Kennst du das land analysis

The first record of Wilhelm Meister was made in Goethe‟s diary on February 16, 1777.10 The books were published by Unger in 5 Scott Goddard, “Beethoven and Goethe,” Music and Letters 8, no. With this gender duality Mignon symbolizes two of mans natures. People are unsure based on her appearance and mannerisms whether she was male or female. It is likely that Schubert was the closest out of these five composers to Goethe‟s intentions for the piece.

Mignon discovers that she is the result of an incestuous relationship between the Harper and her mother, who is also his sister, 11 Lorraine Byrne, Schubert’s Goethe Settings (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2003), 246. Jane K. Brown, “In the Beginning was Poetry,” in The Cambridge Companion to the Lied, ed.

Arnold, Ben. “Songs and Melodramas.” In The Liszt Companion, edited by Ben Arnold, 403-438. His perhaps strays the farthest from what Goethe would have intended for this song. The verses are a very straight 2/4 rhythm which abruptly shifts into a smooth 6/8 pattern with longer, smoother melodies. This is more than any of the other poems drawn from the same novel, Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre.19 It is a rhythmical parody of the English ballad Summer by James Thomson in 1746.

Though, he does illustrate some direct word painting. Following a four-bar piano introduction, the vocal line naturally takes over the lead in beat 2 of measure four. A.H. Fox Strangways, “The Songs in „Wilhelm Meister‟,” Music and Letters 23, no. Come with Me!21 Despite the popularity of this poem and the musical settings of it, its meaning remains elusive.

“Reflections on Beethoven‟s Songs.” The Musical Times 68, no. Furthermore, a composer should regard the idiosyncrasy of the music.”8 He also believed that the music should only be in place as a modest embellishment of the poem. 14 A.H. Fox Strangways, “The Songs in „Wilhelm Meister‟,” Music and Letters 23, no.

25 Carol Kimball, Song: A Guide to Style and Literature (Redmond, WA: PST…INC, 2000), 31.