Symphonische Gesänge

Symphonische Gesänge, Op. 20 (German: Symphonic Songs) is a collection of small songs for baritone or alto and orchestra composed in 1929 by Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky.

Symphonische Gesänge
by Alexander von Zemlinsky
Catalogue	Op. 20
Composed	1929 (1929)
Dedication	To the memory of Ida
Performed	April 8th, 1935 — Brno
Published	1977
Duration	18 minutes
Movements	7
Scoring	Baritone (or alto) and orchestra

Composition

A Jew with Muslim and Catholic ancestry, Zemlinsky composed the Symphonische Gesänge in 1929 using an evocative musical language, since his direct experience with African societies and music was limited. However, the plight of black Americans was appealing to many Viennese Jews, among them Zemlinsky, which was representative of the post-World War I situation in both Germany and Austria.[1] The Gesänge were composed using texts extracted from a Viennese anthology of poems from the Harlem Renaissance, entitled Afrika Singt (German: Africa Sings), published by Anna Nussbaum the same year the Gesänge were finished.[2] The set was dedicated to the memory of Zemlinsky's wife Ida von Zemlinsky. The text was edited by Wilhelm Grosz and translated by Jean Forman.[3]

This composition was premiered in Brno on April 8th, 1935 and was later published in 1977 by Universal Edition.[4]

Structure

This set features a total of seven songs written in German and has a total duration of 18 minutes. The song list is as follows:

1. Lied aus Dixieland (text by Langston Hughes)
2. Lied der Baumwollpacker (text by Jean Toomer)
3. Totes braunes Mädel (text by Countee Cullen)
4. Übler Bursche (text by Langston Hughes)
5. Erkenntnis (text by Langston Hughes)
6. Afrikanischer Tanz (text by Langston Hughes)
7. Arabeske (text by Frank Horne)

This composition is scored for a large orchestra made up of one piccolo, two flutes, three oboes, one cor anglais, one clarinet in E-flat, two clarinets in B-flat, one bass clarinet in B-flat, two bassoons, one contrabassoon, two horns in F, three trumpets in C, three trombones, one bass tuba, timpani, a percussion section for two percussionists, a mandolin and a string section.[5]

Like other works from the same period such as his String Quartet No. 3 and his opera Der Kreidekreis, Zemlinsky relies on tight motivic cells, static ostinato patterns and the Neue Sachlichkeit restraint.[6] The austere, Berg-like pared-down style is far from the jazzy, rhythmic "swing" he used in some other compositions from his period, developed after having conducted Ernst Krenek's Jonny spielt auf and Kurt Weill's Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, two operas that incorporate elements of jazz into their musical idiom.[3][2]

Recordings

Following is a list of some of the most notable recordings of this composition:

Conductor	Orchestra	Baritone (or alto)	Label	Year of Recording
Riccardo Chailly	Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra	Willard White	Decca Records	1993[7]

References

1. Diedrich, Maria I. (2011). From Black to Schwarz: Cultural Crossovers Between African America and Germany. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 9783643101099. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
2. "Symphonic Songs, for mezzo-soprano… | Details". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
3. Simeone, Nigel (2015). Liner Notes in Decca 478 8347. Decca Music Group Limited.
4. Zemlinsky, Alexander (1977). Symphonische Gesänge: für eine Bariton- (oder Alt- ) Stimme und Orchester, op. 20. Partitur (in German). Universal Edition.
5. "Zemlinsky - Sinfonische Gesänge for baritone (or alto) and orchestra". Universal Edition. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
6. Moskovitz, Marc (2010). Alexander Zemlinsky: A Lyric Symphony. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 9781843835783. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
7. "Zemlinsky* – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra*, Wiener Philharmoniker, Riccardo Chailly / Marc*, Hagegård*, White*, Slovak Philharmonic Choir* - Lyrische Symphonie · Symphonische Gesänge". Discogs. Retrieved 24 August 2019.