Who Is Der Erlkönig?
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The Der Erlkönig is composed by Franz Schubert in G minor for a solo voice and piano in 1815, based on a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In Schubert’s “Erlkönig” a father is frantically carrying his son on horseback while his young son is seeing the Erlkönig who is trying to tempt him away. The piece depicts four distinct characters: the narrator, the father, the son, and the Erlkönig. Which is sung by one man in a baritone voice using distinctive vocal ranges. Schubert starts the piece with the piano, for the right hand is rapidly playing repeated notes to create a sense of urgency and mimicking the hoof beats of the horse. While the left hand is playing a dark and frightening melody. The narrator, who opens the piece, most always sings