Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

;
to be mentioned as representatiTe songs of this
dass are
'
: Es ist bestimmt in Gottes Rath '
;
;
'Acli, wie ist's mbglich dann ' ' Prinz Engenius
'
'
Zu Mantua in Banden
'
'
; Wir hatten gebaut
ein stattliches Haus' ; 'Es zogen drei Burschen'
'Morgen muss ich fort Ton '
hier' ; Aennchen
Ton Tharau
'
' ; Beliranzt mit Lanb ;
' Gandeamus';
'EsgehtbeigediimpfteniTrommelklang';
'
'
M'as blasen die Trompeten ' Moigenroth '
;
' ;
' Ich weiss nicht, was soil es bcdeuten ; ' In
'
einem kiihlen Grande
'
' ; Madele mck, ruck,
ruck ' ; 'So viel Stern am Himmel stchen
'
610 SONG
'
Es kann ja nlL-ht immer so bleiben ' Der '
ist gekommen
'
'
; O Tannenbaum' ;
Mai
'
Ich hatt'
einen Kameraden '
'
; Was ist des Deutschen
Vaterland'; 'Die WachtamRhein,'etc.' Kone
of these songs are vulgar, nor eren commonplace.
They are ianuliar in aU classes, young and old ;
and the heartiness with which they are eTerywhere
sung attests their ritality. Singing in
unison is comparatively rare among Germans ;
their universal love and knowledge of music
naturally predispose them to singing in parts.
A regiment on the march, a party of students
on a tour, or even labourers returning from
work, aU alike sing their favourite songs in
parts, with remarkable accuracy and precision.
And the natural aptitude of the nation for this
practice is perpetually fostered by the Sivgvereiiie
which exist in the most secluded
comers of Germany.
The mere enumeration of the qualities by
which the volksthiimUches Lied can be recognised
explains its popularity. It is strophical
in form, and is easy to sing ; it has an agreeable,
usually diatonic melody, a simple and pure
harmony, an unpretentious accompaniment, a
regular rhythm, and words inspired by natural
sentiment. But it lacked the poetic and
thoughtful treatment, both of words and
music, which subsequently raised the lyric
song to the level of true art.
It is now time to inquire in what manner
the Song was treated by some of the greatest
composei-s of the 18th and 19th centuries—^by
Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Spohr, and
Weber. Gluck was the contemporary of Graun,
Agricola, and Kirnberger ; and like them he
called most of his songs odes. But the standpoint
from which he regarded the song was
very different from theirs. Applying his
theories about the Opera to the Song, he steadfastly
aimed at a correct accentuation of the
words in the music, and the extinction of the
Italian form of the melody, which required
the complete subordination, if not the entire
sacrifice to itself, of every other element of
composition. ' The union,' wrote Gluck to La
as rag&njs the authorship ol these Boogs, such a& attributing ' Hen.
jnein HeiT, vrarum so tiaarij: ' to Beethoven instead of to P. GlQck.
'
and WiUst dn dein Hen mir schenken' lo J. S. Bach instead of
to GiovauDini. etc.
>
In the Tarions collections mentioned at the end of this article^
the reader will find a multitude of other similar songs, including
SudgnteH; Soldaten-, Trijtl-, Fett-, TanZ; A'ationd-, Beymbntn-.
eeuOickt-. Sinderiieder, etc
Harpe in 1777, ' between the air and the words
should be so close that the poem should seem
made for the music no less than the music for
the poem,' and he conscientiously strove to be
true to this ideal in all his work. But though
he rcTolutionised the Opera, he left no deep
mark on the Song, for indeed, he never devoted
to it the best of his genius. His few songs,
chiefly Klopstock's odes, have no freshness abont
them, they are dry and pedsmtic ; and with
all Gluck's superiority to his contemporaries in
aims and principles of composition, his odes
are scarcely better than theirs.-
With Jos. Haydn the influence of the Volkslied
is once more apparent. Hence the vitality
of his melodies where this element is strongest.
His finest song, the Austrian Kational Anthem,
' Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, ' closely resembles
a Croatian folk-song ^ (see Eupebor's Htmit),
and in his instrumental works numerous instances
of his use of his native songs could be
adduced. Yet, taking the bulk of Haydn's
songs it cannot be denied that they are lacking
in the freshness displayed in his instrumental
works. The melodies are carefully and elaborately
written, and the accompaniments often
interesting and developed (see for instance O
'
siisser Ton,' ' Buckerinnerung,' or 'Der erste
£uss ') ; but his want of interest in the words
he chose, and his disregard both for their
meaning and proper accentuation, rob them of
the first conditions necessary for the true lyric.
His songs are conceived too exclusively from
the instrumental point of view. As Schneider
truly says, Haydn ' treats the vocal melody
exactly as a pianoforte or violin motif, undo:
which he places some words which only snpwficiaUy
agree in rhythm with the melody.'*
Freest from these defects and amongst his best
and most popular songs are the twelve canzonets,
containing such giacefhl and melodious numbers
as ' My mother bids me,' ' Secollection,' and
'
The MermaifL' These and such simple little
German songs as ' Jede meint das holde Kind
and the pretty serenade ' Liebes Madchen, hor'
mir zu ' will never lose their charm.
The versatility of Mozart's powers is visible
in his songs. Some of them might be described
as arias, and others as volksthiimUche Lieder
some are lyrical, and others dramatic, and yet
Mozart cannot be said to have impressed his
own great individuality upon the Song except
in a few instances. It was in the Opera that
he put forth his whole strength, and his operatic
songs often derive from their simple joyous
melodies a truly popular character. It is
evident that he treated Song, pure and simple,
as mere recreation, and bestowed little pains
thereon. Many faults of accentuation could
be pointed out in his songs, but his exquisite
3 For a good eiample see '
Willkommen, o silheme Uond,' given
by Schneider, ii. 267.
3 See the South Slavonic section of this article, p. 570, Dote 2.
^ Schneider, Das mwL Ided^ iL 269.
';