Composer

:

Hugo Wolf

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Song: Art Song

Compose Date

:

Dec 17, 1888

Average_duration

:

7:06

Hugo Wolf's "Mignon (Goethe Lieder)" is a song cycle composed in 1888, based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's novel "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship." The cycle consists of six songs, each of which portrays a different aspect of the character Mignon, a young girl who has been taken in by the protagonist Wilhelm Meister. The cycle premiered in Vienna in 1888, with the soprano Rosa Papier performing the songs. The songs are written for voice and piano, and are characterized by Wolf's use of chromaticism and his ability to capture the emotional depth of the text. The first song, "Heiss mich nicht reden," is a hauntingly beautiful piece that captures Mignon's sense of isolation and longing. The second song, "Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt," is a melancholy piece that explores Mignon's yearning for a sense of belonging. The third song, "So lasst mich scheinen," is a playful piece that captures Mignon's sense of whimsy and her desire to escape from the harsh realities of her life. The fourth song, "Kennst du das Land," is perhaps the most famous of the cycle, and is a beautiful and haunting piece that captures Mignon's longing for her homeland. The fifth song, "Heiss mich nicht reden," is a powerful piece that explores Mignon's sense of despair and her desire to escape from her life. The final song, "Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt," is a beautiful and uplifting piece that captures Mignon's sense of hope and her belief that she will one day find the sense of belonging that she so desperately craves. Overall, "Mignon (Goethe Lieder)" is a beautiful and emotionally powerful song cycle that captures the essence of Goethe's novel and the character of Mignon. Wolf's use of chromaticism and his ability to capture the emotional depth of the text make this cycle a masterpiece of the art song genre.

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