There are many important art song composers, chief among them Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Richard Strauss, but Hugo Wolf occupies his own special place.

Although Wolf composed in other forms, his fame rests almost entirely on his songs. In just a few months in 1888, in an incredible burst of creativity, the Austrian composer wrote 53 songs set to the poetry of Eduard Mörike, a German author whose work focused on idyllic scenes of nature and delightful fairytales. These songs are the pinnacle of the fusion of words and music; Wolf’s music perfectly matched the verbal rhythm and vocal inflections of the poetry, with an emotional insight that made each song “a reincarnation of the poem in another medium.” Unusually, when the songs were published, Wolf insisted that Mörike’s name be listed above his own. Four singers, joined by pianist Martin Katz, bring these 53 songs to life over two concerts in this special edition of What’s in a Song.