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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832)

a German writer and ‘polymath, Goethe's
works span the fields of poetry, drama,
literature, theology, philosophy, pantheism,
and science. His magnum opus, lauded as
one of the peaks of world literature, is the
two-part drama Faust. Goethe's other wellknown literary works include his numerous
poems, the ‘Bildungsroman ‘Wilhelm Meister's
Apprenticeship and the e’pistolary novel The
Sorrows of Young Werther.
Originator for the World Literature

Goethe is the originator
of the concept of
Weltliteratur ("world
literature"), having
taken great interest in
the literatures of
England, France, Italy,
classical Greece, Persia,
the ‘Arab world, and
others. His influence on
German philosophy is
virtually im’measurable.
The Erl-King

The Erlking (German: Erlkönig, "Alder King")
is a character depicted in a number of
German poems and ballads as a ma’levolent
creature who haunts forests and carries off
travelers to their deaths. The name is an
18th-century mistranslation of the original
Danish word elverkonge, "elf-king". The
character is most famous as the antagonist in
Goethe's poem Der Erlkönig and Schubert's
musical adaptation of the same name.
Origins

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The Erlking as a character has its origins in a
common European folkloric archetype, the seductive
but deadly fairy or siren (compare La Belle Dame
sans Merci --French: "The Beautiful Lady without
Pity" and the nix, Neck (water spirit).
In its original form in Scandinavian folklore, the
character was a female spirit, the elf-king's daughter
(Elverkongens datter). Similar stories existed in
numerous ballads throughout Scandinavia in which
an elverpige (female elf) was responsible for
ensnaring human beings to satisfy their desire,
jealousy and lust for revenge.
"The Beautiful Lady without Pity"

La Belle Dame sans Merci (French:
"The Beautiful Lady without Pity") is a
ballad written by the English poet John
Keats. It exists in two versions, with
minor differences between them. The
original was written by Keats in 1819.
He used the title of a 15th century
poem by Alain Chartier, though the
plots of the two poems are different.
Keats’ Poem

Keats' poem describes the
encounter between an unnamed
knight and a mysterious woman
who is said to be "a faery's child".
It opens with a description of the
knight in a barren landscape,
"haggard" and "woe-begone". He
tells the reader how he met a
beautiful lady whose "eyes were
wild"; he set her on his horse and
she took him to her "elfin grot--a
grotto ", where she "wept, and
sigh'd full sore". Falling asleep, the
knight had a vision of "pale kings
and princes", who cried, "La Belle
Dame sans Merci hath thee in
thrall!" He awoke to find himself
on the same "cold hill's side" after
which he continues to wait and
"palely loitering".
"The Erlking"
by Albert Sterner, ca. 1910
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV_-cJcaNv0
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The antagonist of Goethe's Der
Erlkönig is, as the name
suggests, the Erlking himself
rather than his daughter.
Goethe's Erlking differs in other
ways as well: his version preys
on children, rather than adults
of the opposite sex, and the
Erlking's motives are never
made clear. Goethe's Erlking is
much more akin to the
Germanic portrayal of elves and
valkyries - a force of death
rather than simply a magical
spirit.
Irony in the poem—a protective
father kills his son.
Franz Schubert

(1797 – 1828) was an
Austrian composer. He
wrote some 600 Lieder
(art songs), nine
symphonies (including
the famous "Unfinished
Symphony"), liturgical
music, operas, some
incidental music, and a
large body of chamber
and solo piano music.
Incidental music

Incidental music is music in a play,
television program, radio program,
video game, film or some other form
not primarily musical. The term is less
frequently applied to film music, with
such music being referred to instead as
the "film score" or "soundtrack."
Changing Values (34)
George Frideric Handel

(1685 – 1759) was a
German-English Baroque
composer who is famous for
his operas, ora’torios, and
concertos. Handel was born
in Germany in the same year
as JS Bach and Domenico
Scarlatti. He received critical
musical training in Italy
before settling in London
and becoming a naturalized
British subject. His works
include Messiah, Water
Music, and Music for the
Royal Fireworks.
Ba’roque music
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
Baroque music describes a style of European
classical music approximately extending from 1600 to
1750. This era is said to begin in music after the
Renai’ssance and was followed by the Classical era.
The word "baroque" came from the Portuguese word
barroco, meaning "misshapen pearl", a strikingly
fitting characterization of the architecture of this
period; later, the name came to be applied also to its
music.
Composers sought to depict human feeling or
emotion in a direct manner expressed by a solo
voice.