Friday 23 April 2010
Tune of the Day: Furcht der Geliebten (An Cidli)
by Franz Schubert
This song is based on a poem by Friedrich Klopstock, in which the poet writes about the love of his own life, Margarethe Moller, whom he called Meta and, in poems, Cidli. This poem dates from 1753, the year before he married her.
In 1815 Franz Schubert set the poem to music, and the result is a wonderful fusion of styles and emotions. The main melody of the piece is sensual and loving, while the piano accompaniment is almost hymn-like in its choral progression. Yet both these seemingly contradictory elements fit effortlessly together.