1. FAUST
(Lento assai. Allegro impetuoso) (Allegro agitato ed appassionato assai)
2. GRETCHEN
(Andante soave)
3. MEPHISTOPHELES
(Allegro vivace ironico)
The full title of this "symphony" (composed in 1853-54, revised in 1857), which has been said to be "really a concatenation of three symphonic poems rather than a symphony, properly so-called," is (in translation), "A Faust Symphony; in Three Character-Pictures (after Goethe), for Grand Orchestra and Men's Chorus." The names of the "three characters," Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles, head the three movements of the symphony. The men's chorus enters only as an epilogue to the last movement. The plan of the work (the score bears no programme or argument), as lucidly and concisely stated by Mr. H. E. Krehbiel, is as follows:
"By means of musical treatment given to four motives, or themes, in the first movement, the idea of Faust is presented—a type of humanity harassed with doubt, rage, despair, loneliness (the first theme, Lento); his strivings and hopes (second theme, Allegro agitato); his ideals and longings (third theme, Andante); his pride and energy (fourth theme, Grandioso).
"The subject of the second movement is Goethe's heroine. There is a brief prelude for flutes and clarinets, which introduces a melody obviously designed to give expression to the gentle grace of Gretchen's character (Andante); then a motive borrowed from the beginning of the first theme of the first movement suggests the entrance of Faust into the maiden's mind; it is followed by the second extended melody, which delineates the feeling of love after it has taken complete possession of her soul. This gives way in turn to the third theme of the first movement, in which the composer had given voice to the longings of Faust, and which in its development shows the clarifying influence of association with the Gretchen music.
"In the third movement Mephistopheles appears in his character as the spirit of negation ('Der Geist der stets verneint'); it is made up of mimicries and parodies of the themes of the first movement, especially the third [Faust's ideals and longings], which one is tempted to think is made the special subject of the evil one's sport, because it enables him to get nearest to Gretchen, whose goodness protects her from his wiles. By these means Liszt develops a conflict which finds its solution in the epilogue sung by the male chorus and solo tenor. The text is the Chorus mysticus which ends Goethe's tragedy, the translation of which ... is as follows:
"'All transient earthly things
Are but as symbols;
The indescribable
Here is accomplished;
Earth's insufficiency
Here grows to event;
The woman-soul e'er leads
Upward and on!' [84]"The outcome of the struggle is plainly indicated by the circumstance that the words, 'The Woman-Soul,' are sung to the Gretchen motive."