ABSTRACT

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's portrayal of the Gretchen tragedy in Faust I reveals ideological and artistic influences. Unlike the literature of the Enlightenment, Goethe does not present Gretchen as an ideal of the innately virtuous, patiently suffering submissive woman, and the work emerges as a polemic against society's treatment of women. Gretchen's presentation is imbued with historical and social necessity, which encompasses the individual and the species. Although 'Szene aus Goethes Faust' has not reached the acclaim of 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', the setting is one of Franz Schubert's most daring and innovative compositions, and, like 'Gretchens Bitte', the song is an exemplification of Schubert's fine dramatic technique. In Schubert's final score the accompanying harmonies and motifs are written separately and in full, and the piano is independent of the vocal line. While musicologists have unanimously acclaimed Schubert's mastery in 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', his achievement is usually set against the belief that Goethe would have objected to its form.