Mozart's few Lieder are representative of eighteenth century song and its tendency toward sentimental melancholy. References to tears, graves and loneliness occur often in the poems, such as An die Hoffnung, K. 390, and An die Einsamkeit, K. 391. Some are satirical, such as Die Verschweigung, K. 518, and one Das Veilchen, K. 476, even brings to mind the eighteenth century ballad in its through-composed format. Mozart perhaps achieved his pinnacle of sentimentality in his Abendempfindung an Laura (Evening Feelings to Laura), K. 523. Its emotional content looks forward to the nineteenth century, as does its winding, through-composed melody, set against constant arpeggiated chords.
According to Mozart's "List of all my Works," Abendempfindung was completed on June 24, 1787. The song was published in 1789 in Vienna; the text is thought to be by Joachim Heinrich Campe. Abendempfindung has all the markings of eighteenth century sentimental poetry. During an evening, the narrator contemplates the passing of time and life. Soon we must die and our friends' tears will fall on our graves. He then speaks of his own death and asks the listener to shed a tear for him, which will become the most beautiful pearl in his crown.
Through nearly the entirety of Mozart's setting of Abendempfindung one hears an eighth-note arpeggio pattern that halts only at pivotal moments. In F major, the song passes through several harmonies, marking particular points in the text. When the narrator notes, "Bald entflieht des Lebens bunte Szene, und der Vorhang rollt herab" (Soon the colorful scene of life slips by and the curtain falls), Mozart moves to the dominant, momentarily dropping the eighth-note pulse. The friends' flowing tears are again in the dominant, but this time it is minor, a mode that continues through the ensuing measures as the narrator asks the listener to weep by his grave. After the harmonic peregrinations of the middle section, the accompaniment of the opening measures returns, but with a new melody that remains in F major. In general, the harmonies change once or twice a measure -- Mozart is in no hurry. This harmonic rhythm continues as the narrator repeats, several times, "Die schönste Perle" (The most beautiful pearl) while Mozart confirms, and reconfirms, F major, a necessary procedure because he spent most of the song away from the tonic. ~ John Palmer, All Music Guide
