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The Fantasie in C major, Op. 15 (D. 760), popularly known as the Wanderer Fantasy, is a four-movement fantasy for solo piano composed by Franz Schubert in 1822. It is widely considered Schubert's most technically demanding composition for the piano. Schubert himself said "the devil may play it," in reference to his own inability to do so properly.[1]
Historical background[edit]
Schubert composed this work in late 1822, just after breaking off work on the Unfinished Symphony while sketching its incomplete scherzo.[2] It was written for and dedicated to Carl Emanuel Liebenberg von Zsittin, who had studied piano with Johann Nepomuk Hummel, in the hope of some remuneration from the dedication.[3] This was Schubert's last fantasy for solo piano.[4]
Structure[edit]
The piece is not only a technically formidable challenge for the performer, but also a structurally formidable four-movement work combining theme-and-variations with sonata form.[4] Each movement transitions without pause into the next instead of ending with a final definitive cadence. This interconnected structure provided a precedent for the symphonic poem, as developed by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt and other late 19th-century composers.[5]
Movements:
- Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo (C major)
- Adagio (C-sharp minor)
- Presto (A-flat major)
- Allegro (C major)
Motif[edit]
The whole work is based on one basic dactylic motif--a quarter note followed by two eighth notes[6]--from which all themes are developed.[5] This motif comes from the lied "Der Wanderer" (D 489), which Schubert wrote in 1816.[2][4] The second movement, marked "adagio," states the theme in virtually the same way it is presented in the song, whereas the three fast movements begin with variants in diminution (that is, shortened note values). It is this musical reference from which the fantasy's popular name is derived.
Theme from "Der Wanderer", D 489
I. Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo[edit]
II. Adagio[edit]
The slow second movement is a connected sequence of increasingly ornate variations. The main theme is almost identical to the melody in "Der Wanderer", which leads to the first variation in E major. This variation keeps the dactylic motif but also draws from another phrase that appears in “Der Wanderer”: “Ich wandle still, bin wenig froh”.[6] The subsequent variations alternate between C-sharp minor (the main key of this movement) and its parallel major, C-sharp major.[6] The end of this movement anticipates the third movement's main theme.[2]
III. Presto[edit]
Although not marked as such, this movement functions as a scherzo and trio in triple meter. The dactyl motif is modified here to a dotted-quarter–eighth–quarter pattern. The trio section of this movement is in D-flat major, using a secondary theme from the first movement.[6]
IV. Allegro[edit]
Liszt's transcriptions[edit]
Franz Liszt, who was fascinated by the Wanderer Fantasy, transcribed it for piano and orchestra (S.366) and two pianos (S.653). He additionally edited the original score and added some various interpretations and simplifications in ossia,[5] and made a complete rearrangement of the final movement (S.565a).
References[edit]
- ^ Duncan, Edmondstoune (1905). Schubert. J. M. Dent & Co. p. 165.
- ^ a b c Brown, Michael (1961). Schubert. MacMillan and Company Limited. p. 124.
- ^ Einstein, Alfred (1951). Schubert: A Musical Portrait. Oxford University Press. p. 204.
- ^ a b c Schubert, Franz (2018). Dürr, Walther (ed.). Fantasy for Piano in C major op. 15 D 760 "Wanderer Fantasy". Bärenreiter-Verlag.
- ^ a b c Gibbs, Christopher, ed. (2004). The Cambridge Companion to Schubert. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ a b c d Young, John (2009). Schubert: A Survey of His Symphonic, Piano, and Chamber Music. Amadeus Press. pp. 69–87.
External links[edit]
- Wanderer Fantasy: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
