Introduction and Variations on Trockne Blümen, Op. 160, D. 802

Performed by Bailey Krall in the Hole Memorial Auditorium at La Sierra University on January 6, 2018.
1. Introduction
2. Thema
3. Variation 1
4. Variation 3
5. Variation 7
In the early Romantic period, it was common to take a vocal or opera piece and write variations of the melody for flute. In 1824, Schubert wrote a song cycle entitled "Die Schöne Müellerin", or "The Beautiful Miller Maid". Only a few months after he wrote the song set, Schubert took the eighteenth song of the cycle, "Trockne Blumen", and transcribed it for flute. During the song set, a young miller falls in love with a miller maid. In "Trockne Blumen", the miller realizes his love is futile. As a result, this piece is quite tragic. The piece's title, "Trockne Blümen," means "dry flowers" in German. The work begins in e minor as the miller contemplates his unfortunate fate. He imagines taking the now withered flowers given to him by the miller maid with him to his grave. The last variation ends triumphantly in E Major as the miller imagines those flowers blooming again, proving that his love was true.