Romantic Song: Schubert

Kenny Ridwan (CC ’21), History

When I listened to Der Erlkonig, it reminded me of despair and sadness. It’s use of a single repetitive high note, minor tonality, along with the dissonance of certain lines add to the already building urgency and drama. Without understanding the story or the lyrics, the music already seems to illustrate tragedy. After reading the poetic origins, I decided that the only way to convey a similar thematic tone was to choose a story that mirrored the tragedy of a supernatural elf king stealing a child.

The lyrics of the song portray a conversation between a father his son and the Erlkonig. While the son can hear the Erlkonig whispering to him, his father cannot. The Erlkonig eventually kills his son. The tragedy of a supernatural death before the child’s time is the main theme of the song.

Indeed, to the lonesome pufferfish floating in the huge ocean, the dolphin is an animal that can easily be mistaken for a supernatural being. Whereas evolution had given the dolphin a large brain and the ability to move efficiently through its ecosystem, cruel nature had gifted the pufferfish with the ability to look and feel like a Nerf ball. As the poem reads, “I love you. Your beautiful form delights me! And if you’re not willing, I’ll use force.” In a similar manner, the dolphin cares little for the trivial wants of the pufferfish. Alike the Lovecraftian horror that arose half a century after this song was popularized, the dolphin represents the cosmic horror of the unknown much like the Erlkonig himself.