Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Violet

The elegant, playful, endlessly creative pen of Mozart wrote this short song on 8 June 1785 in Vienna. The three-verse poem by Goethe had already been set to music by at least four composers before Mozart was inspired towrite. While the poem has three equal stanzas, the song has three distinct moods relating to the words. They tell the sad tale of a violet symbolizing a young man who loves a young shepherdess. The shepherdess carelessly tramples the violet, who manages to die happily, for love. Mozart himself added a final sympathetic line of text. The range is not demanding and there are useful notes in this edition on ornamentation, making this a charming addition to a younger singer's repertoire as well as to an experienced singer's collection.