Der Hirt auf dem Felsen

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Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (English: The Shepherd on the Rock), D. 965 is a famous lied for soprano, clarinet, and piano by Franz Schubert. It was composed in 1828 during the final months of his life. Of the six verses, the first four came from the poetry of Wilhelm Müller, while the last two were written by Wilhelmina Christiane von Chézy.

The lied was written as a belated request from the famous operatic soprano Anna Milder-Hauptmann of Austria who was a friend of Franz Schubert. She had requested a showpiece that would allow her to express a wide range of feelings. Some might say that it fits better in the category of an operatic aria. It was published a year and a half after Schubert's death.

The lied is multi-sectional with the clarinet and voice (soprano) equally challenged, it fits as a work of chamber music as it does as lied. The first section is warm as the lonely shepherd, high on the mountain top, listens to the echoes rising from below. The second section becomes quite dark as the shepherd expresses his all encompassing grief and loneliness. The third and last section is a sign of hope as the shepherd anticipates the coming of Spring and with it rebirth.

Singers who have made recordings of this work are: Arleen Augér of USA, Elly Ameling of Holland, Isobel Baillie of Scotland, Kathleen Battle of USA, Erna Berger of Germany, Barbara Bonney of USA, Helena Dearing of USA, Gabriele Fontana of Austria, Ria Ginster of Germany, Edita Gruberová of Slovakia, Barbara Hendricks of USA, Gundula Janowitz of Germany, Christa Ludwig of Germany, Ann Mackay of England, Edith Mathis of Switzerland, Akiko Nakajima of Japan, Dame Margaret Price of Wales, Elizabeth Ritchie of England, Lynda Russell of England, Lotte Schöne of Austria, Elisabeth Schumann of Germany, Rita Streich of Russia and Benita Valente of USA.