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Essay comparing and contrasting two 19th century German art songs

The songs or lieders made by Hugo Wolf and Franz Schubert , although of the same origin , are brief history , the song is from the poem Do you know the land where the lemon trees bloom ' and is written as a part of the novel Wilhelm Meister 's Apprenticeship . This was the script for the actor of Mignon , a lady whom Wilhelm encounters on his travels . The two composers perfectly created a melody each distinct from each other , showing their vast differences in terms of style , knowledge , and even understanding of the poem itself

. In listening and discerning these pieces , one must understand the two composers had different theories and practices pertaining to composition . This would help in understanding the songs even better

A very noticeable fact , even for first time listeners would be the difference in the overall structure of the songs . Franz Schubert 's song seems to be composed of two main parts , a verse followed by a chorus then repeated again for a number of times . But it can 't be helped to notice that the chorus is of a different mood , and to the preceding verse . The verses have hints of sorrow , and mystery to it while the chorus is almost like a jolly tune in terms of melody and rhythm . Hugo Wolf 's piece on the other hand was slow , mellow and dark all throughout . The whole song also seemed to flow continually , with different melodies happening every time . There was still a chorus type of part , which was repeated for about three times during the song . But unlike Schubert 's contrasting themes , Wolf 's chorus only intensified the dark and minor theme of the song

In Wolf 's composition , the use of a very thick texture is dominant in the chorus . The piano plays the bass part heavily , while his use of the hamper pedal occasionally brings up a very striking minor melody . It is also more chromatic compared to Schubert 's , which is predominantly diatonic . On Schubert 's side , there is a lesser change of texture during the parts of the song , but more on rhythm change . There are some instances however , like when the chorus ends , where a very appropriate change in volume occurs that signifies the end of that part . Although the sudden return of the verse gives away the sense of texture that could have occurred . In a whole , Schubert 's song seemed to be played straightforward , but his change of mood gives the listener a type of excitement

The two songs also differ greatly in the vocal parts sung by the singer In Schubert 's arrangement , the voice seems to be very to the piano 's melody . Almost as if the piano was playing the exact melody the singer is singing . There is also less change in power , but more of , as said earlier rhythm change . The singer shifts from legato lines to staccato-like phrases beautifully but keeps her volume and projection at an almost constant level , except for...

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