Modulation in Max Reger's Lieder: its Relation to Hugo Riemann's Theory

Abstract

This study seeks to understand the similarities between Max Reger’s usage of pivot-chord modulation in practice and Hugo Riemann’s teachings of modulation. As the general consensus is that Riemann’s teachings had a strong effect on Reger, the objective of this study is to determine to what degree this influence persisted over time. The body of work analysed is Reger’s lieder output of 294 works, which constitutes approximately one-third of his total output. The two main qualitative methodologies used in this study are the Historical Method (the principal research method used in the field of Historical Musicology) and Inductive Comparative Analysis. Furthermore, Reger’s modulations are identified using the Roman numeral method of musical analysis. Then, their degree of similarity to Riemann’s modulation progressions, as listed in the latter’s influential treatise Vereinfachte Harmonielehre (Harmony Simplified), is assessed. The treatise represents a summary of Riemann’s complex theory of tonal music and includes several hundred progressions for modulation via pivot-chords. To facilitate analysis and comprehension, this study comprises a translation of Riemann’s modulation progressions from his own symbology to common-use analytical notation using Roman numerals. To provide sufficient contextual grounding, the study also includes chapters on historical and cultural background, the development of the German lied, and Reger’s life and works. The technological and social changes of the nineteenth century significantly influenced culture (e.g. patronage changed hands from aristocratic courts to middle-class public institutions). Positive influences for music consisted of manufacturing advances that contributed to improved instruments (e.g. pianoforte and various orchestral instruments). This not only led to an expansion of possibilities for orchestral sound but also encouraged domestic music-making, which resulted in the growth of the musical consumer market. Negative influences included the social cost of progress that culminated in the suffering and early deaths of many musicians (like many artists and poets at that time). In the German context, the conservatism of the centrally-based organisation of the Second German Empire only exacerbated the situation. The German lied was one of the most expressive musical genres. Composers used it to share their views on contemporary society and life, thus imbuing the genre with the capacity to reflect developments during the nineteenth century. Words and music became more closely intertwined towards the fin-de-siècle and the accompaniment gained importance, gradually becoming an equal partner with the voice. Striving to be the perfect German artist, Reger was ambitious and had a restless work ethic, a combination that resulted in many personal crises in his life. These lapses in control were incompatible with society’s image of the ideal man and left him repeatedly confused. Professionally, Reger’s search for innovation caused discord between him and his teacher, esteemed musicologist, Hugo Riemann. Reger’s progressive distancing from Riemannian theory culminates in Beiträge zur Modulationslehre, his book of modulations, which represents his own views on musical theory and seals the end of his relationship with Riemann. After comparing the pivot-chord modulation progressions used by Reger in his lieder to those listed by Riemann, it is found that Reger did not always employ Riemann’s progressions. Out of the 84 progressions found in Reger’s lieder, 45 (53.5%) were based on a progression listed by Riemann in his treatise. When the cumulative percentages of the Riemannian-based progressions are plotted against the cumulative percentages of all pivotchord modulation progressions identified, it is clear that Reger’s reliance on Riemann’s example changed over time: in his youth, he relied less on Riemann’s example, whilst in his later years he returned to it. It is, however, apparent that Reger never completely dismissed Riemann’s teachings, and when he did use a modulation progression listed by Riemann, he often adapted it.