Matthias Claudius' poem Abendlied (Evening Song) was one of the most popular of its time. Praised by Herder as a model of faux folk music, Abendlied had been set by both C.P.E. Bach and by J.A.P. Schulz before Schubert took a crack at it in November 1816 (D. 499). An artless strophic setting with a hymn-like vocal melody, Schubert's song moves in a gently swaying 6/8 time with a tempo indication of ruhig (restful). Aside from the very brief appearances of secondary dominants in the piano accompaniment and one accidental in the vocal melody, Schubert's music stays in the tranquil key of B flat major.

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