Composer

:

Richard Wagner

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Song: Art Song

Compose Date

:

1857 - 1858

Average_duration

:

3:12

"Der Engel" is a song composed by Richard Wagner in 1857, with lyrics by Mathilde Wesendonck. It is the first of five songs in the cycle "Wesendonck Lieder," which Wagner composed while he was working on his opera "Tristan und Isolde." The premiere of "Der Engel" took place in Zurich in 1862, with the composer's wife, Cosima, as the soloist. The song is in A-flat major and has a slow, mournful tempo. It is written for a solo voice and piano accompaniment. The piano part is sparse and delicate, with arpeggios and broken chords that create a sense of ethereal beauty. The vocal line is lyrical and expressive, with long phrases that soar and fall, conveying a sense of longing and sadness. The lyrics of "Der Engel" are based on a poem by Mathilde Wesendonck, which tells the story of an angel who comes to comfort a dying woman. The angel offers the woman solace and peace, promising to take her to a place of eternal rest. The song is characterized by its dreamlike quality, with the angel's voice and the woman's response blending together in a haunting, otherworldly harmony. Overall, "Der Engel" is a beautiful and poignant song that showcases Wagner's skill as a composer of lieder. Its delicate piano accompaniment and expressive vocal line create a sense of otherworldly beauty that is both haunting and moving.

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