Adolph Jensen (1837-1879) was a much more finished song-writer than Cornelius and a much less vital one. His songs have gained much popularity among singers because of their perfect taste, their fine sense of fitness and perfection of form, and their ‘singability.’ Sometimes he attains sheer beauty of no mean order. But in the actual business of expression Jensen’s songs do not often ring true. The composer is chiefly at home with the lighter sentiments or with nature in her gentler moods. Pierce much beneath the surface and the expression is insincere. Undoubtedly there was in Jensen a sensitive and genuine artistic nature. But it had neither the robustness nor the spontaneity necessary for the creation of a lyric literature. Jensen’s contribution, if he has contributed anything, is a certain refinement of outline. His songs sound much like other good German songs, only rather more timid. His very first published song, _Lehn’ deine Wang an meine Wang_, is known wherever there are students of singing. It has been universally admired for its simplicity and touching sentiment. It has been highly praised for its delicacy of workmanship. But, granted that it was a masterpiece according to the standards of its day, its day is past. Nowadays we are demanding a more positive assertion, a more creative musicianship. Jensen did far better than this in later songs. Some of his vigorous lyrics are admirable, notably the Bolero, ‘In the Shadow,’ ‘On the Bank of the River,’ and ‘Old Heidelberg,’ the last an excellent essay in popular counterpoint. The formal often attains charming results in Jensen’s songs, witness, ‘Mother, I Have Two Little Eyes,’ which is a miniature symphony allegretto. But on the whole it is in his nature-songs that he is most at ease. The list of superior ones is rather long--‘Murmuring Breezes,’ ‘Spring Night,’ and ‘Evening Air’ are representative. The _Waldesgespräch_ depends more on pure melody in the voice than does Schumann’s setting of the same words, and is in every way an inferior song. The Scotch songs have their charm, but are so empty of feeling compared with the fine tunes to which the words are set in their native country that their composition seems a sin. But ‘Sleep’st Thou, My Maiden?’ in which the folk-spirit is purely German, is a charming song. The best of all, however, is probably ‘Margarete at the Door.’ [Illustration: Minor Romanticists. Top: Carl Löwe and Peter Cornelius Bottom: Eduard Lassen and Adolf Jensen]