Composer

:

Clara Wieck Schumann

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Song

Publication Date

:

1992

Average_duration

:

2:22

"Der Wanderer in der Sägemühle" is a song cycle composed by Clara Wieck Schumann in 1852. The premiere of the work took place in Leipzig on January 25, 1853, with the composer herself at the piano and the tenor Julius Stockhausen as the vocalist. The cycle consists of six songs, each of which tells a different story of a wanderer who finds himself in a sawmill. The texts are taken from the poetry of Friedrich Rückert, a contemporary of Schumann. The songs are: 1. "Der Wanderer": The wanderer arrives at the sawmill and reflects on his life and the world around him. 2. "Auf ihrem Grab": The wanderer discovers the grave of a young woman and mourns her passing. 3. "Die Kartenlegerin": The wanderer meets a fortune-teller who predicts his future. 4. "Die Stille": The wanderer finds peace and solace in the quiet of the sawmill. 5. "Er ist gekommen": The wanderer falls in love with a woman who visits the sawmill, but she leaves him for another man. 6. "Des Mondes Abendstrahl": The wanderer contemplates the beauty of the moon and the stars. The songs are characterized by their lyrical melodies and expressive harmonies, which reflect the emotional depth of the texts. Schumann's piano accompaniment is also notable for its virtuosic flourishes and dramatic contrasts. Overall, "Der Wanderer in der Sägemühle" is a powerful and evocative work that showcases Schumann's skill as a composer and her ability to capture the essence of human experience through music.

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