Lied
The lied is the German-language art song: a composed setting of a lyric poem for solo voice and piano, in which the piano part is an equal partner rather than an accompaniment. *Franz Schubert* effectively founded the genre in 1815 with "Erlk枚nig", and his cycles "Die sch枚ne M眉llerin" and "Winterreise" set its standard of psychological depth. *Robert Schumann*, *Hugo Wolf* and *Johannes Brahms* extended its harmonic and declamatory range, while *Gustav Mahler* and *Richard Strauss* carried the form into orchestral song. Intimacy of scale, fidelity to the poem and the fusion of words and music define the lied against opera and folk song.