XLV | Folksongs of the Sixteenth Century
While the 16th century brought forth no great German lyrist, it is exceptionally rich in good songs, mostly anonymous, that express the joys and sorrows of the general lot. Not all of them were the work of unlettered poets, but all were made to be sung; for lyric poetry as a branch of ‘mere literature’ had not yet come into being. The selections are from Tittmann’s Liederbuch aus dem 16. Jahrhundert, Leipzig, 1881, which gives full information as to the source of the various texts. The titles have been supplied by the editor.