Come back again, wretched ones, to the healthy wave!

Instead of working, anxious thoughts creep into my mind... I will risk drawing attention to one of the most important musical texts for me (perhaps, if I were to choose the three most important, this would be second for me, and this one—third). It is a complex and rather heavy thing. Nevertheless, I assume that if you let it into yourself—you will realize how deep and majestic it is. I have let it in; for many years it has been turning in my head, sometimes without interruption; it turns out that I breathe, adjusting my rhythm to it, and I adjust the rhythm of my thoughts to it. I am talking about the transcription by F. Buzoni of the Fantasy and Fugue by F. Liszt on the theme of the chorale by an unknown author “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” from the opera by J. Meyerbeer “The Prophet”. It should be begun with the fact that in 1849 (during the “Spring of Nations”) the opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer “The Prophet” (“Le prophète”) was staged in Paris, written to a libretto by Eugène Scribe (known to many as the author of the play “A Glass of Water”). The opera was dedicated to the uprising of the Anabaptists (a Christian movement demanding rebaptism at a conscious age and either a return to evangelical principles or communal life), which occurred after 1530 in Münster (a German city in the state of North Rhine‑Westphalia). Meyerbeer was a well‑known German and French composer; interestingly, at one time he took composition lessons from Antonio Salieri (among Salieri’s disgraced pupils were also Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt). A certain impact on the history of European music (and on European history as such) was exerted by the fact that Meyerbeer was Jewish. The point is that Meyerbeer at one time seriously helped Richard Wagner (who confessed: “without Meyerbeer I would have been nothing”): Meyerbeer lent Wagner money and offered him work. Wagner did not simply become Meyerbeer’s competitor in operatic music; he could not bear the necessity of being grateful. When Wagner got on his feet, one of his main tasks became the fight against “Jewishness in music”, whose representative he considered to be Meyerbeer. European anti‑Semites, up to Hitler, used Wagner’s ideas. However, for understanding the fantasy and fugue I want to discuss, this history is not very important, although it helps to “root” its creation in the appropriate era. In Meyerbeer’s opera the story of Johann the Lydian, leader of the Münster Anabaptists, is reflected. Having seized power in Münster, he established a theocratic dictatorship there. In 1535 the Archbishop of Münster was able to storm the city, hanged all 18 wives of Johann the Lydian, and subjected the prophet himself to inhuman tortures before death (both sides of this intra‑Christian conflict demonstrated a specific understanding of Christian virtues). The cage in which the mutilated body of Johann was displayed for shame still hangs in Münster. Meyerbeer used in his opera a medieval chorale of unknown authorship. Here is that fragment (source). In fact, only the very beginning matters, the first 27 notes, which fit into 41 seconds (the theme is then repeated): Münster Anabaptists in Meyerbeer sing the following: Ad nos, ad salutarem undam iterum venite miseri! Ad nos, venite populi! Trying to understand the meaning that Meyerbeer and Liszt embedded in this text, I once consulted a pastor of the Lutheran church. I will quote excerpts from our correspondence. When I asked him to translate the above text, he replied: pMV: “This is an ancient church hymn, written on the motifs of the ending of Psalm 94, in the Russian Synodal translation – Psalm 93. Russian literal translation: For us, for the healthy Wave again returns Mercy! To us, to the people! But translating verses of the Catholic tradition into Russian is a very specific matter. I will not attempt it.” DSh: “Strange. It seems to be Psalm 93 in the Synodal translation. God of vengeance, Lord, God of vengeance, appear! Arise, Judge of the earth, repay the proud. How long, Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph? They utter bold words; they boast all who do iniquity; they oppress Your people, Lord, they crush Your inheritance; they kill widows and strangers, and murder orphans and say: ‘the Lord will not see, and God will not know Jacoblev’. Be sensible, meaningless people! When will you be wise, ignorant? Will the one who planted an ear not hear? and the one who formed an eye not see? Will the one who enlightens nations not rebuke – He who teaches man reason? The Lord knows human thoughts, that they are vanity. Blessed is the man whom You enlighten, Lord, and guide with Your law, to give him peace in distressing days, until the wicked’s pit is dug! For the Lord will not reject His people nor abandon His inheritance. For judgment will return to justice, and all the right‑hearted will follow. Who will rise for me against the evildoers? who will stand for me against those who do iniquity? If the Lord were not my helper, my soul would soon settle in a land of silence. When I said: ‘my foot wavers’, – Your mercy, Lord, sustained me. When my sorrows multiplied in my heart, Your consolations delighted my soul. Will the seat of the destroyers, who plot violence against the law, be near You? They rush as a crowd upon the soul of the righteous and condemn innocent blood. But the Lord is my protection, and my God is the bulwark of my refuge, and He will turn their iniquity upon them, and destroy them with their evil, the Lord our God will destroy them. Honestly, I see no semantic correspondence. I thought the key meaning of this fragment was “now the time of trials has come for us”, although such a correspondence is not evident in the literal translation. Was I wrong?” pMV: “It is exactly this piece: Who will rise for me against the evildoers? who will stand for me against those who do iniquity? If the Lord were not my helper, my soul would soon settle in a land of silence. When I said: ‘my foot wavers’, – Your mercy, Lord, sustained me. When my sorrows multiplied in my heart, Your consolations delighted my soul. And indeed – ‘on the motifs’. Between the Psalm and the hymn lies the Septuagint, 15‑century Roman Catholic tradition, the Vulgate, Catholic liturgical tradition. But the meaning is exactly as you write! Only the meaning of the fragment – that during trials hope is placed on the Lord’s mercy, miser i.e. suffering, compassion, and mercy. A very complex semantic spectrum! Thus, to what you write is added the reliance on the Lord’s Mercy!” So, “now the time of trials has come for us”, “reliance on the Lord’s Mercy” and “a very complex semantic spectrum”. In 1849 Meyerbeer’s opera is staged. In 1850 Wagner writes the article “Jewishness in Music”, and Franz Liszt composes a Fantasy and Fugue for organ on Meyerbeer’s chorale theme (first performance – 1852). By the way, in 1870 Wagner became Liszt’s son‑in‑law, marrying his daughter Cosima Liszt, i.e. Cosima Wagner… The Fantasy and Fugue I discuss entered the cycle “Poetic and Religious Harmonies”. This cycle reflected Liszt’s movement toward Catholicism, culminating in his entry into the Jesuit order. Perhaps it should be noted that the Jesuit order was founded in 1534, precisely during the events to which (rather freely) Scribe and Meyerbeer referred. However, one must not forget that the Jesuits represented the opposite side, the side of the Counter‑Reformation, not the Anabaptists. The order that Liszt joined was created specifically to combat innovations such as Anabaptism. In any case, Liszt writes a majestic organ work in which the chorale theme (those very 27 notes!) undergoes a complex development. It seems to me that the main content of this piece is the subordination of all inner movements to a sacrificial readiness to accept one’s fate. Here is a performance of Liszt’s text that seems close to the exemplary one (source). It is Stefano Molardi. To assess the structure and complexity of the musical text, this performance may be useful (source). It is played by New Zealand organist Gillian Weir. And finally, a creatively intonated performance (source) by the well‑known American musician Alexander Frey. Before the Fantasy and Fugue by Liszt, Meyerbeer’s chorale theme is heard. The organ was not Liszt’s favourite instrument; he himself was a virtuoso pianist, and as a composer he wrote his main works for piano (and, to a lesser extent, for symphonic orchestra). Liszt also arranged the Fantasy and Fugue “Ad nos” for two pianos. I found the only performance of this work (here); it is performed by Monica Egri and Attila Pertis. The recording quality leaves much to be desired. But note how, after the 3‑minute mark, the movement in the four‑hand two‑keyboard performance spreads out. One person could not play it… Apparently Liszt could not fit everything he considered right into the hands of a single pianist. The two‑performer version seems rich in sound but somehow… insufficiently emotional. Perfection is reached in the version of the great interpreter Ferruccio Busoni. Considering the unknown author of the original chorale, Busoni turned out to be the fourth in the chain of composers who transformed it. Busoni’s version is very careful toward Liszt’s authorial variant, conveying all the beauty and power of the grand fantasy and fugue, yet placing them in the hands of a single pianist who can directly inject his own understanding and emotions into the performance. I have not found good video performances of Liszt‑Busoni’s fantasy and fugue. For me, the performance that has become ingrained after numerous listenings and even more numerous mental “rewindings” is that of Yevgeny Mogilevsky, recorded in 1972. Here it is: Of course, trying to describe what unfolds in this music is a hopeless task. Still, I will try to give some guidelines reflecting my perception… These are only my projections, and nothing else. The fantasy begins with a transformed chorale theme, in which each successive step requires effort, overcoming a certain threshold. Quite soon (timestamp 1:22) the drive wanes, and the next variation unfolds like a contemplative memory, gradually gaining strength. The next return of the theme (2:49) turns out more ominous, motivating, turning into a broad movement. Another return (3:32) – an energetic rise, corresponding to the initial mood. From 4:33 – already a powerful, energetic thrust, which (5:10, 5:25) acquires a fugue structure. However, the gathered energy dissipates into movements diverging in different directions. The state again shifts (7:16) to reflection and recollection, not action. Further (from 9:20) – a fairly long introspective, philosophical meditation, in which the author carefully tries different variants of transforming the theme. In the new variations even tenderness appears (13:09), but after that the motion accelerates and anxiety arises, which then seems to dissolve. Thoughtful rhetorical questions appear (14:30) and some answers to them (14:48), which over time turn into confidence (17:06)… The found point of support, corresponding to the chorale theme, repeats with greater pressure, increasingly ominous – leading to an anxious outcry (18:08), after which a new wave of readiness for action rolls in. 18:34 – the beginning of the fugue. A confident theme doubles, triples and transforms into a pulling motion. Introversive notes appear in the fugue, but they fade, and it turns into a march (18:54). By 20:40 all forces are already gathered together, the oscillations have gone, and everything coalesces into a single volitional thrust. 21:44 – the main theme returns again, but already in motion. 22:45 – this is the state in which one can go with pitchforks against cannons. 23:11 – dissonant cries through which the main theme breaks through, turning into a victorious movement. In my view, around 22:08 death arrives, but that no longer matters. The main point (22:38) – the triumph of the idea. It ends (26:03) with something in the fanfare rhythm, whose sound sails into infinite space. End. Idea, doubt, contradictory feelings, readiness, self‑sacrifice, death, immortality… I know no better expression of the concentration of will. Yes, one can feel a certain manipulativeness. THEY (chiefs, politicians, prophets, leaders, hierarchs…) want us to be ready to sacrifice ourselves for THEIR ideas. But it is crucial here to understand how this is done and how it is built. In my view, doing it more beautifully than Liszt and Busoni did is impossible. In the end, everything will depend on what answers each of us gives ourselves to the questions posed in the second half of the fantasy…