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Franz Schubert (1797-1828), prolific Austrian composer of many genres, would still occupy a prominent place in the history of European music had he composed nothing but Art Songs (German: Kunstlied). In fact, musical scholars went as far as proclaiming Schubert to be the ‘Father of Art Songs’, that unique musical genre which restricts itself to the human voice and the accompanying pianoforte. Art Songs, originating in the first third of the 19th century, do not only represent a continuation of the development of musical expression as such, but clearly answered a specific social and cultural need of the time. It was three main factors that contributed to the genesis and initial development of Art Songs: first and foremost the lyrical expression, deeply rooted in Romanticism, yet now somewhat changed to relate to the homeliness of the ‘Biedermeier’ period, provided an appropriate artistic language suited to express the cultural self-esteem and social aspirations of the bourgeois classes. Secondly, it was the much improved pianoforte that now began to increasingly find its way into the private homes of many citizens where it provided the means needed to engage in the increasingly more appreciated ‘Hausmusik’ (home music). Thirdly it was the spirit of Vienna and its bourgeois people itself, described as the most musical and most romantically minded population that has ever been known in a European capitol, that contributed significantly to the genre. Schubert himself related to these three factors: his lyrical appreciation was strong, if not on a par with the major poets; he loved the instrument, though no major advance of technique or style are to be found in his solo writings for the pianoforte. Though neither his poetic instincts nor his use of the pianoforte are overly remarkable when viewed separately, Schubert’s way of teaming up voice and instrument is truly unique. Lastly, he clearly loved the city and its people and freely and prominently engaged in social gatherings which became to be known as ‘Schubertiads’. It is worthwhile to note that in Art Songs neither of the involved musicians may assume a leading part. It is the collaboration of singer and player that is of paramount importance; only within this collaboration of equal musicians may the Art Song unfold its full musical, literary and emotional impact. Schubert’s use of verse merits a few observations: though we find him working with a fair few poems of Goethe and Schiller, the most prominent German poets of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, we see Schubert use a lot of verse from writers who today are regarded as minor poets only. This seeming lack of interest in lyrical quality of both form and content has led some music scholars to accuse him of setting greeting-card poetry to music, of having no literary taste whatsoever. Though one is inclined to refute this strong verdict, one can’t help but notice that Schubert, while fully appreciating the verse of poetae minores like Johann Mayrhofer, could not really fathom the true intellectual depths of Goethe and Schiller. However, this comes as a small surprise, since some of the highly reflective poetry of Goethe and Schiller neither easily suggests itself to musical renderings, nor to sudden intellectual understanding. Nevertheless, it is hard to overestimate the influence of Goethe’s poetry in particular on Schubert and the Art Songs: already Schubert’s very first treatment of a Goethe poem – “Gretchen am Spinnrade”, 1814 (Margaret at the spinning-wheel) – is considered to be the first fully developed example of the genre, a composition so innovative in its overall approach, that is was described as a ‘bolt from the blue’. Schubert did not necessarily follow the metrics of the poem in a strict sense but rather strove for musical means that do not simply follow but instead interpret the textual basis. In fact, Schubert went as far as actually manipulating the poems’ words if musical necessity suggested so. If this poetic license is taken into account, it comes as a small surprise that Goethe, when being presented by Schubert with a number of songs on two occasions, 1817 and 1825, did not bother to answer the composer’s accompanying letters. Only later, in 1830 to be precise, when Schubert’s musical version of “Der Erlkönig” (Erl King) was performed for Goethe by a talented friend, did the poet express a sense of appreciation for the music: “I have listened to this composition once a while ago and I did not like it at all. Performed in this way, the whole thing turns into a visible image.” Though it is fair to say that Goethe’s and Schiller’s poetry was a major initial influence on Schubert’s Art Songs – around 70 poems by Goethe and around 40 by Schiller were set to music – it is equally true to say that Schubert’s conception of Art Songs fully matured later when he increasingly turned to contemporary poets like Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827) and Heinrich Heine (1797-1856). From a retrospective viewpoint Schubert’s influence
upon the history of music is most clearly visible in the Art Songs: his
understanding of the lyrical expression and his manner of using the
pianoforte with a warm and full, almost orchestral intonation has had a
much stronger impact on later listeners than his symphonic works ever had,
while Schubert’s lesser known operas are almost forgotten today.
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