Das Fischermädchen, D957

"Das Fischermädchen,” the tenth song from Schwanengesang, recalls the simple strophic settings of the young Schubert, and its appearance—so gentle and vibrant—belies the fact that Schubert was only months from his death. The three sections of the ABA design are each tonally closed, the key changes are smooth and brief, and the entire B section is merely a transposition of the A material. I don’t think it shows any disrespect to the composer to state flatly that such a song could have been dashed off in minutes.

(c) Jason Stell