Issues of Harmony and Tonality in Zemlinsky's "Als ihr Geliebter schied"

Frank Riddick, University of Oklahoma

Als ihr Geliebter schied is the fourth song of Sechs Gesäng (Op. 13), a cycle based on poems of Maurice Maeterlinck. Composed in 1913, this complex song features a stubborn resistance to established analytical methods. My discussion focuses on the significance of nontraditional harmonic phenomena, the conflict between the keys of D minor and D-flat minor, the influence of the augmented triad as a generating structure, and the presence of hexatonic poles.

The polarity between D-minor and D-flat minor is highlighted throughout the song. This battle comes to full flower as the song nears its end, yet the dissonance between these keys is never completely resolved. Zemlinsky uses enharmonic notation as a compositional conceit to vaguely imply one key's prominence over the other. The use of the augmented sonority in this song is a remarkable feature, and the final measures demonstrate the composing-out of what could be called the song's referential sonority, D-F#-Bb. Zemlinsky uses two hexatonic poles from a single collection (HEX1,2). The progression which concludes the song, F#-major to D-minor, challenges the notion of cadence, arguably one of the most fundamental aspects of tonality.

Perhaps the curious harmonic twists and turns Zemlinsky uses to set this provocative poem are a subtle reference to the affair that his sister, Mathilde, had while married to Schoenberg. Zemlinsky took his sister's side in the matter, which strained the relationship between the two composers. We can interpret the setting of this poem, one that describes lover's death, as a symbolic reference to a troubled period in Zemlinsky's family life.