So... we have 5 characters, the horse on which the son and the father are riding, the son and the father, the Erlkönig, and the narrator. Each voice has its own little motifs and tendencies. The narrator, who opens the piece, most always sings in minor key. The father and son contrast very well, which makes for a fantastic performance if the singer effectively alters the personality enough. The father sings in a low register, while the son sings in a higher register. The son is almost always in the minor key, while the father generally sings in the major key, which creates harmonic difficulties (in the very quick switch between the characters that occurs) that I'm sure you'll see in the analysis.
The horse is represented by the rapid triplet figure in the piano. Now, when the Erlking's line comes in, the piano switches to arpeggiation creating a mysterious effect.
So, we begin in G minor with the entrance of the narrator (the horse).
Schubert tonicizes the relative minor, Bb major at the mention of the relation of the father and the son (wohl in dem Arm), only to quickly return to the sinister minor key.
The father expresses his concern for the child, moving chromatically up to the iv chord for dramatic effect.
The child responds in this upper tonality, VERY briefly in tonicizing the iv chord (with the secondary dominants). He describes the Erlking (a metaphor for death), moving to F major
The Father responds kindly that it what the child sees is naught but the wind, moving to Bb major.
This new key brings in the Erlkönig!! The piano changes mood; it is playful. The melody is inviting, in this major key. Unlike before, Schubert stays on this key for quite some time to represent this singular mood and idea.
We move back into G minor at the end of the Erlking's phrase. The son pleads his father to realize his plight.
The father moves to B minor (this is a tricky one. I might have tried harder to find a common chord between G minor and b minor... but after consulting with my theory teacher, he said that instead of looking for a common chord, it is practice to use a single note as a common tone between two keys. Schubert, in his love of the pedal point in this piece, uses the D in the piano line as this transition note, moving chromatically around it to bring us to b minor). The father implores his son to remain calm, for the child must only see the wind.
The tonality quickly moves to G major, then to C major for the entrance of the Erlking once again.
The text in the Erlking's part is brilliant. Goethe uses sleep (singen dich ein) as another metaphor for death. In any case, the arpeggiated figures in the piano makes the text more ominous, which, as a contrast to the triplet figure, presents another figure, separate from the horse ( a sixth character?? ).
The son is again frightened, as we move quickly into A minor.
Again, a common tone, E, brings us into C# minor for the father's line. The father now sees something in the willows. His agreeable text hints to us that he is further trying to soothe the son. We move to an unexpected D minor.
On this line, we now see a lot of use of the Neopolitan chord for the final Erlking line. This is genius! While we're in d minor, the use of the Neopolitan creates an incredible pseudo-major tonality for the listener. We move eventually back to the dominant back to D minor (which we really never left too much). This last phrase, however, "Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch ich Gewalt." is great. This is the only time we see the Erlking move into the minor mode for his phrase. And the text is so fitting: "if you're not willing, I will use force."
Again, the common tone figure moves us to Bb minor for the son's final pleas, finally bringing us to G minor.
The final move to our original key brings finality to the child's words. He is no longer resisting the Erlking, but instead gives in.
The narrator comes back in, describing the situation. Schubert marks 'accelerando', and the father, now in fear, is riding quickly. They reach the farm, finally, holding the child in his arms.
We venture once more into the Neopolitan chord as the pair reach their destination (again, the false major tonality). The piano part has by this time stopped, as the narrator describes the dramatic ending. The child has died, and we finish with a perfect authentic cadence.
Of course, the PDF, larger version of the below analysis.
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