In his relatively brief life, German composer Hugo Wolf (1860–1903) created one of the great legacies in the art of song. Among his most deeply affecting works are his settings of poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Joseph von Eichendorff. This volume contains 45 of these songs, reprinted from authoritative German editions.
Wolf referred to Eichendorff's poems as "landscapes composed in poetry." He wrote most of the Eichendorff songs in the years 1887–88. Richly varied in mood, they sensitively evoke a romantic, moonlit world one moment and humorously portray human foibles the next.
The Goethe songs include exquisite short love lyrics as well as works that explore the darker side of human experience. Both the Goethe and Eichendorff songs reveal Wolf's rare sensitivity to lyric content and his rich reserves of musical inspiration. On page after page, singers, musicians, and any lover of lieder will discover the distinctive magic this supreme lyric composer brought to the art of song.