In this master's thesis, I compare the portrayal of the wanderer in two song cycles: Songs of Travel by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen by Gustav Mahler. The analysis focuses on three key aspects: the literary-thematic representation of the wanderer, the musical characteristics of individual songs, and how both composers use music to reflect the protagonist’s emotional journey. Both cycles are based on poetic sources: Williams' cycle on the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson and Mahler’s on his own verses, influenced by folk poetry. While Williams's wanderer embodies a classical English Romantic yearning for freedom and harmony with nature, Mahler’s protagonist undergoes a more introspective and emotionally intense transformation, moving from love and hope to existential despair. Musically, both cycles employ melodic and harmonic contrasts to illustrate emotional changes. Williams draws from the British pastoral tradition, while Mahler creates an intense and expressive musical language that highlights the psychological depth of the wanderer’s experience. Through comparative analysis, I conclude that both composers use their cycles not only to depict physical travel but also as a deeper reflection on human nature, the search for identity, and the acceptance of fate.
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