Music #348 - Schubert - songs

Franz Schubert 

[ˈfʁants ˈʃuːbɛɐ̯t]  (1797 – 1828)

Schubert composed many songs, too.

Wiegenlied "Schlafe, schlafe, holder, süßer Knabe" / "Cradle Song"

Heidenröslein / "Little Rose of the Field" 

- a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Erlkönig / "alder king" 

- a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
It depicts the death of a child assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlking 

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen 

/ "The Shepherd on the Rock", D. 965
- a famous Lied for soprano, clarinet, and piano

An die Musik / "To Music"  

(L)  José van Dam (tenor)

 

(R)  Felicity Lott (soprano)

Song cycles

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a pre-eminent Lieder singer:

* Die schöne Müllerin / The Fair Maid of the Mill
* Winterreise / Winter Journey - in winter, a traveller journeys out of town, dwelling on memories of an unfaithful lover

Score:

* Schwanengesang / Swan song

Ständchen / Serenade 

- from his "Swan Song" collection

Ave Maria 

Background of 'Ave Maria':

In 1810, Sir Walter Scott published The Lady of the Lake, an epic poem of 6 cantos, concerning the actions in 6 days, during a war between the lowland Scots and the highland clans. 
     'The Lady' was Ellen Douglas, and 'the Lake' was Loch Katrine in the Scottish Highlands.
     In Canto Three, Ellen was praying to the Virgin, singing 'Ave Maria'. This poem was then loosely translated to German, based on which Schubert composed 7 songs. 
     The 6^th song is the 'Ellen’s third song' or 'Hymn to the Virgin'. It was later adapted to use the full lyrics of the Latin Ave Maria. It has then become one of Schubert’s most popular works under the title Ave Maria, in arrangements with various lyrics.
  

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Bonus:

'Hail to the Chief'

     In Canto Two, they sing the boat song “Hail to the Chief”.
     Based on that, a London songwriter James Sanderson, in 1812 wrote a song (from an original Scottish Gaelic melody), which was soon adapted as an anthem or fanfare for the POTUS (after rounds of ruffles and flourishes).