Composer

:

Hugo Wolf

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Song

Compose Date

:

Nov 14, 1890

Average_duration

:

2:02

Hugo Wolf's 'Nun lass uns Frieden schliessen (Italienisches Liederbuch)' is a song cycle composed between 1890 and 1896. The premiere of the cycle took place in Vienna in 1897. The cycle consists of 46 songs, which are divided into two volumes. The first volume contains 22 songs, while the second volume contains 24 songs. The cycle is based on a collection of Italian poems translated into German by Paul Heyse. The poems are love songs, and Wolf's music captures the emotional intensity of the texts. The songs are written for voice and piano, and the piano part is an integral part of the music, providing a rich and complex accompaniment to the vocal line. The cycle is divided into two parts, with the first volume focusing on the joys and sorrows of love, while the second volume deals with the pain of separation and the hope of reconciliation. The songs are arranged in a way that creates a narrative arc, with each song building on the emotions of the previous one. The music of the cycle is characterized by its lyrical beauty, emotional intensity, and harmonic complexity. Wolf's use of chromaticism and dissonance creates a sense of tension and unease, which is resolved in moments of resolution and release. The vocal line is often highly expressive, with long, flowing melodies that capture the emotional depth of the texts. Overall, 'Nun lass uns Frieden schliessen (Italienisches Liederbuch)' is a masterpiece of the art song genre, and a testament to Hugo Wolf's skill as a composer. The cycle is a deeply emotional and moving work, which continues to be performed and admired by musicians and audiences around the world.

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