Classical Music | Baritone

Recorded on 12/31/1969, uploaded on 01/22/2014

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Das Fischermädchen

Though Das Fischermädchen may be the tamest of the fourteen songs of Schwanengesang, yet it is still imbued with its own subtle passion. Most striking is perhaps Schubert’s strophic setting of Heine’s three stanza poem, which could have easily prompted three contrasting sections of music for its varying emotion. In Heine’s verse, the young lover calls in the first stanza to a maiden fishing in her boat, wooing her to come ashore. In the next stanza, he attempts to thwart her fears of him, remarking that every day she trusts herself blindly to the “untamed sea.” Then, in the final stanza, he compares his own heart to the ebb and flow of the ocean, and hints at the pearls that may be found there.

A rocking triplet accompaniment pervades throughout the entirety of Schubert’s setting, suggesting the gentle waves of the sea as they lap upon the shore. The outer stanzas of Heine’s poem are set to nearly identical music, placing the burden of rendering the differences of their emotional content largely upon the vocalist. The middle stanza is quite similar as well, though Schubert provides some contrast of his own by modulating into the key of C-flat major, as the poet attempts to calm the fears of the maiden. The music here is much the same as well, with only subtle changes to keep the vocal melody within a comfortable range.      Joseph DuBose

This recording of Schwanengesang was made in the 1950s.

Courtesy of YouTube