Schubert’s “Serenade”

Music Appreciation

Aug 25

When a classical musician thinks of German songs, likely Franz Schubert (1797-1828) comes to mind. Actually, he was an Austrian composer who wrote over 600 secular songs (lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred music, and a number of other works. Pretty prolific for a man who died at the age of 31!

One of his most famous songs is “Ständchen” (Serenade). This heavenly recording is performed by the great lyric baritone, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1925-2012). You also can hear him sing this on YouTube.

Here is the translation of the German lyrics:

My songs beckon softly

Through the night to you

Down in the quiet grove

Darling come to me!

Whispering slim treetops rustle

In the light of the moon

Do not fear the hostile betrayer,

Beloved, do not fear!

Do you hear the nightingales?

Oh, they implore you,

With their sweet protests,

They plead for me.

They understand the longing heart

They know the pain of love,

With their silver tones

Stir every tender heart.

Let them also stir your heart,

Darling, hear me!

Trembling I await you!

Come, make me happy!

The lyrics evoke the lover, in a grove outside of the beloved’s house, singing and serenading her: “darling, come to me!”

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Edward Wolfe

Edward Wolfe has been a fan of Christian apologetics since his teenage years, when he began seriously to question the truth of the Bible and the reality of Jesus. About twenty years ago, he started noticing that Christian evidences roughly fell into five categories, the five featured on this website.
Although much of his professional life has been in Christian circles (12 years on the faculties of Pacific Christian College, now a part of Hope International University, and Manhattan Christian College and also 12 years at First Christian Church of Tempe), much of his professional life has been in public institutions (4 years at the University of Colorado and 19 years at Tempe Preparatory Academy).
His formal academic preparation has been in the field of music. His bachelor degree was in Church Music with a minor in Bible where he studied with Roger Koerner, Sue Magnusson, Russel Squire, and John Rowe; his master’s was in Choral Conducting where he studied with Howard Swan, Gordon Paine, and Roger Ardrey; and his doctorate was in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, and Literature, where he also studied group dynamics, humanistic psychology, and Gestalt theory with Guy Duckworth.
He and his wife Louise have four grown children and six grandchildren.

https://WolfeMusicEd.com

Schubert’s “Serenade”

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Edward Wolfe