Schubert's song cycles

Portrait of Franz Schubert by Franz Eybl (1827)

Franz Schubert's best known song cycles, like Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise are based on separate poems with a common theme and narrative. Other song cycles are based on consecutive excerpts of the same literary work: Schubert's "Ave Maria" is part of such a song cycle based on excerpts of the same poem, in this case by Walter Scott.

When the poems of a group of songs have a common link, and are for this reason grouped under a single Deutsch number, but there is no common narrative, the collection is rather qualified as a song set than a song cycle. Some of Schubert's song cycles contain both Lieder for solo voice as well as part songs. There is, however, always a piano accompaniment.


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