fora five-movement
and
noted
down
from
1912
to
One
section
Mahlerianscope
proportions,
1914.3
ofthiswas called'Death-Dance ofPrinciples(basicideas)', and a textforitwas
becamethebasisforDie Jakobsleiter,
published.The lastpartofthesymphony
the unfinishedoratorioabout the search of modernman for God. This is
describedin lettersto thepoet RichardDehmel, who remarkedofit: 'This is
notan oratorio,but a heroicdrama- Saul, Jonathan,David - but removed
fromtheBiblicalrealmintoa mysticalsphere'.4
At approximately
thesameperiod,and afterthecompletionand publication
of his Harmonielehre,
Schoenbergbegan to be concernedwiththe notionof a
theoreticalwork to be called 'The Musical Idea, Its Representationand
Continuation'(Der musikalische
undDurchfiihrung).5
Gedanke,seineDarstellung
As faras I can ascertain,thefirstdraftofthisproposedtheoretical
workis dated
6 July1925,althoughevidencesuggestsa muchearlierbeginning.Unfinished,
itwas put awayin a foldermarked'Gedanke'and takenoutfromtimetotime,
witha protractedspell of workon it between1934 and 1936. Ruferquotes a
revealingsentenceon a pasted-onbit of paper, dated 7 April 1929: 'The
questionas to whata musicalidea is has neverbeenansweredup tillnow- if,
indeed, it has ever been asked'. And in a postscriptthe composeradds: 'I
thoughtthatI would be able to statethisclearlytoday,I had it so clearlyin
mind.But I muststillwait.Perhaps,though,I shallcometo ityet'.6In a letter
of6 June1934,toCarlEngelofthepublisherSchirmer,he referstotheproject
as a Schliisselbuch,
and statesthathe has workedon thesubjectfortwentyyears
(whichtakesus back to 1914, the date of the projectedsymphony).'And in
1932,whenaskedto writeaboutthetwelve-tone
technique,he ripostes:
I havepublished
withtwelve
about'composition
tonesrelated
nothing
only
tooneanother'
anddonotwishtodosountiltheprincipal
partofmytheory
is ready:the 'Studyof MusicalLogic'. For I believethatmeaningful
canbe derivedfromthisartofcomposition
whenitis basedon
advantage
andrealization
thatcomesfrommusicallogic;andthatis also
knowledge
thereasonwhyI do notteachmystudents
'twelve-tone
but
composition',
in
the
sense
of
musical
will
the
rest
then
sooner
come,
logic;
'composition',
orlater,byitself.'
Later, of course,afterSchoenberg'sdeath,thekeywordGedankewas joined
with'Style'to becomeStyleandIdea, thetitlegiventohis collectedessays.
Schoenbergmade various attemptsto definewhat a musical idea is.'
noneofhisdefinitions
him.As earlyas 1922he writes:
Apparently
fullysatisfied
Scienceisconcerned
topresent
itsideasconclusively
andinsucha waythat
no questionremains
unanswered.
Arton theotherhandis satisfied
with

whatis general[literally'many-sided'],and the Idea risesup unambiguouslyfromthis,withouthavingto be directlydefined.A windowremains

open throughwhichintuitionmayenter.

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ALEXANDER

GOEHR

As I understand
thispassage,Schoenbergimpliesthat,whilsthe is unabletosay
preciselywhattheIdea is, itmaybe divinedin thecomplextextureofthemusic
itself.He continues:
In counterpoint
wearenotconcerned
withcombination
foritsownsake(it
withall-pervasive
ofthe
is notan endin itself),butrather
presentations
Idea: the themeis composedin such a mannerthatall thesemany
of
formulations
whichthisall-pervasive
[Gestalten]
through
presentation
concealed
within
it.'0
theIdeabecomespossiblearealready
From thiswe learn,ifnot whatthe Idea is, at leastwhatit is not. It is not a
theme; nor is it anythinglike a twelve-tonerow, which according to
to
has thesamepropertiesthathe hereattributes
Schoenberg'slaterdefinition
the theme.The themeconcealswithinitselfthe means of beingvariedand
an entirecomposition;and themanyformsin whichitis
developedthroughout
oftheIdea'.
aboutthe'all-pervasive
combine
to
bring
presentation
presented
We are shown here a stringof terms,one derivedfromanother:theme
or Grundgestalt
(basic form)leadingto
leadingto variationsand developments,
derivedGestalten(forms).But theseGestaltenare not the same as Gedanken
Logik(musicallogic).For
(ideas),whicharecontinuedbymeansofmusikalische
of
new
combinations
rise
to
theme, variationand
logical thoughtgives
fora seriesof new
the
vehicle
become
In
turn
these
their
may
development.
ideas. All theseideas are the logical continuationof the originalIdea. The
in any
conclusionwe mustdrawis thattheIdea is notofthetonesthemselves,
cannot
exist
the
tones
or
but
that
order
combination,
meaningfully
particular
withoutthehiddenpresenceoftheIdea.
in translating
such
Schoenbergappearsto haveseenno substantialdifficulty
a conceptof'idea' to music.He writes:
ofrelationships
between
Ifanideamaybedefined
astheestablishing
things,
conceptsetc. (so also betweenideas), so witha musicalidea, such a
can onlybe established
betweentonesand it can onlybe a
relationship
musicalrelationship.
And justas an idea neednotnecessarily
be thoughtin words,butin complexes
or in representations,
even
in
feelings,so a musical idea is not
perhaps
to
be
in
the
dimension
alone, but may also be
necessarily
thought
pitch
conceivedin spaceand sound,in dynamiccomplexes,in rhythm,
perhapseven
in othersensations.The important
is that,ifan idea is embodiedin
implication
mustbe accordingtothelawsoflanguage,as
language,itsfurther
development
wellas thegenerallaws ofthought;analogously,a musicalidea mustobeythe
lawsofmusic.'We maythinkin wordsand obeytherulesforthecombiningof
words,and equallywe maythinkin tonesand obeytherulesforthecombining
oftones'.11
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SCHOENBERG

AND

KARL

KRAUS

Most musicianswill be puzzled by thisconceptof a musicalidea. But it is

clarifiedby the wayin whichSchoenbergdeals withwhathe calls 'the logic,
of this
techniqueand art of its presentation'.In factone of the difficulties
is
of
which
'Gedanke
whereas
collection papers,
we call the
Manuscript', that,
great attentionis paid to the definitionof the usual elementsof musical
discourse - motif,theme, variationetc. - the very descriptionsand
raisea suspicionthatSchoenbergseemsto confusehis absolute,
prescriptions
almost transcendentalconcept of the 'Idea' with his concepts of theme,
in
and twelve-tonerow. Now, the concept of Grundgestalt
Grundgestalt
in
his
particular(a conceptwhichhas been recentlydiscussed by Epstein,
BeyondOrpheus,'2 and by PatriciaCarpenter'3)is a valuableand originaltool
forthe analysingof some aspects of musical unityand continuity.All the
sections of the Gedanke Manuscript,in their translationof
fragmentary
Gedanke into its derived forms,bring us back to the considerationof
conventionalmusical techniques,such as development,themeshapingand
techniquesof variation.In the Schoenbergianconceptionthese techniques
Idea. Butas
obtainsignificance
onlyinsofaras theyrelatetothenon-substantial
this was never defined,many of the discussionsappear disappointingly
cannibalizedbySchoenbergforhis
familiar,
especiallyas theywereextensively
later harmonybook'4 and the books on counterpointand composition
publishedby Steinand Strang.'5As withtheoperaMosesund
posthumously
Aron,it is not unfairto surmisethathere again the incompletenessof the
indicatesnotonlylack oftimeand energy,broughtaboutby the
manuscripts
hard conditionsof Schoenberg'slifein America,but also a real intellectual
quandary.My ownsuspicionis thathe believedthattheconceptofan Idea was
centralto his wholebeingas artistand thinkerbut at thesametimecould not
defineitin relationto therealworldofcomposing.
satisfactorily
He is quite clearaboutone thing,though:meaningin musicarisesfromthe
manipulationof tones. Music is not to be consideredas a vehicle forthe
expressionof ideas or sensationsderivedfromwords. It is non-referential,
on therealworldand presumablyaboutthingsin the
bornout ofa meditation
realworld,butexpressedaccordingto thelawsofmusic.He sumsup:
If theidea is expressed
in languageand followsitsrules,as wellas the
rulesofthought,
thentheexpression
ofthemusicalideais possible
general
inonlyoneway,through
tones;andtheideaobeystherulesoftonesas well
as corresponding
totherulesofthought.'6
approximately
fromlogical
Here, then,logicalthoughtin musicis notmerelya transposition
but a self-sufficient
and
thoughtin language (with its own significations),
therealworld,wherea musicalidea,turning
independent
systemfordescribing
intoa Gestaltand becomingin theact of composinga Grundgestalt,
generates
further
Gestalten
and thusexpressesa musicallogic.

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63

ALEXANDER

GOEHR

III
drawsthecomparison
betweentheidea expressed
in
Schoenberg
repeatedly
wordsandtheideaexpressed
in tones.Thissuggests
thathisthought
derives
notso muchfromtraditional
musicalthinking,
orevenfromthephilosophical
aesthetics
ofmusic,as fromthephilosophy
oflanguage.It is wellknownthat
was extremely
closeto thewriterKarl Kraus. He contributed
Schoenberg
on
to
Kraus'speriodical
Die Fackel(The Torch).Later,in a questionearly
ofa copyofmyHarmonielehre
which
naire,hewastowrite:'In thededication
I senttoKarlKraus,I said,"I haveperhapslearnedmorefromyouthanone
is permitted
to learnifonewishestoremainindependent"
'. Andhe added:
'By thisis meantnotso muchthescopeas thelevelofregardthatI holdfor
him'.17
Problemsof subject-matter
(whichis oftenconcernedwithverylocal
of translation
have ensuredthatKraus'swork
matters)and the difficulty
remainscomparatively
unknownin theEnglish-speaking
world.Fromthe
secondvolumeofElias Canetti'srecentautobiography,
called,significantly,
Die FackelimOhr(The Torchin My Ear),iswe getsomeidea of Kraus's
immense
inViennaintheyearspreceding,
andafter
theFirst
standing
during
WorldWar,and theviolentantipathies
he aroused.His thought
had a great
effect
notonlyonCanetti,
butonWittgenstein,
WalterBenjamin
and
Brecht,
whichincluded
circleoffriends,
Freud,as wellas uponhisimmediate
probably
thearchitect
AdolfLoos, thepoetPeterAltenberg,
thepainterKokoschka,
andhispupilsWebern,
Schoenberg
BergandthepianistEduardSteuermann.
In hisearlydayshe had to do notonlywiththeinfluential
Otto
philosopher
butalsowiththerevolutionary
FrankWedekindand
Weininger
playwrights
outto be an actor,he wrotepoetry
of
AugustStrindberg.
Originally
setting
anddistinction
andtranslated
someofShakespeare's
sonnets.He
greatpurity
alsowroteanenormous,
rather
andalmostunperformable
drama,Die
Joycean
letzten
(The Last Days of Mankind),set againstthe
Tage derMenschheit
backgroundof the GreatWar.19 He financedhis most ambitiousand
theperiodical
Die Fackel,whichacceptedno advertiseactivity,
longlasting
mentsand fewcontributions
fromotherwriters,
by a seriesof immensely
fashionable
andperformances
ofhisownversions
ofplaysand
publicreadings
andOffenbach.
Oneoftheseperformances
operettas
byShakespeare,
Nestroy
is described
byCanetti.
In theseperformances
Krausplayedall theparts.He wasnot,apparently,
a
greatsingerin the usual senseof the word,and we read in a reviewby
Schoenberg's
pupilPaulA. Piskthathehadlittlesenseofpitch.Thisprompted
anirateletter
toDieFackelfrom
Steuermann,
co-signed
byRudolfKolischand
AlbanBerg,interestingly,
and forour purposesrelevantly,
that
suggesting
Krauswasnotin anysensea trained
musician
he couldconveythe
although
ofthemusic,andtodothisdidnotdependentirely
onhitting
theright
meaning

notes.20If thisletteris to be takenseriously,itwouldsuggestthatthemeaning

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SCHOENBERG

AND

KARL

KRAUS

totheshapeofthe
(oridea) ofmusiccan be conveyedbygesturesapproximating
musicalphrases.
concernedwithlanguage;notso muchwiththeoryor
Die Fackel is primarily
philosophyofanykindas withtheexposureofmeaning,especiallywherethis
whoregarded
Kraus was a conservative,
derivesfrommisuse.Fundamentally
technologicalprogress as a weapon of those who, for reasons of selfand inthesearchforpower,exploitedothers,and,in so doing,
aggrandisement
and spokenword.He saw this
distortedthenaiveand properuse ofthewritten
in thepropagandasurrounding
happeningin thenewspapers,and particularly
oftheFirstWorldWar; he also sawitin the'falsetone'ofpoets
thebeginnings
he dislikedforthat
such as StefanGeorge,whose Shakespearetranslations
reason. Above all, he was a sceptic- and a fierceone: 'My beliefsabout
languagecastdoubton all waysthatlead toRome'.21 He expressedthesebeliefs
and doubts in Spriche und Widerspriiche
(Sayings and Countersaypublishedin 1909. Here he suggests:'There are two
ings/Contradictions),
form
thosewhoareand thosewhoarenot.In thefirst
kindsofwriters,
category,
as bodyand soul; in thesecond,formand content
and contentbelongtogether
match as body and dress'. From this arise furtheraphorismsabout the
theethicalimperatives
functions
ofliterature,
uponwritersand thebetrayalof
suchimperatives:
ofan idea,notthe
embodiment
wordis thenatural,
essential
The written
takesholdof
ofanopinion.. . . Theagitator
wrapping
socially
acceptable
ofmusicis tone,the
theword;theartistis takenbyit. . . . The material
is the
whoselanguage
layman
painter
speaksincolours.No self-respecting
aboutmusicand painting.The writeruses a
wordmakesjudgements
material
availableto all, theword.So everyreaderjudgestheartofthe
suffices
aremodest.Signlanguage
andthecolourblind
word.Thetone-deaf
toeachother.
tocommunicate
theideaswhichtheyhavetocommunicate
tobesmirch
ourclothes
withoilpaint?22
Areweentitled
persistently
Leopold Liegler,Kraus consideredlanguage
Accordingtohisfirstbiographer,
not as a means of communicationbut as a method of revealingmental
intothe
connections,since'everyidea is partoftherealworld.It is distributed
partsof speech througha prismof quantitativeperception'.Kraus sees the
growthoftheworkofartas arisingoutoftheorganicbuildupoftheindividual
This
and self-knowledge
as arisingoutofthelifeofthecommunity.
personality,
impliesan ethicalimperative,namelyto expressthe Idea in the formof the
writtenword. 'The writerhas to knowall thetrainsof thoughtthathis work
thegreatertheart. It is a matterof
opens up . . . themoretherelationships,
withbackgroundin a singlestroke,so thattheIdea is a
combiningobjectivity
precis of an essay'.23

of word by idea constitutesan ethicalimperative,it

If the determination
linked.It thusbecomespossible
followsthatidea and wordarenotindissolubly
to misuselanguage,by derivingit fromsomethingotherthanthesubjectively
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ALEXANDER

GOEHR

defined
itmightariseoutofthedesiretomanipulate,
as in
idea;forinstance,
and
is
There
a
between
Kraus's
connection,
then,
advertising propaganda.
beliefsaboutlanguageand hisfiercecriticalcampaignagainstcorruption
in
as
and
business
made
use
of
the
so
society.
Just banking big
press, journalists
weredrawnintothewareffort:
'To havenoideaandbeabletoexpress
it,that's
whatjournalists
within
andrealisedin
do'.24 ForKraustheIdea is embedded
theconstructs
oflanguage.A kindoforganic
is achievedwhichhasits
growth
own independent
existenceand yetis relatedto the externalworld.The
connection
withmusicwas firstsuggested
by ErnstKrenekin his funeral
addressforKrausin 1936.'Music',he said,'is thepre-historic,
pre-logical
oftheidea,priortoitsincarnation
existence
intothelanguage
process.Theidea
Andinan articleon
liveslockedintoitssecretlikea ladybird
intoa crystal'.25
KrausandSchoenberg,
first
in
the
23, Krenek
published
periodical
important
the
that
two
artists
are
connected
the
primarily
by recognition
suggests,
rightly,
inherent
in Kraus'sbeliefsaboutlanguage.26
The
of theethicalimperative
not onlyof
is an important
clue to the understanding
ethicalimperative
musicaldevelopment
stance('I ama pupil
butalsoofhisartistic
Schoenberg's
andMosesaremen
ofMozart')andofthestanceofhisMoses.BothSchoenberg
ethical
havesaid,'oftheir
of
their
as
Kant
servants
beliefs,
'aware',
might
apart,
duty'.27
Kraus'sideasmaybe tracedbacknotonlyto Kantand Hegelbutmore
to the GermanRomanticsSchlegel,Brentanoand Novalis.
particularly
of
'Anideaisa concept
to
Schlegel,
pushedtotheextremes
According Friedrich
interof
the
an
absolute
absolute
synthesis
syntheses, self-generating
irony,
ideas'. AndNovaliswrites:'If onlypeoplewould
changeoftwoconflicting
understand
itisas withmathematical
that,withlanguage,
formulae,
theycreate
a worldoftheirown- theyonlyplayamongthemselves
andexpressnothing
buttheirmarvellous
...
nature,andjustbecauseofthistheyareexpressive
is
developing
Language Delphi'.28The gap betweenlanguage- as a freely
ofwordsfunctioning
toitsownrules- andtherealworldis
system
according
The
work
in whicha subjective
the
idea.
of
art
is a synthesis
bridgedby
of
determines
of
the
structure
the
perception reality
languageused. The
Kraus's
between
beliefs
and
music
consists
similarity
theory
Schoenbergian
in
the
that
of
are
differentiated
from
ideas,
primarily
recognition parts speech
- the idea - determines
the formof the speech
yet this ingredient
is necessarily
to the
constructed
which,however,
(Sprachgestalt),
according
rulesofspeech.'The surprising
about
this
of
remarks
thing
theory language',
a theory
ofmusicwhichoughtin factto have
Krenek,'is thatit anticipates
as music,whichpresupposes
no extramusical
material
it,insofar
anticipated
never
to
have
in
conceived
other
been
ought
reality,
any
way'.29
IV
Echoes of Kraus's ideas ring throughSchoenberg'swritings.In the essay
'Problemsin TeachingArt'he states:'The directionin whicha trueteacherof
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SCHOENBERG

AND

KARL

KRAUS

artwould have to guide his pupils [is] towardsthatseverematter-of-factness

markofeverything
which,morethananything
else, is thedistinguishing
truly
of
a
twelveof
his
and
inventor
compatriot contemporary
personal'.o3 Writing
tonetechnique,JosefMatthiasHauer, he suggeststhatHauer 'looksforlaws.
Good. But he looks forthemwherehe will not findthem'- thatis, not in
Nature (Schoenberghere seems to identifythe traditionalmusicallanguage
ofhisfriendDavid Bach he acknowledgesthe
withnatureitself)."3
Andwriting
it withthe ethicaland moral
latter'sinfluenceon his characterin 'furnishing
and
to
withstand
needed
vulgarity commonplacepopularity'.32
power
In popularimage,Schoenbergis theinventorofthetwelve-tone
technique,
ofhis musicis put downto this.I am notconcernedto deny
and thedifficulty
butto suggestthatthedifficulty
thatitis difficult,
perhapsarisesfromhisown
stance.To clarify
ofhistaskand fromhisparticular
definition
this,I shouldlike
someaspects
beliefsaffected
toexaminethewayin whichhisKraus-influenced
fortheinnovations
ofwhatwe now
hisenthusiasm
ofhisworkand contradicted
call expressionism.
Centralto Schoenberg'scompositionaldevelopmentis his use of motivic
structures
whichgiveslifeto theotherwisestilland inexpressive
construction,
of harmony.33The motifis born directlyout of the Idea and owes its
significanceto this fact. In an aestheticallysuccessfulpiece, it recurs
ina continuousrangeofderivedand variedforms,notonly,as is
polyphonically
commonlybelieved,to ensureunity,but to carryon a logicaland comprehensibleargumentin whichIdea givesriseto relatedideas throughtheagencyof
This highaspirationliesat theheartofwhathas ignorantly
musicalstructures.
inhisworkas a kindofretrogression
beencriticised
into,ifnota neo-classicism,
at least a neo-academicism.Howeverwe ratehis post-1918compositionsin
to avoidthismistakeninterpretation
relationto hisearlierones,itis important
of Schoenberg'sreintroduction
into his music of formalprototypesfrom
earlier,tonal periods. Everythingis thereto createclarity;and this is the
The
statement
ofa philosophicalposition,notthepioushopeofa schoolmaster.
to
referred
idea of clarityand restraint,the matter-of-factness
(Sachlichkeit)
driven
from
motifs
which
are
the
ideal
of
a
and
above,
compositionproceeding
- all thisis commontothelaterworksofSchoenbergand his
totheirantitheses
principalpupils. It maybe associatednotonlywiththeartisticbeliefsbutalso
oftoneand
withtheactualstyleofKraus. Thereis indeedan uncannysimilarity
an
article
methodbetweena passagelikethefollowing
(from
byKraus,written
in 1914)and a movementfromtheSuiteOp. 25 bySchoenbergortheConcerto
Op. 24 byWebern:
In thesegreattimes,
whichI stillknewwhentheyweresmall,andwhich,if
timeremains,
willbecomesmallagain,andwhich,
becauseinthedomainof
suchtransformation
is impossible,
wemight
wellprefer
to
organic
growth
callfattimes,orevenweighty
that
times;in thesetimes,whereprecisely
and,wereweabletoimagine
it,would
happenswhichwe cannotimagine
nothappen;intheseserious
whichhavelaughed
todeath,
themselves
times,
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67

ALEXANDER

GOEHR

confronted
withthepossibility
thattheymight
betakenseriously;
surprised
their
own
seek
themselves
inthe
by
and,catching
tragedy,
they distraction,
veryact, theyseekwords;in thesenoisytimes,whichdronewiththe
ofactionswhicharereported
and reports
whichare
appallingsymphony
beliedbyactions;inthesetimes,youmustexpectfrom
menowordofmy
own.Noneotherthanthis:thatsilenceprotects
. . . In
againstdistortion.
the domainof impoverished
whereman dies of spiritual
imagination,
without
a spiritual
wherepensaredippedinblood
hunger
feeling
hunger,
and swordsin ink,whatis notthought
mustbe done,whatis thought
cannotbe spoken.Expectfrom
menowordofmyown.. . . Whoexhorts
actions,spoilswordanddeedandis doublydespicable.The urgehasnot
died.Thosewhonowhavenothing
to say,becauseactionshavethelast
tosay,standupandbesilent.34
word,speakon.Lethimwhohassomething
Here the variationsand developments,inversionsand negationsof words
determine
theflowoftheideas. The repeatedkeywords
and theiroppositesgive
rise to a logical developmentof thoughtand lead inexorablyto the final
The toneis matter-of-fact,
statement.
theexpressionextremeand razor-sharp.
All thisstandsfarremovedfromwhatwe now call expressionism,
butwhat
at thattimemightmoreproperlyhave been definedas thedisruptiveforceof
eroticism.This, Kokoschka's 'explosionin the garden',35the subject-matter
of StefanGeorge'sBuchderhdingenden
Garten(setby Schoenberg),was rightly
forcein a societyof double standards.The use of
regardedas a revolutionary
erotic symbolism,dredged from the subconscious,increases the sensual
aspect of texturein art so as to alterthe verynatureof the subject-matter,
in content.It deals in detailedand 'decadent'
makingit seem revolutionary
ornamentsuggesting
naturalformsand so linkingup withelementsin oriental
and medieval cultures,while at the same time referringto the sexual
branchesand
symbolismprevalentin the portrayalof plants,intertwining
long hair. The disruptiveforceof thiseroticism(whichmanifesteditselfin
Weininger'soppositionof sex and character,in the typicallyWagnerian
conflictbetweendutyand desire,in the male cult of the 'madonna',in the
opposingimages of prostituteand mother,and in many otherforms)was
recognizedand fearedby Kraus and his friends.They saw eroticismas an
ultimateform of Romanticismin art, symptomaticof degradationand
degeneracy.It was theflipside ofpower,whichwas associatedwithso-called
technologicalinnovation;it contributedto the veryills, the vulgaritiesand
distortions
againstwhichit reacted.'The man of our times,who besmirches
walls witheroticsymbolsdrawnfrominnercompulsion,is a criminalor a
degenerate',wroteAdolfLoos. 'One can judge the cultureof a nationfrom
the way its lavatorywalls are defaced'.36 Such highmindedsentiments
thegap whichseparatesKraus, Wittgenstein,
Loos and Altenberg
exemplify
fromtheirexpressionist
contemporaries.
if we impose withhindsightsome
This, however,is only a contradiction
artificialdivisionbetweenexpressionists
and theiropponents.In realitythe
division was less clear. But there is, nevertheless,some justificationfor
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SCHOENBERG

AND

KARL

KRAUS

consideringthattherewas intenseand productiveconflictin Schoenberg's

feelingsand ideas at thiscrucialperiod,justbefore,duringand aftertheFirst
libretti(Kraus's aphorism
World War. He sets psychoanalytically-inspired
- 'thediseaseofwhichitclaimsto be thecure'- is well
aboutpsychoanalysis
known) and the poetryof George; he correspondswith Kandinsky; he
intent.Butifwe
lunaire,witha quiterevolutionary
composespieces,likePierrot
look at these 'expressionist'works closely we see ample evidence, in the
the same concernwith
compositionalsphere,of the same matter-of-factness,
works.
the
that
characterize
and
later,'post-expressionist'
directness,
clarity
in
of
in
hand
with
of
emotion
hand
construction,
early
intensity
goes
Intensity
and laterworksalike.
From a purelymusicalviewpointit is usual to see Schoenberg'sstyleas a
synthesisof Brahmsian(Apollonian)and Wagnerian(Dionysian) elements,
veeringnow to one, now to theother.But I see also a progressawayfromthe
NachttoErwartung,
his workfromVerkldrte
eroticismthatcharacterizes
away
towardsa personalversionof the
of Herzgewachse,
fromthe ornamentalism
Idea.
all-pervasive
JewishGod inMosesundAronandtowardstheinexpressible,
He describes this quest in the words of his Gabriel, in the unfinished
'Rightor left,backwardsor forwards,up hill or down dale, one
Jakobsleiter:
mustgo on,withoutaskingwhatliesaheadorbehind.It mustbe concealed;you
may,naymustforgetit, to realizethetask'.37This task,as he saw it fromthe
time of Jakobsleiter
onwards,was to definehis thoughtsand to compose
artist
He sawthisas thecorrectstancefora conservative
of
them.
out
coherently
thismayseemto be almosttoo
in themouldofKraus. Looked at in hindsight,
sterna positionfora creativeartistto take.MosesundAron,afterall, 'works'as
ofKraus's ideals;itis a
an expressionist
operaratherthanas an exemplification
on thenature
than
a
discourse
rather
workaboutideas,in thetraditional
sense,
of Idea itself.Indeed, it is difficultto see how Kraus's ideals, with their
in an opera.
tendencyto abstraction,could have been realized effectively
in
resulted
a qualityof
with
them
Nevertheless,Schoenberg'spreoccupation
thewholework.
musicalgesturewhichinforms
Moses the Lawgiver wishes to lead his people to the Promised Land.
Schoenberginventsa methodof composingwithtwelvetonesrelatedonlyto
one anotherwhichwill,he hopes,secure'thehegemonyofGermanmusic'into
the unforeseeablefuture.Unitingboth achievementsis the Kantian,ethical
imperativewhichdeterminestheprogressof theartistas a mediatorbetween
idea and word,musicalidea and tone,expressingonlyand nothingotherthan
ofthetonesmean,separatedfromtheworldbya sense
whatthecombinations
ofhighermission,and yetspeakingonlyoftherealworldand totherealworld.
'An individualcan neitherhelpnorsavehisowntimes,he can onlytestify
to
theirdecline', wroteKraus, quotingKierkegaard,in 1928.38Kraus died in
1936,but Schoenbergsurvivedto witnessthefullhorrorsof thatdecline.He
did not, however,live long enough to see his own artisticformulations
establishedworldwideand turnedon theirheads. Beforetoo manyyearshad
passed,his methodshad been freedbothoftheconditionsin whichtheygrew
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69

ALEXANDER

GOEHR

whichtheyembodied.The methodbecamea
andoftheethicalimplications

and thatessential
tonesintostructures,
of combining
partof it
system

as a Romantic
oftheIdea cametobe regarded
determined
byandexpressive

of tonesmust
Without
residueand an anachronism.
Idea, compilations
ofBeigeandtherefore
becomearbitrary
sequences
meaningless
necessarily
oneofKraus'shappyformulations.
rdusche
noises),toborrow
(secondary

tonaiver
returned
neither
Sowemight
were,
having
they
say,wearewhere

in die
In hispoem'Rtickkehr
togreater
timesnorprogressed
understanding.

forme,
turns
ofTime),Krauswrites:
Zeit'(Reversal
backwards;
'Myindicator

in time.In whatever
andI standotherwise
whathasbeenis nevercomplete,
backtothepast'.3
turns
it
I
hold
take
I roam,andwhatever
future
of, always
NOTES
score(Mainz:Schott,
MosesundAron,miniature
1. Schoenberg,
n.d.),pp. 499-540.
alteredthetranslation
throughout
I haveslightly
giveninthescore.(Translations
thisessayaremineunlessotherwise
stated.)
ed. Erwin
2. Letterof5 August1930to AlbanBerg,inArnold
Letters,
Schoenberg
Stein(London:Faber,1964),p. 143.
a Catalogueof His
3. Described in JosefRufer,The Worksof ArnoldSchoenberg:
Newlin
Dika
trans.
and
(London: Faber, 1962),
Writings Paintings,
Compositions,
115-18.
pp.

4. QuotedinRufer,
op.cit.,p. 118.
5. See Rufer,op. cit., p. 137, and AlexanderGoehr,'Schoenberg'sGedanke
Vol. II, No. 1, October
Institute,
Manuscript',Journalof theArnoldSchoenberg

Los
is in the ArnoldSchoenberg
Institute,
1977,pp. 4-25. The Manuscript
and (forthemostpart)undated,
Angeles.Sincesomepagesare unnumbered
cannotbe given.
precisereferences
6. Rufer,
op.cit.,p. 137.
7. See Goehr,op. cit.,p. 4.

8. Letterof17April1932toEdgarPrinzhorn,
op.cit.,p. 140.
quotedinRufer,
inthetitleStyleandIdea,I havetranslated
whichisexpressed
a tradition
9. Following
from
Kantonwards
ofGerman
as 'idea';butstudents
thewordGedanke
philosophy
word
the
'thought'.
might
prefer
dated19August1922.
10. Gedanke
fragment
Manuscript,
11. Gedanke
Manuscript.
12. (MIT, 1979).
Vol. 5, 1983.
as Tonal Function',MusicTheory
13. 'Grundgestalt
Spectrum,
Functions
14. Structural
(London: Williamsand Norgate,1954).
ofHarmony
ed. Leonard Stein(London: Faber, 1963),
Exercisesin Counterpoint,
15. Preliminary
ed. GeraldStrangand Leonard Stein
and Fundamentals
ofMusical Composition,

(London:Faber,1967).
16. Gedanke
Manuscript.
zum
KarlKraus:Beitrdge
17. 'Rundfrage
Kraft,
iuberKarlKraus',quotedinWerner
seinesWerkes
Verstandnis
(Salzburg:Muiller,1956),p. 195.

inMyEar (New
as TheTorch
18. Secondedition(Munich:Hanser,1980).Translated
York:FarrarStrausGiroux,1982).The relevant
pagesare77-87oftheGerman
65-74oftheEnglish.
edition,

70

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SCHOENBERG

AND

KARL

KRAUS

19. ElsewhereKrauswrote:'The dramaticworkofarthasnothingtodo withthestage.

The theatricaleffectof a drama should last no furtherthanthe desireto see it
is
The bestperformance
morethanthiswoulddestroyitsartisticeffect.
performed:
the one thatthe readermakesforhimselfout of theworldof the drama'. From
in Werke,ed. H. Fischer,Vol. III: BeimWort
reprinted
SpricheundWiderspriche,
1955),
(Munich:K6sel,
p. 102.MosesundAronhasoftenbeencriticized,
genommen
ofcourse,forbeing'undramatic'.
20. Die Fackel, No. 811, 1929,p. 91ff.See Kraft,op. cit.,p. 198.
21. Quotedin Kraft,op. cit.,p. 189.
22. SprucheundWiderspriiche,
pp. 111, 120, 113.
23. See Leopold Liegler,Karl KrausundseinWerk(Vienna:Lainyi,1920),p. 381ff.
24. Quotedby Liegler,op. cit.,p. 347.
25. 'Ansprachebei der TrauerfeierffirKarl Kraus im Wiener Konzerthausam
30.11.1936' (Vienna,1936),quotedin Kraft,op. cit.,p. 195.
26. 'Karl Kraus und ArnoldSchoenberg',23, Nos. 15-16, 1936.
27. Kant's concept of Achtungfiirdas Sittengesetz
(respectfor the moral law) is
discussedin S. Korner,Kant (Harmondsworth:
Pelican,1974),p. 163.
28. All thesequotationsarefromLiegler,op. cit.,pp. 287-9.
29. Quotedin Kraft,op. cit.,p. 197.
30. StyleandIdea, ed. LeonardStein(London: Faber, 1975),p. 368.
31. 'Hauer's Theories',StyleandIdea, p. 209.
32. 'My Evolution',StyleandIdea, p. 80.
trans.RoyE. Carter(London: Faber, 1978),p. 34.
33. See Theory
ofHarmony,
34. 'In diesergrossenZeit' (December 1914),quotedin Liegler,op. cit.,pp. 293-4.
Vienna(New York:Knopf,1980),ChapterVII.
35. See CarlE. Schorske,Fin-de-siecle
ed.
36. AdolfLoos, Samtliche
Schriften, F. Gliick,Vol. I (Vienna:Herold, 1962).
vocalscore(Los Angeles:Belmont,n.d.), p. 12.
37. DieJakobsleiter,
in Werke,Vol. XIV: Dramen(Munich:Langenand Mfiller,
38. Die Uniiberwindlichen,
1967),p. 115.
39. Werke,Vol. VII: Wortein Versen(Munich: K6sel, 1959),p. 236.

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71