Franz Schubert composed the Erlking in 1815. The song was based on the poem Erlkönig written in 1782 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The composition was initially designed to be performed by a vocal soloist and a piano, which not only provided the accompaniment but also was considered to play in partnership with the vocalist. However, some variations of the song are performed by four soloists. The Erlking falls under a through-composed German lied. Lied are composed of two primary forms: music performed in strophic, where the same melody is repeated in each verse and music that is through-composed, where a change of tune is heard in each verse.
The Erlking is considered an example of programme music, as it tells the story of a boy riding together with his father on a horse. On their way home, they are confronted by the Erlking, a supernatural being that lures children with crafted temptations to their despair. The fearful boy speaks to his father, who fails to see the Erlking. Later on, the Erlking harms the boy leading the father to increase his horse's pace, but the son dies when they reach home.
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The four characters present in the song, fill it with tension and drama. Franz assigns each character a unique melody and varying rhythms (Schwarm, 2019) . The narrator's verse is heard to sound in middle range pitch although the piece is played in minor, the father's part is performed in a low range, although the performer performs the melody in both minor and major modes. The son’s verse is performed in a high pitch minor mode while his tune follows a minor path. Furthermore, the Erlking's vocal line is achieved with softer dynamics and feels in the primary mode with the melody swinging up and down.
The composition portrays the theme of death which is depicted by the loss of a boys’ life at the end of the song. Love is another motif shown by the father when he harries to deliver his son home. Apart from the unique melodies and changes in dynamics, word painting is another musical design used in this composition. At the start of the song, the piano plays rapid triplets to create a sense of agency and portrays the horse's movement. The high notes represent the boy's cries, while his fears are described by the increasing pitches which are louder with each verse. An increase in tempo before the end of the song signifies the father trying to spur his horse to go faster.
The Erlking falls under music composed during the romantic period. Music developed during this era was characterized by specific features like most of the compositions of the romantic period lacked a defined design and form as they were more personal and emotional. The Erlking isn’t exceptional to this characteristic as it carries varied emotions of fear and love. The piece also requires a high standard of technical virtuosity while performing due to the needed vocal characterization of the vocalist (Fuller, 2010) . Furthermore, the rapidly repeated chords and octaves that create the drama and urgency make the accompaniment hard to perform by the pianist.
The song also contains a lot of dramatic contrast of dynamics and pitch a unique characteristic of romantic music. The Erlking's verses perfectly depict this characteristic by the coy melodies that sound in major which represent how the erlking ties to entice the boy. Also, a contrast in pitch is evident by the boy's cries to his father sung in crescendo while the father’s verses are sung in a low pitch to represent his reassurance that there is no Elking when the boy cries to him. This song is farther characterized by the strong sense of attraction to nature embodied in the music by the father and his son moving through the woods. Lastly, the Erlking's melody possesses a strong nationalistic feel as the melodies sound close to Scandinavian folk songs.
References
Fuller, R. (2010, February 15). Characteristics of music from the romantic era . Retrieved from RPFuller: https://www.rpfuller.com/gcse/music/romantic.html
Schwarm, B. (2019, September 20). Erlkönig . Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Erlkonig
