Camba, Andrea Melisa R.

Winterreise
music by Franz Schubert
poetry by Wilhelm Muller
Gute Nacht (Good Night)
Its very wise for Schubert to start with this poem. The very first line of the text, I came here a
stranger, As a stranger I depart, already hooks the listeners interest. Why start with a good
night? Why start with goodbye? My curiosity as a listener is already heightened in these two
simple phrases. The music drifts from minor (describing his present unhappy state) to major
mode (illustrating his happy thoughts with the love of his life). The last three lines make a
perfect conclusion to the first song in the cycle, closing the music, as well as the wanderers
monologue of his languish.
Die Wetterfahne (The weather-vane)
The introduction of the accompaniment paints an atmosphere where the wind blows and plays
with the weather-vane. The strong wind is a clear parallelism to the wanderers conflict in
regards to how and what he feels for the girl that he is in-love with. The unison passages of
piano and voice are very effective in evoking the chill of the wind together with the wanderers
never-still and ever changing affections.
Gefrorne Trnen (Frozen tears)
The third song starts with drip-drops of water (or probably the tears of the wanderer)the
accompaniment less in legato passages but is dominant with staccato passages that paint the
text perfectly. Also, I really love how the poetry describes the wanderers languish indirectly. The
fact that the tears are already frozen, and that he almost didnt notice that he is already weeping
show how his deep affections had turned him numbfrozen like winters ice.
Erstarrung (Numbness)
Erstarrung, I think is an extension of the emotional content of the previous song in the cycle. He
describes the world around him as dead, like his frozen heart. The troubled mind and heart of
the wanderer is reflected in the tensed and disconnected piano accompaniment.
Der Lindenbaum (The linden tree)
This particular song actually confuses me a bit. I am not too sure if this is a song that pulls out a
bit of hope from the wanderers heart since the calming, almost-like-a-lullaby character of the
music is dominating. But then Schubert introduces passages of conflictwhich is very
contradicting. Though, I think that the fifth song is like a big reminiscence of the protagonist
under the tree where he had sweet memories of his love.

Wasserflut (Flood)
The song describes sadness of the protagonist, together with his forever longing to the love of
his life. What is beautiful here is that the text used naturethe brook, ice, wind, grass, etcto
reflect the emotions that fuels this particular piece. The accompaniment gives off an eerie
feeling that adds to the delicate pain in the wanderers heart.
Auf Dem Flusse (On the river)
The song opens with a tip-toing feel which gives off a very sneaky, mysterious character. Very
much the same with the text of the previous songs, the river covered in ice describes the turmoil
that cloaks his entirety. The song is in minor, drifts to major, then returns to the minor mode
again, using these tonalities to paint the wanderers troubled heart.
Rckblick (A backward glance)
The musicboth accompaniment and vocal linepaints a rush of nostalgia as the wanderer
leaves the town. I really liked that the piece ended with a small ritardando as it suggests the
longing of the protagonist to turn back time, go back and relive his memories with the girl he so
longs for.
Irrlicht (Will-o-the-wisp)
The shadowy atmosphere is illustrated in the dark musical lines. The ascending contour of the
melody that is constantly echoed by the piano represent the flickering light of the will-o-the-wisp
that directs his miseries to the grave; as written in the text.
Rast (Rest)
The word painting in this particular song is very direct. The dragging feeling of the music
obviously shows the tiredness of the wanderer in different aspectsphysically, emotionally and
mentallyand his longing for rest.
Frhlingstraum (Dream of Spring)
This is one of my favorite songs from the cycle probably because it is an intermission from the
dark, depressing character of the previous ones. Although the mode alternates from major to
minor, the opening theme gave a strong impression which definitely gave a different flavor. The
battle of reality and the wanderers dream-state is cleared depicted by the music through the
changing of colors in tonality and the weight of musical tension. It definitely triggered my
interest as a listener.
Einsamkeit (Loneliness)
The depressing character of the wanderer once again appears and is emphasized in the songs
slow tempo. There is really no major difference in terms of context in the textbasically it still
describes the agony and pain that he is in.

Die Post (The mail-coach)

The upbeat tone of Die Post describes the racing heartbeat of the wanderer as he reminisce
once again of his sweetheart. I somehow felt a sense of hope in this song but since the last line
of the song is a question (My heart?), the emotional flow of the protagonist is still very much
uncertain.
Der Greise Kopf (The hoary head)
This song gave me a feel of a funeral procession. The long, draggy passages correlate with the
text describing the wanderers thoughts on his youth, aging and the reality that he still has a
long way to go before he reach his end.
Die Krhe (The crow)
It seems that in this song, the wanderer has accepted his miserable fate and is just waiting for
his death. The piano accompaniment in the high register is a haunting contrast to the vocal line
in the low register. The circular motion of the piano movement gives the picture of the crow that
flies high in the sky parallel to the wanderer who is cradled by the earth.
Letzte Hoffnung (Last hope)
The wanderers hope is like the hanging leaf that is about to fall. There is a very clear picture of
the falling leaves in the piano accompaniment of the piece.
Im Dorfe (In the village)
Again, the barking of the dogs is very evident in the piano accompaniment. Here, the
emotional tension of the wanderer continues to rise, all hopes gone. I am finished with all my
dreams. Why should I linger among the sleepers?
Der Strmische Morgen (The stormy morning)
The piano intro immediately sets the stormy atmosphere. The vocal lines in fortissimo together
with the accompaniment suggest the angry heavens are in unison with his raging heart.
Tuschung (Delusion)
A spark of hope is again introduced in this song through the illusions of the lights. It is refreshing
to hear the music in a major key againdefinitely a good breather after a series of heavy
emotions.
Der Wegweiser (The signpost)
Of course, as I have guessed, the flow of the storyline returns to the hurt and misery of the
protagonist. Although there were passages in major, the context is still pretty much the same
with the previous songshe already gave up and is ready to walk towards his death. The
consistent chordal accompaniment (in quarter notes if Im not mistaken) illustrates the footsteps
of the wanderer as he travels to a road from which no one ever returned.

Das Wirtshaus (The inn)

The wanderer reaches a graveyard that signals him to a nearby inn which is unfortunately it full
already. He just walked away with a heavy heart and decided to not pursue his journey
anymore. His depression is illustrated in the music very clearlythe slow tempo and long legato
lines were great devices that contributed to the effectiveness of this particular song.
Mut (Courage!)
The wanderer faces a personal conflict. A part of him gains courage that wants to overtake the
miserable feeling that dominates him. A consistent change in minor and major tonalities takes
place to illustrate the battle of his sentiments.
Die Nebensonnen (The False suns)
The melancholic melody of the piano introduction sets the mood of the wanderers longing for
his love. According to the poetry, he sees three suns, two of them (the girls eyes) have set
already. He ended with a depressing note. I will feel better in the dark.
Der Leiermann (The organ grinder)
The last song introduces a new character: the organ grinder. The drone in the piano marks the
emptiness that embodies the man and his music. A question whether the wanderer will go with
the organ grinder or not ends the entire cycle.