Heine-Lieder : Berg' und Burgen schaun herunter / Crabtree

Composer: Crabtree, Leslie
Dates: 1941-
Song title: Berg' und Burgen schaun herunter
Opus, no., etc.: Nr.7
Music collection title: Lieder
Imprint(s): -
Source(s) for score: unpublished, acquired from composer; not listed in Metzner
1st line of poem: Berg' und Burgen schaun herunter (Go to text and translation)
Source of poem: Buch der Lieder: Junge Leiden: Lieder, Nr.7
Date of composition: -
Nationality of composer: Canadian
Language(s) of text: German
Tempo marking: [none given in score; Andante con moto suggested by composer: "somewhat slow, but not at all dragging"]
Key: F major
Time signature: 3/4
No. of measures: 76
Approximate duration: 2 min., 40 sec.
Form: Modified strophic (AA'BA")
Vocal range: d-flat to f' [d-flat' to f"]
Vocal tessitura: somewhat high; tune outlines F major triad, but hovers especially around c'-e' (Go to chart)
Vocal rhythms: all measures use one of the following characteristic patterns, usually the same one for an entire stanza: dotted half note followed by eighth note, half note followed by quarter note, or two dotted quarter notes
Vocal intervals: mostly steps and thirds
Vocal comments: long phrases with scant opportunity for breaths
Textual variants, etc.: -
Instrumental part(s): Simple arpeggios in varying patterns for different stanzas
Summary: A very simple, sweet melody in F (with an interesting turn up to e-flat'), is harmonized and accompanied with equal simplicity. Tune and accompaniment are slightly varied for each stanza, except for the slower third one, which turns to D-flat for its somewhat more expressive and wider-ranging melody. (Go to analysis)