The Erl-King -Franz Schubert, text by Goethe Notes: Plot: Narrator: Sets the scene for the ballad.

e ballad. Has a declamatory melodic style with many intervallic leaps. Father: This characters voice is consistently the lowest of all the characters. Musical material often contains an ascending perfect 4th. The key moves from G Minor to C minor in Bar 4. Son: Voice is far higher than the father. The terror of the child is depicted by repeated diminished 7th chords. Father: Key change to Bb Major as the father tries to reassure his son. This creates a more reassuring atmosphere. Erl King: A very soft ppp marking and high tonality gives the Erl King an otherworldly quality as well as the change in accompaniment pattern. The music is consistently in a major tonality representing the Erl Kings desire to appear innocent and appealing. Son: When the son sees the Erl King again, there are numerous E flats clashing against the D pedal in the Right Hand of the piano. The tonality of G minor is only vaguely suggested, adding to the confusion. Father: The character now tells his child to stay calm. This coincides with a fried settling of the tonality in B minor at bar 81, before moving to G major in bar 84. Erl King: A key change to C major signifies the return of the Erl King. The accompaniment changes again, this time to soft arpeggios. Son: The son has the same music from bars 72-79, but is transposed up a tone to A minor signifying his increasing desperation. Through-composed form Art Song 8 Stanzas G minor Dramatic, ballad Style Erling appears 3 times Father appears 4 times Son appears 4 times Narrator appears 2 times

Father: Key change to C# Minor. Tonality moves to D minor as he reassures his son that all he can see is just an old willow tree. Erl King: The tone suddenly shifts up to Eb Major. This section begins softly and sweetly, but the true character of the ErlKing emerges with a sinister chromatic line and a resolution to D minor in bar 123. Son: Transposed up another semi-tone to A# Minor, Sfozando chords in bars 128130 indicate where the son cries out that the Erl King has hurt him. Narrator: The song returns to the tonic which is G minor. The Musical material from the beginning of the song re-emerges, this time being intensified by frequent bars with repeated octaves in both hands on the piano. This accompanies a vocal line describing the end of the journey, as well as block chords at the end to signify the sons death.