Listening Exercise

Listen to “Gretchen am Spinnrade” several times before beginning this exercise (make sure you look at the text and translation). Then prepare answers for the questions.

QUESTIONS: ( 300 WORDS EACH)
Why does Schubert repeat the beginning of the song at the end?
Describe how difference in mood between the first stanza (“Meine ruh is hin . . .” and the fourth (“Sein hoher gang . . .”).
Identify the musical element or elements that emphasize this difference of mood?
What would you identify as the most dramatic moment in the song? Where is it? (Identify the word in the text where the moment occurs, not the time indication.) What musical elements does Schubert employ in order to heighten the drama of this moment?
What is the form of this song, and what might account for Schubert’s choice to set the poem with this form?
TEXT AND TRANSLATION
https://sites.google.com/site/edwardlein/Home/translations/schubert-goethe-gretchen-am-spinnrade (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

YOUTUBE LINK TO SONG
Schubert: Gretchen am spinnrade”, op.2, D.118 – Te Kanawa (Links to an external site.)

Solution Preview

1. Schubert repeats the beginning of the song at the end to emphasize on the flow of the art as well as to show that there is a strong connection between the beginning of the song and the end of it. Schubert uses this skill to remind the audience how important the end of the song is just as its beginning in terms of understanding the flow of the song, the author’s skills in composing the song, and the meaning behind the tonal variation. Again Schubert wants the audience to appreciate the uniqueness of the song as well as having an understanding of the reasons behind why he composed it, and by repeating the beginning of the song at the end a listener is able to connect and appreciate the uniqueness of the song and most especially the skills behind it being composed.

(1,539 words)