Goetz: Six songs

Day 358

Hermann Goetz: Six songs

Geheimnis 

Schließe mir die Augen beide

Wandervöglein

Ein Frühlingstraum

Der Früling commit

Wanders Nachtlied

Olaf Bär

Helmet Deutsch

I came across Goetz when we played his symphony on a student orchestra course. I have also heard his rather good opera on the Taming of the Shrew. Goetz is a rather forgotten figure these days but his memory is preserved in the music criticism of George Bernard Shaw who rated him very highly as a composer. Shaw’s music criticism is always a delight to read. 

These half a dozen songs were attractive - between them they had a good range of emotions from cheerful though to solemn. Goetz was a conservative figure. His dates are 1840 - 1876, but he inhabits the musical world of the 1820s and 1830s, with just a hint of awareness of later developments. Goetz was a fairly prolific song composer given that he died in his mid 30s and there is probably a great deal more to explore in his song repertoire. I’ve certainly enjoyed hearing these pieces; they help to show why Shaw had such a high opinion of the composer.