The Shepherd on the Rock (Der Hirt auf dem Felsen), D. 965

This is one of the very few songs Schubert wrote for soprano with a solo wind instrument alongside piano, and the combination immediately sets it apart from his 600-odd other songs. Schubert wrote it specifically for the celebrated soprano Anna Milder-Hauptmann, who had asked him for a showpiece with frequent changes of mood. The piece moves through three distinct sections: a warm, lyrical opening in B-flat major (andantino), a darker middle section in G minor where the shepherd laments his solitude, and a faster, more jubilant finale (allegretto) that arrives with the poem's image of spring.

What to listen for

Notice that the clarinet enters before the soprano and, throughout the piece, picks up phrases directly from the voice, creating a call-and-echo effect between the two. When the final allegretto section arrives, the tempo lifts noticeably and the vocal writing shifts toward rapid, florid runs, closer in character to an opera aria than a Romantic song. The clarinet continues to shadow and interject, so the two lines are almost in conversation rather than one accompanying the other.

Recommended recording

The recording by soprano Arleen Auger with pianist Graham Johnson, part of Hyperion's complete Schubert lieder series, has been frequently cited for its clarity of line and idiomatic handling of the text.

Suggestions are AI-generated. Always verify before purchasing.