Composer

:

Hugo Wolf

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Song

Compose Date

:

Jan 9, 1889

Average_duration

:

6:23

Hugo Wolf's "Grenzen der Menschheit (Goethe Lieder)" is a song cycle composed in 1888. The premiere of the cycle took place in Vienna in 1891. The cycle consists of six songs, each of which is based on a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The first song, "Grenzen der Menschheit," is a contemplation on the limits of human knowledge and understanding. The second song, "Ganymed," is a setting of Goethe's poem about the Greek myth of Zeus abducting the beautiful youth Ganymede to serve as his cupbearer. The third song, "Gesang Weylas," is a melancholy reflection on the transience of beauty and the inevitability of death. The fourth song, "Phänomen," is a meditation on the nature of reality and the limitations of human perception. The fifth song, "Selbstgeständnis," is a confession of the speaker's own shortcomings and failures. The final song, "Prometheus," is a dramatic retelling of the Greek myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. The songs in "Grenzen der Menschheit" are characterized by Wolf's skillful use of harmony and melody to convey the emotional content of the poems. The cycle is notable for its use of chromaticism and dissonance, which create a sense of tension and unease that reflects the existential themes of the poems. Overall, "Grenzen der Menschheit" is a powerful and thought-provoking song cycle that explores some of the most fundamental questions of human existence. Its combination of Goethe's poetry and Wolf's musical genius make it a masterpiece of the art song genre.

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