Ex. 2-3: Ständchen

No. 4 from Schubert's Schwanengesang (Swan Song, D. 957), a collection of his final songs, published in 1829 after his death at age 31. The poem is by Ludwig Rellstab (1799–1860).

A lover sings beneath the night sky, calling his beloved to come to him.

The piano sounds like a mandolin or guitar being plucked beneath a window — a traditional serenade gesture. Schubert alternates between minor and major throughout, mirroring the lover's shifting emotions between anxiety and hope. We never find out if the beloved comes to the window.

The Ständchen is among the most widely known of all Schubert's songs. A piano transcription by Franz Liszt further spread its popularity across 19th-century concert halls.

Track 4 from the album Lieder by Fatma Said (2025)
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