Is Schubert's unfinished Lied in Der Abwesenheit (Song of Absence) (D. 416) of April 1816 one song or two? Even in its unfinished state, one could make the argument that it is two. The slow, dark and tragic opening verse in B minor, Schubert's fateful key— think of the B minor Symphony—gives way to two fast, bright and cheerful closing verses in G major and it does almost seems as if Schubert had composed two vastly different songs to one poem. And the fact that Schubert decided not to complete the song one line before the poem ends is an indication that he too was dissatisfied with his work.

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