Composer

:

Hanns Eisler

Genre

:

Vocal

Compose Date

:

ca. 1917

Average_duration

:

8:07

Movement_count

:

6

Movement ....

Galgenlieder von Christian Morgenstern is a song cycle composed by Hanns Eisler in 1931. The premiere of the work took place in Berlin on January 22, 1932, with the composer himself at the piano and the baritone Ernst Busch as the soloist. The cycle consists of 14 songs, each of which sets a poem from Christian Morgenstern's collection of the same name. The Galgenlieder (Gallows Songs) are a collection of darkly humorous and satirical poems that explore themes of death, mortality, and the absurdity of life. Eisler's settings of these poems are characterized by their spare, angular melodies, dissonant harmonies, and rhythmic complexity. The piano accompaniment is often percussive and syncopated, adding to the sense of unease and tension in the music. The first song in the cycle, "Der Werwolf," sets a poem about a man who transforms into a werewolf and is hunted down by a mob. The music is frenzied and disorienting, with jagged rhythms and angular melodies that convey the sense of the protagonist's disintegration. Other songs in the cycle include "Der Hecht," which sets a poem about a fish that is caught and killed, and "Der Handschuh," which tells the story of a knight who retrieves a glove for his lady love from a lion's den. Despite the dark subject matter of the poems, Eisler's settings of the Galgenlieder are often playful and ironic, with moments of humor and satire. The cycle as a whole is a powerful exploration of the human condition, and the music captures the sense of absurdity and futility that pervades Morgenstern's poetry.

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