Download 1 Winterreisse Analysis Samantha Goldberg TH-142

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Winterreisse Analysis
Samantha Goldberg
TH-142-01
Dr. Helvering
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Few composers exist who, with the simple mutter of their name, make musicians melt to
the ground in appreciation. Among these include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian
Bach, and Johannes Brahms. But, another lived whose music transformed those fortunate enough
to listen to it. Franz Schubert bridged the Classical and Romantic period, often acting as
inspiration for Romantic composers such as Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and the
aforementioned Johannes Brahms. His music, most notable for its melody and harmony, has
become standard for any music enthusiast. It was not until a generation had passed that
Schubert’s brilliance received recognition. While he thrived in the German Lied, Schubert also
composed ten complete or nearly complete symphonies (Kreissle 4). Born in Vienna, on January
31st, 1797 to a well known teacher, Schubert received instruction from his father until age seven,
when he enrolled in a formal institution. His father also taught him how to play the violin, while
his brother, Ignaz, taught him how to the play piano (Kreissle 13). Eventually his father realized
his vocal talent and Schubert was accepted as a choirboy in the Court chapel. He often found
inspiration in Mozart, even exclaiming “O Mozart, immortal Mozart! What numberless
consoling images of a better, brighter world have you engraved upon our souls!” (Kreissle 15).
While initially a teacher, Schubert’s true passion laid in composition. When we was a mere 17
years old, his first major composition, “Der Elkönig,” spread throughout all the Germanspeaking territories, therefore bringing some fame to his name (Kreissle 25). In the summer of
1819, Schubert took a trip to the country with well known baritone Johann Michael Vogl. His
three month adventure changed his writing. He began utilizing more nature as inspiration, a trend
commonly seen in Romantic composers. Schubert enjoyed traveling and living with other artist
friends, inclduing amateur painted Moritz von Schwind and young playwright, Eduard
Bauernfeld. 1822 brought dreadful news; Schubert had contracted syphilis. His disease forced
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him to live the rest of his life in a leisurely fashion. On November 19th, 1828 the illness finally
took its tole and Franz Schubert passed away in his brother’s bed (Kreissle 32).
Initially composed in two parts, each with twelve songs, the song cycle Winterresisse
eventually grew into one of Schubert’s most celebrated works. Written during 1827 while
Schubert’s health continued to fail, his moods were clearly imitated in the piece. Earlier that
year, one of Schubert’s biggest inspirations, Ludwig von Beethoven, passed away. The event
obviously affected Schubert’s writing. Winterreisse contains movements which demonstrate a
gloomy tone. The nature of the piece comes from the eyes of a man, wandering the Earth. Unlike
other cycles, the piece does not contain a collection of songs that revolve around one theme, such
as love. Instead, the songs reflect the feelings of a traveling poet, as if one continuous soliloquy.
The story tells the course of a broken heart. It begins with a man whose love now favors another
gentleman. In response, the man leaves in the middle of the night and follows a river to the
nearest village. There, he adjusts to his newfound loneliness. The harshness of winter acts as a
reflection of his soul; cold and dark. He meets a variety of people and objects, all of whom form
his journey. The whole cycle becomes an analogy of his heart (Bloom 7).
The eleventh movement of Winterreisse, “Die Frühlingstraum” translated into “The
Dream of Spring” comes after a movement called “Rast” or “Rest.” The man realizes how tired
his is and dreams of spring and love. This movement provides a breathe of fresh air in the sense
that it shows the man a glimmer of hope in the vast emptiness previously experienced. While the
whole work shows tremendous care and brilliance towards text painting, “Die Frühlingstraum”
demonstrates Schubert’s mastery of the skill. The piece is written in an intriguing strophic form,
repeating an “ABC” format twice. Each section relays a specific message, be it observational,
reality, or dreaming. Every individual period, while completely contrasting from on another,
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work together to form a story. The man seems conflicted between his hopes and reality.
Throughout the entire piece, there are no half cadences. Every cadence is either an imperfect or
perfect authentic. This gives the work a feeling of motion, as if the man is continuously trying to
reach a larger goal by established small accomplishments that seem never-ending. The first
tempo marking reads “etwas bewegt” which translates to “something moving,” implying the A
section constantly goes forward and spring constantly exists under the winter. The idea is
supported by consistent arpeggiations, as if the text moves towards an ending. The piece starts
out in A major with a short four measure introduction before the singer, a baritone, comes in
with “Ich träumete von bunten Blumen,” or “I dream of colorful flowers.” The singer continues
to sing of the green of spring and bird calls. In fact, on the world “Vogelgeschrei,” which means
“bird calls,” Schubert has written an arpeggiation of the tonic chord in the right hand of the
piano, as if echoing the call of a bird. The A section ends on a perfect authentic cadence,
followed by a rest with a fermata. The long pause symbolizes the man waking from his dream to
see the real world around him. The next tempo markings says “schnell” or “quickly” as the
singer speeds up and the music changes from a simple diatonic progression to a more intricate
period. The words, translated, say “And as the cocks crowed, there was my eyes waked; there it
was cold and dark, it cried the raven of the roof.” The music follows the chill of the text with key
changes and French augmented sixths, acting as an embellishing chromatic chord, demonstrating
conflict between his dreams and the reality he woke up to. At the beginning of the B section, the
key modulates from A major to e minor, indicating something harsh and cruel. When the text
says “the cocks crowed,” Schubert adds an embellishment of octave leaps, as if the cocks are
crowing. The piece quickly modulates to d minor after the aforementioned French augmented
sixth chord resolves to the tonic. The sequence repeats in d minor then modulates to g minor and
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finally a minor where a V cadential pattern takes place. From there, Schubert add a tonic
extension and codetta, in which the singer repeats “there it was cold and dark. It cried the raven
of the roof,” as a way of reenforcing the reality of the “raven” or constant fear for the truth of his
lonely predicament. In the extension, Schubert constantly has a rotating octave leap in the bass
line of the A or tonic note, which serves to remind us of the constant trembling of the real world.
A neapolitan chord adds to the longevity and chaos in the codetta. The section finally ends with a
perfect authentic cadence of open octaves. Again, Schubert inserts rests with fermatas as a means
of separating the sections and allowing the man to daydream. The C section begins with a tempo
marking of “langsam” or “slowly.” The man now enters a contemplative state. The key returns to
the original A major as the text discusses a foliage on a window pane and the beauty of spring.
The chord progression returns mostly to simple I, V, and IV chords until a key change halfway
through the section. When the text says “You laugh about the dreamer the flowers in the winter
saw,” the song moves in the parallel minor, as if mocking the dreamer itself. The C section ends
with open octaves of the tonic note, and finally, outlining an A major chord, bringing us full
circle. The whole form repeats itself, with text changes. While in the beginning the man talked in
analogies of spring and happiness, in the section A section, he finally talks openly of his longing
for love. He says “I dream of life and love, of a beautiful girl, of hearts and kisses, of bliss and
happiness.” This longing is reflected in the flowing motion of the arpeggiations in the
accompaniment. Once again, Schubert inserts a rest with a fermata in between the A and B
sections. A significant word change in the B section occurs when he switches “there was my eye
waked” to “there was my heart waked,” indicating his true motives and deeper than simply an
observation of spring. He now realizes the true bitterness of the winter and of reality. He talks of
sitting alone, thinking about his dreams. The music continues to modulate to different minor
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keys, as in previous sections. The tonic extension and codetta repeat as the singer vocalizes his
loneliness and thoughts of dreams. After ending the B section on a perfect authentic cadence, the
C section starts out in A major with open octave leaps in the right hand of the piano. Slowly, the
man sings of his eyes closing while his heart is still warm; open and hopeful. The simplicity of
the tune gives the appearance of hope until the man discusses his yearning to have a woman in
his arms, in which the music turns to the relative minor, implying a failure of his wishes. The
movement ends on a perfect authentic cadence. Schubert writes open octaves of the tonic note,
having the audience question which direction he will take. The piece ultimately ends on a minor
chord, implying all the hope the man had was for naught.
By ending a piece full of optimism on a minor tonic chord, Schubert teases both the
singer and the crowd. The movement rotates between major and minor, giving a conflicting
sense of faith and misery. The rests, so carefully placed, allow for each new section to be both an
individual and contrasting period while also part of the overall plan. Some may wonder if the
man in the cycle is Schubert himself, traveling the world, looking for a love lost and venturing
towards the darkness ahead. No matter the inspiration, one can always appreciate the musicality
and genius of Franz Schubert, one of the world’s champion composers.
Works Cited
Bloom, Eric. "Foreward and Analytical Notes." Schubert's "wintereisse" London: Gramophone,
1933. N. pag. Print.
Franz Schubert. Winterreisse- Frühlingstraum. 1827. CD.
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Kreissle, Heinrich Von, and Edward Wiberforce. Franz Schubert; a Musical Biography. London:
W.H. Allen, 1866. Print.
Schubert, Franz. "Frühlingstraum." Die Winterreisse. N.p.: n.p., 1827. N. pag. Print.