Schubert Liszt – Erlkönig S 558/4

Schubert Liszt – Erlkönig Schubert famous Lied Erlkönig S 558/4 (sheet music, Noten, partition)

Best Sheet Music download from our Library.

Please, subscribe to our Library.

If you are already a subscriber, please, check our NEW SCORES’ page every month for new sheet music. THANK YOU!

On Erlkönig

Erlkönig, song setting by Franz Schubert, written in 1815 and based on a 1782 poem of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. “Erlkönig” is considered by many to be one of the greatest ballads ever penned. The song was written for two performers, a singer and a pianist, and it packs a remarkable amount of tension and drama into a mere four minutes. Its effectiveness is doubly impressive because Schubert was only 18 years old when he composed it.

Inspired in part by his friendship with a number of talented singers, Schubert produced some 600 art songs during the course of his brief career (he died at age 31). “Erlkönig” is by far the best known of these. The poem that provides its text, like many of the supernatural tales that dominated literature in the Romantic era, has its roots in a Scandinavian folktale. Goethe’s poem tells the story of a boy riding home on horseback in his father’s arms. He is frightened when he is courted by the Erl-King, a powerful and creepy supernatural being. The boy’s father, however, cannot see or hear the creature and tells the boy that his imagination is playing tricks on him. The boy grows increasingly terrified by what he hears from the Erl-King, but his father tells him that the things he thinks he sees and hears are only the sights and sounds of nature on a dark and stormy night. When the Erl-King eventually seizes the boy, the father spurs on his horse, but when he arrives home his son is dead.

Goethe’s poem, which is reproduced below, contains a conversation that includes a father, his child, and the evil Erl-King. So as to distinguish among the speakers, the father’s words are in bold and the son’s in double quotation marks, while the Erl-King’s words are in single quotes.

Wer reitet so spät, durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er fasst ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.

Mein Sohn, was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht?
“Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht?
Den Erlenkönig mit Kron und Schweif?”
Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif.

‘Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir!
Gar schöne Spiele spiel ich mit dir
Manch bunte Blumen sind an dem Strand.
Meine Mutter hat manch gülden Gewand.’

“Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du nicht,
Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht?”
Sei ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind;
In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind.

‘Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn?
Meine Töchter solln dich warten schön;
Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen Reihn,
Und wiegen und tanzen und singen dich ein.’

“Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du nicht dort
Erlkönigs Töchter am düstern Ort?”
Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh es genau;
Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau.

‘Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt;
Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch ich Gewalt.’
“Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt fasst er mich an!
Erlkönig hat mir ein Leids getan!”

Dem Vater grauset’s, er reitet geschwind,
Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind,
Erreicht den Hof mit Mühe und Not;
In seinen Armen das Kind war tot.

The following translation into English of Goethe’s poem uses the same text attributes to distinguish among the speakers.

Who’s riding so late, in the night and wind?
It is the father with his child.
He grasps the boy in his arm.
He holds him securely; he keeps him warm.


My son, why do you hide your face so fearfully?
“Father, don’t you see the Erl-King there?
The Erl-King with his crown and train?”
My son, it’s a streak of mist.


‘You delightful child, come with me!
I’ll play wonderful games with you.
Colourful flowers grow on the shore.
My mother has many fine things.’


“My father, my father, don’t you hear
What the Erl-King said to me?”
Be calm, stay calm, my son;
The wind is stirring the dry leaves.


‘Fine boy, will you come with me?
My daughters will wait on you nicely.
My daughters will lead the evening dancing
And rock and dance and sing to you.’


“My father, my father, don’t you see
The Erl-King’s daughters in that gloomy place?”
My son, my son, I see it indeed;
The old willow gleaming so gray.


‘I love you, I delight in your beautiful shape;
And if you are not willing, I shall use force.’
“My father, my father, he has seized me!
Erl-King is injuring me!”


The father blanched; he rode swiftly.
He held the moaning child in his arms.
With great trouble, he reached the courtyard.
In his arms, the child was dead.


(Translation by Betsy Schwarm.)

Schubert deftly underscores the action described in the poem by carefully crafting music that drops the listener in medias res. He heightens its horror by means of several devices. Although only one singer is involved, Schubert gives each of the song’s four personalities—narrator, father, boy, and Erl-King—a characteristic way of singing. Each time the boy speaks, for example, his growing hysteria is signaled by his rising vocal pitch, whereas the father’s voice is not only lower in pitch but also steady and even.

The Erl-King’s voice, by contrast, is initially sweetly beguiling, but, as he loses his patience with the boy, it takes on an angry, menacing edge. The pianist too contributes to the mood. Schubert’s masterful writing gives to the right hand a continuous series of staccato chords that suggest the pounding pace of the horse and lend urgency to the narrative, and to the left he gives a repetitive, quietly sinister little run. The playing of both hands stops completely when the fate of the son is revealed.

Search words must be at least 2 characters in length.

Total Records Found in the Library: 14192, showing 150 per page

Artist or Composer / Score name	Cover	List of Contents
The Cardigans – Lovefool
The Cars – Complete Greatest Hit – The Cars sheet music		The Cars – Complete Greatest Hit – The Cars sheet music
The Cars – Shake It Up		Cars The Shake It Up
The Chairmans Walz from Memoirs of a Geisha	The_Chairmans_Walz_from_Memoirs_of_a_Geisha
The Chelsea Songbook (arr. for piano by Charles Kennedy Scott drawings by Juliet Wigan (vintage sheet music) 1927
The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe-Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus	The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe-Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus
The Chronicles of Narnia – Evacuating London – Harry Gregson-williams
The Chronicles Of Narnia – The Call (Regina Spektor)
The Cider House Rules Main Theme – Zelensky	The Cider House Rules Main Theme – Zelensky
The Civil War Songbook – Richard Crawford (1977)
The Clash – The Best of – Full Score
The Clash – Rock The Casbah
The Clash – The Best Of (Guitar with Tablature)		The Clash – The Best Of (Guitar)
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Bach (easy piano) Book 1		The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Bach (piano) Book 1
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Bach (easy piano) Book 2		The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Bach (piano) Book 2
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Beethoven (easy piano)		The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Beethoven (piano)
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Chopin (easy piano)		The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Chopin (piano)
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Ciaokovkski (Tchaikovsky easy piano)		The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Tchaikovsky
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Haendel (easy Piano)		The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Haendel (Piano)
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il Mio Primo Mozart (easy piano)		The Classics for Young Pianists – Il Mio Primo Mozart
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Schumann (easy piano)		The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Schumann (piano)
The Commodores Jesus Is Love Piano Vocal Guitar
The Complete Beatles Chronicle (eBook) by Mark Lewisohn Biography
The Complete Book Of Scales & Arpeggios in Tablature for the guitar (Howard Wallach)
The Complete Drum Method by Albert Panagiotopoulos
The Complete Electronic Player Book 3 by Kenneth Baker		The Complete Electronic Player Book 3 by Kenneth Baker
The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Buying A Piano
The Complete Idiots Guide To Playing Piano 2nd Ed.
The Complete Jazz Guitar Method by Jody Fisher (with audio MP3 audio tracks and Tablature) All Four Volumes		Beginning Jazz Guitar and Vol.2 – Intermediate Jazz Guitar and Mastering II Beginning Jazz Guitar The Complete Jazz Guitar Method by Jody Fisher (with audio MP3) and Mastering I Beginning Jazz Guitar The Complete Jazz Guitar Method by Jody Fisher (with audio MP3)
The Complete Keyboard Player Book 1 by Kenneth Baker
The Complete Keyboard Player Book 2 by Kenneth Baker
The Complete Keyboard Player Book 3 by Kenneth Baker
The Complete Piano Player Book 1 by Kenneth Baker		The Complete Piano Player Book 1
The Complete Piano Player Book 2 by Kenneth Baker
The Complete Piano Player Book 4 by Kenneth Baker
The Complete Piano Player Book 5 by Kenneth Baker		The Complete Piano Player Book 5
The Complete Piano Player Easy Blues		The Complete Piano Player Easy Blues
The Complete Piano Player Style Book by Kenneth Baker		The Complete Piano Player Style – Book by Kenneth Baker
The Conformist – Main theme (Georges Delerue)
The Contradictions Of Jazz (Studies In Jazz) by Paul Rinzler (Book)
The Corrs – Angel
The Corrs – It’s Easy To Play The Corrs		The Corrs – It’s Easy To Play The Corrs
The Corrs – One Night
The Corrs – Play Guitar With – MP3 audio tracks embedded in PDF Play Along with Tablature		Play Guitar With – The Corrs
The Corrs – Runaway
The Cottage on the Beach (Atonement OST) Dario Marianelli
The Country Music Fake Book		The Country Music Fake Book
The Cranberries Zombie easy piano vocal guitar	The Cranberries Zombie easy piano vocal guitar
The Cure – The Best Of [Guitar Tablature Songbook]		The Cure – The Best Of [Guitar Tablature Songbook]
The Cure Disintegration(Guitar & Vocal sheet music) with Tablature		The Cure Disintegration Guitar
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Alexandre Desplat		The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Alexandre Desplat
The Cycle Of Fifths Essential Exercises For All Jazz Traditional And Contemporary Musicians
The Danish Girl – Fonnesbech (Alexandre Desplat)
The Danish Girl (Alexandre Desplat)
The Day of the Dolphin (Georges Delerue)
The Definitive Jazz Collection Alto Saxophone With Chords		The Definitive Jazz Collection Alto Saxophone With Chords
The Diatonic Cycle Essential Exercises for All Jazz, Traditional and Contemporary Musicians by Emile De Cosmo Laura De Cosmo
The Disappearance Of Hatsune Miku Piano
The Doobie Brothers Long Train Runnin Piano Vocal Guitar chords
The Doors – Hello I Love You
The Doors – Light My Fire
The Doors – Riders On The Storm
The Doors – Rock Score (band songbook)
The Doors Anthology (Guitar & Tablature)		The Doors Anthology (Guitar & Tablature)
The Doors Anthology Piano Vocal Guitar Chords		The Doors Anthology Piano Vocal Guitar Chords —
The Doors Easy Piano		The Doors Easy Piano
The Doors Guitar Tablature Anthology		The Doors Guitar Tablature Anthology
The Doors The Music Of The Doors		The Doors The Music Of The Doors
The dream within (Lara Fabian)
The Drummers Fake Book Easy To Use Drum Charts With Kit Legends And Lyric Cues		The Drummers Fake Book Easy To Use Drum Charts With Kit Legends And Lyric Cues
The Eagles (Guitar Backing) Jam with – (with MP3 audio tracks to play along) with Tablature		The Eagles Jam with
The Easy Sixties Fake Book 100 Songs Of The 60s Melody, Lyrics And Simplified Chords		The Easy Sixties Fake Book 100 Songs Of The 60s Melody, Lyrics And Simplified Chords
The Ecstasy of Gold (Ennio Morricone)
The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind Title Music
The End Of The World – Skeeter Davis
The End Of The World – Skeeter Davis (Musescore File).mscz
The English Patient – Main Theme (Musescore File).mscz
The English Patient Piano Solo Gabriel Yared
The Entertainer (Musescore File).mscz
The European Piano Method Vol. 1 Fritz Emonts
The European Piano Method Vol. 2 Fritz Emonts
The Evolution Of Jazz Arranging by Fred Sturm (Book)
The Evolution Of The Art Of Music Cambridge Librar. (Book)
The Exciters – Tell Him
The Exercise Book Guitar Grimoire Series Adam Kadmon Guitar Tablature
The Exorcist Main Theme Piano Solo arr. Robert Miles and Storm Kesocascay	The Exorcist Main Theme Piano Solo arr. Robert Miles and Storm Kesocascay cover
The Fantasticks – Celebration – Tom Jones & Schmidt, Harvey	The Fantasticks. Celebration – Tom Jones & Schmidt, Harvey
The Fault In Our Stars Songbook Sheet Music Piano Vocal Guitar		The Fault In Our Stars Songbook Sheet Music Piano Vocal Guitar
The First Noel – 17th Century English Carol – Easy Piano Arr. With Lyrics (Musescore File).mscz
The First Principles Of Pianoforte Playing (By Tobias Matthay) (1905)
The Fountain – Lastman – Clint Mansell
The Four Seasons – Vivaldi (Musescore File).mscz
The Four Seasons (Complete) (Musescore File).mscz
The Fray – How To Save A Life
The Fray – Scars & Stories Piano Vocal Guitar		The Fray – Scars & Stories Piano Vocal Guitar
The Fray How to Save a Life		The Fray – How to Save a Life Piano Vocal Guitar
The Fray Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar		The Fray Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar
The Freddie Mercury album (Queen) Piano Vocal Guitar		The Freddie Mercury -Album
The Free Music Analysis Anthology by Mark Feezell	Book Theory
The Frim Fram sauce by Joe Ricardel and Redd Evans -Jazz Play Along		The Frim Fram sauce
The Fugees Killing Me Softly with his song (Nina Simone)	The Fugees Killing Me Softly
The Full Monty (The Musical) – Piano Conductor Score Book by Terrence McNally Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek		The Full Monty (The Musical) – Piano Conductor Score
The Fusion Guitar Workbook (Deutsch German) with Tablature
The Genius Of Kurt Weill (1938)		The Genius Of Kurt Weill (1938)
The Genius Of The Jazz Giants Vol 4		The Genius Of The Jazz Giants Vol 4
The Giants Of Jazz Piano		The Giants Of Jazz Piano
The Gipsy Jazz Guitar Songbook		The Gipsy Jazz Guitar Songbook
The Girl From Ipanema (Antonio Carlos Jobim & Vinícius de Moraes) Jazz Piano Solo arr. sheet music
The Girl From Ipanema (Guitar Tabs) (Musescore File).mscz
The Girl with the Sun in her Hair (John Barry)
The Glorious Ones – I Was Here (Piano vocal) by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty	The Glorious Ones – I Was Here (Piano vocal) by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty
The Godfather – Love theme (Nino Rota)
The Godfather – Main Theme
The Godfather 2 – End Title (Nino Rota)
The Godfather Theme (Nino Rota)
The Godfather Waltz (Musescore File).mscz
The Godfather Waltz (Nino Rota)
The Golden Era Of Rock And Roll (Piano, vocal and Guitar Chords)		The Golden Era Of Rock And Roll (Piano, Vocal And Guitar Chords)
The Gravel Road (The Village OST) James Newton Howard
The Great American Movie Songbook (for organ & keyboard) Very easy		The Great American Movie Songbook
The Great American Songbook The Singers Music And Lyrics For 100 Standards From The Golden Age Of American Song		The Great American Songbook The Singers Music And Lyrics For 100 Standards From The Golden Age Of American Song
The Great Big Book Of Children’s Songs Piano Vocal Guitar Chords		The Great Big Book Of Children’s Songs Piano Vocal Guitar Chords
The Great Composers (By Hezekiah Butterworth) (1884)
The Greatest Love Songs Of The 21st Century		The Greatest Love Songs Of The 21st Century
The Greatest Love Songs Of The 60s		The Greatest Love Songs Of The 60s
The Greatest Love Songs Of The 70s		The Greatest Love Songs Of The 70s
The Greatest Love Songs Of The 80s		The Greatest Love Songs Of The 80s
The Greatest Love Songs Of The 90s		The Greatest Love Songs Of The 90s
The Greatest Showman Vocal Selections		The Greatest Showman Vocal Selections
The Grinch You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch (Easy Solo Piano Arr.) By Dr. Seuss And Albert Hague	The Grinch You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch (Easy Solo Piano Arr.) By Dr. Seuss And Albert Hague
The Grinch You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch (Jazzy Solo Piano Arr.) By Dr. Seuss And Albert Hague	The Grinch You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch (Jazzy Solo Piano Arr.) By Dr. Seuss And Albert Hague
The Grinch – You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch (Easy Solo Piano Arr.) By Dr. Seuss And Albert Hague (Musescore File).mscz
The Grinch – You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch (Jazzy Solo Piano Arr.) By Dr. Seuss And Albert Hague (Musescore File).mscz
The Guitar Works Of Garoto Vol 1 Guitar Scores		The Guitar Works Of Garoto Vol 1 Guitar Scores
The Guitarist’s Scale Book by Peter Fogl with TABs
The Hanging Tree Sheet Music (From The Hunger Games Mockingjay, Part 1) (James Newton Howard)
The Harmonious Blacksmith – Gf Händel (Musescore File).mscz
The Healing – Lady In The Water	The Healing – Lady In The Water
The Hill (Marketa Irglova)
The History Of Jazz – Book by Ted Gioia (Oxford Un. Press)
The history of the blues – Koopmans Andy (Book)
The Horse Whisperer Sheet Music – The Vast Continent – Thomas Newman
The House of the raising Sun – Traditional (Guitarr arr. sheet music)	The House of the raising Sun – Traditional (Guitarr arr. sheet music)
The Hundred Best Short Classics Book 2 Cuthbert Whitemore		The Hundred Best Short Classics Book 2 Cuthbert Whitemore
The Hunger Games – James Newton Howard The Train
The Immigrant – Love theme (The Godfather OST) Nino Rota
The Immigrant (The Godfather OST) Nino Rota
The Imperial March Star Wars Sheet Music For Piano by John Williams		The Imperial March Star Wars Sheet Music For Piano
The Improvisation Of Musical Dialogue A Phenomenology Of Music (Bruce Ellis Benson) Book
The Intermediate Piano Sonata Collection Piano Trainer Series 9 Complete Piano Sonatas		The Intermediate Piano Sonata Collection Piano Trainer Series 9 Complete Piano Sonatas

• 84
• 85
• 86
• 87
• 88

Please leave this field empty

It’s nice to meet you.

Sign up to receive our new posts in your inbox.

This field is required.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Please, check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.