The Art Song.
Developed in the Golden Age of the Romantic period
Composers took poems and composed music for it.
The Art Song is a fusion between poetry and music
Schubert (1797-1828) composed over 600 Art Songs
Other Art Song composers were Schumann, Brahms, Wolfgang, and Beethoven
The 4 types of Art Songs
1. Strophic- 3 or more verses, melody and accompaniment stays the same, e.g., Heidenroslein or
Seligkeit by Schubert.
2. Varied Strophic- Melody and Accompaniment stays the same, slight deviation towards the end but
it returns to how it was before. E.g., Die Forelle, by Schubert
3. Through Composed- Each verse has a new melody plus accompaniment. E.g., Der Erlkonig, by
Franz Schubert.
4. Declamatory- Each note hate has its own syllable E.g., The Doppelganger by Schubert
Der Erlkonig (Franz Schubert)
Composed in 1815 for solo-voice and piano by Schubert, while the text was derived from Goethe’s
poem. Schubert revised it 3 times before publishing the fourth version in 1821. Its first performance
was in December 1820 at a private gathering in Vienna. Its first public premiere was in 1821 in
Vienna’s Theater am Kaerntnertor.
4 Characters and their modes
1.The Narrator- minor mode and is in the middle range
2.The Father- is in the minor and Major mode while he sings in the low range
3.The Son is -in the minor mode, representing his panic, and he sings in the high range
4.The Erlking -is in the Major mode, while his vocal line undulates up and down
Note- There is a fifth implied character, the Horse. It is implied by the rapid triplet figures played by
the piano, which signifies its galloping, which mimics hoof beats.
The accompaniment has been orchestrated twice by Hector Berlioz and Franz Liszt (piano)
Developed in the Golden Age of the Romantic period
Composers took poems and composed music for it.
The Art Song is a fusion between poetry and music
Schubert (1797-1828) composed over 600 Art Songs
Other Art Song composers were Schumann, Brahms, Wolfgang, and Beethoven
The 4 types of Art Songs
1. Strophic- 3 or more verses, melody and accompaniment stays the same, e.g., Heidenroslein or
Seligkeit by Schubert.
2. Varied Strophic- Melody and Accompaniment stays the same, slight deviation towards the end but
it returns to how it was before. E.g., Die Forelle, by Schubert
3. Through Composed- Each verse has a new melody plus accompaniment. E.g., Der Erlkonig, by
Franz Schubert.
4. Declamatory- Each note hate has its own syllable E.g., The Doppelganger by Schubert
Der Erlkonig (Franz Schubert)
Composed in 1815 for solo-voice and piano by Schubert, while the text was derived from Goethe’s
poem. Schubert revised it 3 times before publishing the fourth version in 1821. Its first performance
was in December 1820 at a private gathering in Vienna. Its first public premiere was in 1821 in
Vienna’s Theater am Kaerntnertor.
4 Characters and their modes
1.The Narrator- minor mode and is in the middle range
2.The Father- is in the minor and Major mode while he sings in the low range
3.The Son is -in the minor mode, representing his panic, and he sings in the high range
4.The Erlking -is in the Major mode, while his vocal line undulates up and down
Note- There is a fifth implied character, the Horse. It is implied by the rapid triplet figures played by
the piano, which signifies its galloping, which mimics hoof beats.
The accompaniment has been orchestrated twice by Hector Berlioz and Franz Liszt (piano)
