Narrative in the Music of "Der Erlkönig"

In Franz Schubert's setting of Goethe's poem "Der Erlkönig" we can see clearly the dramatic capabilities of music itself. Schubert, in many ways, mimics and complements the drama of the text in his music. Even with no clue as to what is happening in the text, it is very possible for the listener to get a sense as to what is going on dramatically. This is particularly relevant to those of us who do not know German (and the luxury of a translation is absent) and we must solely rely on the music to narrate the drama. Schubert uses a variety of rhetorical devices that conducts its own related plot along side that of Goethe.

Schubert, at the beginning of "Erlkönig," sets the mood for the poem by visualizing the first stanza ("Who rides so late through night and wind?... a father with his child... clasps him tight..."). It begins in g minor driven by incessant triplets in the right hand of the piano, reflecting the urgency of the galloping hooves, and a sinister and eerie motif in the left hand that provides form and unity to the piece. The piano accompaniment is the foundation for the entire song and is the vehicle that takes us from character to character, key to key, and stanza to stanza.

One of the more unique things about the text itself is that it encompasses 4 different voices (narrator, father, son, & Erlkönig). To differentiate between these characters with a single voice (Singstimme) Schubert exploits the range of the singer, the piano accompaniment, and intervallic gestures. For instance, we can sense that the son is speaking when the singer wails in the high range and frequently sings agonizing melodic half-steps in phrases. Likewise, if the piano accompaniment lightens up and becomes more fluid in a brighter key (major) and the singing consists of fluid rising-falling gestures, then the listener is safe to assume that this is the voice of Erlkönig.

As a result of character changes, progression in the drama, and overall expectation for a piece of music to have contrasting/interesting material, "Der Erlkönig" experiences a number of key areas via the continuous triplets in the piano. These key areas do not linger for very long and are defined by their cadences (perfect-authentic cadences...). It was a delight to discover that the progression of keys in this song actually spell out the sinister motif that distinguishes this piece so well (i-III-IV-v-VI-v-i).

It is quite fun to find all the little tricks and subtleties that Schubert incorporates into his Lieder (German art songs) writing in order to reflect the drama of the text and/or create its own narrative. There are many more which I have not mentioned here so have a listen:

music/video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8noeFpdfWcQ

score:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig,_D.328_%28Op.1%29_%28Schubert,_Franz%29