Der Erlkong
'Der Erlkonig' is a poem composed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The poem conveys the death of a child being attacked by a supernatural being, the Erlking or "Erlkonig". 'Der Erlkonig’ has been used as the text for Lieder (art songs for voice and piano) by several classical composers, one of them including famous Franz Schubert. During the romantic period, most composers tended to use program music quite often which is music that is intended to evoke images or convey the impression of events. Franz Schubert carefully analysed the poem before composing and publishing his fourth version in 1821 as his 'Opus 1'. Specifically in Schubert's composition of this piece, he placed each character ( the narrator, the father, the son and the Erlking) largely in a different vocal range, and each has his own subtle changes in rhythm. In addition most singers aspire to use a different vocal coloration for each part. When the characters are substituted around, the piece tends to modulate frequently usually in minor or major mode, depending on the character and how the character intends to interact with the others. The music is composed in a way to shape the relationship of the characters and the dynamics, as well as the major/minor mode which expresses the relationship in a perspective that is clear. The texture of this piece is homophonic and is mostly thick throughout the piece with the continuous fast rhythm of the piano. The driving rhythm of the piano helps express the mood with rapid triplets to create a sense of urgency and simulate the horse's galloping. In terms of duration helping state the mood, the constant triplets drive the frequent modulations of the piece as it switches between the characters. Subtle decrescendos and crescendos are used in intending to create suspense throughout the piece and other various dynamics such as forte and pianissimo are used to convey the mood of the characters. Tone colour and pitch work together in a way to express the characters feelings during substitution of the characters. The vocalist who sings all 4 parts tends to change the pitch of his voice, depending on the character as well as the piano part following, changing whenever the character does as well. The left hand of the piano part introduces a low register leitmotif composed of successive triplets that is directly associated with the Elf King and occasionally occurs throughout the piece. Composed quite unusually, the Elf King remains in a major mode for a specific reason and that is because he is trying to persuade the son into giving up on life. However through the son, we see that each time he speaks the music goes into minor mode conveying the fact that he is fearful of the elf king. In terms of harmonic structure, Der Erlkönig is a through-composed piece, meaning that with each line of text there is new music. However while the same melodic motifs occur, the harmonic structure is changing constantly and the piece modulates within the characters. |