Art Song AKA Lieder German Mlodie French Arts

Art Song

AKA “Lieder” (German), “Mélodie” (French) � Arts songs are considered “the perfect fusion of poetry and music. ” � Composers began with high-quality poetry full of dramatic stories, lush descriptions of nature, and deep heart-felt emotion. � They set the poetry to a melody that perfectly fit the rhythm and expression of the words. Then, they added a piano accompaniment that sets the atmosphere of the poem and also takes part in telling the story by mimicking the imagery and events described by the text. � Art songs were very popular in the Romantic Period because they are so personal and dramatic.

“The Erlking” � Poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, early Romantic German poet. Music by Franz Schubert, Austrian composer in 1815. � Supernatural ballad about a father riding through a storm on horseback with his delirious child. The child complains that he sees the legendary Erlking/Elfking who wants to snatch him away. The father sees nothing, but by the time he arrives home the child has died. � The poem has four different characters: A narrator, the boy, the Erlking, and the father.

Franz Schubert’s Lied � Schubert sets the scene with the piano playing rapid triplet octaves (galloping horse) and a menacing bass line in minor. The music turns soft and major whenever the Erlking is talking. � Schubert has one voice sing all four characters, but each character’s part is unique: � The narrator sings mid-range, in minor, musically � The son sings high-range, in minor, frantically � The father sings low-range, in minor, calmly � The Erlking part swings up and down, in major, seductively � Together, the piano and voice acts out the poem with words and music, creating a much more vivid image than poetry alone.

�The Erlking: http: //youtu. be/1_dighphz_A �The Trout: https: //youtu. be/NF 9 Dr. UXow. Bo