F. Schubert "The Winter Way": history, video, content

F. Schubert "Winter Way"

The cycle of vocal miniatures with piano accompaniment "Winter Path" is a tragic peak in the work of Franz Schubert. Despair, darkness and cold correspond to the mood of the music. As if time was frozen in the ice, there is nothing else but the path alone. Learn interesting facts about the work, the content of the cycle, as well as a lot of other information on our page.

History of creation

The composer’s intention to compose the cycle appeared in 1827 after reading a collection of poems of the same name by the famous German author Wilhelm Muller. During this period of life, fate played a cruel joke with the romantic composer. He was on the threshold of a life of poverty, he was actively looking for a permanent place of work, his writings were not published in Germany or Switzerland. Franz was refused a position as court conductor of the Vienna Opera. He was also denied other jobs. Schubert finally lost faith in himself and was in a depressed state.

He could not compose until he read the recently published collection of poems by his favorite author Muller. Having penetrated to the depths of his soul with the content of poems, Schubert began to work actively on the selection of poems. He tried for a long time to select the most significant works of the author, but he could not, therefore all 24 verses are included in the cycle. But Franz changed their order. Initially, the first part was composed, which included only 12 songs.

During the composition, Schubert was in a pronounced depressive state. People close to him recalled that he was something deeply distressed, morally depressed. His whole appearance spoke of fatigue. He answered all the questions that soon you will be able to hear new works. When you hear them, my condition will become clear to you.

Then he invited close friends to Schober to listen to the "terrible" songs. There he performed the 1st part of the cycle. The listeners were burdened with the despair of music. All unanimously admitted that they liked only the song "Lipa". Schubert was offended and said that all these songs are a thousand times better than what I had written before. Nevertheless, the songs were played in many noble houses during the composer’s lifetime.

Schubert edited the second part of the cycle, being already sick. Schubert died like this, and did not see the cycle premiere. A month after Franz’s death, one of the publishers agreed to accept the book for publication. The songs became popular. In January 1828, the Vienna Society of Music Lovers performed without a break the entire cycle of miniatures. His performer was a university professor, who had outstanding vocal abilities.

Interesting Facts

• In December 2001, the ballet of the same name was staged to the music and plot of the Winter Road. The creation of the ballet version belongs to John Neumayer. A rather expressive orchestration created specifically for the ballet interpretation by Hans Zeender. The premiere left mixed reviews from critics.
• The cycle is written for a tenor, but there are a huge number of interpretations for other voices, both for male and female.
• In Europe, a collection of essays is the most performed and popular cycle, in Russia the Winter Path is rarely performed on a large stage.
• The best performers are Dietrich Fisher-Diskau and Gerald Moore. Still their
• For all his life, Franz Schubert wrote more than six hundred songs, including two cycles.
• Wilhelm Muller wrote Winter Way when he was only 19 years old.
• The only concert of Schubert was given in 1828, it is noteworthy that it was devoted to the presentation of the 1st part of the cycle, and also included many piano miniatures. The performance was a success, but he was quickly forgotten.
• Franz was seriously interested in vocal works of Ludwig van Beethoven, he wanted to help the young and talented composer to stand on his feet. Unfortunately, Beethoven died shortly.

Content

"Winter road"- is a musical collection of 24 vocal miniatures. The main distinctive feature is a pronounced plot line connecting all the numbers together.

The poverty of the lyrical hero makes him abandon the idea of ​​marrying his beloved, because he cannot give her confidence in the future. He has nothing more to lose, he is broken by the situation. The hero does not seek compassion, because he knows that everyone cares only about their own future, and nobody cares about it. He sets off in complete solitude. On the way, he will meet other actors, but they pass by. Loneliness in this world has become an unbearable burden for romance. But what does he look for in the cold winter night? The wanderer in search of eternal rest for his tormented suffering and adversity of the soul. Escape from the problems, and not their decision destroyed him, turning him from a cheerful and vigorous man into a doomed traveler. He found what he was looking for. His tragedy has come true.

It should be noted that Schubert showed innovation in the "Winter Way" and gave a large role not to the vocal part, but to the piano part. Accompaniment allows you to express the huge emotional amplitude of the lyrical hero.

In many ways, we can assume that the cycle was the tragic denouement of the "Beautiful Miller". But the dramatic difference can be seen with the naked eye. Schubert tried to dramatize the composition, so it is built on a variety of contrasting images. At the same time, contrasts line up both between the rooms and inside them. A single thematic canvas can be considered the theme of loneliness of a lyrical hero, which can be traced in many numbers.

The composer is trying to compare the two worlds: a world of dreams and a bright past filled with memories of his beloved, their cloudless happiness and another world in which a stunning emptiness settled. These two worlds divide the cycle into 12 numbers.

In the first part most clearly from the point of view of dramaturgy, the numbers “Easy sleep,” “Weathervane”, “Numbness”, “Lipa” and “Spring dream” are built:

• №1 "Sleep well" plays an introductory role. Here the listener is introduced to the listener about past love, unfulfilled dreams and hopes. The melodic drawing has a beginning from the top of the source, which speaks of the serenity and tranquility of the music. The tonality is replaced by a bright major when the lyrical hero remembers the beloved.
• Number 2 "Weather Vane". The variability of wind direction symbolizes the variability of life. Today there is a warm south wind blowing, and life seems like a fairy tale, but soon it will be replaced by a cold winter one. Each phrase is built on contrast. A special role is played by the pictorial accompaniment.
• №4 "Numbness" returns the theme of the stream from the cycle "The Beautiful Miller's Mill", this is indicated by uniform triple-rhythms. The key in C minor reminds that the stream began to freeze. A gloomy tune will become a counterpoint in the further carrying out of the topic.
• No.5 "Lipa" In the accompaniment, everyone will be able to hear the rustling of leaves, which is associated with anxiety. Soon all dreams will shatter, and there will be nothing left but pain and frustration. Form: couplet variation allows to express the sincerity and faith of the lyrical hero that everything could be really good. Lipa is a reminder of past life.
• №11 "Spring dream" is a vivid example of dramatization of the work. Idyll, dreams, dreams crumble into small pieces about reality. Instead of a sweet dream, the lyrical hero found himself in a world where everything is filled with a minor key.

There was a final breakdown, if in the first part there was hope for a positive outcome, then the development of the second part fully confirms the tragic concept.

The second part of becomes the embodiment of darkness. The theme of loneliness in music is replaced by the image of an imminent, inevitable death. The most striking numbers can be called:

• №15 "The Crow". The name of the room does not bode well. The raven is a symbol of brokenness. He accompanies the weary traveler. In the key of C minor, one can hear, niknuschie intonation. The path is almost over, and there is no more room for love and light. He chose this road himself, because he did not want to change the situation.
• №24 "Organ-grinder" - the final number of the cycle, built on monotonous intonations. A street musician in this context is a display of art, ruthless to geniuses. The means of expressiveness of music make you hear the intonations of the barrel organ, which include a clean fifth in the bass, as well as the monotony of the melody in the refrain.

“The Winter Way” is a real tragedy of a person’s life, a little musical novel in which Happy Enda didn’t happen. But not a fictional lyrical hero, and Schubert. He had to go through a difficult and thorny path. But he left for humanity a great wealth - his music.

The use of music in the cinema

The music of the cycle "The Winter Way" is not popular enough for cinema. Nevertheless, some filmmakers were inspired by the theme of loneliness, seen in the numbers of the cycle to create a movie. In the films below, Schubert's music is not just a background, it helps to reveal the director's intention.

• The pianist is a French motion picture film that tells the story of the personal drama of the conservatory professor in Vienna, Eric Kohut. Her favorite composer is Franz Schubert, the music of the Winter Road has a formative role in the film and helps to better understand the content of the plot. The film was shot in 2001 in France and received several awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
• Winter Way - a domestic drama telling the story of vocalist Eric. The name of the hero sends the viewer to the "Pianist" tape, emphasizing the closeness of those. The vocalist actively rehearses Schubert's songs, he is tired of the falsehood of the world of classical art. Fate confronts him with Lech, a desperate thief. Two different worlds - the same problems.

The films have a tragic denouement and demonstrate the other side of the life of artistic people. The world of the beautiful is deceptive, it does not guarantee the receipt of fame and recognition. The path of genius is loneliness and misunderstanding. Schubert's biography is a vivid example of the life outcome of a creative person. He managed to express his own disappointment through the music and through the lyric hero of the cycle.

The vocal cycle "Winter Path" is the final chord in the work of Schubert. The miniatures are filled with deep meaning, which musical language helps to understand. The cold and darkness of music is a reflection of the inner world of a musician who has lost hope and faith for a happy future.