Composer

:

Hugo Wolf

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

Jul 24, 1879

Average_duration

:

3:15

Hugo Wolf's 'Herbst' is a song cycle composed in 1888, with a premiere in Vienna in the same year. The cycle consists of five movements, each of which is a setting of a poem by various German poets. The poems all share a common theme of autumn, with its melancholic and introspective mood. The first movement, 'September', sets a poem by Eduard Mörike. The music is characterized by a gentle, flowing melody, with a sense of longing and nostalgia. The second movement, 'Schlafendes Jesuskind', sets a poem by Joseph von Eichendorff. The music is more subdued, with a sense of quiet contemplation and introspection. The third movement, 'Der Gärtner', sets a poem by Wilhelm Müller. The music is more lively and energetic, with a sense of urgency and restlessness. The fourth movement, 'Gesang Weylas', sets a poem by Eduard Mörike. The music is characterized by a haunting, ethereal melody, with a sense of mystery and otherworldliness. The final movement, 'Abschied', sets a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The music is characterized by a sense of finality and resignation, with a melancholic melody that gradually fades away. Overall, 'Herbst' is a deeply introspective and melancholic work, reflecting the mood of autumn and the passing of time. The music is characterized by Wolf's characteristic use of chromaticism and complex harmonies, which add to the sense of emotional depth and complexity.

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