Der arme Spielmann

Kirchweih in Vienna's Brigittenau: the strangely tuneless music of an old, impoverished violinist arouses the narrator's interest. What is the story behind these strange sounds? The minstrel recounts how he failed in the face of the demands of his father, of society, of reality, and then took complete refuge in the search for "absolute music," a Romantic idea of art.
Grillparzer's narrative was completed shortly before the revolution of 1848/49 began. This theme also characterizes the text. With a new epilogue.