An early setting that, despite its deceptively simple outlines and such delightfully ‘naive’ effects as the doubling of right hand and voice during the first verse, touches an emotional nerve in the young composer’s psyche that was to be amongst his most enduring expressive traits – an exemplary handling of the minor mode. Following the amiable opening, the music suddenly turns dark and introspective, its quality rising proportionately. The reflective piano postlude – avoiding the hollow victory of a tierce de Picardie ending – was later to become a strong feature of Schumann’s songs in particular.
from notes by Julian Haylock © 1999
