Nick's post

Schubert’s “Erlkonig” is an interesting piece. First of all, the lyrics cause great discussion. The song can be interpreted in many different ways, which intrigues many people, including myself. When analyzing the piece, we find many interesting things as well. First of all, the Neapolitan is approached and resolved differently than we would expect. Prior to the chord, we have a iv chord. Oddly enough, the chord is resolved with another iv chord to i, rather than a V to i. This causes the resolution to sound a bit different than we would expect, with a sense of prolonging with the iv chord. The scalewise motives presented by the left hand at the end of the piece starting in measure 132 create a sense of urgency as well. Then we reach the end, where the child dies. This piece is truly fascinating.