Zdeněk Fibich (1850–1900) and his Songs to Goethe: Forgotten Settings?
Zdeněk Fibich (1850–1900) and his Songs to Goethe: Forgotten Settings?

Summary/Abstract: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) is considered as one of the most influential cultural figures of his age. His literary work attracted composers throughout the 19th century and beyond. Goethe himself appreciated musical settings of his literary works, as, in his opinion, lyrical poetry without music did not seem complete.One of the numerous composers who tackled Goethe’s words was Zdeněk Fibich (1850–1900), a Bohemian composer whose name is strongly associated with the genres of opera and melodrama. However, only little is known about his primary compositional attempts in the area of songs. Inspired by settings of Schubert and Schumann the composer was addressed by German poets such as Ruckert, Heine, Eichendorff and Goethe. Moreover, song settings to both German and Czech literary models were emerging throughout Fibich’s life. Similarly to Schubert, Fibich’s first Lieder are dated back to his teen hood. Gefunden, Fibich’s first musical encounter with Goethe, was written as early as 1865. In my paper, I have examined nine settings to Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahren, which originated between 16 and 21 April 1871. Numerous reasons led me to examine these particular songs. Firstly, Fibich’s Goethe settings have been neglected by musicologists as well as performers. None of eleven vocal pieces have been published or recorded to date. Secondly, there is need for a comparative study of these songs with other settings to Goethe. My research addresses the lacuna in the 19th century song studies while asking the following questions: Do the songs have much to offer in comparison to songs by Schubert, Schumann, Wolf and others? What stands behind the omission of the songs? This paper is a starting point in uncovering the significance of forgotten Fibich’s Goethe settings.

• Details
• Contents