2 Songs (Vollendung and Die Erde), D579A/B - High Voice and Piano

The two lieder “Vollendung” and “Die Erde” were thought to have been lost – until the winter of 1968/1969, when editor Christa Landon made a stunning discovery in the archives of the “Wiener Männergesangs-Verein” during her research for the “New Schubert Edition”. Amidst a large complex of newly discovered Schubertiana autographs and manuscript copies, she found a “copy of fragments from Franz Schubert’s estate in his own hand”, formerly owned by Schubert biographer Heinrich Kreissle, which contained both songs.

In the Schubert thematic catalogue compiled by Otto Erich Deutsch, “Die Erde” has been assigned number D 989. In the commentary the lieder “Die Erde” and “Vollendung” are erroneously described as one lied.

In the catalogue “Vollendung” was included in its entirety, whereas “Die Erde” is missing the last seven measures and the text for verses 2 and 3. It was possible to verify that Friedrich von Matthisson wrote the text for this song, and to identify the original texts that Schubert most likely had access to.