Transcript Info for Gute Nachtx

AOS 2: Shared Music
Romantic Songs - Lieder
Gute Nacht
(Good Night)
from the song cycle
Winterreise
(Winter Journey)
by Franz Schubert
(a Romantic period composer)
The singer has
been rejected by
his girlfriend. He
leaves her in the
dead of night and
walks alone
through the snow,
never to return.
Key Features of Lieder
• Voice and piano.
• The words often tell a story in a dramatic and emotional way.
• The voice and piano work together as equal musical partners.
• The piano accompanies the singer but also helps to tell the story
by creating a mood and reflecting the words through motifs and
musical ideas.
• Motifs can represent extra-musical ideas / emotions.
• The voice and piano work together as equal musical partners
• Schubert is the most famous composer of Lieder.
Winterreise is a song cycle of 24 songs for
voice and piano (performed by 2 musicians).
The mood is dark and somber
How do the piano and singer work together in Gute Nacht?
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Piano begins with an introduction – a sad sounding descending phrase (in a minor key) sets the mood
This introductory phrase becomes the main tune when the singer comes in
Quiet, repeating chords create a pulsing accompaniment in a minor key (later goes to major but then back to minor)
Singer takes the melodic lead
Piano accompanies using chords but also has its own tune (countermelody) in places
The piano has short interludes between some of the vocal phrases and stanzas (verses)
The piano and voice get louder and quieter together for dramatic effect
The piano finishes the song on its own. The music dies away in a minor key, giving a sense of despair and loneliness.