17.4 - Schubert's Erlkönig

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Del curso dictado por Yale University

Introduction to Classical Music

1345 calificaciones

Yale University

Introduction to Classical Music

1345 calificaciones

Using a simple and enjoyable teaching style, this course introduces the novice listener to the wonders of classical music, from Bach fugues to Mozart symphonies to Puccini operas.

De la lección

The Bridge From Classical to Romantic

If you could put a soundtrack to the French Revolution, it would surely contain music from Beethoven's "Heroic" period, during which, he “brought sound to symphonies.” We’ll see how Beethoven’s incorporation of new instruments, as well as, his creation of a large orchestra, made his symphonies much louder and "sonically vivid" than those of his predecessors. The point of focus here will be a comparison of the music of Beethoven's "Heroic" period, represented by his Symphony No. 5, with that of his "Late" period, epitomized by his famous Ode to Joy. We'll also consider Beethoven the man, as revealed through primary source accounts of his life at that time. They paint a picture of a disheveled, wild-looking Beethoven, who lived among filth and clutter and was consumed by his work. The ultimate question: in what ways might his life of isolation and his hearing disability affected the nature (style) of the great music he created?As we bid aufwiedersehen to Beethoven, we move on to full-blown musical Romanticism. Romantic music, and indeed all romantic art, was known for its idealistic views on love and nature. Occurring roughly from 1820 to 1900, musical Romanticism saw an evolution of musical style as well as a change of venue (place) for musical performance. In addition to the aristocracy and their royal palaces, a strong middle class arose in Europe during this period. With the music of the ever-lyrical Franz Schubert, we'll step into the parlor of an upper-middle class home, to experience his domestic chamber music and songs. We’ll finish off the module by asking the question: How do we use musical sound to communicate? A look at program music (instrumental music that uses musical gestures to tell a story) will help us figure this out. After a quick auditory review of the workings of program music (we'll follow Vivaldi on a spring day), we'll watch Hector Berlioz go to hell. More accurately, we’ll follow the sequence of musical gestures he employs to re-create a fantastical tale of pursuit, destruction, damnation. Having learned our lesson, we’ll end with a little fun as we try to match themes extracted from various symphonies to the mental images that the composer had in mind. Do you speak the language of program music fluently? Join us and find out!

17.1 - Introduction to Romantic Music7:05

17.2 - Domestic Music-Making of the Middle Class3:46

17.3 - Sketch of the Life and Music of Franz Schubert9:22

17.4 - Schubert's Erlkönig12:49

17.5 - Robert and Clara Schumann22:04

Conoce a los instructores

Craig Wright
Henry L & Lucy G Moses Professor of Music
Department of Music

[MUSIC]

Here we see Schubert's first published work, the Art Song or

Lied Erlkonig, Elf King in english.

This wasn't Schubert's earliest composition.

But it was the first one he was able to get published,

as it says here on the title page, 1st Werk.

And it became a smash hit.

In the course of the 19th century,

nearly 100 composers did arrangements or covers of it.

Indeed this one song alone made Schubert's reputation in the 19th century.

How old was he when he wrote this masterpiece, this song for eternity?

The ripe old age of 18, which causes me to ask,

who wrote the greatest piece, a masterpiece, at the earliest age?

Mendelson, with his octet, Mozart, Schubert?

Paul McCartney, with Love Love Love Me Do, he was 15.

Well it's difficult to say, but one could make a strong case for

Schubert and his Lied Erlkonig.

What's this song about?

Well to know what any song's about, you just have to look at the lyrics.

Unlike purely instrumental music, in which the music itself does the talking,

here with a song the lyrics tell the story.

What's interesting is that, unlike the Beatles say,

who generally wrote their own music and the lyrics, in the Romantic era,

none of the great composers was a great poet of song lyrics.

Each went to a work of a poet, opened up this book of poetry, and

found a suitable poem and set it to music.

So let's look at the poem Erlkonig.

Schubert found the poem in the works of the famous poet

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Here we see the 18 year old Schubert's original score set in Goethe's poetry.

And we can follow, let's see if my cursor is working here.

There we go.

And here is the beginning of the text.

[FOREIGN] And

so on it goes.

Now there were two kinds of poetry, or

two principal kinds of poetry in the 19th century, lyric and narrative.

Lyric poetry was usually about love or nature, and

was usually set in strophic form.

Narrative poetry, on the other hand, tells a story, usually a well-known story, or

a legend in the form of what is called a ballad.

A ballad is a long, sad story or legend set as poetry.

Now, the Erlkonig is an old Nordic folk story or legend

about the king of elves who, if he laid on his hands on the child brought evil,

indeed, killed the child simply by his touch.

So don't expect a happy ending here from the Erlkonig in

our poetic ballad by Goethe, no sir.

Here's the text.

Let me try reading it to you in my not so good German, and

you try following along, the English.

It's important, very important here,

that we understand the text of this particular Lied.

[FOREIGN]

And as

you will

hear,

Schubert

treats

Goethe's

ballad

Erlkonig

as

a through

composed

Lied, no

repetition

in the

music.

Again, it unfolds continuously from beginning to end.

Okay, the Schubert Erlkonig challenge, how does Schubert

use a host of musical gestures, musical symbols, to paint this frightful scene?

And indeed many artists did paint and continue to paint

right down to the present day the frightful scene of the Erlkonig.

Here you see that of Moritz Schwind a good friend of Schubert who knew

what Schubert had in mind.

So back to our challenge, your task is to identify at least

five musical gestures used to characterize the actors and the events in this drama.

How does he depict, for example, the galloping horse, the steady father,

the excitable son, and his growing anxiety?

The Erlkonig in his charming ways and the Erlkonig with his deadly trick, the horse,

slowing down, and the tragic end, how did Schubert depict all this in music?

Well, we're going to follow along with a score that integrates a recording and

some other information about the structure of Schubert's harmonic language,

a score, a video here, prepared by my colleague, David Thomas.

As we go along, I'll identify for your who is speaking.

And you think about what the musical gesture is that Schubert employs

to underscore, to heighten though music the dramatic story that's about to unfold.

[MUSIC]

Okay, narrator begins.

[MUSIC]

Who rides so late through night and the wind?

[MUSIC]

Father is about to enter.

[MUSIC]

Whoops, that's the father's song.

Here's the song

[MUSIC]

Now the father replies.

[MUSIC]

Now first appearance of the friendly, trustworthy, Elkonig.

[MUSIC]

And the accompaniment changes.

[MUSIC]

The boy.

[MUSIC]

What's happening to his pitch level?

[MUSIC]

And now where do we go for the father?

[MUSIC]

[INAUDIBLE] of rain.

[MUSIC]

Back to the Erlking, again.

How does the music change here?

[MUSIC]

The boy, has his music changed yet again?

[MUSIC]

Back to the father.

[MUSIC]

How has the music not changed here?

And watch out, it will take you by force.

The boy is terrified.

[MUSIC]

Vocal range.

[MUSIC]

Back to the narrator.

[MUSIC]

It arrives at the end with the doctor awaiting him.

[MUSIC]

The horse stops.

[MUSIC]

Not bad for an 18 year old.

Well, how did you do?

Let me give you a chance to think about it.

Think about it for a moment.

Well rather than just have me give you the answers, why not submit yours

in the form of a quiz, a reinforcement quiz at the end of this segment.

Well, as mentioned Schubert's Erlkonig, because of the extraordinary

drama of this song, became the best known art song of the 19th century.

Painted and repainted and rearranged by almost anyone who had access to a piano.

What had started out as private domestic music

in the midst of a middle class Schubertiad became so

popular that it couldn't be contained within a living room.

It had to be moved outside and onto the large concert stage.

Here on the screen you see the musical contents of a program that

concert pianist Clara Schumann played in 1862 in the Erard concert hall,

a large public hall in Paris.

We needn't go through all the program here,

in which Clara was featured as a soloist and accompanist.

But you see that Schubert's show-stopping Erlkoenig was saved for

a rousing conclusion at the end of the first half and

Robert Schumann's piano collection Carnaval at the very end.

So let's move on in our discussion of the art song now to Robert and Clara Schumann.

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