The Trout or Die Forelle is one of Schubert’s most famous Lied. Its lyrics originate from C. F. Schubart, a friend of the composer. The Trout can be heard as a playful folk ditty, yet the story tells about life and death under a simple and joyous tune. Due to its jolly tune, touching storyline, and compositional coherence, The Trout is undeniably one of the greatest works of Franz Schubert; and I loved it the most out of all the music for the assignment.
The first thing that immediately appeals to the listener of The trout is the joyful melody; however, to comprehend the full range of Schubert’s genius, understanding the story is essential. Watching a fish and a fisherman, the narrator admires the quickness of the trout and doubts the fisherman’s ability to catch it; to his surprise, the fish is caught in a blink of an eye (Schubert, 1817). It may be seen as a simple story, but the anger in the singer’s voice and the change of pace of the melody caused me to sympathize with the trout. In the last verse, the narrator angrily gazes at “Die Betrogene” fish, which can be translated as “the betrayed” (Schubert, 1817). As such, the trout’s death deeply hurt the narrator and me.
The points of the story are conveyed not only through the lyrics but also through the melody itself. The piece’s opening is a playful and happy tune, representing the sound of the unsuspecting fish jumping in the water. At the beginning of the third and last verse, the motif changes to a darker one, reflecting the trout’s concern and struggle. The culmination of the piece is the same joyful tune it began with, turning the happiness into an ironic madness of the cold-blooded world.
Schubert’s The Trout appeals to many due to its tunefulness and compositional concordance. It is an excellent piece of music that does not leave my mind for a long time. Simple yet memorable, the story is perfectly conveyed through the melody and motif, engaging me to share the narrator’s emotions in just three verses. The composition is doubtless one of the most remarkable pieces of music in the assignment; it deeply fascinated and captivated me.
Reference
Franz Schubert. (1817). Die Forelle [Song].