The period between autumn of 1887 and the spring of 1890 found Grieg giving piano recitals throughout Europe and composing very little. The Six Songs, Op. 48 were, along with the Op. 49 Songs, the only works published during this period. More remarkably, the Op. 48 Songs were set to German texts, the first time since the Op. 4 set of songs that Grieg had used the German language (although the Op. 48 set is often sung in a Norwegian translation by Nordahl Rolfsen). In any event, these are much more mature than the early German settings; to this day they are periodically used as recital pieces.

The first two of the set, according to the manuscripts, were written in September 1884 while Grieg was living in Lofthus, earlier than the other four. "Gruss" (Greeting), strikes a cheerful atmosphere from the outset with a series of upward arpeggio figures which then serve as an accompaniment to the vocal line. The through-composed song is based on a poem by Heine and is generally more German than Norwegian in style. The second song, "Dereinst," (Once upon a Time) is a setting of a poem by Emanuel Geibel, and is quite opposite in feeling to the exuberant "Gruss." Grieg sets this poem strophically, in a molto andante tempo and hymn-like style.

The remaining four songs of the Op. 48 group were composed between August 15 and 20, 1889. "Lauf der Welt" (The Way of the World), is based on a three-stanza poem by Uhland. Set in ABA form, the song is peppered with folk music elements, notably a pedal tonic fifth through the first fourteen bars. "Die verschwiegene Nachtigall" (The Silent Nightingale), is based on a poem by Walther von der Vogelweide, the great German poet of the Middle Ages. It also features folk elements, with a strophic setting, embellished vocal line, and imitation of the nightingale's song in the accompaniment. The fifth song, "Zur Rosenzeit" (At Rose Time), is a setting of a poem by Goethe; its dissonant piano part, jarring syncopations, and angular vocal line suggest that rose time is not a happy time. The final and arguably most significant song of the set, "Ein Traum" (A Dream) is based on a poem by Friedrich Bodenstedt. Here, Grieg strikes a hopeful, contented mood, and accordingly the harmonies and vocal line are more serene than in the prior song. It is, moreover, a big song with a vocal range from middle C to high A flat—a factor that may have contributed to its popularity.

The six songs were first published by Peters in 1889, and were dedicated to the Swedish Wagnerian soprano, Ellen Nordgren Gulbranson.

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6.Ein Traum ('A Dream')

The is the last of the works that comprise Grieg's Op. 48 set of Songs (6). Its text derives from a poem by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819-1892) about a dream that comes true of falling in love with a beautiful woman amid a pastoral setting. One might expect a more subdued score than what Grieg supplies here, as the music is filled with stormy outpourings of passion and never without an undercurrent of roiling emotions and a powerful sense of expectation. The song opens in a relatively tranquil mood, but the running piano accompaniment brims with subtle tension and the soaring vocal line yearns and grows ripe for a climactic release. Near the middle, the passions turn animated and each vocal phrase swells in tension and volume, the piano accompaniment exhibiting a nervous, ecstatic manner in a series of repeating chords. At the song's close comes the climax, wherein the text's poet declares that the dream did indeed become reality. Here the piano writing clearly augurs Rachmaninov, whose own style would not begin to mature until after 1900. This is a beautiful song that will appeal to those interested in vocal music of the post-Romantic era.

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