When only 17, he wrote his first great song Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel, and during the next 2 years he wrote many of his finest songs including The Erl King.

• 他在他父亲执教的学校教了三年，当他只有17岁时，就谱写了第一首优美的歌曲《纺车旁的格雷卿》，在这以后的两年当中，他写了许多他最好的歌曲，包括《魔王》在内。