MURAL - Maynooth University Research Archive Library



    'Johanna Kinkel’s Thurm und Fluth (Opus 19, No. 6): Revolutionary Ideas and Political Optimism in a 19th‐Century Art Song’


    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.

    [img]
    Preview
    Download (7MB) | Preview


    Share your research

    Twitter Facebook LinkedIn GooglePlus Email more...



    Add this article to your Mendeley library


    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

    Repository Staff Only(login required)

    View Item Item control page

    Downloads

    Downloads per month over past year

    Origin of downloads