Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 13

Ch.

3
-The philosophical currents of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries spawned
certain reforms and revisions in the rhetoric curriculum of the Lutheran
Lateinschulen, significantly influencing the understanding of the rhetorical figures.
With neo-Platonic though replacing Aristotelianism, emphasis began to be placed
more on natural, affective epression than on calculated composition. !nfluenced by a
rising national identity and a call for an intuitive naturalness, the "erman language
began to replace Latin. #hetorical figures were not to be sought in ancient tetboo$s
but rather in the inspired natural speech of the "erman citi%en. The most significant
"erman late &aro'ue rhetorician, (ohann )hristoph "ottsched *+,---+,../,
published numerous influential wor$s on this sub0ect, including his Ausfhrliche
Redekunst and Versuch einer Critischen Dichtkunst, both tets undergoing multiple
editions and printings. "ottsched also classified the figures into figurae dictionis and
sententiarum, of which the former are not all of e'ual value, for most of them are
nothing but empty wordplay which produce nothing but a childish clatter and contain
no fire of an affection.1
23
"ottsched4s concept of he rhetorical figures rests entirely on
their capacity to epress the affections5 6ne could even say, they are the language
of the passions. 7veryone who is possessed by a certain affection will naturally and
involuntarily invent figures, for no one can epress their affection without figures.1
28
"ottsched further compared the figures to facial epressions, which, li$e language,
are eternal reflections of internal activities or emotions. 9urthermore, li$e the actions
of he swordsman, figures could be used to startle, distress, delight, enrage, and elicit
approval from an audience. The figures thus assumed a dual purpose5 li$e facial
epressions or the wor$ of a painter, they could be used to portray the reigning
affection: and li$e the combative endeavors of the fencer, they could arouse various
affections in the listener. !n his Critische Dichtkunst, the wor$ which formed the basis
of (ohann ;cheibe4s concept of the musical-rhetorical figures, "ottsched maintained
that the entire power of an oration is rooted in the figures, for they possess a certain
fire, and through their magic throw a spar$ into the heart of the reader or listener, and
similarly set them aflame.1
2.
Although the arousal of the affections had had been
associated with rhetoric and specifically the figures since anti'uity, only in the late
&aro'ue was this elevated to the figures4 primary purpose. While <uintilian regarded
the figures as a means to convince an audience, and ;usenbrotus focused on their
decorative role in speech and literature, "ottsched sought to base his concept of the
figures entirely on their affective nature and potential. A similar process can also be
observed in the development of the musical concept of the figures. *&artel, =ietrich,
>usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5
?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, ,+-,2/

TOWARD A RHETORICAL USICA POETICA
"eneral comparisons have been drawn between music and rhetoric since anti'uity.
While #oman writers emphasi%ed the usefulness of musical $nowledge for the
orator,
2,
rhetoric was increasingly regarded as the model for musicians as early as
the siteenth century. (ust as it was the intent of rhetoric to assist in captivating and
convincing an audience, so too did it become epected of music that it should
epress the sentiment of the tet in order to increase its effect on the listener. This
could be accomplished through a musical reflection of the tet4s synta, meter, and
structure, as well as through a vivid representation of the tet4s images, affections,
and ideas. As music adopted rhetoric4s goals and intentions, namely to encourage
audience involvement through the portrayal and arousal of appropriate affections in
order ultimately to move and effect them, it is not surprising that references
emphasi%ing a similar approach to composition are fre'uently encountered in music
treatises. While references to the corresponding goals of music and rhetoric are
found in !talian, 7nglish, and 9rench treatises, the development of a systematic
musical rhetoric is limited primarily to "ermany. !talian writers restricted their
suggested guidelines to matters concerning correct tet underlay, an appropriate
musical reali%ation of the tetual structure, and general admonitions regarding the
agreement between the sentiment of the music to that of the tet.
2B
!n "ermany, on
the other hand, references to the relationship between rhetoric and music became
much more specific and detailed, developed and taught appropriately in the contet
of the Lateinschule curriculum.1 *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical
9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-
BA, ,2-,3/
The musica poetica tradition did not attempt to establish a new musical order, as did
the !talian seconda prattica, but rather fused 'uadrivial and trivial, mathematical and
linguistic definitions and concepts of music into a musical order which served specific
Lutheran needs instead of general aesthetic principles. Through the introduction of
Lutheran liturgical practices, greater emphasis was placed on congregational
involvement, which was reali%ed musically primarily through the many new Lutheran
chorales. Luther4s theology of music also encouraged the inclusion of polyphonic
choral music in the liturgy, with the choral leadership in he churches provided by the
various parochial school choirs. >usic was thereby given a greatly increased
significance in both the liturgy and in the church4s school curriculum. ;imultaneously,
the role and position of the Kantor, who directed the church choirs and taught music
at the schools, also rose in stature. !t was to be the Lutheran Kantor who would
determine the direction of "erman &aro'ue music, culminating in the wor$ of (. ;.
&ach.
2A
With the growing humanist interest in the classics and the increased
significance of practical music-ma$ing in the parochial schools, the place of music in
the liberal arts underwent an important change5 while musica speculativa began to
disappear from curricula, the applied musical discipline was promoted to a position
comparable to the linguistic arts, becoming part of the core curriculum of the
Lutheran Lateinschulen. #hetoric would provide a paradigm for its sister discipline,
music. !n accordance with Luther4s teachings, music itself was regarded as a
heightened form of speech, becoming a rhetorical sermon in sound. Through the
Lateinschule curriculum, rhetorical terminology and methodology was already familiar
to students and teachers ali$e, epediting the musical adaptation of rhetorical
terminology and concepts. !n adopting ancient and distinguished rhetorical
terminology and methods, the art of musical composition was given both a greater
legitimacy and a clearly established rationale and ob0ective. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica
Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of
@ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, ,3-,8/
Throughout the siteenth century, numerous authors referred to rhetorical methods
and techni'ues in their discussions of musical composition. While some eplained
musical terms in rhetorical language, others assigned rhetorical terminology to
musical devices
3-
5 as early as +82. ;tomius referred to fugue as mimesis: "alliculus
*+82B/ spo$e of schemata variorum colorum *figures of varying adornment1/ without,
however, identifying any specific figures
3+
: rhetorical figures used by grammarians
were compared to various notational signs by Ceyden *+83-/ and to musical
ornamentation by Colthauser *+88+/. !n discussing pauses, =ressler *+8.2/ used
pronounced rhetorical language5 they were to be used for reasons of elegantiae et
suavitatis: at times, all the voices might pause because of emphasin as well as the
meaning of the words: he highlighted )lemens non Papa4s use of suspensions,
cadence, and fugue as three outstanding ornamenti. Coffmann *+8BD/ referred to the
transgression of a mode4s range as redundantia and ellipsis. 9ollowing these and
other musical-rhetorical references by various "erman writiers, the Lutheran Kantor
and teacher (oachim &urmeister provided a detailed and systematic approach to
musical composition which enshrined rhetorical terminology and methodology in the
"erman musica poetica tradition at the beginning of the seventeenth century.
&urmeister4s efforts have been characteri%ed as the most significant conse'uence of
combining music and rhetoric.1
3D
profoundly influencing "erman compositional theory
throughout the &aro'ue era. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical
9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-
BA, ,8-,./
BAROQUE MUSICAL-RHETORICAL STRUCTURE
#eferences to rhetorically arranged music became more specific throughout the
seventeenth century. Parallel to musica poetica4s gradual adoption of the concept
and terminology of the rhetorical figures was its acceptance of rhetoric4s structuring
principles. Athanasius Eircher was the first to introduce the terms of the rhetorical
structuring process, inventio, dispositio, and elocutio into musical compositional
theory, preparing the way for a more eplicit correlation between music and rhetoric.
All three steps in this process were lin$ed to tet epression5 while invention refers to
an appropriate musical adaptation of the corresponding tet, the dispositio concerns
itself with an appropriate and pleasant1 musical epression of the words. The
musical elocutio then embellishes the entire composition through the use of tropes
and figures.
32
This union between music and rhetoric was consummated in the
writings of >attheson, particularly in Der vollkommene Capellmeister. While the
concept of the musical-rhetorical figures of the musical elocutio had ta$en firm root
by the eighteenth century, >attheson introduced the complete rhetorical structuring
process to musical composition and with it the various particulars of that process,
including all of inventio4s loci topici and the si steps of the dispositio. *&artel,
=ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic.
Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, ,.-,,/
MUSICAL-RHETORICAL INVENTIO
The first step in the rhetorical structuring process is inventio5 determining a topic or
sub0ect. Although Eircher had introduced the concept of a musical-rhetorical inventio,
he limited its application to the musical representation of the associated tet.
According to Eircher, the composer first chooses a theme or sub0ect whose material
is to become the basis and foundation for the represented and evo$ed affection.33
;econd, the $ey for the composition is chosen, again in consideration of the desired
affection. Third, the composer decides upon the meter and rhythm for the
composition, ta$ing both tet and its affection into consideration. This must all be
done before the actual wor$ of composition *dispositio/ can begin. The invention1 of
sub0ect, $ey, and rhythm should b underta$en in such a way that the intended
affection is established. Throughout the seventeenth century, composers were
provided with lists of words of motion, place, affection, time, number, etc., which they
were encouraged to epress and paint.1
38
The musical epression of a word was
fre'uently accomplished through the use of musical-rhetorical hypotyposis-figures,
devices through which the meaning of the words are enlightened in such a way, that
they seem to spring to life.1
3.
With inventio thus lin$ed to tet-epression, this first
step of the rhetorical process was directly lin$ed to the third step, elocutio or
decoratio, which traditionally concerned itself with the rhetorical figures.
3,
*&artel,
=ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic.
Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, ,,-,B/
The flourishing genre of seventeenth-century instrumental music brought with it an
epansion of the tet-oriented concept of the musical inventio. Particularly fruitful in
this regard was the incorporation of the phantasia techni'ue, used to refer to certain
short, mechanical contrapuntal patterns, so called because they were the product of
the composer4s or player4s imagination.1
3B
The correlation of inventio and phantasia is
demonstrated by >auritius Fogt when he gave the title De Phantasia et
Inventionus1 to the sith chapter of his compositional treatise.
3A
*&artel, =ietrich,
>usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5
?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, ,B/
With the rise of instrumental music and the growing concern regarding unity of
affection, early-eighteen-century composers were encouraged to ma$e use of the
loci topici in writing their music. &y transferring the rhetorical loci topici to musical
composition. Ceinichen proposed that the composer might derive a good idea from
the given *and fre'uently unfruitful/ tet. &ut to lead our imagination, cannot, !
believe, be better accomplished than through the oratorical loci topici. 7ven with the
most uninspired tet one can ta$e 0ust the three principal sources, namely
antecedentia, concomitantia, and conse!uentia te"tus, and eamine them according
to the locus topicus by weighing carefully the purpose of he words, including the
related circumstances of person, time, place, etc. Thus the inborn natural
imaginationG never lac$s for the epression of valuable ideas or, to spea$ more
clearly, s$illful inventions.1
8-
A composer could use the principle of the rhetorical loci
topici and eamine the tets surrounding the one which was to be set to music. 6ut
of the contet of preceding *antecedentia/, parallel *concomitantia/, or subse'uent
*conse!uentia/ tets, the composer would be able to establish a suitable affection for
even the uninspired1 tet. @ot only could such an application of the loci topici furnish
the composer with ideas for his composition, but it would also discourage a
preoccupation with particular words which might be contrary to the governing
affection.
8+
While Ceinichen focused only on the locus circumstantiarum, >attheson
suggested that all loci topici be eplored for their musical potential. >attheson began
his chapter on melodic invention with a discussion of melodic motives which might be
used in structuring the melody.
8D
Although he mentioned that a composer might
ma$e a collection of all the pleasing motives which he has encountered, order them
according to chapter and title, and when the need arises, gather counsel and
consolation from them,1 he assured the reader that this would result in ragged
patchwor$.
82
#ather, the motives are to be $ept in mind so that the composer can
epress himself comfortably without constantly consulting a Leicon for counsel.1
83
>attheson devoted the rest of the chapter to a discussion of the musical application
of the loci topici. 7ven the locus e"emplorum, which he interpreted as an imitation of
other composers, can prove beneficial. Cowever, even if this is he most fre'uently
used source, the composer must ta$e care that he not simply copy or steal another4s
wor$ but return it with interest. That is, one must arrange the borrowed materials in
such a way, that they assume a more beautiful and improved epression than in their
original contetG. 7ven the greatest capitalists will borrow money if it is to their
advantage or convenience.1
88
*&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical
9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-
BA, ,B-,A/
The &aro'ue compositional process was an ob0ective one, in contrast to the
sub0ective and individualistic one of later eras. The adaptation of a preeisting idea
and the invention of a new theme were e'ually considered a part of the inventio
process. The necessity of a personal and sub0ective eperience as an inspired
source for composition was foreign to the &aro'ue mind. All irrational, indefinite, or
inaccessible musical thought was considered unworthy. This applied as much to
inventio as to the other structural steps. The composition was conceived of and
structured by rational principles of form and epression common to composer and
audience ali$e. Thematic or sub0ect material was in the public domain, common to all
composers and comprehensible to all listeners. Whether or not a composer4s
disposition or mood1 coincided with the desired affection of a composition was
immaterial5 the composer was obligated to set a certain tet to music *or provide
instrumental music for a certain occasion/ and loo$ed to the given, ob0ective material
or situation for the predetermined affection. 9or the musicus poeticus such a
rationally conceived and perceived composition would portray and arouse the desired
affections called for by the tet, always with the intention of glorifying "od and
edifying the listener. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in
"erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, ,A-B-/
MUSICAL-RHETORICAL DISPOSITIO
The first musical reference which reflects the steps of the rhetorical dispositio can be
found in "allus =ressler4s description of the e"ordium, medium, and finis of a
composition.
8.
&urmeister, who also espoused this tripartite organi%ation, referred to
the central section as the body of the composition itself.1
8,
The dispositio order
became a determining factor specifically in fugue composition. The opening
statement of the fugal theme was referred to as la propositione della fuge1 by Angelo
&erardi in +.AD, a thought which is echoed by =resden )apellmeister (ohann
)hristoph ;chmidt in a letter to (oahnn >attheson in +,+B. As &ulter points out,
;chmidt used the rhetorical chria, a simplified form of the dispositio, to eplain fugal
structure.
8B
*&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman
&aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, B--B+/
!t remained for >attheson to systematically apply all of the rhetorical dispositio steps
to musical composition, now no longer applied primarily to the fugue.
8A
The eordium
introduces the composition, arousing the audience4s attention and preparing them for
that which is to follow. This might ta$e the form of a prelude to a fugue or, as
Praetorius indicated, an opening ritornello in an aria or concerto.
.-
The narration
advances the intention or nature of the composition. This can be reali%ed through the
entry of the vocal part in an aria or the solo instrument*s/ in a concerto. (ust as the
narration is optional in rhetoric *it is omitted in the chria/, it can be incorporated by the
propositio in a musical composition. &esides being identified with the presentation of
a fugal theme, the propositio is assigned the function of presenting the actual content
and purpose of the composition. The following two sections, confirmatio and
confutatio, can be considered as contrasting processes with the same ultimate
purpose5 to strengthen the proposition by either confirming the argument or by
refuting or resolving any ob0ections to it.
.+
While the confirmatio employs varied and
artful repetitions to reinforce the proposition, the confutation ma$es use of
suspensions, chromaticism, or contrasting passages which, when properly resolved,
strengthen the original theme.
.D
9inally, the peroration, the conclusion of the
composition is to end the composition emphatically. This may include a repetition of
the opening eordium or ritornello. !t may also ma$e use of an elaborated pedal
point, a device which is given the various names of paragoge, manurium, or
supplementum. The clima" as defined by @ucius and Thuringus may also have been
understood as a cadential figure, in which we are diligent to detain the listener who
eagerly awaits the end.1
.2
*&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical
9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-
BA, B+-BD/
MUSICAL ELOCUTIO:
THE MUSICAL-RHETORICAL FIGURES
The relationship between music and rhetoric was most fre'uently and concretely
articulated through the concept of the musical-rhetorical figures. Although the musical
and linguistic figures use contrasting epressive language uni'ue to their respective
discipline and medium, they agree in epressive principle, a phenomenon made
possible through their common affective goal.
.3
!n the same way that an orator was to
ornament and heighten his speech through rhetorical figures to lead it greater
persuasive effect, so too could the composer portray and arouse the affections
through comparable musical figures. And 0ust as the rhetorical elocutio availed itself
of figures of speech and thought, musica poetica would cultivate a concept of musical
figures. >usic thereby adapted one of rhetoric4s most emphatic devices, beginning
within a #enaissance aesthetic based on tet epression and evolving throughout the
&aro'ue era into a concept based on the epression and arousal of the affections in
the listener. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman
&aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, BD/
The Aristotelian notion that phenomena must be terminologically identified and
defined in order to be understood and taught encouraged the development of this
concept of the musical figures. 6nly in naming the devices employed by past masters
of vocal polyphony could their music be understood and eplained. !n order to
accomplish this and ma$e the art of composition an accessible craft to the student, it
was necessary for the teacher to ma$e these musical phenomena available for
instruction, analysis, and composition. Through the concentrated emphasis on the
linguistic disciplines in the Lateinschulen, rhetorical terminology was familiar and
accessible to all students. The desire to identify preeisting musical phenomena with
familiar but newly defined rhetorical terminology was eplicitly affirmed by &urmeister,
thereby opening up a new world of analytical possibilities. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica
Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of
@ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, B2/
The concept of the musical-rhetorical figures developed from an early &aro'ue
ornatus-oriented understanding, in which figures were defined as aberrations from
the simple or traditional compositional norms, primarily for the sale of variety, interest,
and color, to a late &aro'ue, movere-oriented understanding in which the figures
were defined as the primary agents for presenting and arousing the affections. A
corresponding development of the rhetorical figures can be observed in the "erman
&aro'ue. The rhetoric tetboo$s of the late seventeenth century were becoming
increasingly cursory, reflecting the decline of the Latin rhetorical tradition and its
classical sources of rhetorical figures. 6n the other hand, the growing populari%ation
of "erman rhetoric based on natural speech by authors such as )hristian Weise,
>enantes, and "ottsched resulted in tets which increasingly emphasi%ed rhetoric4s
role in directly moving the listener.
.8
This led to a more affective rather than
ornamental understanding of the figures. #hetoric developed from an academic Latin
discipline to a form of psychological eamination of the relationship between the
"erman language and the affections. )onse'uently the rhetorical figures became
understood not so much as consciously applied artistic devices but as intuitive
epressions found in natural speech. ;uch changes and developments in the
rhetorical #igurenlehre correspond to similar developments in the discipline of music.
*&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue
>usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, B2/
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MUSICAL FIGURENLEHRE
The large number of music treatises which are in one way or another indebted to
&urmeister4s #igurenlehre *7ggbrecht spea$s of seventeen different authors
producing twenty-seven treatises
..
/ attests to the wide support and general
acceptance of his rhetorical approach to music. ?pon closer eamination of the many
different treatise, it becomes apparent that the development of the musical-rhetorical
figures was anything but uniform. As &uelow points out, there are numerous conflicts
in terminology, and definition among the various writers, and there is clearly no one
systematic =octrine of >usical 9igures for &aro'ue and later music, notwithstanding
fre'uent references to such a system by ;chweit%er, Eret%schmar, ;chering,
&u$of%er and others.1
.,
@ot only are there discrepancies between early- and late-
&aro'ue #igurenlehren, but there are also substantial differences between authors of
the same generation.
.B
While some writers viewed the figures primarily as a
legitimi%ation of dissonance, others regarded their main function as the epression of
the tet and the affections. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical
9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-
BA, B3/
!n spite of the substantial differences between the various concepts of the musical-
rhetorical figures, certain fundamental elements are common to all #igurenlehren. A
musical-rhetorical figure was generally regarded as an artful and epressive musical
device which digressed from either the simple, unadorned musical idiom or the
established rules of counterpoint. The siteenth century contributed both the first
musical-rhetorical terminology as well as the musical sources for the first
#igurenlehren. These early references to figures, including the writings of &urmeister,
@ucius, and Thuringus, focused on tet epression and ornatus in $eeping with the
#enaissance artistic ideal. Although tet epression was inevitably with the
epression of the affections, this was not the primary concern of the early-
seventeenth-century concepts of the figures. These early #igurenlehren were
developed by musicians who thought, wrote, and composed in the style and contet
of siteenth-century imitative counterpoint. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-
#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press,
+AA,, ++-BA, B3-B8/

Throughout the seventeenth century, tet-oriented modern !talian musical styles
became increasingly popular in "erman circles, further encouraging the epression
of the affections and the adaptation of rhetorical principles in musical composition.
@ucius and Thuringus lin$ed the musical figures to their rhetorical counterparts much
more consciously than &urmeister had done, as evidenced in their classification of
the purely musical figurae principales and the musical-rhetorical figurae minus
principales. While the early #igurenlehren referred only periodically or indirectly to the
figures4 powers to evo$e the affections, this function became increasingly important
throughout the century. Athanasius $ircher, borrowing heavily from earlier "erman
writers but also strongly influenced by the !talians, combined the theoretically
motivated "erman concept with the empirically motivated !talian approach. This
resulted in an increased emphasis on the portrayal of the affections. )hristoph
&ernhard4s concept of musical-rhetorical figures rests not so much on the concern to
introduce affective and rhetorical language and methods into the musical realm as it
does on his efforts to bring together !talian prais-oriented stylistic concepts with
"erman contrapuntalism. This led to a #igurenlehre which concerns itself with
eplaining seconda prattica dissonances in the contet of stylus gravis rules of
counterpoint. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman
&aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, B8/
The growing relationship between music and rhetoric and the increasing emphasis
on the affective nature of the musical-rhetorical figures continued into the eighteenth
century. Ahle eplained the figures in a purely rhetorical contet, focusing on the
literary figures found in a composition4s tet. !n maintaining that these were to be
musically epressed, he allowed a musical interpretation of virtually any rhetorical
figure. With his uni'ue classification of the musical-rhetorical figures as figurae
ideales, >auritius Fogt stressed that they should vividly portray not only the affection
but the idea1 of a composition4s tet. (ohann "ottfried Walther collected terms and
definitions of the musical-rhetorical figures from various sources in his Le"icon,
covering diverse #igurenlehren based on contrapuntal ornatus *Thuringus/,
epression of affections *Eircher, (anov$a/, ornamentation *Print%/, dissonance use
*&ernhard/, and rhetorical figures *Able/. >attheson, li$e Ahle, also turned to the
rhetorical figures as his source for the musical devices, regarding the musical figures
as virtually identical to their rhetorical counterparts. 9urthermore, through his
insistence that musicians ought to turn to natura instead of scientia for their musical
inspiration, >attheson introduced a sub0ective and empirical element into his concept
of the musical-rhetorical figures, which corresponded to parallel developments in
contemporary "erman rhetoric. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical
9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-
BA, B8-B./
;cheibe related his #igurenlehre more closely to a rhetorical concept of the figures
than any previous author had done, directly modeling his discussion of the musical-
rhetorical figures on "ottsched4s Versuch einer Critischen Dichtkunst. Li$e
"ottsched, he insisted that the figures were the very language of the affections. &oth
the literary and the musical epressive devices grow out of a common affection, the
genesis of all human epression. The source of the musical figure is no longer the
tet but the affection which lies at the heart of the tet. This facilitated a natural
transfer of the musical-rhetorical figures to instrumental music, away from a primary
focus on tet-epressive vocal music. The tetual orientation, a hallmar$ of musica
poetica which still clearly determined Ahle4s #igurenlehre and was beginning to
wea$en in the writings of >attheson, virtually disappeared in ;cheibe4s #igurenlehre.
9or$el4s discussion of the figures brought the musica poetica and its concept of
musical-rhetorical figures to its conclusion.
.A
Although he had high praise for a
musical rhetoric, his terminology betrays a concept of music which was foreign to
musica poetica. !ndividuali%ation, sub0ectivity, and feeling replaced the authoritiative,
ob0ective, and affection-driven &aro'ue concept of music. @ot insignificantly, 9or$el4s
discussion of the figures no longer ta$es place in the contet of a compositional
treatise or music dictionary but in the foreword to a history of music. *&artel, =ietrich,
>usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5
?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, B.-B,/
The musical-rhetorical figures developed out of a need to identify and define
epressive musical devices which were perceived to be more or less analogous to
the rhetorical figures. The varying degrees of commonality between the musical and
the rhetorical devices resulted in varying levels of overlap between their definitions.
The terminology chosen to identify the musical devices was either adopted from
rhetoric or newly coined to emulate a rhetorical term. The definitions which described
the rhetorical or 'uasi-rhetorical terminology could be uni'uely musical or could be
modeled on the rhetorical definition of the term5 first, a musical figure could be a
technical, non-affective device with a uni'ue musical, non-rhetorical name *e.g.,
transitus/. ;econd, it could be an affective device with a newly coined musical but
rhetorical sounding name. The choice of either a "ree$ or Latin term with the ring of
a rhetorical term but no rhetorical precedent is eplained by the desire to confer
greater respectability on the musical device through its newly won association with
the rhetorical discipline and to establish an association with the other musical-
rhetorical figures. ?pon closer eamination of the chosen term, a literal description of
the musical phenomenon is fre'uently found in the root of the "ree$ or Latin word
*e.g., heterolepsis/. Third, a figure could be an affective device with a newly defined
rhetorical name. 9re'uently an eisting rhetorical figure is not immediately adaptable
to the musical contet, in which case the familiar rhetorical term might be redefined
with either a somewhat or a substantially altered musical definition, or even an
entirely new musical content *e.g., hyperole/. The use of rhetorical terms with
redefined musical content can lead to considerable confusion, especially when one
writer attempts to establish a relationship between musical and rhetorical definitions
while another author does not. 6ne of the most involved eamples of a miture of
redefined rhetorical terms and newly coined para-rhetorical terms is found in the
definitions of the figures of repetition, ana$epanalepsis and ana$epanadiplosis.
,-
9inally, it might be an affective musical-rhetorical figure, with name and content being
common to both music and rhetoric *e.g., eclamation/. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica
Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of
@ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, B,-BB/
!n summary, classical rhetoric eperiences a renewed vitality through the efforts of
#enaissance humanists. This growing interest in the linguistic disciplines along with
the Word1 orientation of Protestant "ermany led to the development of a musica
poetica which focused on a rhetorical structured, tet-interprepreting, and affection-
arousing concept of music. While rhetorical influences are evident in !talian, 7nglish,
and 9rench &aro'ue music, only the musica poetica tradition developed a systematic
albeit disparate concept of musical-rhetorical figures. This was the result of the
"erman predilection to ran$ the rhetorical structure of a composition above its
affective delivery. !nstead of loo$ing to the actor or orator for inspiration and
guidance, the musicus poeticus turned to classical rhetorical structures. #hetoric4s
structuring steps, inventio, dispositio, and elocutio, provided musica poetica with the
necessary framewor$. Inventio4s loci topici, dispositio4s methodical precepts, and
elocutio4s epressive devices, the rhetorical figures, all familiar to Lateinschule and
university students and teachers, contributed the necessary methodology and
terminology. *&artel, =ietrich, >usica Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman
&aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of @ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, BB/
While early #igurenlehren reflected an ornatus-oriented understanding of
the musical-rhetorical figures, later authors emphasi%ed the figures4
potential to epress and arouse the affections. The move away from the
academic classical Latin rhetoric to a vernacular "erman rhetoric in the
Lateinschulen was reflected in the musical discipline through an increased emphasis
on a personal eperience of the affection which was to be musically presented.
"ermane to this development was the belief that the affection and its epressive
devices were to be found in natura rather than in the tetboo$. While 9or$el
advocated rhetorical, affective epression in musical composition, his
presuppositions were already 'uite foreign to musica poetica assumptions.
#hetorical figures lie at the heart of human nature, and in normal speech they are
the first epressions familiar to the uncultivated %aturmenschG @o doubt, some of
these were li$ewise the first forms of musical epression.1
,+
This aesthetic led to an
eventual re0ection both of musica poetica4s methodical epressive processes and its
specific and calculated epressive devices. The natural and sub0ective epression of
individualistic sentiments, a hallmar$ of an 7nlightenment &mpfindsamke it aesthetic,
no longer allowed for a calculated and ob0ective presentation of generally accepted
affections. &aro'ue musica poetica rhetoric, along with the concept of the musical-
rhetorical figures, had thus become outdated and irrelevant.1 *&artel, =ietrich, >usica
Poetica5 >usical-#hetorical 9igures in "erman &aro'ue >usic. Lincoln5 ?niversity of
@ebras$a Press, +AA,, ++-BA, BB-BA/

Вам также может понравиться