7 Tragic Songs by Franz Schubert YOU should Listen to this Week

I have frequently enjoyed the music of Franz Schubert, often referred to as the king of song. As a result of this, I decided to create a list of my 7 favorite tragic songs by Schubert. It is no secret that Schubert's life ended tragically, as he knew it would for years prior. He died from syphilis at the age of 31. Do you think that Schubert's understanding of his looming demise influenced him (1) to write more music, and (2) to write more tragic music? Let's get into 7 Tragic Songs by Franz Schubert YOU should Listen to this Week

7. Der Müller und Der Bach

This song definitely embodies tragedy. It is about a miller who is rejected by a woman and goes to the local brook to drown himself. Before doing so, however, he has a conversation with the brook. That is what this song is. Notice how Schubert uses solid chords when the miller speaks, and arpeggios (broken chords) when the brook speaks. Here is a translation of the poem. Here is the video:

6. Gretchen am Spinnrade

This piece is a chilling piece sung by the character Gretchen from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust". In the story, Faust sells his soul to the devil for all of the knowledge and power in the world. Faust uses this power to forcefully seduce Gretchen, making her his wife. They have a son together. This ultimately leads Gretchen to make a decision that would cost her everything. This piece embodies the loving hatred she feels towards Faust, the emotions that would lead to tragedy. Here is a link to the translated poem Here is the video:

5. Erster Verlust

I remember playing a piano piece based off of the same poem by Schumann. It is sung by someone who is nostalgic for everything that they have lost over the years. The title means "First Loss." I remember when my piano teacher read it to me in the original German (then of course English). This poem is quite expressive, but I think overall it is about the tragedy that is growing old and losing what you once had. Here is a translation of the poem. Here is the video:

4. Der Wanderer

This song is sung by a man who is unsure how to be happy. I admit that I have not listened to it much, nor have I analyzed the poetry before this post. I think what this song means is that as this man moves from place to place, looking for perfect land, he finds and loses who he really is. He doesn't see the purpose of his life. Here is a translation. Here is the video:

3. Der Erlkönig

This piece is one of the most amazing songs ever written. The way the music interacts with von Goethe’s poetry is just astonishing, especially when you consider that Schubert was just 18 when he wrote it. Many modern composers do not begin studying music theory until the age of 18 (in college). This piece is quite tragic because it is about a father trying to get his sick son home on horseback (notice that the piano part could depict galloping) when they get an "unexpected visitor" who ruins everything. Here is a video (with English subtitles) of Der Erlkönig performed by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau:

2. Der Leiermann

This song is about a man who plays the hurdy gurdy. It is about how society treats him, and how he lives in discomfort, slowly dying. This song is meant to represent death. Here is the song with English subtitles:

1. Der Doppelganger

This song is most certainly the most hauntingly tragic on this list. It is sung by a man who stands in front of the home where the woman he loved once lived. He doesn't recognize who he has become. This is about the terror he feels due to the time that has passed, and the changes that have occurred. This song is through composed meaning that Schubert did not consistently use a theme, but rather composed them as he went. Here is a translation of the poem. Here is the video:

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Thanks for reading this! I will be back on Monday with my Confucian Analect posts at 6pm (est). See you then!

Also remember to check for: My weekly 7 post, As well as my composer birthday posts (Note) In order to encourage meaningful feedback on the platform, I will check comment trails of users who leave superficial comments (ie "Awesome post," or "Upvoted.") and will mute any users who exhibit a pattern of leaving "spammy" comments.

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classical-music (53) · 7 years ago

Hi @cmp2020,

Thank you for sharing this post. I appreciated your commentary and enjoyed listening to the videos, especially "Der Leiermann." It was also helpful that you linked to the translations on videos without subtitles.

This post has been shared on the Steemit's Best Classical Music facebook page, and included in our latest Roundup post.

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tin-tin (54) · 7 years ago

Der Erlkönig is one song that I remember always for its tragic story. Some of Schubert's lieders are pretty stark and haunting.

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babangsunan (50) · 7 years ago

Good nice my friends

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