Serenade (Schubert) – Franz Schubert

About this piece

Ständchen, usually called Schubert's Serenade in English, is a song by Franz Schubert from Schwanengesang, D 957, a collection of his late songs gathered and published after his death in 1828. The words are a poem by Ludwig Rellstab, in which a lover calls softly to his beloved at night. In the original for voice and piano, the accompaniment imitates a plucked instrument. The song became so popular that it has been arranged many times for solo piano and other instruments.

This piano version lasts about three minutes and ranges from G1 to A♯6, with the hands on separate parts. It is in 3/4 at a calm 60 bpm, and the slow pace exposes any unevenness. The real task is to keep the accompaniment light and steady in one hand while the melody in the other sings out clearly, much as a singer would shape it.

Begin with a count-in and Wait mode, learning the right-hand melody first so you can hear how each phrase rises and falls. Then practise the left hand alone until its pattern becomes automatic, and put the hands together at 50–75 % speed. Use an A–B loop on any phrase where the harmony shifts unexpectedly, and turn on note names if the accidentals slow you down. The sheet music further down the page shows the whole score when you want to read along.