Schubert's "The Fair Maid of the Mill" is an emotional drama told exclusively from the miller boy's subjective view, where his infatuation develops into psychopathic hallucinations.
Compositional Technique
Schubert's "The Fair Maid of the Mill" uses folk-like melodies and wave-like movements in the music to create a pastoral mood, with the brook describing the mill setting.
Historical Context
The story of "The Fair Maid of the Mill" can be traced back to Giovanni Paisiello's opera "La Molinara," which became a sensation in Germany in 1793 as a singspiel.
Recording & Production
The arrangement of "The Fair Maid of the Mill" on this album was commissioned by tenor Klaus Florian Vogt and premiered on March 24, 2019, at the Elbphilharmonie.
Composition History
Schubert's two 'real' song cycles, "Die schöne Müllerin" (composed 1824) and "Die Winterreise" (composed 1827), are both based on poems by Wilhelm Müller.
Composer Biography
Franz Schubert composed "The Fair Maid of the Mill" in 1823 during a period of social isolation and deep hopelessness, after contracting syphilis, an incurable disease at the time.
Critical Reception
Schubert's "The Fair Maid of the Mill" had its full premiere only in 1856, as a cycle of twenty songs was unprecedented in 1823, and there were initial reservations about the miller boy's character.
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