Composer

:

Richard Strauss

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Song

Compose Date

:

1901

Average_duration

:

2:11

Richard Strauss composed "Ach, Was Kummer, Qual und Schmerzen, Op. 49/8" in 1900. The piece is part of his collection of eight songs for voice and piano, titled "Acht Gedichte aus Letzte Blätter" (Eight Poems from Last Leaves). The premiere of the song cycle took place in 1901 in Berlin, with the composer himself accompanying the singer. The song is in the key of F minor and has a slow tempo. It is a melancholic and introspective piece, with a somber mood that reflects the poem's themes of sorrow and pain. The text is a poem by Hermann von Gilm, a 19th-century Austrian poet, and it deals with the pain of lost love and the longing for a past that can never be regained. The song is divided into three distinct sections or movements. The first section is marked "Sehr langsam und schmerzvoll" (very slow and painful) and sets the mood for the entire piece. The piano accompaniment is sparse and mournful, with long, sustained chords that create a sense of emptiness and loss. The vocal line is equally sparse, with long, sustained notes that convey the sense of longing and sadness expressed in the text. The second section is marked "Etwas bewegter" (somewhat more animated) and provides a brief respite from the melancholy of the first section. The piano accompaniment becomes more active, with arpeggios and runs that suggest a glimmer of hope or a moment of reflection. The vocal line is also more varied, with shorter phrases and a slightly brighter tone. The final section is marked "Wieder sehr langsam" (again very slow) and returns to the somber mood of the opening. The piano accompaniment is once again sparse and mournful, with long, sustained chords that create a sense of finality and resignation. The vocal line is also sparse, with long, sustained notes that convey the sense of acceptance and resignation expressed in the text. Overall, "Ach, Was Kummer, Qual und Schmerzen, Op. 49/8" is a powerful and moving piece that showcases Strauss's skill as a composer of lieder. The piece is notable for its use of sparse textures and sustained notes to create a sense of melancholy and longing, as well as its careful attention to the text and its emotional content.

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