The Lied

The Lied (1)

– German Lied = song•Special genre of Romantic song with piano

– Important Romantic “miniature” genre•Evolved in the late 18th century•Flourished in the 19th century

– Some are simple tunes, others complex

– They all share certain features—•Accompaniment, poetry, & mood

The Lied (2)– Piano accompaniment

•Contributes significantly to the artistic effect

•Piano & voice often equal partners•Piano part reflects and even adds to the meaning of the poem

– Romantic poetry•Often high-quality poetry•Music echoes poem’s words & meanings; reveals hidden or more profound or more complex meanings of the poem

– Intimate mood•Intended more for living room than concert hall

•Performers seem to share emotional insights with you alone

Franz Schubert(1797-1828)

– Earliest (and greatest?) master of the Lied

– Prolific – wrote nearly 700 songs•And many symphonies, sonatas, quartets, quintets, & sacred works as well

– Born & trained in Vienna•Vienna Boys Choir

– Supported by teaching, publications, & contributions from friends•Wrote many works for friends

– Died in a typhoid epidemic– Schubertians; Schubertiades

The Erlking (Die Erlkönig)

• 1815• Overnight hit; Schubert’s best-known Lied

• Somewhat longer than his other Lieder• Tells a story• Subtle variations in mood highlighted by both the vocal and the piano parts

• Intense; dramatic

The Poet• Poem by Johann Wilhelm von Goethe (1749-1832), the greatest German writer of his time

• Goethe known for his drama Faust, as well as for The Sorrows of Young Werther, about a young man who commits suicide due to unrequited love; The Sorrows of Young Werther sparked a series of copycat suicides among young men throughout Germany

The Story– A furious horseback ride through the night•Father tries to save his deathly ill son

– The Erlking comes for the child•First he beckons, then cajoles, then threatens and assaults the child

– The father does not see the demon•He attempts to quiet the boy

– But by the time they reach home—•The boy is dead in his arms

The Music

• Piano introduction sets mood: how?

• Each of the three characters in the poem--father, son Erlking--have a different musical “voices”: describe

• The poem has 8 stanzas: does each stanza get the same music?

The Music (1)

– Fast triplets suggest horse’s hooves•The only respite is provided by the Erlking’s supernatural realm

– Father’s music is low, gruff, stable– Son’s music is higher, frantic, unstable•Higher pitch each time he calls “My father!”

The Music (2)

– Erlking’s music is ominously sweet•The furious triplets fade away•His music is light, tuneful, appealing

– Tension lets up as they reach home– Stark recitative announces the boy’s death•Over a simple but very final cadence

– The music is through-composed: each stanza has new music,reflecting the changing moods and voices

– The triplet motive unifies the work