In 1816, Franz Schubert and his friends planned to publish a collection of all his songs, grouped by poet, a concept followed by The Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition.
Cultural Impact
The poetry of the Biedermeier period, which Schubert set to music, focused on everyday joys and sorrows and private feelings of well-being, sometimes with humor and gentle irony, and is intellectually related to the paintings of Carl Spitzweg.
Historical Context
The poetry set by Schubert's friends often contained coded meanings, expressing commentary on real-life conditions through nature imagery and mythological themes, as open criticism was suppressed after the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15.
Composer Biography
Schubert's mother gave birth to fourteen children, but only five reached adulthood, a common survival rate that influenced the 'all is good' sentiment in some of his lullabies, reflecting anxious hope rather than certainty.
Performer Biography
Ulrich Eisenlohr, the pianist on this album, is the Artistic Advisor for the entire Naxos complete Schubert Lieder series and has taught Lieder classes at the Mannheim Musikhochschule since 1982.
Compositional Technique
Schubert's settings of his friends' poems often reveal intellectual qualities in the music that were hidden behind the poets' technical clumsiness or grandiloquent language.
