Schubert's song cycles


Franz Schubert's best known song cycles, like Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise are based on separate poems with a common theme and narrative. Other song cycles are based on consecutive excerpts of the same literary work: Schubert's "Ave Maria" is part of such a song cycle based on excerpts of the same poem, in this case by Walter Scott.
When the poems of a group of songs have a common link, and are for this reason grouped under a single Deutsch number, but there is no common narrative, the collection is rather qualified as a song set than a song cycle. Some of Schubert's song cycles contain both Lieder for solo voice as well as part songs. There is, however, always a piano accompaniment.

''Don Gayseros''

D 93, Song cycle Don Gayseros for voice and piano ; lyrics from The Magic Ring by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué:

''Gesänge des Harfners aus "Wilhelm Meister"''

Gesänge des Harfners aus "Wilhelm Meister", 478 is a song cycle for voice and piano, first published in 1822 as Op. 12. The texts of the cycle derived from Goethe's Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship.
  1. "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt"
  2. "Wer nie sein Brot mit Tränen aß", formerly D 480
  3. "An die Türen will ich schleichen", formerly D 479
Alternative settings and versions of the "Harfenspieler" texts:
  • "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt":
  • * D 325 "Harfenspieler"
  • * D 478 "Harfenspieler I"
  • "An die Türen will ich schleichen":
  • * D 478 "Harfenspieler II"
  • "Wer nie sein Brot mit Tränen aß":
  • * D 478 "Harfenspieler III"

''Vier Canzonen''

D 688, Song cycle Vier Canzonen for voice and piano :

''Die schöne Müllerin''

Op. 25 – D 795, Song cycle Die schöne Müllerin for voice and piano :
D 795, alternative versions:

Seven songs from Walter Scott's ''Lady of the Lake''

Op. 52, Sieben Gesänge aus Walter Scotts "Fräulein am See" :

Two scenes from the play "Lacrimas"

Op. posth. 124 – D 857, Two songs Zwei Szenen aus dem Schauspiel "Lacrimas" for voice and piano :

''Vier Refrainlieder''

Op. 95 – D 866, Song cycle Vier Refrainlieder for voice and piano :

Songs from ''Wilhelm Meister''

Op. 62 – D 877, Song cycle Gesänge aus "Wilhelm Meister" :
D 877, alternative versions:

Three songs

Op. 83 – D 902, "Drei Gesänge" for bass and piano :

''Winterreise''

Op. 89 – D 911, Song cycle Winterreise for voice and piano :
D 911, alternative versions:

''Schwanengesang''

D 957, Not a song cycle, but a collection compiled by the publisher. 13 Lieder nach Gedichten von Rellstab und Heine for voice and piano. The first seven songs of the cycle are on poems by Ludwig Rellstab, the next six on poems by Heinrich Heine. "Die Taubenpost" on a poem by Johann Gabriel Seidl, presumably the last song Schubert composed, was added to the cycle by the publisher.

''Auf den wilden Wegen''

Auf den wilden Wegen: songs from the Poetisches Tagebuch of Ernst Schulze is musician Graham Johnson's proposal to group Schubert's ten settings of poems from Ernst Schulze's Poetisches Tagebuch in a single song cycle:
  1. D 853 – "Auf der Bruck"
  2. D 862 – "Um Mitternacht"
  3. D 874 – "O Quell, was strömst du rasch und wild"
  4. D 861 – "Der liebliche Stern"
  5. D 876 – "Im Jänner 1817 "
  6. D 834 – "Im Walde"
  7. D 882 – "Im Frühling"
  8. D 883 – "Lebensmut"
  9. D 884 – "Über Wildemann"
  10. D 860 – "An mein Herz"