Romantic Songs

Overview

The Romantic period in music lasted from around 1820-1900. A popular type of song from this period is the Lied (pl. Lieder), which is a solo song (accompanied by piano) that is usually set to German poetry. Composers sometimes wrote songs in sets, called song cycles. The words were taken from a group of related poems, usually all by the same poet. Lieder were originally performed in confined settings such as to a small audience in a private house, but today are usually heard in a concert hall.

The three main Lieder composers are Schubert, Schumann and Brahms.


Key Features

  • Solo voice and piano 
  • Texts that are often based on emotional themes, such as love, sadness, loss or anger. 
  • A melody and accompaniment texture. 
  • A strophic structure (in which each verse is set to the same music) or a through-composed structure (each verse is set to different music). 
  • Music that reflects the mood and emotions conveyed in the song, for example: 
    • Streams of fast notes to depict a river 
    • Steady crotchets to suggest walking 
    • An unaccompanied vocal phrase to suggest loneliness or grief 
    • Trills to illustrate birdsong 

Test Yourself

  • What is the difference between a strophic and through-composed form?
  • What is a song cycle?
  • Name two well-known composers of Lieder.
  • What is the accompanying instrument used in Lieder?
  • In what type of venue were Lieder originally performed?
  • What is the most common texture found in Lieder?

Additional Links

BBC Bitesize - Lieder


Examples

‘Das Wandern’ by Schubert

Listen out for: 

  • The instrumentation (male voice and piano).
  • The German text.
  • The melody and accompaniment texture.
  • The strophic structure.
  • The texture of the piano accompaniment (continuous semiquavers in the right hand, quavers in the left hand): this reflects the water flowing through the mill.
  • The piano interludes between the verses.
  • The entirely diatonic setting that stays in the same key throughout.

‘Therese’ by Brahms

Listen out for:

  • The instrumentation (female voice and piano).
  • The German text.
  • The AAB structure (after the intro there are two verses with a strophic structure followed by one verse set to a different melody).
  • The changes to the texture of the piano accompaniment from verse to verse:
    • The first moves with the melody to create a homophonic texture.
    • The second uses quaver movement in the right hand.
    • In the third verse the chords become fuller and are syncopated.