A Political Interpretation of C.F.D. Schubart's Poem Die Forelle and the Musical Settings of the Same Title by Schubart and Franz Schubert

Identifier

2524

Author

Daniel Chu Brown

Date

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts

Major

Music

Concentration

Performance

Committee Chair

Randal Rushing

Committee Member

Janet Page

Committee Member

John Baur

Committee Member

Susan Owen-Leinert

Abstract

Franz Schubert's setting of Die Forelle is perhaps the most well-known and widely-performed example of the large body of song literature composed by Schubert. Although this is the case, the origins of this song are not as well-known. Over the years, new interpretations of this piece have been suggested, but little supporting evidence has been provided to support their validity. This document explores both the literary and musical origins of Die Forelle in order to support the assertion that both original pieces could have been political in nature, describing the political regime of the day and its practices. Without this foundation, assigning meaningful interpretations to the later musical setting by Schubert proves difficult, at best. Information about the original composer of the poem Die Forelle, Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, is provided along with the circumstances surrounding its literary and musical birth. Evidence is presented that suggest that both works were political statements made by a very politically-minded writer and composer. Further evidence will be provided that demonstrates that Schubert was most likely aware of Schubart, to an extent that suggests he may have known of the political implications of the original Die Forelle. Additional research will show that Schubert was politically motivated to compose his own setting of Die Forelle with the same political intentions included in the original work. Finally, the two musical settings of Die Forelle will be reviewed to demonstrate that Schubert quoted Schubart musically, which supports the assertion that Schubert's Die Forelle indeed carries with it subversive political sentiments.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

Recommended Citation

Brown, Daniel Chu, "A Political Interpretation of C.F.D. Schubart's Poem Die Forelle and the Musical Settings of the Same Title by Schubart and Franz Schubert" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1292.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/1292