''Herzgewächse'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: "Foliage of the Heart"), Op. 20, is a composition by Austrian composer

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

scored for

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

celesta The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ( ...

, harmonium, and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

. The text is taken from a poem of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck (title of the French original: "Feuillage du cœur"). The duration of the work is approximately three-and-a-half minutes, making it the shortest of Schoenberg's works with its own opus number. The work is also notable for the extreme demands made on the singer which at one point has to ascend to a high F (''pianissimo''), nearly two-and-a-half octaves above middle C.

Composition

The work was completed on 9 December 1911 and premiered by

Marianne Rau-Hoeglauer Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed ...

in Vienna in April 1928 under the direction of Anton Webern. ''Herzgewächse'' is one of Schoenberg's freely atonal works and one in which the music attempts to accurately reflect the meaning of the words. The voice runs parallel to the words of the poem, as it tries to follow the meaning implied: when the singer sings "sink to rest", she descends to a very low register; however, when she sings "imperceptibly ascending", she progressively rises to one of the highest pitches in the piece. The harmonium plays the opening chords and plays throughout the piece: the celesta and harp, on the other hand, have numerous rests. The work was originally written to be featured in Wassily Kandinsky's journal ''Der blaue Reiter'' (German: The Blue Rider), as an example of one of Schoenberg's early atonal works.

Notable Recordings

* Robert Craft conducting members of the London Symphony Orchestra, with the voice of

Eileen Hulse Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to: People Artists *Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer *Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer *Eileen ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herzgewachse 1911 compositions Atonal compositions by Arnold Schoenberg Chamber music by Arnold Schoenberg Songs with instrumental ensemble Adaptations of works by Maurice Maeterlinck