Stufen

Stufen is a poem by Hermann Hesse, set to music. This poem focuses on the various phases of a human’s life. Parting plays a central role in this work, giving it partly a melancholy mood, which influences the musical tone of most of the work. The instrumental finale acts as the counterweight to this work. Finally, the piece is able to breathe a sigh of relief: A minor turns to C major, the tonality of purity, innocence, and light. The ascending arpeggiated C major triad and the sparkling chord in the flutes and oboes give the piece an exalted parting atmosphere. This optimistic tone culminates in the most famous lines of the poem: “And in every beginning there is a magic that protects us and helps us to live.” And this magic stands at the beginning of every phase of life.

“In this work I was inspired by late romantics such as Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Strauss also set several of Hesse’s poems to music”.

About the idea of writing a composition based on this poem, Jacob de Haan says: “During the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, I started talking to the conductor of the Concert Band der Universität Hohenheim in Stuttgart. We shared our interest in poetry set to music and he recommended me to take a closer look at this particular philosophical poem.  I read the poem and was immediately impressed with it This led to a commission to me from his university band to set it to music for mezzo soprano and wind band, and so it happened “.