Franz Peter Schubert (1797 – 1828) was an Austrian
composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras.
Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a vast
oeuvre, including more than 600 secular vocal works
(mainly lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred
music, operas, incidental music, and a large body of
piano and chamber music. His major works include the
art song "Erlkönig", the Piano Trout Quintet in A
major, the unfinished Symphony No. 8 in B minor, the
"Great" Symphony No. 9 in ...(+)
Franz Peter Schubert (1797 – 1828) was an Austrian
composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras.
Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a vast
oeuvre, including more than 600 secular vocal works
(mainly lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred
music, operas, incidental music, and a large body of
piano and chamber music. His major works include the
art song "Erlkönig", the Piano Trout Quintet in A
major, the unfinished Symphony No. 8 in B minor, the
"Great" Symphony No. 9 in C major, a String Quintet,
the three last piano sonatas, the opera Fierrabras, the
incidental music to the play Rosamunde, and the song
cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise. He was
remarkably prolific, writing over 1,500 works in his
short career. His compositional style progressed
rapidly throughout his short life. The largest number
of his compositions are songs for solo voice and piano
(roughly 630).
Lied der Mignon III ["Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt"
("Only one who knows longing")] D.877 Op. 62 No. 4 is
one of three poems, set to music by Schubert, from
Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre ("Wilhelm
Meister's Apprenticeship"). Already set multiple times
by Beethoven and later by Schumann, Wolf and
Tchaikovsky, Schubert himself composed six different
versions of Goethe's poem. Two versions—a duet and a
solo song—were composed in January 1826 and published
as part of his 4 Gesänge aus 'Wilhelm Meister', op. 62
the following year.
No doubt, judging from its multiple settings by a few
of the greatest representatives of classical music,
Goethe's poem is overflowing with emotion and drama,
begging to be expressed in tone. Schubert takes every
opportunity to express the longing (Sehnsucht) of
Goethe's words. The song opens with the piano sounding
a varied form of what will be the vocal melody.
Emotional tension is immediately felt, first, in the
elision of the leading note from the opening measure
emphasizing the somber tone; second, by a poignant
D-sharp appoggiatura to the A minor harmony of the
second measure; and, finally, the chromatic C-sharp and
B-flat in the following measure—and all this just
within three bars of music!
The first two lines of Goethe's text are treated as a
single unit. These same lines, as well as the
accompanying music, will be recapitulated later at the
end of the song. The final four lines of the first
stanza wander from the starting tonality of A minor
into the remote key of C minor. However, in a brilliant
stroke, Schubert returns to the tonic by means of a
single chord to close the first stanza on a half
cadence in A minor. The opening lines of the second
stanza begin over a disturbing chord of the second on
the subdominant. At the words "I feel dizzy," the music
breaks off into a series of repeated chromatic
harmonies hovering inconclusively between the keys of D
minor, C minor and A minor. After finally settling on
the dominant harmony of A minor, the opening lines and
music are repeated. The piano introduction also
returns, bringing an end to one of Schubert's most
heartfelt Lieder.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mignon_(Schubert))
Although originally composed for Voice & Piano, I
created this Interpretation of "Lied der Mignon III"
(D.877 Op. 62 No. 4) for Flute & Strings (2 Violins,
Viola & Cello).