Hyperion Records

In the same volume as Der Abend and Die Geselligkeit we find the florid manuscript (adorned with a very graphic bar of piano trills) of Die Nachtigall, the song by Unger that is recorded here. Schubert must have borrowed Unger’s book of songs to take down this poem (they are not published in book form). At some point in early 1821 he set it as a male-voice quartet (TTBB); this was published as part of Op 11 the next year, and it was one of the composer’s most popular pieces in his lifetime, receiving many public performances.

comparative Schubert listening:
Die Nachtigall D724. By April 1821

from notes by Graham Johnson © 2006