Classical Music | Bass

Recorded on 05/06/2008, uploaded on 01/16/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

The songs of Schwanengesang, published in two books by Tobias Haslinger after Schubert's death, contain his final Lieder. Unlike Schubert's other song cycles, the songs of Schwanengesang are not all by the same poet, but instead Schubert draws upon the works of Ludwig Rellstab, Heinrich Heine and Johann Gabriel Seidl. Since Schubert left no indication of his intentions for these songs, it is unclear whether he intended the songs to be collected as a cycle at all, even though in the autograph manuscript the first thirteen songs were copied at a single sitting on consecutive manuscript pages. The origin of the songs as a cycle originated with the publisher, Tobias Haslinger, who gave the collection its title. Today, Haslinger's ordering of the songs of Schwanengesang is regarded as the definitive version of the work.

In Heine's poem, the "Fischermädchen" ("The Fisher-maiden"), the poet stands on the shore and attempts to woo a young maiden in a fishing boat. He implores her to pull her boat to shore and compares his heart to the ebb and flow of the sea. Schubert begins the song with a lazy rhythm in 6/8 meter, possibly depicting the back and forth motion of the waves. The accompaniment is mostly chordal, breaking into only the slightest hint of a melodic line when the voice rests. The vocal melody is lyrical with passionate large upward leaps depicting the wooing of the poet.      Joseph DuBose

Das Fischermaedchen (The Fisher girl)

You lovely fisher girl, row your boat to shore;
come to me and sit yourself down, we shall talk of love, hand in hand.

Lay your little head against my heart and don't be afraid;
after all, without a worry you entrust yourself daily to the wild sea!

My heart is just like the sea: it has storm and ebb and flood,
and many beautiful pearls rest in its depths.

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.