Surface thematic resemblances between Richard Wagner'sWesendonck-Lieder and his operaTristan und Isolde indicate that the songs were borrowed from in the composition of the later opera. Deeper and more subtle relationships between the two, however, indicate that the songs were studies for the opera, and were parodied in more profound ways, as well. In addition to resetting three sections of "Träume" in the Love Duet with very few alterations, Wagner uses a similar voice-leading pattern in the first sections of the two pieces, an ascent through an octave (Eb to Eb). He also explores bVI and bIII as tonal areas in both sections. In the second sections, Wagner uses bVI as a pivot, retains the same basic harmonic scheme, and employs the octave ascent (Eb to Eb) once again. In terms of the opera as a whole, bVI and bIII figure prominently after the occurrence of the Love Duet. All of these relationships combine to indicate that Wagner employed a kind of parody technique in Tristan.

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Edward D. Latham