Mille Cherubini in Coro

Much of Schubert's songs do have a simple strophic character. These verses stand half-way between 'Art-song' and 'Folk-song'; the melody seems to be drawn from nature. Schubert marvellously achieved this kind of simplicity in his 'Wiegenlied' (Lullaby) D.498 composed in November 1816 to anonymous verses. For 'Mille Cherubini in Coro', Schubert's Wiegenlied was adapted by the Italian 'Nativita' tradition by adding an Italian text about 1000 singing angels looking down from heaven.