Liberal Arts Blog — Der Erlkonig: Goethe, Schubert, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Liberal Arts Blog — Thursday is the Joy of Music Day
Today’s Topic: Der Erlkonig: Goethe (1747–1832). Schubert (1797–1828). Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1925–2012)
The greatest of classic German songs (“lieder”) is “Der Erlkonig” (the King of the Fairies) with words by the greatest of all German writers (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) set to music by one of the greatest of German classical composers (Franz Schubert). Perhaps the greatest performance of the song was by the greatest of all German lieder singers, Dietrich Fischer Dieskau. You can judge for yourself by clicking on the first link below. Warning: classical German lieder can be something of an acquired taste. Today, a few somewhat random notes. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
ALL GERMAN CHILDREN LEARN THIS POEM BY HEART — it’s about the murder of a child by a demon
1. Who rides so late through the night dark and drear? The father it is, with the infant so dear (Wer reitet so spat durch Nacht und Wind. es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind)
2. He holdeth the boy tightly in his arm, He holdeth him safely, he keepeth him warm. (Er hat den Knaben wohl in den Arm, Er fasst Ihn sicher, er halt ihn warm.)
3. So begins the poem. Things do not go well. The ending: The father now gallops, with terror half wild, He grasps in his arms the poor shuddering child; He reaches his courtyard with toil and with dread, — The child in his arms finds he motionless, dead.
NB: Ending in German: “Dem Vater grauset’s; er reitet geschwind, Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind, Erreicht den Hof mit Mühe und Not; In seinen Armen, das Kind war tot.”
THE PIANO PART IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME AND DIFFICULT TO PLAY — rapid triplets simulate a galloping horse
1. “In the introduction, the left hand of the piano part introduces an ominous bass motif composed of rising scale in triplets and a falling arpeggio, pointing to the background of the scene and suggesting the urgency of the father’s mission. It also introduces a chromatic “passing note motif” consisting of C–C♯-D that represents a daemonic force, and used throughout the work.”
2. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s most esteemed accompanist is Gerald Moore (1899–1987). Another was Jorg Demus (1928–2019).
DIETRICH FISCHER-DIESKAU FOUGHT IN THE WEHRMACHT DURING WORLLD WAR II AND WAS A POW HELD BY AMERICAN FORCES IN ITALY FOR TWO YEARS
1. He was drafted in 1943 (age 18), fought on the Russian and then the Italian front.
2. “No singer in our time, or probably any other has managed the range and versatility of repertory achieved by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Opera, Lieder and oratorio in German, Italian or English came alike to him, yet he brought to each a precision and individuality that bespoke his perceptive insights into the idiom at hand.” (Alan Blyth, musicologist)
3. “A born God who has it all.” (Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, widely considered the greatest German lyric soprano of the 20th century, though her early membership in the Nazi Party has tarnished her reputation.)
FINAL QUESTION
What to you is the greatest performance of the greatest song in the repertoire of German lieder? in any other repertoire?
Der Erlkönig — Franz Schubert [Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Fischer-Dieskau
Erlkönig (Schubert) — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Moore
LAST FOUR YEARS OF POSTS ORGANIZED THEMATICALLY
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
ATTACHMENTS BELOW:
#1 A graphic guide to justice (9 metaphors on one page).
#2 “39 Songs, Prayers, and Poems: the Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People” — Adams House Senior Common Room Presentation, 11/17/20
YOUR TURN
Time to share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to music. Or the coolest thing you learned in your life related to music. Say your favorite song or songs. Or your favorite tips for breathing, posture, or relaxation. Or some insight into the history of music….Or just something random about music… like a joke about drummers. jazz, rock….or share an episode or chapter in your musical autobiography.
This is your chance to make some one else’s day. And perhaps to cement in your memory something important you would otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than you otherwise would about something that matters to you.
