Einfach

As Printed on a Score

Most often a heading at the top of a song or short piece (Einfach; “Einfach und herzlich”), sometimes over a passage that should drop its ornament and rubato. It governs the whole piece or section; only a new character word replaces it.

How Composers Use It

Einfach asks the performer to stop interpreting: plain phrasing, a steady pulse, no added rubato or swelling, like a folk song. It is the German semplice, much loved by Schumann and the Lied composers for strophic and folk-style songs. Use it where the music’s charm depends on restraint. It sits well beside a gentle tempo word or a soft dynamic, but contradicts strongly expressive words in the same heading.

Example

Schumann, Myrthen, Op. 25, “Im Westen”, voice: the song is headed simply “Einfach”, with p.

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