Franz Schubert - Erlkönig (Sheet music and lyrics)

Franz Schubert composed his Lied “Erlkönig“ for solo voice and piano in 1815, setting text from Goethe’s poem. Schubert revised the song three times before publishing his fourth version in 1821 as his Opus 1; it was catalogued by Otto Erich Deutsch as D. 328 in his 1951 catalog of Schubert’s works. The song was first performed in concert on 1 December 1820 at a private gathering in Vienna and received its public premiere on 7 March 1821 at Vienna’s Theater am Kärntnertor. The four characters in the song – narrator, father, son, and the Erlking – are all sung by a single vocalist. Schubert placed each character largely in a different vocal range, and each has his own rhythmic nuances; in addition, most singers endeavor to use a different vocal coloration for each part. 1. The Narrator lies in the middle range and begins in the minor mode. 2. The Father lies in the lower range and sings in both minor and major mode. 3. The Son lies in a higher range, also in the m