Born in the Himmelpfortgrund suburb of Vienna, Schubert showed uncommon gifts for music from an early age. His father gave him his first violin lessons and his elder brother gave him piano lessons, but Schubert soon exceeded their abilities. In 1808, at the age of eleven, he became a pupil at the Stadtkonvikt school, where he became acquainted with the orchestral music of Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. He left the Stadtkonvikt at the end of 1813 and returned home to live with his father, where he began studying to become a schoolteacher. Despite this, he continued his studies in composition with Antonio Salieri and still composed prolifically. In 1821, Schubert was admitted to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde as a performing member, which helped establish his name among the Viennese citizenry. He gave a concert of his works to critical acclaim in March 1828, the only time he did so in his career. He died eight months later at the age of 31, the cause officially attributed to typhoid fever, but believed by some historians to be syphilis.
Appreciation of Schubert's music while he was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased greatly in the decades following his death. Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and other 19th-century composers discovered and championed his works. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music and his work continues to be admired and widely performed.
Im Frühling D.882
Franz Schubert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Der Himmel ist so klar
Das Lüftchen spielt im grünen Tal
Wo ich beim ersten Frühlingsstrahl
Einst, ach so glücklich war
Wo ich an ihrer Seite ging
So traulich und so nah
Den schönen Himmel blau und hell
Und sie im Himmel sah
Sieh, wie der bunte Frühling schön
Aus Knosp' und Blüte blickt!
Nicht alle Blüten sind mir gleich
Am liebsten pflückt ich von dem Zweig
Von welchem sie gepflückt!
Denn alles ist wie damals noch
Die Blumen, das Gefild
Die Sonne scheint nicht minder hell
Nicht minder freundlich schwimmt im Quell
Das blaue Himmelsbild
Es wandeln nur sich Will und Wahn
Es wechseln Lust und Streit
Vorüber flieht der Liebe Glück
Und nur die Liebe bleibt zurück
Die Lieb und ach, das Leid
O wär ich doch ein Vöglein nur
Dort an dem Wiesenhang
Dann blieb ich auf den Zweigen hier
Und säng ein süßes Lied von ihr
Den ganzen Sommer lang
In Franz Schubert's song "Im Frühling" (In Spring), the singer sits on a hillside, surrounded by a clear sky and a gentle breeze playing in the green valley. This setting brings back memories of a past spring, when the singer was once happy, walking alongside their beloved. They would gaze into a deep, dark rock pool, seeing the beautiful and bright sky reflected in it, while envisioning their loved one in heaven. The singer then reflects on how spring is beautiful and vibrant, with blossoms and buds emerging, but not all flowers hold the same meaning for them. They prefer to pick flowers from the same branch their beloved once picked from.
The song maintains a sense of continuity, with everything still being as it was in the past. The flowers, the landscapes, and even the sky seem unchanged. However, the singer acknowledges that feelings and perceptions have shifted. Will and delusion have transformed, and joy and conflict alternate. The happiness of love passes by quickly, leaving only love itself and the accompanying pain. The singer expresses a wish to be a bird on the meadow's slope, singing a sweet song about their beloved throughout the entire summer.
Line by Line Meaning
Still sitz' ich an des Hügels Hang
I sit quietly at the slope of the hill
Der Himmel ist so klar
The sky is so clear
Das Lüftchen spielt im grünen Tal
The gentle breeze plays in the green valley
Wo ich beim ersten Frühlingsstrahl
Where I, at the first ray of spring
Einst, ach so glücklich war
Once, oh so happy
Wo ich an ihrer Seite ging
Where I walked by her side
So traulich und so nah
So intimately and so close
Und tief im dunklen Felsenquell
And deep in the dark rock spring
Den schönen Himmel blau und hell
Seeing the beautiful sky, blue and bright
Und sie im Himmel sah
And seeing her in the sky
Sieh, wie der bunte Frühling schön
See, how beautiful the colorful spring is
Aus Knosp' und Blüte blickt!
Emerging from buds and flowers!
Nicht alle Blüten sind mir gleich
Not all flowers are the same to me
Am liebsten pflückt ich von dem Zweig
I prefer plucking from the branch
Von welchem sie gepflückt!
From which she plucked!
Denn alles ist wie damals noch
Because everything is still the same as before
Die Blumen, das Gefild
The flowers, the fields
Die Sonne scheint nicht minder hell
The sun shines just as brightly
Nicht minder freundlich schwimmt im Quell
Just as friendly, it flows in the spring
Das blaue Himmelsbild
The blue image of the sky
Es wandeln nur sich Will und Wahn
Only will and illusion change
Es wechseln Lust und Streit
Pleasure and conflict alternate
Vorüber flieht der Liebe Glück
The happiness of love passes by
Und nur die Liebe bleibt zurück
And only love remains behind
Die Lieb und ach, das Leid
Love, and oh, the sorrow
O wär ich doch ein Vöglein nur
Oh, if only I were a little bird
Dort an dem Wiesenhang
There, on the meadow slope
Dann blieb ich auf den Zweigen hier
Then I would stay on these branches here
Und säng ein süßes Lied von ihr
And sing a sweet song about her
Den ganzen Sommer lang
Throughout the whole summer
Lyrics © MONETIZE YOUR CREATIONS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind