Heine-Lieder : Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden / Crabtree

Composer: Crabtree, Leslie
Dates: 1941-
Song title: Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden
Opus, no., etc.: Nr.5
Music collection title: Lieder
Imprint(s): -
Source(s) for score: unpublished, acquired from composer; not listed in Metzner
1st line of poem: Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden (Go to text and translation)
Source of poem: Buch der Lieder: Junge Leiden: Lieder, Nr.5
Date of composition: -
Nationality of composer: Canadian
Language(s) of text: German
Tempo marking: Rather slowly (several tempo changes)
Key: E major
Time signature: 4/4; 1 measure of 2/4
No. of measures: 108
Approximate duration: 4 min., 30 sec.
Form: AABA'CAA'(postlude)
Vocal range: c to g-sharp' [c' to g-sharp"]
Vocal tessitura: middle, with somewat more use of lower extremes vs. higher (Go to chart)
Vocal rhythms: Sections differ markedly: A and C sections mostly in half notes or dotted-half and quarter notes; B section mostly in eighths and quarters; D section mostly in quarter notes ("much faster")
Vocal intervals: Sections differ markedly: A sections mostly by third and step, with a few ascending fourths; other sections use wider skips
Vocal comments: Long, slow phrases call for excellent breath control and support, especially since many follow an inverted-arch outline; must have solid low c-sharps; male singer (tenor) more appropriate to text
Textual variants, etc.: -
Instrumental part(s): varied but mostly simple accompanimental textures: several sections have slow moving bass line with ascending quarter notes or quarter-note triplets in right hand; one section doubles the voice with full chords in the right hand and continuous eighth-note arpeggios in the left hand; D section more challenging: "much faster" tempo with eighth-note melismas in octaves in the bass and widely ranging eighth-note triplet arpeggios in the treble.
Summary: Slow and expressive melodies full of longing contrast with more restless minor-key sections. Other than a couple of abrupt key shifts this is an unpretentiously pleasing song, resembling Schumann's setting of the same text in many respects (e.g. same key, similar form, similar melodic outline, long postlude, etc.), but more deliberate and less angst-ridden. (Go to analysis)