FluxBlog

Death and the Maiden, by Marianne Stokes (1908)

In this painting by Marianne Stokes, we see a strikingly modern rendition of the renaissance motif of “death and the maiden”. Whereas most versions of this classic theme featured a skeleton preying upon a young woman, here we see a romanticized Angel of death, calmly reassuring a frightened maiden in her final moments. The message is clear: Death is nothing to be feared .

In 1774 the poet Matthias Claudius (1740-1815) wrote a poem titled “Death and the Maiden.” The poem features a dialogue, in which death reassures a young woman who is afraid of him.

Girl: Pass me by! Oh pass me by! Go wild boneman! I’m still young, go dear! And don’t touch me.

Death: Give your hand, you beautiful and delicate figure! I am a friend and do not come to punish: Be of good cheer! I’m not wild. You shall sleep softly in my arms.

This poem was to become the inspiration for two of the most iconic musical pieces of German romanticism. As a young man the composer Franz Schubert translated the poem and wrote an accompanying song (“lied”), in which he wrote a now famous theme for death’s arrival. You can listen to it below. Pay special attention to the haunting theme of death, played in D-minor. It’s enough to send a chill down your spine.

Towards the end of his life, an ailing Schubert revisited the theme by setting it to a string quartet. This longer version of “death and the maiden” is today recognized as one of the most influential pieces of chamber music ever to have been composed. It was published three years after the composers death in 1831, and remains so popular that it is the most performed string quartet piece in the history of New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Julian

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