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    Metaphor and Analysis in Hoffmann'... Criticism - Håvard Enge - Academia - Edu PDF

    Uploaded by

    DanielBrunoSchvetz

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    swore017 Metaphor and Analysis in Hoffmann's Beethoven Criticism htps www academia edut164464/Motaphor.« HavardEnge 700 more + ‘Metaphor and analysis in Hoffmann’s Beethoven criticism Havard Enge ‘The Early Romantic aesthetics ofthe German Jena ciel, formulated around 1800, invol ‘new conception of at, emancipated from the classical doctrines of mimesis, Among thet profound consequences ofthe Romantic philosophy of art was a re-evaluation ofthe stat music. In the eighteenth century, instrumental music had been considered main! ‘entertainment, inferior tothe other ats because it lacked concepts, and therefore failed ‘mimetic. But around 1800, the writers Wackesroder and Tieck vividly portrayed ita highest, most independent form of at, thus inspiring the somi-religious worship of music was to be characteristic of the nineteenth century. Music was praised as a madiw transcendence into higher realms of spirit, revealing truths which were ineffable in words In this fundamental re-evaluation of music, @ central role was played by the w ‘composer, and conductor E.T.A, Hoffmans, who explored the aesthetics of Jena Roman both in his stories and in his musical ertiism. The prime example is his famous revie Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, dating ftom 1810. The extensive inroduetion (othe revie ‘one of the main texts in the aesthetics of Romanticism, and it had an immense impact bot the idolization of Beethoven as a genius, and on the reappraisal of instrumental music privileged, tnscondent artform, Because of its high level of atention to musical d Hoffman's Besthoven review also influenced the course of masical analysis. However, his purpose asa critic was not to evaluate to what degree a work com ‘with a nommetive standard, but rather to examine how it flfls its own, unique condition ‘he review of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, he was particularly oceupied with the unity 0 symphony, But as Stile Wikshiland has demonstrated, the idea of organic uni Hofimana's review should not be confused with the quest fr structural unity in dae maw analysis ofthe (wentioth century, I will return fo Wikshilands argument in @ moment. Fe ‘present, | wil just emphasize tat the idea of unity is complex and ambiguous in Hoff review, depending as much on aesthetic metaphors as on analyses of musical structure. In this address, I will examine how Hoffmann mixes metephorical and analy Tanguage in his attempt aticu ic his experince of unity in Beethoven's fifth symphor ‘my argument, I will Jeen on recent theories by Thomas Grey and Marion A, Gue metaphor and fltionatity in language about music, sin Hottmanns_Besthoven_Crticism 9 swore017 (75) Metaphor and Analysis in Hofimann's Beethoven Cricism | Havard Enge - Academi {engote ana inconetent WorkS tat Dorn SnaKespeare ane HeetnOvEN Nea Dee Met WI replies by using metaphors of grow that bring to mind Goethe's ideas of the organic uni Gothic architecture! us ike ou aethtc overses have ote complain abou al ack fre unity and core, Shakespeare, when only profound corerlatn shows the plead ire, sand caves, Ho tod fu we singing fam he sae ses oly te most petting sty of heuer sat Beethoven mun ean revel hip evel anal aware, which nepal ra thd nora by continuing study of heat! In this context, Hoffinann's subsequent examination of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony ap) to be an attempt at carrying out this “most penewating smdy of the inner struct Beethoven's musi.” Being an secomplished composer and conductor, Hoftinann Was u! ‘qualified forthe task of evaluating Beethoven’s musieslerafismanship, nd be applied a variety of musicological terms in his review, But contrary to many music erities of the cighteenth century, Hoffinamn's sim was not primarily to censure the composer's mistake ‘vas willing to extend the boundaries of music theory to embrace the unique and ign new works of music, ‘The aesthetics of Early Romanticism is always present in Hofimann’s analy survey of the symphony, especially through continual allusions to the ideas it introduction In these ssaystic first paragraphs, Hoffmann claims that Bectho" instrumental musi gives the listener a feeling of “infinite yearning”. All sorts of contl ‘emotions are united in this yearning, which is evoked by the overwhelming and immeasu character of the music. This experience is painful and threatening, but it is also asta «estate vision. Even though Hoflinann is not employing the term directly, Burke's and K ‘deus of the sublime are easily recognizable: |. Pesthove’sinermens! matic unis before the em af he mighty and he meas Here shining aya gh soo! ough he darkness of ight and we Become aware of in hs saying back ad for, moving cvee close foun us bd destoyng win sal fing but ff frie yerning, in which vay dears lepine op sn round of extn, sinks back Slsapper. Only his ps, im wich Tov, hope and oy ae coated wilout beng dete ‘which ietes tours our bears with fll chrused oF fe pssons, do we ive on a5 Ferman Acetic” in Geary): Goethe Kasse on Artand Literate, Pinson 1936 5 Charo (e: Hofinan's mascot writings Cambie 989, 9238-238. In what follows, Hofmann seems tobe trying to show in musical analysis how the sub charactor of Besthoven’s instrumental music is displayed in the Fifth Symphony. § Richard Wagner, many commentators have emphasized Hoffinana’s thoughts about how ‘opening theme isthe core ofthe whole of the first movement, and how the themes ofthe movements are related to each other, Hoffinann’s criticism has to a great extent ‘understood as an attempt ata demonstration of perfect structural unity inthe masterwor! ‘genius, even by recent musicologists like Joseph Kerman and Ruth Soli. But consequer has been overlooked that the unity Hoffmann is deseribing, is impossible to mesa ‘capture in words it isthe overwhelming, all-consuming experience ofthe sublime Like H.C. Andersen's fairy tale he nightingale" the reception of Hoffmanr story shout trvine to stabilize and meshanize somethine “oreanicelly” mesninefil tps stwww.academ'a.edu/1164464/Motaphor_and_Analys's_in_Hoflmanns, Beethoven_Crtiism swore017 htps www academia edut164464/Motaphor.« HavardEnge 700 more + bas found ways to make technically explicit aspects of musical coherence that were init the object of intuition only" The most influential theorist of sructra music analysis Heinrich Schenker, who coined the terms “Ursatz” and “Ud ie". These were explain, fundamental shapes of musical structure, which he claimed could be detected in all 0 classical and romantic masterpieces. Schenker demonstrated musicl unity by peeling : “superfluous” detils from the surface of musical work, and reducing it to the uavax shape of the “Ursatz", which he believed to be the essence of music. Other structural ana! like Donald Tovey and Rudolph Rét, demonstrated musical unity through examinatic ‘melody, tonality and rhythm, identifying cores that the musical surface was suppost spring from. [But es Stale Wikshiland has argued in an essay about the romantic and the me notion of the musical work, the Early Romantic idea of organic unity has little in com ‘with the reductive structural analysis that thas been supposed to anticipate: |.) The Romantic esblshnent ofthe work aan organi is in no way elated to 2 tear Pcp of explantion whichis constaedo be proved ena as the way the muta "ements and sitons nhs werk |.-| The Me of te oguncsm ts meteor fr te work ot Syl ofthe infinity ofthe Len. Atta sat exaly te sume a tvortcl tio ‘yates, whic st be demonstrated wifey and stomatal, ep by step in one work ae “Tartar, Sete Revew of Charon 1989, 29" Contry Mai. Spring 1991, pp.286.296p.295 * Wiking, tle: "Beethvetvarajont” BOT AT Ger Oslo 1995, po. 15-18 137 (My taste ‘The Norwegian oigial ads] Romantkeasfseggele ve verket Som gms lige verbo \Wikshiland’s point is tht the reductive demonstration of unity in modem structural ai isa far cry from Hoffmann’ idea, and he accuses Joseph Kerman of overlooking

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