The poem is sung by a person parting from a female lover by ship and hoping to return to her. You may make any witticism you wish about sopranos singing this song. I have a few.
The introduction to theBärenreiter performing edition, based on the New Schubert Edition includes the following: "The .. song was given its first performance on 26 March, 1828... The vocal part was taken by [Shubert's] friend, the tenor Ludwig Tietze, accompanied by the composer and the celebrated horn player Josef Rudolf Lewy, who probably played an instrument with two valves." It was apparently a huge success, and another performance was given a month later. An alternate part for cello instead of horn was probably made by the cellist Josef Linke the following year for a benefit for a Schubert memorial. I believe most on this list would decry use of that part (as also the cello part for the Schumann Adagio &Allegro). Hans Pizka publishes editions in E, Eb, D and C, if memory serves me. The horn parts look identical, but the piano and voice parts are transposed down to accommodate tenors who can't quite get over the head break, baritones, bass-baritones and their benighted but well meaning female counterparts. Richard Hirsh David Jewel wrote: According to the collected works publication it only says "singstimme" which I looked up and it means "singing voice" so although I am biased in favor of tenors, there is no indication that a soprano isn't appropriate either. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
