The literary representation of Chopin in the period leading to and through early 20th-century modernism shows a contradiction between two expressive identities: a compound of refinement, delicacy, and sensitivity, the expression of a beautiful soul too good for this world, and a ravenous, violent force of desire that sooner or later takes the form…[Read more]

In 1984 I published a chapter on the art song, simply entitled “Song,” in my first book, Music and Poetry: The Nineteenth Century and After (University of California Press). The chapter aimed to replace the traditional understanding of song as a harmonious fusion of words and music. The chapter has had a fortunate reception, but as time has run…[Read more]

A short article reflecting on the relationship of Schubert’s songs to the culture of modernity, with reference to the author’s 1985 article “The Schubert Lied.” Includes an account of the song “Wanderers Nachtled.”