Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust


"Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust" is the first line of a poem by Wilhelm Müller, written in 1821 with the title "Wanderschaft" as part of a collection, Die schöne Müllerin. While wandern means hiking now, it referred to the requested journeyman years of craftsmen when written, in this case of a miller.
The poem was set to music often, notably by Franz Schubert in 1823 titled "Das Wandern", as part of his song cycle Die schöne Müllerin, and by Carl Friedrich Zöllner whose version became a popular German Wanderlied and Volkslied.

History of the text

The beginning of the poetry is based on the play Rose, die schöne Müllerin, which premiered in the house of Friedrich August von Staegemann in Berlin in the fall of 1816. Inspired by Giovanni Paisiellos opera La Molinara, Ludwig Berger wrote the plot as a Liedspiel. Berger requested more texts related to the topic, which Müller wrote during a study trip to Italy, completed in Dessau in 1820. In the context of the cycle, the beginning reflects, beyond the joy of Wandern, but the strict scheme of required Journeyman years as part of the training of craftsmen, who often longed for rest.
The poem was published in 1821 in Sieben und siebzig Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten.

Musical settings

The poem was first set to music by Franz Schubert in 1923, titled "Das Wandern", as part of his song cycle Die schöne Müllerin. Several others set it to music, including Heinrich Marschner, Otto Nicolai and. In 1844, Carl Friedrich Zöllner composed a four-part setting for men's chorus. In this version, it became one of the most popular German Wanderlieder and Volkslieder.

Monument

The in shows the beginning of the text.