CHAPTER 37 Musical Reading: Schubert, Schumann, and the
Early Romantic Lied
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The German term for the art song is
a. Gesang. c. durchkomponiert.
b. Lied. d. chorale.
2. A song whose text is a short lyric poem in German with piano accompaniment is called a
a. sonata. c. Lied.
b. ballad. d. chant.
3. Who was an important composer of nineteenth-century Lieder?
a. Franz Schubert c. Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
b. Robert Schumann d. All answers shown here.
4. The favorite Romantic poets of the composers of Lieder were
a. Goethe and Heine. c. Shelley and Twain.
b. Wordsworth and Shakespeare. d. Hugo and Marlowe.
5. Which of the following was a typical theme of Romantic poetry?
a. the beauty of nature
b. love and longing
c. the fleeting nature of human happiness
d. All the answers shown here.
6. The favorite subjects of the Romantic poets were
a. comedy and farce. c. historical events.
b. love, longing, and nature. d. all of the answers shown here.
7. A group of Lieder unified by a narrative thread or by a descriptive or expressive theme is called a(n)
a. song cycle. c. opera.
b. ballad cycle. d. cantata.
8. A song form in which the same melody is repeated for every stanza of text is called
a. through-composed. c. rubato.
b. strophic. d. durchkomponiert.
9. A song that is composed from beginning to end without repetition of whole sections is called
a. strophic. c. through-composed.
b. modified strophic. d. theme and variations.
10. A song form in which the main melody is repeated for two or three stanzas but introduces new or significantly varied material when
the text requires it is called
a. strophic. c. modified strophic.
b. through-composed. d. ternary.
11. Schubert was born in
a. Bonn. c. Vienna.
b. Salzburg. d. Leipzig.
12. Schubert and his friends organized evening gatherings of artists, writers, and musicians, called
a. Abendmusiken. c. Schubertiads.
b. soirées. d. All answers shown here.
13. Schubert lived a tragically short life but was a remarkably prolific composer of Lieder, chamber music, and
a. piano music. c. symphonies.
b. opera. d. motets.
14. In which genre was Schubert NOT indebted to Classical traditions?
a. Lied c. piano sonata
b. chamber music d. symphony
15. Approximately how many songs did Schubert compose?
a. 300–400 c. 500–600
b. 400–500 d. more than 600
16. Schubert wrote several song cycles, including
a. Winter’s Journey. c. Butterflies.
b. Futile Serenade. d. A Poet’s Love.
17. Schubert’s song Elfking is a setting of a ballad written by
a. Müller. c. Heine.
b. Schiller. d. Goethe.
18. Schubert’s Lied Elfking is in ________ form.
a. binary c. strophic
b. ternary d. through-composed
19. Which of the following is true of Schubert’s Elfking?
a. It is the masterpiece of his youth.
b. It is based on a legend that whoever is touched by the king of the elves must die.
c. It presents four characters who are differentiated in the music.
d. All answers shown here.
20. In Schubert’s Elfking, the obsessive triplet rhythm of the piano accompaniment represents
a. the wind. c. the galloping of the horse.
b. the terror in the boy’s mind. d. all of the answers shown here.
21. Which musical devices does Schubert use to portray the child’s terror in Elfking?
a. lilting melody in major mode c. low range and consonant harmony
b. high range and dissonance d. medium range in minor mode
22. The composer who founded the New Journal of Music was
a. Franz Schubert. c. Robert Schumann.
b. Hector Berlioz. d. Johannes Brahms.
23. Robert Schumann’s wife, Clara, was
a. the vocal soloist for A Poet’s Love. c. the author for A Poet’s Love.
b. one of the foremost pianists of her day. d. All answers shown here.
a. strophic c. through-composed
b. modified strophic d. rondeau
30. Which of the following best describes Schumann’s In the lovely month of May?
a. It ends with harmonic resolution. c. It is harmonically meandering.
b. It is through-composed. d. It is sung in Italian.
31. Schubert’s Elfking is sung in
a. Italian. c. German.
b. English. d. French.
32. The poem In the lovely month of May is written in
a. German. c. French.
b. Italian. d. English.
1. The art song can be described as a union of poetry and music.
2. Goethe and Heine were two of the leading nineteenth-century writers whose poetry was set by Lieder composers.
3. The rise of the piano as a household instrument influenced the popularity of the Lied.
4. A song that is composed from beginning to end without repetitions of whole sections is in modified strophic form.
5. A song in which the same melody is repeated with every stanza of the text is in strophic form.
6. The song form that combines features of strophic and through-composed forms is called modified strophic.
7. Franz Schubert was a thoroughly Romantic composer who abandoned the forms and stylistic principles of Classicism.
8. Schubert’s prolific output includes works in every major genre.
9. Schubert composed over six hundred Lieder.
10. The poem Elfking was written by Heinrich Heine.
11. Schubert’s Lied Elfking is through-composed.
12. Schubert composed Elfking just before he died.
13. Robert Schumann was married to the gifted pianist and composer Clara Wieck.
14. Schumann was a carefree spirit with a happy disposition who lived a long, productive life as a composer.
15. Schumann concentrated on intimate piano and vocal works and wrote no symphonies.
16. Schumann’s In the lovely month of May is in strophic form.
17. The mood of Schumann’s In the lovely month of May is joyful and exuberant.
18. Schubert composed Elfking for four vocalists and a piano.
19. Schubert set the melody for the elfking character in a minor key.
20. Clara Schumann was the sister of Robert Schumann.
ESSAY
1. Compare the texts, forms, and overall character of the Romantic Lied with popular songs of today. Include examples in your answer.
2. Describe how Schubert uses the piano and voice to depict the characters and action of Elfking.
3. How does the harmony in Schumann’s In the lovely month of May evoke a mood appropriate to Heine’s poem?
4. Compare the Elfking to In the lovely month of May. What romantic characteristics do these songs share?
5. Discuss the use of the piano in the Elfking and In the lovely month of May. How do the composers of each piece use the instrument to
suggest ideas or mood?
