19th-century Germany was an exciting time in music history.
Its brightest stars included:

Richard Wagner

Franz Liszt

Felix Mendelssohn

Robert Schumann

Another great composer, who was friends with all four of these men, did not become famous:

Robert Franz

Robert Franz lived in Germany from 1815-1892. His songs are true duets between a singer and a pianist, each one meticulously crafted to capture the emotions expressed in the poetry of the day. Franz himself said, "In every genuinely lyric poem, the corresponding melody lies hidden."

 

And yet, Franz's "corresponding melodies," despite their beauty, were sadly dismissed by a public whose musical tastes had shifted to the grandeur of opera and symphonies.

 

Franz Found is an ongoing project dedicated to bringing new life to Robert Franz's music and exploring reasons why such an accomplished songwriter remains relatively unknown.

 

Album One features 44 Franz songs, performed by baritone Tim Krol and some of New York's finest pianists.
Stay tuned for upcoming albums of Franz's songs, choral music, transcriptions and arrangements.

 

Listen to free samples from Album One, and perhaps you too will begin to wonder:

With songs this brilliant, why was Franz forgotten?