Der Neugierige

“Der Neugierige” is the sixth song from Schubert’s masterful cycle, Die schöne Müllerin. The piece, although internally repetitive, is more through-composed than strophic. The initial A material appears twice in succession, and its pregnant pauses and mincing, hesitant accompaniment call forth the “curious one” of the poem’s title. In hindsight, this entire section sounds like preparation for the lyrical B section, where rippling arpeggios demonstrate Schubert’s fondness for “traveling music”: the sounds of motion, be it the brook or the wayward youth. Texture also supports a major structural change here, as the opening narration gives place to direct address between the youth and his faithful brook (“O Bächlein meiner Liebe…”). In the momentary inflections toward the minor mode, we sense that the poor wanderer’s question will not receive a positive reply.

(c) Jason Stell