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Gretchen am Spinnrade
by Franz Schubert
This German “Lied” was composed by Franz Schubert. Let me confess now that this little piece of frantic music plays into my head on a regular basis. Rest assured, though, that my Ruh is never hin though it has been said that my hoher is Gang and my edle is Gestalt. More about the song, from wiki:
“Gretchen am Spinnrade” (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel), Op. 2, D 118, is a Lied composed by Franz Schubert using the text from Part One, scene 15 of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe‘s Faust. With “Gretchen am Spinnrade” and some 600 other songs for voice and piano, Schubert contributed transformatively to the genre of Lied. “Gretchen am Spinnrade” was composed for soprano voice but has been transposed to accommodate other voice types. Schubert composed “Gretchen am Spinnrade” on 19 October 1814, three months before his eighteenth birthday.
Of course. That frantic feeling in the music is the teen angst of its 19th century German prodigy composer, telling a story of another’s teen angst. I am only speaking for myself, and I certainly mean no offense to either Goethe or Schubert, but I am not certain that I would want my Love to wait for me at the window like a Golden Retriever might. A teenager on the other hand? Puppy love it is. But perhaps there is a deeper truth in the song. Gretchen is not Faust’s love. Unrequited love might spin wildly out of control in a way that true and mutual love does not.
| German | English |
| Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer; Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr. Wo ich ihn nicht hab’ Ist mir das Grab, Die ganze Welt Ist mir vergällt. Mein armer Kopf Ist mir verrückt, Mein armer Sinn Ist mir zerstückt. Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer; Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr. Nach ihm nur schau’ ich Zum Fenster hinaus, Nach ihm nur geh’ ich Aus dem Haus. Sein hoher Gang, Sein’ edle Gestalt, Seines Mundes Lächeln, Seiner Augen Gewalt, Und seiner Rede Zauberfluß, Sein Händedruck, Und ach sein Kuß! Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer, Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr. Mein Busen drängt Sich nach ihm hin. Ach dürft ich fassen Und halten ihn! Und küssen ihn So wie ich wollt’, An seinen Küssen Vergehen sollt’! Ach, könnt ich ihn küssen, So wie ich wollt,42 An seinen Küssen Vergehen sollt! An seinen Küssen Vergehen sollt! Meine Ruh ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer. | My calm is gone My heart so heavy I find, I’ll find it never Never ever If I don’t have him It’s like a grave The whole world Is denatured to me My poor head All twisted My poor mind All ripped My calm is gone My heart so heavy I find, I’ll find it never Never ever All I do is look out for him Out of the window It’s only because of him That I’ll get outside His walking is grand His stature noble His smiling mouth The force in his eyes And the way he talks Pure magic flowing His handshake And oh, his kiss My calm is gone My heart so heavy I find, I’ll find it never Never ever My bosom pushes Me towards him Want to touch And hold him too And kiss him The way I want it Would melt To his kisses! And could I kiss him The way I want it I would melt To his kisses! Would melt To his kisses! My calm is gone My heart so heavy |
More about the song:
The song is in three sections, exactly reflecting the form of Goethe’s poem. On the other hand, Schubert contradicts Gretchen’s return to composure in the last three stanzas by obsessively repeating her words to create a second climax on the highest note of the song.
The song opens with Gretchen at her spinning wheel, thinking of Faust and all that he had promised. The accompaniment in the right hand mimics the perpetual movement of the spinning-wheel and the left hand imitates the foot treadle. The initial key of D minor sets a longing tone as Gretchen begins to sing of her heartache (“Meine Ruh’ ist hin/Mein herz ist schwer”). The first section progresses from D minor to C major, A minor, E minor, F major, and then returns to D minor. This, plus the crescendo, builds tension which releases only to be brought back to the beginning, much like the ever-circling spinning wheel. The song modulates to F major as Gretchen starts talking of Faust (“Sein hoher Gang/Sein’ edle Gestalt”). The left-hand imitation of the treadle disappears and changes to block chords. Additionally, the absence of the rhythmic, consistent treadle allows Gretchen to lose her sense of stability and reality as she swoons over Faust. This section increases tension with a faster tempo, louder dynamics, and higher pitch in the soprano and peaks at Gretchen’s remembrance of Faust’s kiss (“Und ach, sein Kuß!”). Similar to the previous section, the music returns to the home key of D minor as Gretchen resumes reality and begins her spinning once more. The third part begins again with “Meine Ruh’ ist hin/Mein herz ist schwer,” but this time Gretchen escalates in intensity much faster than the previous sections. However, the treadle-like left hand is present, keeping her rooted in reality. Gretchen comes down from this fantasy quicker than before, as she realizes she and Faust will never be together. With a heavy heart, Gretchen comes to terms with this hard truth. The song ends as it began: in D minor, alluding to the monotony of the spinning wheel, and how reality is always present.
I have embedded a video recording of the great Elly Ameling singing this song. I hope you enjoy it.
