Schubert Songs for soprano: PART II

Exploring the Beauty of Schubert’s Music for Sopranos

Franz Schubert’s music is renowned for its unparalleled beauty and immense rewards, especially when it comes to vocal performances. For sopranos, though, there lies a dilemma that deserves exploration.

A Soprano’s Schubert Challenge

Picture this: you excitedly open up the first volume of the 200 Schubert Songs anthology, specifically curated for high voices, only to be greeted by two monumental and widely recognized song cycles – Die Schöne Müllerin and Winterreise. The twist? These cycles were originally crafted with male voices in mind.

Uncovering the Origins

The reason behind this conundrum can be traced back to Franz Schubert’s close association with Johann Michael Vogl, an aging yet extraordinarily expressive baritone. Remarkably, Schubert composed these iconic song cycles specifically for Vogl’s voice. Consequently, even when transposed to a higher key, these songs lean towards a more suitable range for male voices.

Embracing Soprano lirico leggero

Luckily, there are many fine Schubert songs for soprano voice. Here, we are focusing on those songs which are particularly useful for light, high soprano voice (lirico leggero).

Crafting a Schubert Lieder Program–for Sopranos!

Let’s look at a possible program of Schubert Lieder for soprano lirico leggero. You might be surprised at what you find!

PROGRAM: PART II

Gretchen am Spinnrade D. 118, No. 2
Lachen und Weinen, D. 777
Der Musensohn, D. 764

4 Gesänge aus “Wilhelm Meister”, D. 877

No. 4: Lied der Mignon (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt)
No. 2: Lied der Mignon (1) (Heiβ mich nicht reden)
No. 3: Lied der Mignon (2) (So lasst mich scheinen)
Mignons Gesang (Kennst du das Land), D. 321 [Note: choose original key = A-major]

Suleika I, D 720

************************************

Gretchen am Spinnrade

(Click here to go to top.)
Metronome marking:

Tonic note pitch:

ACCOMPANIMENT ONLY:

Also . . .[a little slower . . .]

Also . . .[even more slow . . .]

FULL PERFORMANCE:

************************************

Lachen und Weinen

(Click here to go to top.)
Metronome marking:

Tonic note pitch:

***

Lachen und Weinen

[HIGH VOICE]
DICTION TAPE:

Also . . . [in greater detail, but partial only tape]

ACCOMPANIMENT ONLY:

FULL PERFORMANCE:

************************************

Der Musensohn

(Click here to go to top.)
Metronome marking:

Tonic note pitch:

ACCOMPANIMENT ONLY:

FULL PERFORMANCE:

************************************

No. 4: Lied der Mignon (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt)

(Click here to go to top.)
Metronome marking:

Tonic note pitch:

ACCOMPANIMENT ONLY:

FULL PERFORMANCE:

************************************ ************************************

************************************