Literature

Humans have many ways to express themselves. They have created various ways to share to the world how they feel regarding events, things, and people. Thoughts and emotions are best described by humans through art. Music for example has been used by humans to express emotions. On the other hand, through literature, they have also shared their ideas and thoughts.

Thus, this essay seeks to prove that there is indeed a relationship between literature and music. It lies on the fact that both serve as the expression of human emotions in the most creative manner. It also aims to discuss several course readings. These lessons will be used to discuss the relationship of music and literature.

    The following selections are proof of how artists share their thoughts and emotions in terms of how they create their art pieces. It can be noticed that several of the works indicated here show how the artists are influenced by the events in their lives and how these events inspired them to create great works of art. Whether it is literature or music, the way that artists create their works is shown on how they want to express themselves and the influence of the events in their lives and the society.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart s Don Giovanni
    Also known as Il dissoluto punito, ossia il Don Giovanni, or  The Rake Punishd, or Don Giovanni,  is an opera with two acts that has the music of Mozart. It was first staged at Estates Theater in Prague on October 29, 1787. It is a mix of both serious and comic action. While it is known as a comic, it is a rich blend of melodrama and supernatural elements. The opera is about the story of a young nobleman that meets his defeat three times after having victories in the past. This includes Donna Elvira whom he left but still follows him. Don Giovanni s marriage with Donna Anna was postponed after he tried to rape her and also tried to kill her father. The third incident is about Zerlina where he tried to lure her away from her fianc, Masetto. Many promised vengeance on Don Giovanni. The whole opera is composed of arias and ensembles, one of which is L ci darem la mano or  There We Will Entwine Our Hands.  This was sung by Don Giovanni and Zerlina in Act I, Scene IX.

Alexander Pushkins The Stone Guest from The Little Tragedies and Some Selections of Mozarts Requiem
    The Stone Guest by Alexander Pushkin is a poetic drama based on the Spanish legend of Don Juan. It is a part of the four-part plays that are known as The Little Tragedies. It is based on the farcical and comedic Don Juan. The poetic drama is a romantic tragedy. Most scholars agree that it was never meant to be a theatrical piece. It was written in 1830 after its author saw the Russian version of Mozart s Don Giovanni. Alexander Pushkin borrowed some of the elements of da Ponte, but he made a storyline of his own. He focused the entire story on the romantic factors.

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart s Requiem Mass in D minor (K. 626) was composed and written in 1791 in Vienna, Austria. In addition, this was written during the last years of the composer s life. It is also known that the Requiem is one of the most popular of his works. The Requiem is composed and scored on the following dynamics 2 bassoons, 2 basset-horns in F, 3 trombones, violins, viola and basso continuo, 2 trumpets in D, timpani (2 drums). The vocal forces include a soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists, and a mixed choir.

Alexander Pushkins Mozart and Salieri and Feast during the Plague
from The Little Tragedies
    One of the greatest literary legacies that Alexander Pushkin left is his poetic short drama entitled Mozart and Salieri. His inspiration for this piece is from Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. Amadeus is a stage play that is based on the lives of Mozart and Salieri. On the other hand, Feast during the Plague, also known as Feast in Time of Plague and Feast in the Time of the Plague, is an opera with one act by Cesar Cui in 1990. Cui was influenced by one of the four tragedies of Alexander Pushkin s Little Tragedies. 

Leo Tolstoys The Kreutzer Sonata and Ludwig van Beethovens Violin Sonata no. 9
    A novella by Leo Tolstoy, The Kreutzer Sonata (1889) talks about the ideal sexual abstinence and the description of a jealous rage. Pozdnyshev (main character) is the point of view of the story. He leads the readers towards the killing of his own wife. In the novella, he says that the root cause of the crime is the  swinish connection  and  animal excesses  of the sexes.

    On the other hand, Ludwig van Beethoven s Violin Sonata no. 9, also known as The Kreutzer Sonata, was published in the Opus 47. It is known for the demanding parts of the violin. It lasts for about 40 minutes. It is also known for the emotional coverage. The first part is furious, the second part meditative, and the last parts joyous.

Richard Wagner s Tristan and Isolde and Mikhail Kuzmin s Wings
    Richard Wagner s Tristan and Isolde (1856-1859) is an opera that is composed of three acts, and it was influenced by Gottfried von Straburg. It premiered on June 10, 1865 in Munich, Germany. It was also inspired by the affair of Wagner with Mathilde Wesendonk. Likewise, it was also inspired by the philosophies of Arthur Schopenhauer. Harmonic suspension, orchestral color, chromaticism, and tonality was also used in the opera by Wagner. Gustav Mahler, Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, Richard Strauss, and Karol Szymanowski were among the famous figures that were influenced by the opera. The opera marks the new use of tonality and harmony that moves away from the conventional use of such.

    Mikhail Kuzmin s Wings is the very first Russian novel to talk about homosexuality. Printed in 1906, it was released at a time when conservatism in literature widely prevailed. Hence, although the entire novel is beautiful, it has many controversies. The story revolves around the story of Vanya Smurov, a teenager and his attachment to his older mentor, Larion Stroop. Stroop was responsible for the introduction of Smurov to Renaissance, Classical, and Romantic art. Around the ending of the first part, Smurov is surprised to discover that his admired mentor visits homosexual bathhouses. In order to assess what he feels, he goes to the Volga in the countryside. However, he encounters a sickening experience with the rural women. Then he accepts the invitation of his mentor to come with him in Italy. The two enjoy the ambiance of the country as well as the artworks of Rome and Florence. Hence, the theme that embraces sensuality has been compared with the works of Andre Gide and Oscar Wilde, whose novels also have the same theme.  

Yevgeny Zamyatin s We
    This is a dystopian novel written and completed in 1921. We chronicles the author s personal experiences in the Russian revolution of 1905 and 1917, his experiences in Newcastle, and his work at Tyne in the First World War. Set in the 26th century, the protagonist D-503 tells his story as a constructor and mathematician of the Integral. He also tells his own misadventures with the rebel group called the Mephi or obviously Mephistopheles an allusion in the story.

Igor Stravinsky s The Rite of Spring and Mikhail Bulgakov s The Master and Margarita
     The Rite of Spring is a ballet originally composed by Igor Stravinsky. It greatly influenced 20th century compositions of music. The whole ballet is divided into two parts the first part is called A Kiss of the Earth and the second part is The Exalted Sacrifice. Stravinskys music in this ballet is very innovative and presents rhythmic structures. For the purpose of musical energy and color, Stravinsky used dissonance and timbres in the entirety of the ballet. In terms of the rhythm, it is also highly adventurous. It has varying time signatures in many parts of the ballet.

    The Master and Margarita is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. It tells of the visit of the devil to the Soviet Union. It was hidden for more than twenty years before it was published. Most critics regard the novel as one of the best novels of the 20th century. In fact, it has been said that the interplay of modern day social values and history, religion, art, realism, and satire is so obvious in the novel.

Mephistos Hllenrufe by Johann Strauss
    Composed in 1851, Mephistos Hllenrufe was first performed at the Vienna Volksgarten. It is a part of the festivity before Strauss tours in Germany. The title came from the quotation from the bible which reads,  And the devil (Mephistopheles) was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever  (Revelations, 2010). Many critics say that this waltz is a manifestation of Strauss  talent that he can actually create brilliant and effective melodies and instrumentations.

Synthesis
The composers and the authors of the said pieces were influenced by the context of their societies and other artists. It is also interesting to note that the way that they created their compositions are based on how they perceive their societies. The call of social issues was on the side of the literary writers. The composers created their musical pieces because they were needed for special occasions. They were also inspired by what they feel in themselves.

    It is said that humans make sense of the world based on the experiences that they encounter. Delia, O Keefe, and O Keefe (1982) call this Constructivism. She explains that the experiences that humans encounter tend to create meanings in their lives (Delia et al., 1982). These experiences include small happenings in the lives of the artists to the big ones. They may even be inspired by just reading the texts such as in the case of Strauss. Listening to compositions of other artists may have inspired them. The Stone Guest by Alexander Pushkin is one of the best examples for this. Note that this piece was just inspired by another story, Don Juan. The author made his own story. This goes to show that the inspiration that these artists have is from the fact that they are inspired by other artists.

    There are those artists that are inspired by the happenings in the society. They are also driven to make some of the most unconventional forms of literature and music. This may be because of the restrictions of the society. This suggests that if a society suppresses the creative minds of the artists, then they will be more driven to question the society that limits their capabilities as artists. This is very true in the case of Mikhail Kuzmin s Wings. As he very first Russian novel on homosexuality, it was scorned by many members of the society who rejected the idea of homosexuality.

    Many artists actually explore their artistic field and tend to go beyond the restricting walls of the rules. For example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart s Don Giovanni is  collection of comic and serious actions. This implies that composers like Mozart will experiment on their own pieces to feed their own thirst for creativity. They feel that they can give more to the piece so that other people may appreciate it more. Others are somewhat prophetic in their works. They want to express what will happen in the future. Yevgeny Zamyatin s We best pictures this.

    Therefore, artists and people in general will share their experiences and observations in the medium that they are used to. The artists will usually write stories, paint, compose music, or create films because they want to connect themselves to the world. They share this to other people. The creations of these great men and women share common elements that include theme and subjects. The way of executions may differ.

    The issues of their time also call for a response in literature and music. The artists tend to create these works of arts in response to the calls of the time. Thus, artists tend to create pieces of art because they are affected by the society and history. Their expression is the collection and reflection of how they feel about the world that they move in. The meanings that they have made out of the world and the transactions with fellow humans are also expressions of how they feel. They will make the world based on their personal constructs. In the end, these personal constructs will create the drive for them to create wonderful works of arts.

    Literature and music are both forms of art. They serve as a connection of humans to fellow humans. It allows humans to share their emotions and thoughts towards a particular element. It is also for these reasons that when ordinary persons fail to express themselves, artists are able to capture this in the most creative way. Literature and music are often created independent of each other. However, when they are joined together, they produce beauty that is appreciated by humans in all walks of life. This is based on the fact that both serve as the medium in which the emotions of  artists are shared with the people. It is interesting to see that it is in this sharing of emotions that great artists are inspired. The relationship of both disciplines only shows how humans create ways on how they can communicate with other people in the best way possible. Humans are connected through these art forms and will be forever inspired by the works of one another. Humans will always turn to the use of literature and music. No matter what the circumstances are, whether it is a social issue or just the creativity of the artist, the reason why humans create literature and music is because they want their fellow humans to know how they feel. Thus, it can be said that the relationship of literature and music is the expression of thoughts and emotions.