Question

When learning about vocal music, it's important to look at the lyrics first to understand why the composer made certain musical choices. This poem has eight stanzas (or individual paragraphs) of text, and it tells the story of a worried father and his dying son on a cold and windy night. Here is the first stanza:_____________.

Answer 1

Assuming that this is about "The Elfking" by Franz Schubert, the answer is that the opening lines of the poem describe a father and his son (riding on a horse). Therefore, the first stanza is:

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.

(Adaptation in English:

Who rides there so late through the night dark and drear?

The father it is, with is infant so dear;

He holdeth the boy tightly clasp'd in his arm,

He holdeth him safely, he keepeth his warm.)