Schütz - Schubert - Hugo Wolf

Abstract

In the essay 'Schubert und Schütz' in his Schubert: Musik und Lyrik (Göttingen, 1967), Thrasybulos Georgiades characterizes Schütz and Schubert as the cornerstones of German music, which culminates in the combination of music with the spoken word. The development that Georgiades traces from Schütz to Schubert can be further traced to Wolf. The quality and individuality of Wolf's lieder are founded on the composer's innate feeling for the written word and can be compared - despite some differences - to Schubert's sensitivity toward the text.