Customer Reviews

The Schubert Song Companion

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John Reed's Schubert Song Companion provides clear and literal translations to the more than 600 known Schubert lieder. Reed also includes musical analysizations and historical information about each song. This book is perfect for anyone from the Schubert scholar to the curious listener. Definately a must for any Schubert singer!

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For those who have the time and intellectual inclination, suggest you pair this book with Schubert: Lieder and go through the whole Schubert lieder experience, combining poetry, music, and criticism: a worthy pursuit of the best of humanity--amid the wrack and ruin of civilization in the 21st Century New Dark Age.
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Good, could be better. It should include the orinal German. But as far as I know there's nothing else.

To get a start in the world of the lieder, this is the best by far. Thourogh, well organized, easy to use...

Overall a useful compendium and listener's companion, with historic and interpretive notes on each of Schubert's 600+ Lieder. Potential buyers should be forewarned, however, that song texts are only offered in English translations not their (usually) German originals. Doubtless this choice was made to limit the size of the book, but it also prevents it from being quite as helpful a guide as it might have been.

For those interested in Schubert's songs, Reed's book is a must have. He provides short commentary to all the songs (organized alphabetically) and references to commentaries in the other major Schubert song reference books. There are also sections about tonality and other topics near the end.