Although the date of composition for Schubert's Im Haine (In the Woods, (D. 738) is only roughly fixed as sometime in 1822, the same period during which he set four other poems by Franz von Bruchmann, the date of publication is well established: the song appeared in the July 1826 edition of the Wiener Zeitschift für Kunst und Mode (The Vienna Newspaper for Art and Fashion). A color magazine intended for women, this publication also included musical supplements, which in this case meant Schubert's charming little proto-waltz song. Although not strictly in triple time (its actual time signature is 9/8), Im Haine is in every way a Viennese waltz: its rhythms sway, its melody lilts, and its harmonies alternate between major and minor, giving it that echt-Viennese quality of smiling through tears. Apparently, Schubert's song was something of a hit: a later edition of the Wiener Zeitschift für Kunst und Mode also included it, but this time with an Italian text.

© All Music Guide