Lied versus Oper – Pole musikalischer Gattungen bei Oscar Bie

A comparison of Oscar Bie’s monographies Die Oper and Das deutsche Lied shows that opera and ‘Lied’ are two extremes in Bie’s understanding of musical genres. While opera according to Bie is an “impossible work of art” which arises from countless contradictions, the low-conflict ‘Lied’ forms an opposite pole. Bie’s perception influences the way he deals with the two genres in writing: while opera is suitable for an adequate feuilleton, ‘Lied’ is not. Bie’s comparison gives him the possibility to break with established patterns of genres. It becomes apparent that for him opera takes on a special role in that it represents the culmination of the basic features of music. As a critic, Bie demands utmost congruence between object and written representation. Writing about music means to be an artist who deals with the same work of art but in another medium.