Composer

:

Felix Mendelssohn

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

Sep 1842

Publication Date

:

1852

Average_duration

:

2:25

"Es weiß und räth es doch keiner" (No one knows and yet everyone advises) is a lied composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1841. It is the sixth song in his Opus 99 collection, which consists of six songs for voice and piano. The text is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of Mendelssohn's favorite poets. The song premiered on January 17, 1842, at a private concert in Leipzig, with the composer at the piano and the tenor Julius Stockhausen singing. It was later published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1843. The song is in A-flat major and has a moderate tempo. It consists of three stanzas, each with a different melody. The piano accompaniment is simple and supportive, with arpeggiated chords and occasional flourishes. The first stanza is sung in a gentle, almost conversational tone, with the singer asking a question: "No one knows and yet everyone advises, how can that be?" The melody is simple and unadorned, with a rising and falling phrase that emphasizes the uncertainty of the situation. The second stanza is more dramatic, with the singer declaring that he will follow his own path, regardless of what others say. The melody is more assertive, with a rising and falling motif that suggests determination and resolve. The third stanza returns to the gentler tone of the first, with the singer acknowledging that he may be wrong, but he will still follow his own instincts. The melody is more contemplative, with a descending phrase that suggests introspection and reflection. Overall, "Es weiß und räth es doch keiner" is a simple but effective setting of Goethe's poem, with Mendelssohn's music perfectly capturing the ambiguity and uncertainty of the text. It is a fine example of Mendelssohn's skill as a songwriter and his deep appreciation for the poetry of Goethe.

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