MULLER, WILHELM

born Oct. 7, 1794, Dessau, duchy of Anhalt died Sept. 30, 1827, Dessau German poet who was known both for his lyrics that helped to arouse sympathy for the Greeks in their struggle for independence from the Turks and for his verse cycles Die schne Mllerin and Die Winterreise, which Franz Schubert set to music. After studying philology and history at the University of Berlin, Mller volunteered in the Prussian uprising against Napoleon (181314). On his return from a trip to Italy (1817), he was appointed teacher of classics (1818) and librarian at the ducal library in Dessau. Mller's reputation was established by the Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten, 2 vol. (182124; Poems from the Posthumous Papers of a Traveling Bugler), folk lyrics that attempt to display emotion with complete simplicity, and Lieder der Griechen (182124; Songs of the Greeks), a collection that succeeded in evoking German sympathy for the Greek cause. His other works include Neugriechische Volkslieder, 2 vol. (1825; Modern Greek Folk Songs), and Lyrische Reisen und epigrammatische Spaziergnge (1827; Lyrical Travels and Epigrammatical Walks). He also wrote a book, Homerische Vorschule (1824; Homeric Preparatory School), and made a translation of Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus.