Pierrot

Travis Bliss
3/8/14
Expression in Music
In Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, a rasticall! co"plex an con#licting
character is portra!e$ Pierrot has been a #re%uentl! use inspiration #or pieces
through out the !ears& but Schoenberg 'as the #irst co"poser to paint Pierrot as
an allegor! #or the "oern a! artist$ Brin("an states that )*e is a paraig"atic
artist o# the earl! +,th centur! - an alienate #ello'& espise b! societ!& su##ering
#ro" 'ouns o# hostilit! an isolation& but prou o# these 'ouns& because the!
attest an prove to hi" that he lives an expresses the truth about 'orl an
societ!) .Brin("an 14/0 Shoenberg portra!s this character in t'o istinct 'a!s$
In the secon peice o# the t'ent!-one )1olo"bine) Pierrot ta(es the #or" o# a
ver! lonle! "an& longing #or the touch o# a #e"ale$ But& contrastingl!& in the 11th
piece& )2ote Messe) Pierrot is portra!e in a "uch ar(er light& al"ost as a
sarcastic& sacreligious #igure$
In the secon piece& )1olu"bine) Pierrot is portra!e epicte in a slightl!
ro"antical! tinge light$ )The "oonlight's pale blosso"s& The 'hite 'oner-
roses& Bloo" in the 3ul! nights 4h i# I cou 5ust pic( one6) The #lo'ers are use
"etaphoricall! to s!"boli7e a beauti#ul 'o"an$ *e is lonel! an longs #or
e"brace$ Schoenberg uses a #e' "usical ele"ents to "irror these e"otions$
The violin's part in this piece& 'hile being ver! issonant& al"ost souns
in#luence b! the ro"antic perio$ It hols so"e long high notes& an uses a
slightl! surp! vibrato 'hich re"in "e o# ro"antic "usic$ It re#lects the ro"antic
#eelings pierrot 'as #eeling$ In aition to that& the voice part in this piece is
so#ter an "ore senual than in so"e o# the other pieces$ It has a slight! sexual&
s'ooning #eel& 'hich #its in 'ith so"e o# the speci#ic escriptions o# the #lo'ers
an )scatter.ing0 onto !our bro'n hair the petals o# the "oonlight's pale
blosso"s$) This piece& li(e all o# the peices in the 'hole text setting& is a ver!
atonal$ This atonalit! is ver! intersting in this context because it oes a ver!
goo 5ob at i""itating the co"plicate e"otions the Pierrot has$ It 'oul be
har to recreate these e"otions using convential 'estern har"on!$
In the eleventh piece )2ote Messe) Pierrot ta(es on a ar(er role$ This
piece has a ver! istinct religious the"e$ It sho's his angr! sie an his isain
#or go an )hieous 1o""union$) Schoenburg use a #e' "usical techni%ues
to "irror these traits$ The vocalist's voice is "uch brasher an intese than the
#irst piece i tal(e about$ There is also a ver! lou issonant piano part 'hich
"irrors the ar(er sie o# Pierrot$ Schoenberg uses "uch thic(er textures in this
piece 'hich give it a stronger& "ore po'er#ul soun$
Schoenberg's vie' o# Pierrot is &in general& a "uch ar(er version than
that previousl! use b! the earlier co"posers an artists$ Since the genesis o#
the character& he has been "oving a'a! #ro" goo#! an "ore to'ars satirical&
ar(er co"e!$ Schoenberg continue in this vein& in a sense& an create a
ver! co"plex character$ Through this Schoenberg atte"pte to construct a
"irror o# the "oern a! artist& an "a!be even sa' a bit o# hi" sel# in this
e"otional unstable character$
Schoenberg's other peice& Erwartung, is si"ilar to Pierrot Lunaire in a #e'
istinct 'a!s$ Both o# the "ain characters are grappling 'ith si"ilar e"otional
issues such as lonliness& epression& anger ect$ The "usic in these t'o peices
also re#lects this e"otional istress$ The! both ver! issonant& po'er#ul pieces
that o a great 5ob o# instilling these #eelings in the listener$ 8lso both o# these
pieces push into atonalit! 'hich is great at "irroring the intense e"otions that the
characters 'ere experiencing$