Der Zahn

Die Mutter an der Wiege (1840)

In the meantime Carl Loewe celebrates the innocence of childhood and of the relationship between mother and child in two delightful settings of words by Matthias Claudius, best known as the author of Der Tod und das Mädchen but in quite a different frame of mind here. Der Zahn stimulated a composer with an uncannily similar sense of humour to miniaturise a range of conventional devices, from dance tunes to fanfare, to match the importance of the event that provokes all the excitement. Die Mutter an der Wiege, on the other hand, makes its effect by retaining its cradle-song demeanour almost throughout. The addition of a little discreet coloratura reflects the shift in emotional emphasis at the end, where the generally fond sentiment, now embracing the father too, is confirmed in a short but touching piano postlude.