The German Lied - a few samples for those new to it

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I have selected six songs by Schubert, Schumann and Wolf (2 each) for those interested to listen to. I must confess that I only took to Lieder after my music teacher saw that I wasn't progressing very much with my piano lessons but that I had a good voice. So - wouldn't I like to learn to sing? I did. And so I was introduced to the Lied genre (20 years ago).

What is essential to understand about Schubert et al is that they are setting poetry to music, often great poetry. In itself poetry needs no music to have an effect, but what Schubert and the others set out to do is tease out, with all the power that melody, rhythm and harmony possess, the meaning of the lines, the resonances of the words. To appreciate a Lied, you must like poetry, which I do (I'm a writer and poet). And then the fascinating thing is to see how music and word are combined. All the great Lied composers solve this in their own way, but you can see, through the nineteenth century, a steady growth in complexity, with the piano part becoming more and more prominent. It reaches its climax in Hugo Wolf, who has a Wagnerian harmonic subtlety wedded to an incredible feeling for words. He is not always easy on the ear, many consider him an acquired taste - I think he is one of the profoundest song composers.

So - I have uploaded six songs to Mediafire AND I have provided links to the texts (only one is untranslated).

Although some of these songs belong to cycles that tell stories (Winterreise in Schubert's case, Dichterliebe in Schumann's), I think they can be enjoyed on their own.

Lieder may take some getting used to, but there's some great music there. Perhaps some of you will want to explore some more...

Songs and texts:

Hugo Wolf

Der Genesene an die Hoffnung

http://www.mediafire.com/?bmnmx4bdkov

http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=11661


In der Frühe

http://www.mediafire.com/?5vztblm9d7w

http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=11651


Franz Schubert

Der Leiermann

http://www.mediafire.com/?c9bb25j3gno

http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=11848


Die Krähe

http://www.mediafire.com/?eqbwpydghxd

http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=11845


Robert Schumann

Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen

http://www.mediafire.com/?dlw5vm1rayz

http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=7571


Mondnacht

http://www.mediafire.com/?ekdyjdjgn1v

http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=5239

[knight66]

Great post and a good idea to bump this topic up the line for an airing. I could not get the items to download in a remotely reasonable time, but no matter, I have most of these songs. I am especially keen on Schubert's songs. Many of them are mini psychodramas, some are evocations of nature others are in praise of love. Somewhat like Shakespeare, the human condition it is just about all there one way or another.

Like you I am fascinated by how the best song writers take the poetry and enrich it. The soundworld of each song is so highly individual, inspired by the words and tailored to them.

In Erlkonig he provides four distinct character studies, the Elfking has a quite different accompaniment to any of the other characters and the other three voices are given their own tessitura.

On another thread this week, we had some rubbish being put across as informed opinion; basically it stated that Schubert was OK, but nothing compared to some other composer. I don't generally get snarled up in the mine-is-bigger-than-yours nonsense here, but I cannot think of a greater song writer than Schubert.

Mike

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

"On another thread this week, we had some rubbish being put across as informed opinion; basically it stated that Schubert was OK, but nothing compared to some other composer."

Ah well, I love people who are passionate about what they like or dislike. I wouldn't go so far as to describe the resulting conviction as 'rubbish', though. This contribution of mine is meant to show that Lieder writing has been managed quite well by other composers than the Venerable Beet...