THE LIBRARY | SONGS

This song takes the form a Barcarolle, with a lilting 6/8 rhythm representing the sway of a boat and the cascading 16th-notes representing the flow of the water. (Other famous examples of Barcarolles include Chopin’s solo piano work as well as the famous duet from Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann). The ever-flowing quality of the song and the frequent shifts between Major and minor are Schubert’s response to the poem’s central idea- the passage of time. This song has inspired many adaptions, from a transcription by Liszt to a recording by Barbara Streisand.