Schubert’s Singing on the Water (Auf dem Wasser zu singen) unfolds over an unbroken, shimmering motion that evokes the gentle rippling of a boat gliding across a sunlit lake.

In this guitar arrangement, that continuous flow is preserved in full - a delicate, undisturbed pattern that becomes the piece’s quiet engine. Above it, the treble voice carries a clear, lyrical melody that seems to hover weightlessly, as if carried by the movement beneath it.

Water imagery appears throughout Schubert’s writing, often as a symbol for the passing of life, memory, and emotional states that cannot be held.

Here, the rippling accompaniment becomes a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of time: the present moment slips away as effortlessly as the water beneath the boat, while the melody reflects our awareness of that passing - calm, reflective, and tinged with longing.

The music does not resist time’s flow; it simply observes it, gently and without bitterness.

The guitar’s capacity for subtle colour makes it an ideal medium for this duality. The continuous motion remains supple and transparent, while the melody gains an intimate, almost spoken quality. The result is an arrangement that captures both the serenity and the quiet philosophical depth of one of Schubert’s most radiant songs.

Score: 3 pages

Preface, legend & performance notes: 6 pages

Below is a link to Youtube which will allow you to get an idea of what this piece sounds like in its original setting for voice and piano. (Performed by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH1YVyyT1Tw&list=RDaH1YVyyT1Tw&start_radio=1

The tempo in this rendition of the song is exactly what it should be on the guitar also if we are to preserve the music’s flowing, shimmering surface. Too slow a pace would flatten the sense of motion, yet at a gentle, buoyant speed the piece retains its silvery glide - like water sliding past the hull of the boat, or time spilling through our fingers like beach sand.

Over the coming months, I will be playing short excerpts from all pieces listed in this catalogue on classical guitar myself and post them on my Youtube channel, titled:

Michael De Baker Arrangements for Classical Guitar.

Thanks for tuning in. Wishing you much musical enjoyment and many rewarding hours with our instrument, the classical guitar.

Michael

Contact. If you’d like to reach out - whether about repertoire, arrangements, or upcoming projects - feel free to email me at mdebakerclassicalguitar@use.startmail.com