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Translation - German-English - Witte entdeckte auch eine Beziehung zwischen dem...

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Category Essay - Arts / Creation / Imagination

Title
Witte entdeckte auch eine Beziehung zwischen dem...
Text
Submitted by milkman
Source language: German

Witte entdeckte auch eine Beziehung zwischen dem 3. und 4. Satz, die über das lapidare Faktum des attacca-Anschlusses hinaus tiefere strukturelle Bedeutung hat und auch für die programmatische Deutung fruchtbar gemacht werden kann: Sei der Finalsatz mit seiner Choralbearbeitung „ideell Vokalmusik" und das Andante „unverkennbar {...) zwischen Arioso und Rezitativ angesiedelt", so bildeten „beide zu¬sammen ein — freilich hochstilisiertes — »Rezitativ-und-Arie-Paar«"32. Allerdings erscheint der Finalsatz mit dem Choral und den Fugatopartien weniger als Arie, denn als Choralchorsatz, während andererseits im Andante nur ein einziges ausgesprochen rezitativisches Element vorkommt (T. 131 ff.); hingegen überwiegen hier kantabel-expressive Züge, durch die eher dieser Satz arienhaft erscheint 33.
Die Tatsache, daß Mendelssohn aus der ursprünglichen Fassung des Satzes gerade die rezitativischen Pas¬sagen wieder ausstrich, scheint eher ein Indiz dafür zu sein, daß er eine rezitativisch durchsetzte Mischform vermeiden wollte, als dafür, daß „die verbliebene erste Andante-Hälfte in sieh sozusagen rezitativisch genug ist"34. Fragt man nach den mutmaßlichen Gründen, so ist zum einen zu bedenken, daß das Instrumental-Rezitativ nicht nur die Plakativität immens gesteigert hatte. Vielmehr wäre auch durch seine sprachabhängige Anlage, die gleichsam nach Textierung verlangt, aber doch untextiert bleibt, die gattungsästhetische Problematik einer instrumentalen Vokalmusik in unerwünschter Weise verschärft worden. In der bestehenden Form stellt der Satz eine ausgewogene Verbindung zwischen einem semantisch eindeutigen Satzmodell mit pro¬grammatisch erkennbarer Aussagefunktion und sich als ,absolut' gerierender Musik dar: Die Interpretation wird nicht von der Musik als dem einzigen autonomen Aus¬drucksträger abgelenkt.

Title
Witte also spotted a relationship between...
Translation
English

Translated by bgl88
Target language: English

Witte also spotted a relationship between the 3rd and 4th movement, which has deep structural significance beyond the lapidary effect of the attacca connection and can also be made procreative for programmatic interpretation: the final movement with its choral adaptation is “ideal vocal music” and the andante is “unmistakeably […] settled between arioso and recitative”, thus “both together form a – admittedly magnified – ‘recitative and aria pair’” 32. However, the final movement with the choral and the fugato parts seems less of an aria than a choral chorus movement, while on the other hand we only find one single vocalised recitative element in the andante (P. 131 ff.); on the contrary, expressive singing style traits prevail here, by which this movement seems more like an aria. 33.
The fact that Mendelssohn consistently struck the recitative passages right out of the original composition of movements appears to be evidence that he wanted to avoid a recitative intermingled hybrid, rather than that "the remaining first andante-half is, as it were, recitative enough” 34. One asks about the supposed reasons, as one must take into consideration that the instrumental recitative had not only immensely increased the boldness. In fact, the genre-aesthetic difficulty of an instrumental vocal piece in an unwanted melody would also be made worse by its language-dependent attachment, which calls for texturing so to speak, but of course remains untextured. In the existing form, the movement displays a balanced connection inside a semantically distinct movement model with a programmatically distinguishable propositional function, and turns out to be ‘starkly’ projected music: The interpretation is not distracted by the music as the only autonomous primary means of expression.
Remarks about the translation
That was difficult! If you want to understand this, you're really going to need to be a music-buff, I feel!
A few notes regarding music terminology I've used that could seem odd - might help/just be of interest:
*"movement" - 'der Satz' in a musical sense
*"attacca" - signals that the next movement is to follow on immediately with no pause
*"programmatic" - relating to 'program music', a form of music intended to evoke ideas and images; musically representing a scene
*"andante" - moderately slow tempo
*"arioso" - short vocal solo with melodic style but not form of an aria
*"ff." - fortissimo

Also, couldn't quite grasp what the numbers 32 33 34 are doing there. They don't seem to fit into the sentences grammatically. Perhaps part of a list? But this isn't apparent from the format of the text.
Validated by lilian canale - 2 February 2009 23:21





Last messages

Author
Message

24 January 2009 02:40

milkman
Number of messages: 773
Thank you so much!
This is a terrific translation.
The numbers are references, don't worry about them
Thanks again

29 January 2009 14:58

bgl88
Number of messages: 32
You're welcome!
Glad I could be of help

30 January 2009 20:41

itsatrap100
Number of messages: 279
I can't comment on the German because my German knowledge is basic, but in the English translation, no dashes between "instrumental recitative" or "recitative and aria pair". Otherwise the language is perfect as far as I can tell, some of the terms are unfamiliar to me but the language is good.

30 January 2009 22:19

Tzicu-Sem
Number of messages: 493
Hello bgl88,

Please allow me to congratulate you for your translation. You've done a tenacious work. I too had seen the text and I thought it was such a difficult one (having mentioned that my command of English is quite good, if I may say, I know some German, and I do have knowledge in the field of music - even so, I reconsidered if to translate it or not).
Keep up the good work

Tzicu-Sem

30 January 2009 23:41

itsatrap100
Number of messages: 279
Actually one sentence strikes me as a bit strange:

"One asks about the supposed reasons, as one must take into consideration that the instrumental-recitative had not only immensely increased the boldness."

This doesn't quite make sense, the word "boldness" is definitely not right here. The construction "had not only", that some action had more than one effect, so that needs to go, but otherwise Ok. e.g, "The stimulus package had not only increased economic activity but had also increased quality of life.".

31 January 2009 00:04

bgl88
Number of messages: 32
Thank you for your kind comments Tzicu-Sem I really appreciate what you said!


Ok itsatrap100, I'll remove the dashes.

Why is boldness wrong? And so how would you translate "Plakativität" instead?

I wrote "had not only" because that is what it says in the German:
Fragt man nach den mutmaßlichen Gründen, so ist zum einen zu bedenken, daß das Instrumental-Rezitativ nicht nur die Plakativität immens gesteigert hatte.

31 January 2009 00:31

itsatrap100
Number of messages: 279
The whole sentence doesn't really make sense, the German form has the same problem, the sentence begins with asking about supposed reasons, but then doesn't supply any explanation and it isn't made clear what the boldness applies to. This text looks like it as been written by a high school student, it's certainly not written by a music expert.

So no problem with the translation, it's the original text I don't like. :-)


2 February 2009 18:15

Lein
Number of messages: 3389
Well done, bgl88! The translation looks fine to me.

One minor thing (which doesn't actually change the meaning significantly): Where you say "One asks about the supposed reasons, as one must", I think the original says "If one asks (..), one must".