This document provides short analyses of 14 of Schubert's songs, summarizing their musical qualities and emotional themes. It describes songs like "Der Jüngling an der Quelle" as contrasting simplicity with perfection, and "Abendstern" as expressing resigned sadness through epigrammatic sharpness. Other songs discussed include "Schlaflied", praised for its purity and balance, and "Im Abendrot", featuring expressive harmonic inflections while essentially sounding in Ab major. The analyses draw from John Reed's 1997 book "The Schubert Song Companion".

1. Schubert’s
Style of Song, Pt. III

2. Der Jüngling an
d e r Q u e l l e
[S p r i n g o f Yo u t h ]
(A-major, D300) “Seems
t o e n c a p s u l a t e
S ch u b e r t’s g en i u s ,
contrasting simplicity
of i n g r ed i e nts and
rounded perfection of
the whole. A song of
s u c h s u b t l e t y a n d
g r a c e , i t d e f i e s
a n a l y s i s . ” §

3. Abendster n
[Evening Star]
(a-minor, D806)
“The mood of
resigned
sadness and
isolation is
[highlighted
with]
epigrammatic
sharpness
keeping the
harmonic
modulations
with the range
of the tonic.” §

4. Schlaflied [Lullaby] (F-major, D527) “Its
purity of style and perfection of form is
unsurpassed. Melodic and harmonic
i n t e r e s t i s e v e n l y d i s t r i b u t e d
a n d p e r f e c t l y b a l a n c e d . ” §

5. Die Götter Griechenlands [The Greek
Gods] (a-minor, D677) “A lament for the Romantic
imagination, it expresses the sense of longing,
a n d e m p h a s i z e s i t s n o s t a l g i c a p p e a l ;
a l o c u s c l a s s i c u s . ” §

6. Am See [By the Lake] (Eb-major, D746) “A smoothly
rocking figure runs through every bar of this barcarolle, and the
long flowing melody is carried along on this figure like a boat
rocking lazily on the waves. The lingering appoggiaturas
[(longings)] mirror the eternity of a summer day.” §

7. W a n d e r e r s
N a c h t l i e d I I
[ Travelers' Night-
Song II] (Bb-major,
D 7 6 8 ) “ I t
progresses from
outward calm to
i n n e r p e a c e ,
b a l a n c i n g
external sensory
impressions with
contempl ati on .
S e r e n i t y i s
suggested by a
series of simple
c h o r d s . ” §

8. I h r G r a b
[ H e r G r a v e ]
( E b - m a j o r, D 7 3 6 )
“With dignity and
compassion, the
c u r r e n t o f
e m o t i o n r u n s
d e e p b u t i s
firmly controlled
and the feeling
i s n e a r t h e
s u r fa c e . T h e
s o n g e n d s o n
a n o t e o f
reassurance.” §

9. Meeres Stille [Flat Sea] (C-major, D216)
“Frankly impressionistic, the glassy calm of the
waters is expressed in music which scarcely
moves: 32 arpeggio chords succeed each other
so slowly as to convey the effect of total calm
with strangely disquieting modulations.” §

10. V o m
Mitleiden
M a r i ä
[Mar y’s Pity]
(g - m i n o r, D 6 3 2 )
“ S c h u b e r t
w r i t i n g l i k e
Bach in a most
d e e p l y f e l t
‘spiritual song’
in pure linear
t h r e e - p a r t
counterpoint.Ӥ

11. Im Abendrot [Sunset Glow] (Ab-major, D799)
“Essentially a continuous sounding of the tonality
o f A b - m a j o r , i t f e a t u r e s e x p r e s s i v e
h a r m o n i c i n f l e c t i o n s . ” §

12. § All quotations from:
John Reed The Schubert Song Companion
1997 Palgrave New York.