Music of Today

Paul Hindemith's Das Marienlaben is no ordinary song-cycle. Its lofty text (poems by Rilke) and the dramatic appeal of its music make it a work of great esthetic value. Its unconventional treatment--its complex interrelationships and its attempts to induce deeply spiritual reactions--makes it a work of historical significance. And its magnificent performance last Thursday night by Phyllis Curtin, soprano, and Gregory Tucker, pianist, made it an excellent conclusion to the Longy School's Music of Today series.

Mr. Tucker began by reading part of Hindemith's preface to the 1948 revision of Das Marienlaben. With the aid of a diagram and a dozen pages of technical discussion, the composer points out how this version differs from the original 1923 score. The improvements resulted in a more unified piece, and each of the fifteen songs included were fashioned into parts that together produce an integrated and carefully calculated effect. For instance, the first and seventh songs (Birth of Mary and Birth of Christ) use the same melodic and harmonic material, thus demonstrating the similarity between the two events. The final song, by including echoes of all the others, binds together the whole work.

Despite Hindemith's avowed intention always to keep in mind the limitations of the human voice when composing, Das Marienlaben requires a virtuoso soprano with an acute sense of rhythm, unerring breath control, and a versatile, disciplined voice. Phyllis Curtin possessed all these, as well as what appeared to be a profound knowledge of the work's structure. Her intimate style is well suited to the darkly lyrical numbers, and in expressing the stark misery of a song like the Pieta, she sounded desolate, cerie, and thoroughly convincing.

The piano part in this song-cycle is more than a simple accompaniment. According to Hindemith, its relation to the voice is of great importance in achieving the effect that he wished to attain. Mr. Tucker's technique and interpretive insight was in every way equal to Miss Curtin's singing.

A moving piece of music, then, superbly performed. However, its worth cannot be grasped immediately, and one example of its many novelties will suffice to explain why. Described in a portion of the 1948 preface which Mr. Tucker did not read is Hindemith's use of tonalities, instead of themes, as lietmotivs. Thus, the key of B represents Mary, while E symbolizes Christ. This, certainly not evident at first hearing, is just another indication that Das Marienlaben--despite its immediate impressiveness--must be heard many times before it can be fully appreciated.