Theory Analysis
Der Leiermann begins in B minor.  Measures one through eight are an introduction.  The first two measures consist of b minor grace note appoggiaturas.  These first two measures contain the only chromaticism in the entire piece.  I think that this chromaticism is symbolic of the organ grinder tuning and finding his correct starting pitch in a cold environment.  The third measure contains the same chord with the tonic B and the fifth above that but this time without the grace notes.  I think that Schubert purposely changed the measures following one and two because he wanted more attention to be focused on the motives and melody when they come in.  This also showed that the organ grinder had found his correct pitch and was ready to begin the piece.  The B and the F sharp in the first chord continue on as a drone for the remainder of the piece.  This sets the harmony and tonality of the piece because no real key can be sensed otherwise.  The drone symbolizes the determination of the organ grinder to continue playing even though he was poor and no one listened or paid any attention to him.  In measures four and five we come across a sixteenth rest in the music.  I think this is symbolic of the cold and numbness of the organ grinders fingers.  They were moving slowly and when trying to reach that chord a space occurred.    In measure three, the piano motive begins with quick sixteenth notes, then moves to regular eighth notes, and then to a half note with a sixteenth rest before it.  This clearly shows that the organ grinder is growing tired, but is persistent and keeps playing.    Also in measures four and five we see a dominant chord on beat two.  The dominant chord and the tonic chord trade off and on throughout the entire piece with very little other harmonies occurring.  Measure seven brings about a seven diminished chord over the b minor drone.  The harshness of the seven diminished chord prepares the listener for the harsh text that they are about to hear.
The vocal part comes in at measure 9, beginning the first A section of the piece.  The singer uses the same notes that were used in the previous measures of the piano motive.  The vocalist alternates two measure phrases with the piano motive.  The vocalist is a narrator telling a story about an organ grinder.  The organ grinder is playing the songs of the people around him, those that ignore him, the hounds that snarl at him, and those that actually stop to listen.  Through their songs, although not aware of it, he plays part of his own song, showing his sorrow that no one cares to listen anymore.   In measure eighteen the text is hin und her, translated into English to mean back and forth.  The notes for that particular vocabulary are C, then down to F, and then back up to C.  The music does it’s own back and forth pattern that portrays the back and forth staggering of the organ grinder.  The piece repeats back to measure nine with a second a section.  This time the music is the same, but the text changes.
 Measure twenty-seven brings about some changes in the piano motive.  The rhythmic changes give way to a new section of music, which is beginning (the C section).  The progression ii, v, vii diminished alternated with one chords leads us to a final tonic cadence before we begin the third section.
 In measure thirty-one, the C section begins and the vocal part changes dramatically.  The text is almost spoken rather than sung in a recitative declamation style.  The words, strange old man, are shown through this eerie musical characteristic.  The vocal line is also based on a duple meter, which runs against a triple meter in the piano part.  A second change to the vocal line phrase structure occurs in measure thirty-one also.  The phrase becomes three measures long instead of only two as it has been up to this point.  Measure thirty-four shows another change to the vocal line.  This is the first time that the vocal line reaches a range higher than the F to F octave it had been for the preceding portions of the piece.  In measure thirty-six, the piano part reaches a forte dynamic for the first time ever in this piece.  I think this dynamic was saved until the end of the piece to bring attention to the unanswered question that we receive as the ending of this text.  The forte dynamic also shows the organ grinders recognition as someone is finally noticing him and wanting him to keep playing.
 The ending of this piece receives no real resolution.  Although a tonic is restated, the dominant chord remains over the top of it symbolizing the unanswered question given during the final moments of text.
The last bar of this piece ends on an upbeat measure.  This unstable feeling gives even more attention and uneasiness to the unanswered question and leaves the listener wondering what happened to the organ grinder.