There are periods of piece and respite, then of motion, much like a person wandering. The second movement, the Adagio that contains the original song is stormy, much like the poem that inspired Schubert to write. Quintessentially Romantic, brooding, and in a minor key, it is a true 'tone painting' of the Romance of a loss of national place of the poem. It may be defined as the heart of the work. The Presto section incorporates many of the themes of the original section, but in a faster and frenzied fashion, as if the loneliness of the wanderer has finally affected the man. The final Allegro movement is more pacific and brings the work to a surprisingly upbeat closure. Originally, Schubert had intended the work to be a part of a symphony (one reason it is classified as a 'scene' or scene lied). However, the work clearly stands on its own. For such a short work, The Wanderer Fantasy is intensely dramatic and...

The wild notes make the work extremely showy to perform, and also prevents the piece from sounding overly brooding. Also, although the second movement is quite introverted, the third, extroverted movement and the final hopeful conclusion ensure that the listener does not leave the concert hall feeling unhappy. Just like the original song, The Wanderer is able to be enjoyed by almost anyone, as it is accessible at heart as much as it is complex in sound and structure.
Works Cited

Sadie, Stanley. "Schubert." The Grove Dictionary of Music. 1996. Available May 21, 2009 at http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/schubert.html

von Lubeck, Schmidt. "The Wanderer." Translation by Walter A. Aue

May 21, 2009. http://myweb.dal.ca/waue/Trans/Schmidt-Wanderer.html