hello and welcome to Sonata she wrote today we are discussing the fifth song in Schubert cycle de Venta Dar Linden Bal or the linden tree sometimes called a lime tree without going too deeply off topic the lynen Bal has a long history in German art as a rendevu for lovers and as a positive representation of nature which vilhelm Mueller was probably aware of the analysis today is going to be about Duality past and present within the text major and minor modes within the song and also between two idioms classical and folk the music begins with a brief introduction by the piano a rustling sound as of wind through branches and leaves The Wanderer presently in the midst of his winter journey is transported by sound and sight to the Past [Music] I'm for T I lean and bow [Music] so in Fr [Music] harmonically this section is simplistic but there is still an extreme contrast between the introduction and the first verse Susan Yuans and by the way if you need more information about these songs I really cannot recommend her book enough writes that the lengthy piano introduction can be heard as the instrumental script for a sequence of events within the mind a wordless process that leads to the articulation of memory in words the wanderer first Hears A rustling sound that arises unbidden to awareness whether in reality or by memory mid Journey The Wanderer becomes aware of the linden tree that he knows well its rustling called to mind by the swirling wind which opens the song awakens memory spent beneath it carving initials into its partk transporting The Wanderer out of the present and into the past there's also a distinct style difference between the introduction and the song proper the piano acting as a representative of a more complex learned style rhythmically active and eventually cycling quickly through predominance to reach its final half Cadence a fanfare-like gesture which clears the way for the text the vocal line which follows is more simplistic short phrases which nearly always end in dominant tonic cadences with the vocal line often doubled in the piano one of the reasons this song or rather sections of this song is so popular is that it has a narrow vocal range and is easily sung by students this dichotomy between a complex and simple style or as Susan Yuan describes it lead and folk song continues throughout the present situation of The Wanderer interjects itself into this Daydream through the introductory music now in minor representing icy wind [Music] [Music] for by in De [Music] the [Music] here here F to room in the song wonderful memories become a temptation to The Wanderer who closes his eyes against them Within These Memories the tree tempts The Wanderer with rest in this case likely meaning death Lori surpa discusses this rejection in her book death inenta writing that in der Linden Bal the speaker hears the linden tree calling to him promising peace apparently in death but The Wanderer ref refuses to follow the call instead continuing his journey through the cold and wind in the music which follows Schubert emphasizes the struggle of choosing to reject death the piano switching into the heightened lead style while the vocal line is a variation of the original Melody harmonically Schubert is switching between the dominant chord B major and the flattened sixth chord c major which has two associations for me both really only hinted at first the flatten six calls to mind augmented sixth chords usually an attempt to open a half Cadence or Propel the harmony forward into tonic Cadence second any motion from 5 to six calls to mind deceptive cadences in this case a reflection of the tree calling The Wanderer to rest which we infer to actually mean death the wanderer's ultimate rejection of this fate spoken in the line ik Venda mcnick I did not turn back this stanza ends with a fata from which we can also infer an indistinct amount of time has passed The Wanderer is now far from the tree but he is still haunted by its rustling promise of rest in both the fifth and sixth stanza we can hear a combination of the folk and Lead idioms in the song the vocal line retains the original shape of the first verse but the accompaniment is more traditionally active with an almost contrapuntal [Music] Baseline foreign [Music] speee [Music] for be on [Music] [Music] and the true oh [Music] the song ends with a repetition of the introductory material representing the wanderer's memories of the linden tree but note the weakened Cadence which ends the song the dominant chord on beat one resolving in a soft sigh to the tonic chord on beat 2 as the cycle continues references to death both subtle and overt will appear again and again slowly weakening the wanderer's ability to resist them I hope you enjoyed my analysis of De Linden Bal if you would like to support the channel consider joining my patreon Linked In the description up next is the sixth song vaser flute