May Read: Kunstlied

Stephanie Zi Yi Yang

Kunstlied, or art song, is a world of poetry and poise. Let us examine this jewel of a musical form.

The voice is the innate musical instrument of human beings. With years of training and rigor, singers can learn to control their organs, breath, and resonance - producing awe-inspiring sounds to mirror the music they convey. While opera arias often showcase the splendor and spectacle of the human voice, the more intimate art song is a world of poetry and poise. Let us examine this jewel of a musical form.

Kunstlied (art song) is a form of Western classical music, usually performed by a singer with piano accompaniment. In the Classical and Romantic periods of music, composers sought inspiration from the literature of the time, their music taking on more poignant meaning and associations. Robert Schumann's art song "Frauen-Liebe und Leben" (A Woman’s Life and Love) comes from the poet Adelbert von Chamisso's cycle of poems of the same name; another Schumann song cycle "Dichterliebe" (A Poet’s Love) comes from Heine’s Lyrisches Intermezzo (Lyrisches Intermezzo); Beethoven’s “Zärtliche Liebe” (Tender Love) comes from the author Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Herrosee - all art songs. These art songs carry powerful meaning - the combined effect of poignant melodies with the poetry of the words can have a very strong emotional impact on the listener.

Schubert’s "Trout"

When it comes to art songs, it is impossible not to mention the familiar name Schubert. Austrian composer Franz Schubert composed more than 600 art songs in his 31 years of life; he can duly be considered the master of the form. Among his basket of works, the "Trout" (Die Forelle, D.550) is one of the most popular and joy-inducing.

"Trout" was written in 1817, when Schubert was just twenty years old. Two years later, he wrote the “Trout Quintet" (Piano Quintet in A major, D.667), of which the theme and variation of the fourth movement adapted the original melody of "Trout". Both "Trout" and the "Trout Quintet" are thus quite well known.

The text of "Trout" was selected from the works of German poet Christian Schubart. The poem "Trout" was written in 1782, while Schubart was serving a sentence in prison. "Trout" tells the story of a trout who goes from swimming swiftly to being caught. Perhaps the poem was written out of the author’s desire for freedom; the final verse of the original poem warns young people to take the story of the trout as a warning, a lesson to not be too easily deceived. Schubert eliminated the last verse of the poem and ended the musical text directly with the poem’s third verse, providing room for more imagination within the original moral fable.

The removed Schubart verse:

Let the little trout struggle on the pole

So my blood boiled, when I saw this traitor

Young people who are prosperous and prosperous

Standing by the golden spring water,

You should take trout as a warning!

If you see danger, you have to run fast!

Girls, you lack the mind,

You are often easily deceived.

See the lure holding the fishing rod!

Otherwise, suffer and regret too much.

The story of the “Trout" is very much weaved together with Schubert’s musical material; the piano accompaniment and vocal melody change with the fate of trout. The melody line in the third quarter aptly reflects the impatience of the trout who is caught by the fisherman - the vocal part also changes to a minor harmony to reflect the panic of the fish.

This struggle of the trout is perhaps not just story and song, but a reflection or premonition of Schubert’s own personal struggles. The composer had a short life and died just several years after the completion of the piece.