Musical Transformations

This monograph focuses on two early nineteenth century works by German Romantic writer and composer E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822): his fairy-tale opera Undine (1816) and his literary fairy tale 'The Golden Pot' (1814). Situating the former at the beginnings of German opera and the latter in the developing tradition of German fairy tales, the authors trace similarities of structure, form and concepts in the two works, and explore musical and literary influences within the context of contemporary gender politics. They show how Hoffmann transforms existing musical forms, such as sonata rondo and arabesque, into musico-literary devices present in the fairy tale. Their examination reveals that both opera and tale are suffused with feminine methods of composition and writing style, and, concomitantly, express a thematic emphasis on strong women. In dialogue with relevant criticism, the monograph concludes that both works critique, rather than support, conventional patriarchal values of this historical period.