“Gretchen am Spinnrade” (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel) is one of Schubert’s most famous lieder (songs). The accompaniment mimics the whirr of the spinning wheel with constant sixteenth notes played in the right hand while the left hand portrays the treadle pedal.
The constant movement of the piano accompaniment also reflects Gretchen’s agitated thoughts and loss of peace as she thinks about Faust. The song is strophic, consistently returning to the same refrain after each stanza.
In the seventh stanza, Gretchen sings of her lover’s kiss. The piano stops, expressing Gretchen’s distraction as she stops her spinning, completely lost in her thoughts.
In the final stanza, the melody reaches the highest notes as Gretchen sings about being lost in her beloved’s kisses.
Here is Ms. Wang playing an arrangement of this song for piano solo as done by Franz Liszt:
