Pierrot lunaire: Persona, voice, and the fabric of allusion

Abstract

Since its 1912 composition and premiere, Schoenberg's Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds Pierrot lunaire (Three Times Seven Poems from Albert Giraud's Pierrot lunaire), Op. 21 has aroused strong responses and extensive commentary, especially regarding its enigmatic approach to Sprechstimme (speaking voice or recitation) and its “atonal” idiom. This chapter, in three parts, synthesizes and extends some themes in the recent critical reception of the work. The first part sketches a history of the Pierrot character in comedy and pantomime, including a description of the genesis and overall shape of Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire. The second section explores how traditional vocal representa..