Goethe’s poem tells the story of a boy riding home on horseback in his father’s arms. He is frightened when he is courted by the Erl-King, a powerful and creepy supernatural being. When the Erl-King eventually seizes the boy, the father spurs on his horse, but when he arrives home his son is dead.

four characters

The Erl-King, also called The Elf-King, dramatic ballad by J.W. von Goethe, written in 1782 and published as Der Erlkönig. The poem is based on the Germanic legend of a malevolent elf who haunts the Black Forest, luring children to destruction.

In European folklore and myth, the Erlking is a sinister elf who lingers in the woods. He stalks children who stay in the woods for too long, and kills them by a single touch. The name “Erlking” (German: Erlkönig, lit.

An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition.

The German tradition of art song composition is perhaps the most prominent one; it is known as Lieder. In France, the term Mélodie distinguishes art songs from other French vocal pieces referred to as chansons. The Spanish Canción and the Italian Canzone refer to songs generally and not specifically to art songs.

Robert Schumann

Art songs take on one of three setting of the text:

• strophic form = song form which repeats the same music for each stanza of a poem; easier to remember, used in folk songs.
• through-composed = a song with new music for each stanza; reflects on poem’s changing mood.

“An art song strives to be the perfect combination of music and literature, based on four elements: poet, composer, singer and accompanist. The composer uses the full resources of the art form to embellish the poet’s text, sometimes even realizing potential interpretations that were not explicit in the poet’s words.

An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical tradition. By extension, the term “art song” is used to refer to the genre of such songs.

Schubert’s best known song, Der Erlkönig (The Elf King), was composed when he was only eighteen. Instead of the usual strophic form, it is through-composed.

What was Schubert’s last wish? Was it granted? His last wish was to be buried next to Beethoven and yes, his wish was granted. He was also the torchbearer for Beethoven’s funeral.

Lieder

Schubert was remarkably prolific, writing over 1,500 works in his short career. The largest number of these are songs for solo voice and piano (over 600). He also composed a considerable number of secular works for two or more voices, namely part songs, choruses and cantatas.

When three parts are present, whether sung or played and sung, the tenor and top part (descant) form a harmonic unity, while the third part (countertenor) skips between and below the other two. Polyphonic lieder reached a climax in the mid-16th century with the songs of Ludwig Senfl and his contemporaries.

The four characters in the song – narrator, father, son, and the Erlking – are all sung by a single vocalist. The narrator lies in the middle range and begins in the minor mode. The father lies in the lower range and sings in both minor and major mode. The son lies in a higher range, also in the minor mode.