Nineteenth Century German Art Song: A Research Paper

The musical genius of German composers created the art song, or Lied. This song form, designed for the single voice with piano accompaniment, achieved its fixed position among the historical musical forms in the nineteenth century. It has been said that Germany is the only country in which the art of song in orderly and progressive development can be traced from the simple Mediaeval Volkslied to the elaborate productions of Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms. It is the purpose of this paper to study the development of the German art song in the nineteenth century. The study will present the history and the typical forms of the art song. It will also trace contributions of the outstanding nineteenth century composers of the Lied