Pieces › Franz Schubert

Der Lindenbaum

Winterreise, D. 911 · No. 5

Franz Schubert · 1827 · E major · 82 bars · 216 chords analysed

“The Linden Tree” became so popular that it was sung as a folk song. The piano's rustling leaves alternate with a calm, hymn-like tune.

Schubert's “Winter Journey” sets 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller. A rejected lover leaves town at night and wanders through a frozen landscape. Schubert finished it in 1827, a year before his death, and told friends these songs had affected him more than any others.

Keys visited: E major, E minor, F minor.