Women in Schubert’s Lieder: Exploring the Female Voice through His Songs

Abstract

This document explores Franz Schubert’s songs that feature women. These include his small but significant body of songs by female poets, 12 in all. In order to gain perspective on this often-overlooked body of songs, I examine the composer’s biographical, musical, and literary connections with women. Scholars and performers have long celebrated Schubert’s connection to poetry and keen ability to express musically the essence of each poem. (I will explore some of this research in later chapters, including the work of Susan Youens, Kristina Muxfeldt, and Michael Hall, among others.) By examining this body of songs as a whole, I aim to highlight specific ways that Schubert’s gifts lend themselves to the expression of the woman’s voice in song.