Dive into the fascinating connection between literature and classical music. Explore how composers like Mahler and Schubert drew inspiration from literary works, infusing their music with emotional depth. Discover Hildegard's innovative blend of music and theology, along with the vivid storytelling in Strauss's orchestral nod to 'Don Quixote.' Delve into the themes of jealousy and obsession portrayed through musical color in Schubert's pieces. This exploration uncovers why literary influences make compositions more compelling and rich in meaning.
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Literature Deepens Musical Expression
Literary works add more than just subject matter to music; they deepen musical expression.
This fusion is why music inspired by literature is compelling and fruitful for composers.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Hildegard's Musical Text Painting
Hildegard von Bingen's Ordo Virtutum uses distinctive chanting with devil's voice grunts.
She musically stretches the last word "stretch" into 39 notes, embodying its meaning.
Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes, tells the story of Alonso Quixano, a middle-aged gentleman who, influenced by his extensive reading of chivalric romances, decides to become a knight-errant. He renames himself Don Quixote and, with his squire Sancho Panza, embarks on a series of adventures. These adventures often involve Don Quixote's misinterpretation of reality, such as mistaking windmills for giants and inns for castles. The novel explores themes of reality vs. imagination, the decline of chivalry, and the human condition. Eventually, Don Quixote returns home, regains his sanity, and renounces his chivalric ambitions before his death.
Gulliver's travels
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" is a satirical masterpiece that uses fantastical journeys to critique human nature and societal flaws. Gulliver's encounters with Lilliputians, Brobdingnagians, and other fantastical creatures serve as allegories for political and social issues of Swift's time. The novel's sharp wit and biting satire continue to resonate with readers today, offering a timeless commentary on human folly and the complexities of power. Gulliver's experiences highlight the absurdity of human conflict and the importance of reason and moderation. The book's enduring popularity stems from its ability to entertain while simultaneously provoking thought and challenging readers' assumptions.
My Patreon sponsor for this episode, Adrian, set me a challenge: The influence of literary works on classical compositions, exploring pieces inspired by poetry, novels, or plays. He also asked me to do something else, and I’m going to quote him here:
Also, if I may add something regarding the episode: It is of course possible to make an episode about the influence of literature on music by simply doing an overview of different works that have some obvious attachment to a work of literature. However, it would be particularly interesting if you could say something more general or principled (or philosophical, if you will) about the relation between literature and music. Why do so many composers write pieces about or inspired by literary works? Does music based on literary works have any distinguishing features compared to other music? Does literature add something to music beyond simply being a subject matter among many possible subject matters?
To attempt an answer at Adrian’s last question, I think the answer is yes, literature(or poetry or theatre) can add something to music beyond being simply a subject matter. I think this is the key reason why music based on literary works is so compelling to us as listeners and why these inspirations have been so fruitful for composers. Of course, I had dozens of masterpieces to choose from when deciding which pieces to talk about in a bit of detail. But in the end, I’ve chosen 5 pieces to discuss today, 3 works based on poetry, and 2 based on a novel. The ways the composers I’m going to talk about manipulated and molded these works of literature or poetry into their music is remarkable, and throughout the show today I’ll try to show you the techniques they used to do this, whether it’s explicitly trying to depict images, like in Strauss’ Don Quixote, or whether the music tries to express some sort of deeper philosophy behind the poems, like in Mahler’s Das Lied von Der Erde. I hope this episode is as fun to listen to as it was fun to research and write! Join us!
Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast 
