Galathea (Brettl-Lied)

This is an orchestration of the first song in the set of Arnold Schoenberg's cabaret songs called the 'Brettl-Lieder' written between April and September 1901 for the Berlin cabaret, the 'Uberbrettl', where Schoenberg worked as Music Director from December 1901 to July 1902.

 

The lyrics for Galathea are by Frank Wedekind whose 2 plays, Pandora's Box and Earth Spirit, form the basis of Alban Berg's second opera, Lulu. Galathea, you might say, is a 'proto-Lulu' although no words are given to her in this song: the words all belong to her ever-hopeful suitor.

 

In keeping with the song's music-hall provenance, the setting is a lush, theatrical experience employing a fairly large orchestra with triple woodwind, brass and percussion, as well as multi-divisi strings. These elements underpin and underline the barely-concealed lust which oozes from every word and every exotic 'chromatically pumped-up' harmony which Schoenberg's uses with relish and wit.

I believe that Alban Berg may have seen this song by Arnold Schoenberg, Berg's teacher from 1904-1910. It is possible, although there is no written evidence to prove it, that Berg was shown the Brettl-Lieder, (either privately or with other of Schoenberg's students), perhaps in the early years of his studies with Schoenberg, with the result that the memory of the first of these Berlin cabaret songs stayed with him and inspired him to attempt a comic song (rather than a true bitingly satirical cabaret song) of his own, Die Sorglichen (1907). Berg set a comic text by Gustav Falke who was also a contributor to the Deutsche Chansons collection of new cabaret song lyrics and a member of the group of German writers who, in the 1890s were eager to forge a entirely new and distinctly 'German school' of cabaret art. My ideas of the origin of Alban Berg's song 'Die Sorglichen' can be found here:

 

https://coolwindmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/die-sorglichen-1907-alban-berg-1885.html

 

Performances of the Brettl-Lieder are still rare, although it is encouraging to see that a few singers are beginning to discover these beautiful cabaret songs, Galathea in particular, which is therefore bringing them to the attention of a wider audience.

 

This is a study score made available by kind permission of Belmont Music Publishers. Purchasing this score does not convey any right of performance or recording. If you wish to perform and/or record this copyright orchestration of Arnold Schoenberg's Brettl-Lied, Galathea, please contact Belmont Music Publishers: [email protected] for permission. Belmont Music Publishers will also advise about supplying a set of parts for professional performances and recordings.