Composer

:

Hugo Wolf

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1878

'Nach dem Abschiede' is a song cycle composed by Hugo Wolf in 1888. The premiere of the cycle took place in Vienna in 1890. The cycle consists of five movements, each of which is a setting of a poem by Eduard Mörike. The first movement, 'Erstes Liebeslied eines Mädchens', is a tender and innocent expression of a young girl's first love. The second movement, 'Der Tambour', is a dramatic and intense portrayal of a soldier's farewell to his lover. The third movement, 'Das verlassene Mägdlein', is a melancholic and haunting depiction of a maid who has been abandoned by her lover. The fourth movement, 'Gesang Weylas', is a passionate and emotional expression of a lover's longing for his beloved. The final movement, 'Nimmersatte Liebe', is a bitter and ironic commentary on the nature of love and desire. The cycle is characterized by Wolf's use of chromaticism and dissonance to convey the emotional intensity of the poems. The piano accompaniment is also highly expressive, with frequent changes in texture and dynamics to reflect the mood of the text. The vocal line is often highly ornamented, with frequent use of melisma and other decorative techniques. Overall, 'Nach dem Abschiede' is a powerful and emotionally charged song cycle that showcases Wolf's mastery of the art song genre. Its combination of expressive vocal writing and virtuosic piano accompaniment make it a challenging and rewarding work for performers and listeners alike.

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