This article introduces a type of harmonic geometry, fourier phase space, and uses it to advance the understanding of schubert s tonal language and comment upon current topics in schubert analysis. Theme and variations in schubert s string quartet no. As we have heard many a time from this piece there is the haunting horse noise that is meant to reach the listener and help him or her feel the intenseness and urgency of the ride. Settings of goethes poems, looks at the short poems in german that were set to music by franz schubert 17971828 for a single voice with piano, a genre known. I really liked the part about the child and erlking s parts changing key upwards but the erlking overtakes the child. Schnell text incipit wer reitet so spat yeardate of composition yd of comp. Brian black, the function of harmonic motives in schuberts sonata forms. Now, when the erlking s line comes in, the piano switches to arpeggiation creating a mysterious effect. The melodic, accompanimental, and harmonic shifts throughout the lied. Above this harmonic analysis there are still many layers of complicated text painting.
The elf king remains mainly in major mode due to the fact that he is trying to seduce the son into giving up on life. Schenkerian analysis as an important tool for musicians, and mary roman for her teaching and. Franz schubert s vocal cycle winterreise, tells the story of a man who has embarked on a long winters journey. Schubert, franz erlkonig sheet music for voice pdf. So, we begin in g minor with the entrance of the narrator the horse. It is usually assumed that the name is a derivation from the ellekonge older elverkonge, i. A biography and musical analysis essay 1118 words 5 pages franz peter schubert, born january 31, 1797, is accredited as one of the most gifted musicians of the 19th century schubert, and is considered to be the last composer of the classical era and one of the first romantic composers the biography.
My erlkonig analysis paper, for music theory this is a paper that i wrote on schubert s erlkonig, looking at how the music portrays the text and making some possibly slightly funky, but hopefully interesting inferences. Typically le is in the bass of neapolitan chord and it leads to sol. Schubert s autograph of a simplified accompaniment to his erlkonig, one of several revisions franz schubert composed his lied, erlkonig, for solo voice and piano in 1815, setting text from the goethe poem. Are there any other examples of this technique being used to position characters in. Notice that the recording used is in b minor instead of d minor as is. My son, my son, i see it definitely it is the willow trees looking so grey. The poet johann goethe then wrote a poem based on this song. Both his father and older brother taught him music, and the rest of his. To this end, one of schubert s main narrative drivers was the dramatic. A music and text analysis of franz schuberts winterreise. Depictions of the supernatural in dialogue lieder of the nineteenth.
Another unique aspect of schubert s use of the neapolitan chord in these measures is his voice leading. Damschroder reformulates the apparatus for romannumeral harmonic analysis, integrating his own specula. Harmony in schubert presents a fresh approach, yielding insightful readings of a large and varied range of excerpts, as well as readings of fi ft een complete movements spanning schubert s chamber, choral, orchestral, piano, and vocal output. All twentyfour pieces in the song cycle share similar themes, metaphors, and central conflicts. The original poem, by christian friedrich schubart, who was part of schubert s. This paper then seeks to analyze the texts schubert chose for his songs in the context of the songs relevant. Characteristics of romanticism include a love for nature, a. Of course, the early fate of the erlkonig notwithstanding, schubert did. Pdf musical sensibility of the balladic in the lieds of franz. Franz schubert composed his lied erlkonig for solo voice and piano at the age of 17 or. Melodic analysis is then discussed chapter 3, using unsupervised clustering methods as a complement to harmonic analyses. Max claycomb winterreise analysis, mut franz schubert 17971828, became one of the most renowned composers in history, but only after his death.
Schubert s ongoing preoccupation with storytelling not surprising for a composer who wrote over 600 art songs extended also to works without an accompanying narrative like death and the maiden. Here, focusing specifically on schubert s late works, i expand some of cohns techniques to the level of largescale form, exposing consistent modulatory strategies in schubert s execution of sonata form that reveal a specific dialogue between schubert s sonata practice and. An analysis of two schubert lieder i recently taught a fourweek course on goethes faust at the osher institute of towson university. Like all the impromptus this work is very homogenous and compact in its motivic. This is actually a slightly unpolished version, since i lost the one i ultimately made minor edits to and turned in. The narrator is weak, torn, and mentally unstable for his travels. The long passages of unison octaves and chord triplets in the rh make this a difficult and tiring song for. An arrangement of franz schuberts cycle of song diginole. Musical sensibility of the balladic in the lieds of franz schubert.
Exploring tonal substitutions in schuberts late sonata forms. I wanted to play recordings and analyze two schubert songs with texts by goethe, but couldnt, due to time constraints. Although the melodic motives recur, the harmonic structure is constantly changing and the piece modulates within characters. Curious thing happens here, weve got this g minor here in the left hand because we. One singer has to use his or her voice to depict the 4 different characters of the song, narrator, father, son and erlkonig. Common harmonic studies including harmonic flows and filter design tend not to involve an indepth analysis of harmonic effects when the limits of a standard or user are met, but in some specific cases, a separate study is required for harmonics penetrating into rotating equipment, affecting communication circuits, or causing. This rhythmicalharmonically pulsation assures the compositional continuity. The dramatic setting is so clear that it doesnt require explicit imagery. Machine learning tools for the automated analysis of schuberts. Study composition at the university of the arts in philadelphia.
Heidenroslein and erlkonig are alike in that they are both texts by goethe. Clearly were starting in the one cord, g minor cord, and this stays for a little while, keeps there. So, these are two sets with many common lines between them. The erlkonig sings at three points during the piece, each in major keys. Schubert revised the song three times before publishing his fourth version in 1821 as his opus 1. Franz schubert, erlkonig, ballad, form, structure, harmony, analysis, lied. Growing up in austria as the son of a schoolmaster, schubert showed remarkable skill in piano, violin, organ, singing, and composition from a very young age. Reichardt, for example, had set goethes erlkonig in a typical. Here, focusing specifically on schubert s late works, i expand some of cohns techniques to the level of largescale form, exposing consistent modulatory strategies in schubert s execution of sonata form that reveal a specific dialogue between schubert s sonata practice and earlier approaches. Goethes ballad erlkonig was inspired by a true incident of a father who. An anxious young boy is being carried home at night by his father. Two pieces in particular are rast rest and einsamkeit solitude. The theme, setting, and mood of goethes the erlking capture the spirit of the romantic period of the late eighteenth century.
As the father tries to reassure his son by saying its merely the mist, the harmony shifts to the major key at 1. Ave maria by franz schubert chords, melody, and music. This analysis will look at schubert s work with reference to. The elfking enters in this major key, as with loewe in a singsong and beckoning voice at 1. However, schubert begins with a root position bii and instead of leading the e flat down to the d flat, in m. Through an analysis of schuberts erlkonig, i shall demonstrate how schuberts brilliance and. Harmonic analysis and subsequent reduction of opening theme from the lied death and the maiden. Pdf schuberts harmonic language and fourier phase space. Schubert uses this figure much the same way as loewe uses the tremolo. As we can see from the above figure, the harmonic structure of the introduction is simply two measures of.
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