Returning to the theme of a lost love, Die Stadt (The Town) leaves behind the blissful incantations of Das Fischermädchen and approaches the ghastly austerity of Der Dopplegänger. Indeed, it seems almost the more logical successor, both emotionally and in terms of content, to Ihr Bild than the previous song. Eerie tremolandi begin Schubert’s setting of Heine’s poem, which are soon after made even more disturbing by the unsettling diminished seventh harmony that leads into the first stanza. In the first stanza, with its stifled melodic line and ominous chords that sound from the piano, one can easily imagine the shadowy horizon where the poet beholds the ghostly outline of the town. Even more alarming is the hushed second stanza. Prefaced by a reprise of the introduction, Schubert maintains the diminished seventh harmony throughout the entirety of the verse, while the vocal melody glides eerily along, much like the boat in which the poet travels. This ingenious setting is one of the most poignant in Schwanengesang and a masterful display of capturing and heightening the essence of the text. Following a brief pause, the third stanza erupts in a forte exclamation of the narrator’s emotions as he beholds the very spot in which he lost his beloved. Similar in manner to the first stanza, it builds to a grief-stricken climax before subsiding back into the unnerving music of the introduction. No relief is to be found at the song’s conclusion as Schubert leaves the diminished seventh harmony to be resolved by implication of the sole tonic sounded in the bass. Joseph DuBose
This recording of Schwanengesang was made in the 1950s.
Classical Music | Baritone
Franz Schubert
Die Stadt, from Schwanengesang Play
Recorded on 12/31/1969, uploaded on 01/22/2014
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Die Stadt
Returning to the theme of a lost love, Die Stadt (The Town) leaves behind the blissful incantations of Das Fischermädchen and approaches the ghastly austerity of Der Dopplegänger. Indeed, it seems almost the more logical successor, both emotionally and in terms of content, to Ihr Bild than the previous song. Eerie tremolandi begin Schubert’s setting of Heine’s poem, which are soon after made even more disturbing by the unsettling diminished seventh harmony that leads into the first stanza. In the first stanza, with its stifled melodic line and ominous chords that sound from the piano, one can easily imagine the shadowy horizon where the poet beholds the ghostly outline of the town. Even more alarming is the hushed second stanza. Prefaced by a reprise of the introduction, Schubert maintains the diminished seventh harmony throughout the entirety of the verse, while the vocal melody glides eerily along, much like the boat in which the poet travels. This ingenious setting is one of the most poignant in Schwanengesang and a masterful display of capturing and heightening the essence of the text. Following a brief pause, the third stanza erupts in a forte exclamation of the narrator’s emotions as he beholds the very spot in which he lost his beloved. Similar in manner to the first stanza, it builds to a grief-stricken climax before subsiding back into the unnerving music of the introduction. No relief is to be found at the song’s conclusion as Schubert leaves the diminished seventh harmony to be resolved by implication of the sole tonic sounded in the bass. Joseph DuBose
This recording of Schwanengesang was made in the 1950s.
Courtesy of YouTube
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