analysis by Donna McCabe
November 1992

in presenting this analysis, i will proceed in a linear fashion; focusing on the harmonic content of the piece and integrating it with a text analysis. this way i can make specific points referencing the text and the harmony together to clearer demonstrate the poetic way which schubert integrates the meaning of the text to the function and meaning of his music. it becomes less music about a poem, but music which allows the listener to experience the poem first hand.

auf dem flusse begins in e minor with slow, staccato, and tragic chords pulsing in eighth note beats. the vocal line begins in measure 5 and stays within the same range of the piano. almost immediately we are in d# minor in bar 8. the dynamics of the piano are dropped to ppp. the vocal lines a# (a raised 4th in e minor) is prominently heard as a dissonance and is approached by half step from b. d# minor is the leading tone, or raised seventh degree of the e minor tonality (#subtonic which schoenberg classifies as a distant region; or five steps to the right on carpenter's circle of fifths). the vocal melody is frequently spanning the interval of a fifth, either upward or downward and is extremely retrained (the text reads 'how still you have become'). the first stanza has a duration of 9 measures, and the vocal phrases are in 4 measure phrases (there are four measure phrases until measure 45 where they become three measure phrases). the harmonic change from e minor to d# minor is played in the alto melody of the piano line throughout the first and second stanza. the soprano piano line emphasizes g and f#, a minor second.

the fateful rhythm remains constant until measure 11 which is modulating us from a quick interjection of d# minor back to e minor. this return marks the beginning of the second stanza of the poem which again lasts for 9 measures. the melody has been varied from the first stanza, but the piano remains the same. the vocal line has been expanded to cover the range of low b to high d#.

measure 17 leads us again into d# minor. in measure 23 we arrive at e major through a similar modulatory measure as measure 13. one primary difference between these two measures is that the intervals in the soprano of the piano in measure 13 are minor seconds, and in measure 22 become major seconds. this subsequently allows the soprano piano line to emphasize g# to f#, a major second (this was a minor second in the first two stanzas of g to f#). measure 22 allows for the entry of e major, and also for the rhythmic pulse to change, to quicken, in the piano. this is the beginning of stanza 3 which is begun by a major second (this was a minor second between measure 8 and 9, possibly arrived at through the same interval in both corresponding modulatory measures).

at measure 23 we hear that though the initial eighth note pulses, integrating with the sixteenths of the modulatory measures (13 and 22), we arrive at a new, more tense rhythm of 2 eights followed by 4 sixteenths. note also that the second eighth has a written accent placed on it which is held throughout the rest of the work. not only does the rhythm indicate an increasing tense situation, but also the vocal line begins to rise above the range of the piano, going from a low f# to a high e. the a# raised fourth returns in the piano in measure 23. intensity is also increased by a shortening of the duration of the stanza to be 8 measures instead of the 9 measures of stanza one and two.

with the same pitches as measure 23, measure 31 introduces the next level of rhythmic intensity; changing the sixteenth notes into triplet sixteenths. this marks the beginning of stanza 4 which also lasts 8 measures (with a two bar piano interlude following immediately). it, too, is approached by the major second introduced in the modulatory measure 22 of f# to g#. the vocal range for both stanza 3 and 4 is from low f# to high e. it is during stanza 4 that the voice really begins to free itself from the rhythmic beating of the piano. in measure 37 the vocal leap from c# to e could leave us in a position to end this stanza as did stanza 3, on the approach stepwise to f# (measure 30). but schubert does not approach the f# (the beginning note of the stanza, which would be the fifth of the chord), but rather he leaps up a fifth to b (the root of the chord). this fifth leap is reminiscent of the vocal melody spanning the interval of a fifth from earlier stanzas. the vocal line is expanding in range to show an increase of movement. in addition, the rise functions as a foreshadowing of the questions that are immediately following.

in the following bars (measure 37 -39) several important functions occur. it was at this point that the ever increasing rhythmic activity in the piano appears to me not as the footsteps of the wanderer in the snow, but rather as his heartbeats. these heartbeats have been slowly building up from measure one up to the climaxing questions to come in measure 41. it is also an elongated variation of the piano interludes that have occurred previously in measure 13 and 22. there is even still a dominant (b) pedal as in the two previous entries, but it is obscured by not always being the lowest note. the alto d# and e are brought back from stanza one and two, and the f# and g# (3-2) are altered to be f# to g natural (this keeps the minor second relationship intact, like the d# to e). the tense silence that occurs in measure 40 moves us back to e minor, and also allows the piano the melody for the first time.

the final stanza takes the rest of the piece to unfold and repeat. the recitative-like vocal line begins to constantly rise in pitch to add to the rhythmic intensity. we are again given d# minor chords (vii), as we had in stanza one, with d# now prominent in the vocal line as well as in the piano. measure 43 has a leap from the high ending of b of stanza 4 (measure 38) to the highest note in stanza 4 of e ( measure 36). in measure 47 we are given a shorter rest between vocal phrases than previously given which adds to the agitation. this also forces the modulatory measure to be shorter than has been previously stated and sends us to g# minor for the second question of stanza 5. the first question lasts for 7 bars, and phrase length is shortened to 3 measures.

the beginning of the second question is marked by dissonance and forte in the piano. the key change to g# minor is remote; we would expect to arrive at g minor (the parallel minor to the relative major of e or the mediant minor). g# minor is an interesting place to arrive at, since it is the major third of e minor (we had previously floated between e major and e minor with the interchange of g# and g natural). the text here is very desolate ( 'i wonder, if under its cover there's just as strong a surge?') creates a feeling of wonder about what is under the crust of the river, and underneath the crust of remote g#minor, there is e. the piano is playing a melody in the low register which also creates a feeling of movement under the water. the right hand of the piano is stating eighth pulses reminiscent of stanza one and two, the wanderer is looking back on what he has done and wondering if his heart is as frozen as this river because of the loss of his love. there is also another occurrence of the raised fourth degree (c# in g# minor, as was the a# in e minor in measure 9). it is in the second question beginning in measure 48 that we are given a long vocal phrase; much longer than any previous stanzas, yet it occurs within the shortest duration (as we both know, a way of distorting musical time). at the end of measure 49, the vocal melody becomes linked with the left hand of the piano. the second question ends with a half step motion from d# to e which is rising in pitch; implying a spoken question which also naturally rises in pitch. the first question ends on the rising half step cx to d# (measure 46-47). the overall rise in pitch from d# to e, (same half step that we have seen before) also adds to the tension. the tension is mounted also by the ever decreasing duration of stanza's, this time to 6 measures. the agitation is strongly presented in measure 54 with the short vocal rest while the piano has already started its melodic line. the text is repeated here for the first time in the piece which also adds to the tension.

when the text is repeated it is varied in pitch and marks a return to e minor from the g# minor. measure 56 begins the phrase on d to e, instead of the b to e that was used in measure 43. this is perhaps to start the modulation back to end the song; this d to e whole step reminds possibly of the g# to f# whole step in measure 22. then all that would need to happen is to turn this whole step back into a half step, as in measure 13, of d# to e and we would have returned once again. the repeated questions are the turning point which schubert uses to bring us back to e minor as smoothly as we have left it. instead of jumping right back to the d# to e, he goes in the exact opposite intervalic relationships that he created in the first half of the piece. through the use of whole steps moving to half steps, a lowering of the pitch of the vocal line, an increase in duration of strophe's, and a slowing rhythm in the piano, we are gradually leads back home (the final measure is the same rhythm as measure one).

the first question ends on an ascending half step, this time on c to c# in measure 59-60 (as opposed to a cx to d# in measure 46-47). the duration of the strophe is expanded to eight measures. there is a d# pedal beginning in measure 44 through measure 52. the piano interludes are again increased to a half note duration (measure 60-61 and 65-66), just as they were in the first two stanzas.

measure 62 marks the beginning of the reiteration of the final question. note here that measure 64 in the left hand of the piano is the same rhythmically, and intervalically as measure 50, but begins a half step lower, temporarily bringing us into g minor (where we expected to arrive instead of g# minor in measure 48; questioning between e minor/ajor). the vocal line at this point in measure 61-63 is a variation on measure 43, which then moves by half step d# to d natural. in measure 67 the piano line is reduced back to rhythmic pulsing. measure 69 marks the lowest piano note of g and the highest vocal pitch of a. this a is approached by the beginning of the phrase by d# which is an altered version of the fifth rises from the earlier stanzas. measure 69 vocal d# to e rises a half step as in the previous questions, but also marks the leading tone ascension in e minor, and makes clear the tonal problem of moving from e minor to d# minor harmonically in the first stanza. the final vocal e is one octave higher than the first vocal note stated in measure 5.

between measure69 and 70 we can see how schubert falls into the dotted eight and sixteenth rhythm from the straight eights from the measures before. i believe here he is trying to make very clear the way one rhythmic figure just subtly fell into the next higher intensity rhythm throughout the piece. as easily as he slides into the dotted rhythm in measure 70, he slides out of it by going back to the quarter note pulses of measure one. overall, stanza five occurs for 34 measures, while all the preceding stanzas together take 40 measures. the rhythm and dynamics die away and the wanderer moves on in his journey through the rest of the song cycle. the circular motion of the music is appropriate to the text and the hopeless wandering of the main character.

e minor (t) -->d# minor (#subtonic) distant --> e minor (t) --> E major (T) close --> e minor (t) --> d# minor (#subtonic) distant --> E major (T) close --> e minor (t) --> g# minor (#submediant) indirect and remote --> e minor (t) --> D major (subTonic) indirect and remote --> e minor (t) home.