David Fhima

Paper #1
MUHL 286
Section 2
Crossings between Music and Literature
It has been said that a picture says a thousand words. Could we say the same about
music? The answer to this question can be found by analyzing E.T.A. Hoffmanns novel The Life
and Opinions of Kater Murr and the influence it had on Robert Schumanns piano cycle
Kreisleriana. The relationship between the novel and the score will be examined through formal
structure and stylistic contrast. It will be abundantly clear that the structures of both the novel
and the piece are interconnected with the stark contrast in style.
The formal structure of Hoffmanns novel is rather unconventional. There is an
autobiography of a highly intelligent tomcat named Kater Murr with random fragments of an
anonymous biography of kappellmeister Johannes Kreisler (a recurring fictional character in
Hoffmanns stories) interspersed at various points, interrupting the cats memoirs. If these
fragmentary excerpts were removed from the novel, the reader would be able to easily follow the
chronology of Murrs life. The biographical excerpts about Kreisler are very disjointed and often
lack much connection when they occur within the story. The reader must establish a connection
between the fragments on their own in order to comprehend Hoffmanns intentions. Schumanns
Kreisleriana follows a very similar formal structure. The piano cycle is composed of eight
movements which all follow a similar pattern of unconnected themes. There are some
connections between the movements, including the dominating keys of B flat major, F major, and
G minor, certain recurring motives, and general stylistic elements. The movements on their own,
however, each display fragmentary elements that dont seem to have much direction and feel

rather incoherent in the scheme of the movement as a whole. For example, in the fourth
movement, we have the first theme which doesnt have a very strong tonal foundation, despite
the fact that it generally finds its tonic on F. The second theme has a clearer sense of direction
tonally-speaking (now in B-flat major), however, the beginning doesnt really feel like a
beginning; it feels like it came from nowhere. To add to the confusion, the theme cadences on a
D major chord, which really gives the sense that this a fragment, without a real beginning or end.
This isnt a rare technique in Schumanns music and its a good connection with the fragmented
structure of Hoffmanns novel. As both the piece and novel progress (the excerpt of the novel, to
be precise), one might observe some unity between the seemingly disconnected material. In the
case of the Kreisler biographical storyline, there appears to be a stronger link between the
fragments. This is particularly evident when Hoffmann describes Kreislers encounter with
Princess Hedwiga and Julia in a park and the following fragment where the kappellmeister
recounts that particular event. While there is still a hole in the biography between the two
fragments, there is a stronger sense of unification towards the end and this can also be seen in
Kreisleriana. This sense of unity can be seen as early as the fifth movement. After the statement
of the first theme, a second set of thematic material is introduced that appears to have direction
but loses a bit of its direction through a sequence that seems to wander off, however, it ends with
a four note motif that leads right back into the key and melody of the first theme. Generally, there
have not been many clear connections between the contrasting themes up to this point. This little
bridge motif is the first instance of a link within a movement. Things get clearer in the sixth
movement where we have an initial theme in F major (which again cadences in D major),
followed by a brief second theme, and then a restatement of the first theme that gets developed
through the end of the movement. There is a stronger sense of direction through the course of the

entire movement which isnt as obvious in the preceding movements. The seventh movement is
also quite cohesive, for the most part. There are two main themes, and what appears to be a
subordinate theme between them. These themes all carry a similar rhythmic energy, dynamic and
momentum. Finally, a structural element in both works are the lack of climactic resolutions. In
The Life and Opinions of Kater Murr, whenever theres a climactic moment in one of the
fragments, it is always interrupted by the return of the other biography. In Kater Murrs
autobiography, despite the interruptions, the reader is given a continuous story and resolutions to
the cliff hangers. On Kreislers side, there are cliff hangers that generally dont get resolved.
Similarly, in Kreisleriana, there are climactic moments that trail off completely into another
theme and their resolutions dont always see the light of day. Once more, a good example of this
is the fifth movement. As previously mentioned, the second thematic idea feels like its going
somewhere, but it keeps on sequencing and failing to reach a destination (in other words, a
cadence marking finality). It ends up subtly leading into the first theme every time which
demonstrates its inability to resolve, strongly resembling Kreislers fragmented biography.
Structurally, Hoffmanns novel and Schumanns piece are very much alike. They are clearly built
on a set of ideas that are connected in some way, but their presentations are very disjointed and
filled with interruptions by other thematic/biographical content.
Another central characteristic of Schumanns Kreisleriana is its stylistic contrasts, which
are analogous to the formal structure of the piece. First of all, in The Life and Opinions of Kater
Murr, the cats autobiography is set in a seemingly real environment, mostly in the home, and
deals with aspects of family and upbringing. The biography of Johannes Kreisler is set in a
fantastic world, filled with imaginary kingdoms, magic, and romantic scenery. It can be therefore
argued that the contrasting styles are Biedermeier and Romanticism. The reader has a very

different mindset when alternating between the two biographies and this is due in part to the
different characters, but more importantly because of the shift in style. Schumann captures this
type of contrast in Kreisleriana through the alternating sections in each movement. Every
movement displays contrasting material within itself that can be seen in a very similar way to
Hoffmanns novel. The second movement clearly illustrates this. It begins with a very beautiful
and elegant melody that is pleasing to the ear, easy to remember, and most likely something that
could be associated to the Biedermeier style due to its warm and pleasant nature. Theres nothing
overwhelmingly complicated about it and when listening to it, images of simplicity and comfort
come to mind. This melodic content returns twice following its statement, with intermezzi
between each one. The intermezzi have an extremely different style; they have a lot more
rhythm, tempo, and brightness to them. The rapid arpeggios and the overall intensity give the
movement a storm-like quality, which is a theme that was alluded to in Hoffmanns story. It has a
much more Romantic feel to it. In the last statement of the original theme, the melodic and
harmonic ideas lose some stability. Initially, the melody was aiming towards an F major chord.
Now, it feels perturbed; unable to reach its resolution and landing on unstable chords (G flat
minor and B minor). The movement eventually reaches its end where the moving eighth notes
disappear and we are left with a quiet cadence on a very awkward chord. All this suggests
confusion and a certain difficulty to find something, or to get somewhere. This cadence is finally
followed by a more traditional, simple, and tonally clear cadential idea that concludes in B flat
major. These themes of confusion and struggle are ever-present in Kreislers story. Kreisler
recalled his deep internal struggles; his search for something inside him (of which he wasnt
entirely sure) that tortured him for a very long time. He claimed that it was the spirit of music
that brought him out of his misery (Hoffmann, 63). In a very literal sense, one can see the

similarities between this particular passage and the second movement of this piano cycle. The
disturbance in the first theme can be related to Kreislers internal struggles, and the final
cadential passage is a lifting of this burden. The final movement is fairly representative of the
overall idea that Schumann conveys in the work. There are two very contrasting themes. While
they both carry a fairly straight rhythm that is sequenced, the character of each clashes. The first
theme is light, reserved, and more or less stuck in one place; that is to say that its going
somewhere, but it always seems to come back to the same place. The second theme is much
more powerful, and frenzied. The shift in style is markedly similar to the inner nature of
Johannes Kreisler. At one moment he can be calm and reserved, and then he can be overly
passionate and expressive. The first theme comes back in almost as if it never left, without any
notice. This is another characteristic of the kappellmeister. In a conversation with the character
Ratn, he adopts a very serious and passionate tone, then all of a sudden, he returns to a casual,
ironic tone (63-64). His speech patterns are often all over the place and not always consistent
with his emotional state. Finally, the movement ends by descending into virtually nothing. It
technically cadences with the five to one scale degree gesture in the bass, but it doesnt feel like
an ending to a full work because the melodic content leading up to it never really felt like it was
heading anywhere and it ends almost inaudibly. Again, theres a lack of direction and finality
here, consistent with the style and structure of Hoffmanns novel. This encapsulates the overall
sentiment of the work as a whole; there are very obvious shifts in style, linked to the structure of
the novel as well as its content, particularly that which involved Johannes Kreisler.
Music can clearly depict emotions and themes much like literature. It has been brought to
light throughout this essay that Schumann had a firm grasp on this technique and was able to
evolve it to a structurally macroscopic and microscopic level in Kreisleriana. The structure and

contrasting styles in Hoffmanns The Life and Opinions of Kater Murr can be clearly recognized
in the piano cycle. These characteristics are synchronous and allow for a much more mature
concept of music.

Bibliography
Hoffmann, E.T.A. The Life and Opinions of Kater Murr. (Publication info unavailable)
Schumann, Robert. Kreisleriana, Op. 16. Leipzig: F. Whistling, 1856.