The best thing about Helmina von Chézy’s Rosamunde, Fürstin von Zypern (Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus) was Franz Schubert’s incidental music, composed in December 1823. Staged at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, the play was a dismal failure, closing after just two performances. Schubert’s vividly colorful entr’actes, ballet music, and choruses endured, however, ultimately finding their way into the concert hall.  

One of the most spirited choruses from the music for Rosamunde, the “Hunting Song” embodies the pageantry and vigor associated with the hunt. The tone is set in the opening lines: “Hier auf den Bergen ist’s lustig sein, / Mit uns zieht holder Frühling ein!” (Here on the mountains it’s joyful to be, / With us fair springtime comes along!) Schubert paints a musical picture of hunters cavorting about the countryside through triumphant hunting horns, winds, and what is traditionally a male chorus, bringing this glorious celebration of nature and the outdoors to life.