he Four Stefan George Songs were discovered and published posthumously, with no opus number, in 1970. These songs were part of a larger group of fourteen songs, perhaps originally intended to form two large song cycles; ultimately, Webern used twelve of the fourteen songs for opp. 3-4. The Four Songs have no opus number, and include "Erwachen aus dem tiefsten Traumesschosse," "Kunfttag I," "Trauer II," and "Das lockere Saatgefilde." Webern was very fond of and strongly influenced by George's poetry, as was his teacher, mentor, and friend Arnold Schoenberg, who was using George's text for Das Buch der hangenden Garten around the same time as Webern was composing his George songs. Key signatures are largely absent in these chromatic songs: only one, "Erwachen aus dem tiefsten Traumesschosse," has a key signature (four sharps) and it may have been the first of the group that Webern wrote.



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