# A Story About A Lost Song



## Dulova Harps On (Nov 2, 2018)

Many years ago (certainly over 30 possibly even 40 years ago) i had an unidentified song that i recorded on a cassette tape. It was a lady singing in German. The melody stayed with me and i never forgot it but i thought that i would never figure out who it was. I knew of course that it was a classical piece but that's about all apart from the melody and the fact it was German.

I knew the piano melody and the melody of the words too. Over the last month or so i became very interested in Schubert's lieder. I was listening to some of the more obscure ones and it made me remember my unidentified song. I remarked to my wife few days ago that i thought it may be one of Schubert's lieder because it was simply a voice and piano as most of his lieder is.

So last night i happened to be going through some Schubert Lieder CD's on Amazon Music. It was a huge 30 volume set or so. I was scrolling through the third CD or so and listening to tracks when all of a sudden i heard the melody of my long sought after song!!!! It was Schubert as i had suspected. The song was Der Jüngling an der Quelle, D.30. The version on the CD was a male voice singing though. A quick Google search brought up a version by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and i am 99.9 percent certain that it is the version that was on my tape. 

If anyone else knows and other notable versions of this particular lieder sung by a female can you please let me know so i can compare. Though as i said i am almost certain it's Schwarzkopf.

Anyway that's my story.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Dulova Harps On said:


> Many years ago (certainly over 30 possibly even 40 years ago) i had an unidentified song that i recorded on a cassette tape. It was a lady singing in German. The melody stayed with me and i never forgot it but i thought that i would never figure out who it was. I knew of course that it was a classical piece but that's about all apart from the melody and the fact it was German.
> 
> I knew the piano melody and the melody of the words too. Over the last month or so i became very interested in Schubert's lieder. I was listening to some of the more obscure ones and it made me remember my unidentified song. I remarked to my wife few days ago that i thought it may be one of Schubert's lieder because it was simply a voice and piano as most of his lieder is.
> 
> ...


I love stuff like this. Gives me goosebumps.


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## Dulova Harps On (Nov 2, 2018)

nina foresti said:


> I love stuff like this. Gives me goosebumps.


Thank you kindly. I was just so shocked to have finally found it!


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I can't think of anyone you might mistake for Schwarzkopf. Other notable versions of that song by a woman are the recordings by Janet Baker and Gundula Janowitz. Baker was a mezzo, so unlikely to be the singer and Janowitz had quite a different sound (even if she was suited to a lot of the same rep). Christa Luwig may have recorded it as well, but she had even more of a mezzo sound than Baker.

I'm convinced it was Schwarzkopf on the original recording you heard. She was so distinctive there is no one else you would mistake for her.

N.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

From that long ago it could also be: Elisabeth Schumann or Elly Ameling


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Rogerx said:


> From that long ago it could also be: Elisabeth Schumann or Elly Ameling


I'm not that familiar with Schumann's voice, but Ameling sounds nothing like Schwarzkopf. There is no way that somebody could think one were the other.

N.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

The Conte said:


> I'm not that familiar with Schumann's voice, but Ameling sounds nothing like Schwarzkopf. There is no way that somebody could think one were the other.
> 
> N.


I agree but... in a long time, memory can play tricks with one's mind.


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## Dulova Harps On (Nov 2, 2018)

Hi thanks for your prompt replies. Schwarzkopf was simply the first female voice that came up in a google search after i had finally discovered the song title. I have since listened to Schumann and Elly Ameling and it doesn't sound like them at least to my memory (although as Rogerx pointed out, memory can play tricks). The fact that i recorded it on an old cassette tape from the radio (with all the tape hiss ambience..makes it difficult to be certain too when listening to these new remastered recordings. The actual tape i recorded it on has long since disappeared but i can even remember what it looked like). I'll try Janowitz and Luwig. But i'm almost certain now it's ES. 
It certainly is a most beautiful lieder as are a lot of Schubert's songs i am discovering, and one i have never forgotten (even though i had no idea it was Schubert at the time!) 

Thanks again everyone for their insights and thoughtful comments.


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Great story! Seems like Schwarzkopf is the most likely candidate.

If you like soprano versions of Schumann's lieder, I _highly_ recommend those by Marta Fuchs, available on YouTube or on CD in the series 'Lebendige Vergangenheit' by Preiser. Amazing voice, great sound quality for recordings from the 30s (virtually no hiss or crackle), and she's a passionate and intelligent interpreter. I particularly like her versions of Gretchen am Spinnrade and Erlkonig. Unfortunately, she only recorded a few.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Dulova Harps On said:


> Hi thanks for your prompt replies. Schwarzkopf was simply the first female voice that came up in a google search after i had finally discovered the song title. I have since listened to Schumann and Elly Ameling and it doesn't sound like them at least to my memory (although as Rogerx pointed out, memory can play tricks). The fact that i recorded it on an old cassette tape from the radio (with all the tape hiss ambience..makes it difficult to be certain too when listening to these new remastered recordings. The actual tape i recorded it on has long since disappeared but i can even remember what it looked like). I'll try Janowitz and Luwig. But i'm almost certain now it's ES.
> It certainly is a most beautiful lieder as are a lot of Schubert's songs i am discovering, and one i have never forgotten (even though i had no idea it was Schubert at the time!)
> 
> Thanks again everyone for their insights and thoughtful comments.


You see, all little bits helping.


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