Bunzel, Anja
(2013)
'Johanna Kinkel’s Thurm und Fluth (Opus 19, No. 6): Revolutionary Ideas and Political Optimism in a 19th‐Century Art Song’.
In: The National Element in Music, 18-20 January 2013, Athens, Greece.
Abstract
Johanna Kinkel (1810‐1858) has for a long time been overshadowed by her husband, Gottfried Kinkel
(1815‐1882), who was an influential German political propagandist in the 19th century. When he was arrested as a
result of a pre‐unionist revolutionary speech in 1849, Johanna was not allowed to visit him, because the state estimated
her influence as being harmful for Gottfried’s peace of mind and his indoctrination. In fact, Johanna Kinkel
was the co‐founder of the political magazine Maikäfer and she expressed her sympathy for her husband’s political
activities in many letters and diary entries. Another interesting avenue to her political perceptions is her musical
OEuvre including more than 80 art songs, three cantatas as well as incidental music. This paper aims to introduce
Johanna Kinkel’s lied Thurm und Fluth, Opus 19, No. 6, which was published in 1848, one of the most eventful
years on the way from scattered regionalism to a united Germany. The consistently ambiguous words are delivered
through a broad variety of compositional features, ranging from traditional formal aspects to fairly experimental
harmonic and melodic progressions. The lyrics, which were written by Gottfried Kinkel, describe the German
political status quo as well as the writer and composer’s rather optimistic hopes using the power of nature as
a major allegory. A musical analysis and interpretation of the lied will show how the piece carries political hints
without arousing public suspicion of political agitation.
| Item Type: |
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
|
| Keywords: |
Johanna Kinkel; Thurm und Fluth; Opus 19, No. 6; Revolutionary Ideas; Political Optimism; 19th‐Century Art Song; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > Music |
| Item ID: |
9036 |
| Depositing User: |
Anja Bunzel
|
| Date Deposited: |
28 Nov 2017 12:21 |
| Refereed: |
No |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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