Musical Ekphrasis in Rilkes Marienleben

Siglind Bruhn 

Table of Contents

Introduction		9
	The "Life of Mary"	13
	The Hagiography of the Mother of God: Origins and Sources	13
	The "Life of Mary" in Literature and Art	17
	Rilke and Christian Devotion	21
	Creature God	22
	The Angel and the Virgin	25
	The First Two Encounters	32
	Internal Storm and Space: The Epigram	39

Ekphrasis in Rilke’s Work: Poems on Depictions of Mary and Jesus		43
	Virgin Mother and Heavenly Queen	43
	The Son’s Farewell	52
	The Stony Angel	55
	Rilke’s Ekphrastic Stance	59

Hindemith: From Expressionism to the Ethos of Art		61
	The Young Maiden’s More Fortunate Counterpart	62
	A Saintly Woman’s Visions of Unchastity	64
	After Mathis	65

Brief Overview of the Poetic and Musical Cycles on the Life of Mary		69
	Rilke’s Marien-Leben: Some General Remarks	69
	Hindemith’s Marienleben: Summary of Changes and Aesthetic Claims	73

1 Geburt Mariä		79
	Baby Mary and the Crucified Christ	80
	Revealing Irregularities	83
	Threefold Instances of Thwarted Participation	85
	Ambiguity in the Cozy Chamber	87
	The Angels’ Self-sufficiency and the Poet’s Outrage	88
	Reasserting Baby Mary as the Mother of God	90

2 Die Darstellung Mariä im Tempel		93
	Experiences of the Temple’s Splendor	94
	Pillars and Arches of an Inner Space	96
	Simultaneous yet Diverging Perspectives	98
	Consecration as an Inner Progress	101
	Mary’s Self-sufficiency Reconsidered	103

3 Mariä Verkündigung		107
	"From Heav’n Above to Earth I Come"	108
	Brackets of Startled Gazes	109
	Symmetries as Symbols of Mutual Attraction	115
	Neutralizing an Angel	119

4 Mariä Heimsuchung		125
	Trinitarian, Terrestrial, and Christological Perspectives	126
	The Unborn Baptist’s Annunciation	128
	Competing Perspectives	129
	Redefining the Focus	133

7 Geburt Christi		135
	Mary’s Ambivalence	136
	The Savior, the World’s Salvation, and a Young Mother’s Naiveté	138
	"But (you will see): He brings joy"	139
	The Different Aspects of Greatness	140
	Rediscovering the Sweet Infant Jesus	141

10 Vor der Passion		147
	Outcries and Laments	148
	The Immutable Presence	152
	Three Stages of a Woman’s Exploitation	154
	Appeasing Mary’s Discontent	155
	Knowing Her Place	157

11 Pietà		159
	After the Passion	160
	Two Views of Reality	162
	Five Mysteries	165
	Echoes Across Golgotha	167
	Mater dolorosa	169

12 Stillung Mariä mit dem Auferstandenen		171
	The Still Point	172
	Complementary Perceptions from Diverse Quarters	173
	Mother and Son Mirroring One Another	175

13 Vom Tode Mariä I		179
	Mary’s Second Initiation	183
	Leaving the Temple	184
	The Final Calling	185
	Thrice Elected	188
	No Part in the Trinity	190

14 Vom Tode Mariä II		191
	The Rebirth of the Mother-Son Relationship	192
	Assumption with Obstacles	195
	The Light of Purity	197
	Erasing the Blemish	199

The Five "Picturesque" Songs		203
	5 Argwohn Josephs	203
	6 Verkündigung über den Hirten	204
	8 Rast auf der Flucht nach Ägypten	205
	9 Von der Hochzeit zu Kana	207
	15 Vom Tode Mariä III	209

Conclusion: Hindemith’s Ekphrastic Response to Rilke’s Marien-Leben		213
	Inherent or Acquired Signification in Musical Devices	214
	Means of Musical Transmedialization	217
	Hindemith’s Ekphrastic Stance	221
	Songs: Poetry Setting versus Musical Ekphrasis	223

Bibliography		225
	Scores and Texts	225
	Literature
	On the "Life of Mary" On Pictorial Representations of the Life of Mary On Rilke On Hindemith	225 226 226 228

List of Illustrations	229
List of Plates	229
List of Poems	230
List of Music Examples	231
Index of Names	233
Index of Literary and Musical Works Cited	235
About the Author	237