Alma Schindler composed her setting of Heinrich Heine's Ich wandle unter Blumen (I Wander Among Flowers) on January 7, 1899. She wrote it specifically for her music teacher Josef Labor, the blind organist with whom Schindler was currently infatuated. As she wrote in her diary, "I've no idea whether it's good. I only know that love's passion went into it." She performed it for Labor at her next lesson and he judged it "quite good" and declared that "there is talent here." The song itself is short and sweet with a folk song-like melody above a very simple Schubertian accompaniment of little harmonic or rhythmic interest.

© James Leonard, Rovi