Schäfers Klagelied ("Shepherd's Lament") by Goethe
poignantly expresses the grief of a lost love. A shepherd has found himself in
the valley where his beloved once lived. As he follows his grazing sheep, he
unconsciously begins to pick the flowers of the meadow then realizes there is
no one to give them to. A storm passes over the valley and he takes shelter
under a tree from which he can see his beloved's former house. While he waits,
it seems he slips into a dream-like state, reminiscing over the past. Once the
storm has blown over, a rainbow arches over the house and the shepherd comes to
the full realization that his beloved is gone far away.
Schubert's setting musically follows the mental
journey of the shepherd. Beginning in a melancholy C minor, the second stanza,
when the shepherd has somehow descended into the valley, moves to the relative
major of E-flat—the thoughts of a once happy time are close by. The third
stanza moves to A-flat and presents an animated accompaniment and livelier
vocal melody. Here, the shepherd is picking flowers that he would have given to
his beloved. The fourth stanza moves abruptly into the key of A-flat minor and
then equally as fast into its relative major. The fortissimo chords of
the agitated accompaniment depict the storm, both outwardly and inwardly, that
the shepherd faces. The final two lines of the fourth stanza, in which the
shepherd remarks that it has all been a dream, wavers undecidedly in its key.
However, the music returns to the key of E-flat major. The fifth stanza, in
many ways similar to the second, is the last remnants of the shepherd's
thoughts of his beloved. A close in G minor and the subsequent return to C
minor indicate that the shepherd has realized his loss. The final stanza, back
in the tonic key and similar to the first, is a touching reminder that the
shepherd is the same as he was before—that the loss of his beloved is as
painful now as it was then.JosephDuBose
Classical Music | Baritone
Franz Schubert
Schäfers Klagelied Play
Recorded on 11/15/2010, uploaded on 11/15/2010
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Schäfers Klagelied ("Shepherd's Lament") by Goethe poignantly expresses the grief of a lost love. A shepherd has found himself in the valley where his beloved once lived. As he follows his grazing sheep, he unconsciously begins to pick the flowers of the meadow then realizes there is no one to give them to. A storm passes over the valley and he takes shelter under a tree from which he can see his beloved's former house. While he waits, it seems he slips into a dream-like state, reminiscing over the past. Once the storm has blown over, a rainbow arches over the house and the shepherd comes to the full realization that his beloved is gone far away.
Schubert's setting musically follows the mental journey of the shepherd. Beginning in a melancholy C minor, the second stanza, when the shepherd has somehow descended into the valley, moves to the relative major of E-flat—the thoughts of a once happy time are close by. The third stanza moves to A-flat and presents an animated accompaniment and livelier vocal melody. Here, the shepherd is picking flowers that he would have given to his beloved. The fourth stanza moves abruptly into the key of A-flat minor and then equally as fast into its relative major. The fortissimo chords of the agitated accompaniment depict the storm, both outwardly and inwardly, that the shepherd faces. The final two lines of the fourth stanza, in which the shepherd remarks that it has all been a dream, wavers undecidedly in its key. However, the music returns to the key of E-flat major. The fifth stanza, in many ways similar to the second, is the last remnants of the shepherd's thoughts of his beloved. A close in G minor and the subsequent return to C minor indicate that the shepherd has realized his loss. The final stanza, back in the tonic key and similar to the first, is a touching reminder that the shepherd is the same as he was before—that the loss of his beloved is as painful now as it was then. JosephDuBoseMore music by Franz Schubert
Der Wanderer an den Mond
Tränenregen, from Die schöne Müllerin
Moment musicaux, D. 780 No. 4
Erlkönig
Piano Sonata D. 958, Finale: Allegro
Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 30, D617
Impromptu Op. 90 No. 2 in E-flat Major, D. 899
Notturno
Impromptu Op 90 N° 3
Standchen, Lieder for Flute and Piano
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