Falling Asleep: Schumann, Lessing, and Death in a Wunderhorn Lullaby
Abstract
This article pinpoint the presence of the well-known German folk lubally, Schalf, Kindlein schalf! (Des Knaben Wunderhorn) in Robert Schumann’s duet Weigenlied am Lager enies kranken Kindes op. 78/4, previously known only as a setting of a poem by Hebbel. I argue that op. 78/4 is Schumann’s transformative response to a painting illustrating the folk lubally in a collection of children’s poem published in 1849. Wiegenlied am Lager enies kranken Kindes may be seen as Schumann’es musical actualization of Death masked as gentle Sleep, a representation advocate by Lessing in his illustrated treatise, Wie die Alten den Tod gebildet (1769).
Fields of Study & Subjects
Musicology and Musical Analysis
German Literature and Culture Studies
Literature
Musicology
and Cultural Analysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 123–159
- Publication date
- 20 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter