Franz Schubert - Der Konig in Thule (1816) - Lied - "Es war ein König in Thule" (Elly Ameling)

The narrative of the present song, sung by the object of Faust's affection in Goethe's original version as Marguerite ponders who the young man she met just a while before was, is perfectly Gothic in character, ideally corresponding with the basic nature of the play: dying and knowing he was dying, the King of ancient Thule gave away all his worldly possessions, except the golden goblet once given him by his dead mistress. Then, at the moment of his death, he threw it from his last castle to the thirsty sea below and, as the goblet sank beneath the waves, so too did he sink into the arms of death.

So goes Goethe's six-verse poem, "Der König in Thule" (The King of Thule), from "Faust", and so goes Schubert's six-strophe song from 1816. Both are deliberately archaic, Goethe's in diction and Schubert's it modality. Both are slow and stately, Goethe's in imagery and rhythm and Schubert's in rhythm and tempo. Both get deeper every time you listen to it, Goethe's in its breath-taking richness of literary meaning (the evanescence of love and life), and Schubert's in the emotional implications of its musical meaning (the remarkable suggestiveness of plagal cadences and flattened leading tones). And both works are masterpieces. Schubert sent a copy of his setting of "Der König in Thule" to Goethe in 1816, but the old poet apparently never heard it. A great loss, as it were.

Elly Ameling sings the song with the utmost credibility, and one can easily picture Marguerite in her little garden, completely lost in her melancholy. Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• belcanto
• romantic
• Schubert

[mehertoorkey]

Simple and eloquent.Most moving. Thank you for posting.

[daos1988]

Großartig

[robsoncozendey]

Indeed, a pop song structure:

ABABAB

And awesomely moving.

[epiksonik]

Elly, no one compares, however great, to your interpretation of this composition.....Here are to many viewings of this video and to many more, Bravo!

[BlackPearl941]

Super Video! Es hat mir sehr für meine Liedkontrolle im Musikunterricht geholfen! Ich konnte die Melodie überhaupt nicht! Dankeschön!

[carrozzo52]

conosco il pezzo,ma questa versione cantata dalla Ameling non l'avevo mai sentita:l'emozione mi strozzava la gola,semplicemente incantevole!

[hymntonight]

love the music .. and what a perfect painting to boot!

[Alberad08]

May I ask for the picture and who made it? It really touches me.

[Alberad08]

Truely enchanting!

[KyougetsuYoru]

me encantan los lieder de schubert

el piano tiene mucha independencia

[lilanma]

You're welcome. It is a stunning painting--I only wish they were actually looking at tangible things rather than off into space, as it seems!

[tojupiterandback]

thankee!