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FRANZ SCHUBERT:

KING OF LIEDER
PRESENTATION BY JENELLE MAGBUTAY
A SHORT, BUT FRUITFUL
LIFE
EARLY YEARS
• Born in Himmelpfortgrund, Austria (near Vienna) in 1797

• Studied with fellow composer Antonio Salieri after dropping out of


college (1812-1815)

• Continued as a schoolmaster until 1818 because of writer’s block, went


on as music master to two daughters of Count Esterházy in Hungary

• At 17, wrote his first masterpiece called “Gretchen und Spinnrande”


(Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel) setting music to a poem by popular
German writer Goethe, and creating the standard for the German lied (art
song)

• Songs became so popular, Schubertiaden parties were thrown to


appreciate his music in the homes of the wealthy
A SHORT, BUT FRUITFUL
LIFE
“LATER” YEARS

• In 1822, Schubert contracted a venereal disease (probably syphilis) and had to retire
from his work as a music master.

• Spent his retirement unsuccessfully trying to break into the opera world, eventually
wrote his famous arrangement of the Ave Maria

• Final years, composed his famous song cycles Winterreise (Winter Journey) and
Schwanengesang (Swan Song)

• Died of typhoid fever after drinking tainted water in 1828 at just 31 years old
WHAT IS A GERMAN
LIED?
• Literally “German Song”, used to refer to German voice/piano
songs of the 19th century (Romantic Period)

• Standalone pieces that contain a story within themselves


• Piano does not just accompany, but also helps in storytelling
(Gretchen am Spinnrade)

• Composers would take pre-existing poetry (most famously


Goethe) and set music to it, the text usually chosen for emotional
tone rather than eloquence

• Schubert created the standard of lieder and is the most well


known composer of it, totaling 600 compositions

• Erlkönig is Schubert’s most well-known lied


ERLKÖNIG - THE ELF
KING (1815)
• About a boy and his father traveling home on horseback, the boy begins to see
and hear the Elf King but the father does not believe him. The Elf King tries to
entice the boy to come with him and ends up attacking him. The boy exclaims
that he’s been attacked and the father stops his horse and the boy dies in his
father’s arms.

• Four characters played by one vocalist: narrator, father, son, and the Elf King
• Each character has own “voice”
• Narrator = middle range/minor
• Father = Low range/major and minor
• Son = High range/minor
• Elf King = soft dynamic/arpeggiated accompaniment
• Extremely challenging due to voice characterization and difficult
accompaniment

PAINTING - THE ERLKING BY ALBERT STERNER, CA 1910


ERLKÖNIG - THE ELF
KING (1815)
What To Listen For:

• Piano rapidly playing triplets to simulate a horse galloping


• Each plea of the son character becomes louder and higher in pitch
• Towards the end of the piece, music slows down at the end to
simulate the horse being stopped and arriving

• Piano stops symbolize the father realizing his son is dead


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS91p-vmSf0

PAINTING - THE ERLKING BY ALBERT STERNER, CA 1910


REFERENCES
Brown, M. (2020, January 27). Franz Schubert. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Schubert
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Music Appreciation. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/musicapp_historical/chapter/der-erlkonig/

Pirolli, B. (2017, April 11). A Look at German Lieder -- The Songs of the Romantic Era in Music. Retrieved
July 04, 2020, from https://www.resonanceschoolofmusic.com/german-lieder/

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