Noah Kayser-Hirsh

5/10/17

MUSI 247: Paper II

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) did not write many dramatic musical works. The

only opera he wrote was Fidelio, based on a French revolutionary-play in which the main

character, Leonora, disguises herself as a man to free her husband from the prison where he is

being held by the main antagonist, Pizarro. In Fidelio Beethoven proves that his musical genius

manifests itself well in the genre of programmatic music. Throughout the opera, Beethoven

effectively represents characters, action, and emotion using various musical techniques. The

process of creating, editing, and producing Fidelio, however, was a strenuous one: it was

premiered in three different versions first in 1805, then in 1806, and finally as a finished work in

1814. Perhaps this strenuous process deterred Beethoven from writing more opera and other

dramatic music. The music of Fidelio makes it evident that the music world would have

benefitted greatly from another Beethoven opera.

Throughout Fidelio, specific aspects of each character are clearly represented in the

music. In Pizarros aria, Ha! Welch ein Augenblick! Beethoven immediately points to aspects

of Pizarros character. The orchestra opens with an introduction in D minor that repeats the

dominant over and over again. The strings play very fast sixteenth notes, giving the intro a

vibrating and tumultuous feeling. In m. 5, Pizarro enters with three proclamatory Ha!s. The

first one is on a Bb, which is the ninth of the A7 chord that the orchestra is playing, and a

diminished second away from the bass note. He then moves to a C#, which is an augmented

second away from Bb. The last Ha! is on the tonic, and it is followed by the opening phrase of

the aria. In many arias, including Leonoras aria Komm, Hoffnung, just a few scenes later, the
singer enters with the first melodic phrase. Pizarro, however, enters with loud interjections on

dissonant harmonies over the dominant before singing any melody line, and on top of this his

movement between them doesnt adhere to traditional voice-leading rules. Pizarro is in a state of

unrest at the start of the aria, and Beethoven reflects this before Pizarro even says anything. In

mm. 20-21, Beethoven uses a different musical element to reflect Pizarros emotion. Here, he

modulates from D minor to C major, arriving in the happiest of keys on the word happiness.

Pizarro opens this aria in an unsure, dissonant way, but by now he is sure of himself and what he

is about to do, and Beethovens modulation to C major reflects this.

In the next passage, Pizarro ruminates on his past struggles, and Beethoven uses textural

and harmonic elements to accentuate this inward contemplation. Knocked down by ridicule, he

was near to lying stretched out in the dust (Schon war ich nah, im Staubedahin gestreckt zu

sein.) During this moment of self-reflection, the strings play a twirling triplet-figure that

invokes almost a sense of softness in Pizarro. In this moment it is clear that Pizarro is not a

character driven completely by blind villainy but rather someone with his own personal

motivations. In mm. 31, he sustains a D on the word nun, meaning now. Under this D, the

second violins play a C while the violas play a Bb. The full line translates to Now it has fallen

to me, (nun is est mir geworden,) and Pizzaros line falls by thirds from D down the octave to

C, again over a Bb and a C. The dissonance here between Bb, C and D creates a moment of

tension at the end of Pizarros self-reflection. In the second half of m. 32, the flutes and first

violins play a sixteenth-note scale from C up to F at the start of m. 33. Likewise, Pizarro, on the

word geworden, jumps from C up to F, as Beethoven cadences in a new key, F major. This

moment of tension followed by a resolution into a new key again showcases Beethovens ability

to use music to build character. Though a villain nonetheless, Pizarro is still a person with
emotion. This modulation to F major is followed by a proclamatory passage in mm. 33-41 where

Pizarro describes how he will bring the murderer to murder, and he sings the same falling-third

figure as he did for the previous line. This figure becomes a small motif that Beethoven uses

throughout the aria. In this passage both Pizarro and the woodwinds repeat the figure many

times. The musical atmosphere makes it sound as if Pizarro is echoing himself, not only in words

but in music, almost continuously convincing himself of what he is about to do.

In Leonoras aria and recitative, Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin? and Komm,

Hoffnung, Beethoven also uses the music to present moments of self-reflection. There are key

differences between how Beethoven represents this mental process that both characters perform.

While Pizarros self-reflection was accompanied by a triplet figure that created a tumultuous

environment, Leonoras is more peaceful and reminiscent. In mm. 22-24 when Leonora says so

leuchtet mir ein Farbenbogen, der hell auf dunke in Wolken ruht, (yet shining upon me is a

rainbow, that sheds light on the dark clouds,) the only accompaniment is a sustained chord

played by the woodwinds. In mm. 31-32, Leonora sings und neu besnftigt wallt mein Blut

(and now my blood flows with serenity,) and is not accompanied at all. Beethoven clearly

shows that in Leonoras moments of inward thought, she is tranquil, while Pizzaro in his is

frenzied. The result of Leonoras self-reflection is a stronger inner urge to follow the duty of

married love. While Pizarro becomes resolute and is driven by his past struggles, Leonora is

finds strength in her marital duties. This difference in motivation indicates both the political

status of women at the time and the librettists idea of what motivates heroic women, and

Beethovens music reflects these differences.

In Pizarros aria, Beethoven uses repeated sections of text to highlight musical differences

that suggest emotional change. The orchestra modulates from F major back to D minor in mm.
42-44, and in m. 44 Pizarro interrupts again with a Ha! on C#. This sets up an almost exact

repeat of mm. 7-12 measures in mm. 45-50, the only major difference being that this time the

horns play the sforzando off-beats with the woodwinds, giving a slightly fuller sound to this

section than it had before. The difference in texture indicates that Pizarro is becoming

increasingly resolute. Beethoven then modulates to Eb major, this time using common-tone

modulation. Beethoven again cadences in the new key on the word Glck, and brings back the

triplet figure, indicating Pizarros self-reflection. This time, Beethoven puts a 2 bar modulation in

mm. 69-70 in which the orchestra rises up chromatically to C# over an A pedal in the horns and

timpani. The C# becomes the 7th while the A becomes the dominant in the new key of D major

that arrives in m. 71. It is important to note that this modulatory figure occurs here and not the

first time Pizarro sings this section because it creates a more distinct gap between the two

sections. This gap, coupled with the modulation to D major instead of D minor and the entrance

of the tutti orchestra, creates a sense that Pizarro is now more self-assured. He re-enters strongly

in m. 71 with the word nun, on the tonic. Beethoven again presents the same falling 3rd figure

he used earlier for the line nun ist es mir geworden, den Mrder selbst zu morden. Here

Beethoven effectively indicates changes in emotion through the differences that occur in the

music, even when the text has already been sung before.

Pizarro at the height of his confidence and perhaps the height of his maliciousness,

describes that when he finally kills Florestan, he will shout Triumph! Victory is mine! into his

ear. This grotesque image is presented musically by a vocal line that rises chromatically from F#

in m. 76 to B in m. 80. Beneath this, the violins oscillate between E and D in sixteenth notes,

while the viola and bassoon move chromatically parallel to Pizarro, going from C down to G#.

This texture creates a strong sense of anticipation, but Beethoven brilliantly delays the
resolution. When Pizarro arrives at the B it is the 3rd in a G# diminished 7th chord, tonicizing A,

the dominant in D major. For mm. 80-83, the whole orchestra along with Pizarro repeats this

diminished 7th chord, further delaying the resolution. The words Pizarro sings on this chord are

ihm noch ins Ohr zu schrein, which translates to to shout at last in his ear. Even when

Pizarro shouts Triumph, Beethoven does not resolve the chord, but instead moves from the

dominant to a cadential six-four chord which sustains through mm. 85-86. Finally, in a beautiful

cadence, it feels as though the music will resolve. Pizarro says der Sieg ist mein (victory is

mine,) and finishes the line by moving from A to D. Even after this build-up to a cadence that

started 10 measures back, Beethoven does not satisfy the listener with a cadence on D, and

instead moves deceptively from the dominant to a Bb chord, which is flat-VI in D major. The

overwhelming effect of this passage indicates an increase in energy within Pizarro as he finally

says the words Triumph! Der Sieg ist mein! and yet the climax of this phrase is abruptly

interrupted by the flat-VI chord, which Beethoven markes with a fortepianissimo. This deceptive

motion points to Beethovens ability to reflect action in the text, and to create varying

environments through his music. Right after the fpp flat-VI chord, a three-voice chorus of guards

enters quietly. After the energy-building section, the deceptive motion and quiet entrance of the

chorus are an extremely effective dramatic technique at diverting audience attention without

detracting from the energy of the soloist. It is clear in the music at this moment, without even

requiring action, that the guards have been present the whole time and are only now making

themselves seen and heard.

Beethovens use of the chorus of guards is a successful tool at creating a texture change,

and also bringing out important characteristics in Pizarro. Starting in m. 90, the chorus sings a

soft pulsating dotted rhythm, each voice singing a tone in a triad. The guards have heard
Pizarros words and remind each other to look sharp, for he must be speaking of important

matters. Beethoven even indicates that the chorus should sing to themselves in an undertone,

halblaut unter sich, making the passage sound conversational but also effectively invoking a

nervous tone in the guards. In m. 96 the chorus and orchestra arrive at an augmented triad built

on F. This triad is repeated from mm. 97-100, and Pizarro enters in m. 97 with his opening line of

text, this time moving between a low and high C#, is leading-tone to D. The repitition of this

augmented triad and the fact that Pizarro is singing the leading tone create a very tense moment.

This time Beethoven finally resolves satisfactorily to D major in m. 102, as the entire orchestra

enters. In mm. 102-106, Pizarro sings the same music, a falling-third figure, that he did before on

the line Nun ist es mir geworden, den Mrder selbst zu morden. The more rousing orchestral

texture and his dynamic supremacy over an entire chorus indicates that here is Pizarros true

peak of composure.

Beethoven uses the conclusion of the aria to showcase Pizarros emotional excitement,

and specific harmonic and textural features make this clear. The guards reenter in m. 106 and

from mm. 106-111 Pizarro sings his opening text over the choruss pulsating texture. In m. 112,

the orchestra plays a Bb7 chord in third inversion, a very unusual chord in D major. This chord,

however, allows the baseline to move from A, the dominant in D, to Ab, the 7th of the Bb chord.

This stepwise motion is simply extending the dominant. In m. 112-115 Beethoven twice moves

from the dominant to a cadential six-four chord and then to Bb7, as Pizarro says Triumph, der

Sieg ist mein, er ist mein (Triumph, victory is mine, he is mine.) He repeats the words der

Sieg ist mein, and er ist mein, and this accentuates the use of the Bb7 chord to prolong the

dominant. The repeated text and the prolonging of the resolution of the dominant create a sense

of exclamation by Pizarro. Under this, the guards sing loudly, repeating the words wacht sharf
(look sharp.) The atmosphere Beethoven creates make Pizarros words even more

proclamatory, as he shouts them over the already shouting chorus of guards. Through harmony

and texture Beethoven concludes the aria with a clear representation of Pizarros emotional state.

Though careful examination of the text and score illuminates important connections

between the drama and the music, Beethoven constructs his music to reflect the text successfully

not only to the music scholar studying the opera, but to the listener as well. This is what makes

the music of Fidelio so effective. It is able invoke great emotion and drama, to build characters

and personalities, and to represent many various forms of action. Beethoven does this in his own

unique manner, creating even at first listen a vastly unrivalled connection between text, drama,

and music.