(The Beautiful Maid of the Mill)
A song cycle is a several group of songs performed in sequence as a single entity after a romantic period and is usually written by one composer (Knopoff & Hutchinson 75). The songs normally have a unifying subject or ideas which are normally set to the words of the same poet. The unity of the cycle is achieved by a narrative that is common to the different songs and underlined using a musical instrument (Neumeyer 93). An example of this is in the case of Franz Schubert and his song-cycle Die Schoene Muellerin songs (The Beautiful Maid of the Mill) which is a collection of different songs.
As asserted by Neumeyer (95), “Gretchen am Spinnrade” is a song contained in the cycles of Franz Schubert. It was set by Schubert in 1814 which was a challenging work for him to play the role of both the pianist and singer (Dichterliebe 94). The evolution of the piano into highly complex mechanism allowed to match Schubert settings for soprano voices, which assisted in composing several lyrics. Gretchen was the first successful song also known as "lied" (McCreless 6). In the song of Gretchen, the pianist stopped after being distracted by the thought of kissing and then hesitatingly commence again when she realizes she was to keep spinning (Knopoff & Hutchinson 79).
Generally, the presentation of these songs shows the earliest extended unique kinds of songs to be widely performed. They are generally captivating and move from the cheerful optimism to despondency and tragedy which not only give insight into the composer alone but also to other audience who enjoy his work of art (Knopoff & Hutchinson 83). The presentation of the Das Wandern and Tranenregen draws a different conclusion when the tone of the poet is analyzed. The composer's mood was in the depth of gloom and despair over the incurable disease he had (Neumeyer 93). The mental state he was in considerably influenced the tone and the color of his songs in a cycle that contained twenty songs.
McCreless (11) have it that the lied, or the song “Die liebe Farbe” is not a positive love song but love manifest in this work of art due to the fact that its settings were based or centered on a rose flower. The song gives two sides of the same coin as it resolves around a hunter who became obsessed with a lad. At first the lad preferred the Miller but later changed her mind to choose the hunter (Dichterliebe 100). The song’s story ends when the Miller drowns himself. It is reported that the Millers daughter followed the Miller to die in the stream which made the hunter sing for the two lovers.
Knopoff and Hutchinson (88) assert that Baches Wiegenlied is a comforting lullaby and the reference to sleep and nightfall contained in this song have a meaning of death. Contrarily, the song is not a romantic kind of art of work that is simple-mindedness of love but rather much deeper than a love dream. This song is just a sensational way in human beings of connecting with his or her inner self actualization (Dichterliebe 104). There is nothing sinister in the song in that there may be a misinterpretation about the sleep that is referred to the song. Romanticism is involved in this song more than the escapist dreams referred in it (Kamien and Nicki 78).
A concert where an entire Schubert song cycle is performed is one which is worth attending (Knopoff & Hutchinson 95). This is because it shares knowledge and experience with young performers that will nurture them and impart the skills of poetry and other creative works of art (Neumeyer 93). The concert of a talented pianist and soloist Schubert singer performances are worth attending.
Work cited
Kamien, Roger, and Nicki, James. Music: an appreciation. McGraw-Hill, 1988.
Knopoff, Leon, and William, Hutchinson. "Entropy as a measure of style: The influence of sample length." Journal of Music Theory 27.1 (1983): 75-97. Print.
McCreless, Patrick. "Song Order in the Song Cycle: Schumann's' Liederkreis', Op. 39." Music Analysis (1986): 5-28. Print.
Neumeyer, David. "Organic Structure and the Song Cycle: Another Look at Schumann's" Dichterliebe"." Music Theory Spectrum (1982): 92-105. Print.
