German Art Songs Selection - (Full 2 Volumes)

Author: Cao Jin, Gao Xiaodong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Art songs are like a small flower in the vast wilderness, their romantic aura and poetic warmth leaving a lingering impression, captivating the senses. They originated in Europe and primarily developed in the German and Austrian regions, hence acquiring a German name—Lieder. Tracing their developmental lineage, composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven had already written some art songs by the late 18th century. However, it was not until the early 19th century, during the era of Schubert, that art songs truly took shape. This Austrian composer, who created over 600 songs in his lifetime, imbued art songs with a new essence: the perfect fusion of music and poetry, an organic integration of piano and vocal parts, and the pioneering of various compositional forms such as strophic songs, through-composed songs, and Lieder for cantatas. Under his influence, a host of exceptionally talented composers like Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, Strauss, Reger, and Schoenberg further enriched art songs with countless masterpieces across different periods.
Based on years of study and research into art songs, the editor has compiled and annotated selected treasures from the German Lieder repertoire, arranging them in chronological order by composer. This book not only provides word-for-word and line-by-line translations of each song but also includes detailed background information on their creation and performance suggestions. It serves as a systematic reference for musicians engaged in the study and performance of art songs, offering valuable guidance for both teaching and learning.