Berg: Wozzeck, Act III, Scene 4, Interlude, and Scene 5

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Berg and Early-Twentieth-Century Opera
We will study the final two scenes of the opera. In Scene 4 of Act III, Wozzeck Act III, Scene 4
returns to the path near the pond where he has killed Marie, and stumbles against
her body. He asks, “Marie, what’s that red cord around your neck?” (See Listening
Guide 70 for the text.) He finds the knife with which he committed the murder,
throws it into the pond, and, driven by his delusions, follows it into the water. His last
words as he drowns—“I am washing myself in blood—the water is blood . . .
blood!”—usher in a series of ascending chromatic scales that pass in a ghostly
pianissimo from strings to woodwinds to brass. The Doctor appears, followed by the
Captain. We see the haunted scene through their eyes as, terrified, they run away.
The final scene opens with a symphonic interlude in D minor, a passionate lament Act III, Scene 5
for the life and death of Wozzeck. This inspired fantasy indicates how richly Berg’s
music was influenced by the Romanticism of Mahler. The scene takes place in the
morning in front of Marie’s house, where children are playing. Marie’s little boy rides
a hobbyhorse. Other children rush in with news of the murder, but Marie’s son does
not understand. The children run off as he con-tinues to ride and sing. Then, noticing that he has been left alone, he calls “Hop, hop” and rides off on his hobbyhorse,
to the sound of clarinet, drum, xylophone, and strings playing pianissimo. This final
scene—with the curtain closing on an empty stage—is utterly heartbreaking.
Wozzeck envelops the listener in a hallucinated world that could only have come
from central Europe in the 1920s. But its characters reach out beyond time and
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place to become eternal symbols of the human condition.
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Listening Guide
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-
Berg: Wozzeck, Act III, Scene 4, Interlude, and Scene 5
89"GDB
DATE OF WORK:
89"GDB
1922
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GENRE:
BASIS:
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
Opera, in 3 acts
Expressionist play by Georg Büchner
89"GDB
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Use of Sprechstimme.
Chilling orchestration to reinforce the grisly events at the pond.
Glassy sound of celeste to create eerie atmosphere.
Lush, chromatic D-minor orchestral interlude, connecting
Wozzeck’s earlier life with tragic, final events.
Harmonic language rooted in both tonality and more modern,
post-tonal idioms.
Act III, Scene 4: By the pond
Characters: Wozzeck (baritone), Doctor (bass), Captain (tenor)
WO Z Z E C K
Das Messer? Wo ist das Messer? Ich
hab’s dagelassen. Näher, noch näher.
Mir graut’s . . . da regt sich was.
Still! Alles still und tot.
The knife? Where is the knife?
I left it there. Around here somewhere.
I’m terrified . . . something’s moving.
Silence. Everything silent and dead.
Listening Guide continues
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THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY
(shouting)
Mörder! Mörder!
Murderer! Murderer!
(whispering again)
Ha! Da ruft’s. Nein, ich selbst.
Ah! Someone called. No, it was only me.
(Still looking, he staggers a few steps further and stumbles against the corpse.)
Marie! Marie! Was hast du für eine rote
Schnur um den Hals? Hast dir das rote
Halsband verdient, wie die Ohrringlein,
mit deiner Sünde! Was hängen dir die
schwarzen Haare so wild? Mörder! Mörder!
Sie werden nach mir suchen. Das Messer
verrät mich!
Marie! Marie! What’s that red cord around
your neck? Was the red necklace payment
for you sins, like the earrings? Why’s your
dark hair so wild about you? Murderer! Murderer!
They will come and look for me. The knife
will betray me!
(looks for it in a frenzy)
Da, da ist’s.
Here! Here it is!
(at the pond)
So! Da hinunter!
There! Sink to the bottom!
(throws knife into the pond)
Es taucht ins dunkle Wasser wie ein Stein.
It plunges into the dark water like a stone.
(The moon appears, blood-red, from behind the clouds. Wozzeck looks up.)
Aber der Mond verrät mich, der Mond ist
blutig. Will denn die ganze Welt es
ausplaudern! Das Messer, es liegt zu weit
finden’s beim Baden oder wenn
sie nach Muscheln tauchen.
But the moon will betray me: the moon is
bloodstained. Is the whole world going to
incriminate me? The knife is too near the vorn, sie
edge: they’ll find it when they’re swimming
or diving for snails.
(wades into the pond)
Ich find’s nicht. Aber ich muss mich
waschen. Ich bin blutig. Da ein Fleck—
und noch einer. Weh! Weh!
Ich wasche mich mit Blut—
das Wasser ist Blut . . . Blut . . .
I can’t find it. But I must wash myself.
There’s blood on me. There’s a spot here—
and another. Oh, God!
I am washing myself in blood—
the water is blood . . . blood . . .
(drowns)
Wozzeck’s last words before drowning, accompanied by very soft ascending chromatic scales in
strings:
n˙
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x
Weh!
(he drowns...)
nœ bœ
bœ bœ #œ nœ £ nœ £
x
bœ
b
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Ich wa - sche mich mit
Blut
das
Was - ser ist Blut...
(The Doctor appears, followed by the Captain.)
C A P TA I N
Halt!
Wait!
Blut...
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Berg and Early-Twentieth-Century Opera
(stops)
DOCTOR
Hören Sie? Dort!
Can you hear? There!
C A P TA I N
Jesus! Das war ein Ton!
Jesus! What a ghastly sound!
(stops as well)
DOCTOR
(pointing to the pond)
Ja, dort!
Yes, there!
C A P TA I N
Es ist das Wasser im Teich. Das Wasser
ruft. Esist schon lange niemand ertrunken.
Kommen Sie, Doktor! Es ist nicht gut zu
hören.
It’s the water in the pond. The water is
calling. It’s been a long time since
anyone drowned Come away, Doctor.
It’s not good for us to be hearing it.
(tries to drag the Doctor away)
DOCTOR
(resisting and continuing to listen)
Das stöhnt, als stürbe ein Mensch. Da
ertrinkt Jemand!
There’s a groan, as though someone
were dying. Somebody’s drowning!
C A P TA I N
Unheimlich! Der Mond rot, und die
Nebel grau. Hören Sie? . . .
Jetzt wieder das Ächzen.
It’s eerie! The moon is red, and the mist is
gray. Can you hear? . . .
That moaning again.
DOCTOR
Stiller,... jetzt ganz still.
It’s getting quieter . . . now it’s stopped
altogether.
C A P TA I N
Kommen Sie! Kommen Sie schnell!
Come! Come quickly!
(He rushes off, pulling the Doctor along with him.)
Orchestral interlude in D minor
Chromatic, lush strings; Adagio tempo; leads to dissonant climax in brass and woodwinds, with
timpani.
Act III, Scene 5: Children playing in front of Marie’s house
Melody of children’s song, distorted:
128 bœ j œ j œ bœ œ . bœ . nœ nœ nœ b˙ .
&
nœ bœ
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Children:
Rin - gel, Rin - gel, Ro - sen - kranz,
Rin
-
gel - reih’n!
bœ #œj œ nœj œ œj bœ . n nœœ
Rin - gel, Rin - gel, Ro - sen - kranz,
Rin -
CHILDREN
Ringel, Ringel, Rosenkranz, Ringelreih’n
Ringel, Ringel, Rosenkranz, Ring . . .
Ring-a-ring-a-roses,
A pocket full of . . .
Listening Guide continues
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THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY
(Their song and game are interrupted by other children bursting in.)
O N E O F T H E N E WC O M E R S
Du, Käthe! Die Marie!
Hey, Katie! Have you heard about Marie?
SECOND CHILD
Was is?
What’s happened?
FIRST CHILD
Weisst’ es nit? Sie sind schon Alle ’naus.
THIRD CHILD
Don’t you know? They’ve all gone out there.
(to Marie’s little boy)
Du! Dein’ Mutter ist tot!
Hey! Your mother’s dead!
MARIE’S SON
(still riding)
Hopp, hopp! Hopp, hopp! Hopp, hopp!
Hop, hop! Hop, hop! Hop, hop!
SECOND CHILD
Wo ist sie denn?
Where is she, then?
FIRST CHILD
Drauss’ liegt sie, am Weg, neben dem Teich.
She’s lying out there, on the path near the pond.
THIRD CHILD
Kommt, anschaun!
Come and have a look!
(All the children run off.)
MARIE’S SON
Hopp, hopp! Hopp, hopp! Hopp, hopp!
(continuing to ride)
Hop, hop! Hop, hop! Hop, hop!
(He hesitates for a moment and then rides after the other children.)
Child on hobbyhorse, with pianissimo accompaniment:
#œ #œ #œ #œ #œ #œ .
‰
‰
‰
Ó
&
Hopp, hopp! Hopp, hopp! Hopp, hopp!
.
poco rit.
Solo Cl.
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ganz ohne Ausdruck
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