'Der gesang, dem keiner widersteht': Music in the life and works of Rainer Maria Rilke

While Rilke's affinity for the visual arts is well researched, few have examined his music-related poetry. Likewise, none have studied Rilke's philosophy concerning the role of music in life and art, though his poetry is often described as musical and has frequently been set to music. By focusing on the visual arts, previous critics have done the "easy work." Rilke did not dislike all music, but his tastes were unusual and he defined music uniquely. His complex relationship with music has thus far been left unassimilated, but that relationship has as much significance as his more positive relationship to the visual arts. This interdisciplinary study addresses the interrelation of Rilke's life and work as represented by various events in his life and the development of Rilke's musical philosophy over time which led to the creation of his most complex work, the Duino Elegies.; Rilke's early work was influenced by his living situation, the cultural traditions in which he was raised and his romantic interests. He would later criticize the cliches of his early poetry, but his early work contains many musical images in a variety of settings from the music of nature to the music of instruments. Even in his early work, it is apparent that the sounds of nature---including the stars---are his preferred "music." In Rilke's middle period, he would largely set aside these musical themes in an attempt to create in poetry what the sculptor Rodin had created in a more three dimensional art. Music is present in some of this poetry, but often in the form of more abstract musical expressions. The late poems of Rilke such as the Sonette an Orpheus and the Duineser Elegien reconcile the previous inconsistencies in his relationship with music and art. This poetry transcends traditional definitions of art in a synthesis of art, music and spirituality. Studying the evolution of Rilke's comfort and discomfort with the world of music as seen in his poetry can give readers a broader understanding of Rilke as a whole and a new recognition of the overlooked presence of music throughout his work.