HERMANN HESSE AND THE DIALECTICS OF TIME Salvatore C. P. ...

the voices. As a result, musical forms built on the principles of counterpoint (e.g. the
fugue) typically elicit an idea of sameness in motion. 24
In Chapter 2 (section 4), we referred to an excerpt from Kurgast and argued
that Hesse's aspiration to evoke a two-voice melody by means of his writing also
showed his intention to emulate the simultaneous interplay of two levels, typical of
the counterpoint technique. Hesse, Stewart affirms,
talks of wanting a language which could embrace simultaneity like music,
instead of functioning merely sequentially, and which would thus be able to
reflect the co-existence of multiple discrete elements in human personality. 25
(83)
Hesse's longing for incorporating a two-voice melody into the fabric of his writing
indirectly reflects his intention to achieve simultaneity and express his idea of
eternity. Music, the value of which is epitomized by the work of Bach and Mozart, is
often associated with eternity. The mother of the protagonist of' Aus den
Erinnerungen eines alten Junggesellen', for instance, has to prove her ability to sing
to the Saviour, who appears to her in a dream, if she wants to enter the Garden of
Eden:
«Aber kannst du auch schon singen?» fragte der Heiland. «Ohne das kannst
du nicht hereinkommen!» Da mufite ich ihm ein Lied vorsingen. Und ich sang
also auch, aber keinen Choral, sondern eines von den Mozartschen. 26 (SW 6,
409)
'Unity' is the second theme that points us in the direction of simultaneity and
indirectly towards eternity. In our discussion on polarities in Chapter 1 we noted
that, for Hesse, opposites represent two sides of the same coin (section 3) and that
'magical thinking' is the mental disposition that allows man to perceive that unity
(section 4). Hesse's idea of unity not only entails the harmonious reconciliation of
opposites but also embraces and extends to all aspects of life. 'Einheit' is an element
24 Thomas Mann's account of the feeling that pervades Hans Castorp every time his grandfather shows him the
family baptismal basin provides a graphic description of the exposure to counterpoint-related music: 'die
sonderbare [...] Empfindung eines zugleich Ziehenden und Stehenden, eines wechselnden Bleibens, das
Wiederkehr und schwindelige Einerleiheit war' (Mann 1924, 47, II Taufschale).
25 Karalaschwili similarly registers: 'Er [Hesse] gestaltet die »magischen Augenblicke«, die weder
Vergangenheit noch Zukunft kennen, als eine zeitlose »Kluft«, die aus dem sonstigen Handlungsverlauf
herausfallt und in der das Prinzip des Nacheinander dem Prinzip des Nebeneinander Platz macht' (233-34).
26 Mozart is one of the Immortals in Der Steppenwolf.
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