"The story of Goethe and Schubert unfolds in an era that saw German art song evolve from folk song. Author Kenneth Whitton explores Goethe's involvement with the music and musicians of his time, demonstrating that he had well-developed musical taste and sensibilities; for his part Schubert was surprisingly well read in the literature of his time and attuned to intellectual and cultural developments.

The author details the efforts made by friends to acquaint Goethe with Schubert's Lieder, and Schubert with Goethe's poems and even - unsuccessfully - with Goethe himself."--BOOK JACKET. "Ultimately 80 Lieder and Lied fragments resulted from their collaboration. Professor Whitton discusses both text and music for each Schubert setting of a Goethe poem."--BOOK JACKET.