Schubert "Heidenröslein, D. 257 (Op.3/3)" - Syntax

The specific recording being analyzed is from an album entitled "Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin & Three Lieder".  It was recorded in stereo.

Tenor: Fritz Wunderlich; Piano: Hubert Giesen

Recording Supervision: Hans Ritter.

Recording Engineer: Heinz Wildhagen.

Recorded at Akademie der Wissenschaften, Munich from July 2, 1966 through July 5, 1966.

Label: Deutsche Grammophon

Released: September 17, 1996

Heidenröslein is in G Major, and in 2/4 time.  The instrumentation is for piano and one voice (The voice may be in any range. In this case it is a tenor voice.).  The vocal range marked in the score is from G4 to G5.  However, in adapting the song to the tenor vocal range, in this recording it is sung from G3 to G4.  The song is 16 bars in length and is repeated three times for a total of 48 bars of music.  The style marking is Lieblich, which translates from German to mean lovely, gentle, sweet, and charming.  The tempo marking in the score is quarter note = 69.  This recording starts off at tempo 69, however the tempo is not steady throughout.  The length of the recording is 1:46.  

The piano part is chordal. The majority of the piece is structured as such:  the downbeat is in the bass clef and the subsequent chord follows on the upbeat.  This is consistent until the final 3 measures of the 16 bar song, when the piano takes up the melody in a simple restatement.

The chord structure is as follows:

Phrase 1 With Tonic as I:   ||: I  I  ii4/2  ii4/2  V6/5  V4/2  I6  I

Prase 2 With Dominant as I:   IV IV V#4/2 V #4/2 I6 ii6 V7[#3] VI

Extention of Phrase 2 with Dominant as I: I6 ii6 V7[#3]  I

Phrase 3/ Coda with Tonic as I: V V4/2 I6 I, IV IV6 I

Afterthought: IV ii I6/4 V7 I  :|| x3

The first phrase ends somewhat openly on a sort of dragged out Imperfect Authentic Cadence.  The second phrase introduces C# accidentals and modulates to the dominant key of D Major, ending on a deceptive cadence.  The D major segment is then brought to a close with a short 2 bar extention that ends with a Perfect Authentic Cadence in the key of D.  There is a fermata hold on this final chord in the key of D.  The third phrase, which feels more like a coda, revists G Major.  There is a breathe halfway through what I have marked as Phrase 3, on a fermata on the I chord - this can be called a short Imperfect Authentic Cadence.  Then the vocal melody finishes its song with with a plagal cadence in the next 2 bars.  The piano ends the piece with a 2 and a half bar afterthought that solidifies the home key of G major with a Cadential 6/4 chord and a Perfect Authentic Cadence.

There are various stylistic and dynamic markings.  The music is marked pp at measures one and eleven, which is at the beginning of Phrase 3/Coda.  At this second pp, the music is also marked "nachgebend", which translates to mean getting slower, yielding.  However, two measures later in measure thirteen, the music is marked "wie oben" which translates literally as "in the style of above", so it is implied that Schubert wanted to performer to slow down leading up to the end of measure twelve, and then to resume his original tempo upon reaching measure thirteen.  In the piece, there is also one crescendo marking in measure 9, as the music reaches its PAC in D Major, and two decrescendo markings in measure 15, as the song winds down.

Link to score