Die Nacht Strauss - Analysis

 “Die Nacht”, opus 10, no. 3, is typical of Strauss with its long phrases and lyricism. The indicated tempo is andantino. The meter is three-four and the accompaniment consists of moving eighth notes in the right hand. The key is D major, but moments of D minor and B-flat major are also present. The singer is afraid of the night because it is taking everything away from her, including the light, color, and beauty of day. The singer fears her beloved is the next to be taken as the couple walks through the woods at night. However, as the song ends, it returns to D major, suggesting that the lover remains and night has not triumphed after all.95 

Although the tessitura of “Die Nacht” is not high, the melodic lines ascend from a medium range, making it easier for a singer to transition into the passaggio. There are moments in which the phrase feels as if it will end, yet the phrases stretches for a few more beats. This suspenseful sensation is felt in the final phrase, “o die Nacht, mir bangt, sie stehle dich mir auch” (Oh, the night, I fear, may steal you from me, too).96 The pianissimo high G on “stehle” makes the phrase difficult enough, but it continues through “dich.” The [ʃh] of “stehle” adds another layer to the intimacy and difficulty of the moment. Musical Example 26 represents this difficult phrase. The song closes with a postlude alternating between D major and B-flat major, but comes to rest in D major.


In “Die Nacht”, the text speaks of the singer‟s fear of darkness. Though the darkness is temporary, the loss of a love can be permanent.




Sources
http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2487&context=etd