Korngold's four Lieder des Abschieds (Songs of Farewell) have been described as his finest songs. They are uniformly melancholy in subject matter, dealing with the experience of loss and separation between loved ones. In the first song, "Sterbelied" (Requiem), the composer uses dissonant harmonies and an aching melody line to establish the sense of longing and isolation that runs throughout the cycle. The text is a German translation of a poem by nineteenth century British poet Christina Rossetti. The second song, "Dies eine kann mein Sehnen nimmer fassen" (The one thing my desire can never comprehend), on a poem by Edith Ronsperger, is dark and foreboding in texture, requiring operatic vocalism from the singer. The two subsequent poems were commissioned by Korngold from the poet Ernst Lothar. "Mond so gehst du wieder auf" (Moon once again you rise) is a richly textured prayer to the moon, in which the composer creates a mood both mystical and profoundly sad. The final song, "Gefasster Abschied" (Calm Farewell), is based on an earlier composition, Korngold's "Österreischischer Soldatenabschied" (Austrian Soldier's Song of Farewell). It was this song, composed in 1915 for the Austrian War Relief Fund, that originally inspired his contemplation of the involuntary separation between loved ones. Korngold's 1921 version of the songs was for piano accompaniment, but in 1924 he published an orchestrated version. The first performance of the piano version took place in Vienna on November 5, 1921, with the composer at the keyboard. The orchestral version received its premiere (also in Vienna) on January 14, 1923, with composer as conductor. Korngold borrowed melodic material from the third song, "Mond so gehst du wieder auf," as the basis for a set of variations in his Piano Quintet in E major (1922).

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