The paper is devoted to the fundamental principles of musical organization in one of Richard Strauss’s world-renowned masterpieces — the opera Der Rosenkavalier (1911). Separate keys in it have semantics associated with certain characters, their emotional state, theatrical content of the scenes. The interaction of characters is conveyed through the interaction of keys. Such, for example, is the interrelation of E-dur (Octavian’s key) and Es-dur (Marschallin’s key) in the first act. Even Strauss’ use of separate tonal chords often reveals the details of the stage action. The tonal-character relationships express the musical dramaturgy of the work.
Another important factor in this dramaturgy is thematic development: the leitmotifs related to the characters and their transformations. In the focus of attention are such properties of their elaboration through which the stage movement of the drama finds expression. Octavian’s leitmotif changes the most, depending on his emotional state and stage events (for example, his dressing up as the maid Mariandl and back is reflected in the transformations of his theme).
In addition to the themes associated with individual characters, Strauss uses a genre leitmotif, the waltz. The line of waltzes in the opera develops on the rise, reaching a culmination in the third act, where the waltz unites entire scenes with its movement. On the one hand, it is connected with the amorous adventures of Baron von Ochs, on the other hand, it characterizes the scene, Vienna, in the best possible way, creating, along with Mozart-Haydnian allusions, a generalized image of this city.
Thus, the stage action of a comedy is clothed in the Strauss’ score in the form of immanent musical processes and phenomena.
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