Die Urfassung von Anton Weberns Fahr hin, o Seel’ op. 15/5

Abstract

Anton Webern’s song “Fahr hin, o Seel’,” composed as early as 1917, was not published until 1924 as the last of the Five Sacred Songs, op. 15. Although all fair copies of Webern’s hand basically present the final text, it can be deduced that the printed score is a largely revised version penned after 1921. In this regard, it is revealing that the autograph, archived at the Paul Sacher Stiftung as a “piano reduction (draft),” offers the text stage of the first version. This essay outlines the work’s genesis in addition to discussing the revision and situating it within the context of Webern’s learning process of the twelve-tone technique.