The ballad Erlkönig originally comes from Danish. The original was called Ellerkonge , which loosely translates into German as Elfenkönig. The ballad was translated into German for the first time by Johann Gottfried Herder. He mistakenly translated the word Eller , which actually means Elfe, to Erle, to which he added the word König . Later, Goethe created the ballad first as part of the musical play Die Fischerin in 1782, inspired by news he heard during his stay in Jena about a father who brought his sick child to a doctor at the university.
Although Schubert is often credited with creating the romantic German song, it was in fact Beethovenwho worked out a style in this area that would have a profound impact on those who came after him. Almost all Beethovens Lieder were composed before any of Schuberts. Beethoven also used all the important song forms, from simple verses to elaborated fully composed pieces. It is striking to note that Beethovens piano parts have been worked out much further than those of his predecessors, who usually wrote in a simple song form. The piano was of more or less secondary importance and the melody was often, as it were, interwoven with the right hand of the piano part. The only one of Beethovens Lieder where that is done is Schilderung eines Mädchens WoO 107 from 1783. Beethoven selected his lyrics very carefully, with attention both to the quality of the poetry and to the subject. He had a very outspoken preference for Goethes lyrics, which he used more frequently than those of any other poet.
Many of his Lieder are finished, including: Mailied Opus 52 No.4; Marmotte Opus 52 No.7; Mignon Opus 75 No.1; Neue Liebe, neues Leben Opus 75 No.2 and WoO 127, an earlier version; Es war einmal ein König Opus 75 No.3; Wonne der Wehmut Opus 83 No.1; Sehnsucht Opus 83 No.2; Mit einem gemalten Band Opus 83 No.3 and Sehnsucht WoO 134, which he used four times.
However, a number of other Lieder with lyrics by Goethe remained unfinished, for reasons that are difficult to fathom. Barry Cooper believes that the composer had so many ideas that he simply did nothave the time to finish them all. The initial sketches Beethoven wrote to put the text of Erlkönig to music probably originate from the period 1793-1795. The composer probably put the theme of the first verse and of the postlude on paper while staying in Prague in 1796. It is possible that Beethoven had plans to write the song for Josephine von Clary-Aldringens (1777-1828). He also dedicated the concert aria Ah! Perfido Opus 65 to that soprano, although she never did sing the premiere.
Beethoven wrote a rough draught of verses three, seven and eight on a sheet that mysteriously disappeared. In November 1897, an elaboration of the torso by Reinhold Becker was published under the name "ERLKÖNIG / Gedicht von Goethe / Nach einer skizze von L. v. BEETHOVEN / ausgeführt / von / REINHOLD BECKER", Dresden. This version assumes a form with verses, creating a simple song that fails to emphasize the dramatic power of the text. However, sources tell us that the composer had much bigger plans. The virtually complete postlude that he composed provides an indication that he wanted to start the composition in a similar fashion. The structure of the postlude is such that it is plausible to assume that it would not only serve as the postlude of the composition, but also as the start. We also see in the sketch that Beethoven imagined certain transitions, which would in turn confirm the notion that he intended to produce a much more elaborate composition. Despite the fact that Beethoven writes the entire outline on one line, leaving the piano part unwritten, he clearly shows where the ritornellos for the piano have to be inserted. For instance, in the draught, at bars 18/19, 40/41 and 45/46, there are indications for piano ritornellos. But they also make it clear that th
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