Wagner Tristan und Isolde Finale Harmonic Analysis
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- #wagner #tristanchord #musictheory #figuredbass
This is a basso continuo style harmonic analysis of Richard Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde' 3rd act final where the Tristan Chord from the opening finally gets its resolution. Check out the analysis of the prelude if you haven't already: • Wagner Tristan und Iso...
The analysis method I chose is a combination of scale degrees and general bass (thorough bass) figures: Harmony is the result of the intervals over the bass note (no matter if the bass and the root note are identical). And each bass note is put into relation with the (actual or assumed) key of the phrase, marked in roman numerals.
Wherever possible, only the bass note and the current melody part are represented. Since in Wagner's operas the orchestra often times has the most prominent melodic shapes, I decided to split up the melody part from one point so that everybody will be happy.
With this sheet, an experienced basso continuo player might be able to reproduce all harmonic phenomena happening in the original score while emphasizing the most prominent melodic shapes.
The results presented in this analysis are neither universal nor do they claim to be the only correct solution. One can argue that it will leave out many important voice leading aspects and that some assignments are debatable and rather subjective. On the other hand, since it’s subjective, I find it very useful to represent what actually might be happening in your brain when listening to it (whether you are aware of it or not). And since general bass and scale degree thinking was very common in Wagner’s time, this method might even claim to represent what Wagner actually could have been consciously or unconsciously thinking when he composed ‘Tristan und Isolde‘.
Recording is the 1982 Staatskapelle Dresden / Carlos Kleiber version, Isolde sung by Margaret Price: • Richard Wagner "Trista...
Clarification: 2:31 that's also an inversion of a Tristan chord, but the harmonic and melodic progression is different.
hillarious comments : "4 hours for this moment...AND IT'S STiLL A DECEPTIVE CADENCE" I want to talk to this guy ! bravo :)
[waits till end] So it IS in B major!
Loved this. Nothing like figured bass for exhibiting clarity! Thanks for posting. Just back from seeing Tristan und Isolde at Bayreuth. I love the B major smile at the end. The peace of the Buddha!
Honestly, probably the best harmonic analysis of this section in history, makes it clear that Wagner was still operating withing tonality while absolutely stretching the boundaries of that system to its limit; also points out the false resolution with added 9th in the "BIG MOMENT", which many call the resolution.
Thank you for your appreciation!
Jonas, what a sublime piece of Art! That's good to dive into both climax and resolution to feel waves and depth created by this Mastermind!!! And thank you for Evaluation!!!😍
Thank you so much for this video! I’ve been struggling for years with whether the resolution of the chord is at the climax of the aria or the last note of the opera, and you’ve cleared it up! Thank you!
Glad I could help you! :)
This analysis is perfect for me because I want to study Wagnerian harmony but I have difficulty reading orchestral scores with transposing instruments, but I can read figured bass, thanks for putting this video together!
Your welcome! I created this because I was in the exact same position.
the smiley face at the end made me cry 😂 What an analysis, thank you for sharing this!!
Happy you like it :)
Thank you for blessing us with this analysis.
Heavenly beautiful.
Thank you for this nice analysis video of the wonderful liebestod.
Simply outrageous music! Wonderful annotation_ super job! TVM
Thank you very much for this!
deeply astonishing aria ever. but I wonder, at bar 27, I am conscious of Tristan chord as F B D# G#, but I found it something different. Fühlt(C), und(C#) with bass clef A, seht(D) ihr's(D#) with bass clef G#, bar 28 nicht(E). I have read your attached comment, but I still don't understand.
great work!
Awesome work Jonas. Is it avaliable for download somewhere? Would like to use it for an intepretation for Ondes Martenot :)
Hey there, thanks for the kind words! :) Send me a message over my facebook or instagram page, then I can share you the score.
@@jonaswolfmusic1775 thank you so much. sent a message on messenger on fb
hi, at 3:48 you write "should be D double sharp" but I don't understand - I hear the phrase as "um - D, mich - D#, klin - F# and E#"
Hey, sorry I didn't answer earlier. You hear it right, and the score is also right. My commentary was just referring to the fact that if you exchange the F# for a Dx (D double sharp), then you'd get another release of the Tristan motif, but Wagner instead makes a deviation. The comment wasn't worded well however and didn't quite serve its purpose, sorry for the confusion! :-D
Warum veröffentlichst du alles nur auf Englisch? Schade!
Internationales Publikum schaut mit. Nachfragen werden aber gerne auf Deutsch beantwortet. :)
Bad analysis. Superficial. At bar44, at third beat for example, is I, NOT lll.
As depicted in my video description, I use a combination of bass scale degrees (like for example Förster, Heinichen, Schröter would do, though not necessarily with Roman numerals) with basso continuo figuration, so this makes III-6 at bar 44/3 (unlike the modern scale degree analysis you are referring to I guess, which makes a I-6, so it's just the same but from a different perspective). If that's not your case, fine. With my method, I am trying to grasp how Richard Wagner conceived this music, seeing how he wrote his scetches and manuscripts.
@@jonaswolfmusic1775 The B major chord is expected from the middle of the second act. Isolde's death finally gives this rest. TONIC. First degree. Calling this the third degree is unreasonable. No Tonic, no rest. Ineffective analysis. I'm sorry
Erm... I happen to know this opera. The point you mention (44/3) it is a tonic yes no doubt, but how remarkable that it's a first inversion, so the 3rd scale degree is in the bass which translates to III-6 (don't forget that 6, otherwise it wouldn't make any sense of course) in my analysis method - so we are actually describing the same phenomenon from a different perspective.
😊