Erlkonig is a Lied composed by Franz Schubert in

1815. It sets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem

of the same name. Schubert composed this piece
when he was just 18 years old and it was the rst
that he published. The public premiere was on 7
March 1821 at the Theater am Kärntnertor and was
a great success. Erlkonig stands among the most
well-known, performed, and recorded
compositions ever written.

The original poem is a ballad written by Goethe in

1782, it depicts the death of a child assailed by a
supernatural being, which is the Erlkonig

Erlkonig is written for voice and piano. The singer

takes the role of four characters, which are the
narrator, the father, his child and and “Erlkonig”.
The piece is in G minor and in 4/4. The agogic

The piano plays a moto perpetuo of rapid triplets

throughout the entire piece, it creates a sense of
urgency and simulated the horse’s galloping. The
structure is divided in introduction and eight
verses. The tonality structure is based on rising
semitones which creates the drama throughout the
piece. Every verse has a di erent tonality: G minor
- B at major - b minor - C major - c sharp minor -
d minor - and G minor again.

fl
ff
.

fi
The introduction lasts 15 measure and the entire
piece is 148 measures long. The coda includes the
last three measures.

This is the story of the poem:

A small child is being carried at night by his father

on horseback. The son claims to see and hear the
"Erlkönig" (Elf King). The father doesn’t hear or
hear the being, and he tries to comfort the child.
The Erlkonig attempts to lure the child into joining
him, promising amusement, rich clothes and the
attentions of his daughters. At the end the Erlkonig
declares that he will take the child by force. The boy
shrieks that he has been attacked, spurring the
father to ride faster. When they reach their house,
the child is already dead.