David del Tredici

The Most Beautiful Song In The World

Composer's Note:One evening, after rehearsal, I asked the members of the Dorain Wind Quintet this: What piece of music would they most wish had been written for woodwind quintet. They went round and round with the possibilities before settling on the general area of a song by Schubert, the supreme melodist.It may have been I who said, What about An die Musicremember Lotte Lehmann's), the one by which they would be remembered.As a surprise gift of friendship, I made what I call a fantasy transcription of An die Musik for woodwind quintet. I added both an introduction and a postlude, the latter developing the song in startling ways. In the second verse, I make the melody the beginning of a canon played in part by the French horn, with the flute and oboe in close pursuit, while the clarinet and bassoon burble a quite background.-David Del Tredici- (To Music)? This is a song so revered that many aging singers (of yore) would include in their farewell recitals as their swan song (I