Six German songs op. 23

Following his teacher and model, Louis Spohr, Bernhard Molique (1802-1869) had a strong interest in the Lied. He published eleven set of songs during his lifetime, and, apart from his works for violon, of which ha was a renowned virtuoso, this genre was cultivated by him with success.

The opus 23 is particularly important on two sides : first by musical and poetic aspects, second by the dedication to his wife. Carefully repared and arranged, these six songs express the composer’s deepest feelings and are like a window on his intimate life.

Belonging to the classical trend of German Romanticism (along with Spohr, Mendelssohn, Marschner or Lortzing), his music reveals a musician with a flawless technique and the subtlety essential to the expression of the Lied. Living in London for eleven years, Molique taught composition at the Royal College of Music and was an important figure in English musical life.