SZYMANOWSKI: MYTHES

La fontaine d’aretheuse
 KAROL SZYMANOWSKI COMPOSER

Karol Maciej Szymanowski (Polish pronunciation: [1882 –1937) was a Polish composer and
pianist, widely considered the most celebrated Polish composer of the early 20th century.
As a child he read poetry, read stories from romantic literature and composed an opera. His
early composition style is reminiscent of late German romanticism and it wasn’t until after
travelling to Paris where he worked with celebrated French composers such as Debussy and
Ravel that he developed an interest in French impressionistic music. This re-shaped and modified
his composition style and technique.
Whilst in Poland he met a poet called Micinski who became an inspiration for a lot of his work
including myths and his violin concerto. His writings are strong influenced by Dark Romanticism
and Romantic gothic fiction. His poems contain dream like imagery like water nymphs,
shimmering water, and waves, rustling trees, burning fire, crystals, flowers, fauns and other
mythical creatures creating a very sensual and natural atmosphere. I think this fantasy dream-
like element is strongly conveyed in ‘Myths’ and really brings the imagination alive through the
use of ambiguous harmonies and experimenting with different violinist techniques to capture the
imagery and beauty of the myth.
THE GREEK MYTH
Myths was composed for violin and piano in 1915 and it exhibits his influence from
impressionism in a new and imaginative way, creating his own individual musical
language. It is a collection of 3 movements based on erotic stories from Greek
mythology. It was dedicated to Zofia Kochańska, who was the wife of the
accomplished violinist Paweł Kochański with whom he collaborated and performed
the work with for the first time in 1916.
1) The fountain of Arethusa 2) Narcissus 3) Dryads and Pan
The titles of the three works are borrowed from Greek mythology,
The first movement: La fontaines d’aretheuse is based on the love story between
Arethusa and Alpheus. In the story the river spirit Alpheus falls in love with the
beautiful nymph Arethusa whilst she bathes in his waters. Frightened by the strange
sound from the depths beneath she runs away when she realized that Alpheus is
calling her. She then encounters the Goddess Diana, who attempts to save her by
transforming her into a stream, but Alpheus recognises her and becomes a river so
that their waters could mingle together.
 the second movement featuring Narcissus falling in love with his own reflection
and being turned into a flower, the third featuring dancing gods.
UNIQUE MUSICAL STYLE:

 The piece displays a contrast of ideas and concepts

Contrast between expressionism and impressionism, tonality and non-tonality, melody, counterpoint, texture, emotions and imagery.
 The aesthetic of French impressionistic music is one of clarity, sensual impression and evocation of mood, atmosphere and
sentiment. (Link: Debussy’s symphonic poem: Prelude de L’apre’s midi d’un faune)
 – similar opening melodic line from the solo flautist (evoking the dream like atmosphere described in the poem itself)
 ‘These nymphs, I would perpetuate them.
 So bright
 Their crimson flesh that hovers there, light
 In the air drowsy with dense slumbers.
 Did I love a dream?’ – similar dream like imagery to the greek myth

 in comparison to the opening violin entry,(introverted, long breathed lyrical melody with a similar chromatic descending figure,
evoking also the way it is played is intended to draw the listener into the music. Demonstrate figure 1
 In contrast German expressionism is evocative of conflict, tension and extremes of emotion. ‘Mythes’ features the chromatic
harmony, contrapuntal texture and emotional intensity of German traditions: demonstrate figure 2 (evokes Alpheus’s passion and
lust for the Arethusa) and 3 (which is marked molto espressivo, affetuoso and passionato) and contrasts this element of
expressionism with whole tone harmonies, bitonality, different tonal colours and image evoking atmospheres of French
impressionism.

1 http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/French/Mallarme.php
 UNIQUE MUSICAL STYLE: CONTINUED
‘The composer said on more than one occasion that together with the great violinist, he had
created a new violin style. Szymanowski's compositions for violin were studied in depth by
Bartok, and they initially also made a great impression on Prokofiev, who listened to the
Myths and immediately asked Kochański for consultation on his own first violin concerto. In
discussion they came to understand that the violin offered not only expression and virtuosity
in the Romantic sense, but also extraordinary and still untapped possibilities of tone colour,
extensive sound mixtures, tremolos, sul ponticello bowing, simultaneous bowed and pizzicato
tones, and even quarter-tones. Bearing in mind these were new effects at the time before
the avant garde movement after 1945. Liberating the composer's imagination from classical
patterns, they create a new world of free, poetic fantasy of sound.’
He wrote in a letter: "This is not meant to be a drama, unfolding in scenes one after another,
(each) of which has anecdotic significance - this is rather a complex musical expression of
the inspiring beauty of the Myth. The main 'key' of the 'flowing water' in Arethusa, the
'stagnant water' in Narcissus (the still and clear surface of the water in which the beauty of
Narcissus is reflected) - these are the main lines of the piece”1
1 http://culture.pl/en/work/myths-op-30-karol-szymanowski
THE FOUNTAIN OF ARETHUSA

 Structure: Despite the eclectic mix of tonal colour, textures and harmony, Szymanowski manages to
retain a clear logical and formal structure (ABA) pattern in classical ternary form including a coda.
 THE OPENING OF THIS PIECE BEGINS WITH a GENTLY MOVING TREMELO texture IN THE PIANO IN HIGH
REGISTER WHICH EVOKES THE IMAGE OF TRICKLING WATER OR WATERFALLS. It features whole tone
bitonality which is the main harmony for the opening and ending sections of the piece. It is then
followed by a lyrical violin melody which gives the impression of the nymph peacefully bathing in
Alpheus’s water. It is not instructed but I think in some ways it is down to the performer to create this
effect in the best way, for me the best way to evoke this calm setting is to play lightly with little hair
near the fingerboard. It begins using a descending chromatic line which is fragmented in different
melodic ways throughout the piece almost like an ‘idee fixe’. Demonstrate figure 1, 2, 4 6
 The performance markings in the piece such as delicatemente, affetuoso and agitato are there to
help the performer to evoke the mood and atmosphere and to give the impression of the myth
unfolding. This is characteristic of impressionism – To give the impression of – as opposed to a
narrative description of the story.
 Figure 5 contains a sudden change of character and speed alternating between 2/4 and ¾ perhaps
depicting the crashing of the waves rumbling beneath the surface, Alpheus trying to capture his
beloved Arethusa. This is most effectively portrayed through the dramatic inflection of diminuendo
and crescendo within the bow. Also the imitation of the phrase between the violin and piano
creates this chasing effect.
TEXTURE
 The contrapuntal texture associated with German expressionism
can be heard distinctively at figure 6: demonstrate

 A ‘liquid like’ texture can be heard at figure 3 in the piano - with

the right hand playing the melody in octaves whilst the second
and third finger play trills at the same time: Jason demonstrate

 Variety of sonorities between violin and piano – ranging from

transparent sounds to grand gestures and layers of sound.
HARMONIC LANGUAGE
 CHALLENGES: (MUSICAL AND
TECHNICAL)

 Challenge 1) Keeping in time with the piano as well as playing with freedom
of tempo – challenging as the tempo changes from 4/8 to 3/8 as well as
following the subtle performance directions which are given every few bars
such as poco rit and meno mosso in order to create a languid and ethereal
atmosphere. I found that playing from memory helps me to ‘feel’ the pulse
more and also to envision the different moods and characters.
 Challenge 2) as a performer it is a challenge for both of us to communicate
and react to and be aware of whatever each other is doing is doing at all
times in order to make the performance exciting: whether it be finishing a
phrase together in the same way or a call and response effect: for example
demonstrate: 3 bars before figure 4 (finishing a phrase) and figure 5 – call
and response)
 Harmonics: challenge to execute them with accuracy and precision: you
can’t force the sound, you have to feel as relaxed as possible with no tension
in the upper body and arms.
THE FOUNTAIN OF ARETHUSA

 Throughout the piece there features a four note-chromatic

descending melodic line which is dispersed
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 http://culture.pl/en/work/myths-op-30-karol-szymanowski