Leiermann

Der Leiermann, The Hurdy-Gurdy Man, is a song by Franz Schubert (D. 911, No. 24) from the song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey). The text is by Wilhelm Müller. In the cycle, the narrator encounters a blind street musician playing a hurdy-gurdy along a desolate winter road; the encounter is brief and austere, yet it casts a stark light on themes of aging, loneliness, and persistence.

Musically, Der Leiermann is cast in a somber, minor-key mood. The piano accompaniment is restrained and repetitive, creating a drone-like, hypnotic texture that evokes the wheeling mechanism of a hurdy-gurdy. The vocal line is calm and deliberate, with plain, syllabic settings that emphasize the stark imagery of the poem. The overall effect is austere and contemplative, reinforcing the somber tone of the text.

The poem portrays the Leiermann as a solitary figure who plays on regardless of the cold and neglect of the world around him. The wanderer’s reaction is ambiguous: the encounter can be read as a study in shared exile or as a reminder of futility and endurance. As the final number of Winterreise, Der Leiermann has been interpreted as leaving the wanderer—and the listener—without a clear resolution, yet with a sense of mothering continuity through art and memory.

Der Leiermann remains one of Schubert’s most enduring lieder, noted for its stark imagery, restrained musical language, and its capacity to evoke universal questions about solitude, relevance, and the passage of time. It is commonly performed in tenor voice and has been widely recorded and analyzed in Romantic-era repertoire.