Classical Music | Baritone

Franz Schubert

Lied ein Schiffers an die Dioskuren Play Play

Gyula Szabo	Baritone
Gyula M Szabo	Piano

Recorded on 09/06/2010, uploaded on 09/06/2010

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskuren ("Song of a Boatman to the Dioscuri"), by Johann Baptist Mayrhofer and set to music by Franz Schubert in 1816, draws upon two well-known characters of Greek mythology. To us, however, they are better known as their Roman equivalents. Dioscuri, meaning "sons of Zeus" in ancient Greek, is the collective name for the twins Castor and Pollux. In Latin, they are known as the Gemini. Castor and Pollux, the two brightest stars of the constellation Gemini, were the patrons of sailors and were believed to watch over sailors at sea from the lofty perch in the heavens.

Mayrhofer's poem is a boatman's "prayer" to the Dioscuri. He feels calm and his own confidence is bolstered by their presence in the sky. Upon the safe conclusion of his journey, he promises his oar as a sacrifice in return for their continued protection. In settings Mayrhofer's poem, Schubert masterfully captures both the poem's solemnity while invoking the imagery of the sea. Indeed, the deep, rolled chords and dotted rhythm of the brief pianissimo introduction eloquently fulfill both. The accompaniment remains constantly in the lower range of the keyboard, further pronouncing the song's solemn air. Fortissimo chords and a modulation to F minor at the beginning of the second verse briefly interrupt the peacefulness of the song. Here, the boatman contemplates the possibility of sailing through a storm. Though it troubles him, he is soon comforted by the presence of his protectors, the Dioscuri, and the music returns to A-flat major. The final stanza, in which the boatman offers his oar as a sacrifice, is nearly identical to the first, its chief difference being the embellishment of the bass with rolling arpeggios, suggesting the movement of the sea and the boatman towards his destination. Joseph DuBose