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Friday 30th October, 7pm
Seizing Fate by the Throat A celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven on the 250th anniversary of his birth
James Cleverton – baritone Nigel Foster – piano Robert Morgan – speaker
Programme devised by Nigel Foster
Translations songs 1-13, 15-17 © Richard Stokes
Song 1 - Adelaide Op 46 (Friedrich von Matthisson, 1761-1831)
Einsam wandelt dein Freund im Frühlingsgarten, Your friend walks, lonely, in spring’s garden. Mild vom lieblichen Zauberlicht umflossen, Gently enveloped by a lovely magic light Das durch wankende Blütenzweige zittert, Which trembles through swaying, blossoming Adelaide! branches. Adelaide!
In the mirroring waters, in the snow of the Alps, In der spiegelnden Flut, im Schnee der Alpen, In the golden clouds of the departing day, In des sinkenden Tages Goldgewölken, In the fields of stars shines your image, Im Gefilde der Sterne strahlt dein Bildnis, Adelaide! Adelaide!
Abendlüfte im zarten Laube flüstern, Evening breezes in the tender foliage whisper, Silberglöckchen des Mais im Grase säuseln, Little silver bells in the grass murmur, Wellen rauschen und Nachtigallen flöten: Waves crash and nightingales sing Adelaide! Adelaide!
Some-day, O miracle, will bloom on my grave Einst, o Wunder! entblüht auf meinem Grabe A flower from the ashes of my heart. Eine Blume der Asche meines Herzens; It will shimmer clearly on every purple leaf, Deutlich schimmert auf jedem Purpurblättchen: Adelaide! Adelaide!
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Song 2 - Mailied (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832) Op 52/4
Wie herrlich leuchtet How gloriously Mir die Natur, Nature gleams for me, Wie glänzt die Sonne, How the sun sparkles, Wie lacht die Flur! How the field laughs!
Es dringen Blüten Blossoms burst Aus jeden Zweig From every bough Und tausend Stimmen And a thousand voices Aus dem Gesträuch From every bush
Und Freud und Wonne And delight and rapture Aus jeder Brust. From every breast. O Erd, O Sonne, O earth, o sun. O Glück, o Lust! O joy, o bliss!
O Lieb, O Liebe, O love, o love, So golden schön, So golden fair Wie Morgenwolken As morning clouds Auf jenen Höhn. On yonder hills!
Du segnest herrlich You bless with glory Das frische Feld, The fresh field, Im Blütendampfe In a mist of blossom Die volle Welt. The teeming world.
O Mädchen, Mädchen, O maiden, maiden, Wie lieb ich dich! How I love you! Wie blickt dein Auge, How you look at me! Wie liebst du mich! How you love me!
So liebt die Lerche The skylark loves Gesang und Luft, Song and air, Und Morgenblumen And morning flowers Den Himmelsduft, The hazy sky.
Wie ich dich liebe As I with warm blood Mit warmen Blut, Love you, Die du mir Jugend Who give me youth Und Freud und Mut And joy and heart.
Zu neuen Liedern For new songs Und Tänzen gibst, And new dances, Sei ewig glücklich, Be happy always Wie du mich liebst! As in your love for me!
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Song 3 - Neue Liebe, neues Leben Op 75/2 (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832)
Herz, mein Herz, was soll das geben? Heart, my heart, what can this mean? Was bedränget dich so sehr? What is it that besets you so? Welch ein fremdes neues Leben! What a strange and new existence! Ich erkenne dich nicht mehr! I do not know you anymore.
Weg ist alles, was du liebtest, Fled is all you used to love, Weg, warum du dich betrübtest, Fled is all that used to grieve you, Weg, dein Fleiss und deine Ruh’, Fled your work and peace of mind, Ach, wie kamst du nur dazu! Ah, how can this have come about?
Fesselt dich die Jugendblüte, Does the bloom of youth ensnare you, Diese liebliche Gestalt, This dear figure full of charm, Dieser Blick voll Treu und Güte Those eyes so kind and faithful Mit unendlicher Gewalt? With inexorable power?
Will ich rasch mich ihr entziehen, When I try to hasten from her, Mich ermannen, ihr entfliehen, Control myself, escape her, Führet mich im Augenblick In am moment I am led, Ach, mein Weg zu ihr zurück. Ah, back to her again.
Und an diesem Zauberfädchen, And by this magic little thread Das sich nicht zerreissen lässt, That cannot be severed, Hält das liebe, lose Mädchen The sweet and playful girl Mich so wider Willen fest, Holds me fast against my will:
Muss in ihrem Zauberkreise In her enchanted realm Leben nun auf ihre Weise. I must now live as she dictates, Die Verändrung, ach wie gross! Ah, what a monstrous change! Liebe, Liebe, las mich los! Love! Love! Let me be free!
Song 4 - Ich liebe dich (Karl Friedeich Herrosee, 1754-1821)
Ich liebe dich, so wie du mich, I love you as you love me, Am Abend und am Morgen, At evening and at morning, Noch war kein Tag, wo du und ich No day there was when you and I Nicht teilten unsre Sorgen. Did not share our sorrows.
Auch waren sie für dich und mich And for me and you they were Geteilt, leicht zu ertragen; When shared, an easy burden; Du tröstetest im Kummer mich, You comforted me in my distress, Ich weint’ in deine Klagen. I wept when you lamented.
Drum Gottes Segen über dir, May God then bless you, Du, meines Lebens Freude. You, my life’s delight. Gott schütze dich, erhalt’ dich mir, God protect and keep you for me, Schütz und erhalt’ uns beide. Protect and keep us both.
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Song 5 - Trocknet nicht Op 83/1 (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832)
Trocknet nicht, trocknet nicht, Dry not, dry not, Tränen der ewigen Liebe! Tears of lasting love! Ach, nur dem halbgetrockneten Auge Ah, to the merely half dry eye Wie öde, wie tot die Welt ihm erscheint! How bleak, how dead the world appears! Trocknet nicht, trocknet nicht, Dry not, dry not, Tränen unglücklicher Liebe Tears of unhappy love!
Songs 6-11 - An die Ferne Geliebte Op 98 (Alois Jeitteles, 1794-1858)
1) Auf dem Hügel sitz ich, spähend 1) I sit on the hill, gazing In das blaue Nebelland, Into the misty blue countryside, Nach den fernen Triften sehend, Towards the distant meadows Wo ich dich, Geliebte, fand. Where, my love, I first found you.
Weit bin ich von die geschieden, Now I’m far away from you, Trennend liegen Berg und tal Mountain and valley intervene Zwischen uns und unserm Frieden, Between us and our peace, Unserm Glück und unsrer Qual.2 Our happiness and our pain.
Ach, den Blick kannst du nicht sehen, Ah, you cannot see the fiery gaze Der zu dir so glühend eilt, That wings its way towards you, Und die Seufzer, sie verwehen And my sighs are lost In dem Raume, der uns teilt. In the space that comes between us.
Will den nichts mehr zu dir dringen, Will nothing ever reach you again? Nichts der Liebe Bote sein? Will nothing be love’s messenger? Singen will ich, Lieder singen, I shall sing, sing songs Die dir klagen meine Pein! That speak to you of my distress.
Denn vor Liedesklang entweichet For sounds of singing put to flight Jeder Raumund jede Zeit, All space and all time; Und ein liebend Herz erreichet And a loving heart is reached Was ein liebend Herz geweiht! By what a loving heart has hollowed.
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2) Wo die Berge so blau 2) Where the blue mountains Aus dem nebligen Grau From the misty grey Schauen herein Look out towards me, Wo die Sonne verglüht, Where the sun’s glow fades, Wo die Wolke umzieht, Where the clouds scud by, Möchte ich sein! There would I be!
Dort im ruhigen Tal There, in the peaceful valley, Schweigen Schmerzen und Qual. Pain and torment cease. Wo im Gestein Where among the rocks Still die Primel dort sinnt, The primrose meditates in silence, Weht so leise der Wind, And the wind blows so softly, Möchte ich sein! There would I be!
Hin zum sinnigen Wald I am driven to the musing wood Drängt mich Liebesgewalt, By the power of love, Innere Pein. Inner pain. Ach, mich zög’s nicht von hier, Ah, nothing could tempt me from here, Könnt ich, Traute, bei dir If I were able, my love, Ewiglich sein! To be with you eternally!
3) Leichte Segler in den Höhen 3) Light clouds sailing on high, Und du Bächlein, klein und schmal, And you, narrow little brook, Könnt mein Liebchen ihr erspähen, If you catch sight of my love, Grüsst sie mir viel tausendmal. Greet her a thousand times.
Seht ihr, Wolken, sie dann gehen If, clouds, you see her walking Sinnend in dem stillen Tal, Thoughtful in the silent valley, Lasst mein Bild vor ihr entstehen Let my image appear before her In dem luft’gen Himmelssaal. In the airy vaults of heaven.
Wird sie an den Büschen stehen, If she is standing by the bushes Die nun herbstlich falb und kahl, Autumn has turned fallow and bare, Klagt ihr, wie mir ist geschehen, Pour out to her my fate, Klagt ihr, Vöglein, meine Qual. Pour out, you birds, my torment.
Stille Weste, bringt im When Soft west winds, waft my sighs Hin zu meiner Herzenswahl To her my heart has chosen, Meine Seufzer, die vergehen Sighs that fade away Wie der Sonne letzter Strahl. Like the sun’s last ray.
Flüstr’ ihr zu mein Liebesflehen, Whisper to her my entreaties, Lass sie, Bächlein klein und schmal, Let her, narrow little brook, Treu in deinen Wogen sehen Truly see in your ripples Meine Tränen ohne Zahl! My never-ending tears!
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4) Diese Wolken in den Höhen, 4) These clouds on high, Dieser Vöglein muntrer Zug This cheerful flight of birds Werden dich, o Huldin, sehen, Will see you, O gracious one. Nehmt mich mit im leichten Flug! Take me lightly winging too!
Diese Weste warden spielen These west winds will playfully Scherzend dir um Wang’ und Brust, Blow about your cheeks and breast, In den seidnen Locken wühlen. Will ruffle your silken tresses. Teilt ich mit euch diese Lust! Would I might share that joy!
Hin zu dir von jenen Hügeln This brooklet hastens eagerly Emsig dieses Bächlein eilt. To you from these hills. Wird ihr Bild sich in dir spiegeln, If she’s reflected in you, Fliess zurück dann unverweilt! Flow directly back to me!
5) Es kehret der Maien, 5) May returns, Es blühet die Au, The meadow blooms. Die Lüfte, sie when The breezes blow So milde, so lau, So gentle, so mild, Geschwätzig die Bäche8nun rinnen. The babbling brooks flow again.
Die Schwalbe, die kehret The swallow returns Zum wirtlichen Dach, To its rooftop home, Sie baut sich so emsig And eagerly builds Ihr bräutlich Gemach, Her bridal chamber Die Liebe soll wohnen da drinnen. Where love shall dwell.
Sie bringt sich geschäftig She busily brings Von Kreuz und von Quer From every direction Manch weicheres Stück Many soft scraps Zu dem Brautbett hieher, For the bridal bed, Manch wärmendes Stück für die Kleinen. Many warm scraps for her young.
Nun wohnen die Gatten Now the pair lives Beisammen so treu, Faithfully together, Was Winter geschieden, What winter parted, Verband nun der Mai, May has joined, Was liebet, das Weiss er zu einen. For May can unite all who love.
Es kehret der Maien, May returns, Es blühet die Au, The meadow blooms, Die Lüfte, sie wehen The breezes blow So milde, so lau: So gentle, so mild: Nur ich kann nicht ziehen von hinnen. I alone cannot move on.
Wenn alles, was liebet, When spring unites Der Frühling vereint, All lovers, Nur unserer Liebe Our love alone Kein Frühling erscheint, Knows no spring, Und Tränen sind all ihr Gewinnen. And tears are its only gain.
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6) Nimm sie hin den, diese Lieder, 6) Accept then, these songs Die ich dir, Geliebte, sang, I sang for you, beloved; Singe sie dann Abends wieder Sing them again at evening Zu der Laute süssen Klang! To the lute’s sweet sound!
Wenn das Dämmrungsrot dann ziehet As the red light of evening draws Nach dem stillen blauen See, Toward the calm blue lake, Und sein letzter Strahl verglühet And its last rays fade Hinter jener Bergeshöh: Behind those mountain heights:
Und du singst, was ich gesungen, And you sing what I sang Was mir aus der vollen Brust From a full heart Ohne Kunstgepräng erklungen, With no display of artifice, Nur der Sehnsucht sich bewusst: Aware only of longing;
Dann vor diesen Liedern weichet Then, at these songs, Was geschieden uns so weit, The distance that parted us shall recede, Und ein liebend Herz erreichet, And a loving heart be reached Was ein liebend Herz geweiht! By what a loving heart has hallowed.
SHORT BREAK
Song 12 - Busslied from Sechs Lieder nach Gedichten von Gellert Op 48 (Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, 1715-1769)
Against thee, thee only have I sinned, An dir allein, an dir hab’ ich gesündigt, And done evil often in thy sight. Und übel oft vor dir getan. Thou dost see the sin, which calls thy curse on me; Du siehst die Schuld, dir mir den Fluch verkündigt; O God, see also my distress. Sieh, Gott, auch meinen Jammer an. From thee my prayers, my sighs are not hidden, Dir ist mein Flehn, mein Seufzen nicht verborgen, And my tears are shed in thy sight. Und meine Tränen sind vor dir, Ah God, my God, how long am I to grieve? Ach Gott, mein Gott, wie lange soll ich sorgen? How long wilt thou forsake me? Wie lang entfernst du dich von mir? Lord, treat me not according to my sins, Herr, handle nicht mit mir nach meinen Sünden, Reward me not according to my guilt. Vergilt mir nicht nach meiner Schuld. It is thee I seek, grant that I see thy countenance, Ich suche dich: lass mich dein Antlitz finden, God of patience and forbearance. Du Gott der Langmut und Geduld.
Früh woll’st du mich mit deiner Gnade füllen, Pray, fill me with thy grace betimes, Gott, Vater der Barmherzigeit. God, father of mercy. Erfreue mich um deines Namens willen; For thy name’s sake comfort me, Du bist ein Gott, der gern erfreut. Thou art the God who gladly brings joy.
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Lass deinen Weg mich wieder freudig wallen, Let me walk again cheerfully in thy path, Und lehre mich dein heilig Recht, Teach me thy holy law, Mich täglich tun nach deinem Wohlgefallen; To act each day according to thy will; Du bist mein Gott, ich bin dein Knecht. Thou art my God, and I thy servant.
Herr, eile du, mein Schutz, mir beizustehen, Lord, my shield, hasten to my aid, Und leite mich auf ebner Bahn. And guide me along an even path. Er hört mein Schrein, der Herr erhört mein Flehen, He hears my cries, the Lord heeds my entreaty, Und nimmt sich meiner Seelen an. And takes my soul into His care.
Song 13 - Resignation (Paul von Haugwitz, 1791-1856)
Lisch aus, mein Licht! Go out, my light! Was dir gebricht, What you lack Das ist nun fort, is now departed, An diesem Ort In this place Kannst du’s nicht wieder finden! You shall never find it again! Du musst nun los dich binden. Once you burned brightly, Sonst hast du lustig aufgebrannt, Now you’ve been deprived of air; Nun hast man dir die Luft entwandt; When that has blown away, Wenn diese fort gewehet, The flame splutters - Die Flamme irregehet - Seeks – fails to find - Sucht - findet nicht - Go out, my light! Lisch aus, mein Licht!
Song 14 - Liebes-Klage Op 82 No 2 (translation into German from Pietro Metastasio, 1698-1782)
Den stummen Felsen nur To the mute rock only Klag’ ich, was mir das Herz I lament what moves my heart Bewegt mit tiefem Schmerz, With deep pain, Das bange Sehnen, The fearful longing, Die Quelle meiner Tränen! The source of my tears.
Ach! Sie bleibt stumm und fern, Ah! she stays silent and distant. Ach! Sie hört nicht meine Leiden! Ah! she does not hear my sufferings. Nur umsonst ström’ ich meiner Wehmut It is in vain that I read out Bitt’re Klagen Bitter lamentations Aus vollem Herzen aus! From the bottom of my heart.
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Song 15 - Andenken (Friedrich von Matthisson, 1761-1831)
Ich denke dein, I think of you Wenn durch den Hain When through the grove Der Nachtigallen The nightingales’ Akkorde schallen! Songs resound! Wann denskt du mein? When do you think of me?
Ich denke dein I think of you Im Dämmerschein In the twilight Der Abendhelle Of evening Am Schattenquelle! By the shadowy spring, Wo denkst du mein? Where do you think of me?
Ich denke dein I think of you Mit süsser Pein, In sweet agony, Mit bangem Sehnen With anxious longing Und heissen Tränen! And passionate tears. Wie denkst du mein? How do you think of me?
O denke mein, Oh, think of me Bis zum Verein Until we are united Auf besserm Sterne! On a better star! In jeder Ferne However far away Denk’ich nur dein! I think only of you!
Song 16 - Der Kuss Op 128 (Christian Felix Weisse, 1726-1804)
Ich war bei Chloen ganz allein, I was with Chloe all alone, Und küssen wollt ich sie: And wished to kiss her. Jedoch sie sprach, sie würde schrein, But she said she would scream; Es sei vergebne Müh. That it would be in vain.
Ich wagt es doch und küsste sie, But I dared to and kissed her Trotz ihrer Gegenwehr. Despite her resistance. Und schrie sie nicht? Jawohl, sie schrie, And did she scream? Oh yes, she screamed, Doch lange hinterher. But nor until long after.
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Song 17 – Extracts from Sehnsucht (Was zieht mir das Herz so?) Op 83 No 2 (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Was zieht mir das Herz so? What pulls at my heart so? Was zieht mich hinaus? What draws me outside? Und windet und schraubt mich And wrenches and wrests me Aus Zimmer und Haus? From room and house? Wie dort sich die Wolken How the clouds disperse Am Felsen verziehn! About those cliffs! Da möcht ich hinüber, That’s where I’d like to be, Da möcht ich wohl hin! That’s where I’d like to go!
Auf einmal erschein’ ich, All at once I appear, Ein blinkender Stern. A glittering star. “Was glänzet da droben, “What’s shining up there, So nah und so fern?” So near and yet so far?” Und hast du mit Staunen And when, astonished, Das leuchten erblickt, You’ve caught sight of the gleam, Ich lieg dir zu Füssen, I’ll be lying at your feet. Da bin ich beglückt! Filled with delight!
Song 18 – Extracts from Sehnsucht (Die stille Nacht) (Christian Ludwig Reissig, 1783-1822)
Die stille Nacht umdunkelt The quiet night grows dark, Erquickend Tal und Höh’, Refreshing valley and heights; Der Stern der Liebe funkelt The star of love sparkles, Sanft wallend in dem See. It softly swells in the lake.
Verstummt sind in den Zweigen Silenced in the branches are Die Sänger der Natur; The singers of nature, geheimnisvolles Schweigen A mysterious quietness Ruht auf der Blumenflur. Calls from the flowery fields.
O zaub’re meinen Blicken Oh enchant my glance, Die Holde, die mich flieht, Lovely one, who flees from me Lass mich ans Herz sie drücken, Let me press her to my heart Dass edle Lieb’ entglüht! So that pure love can glow! Du Holde, die ich meine, You lovely one, I think always Wie sehn’ ich mich nach dir; How I long for you; Erscheine, ach erscheine Appear, ah appear Und läche Hoffnung mir! And let hope smile on me!
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Song 19 – Extracts from Feuerfarb Op 52 No 2 (Sophie Mereau, 1770-1806)
Ich Weiss eine Farbe, der bin ich so hold, I know a colour, which I find so lovely, Die achte ich höher als Silber und Gold; I value it more than silver or gold. Die trag’ ich so gerne um Stirn und Gewand, I wear it so proudly on my brow and on my clothing Und habe sie Farbe der Wahrheit genannt. And have named it ‘The Colour of Truth’.
Wohl blühet in lieblicher, sanfter Gestalt The glowing rose blooms in a charming and gentle form, Die glühende Rose, doch bleichet sie bald. But it fades too soon. Drum weihte zur Blume der Liebe man sie; Therefore, that flower is associated with love; Ihr Reiz ist unendlich, doch welket er früh. Its charm is eternal, but it wilts too soon.
Warum ich, so fragt ihr, der Farbe so hold You ask why I give this lovely colour Den heiligen Namen der Wahrheit gezollt? The sacred name of ‘Truth’? Weil flammender Schimmer von ihr sich ergiesst, Because from it pours a fiery glow Und ruhige Dauer sie schützend umschliesst. And it is surrounded and protected by a peaceful permanence.
Ihr schadet der nassende Regenguss nicht, It is unaffected by storms, Noch bleicht sie der Sonne verzehrendes Licht, Nor can the consuming light of the sun bleach it. Drum trag’ ich so gern sie um Stirn und Gewand Therefore, I wear it proudly on my brow and clothing Und habe sie Farbe der Wahrheit gennant, And have named it ‘The Colour of Truth’.
Song 20 - Das Geheimnis (Ignaz Heinrich Karl von Wessenberg, 1774-1860)
Wo blüht das Blümchen, das nie verblüht? Where does the flower bloom that never dies? Wo strahlt das Sternlein, das ewig glüht? Where does the star shine that glows for ever? Dein Mund, o Muse! Dein heil’ger Mund Your mouth, o Muse, your sacred mouth, Thu’ mir das Blümchen und Sternlein kund. Make that flower and star known to me.
“Verkünden kann es dir nicht mein Mund, “My mouth cannot make them known to you Macht es dein Innerstes dir nicht kund. If your inner self (heart) doesn’t make them known to you first. Im Innersten glühet und blüht es zart, They will glow and bloom tenderly Wohl jedem der es getreu bewahrt! In the heart of anyone who faithfully keeps them.”
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Song 21 - Der Wachtelschlag (Samuel Friedrich Sauter, 1770-1846)
Horch! mir schallt’s dorten so lieblich hervor; Listen! How lovely the sound rings out to me! Fürchte Gott, fürchte Gott! ‘Fear God!’ ‘fear God!’ Ruft mir die Wachtel ins Ohr. The quail calls to my ear.
Sitzend im Grünen, von Halmen umhüllt, Sitting in the greenery, surrounded by stalks, Mahnt sie dem Horcher am Saatengefild: She urges the listener in the cornfield Liebe Gott, liebe Gott! ‘Love God!’ ‘love God!’ Er ist so gütig, so mild. He is so kind, so gentle.
Wieder bedeutet ihr hüpfender Schlag; Again rings out her leaping call Lobe Gott, lobe Gott! ‘Praise God!’ ‘praise God!’ Der dich zu lohnen vermag. He who is capable of rewarding you.
Siehst du die herrlichen Früchte im Feld? Do you see the wonderful fruits in the field? Nimm es zu Herzen, Bewohner der Welt; Take it to heart, inhabitants of the world, Danke Gott, danke Gott! Thank God, thank God. Der dich ernährt und erhält. He who nourishes and keeps you.
Schreckt dich im Wetter der Herr der Natur: If the lord of nature frightens you in a storm, Bitte Gott, bitte Gott! Pray to God, pray to God. Ruft sie, er schonet die Flur. He speaks to nature and will protect the field.
Machen Gefahren der Krieger die bang: When the dangers encountered by soldiers Traue Gott, traue Gott! make you fearful, Sieh’, er verziehet nicht lang. Trust in God, trust in God, See, is not absent for long.
Song 22 – Extracts from Das Liedchen von der Ruhe Op 52 No 3 (H W F Ueltzen)
Im Arm der Liebe ruht sich’s wohl, To rest in peace in loving arms is good, Wohl auch im Schoss der Erde. As is peace deep within the ground. Ob’s dort noch, oder hier sein soll, But whether it is here or it is there Wo Ruh’ ich finden werde; That longed for peace is found Das forscht mein Geist und sinnt und denkt My soul is striving to find out, Und fleht zur Vorsicht, die sie schenkt. To quell all future lingering doubt.
Im Schoss der Erde ruht sich’s wohl, To rest at peace deep in the ground is good, So still und ungestöret, So quiet and undisturbed. Hier ist das Herz so kummervoll Here, the heart is so full of care, Dort wird’s durch nichts beschweret. There, it rests unperturbed. Man schläft so sanft, schläft so süss You sleep so softly, sleep so sweetly, Hinüber in das Paradies. As you cross into Paradise.
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PROGRAMME NOTES
Song 1 - Adelaide Op 46 (Friedrich von Matthisson, 1761-1831) Friedrich von Matthisson studied theology and philology at the university of Halle, then went on to become the master of a seminary. In his 30s he was appointed reader and travelling companion to Princess Louisa of Anhalt- Dessau and when he was 50 he entered the court of the king of Württemburg where he became the intendant of the court theatre and chief librarian at Stuttgart. Beethoven wrote Adelaide in 1794-96 and dedicated it to the poet. However, in 1800 Beethoven wrote to Matthisson apologising that he hadn’t told him of this dedication and sending him a copy of the song. Unfortunately, Matthisson didn’t like the song, giving the same criticism that Goethe had about Schubert’s settings, namely that his poetry was overshadowed by the music.
Song 2- Mailied (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832) Op 52/4 Goethe was a scientist, diplomat, artist and linguist as well as a poet, novelist and playwright. He was a geologist, with a collection of over 17,800 rock samples which was the largest private collection of minerals in Europe, a biologist whose work proved to be important concerning the human intermaxillary bone, and wrote a theory of colour concerning the prism and spectrum. As a botanist he formulated a new theory on the metamorphosis of plants and as an architect and engineer he was partly responsible for the design and construction of the Ducal Palace and Botanical Garden at Weimar. As a diplomat and civil servant, he was a member of the Duke of Weimar’s Privy Council, and he was also an artist of whom nearly 3000 drawings survive. Mailied was written before 1793 but only published in 1805. Beethoven used the same music with different words (O welch’ ein Leben) for the first of 2 arias he wrote for the Viennese revival of Ignaz Umlauf ‘s singspiel Die Schöne Schusterin in 1796. The poem is one of Goethe’s Sesenheimer Lieder, written in the spring of 1771 while he was in love with ‘Mamselle Rikchen’, or Friederike Elisabeth Brion, the daughter of the pastor of the village of Sesenheim, near Strasbourg. Goethe was studying law at Strasbourg university, and passed through the village on one of his horse-riding excursions into the neighbouring countryside. He visited the village often before ending the affair. Other Sesenheimer poems that later become important in the Lieder world are Wilkommen und Abschied and Heidenröslein.
Song 3 - Neue Liebe, neues Leben Op 75/2 (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) This song was originally sketched in 1792, written in 1798-99 then revised in 1809 and published in 1810. Goethe’s poem was written at the time of his brief betrothal to Anne Elisabeth Schönemann in 1775. Goethe loved Lili, as he called her, deeply, but detested the patrician attitude of her family and the engagement only lasted a few months. Towards the end of his life, Goethe said of this episode; “She was the first woman I truly and deeply loved, I can also say that she was the last.”
Song 4 - Ich liebe dich (Karl Friedrich Herrosee, 1754-1821) The pastor-poet Herrosee was born in Berlin and studied theology at Frankfurt university. He was appointed as a vicar in Dresden then returned to Berlin as a pastor and with a post at the cathedral. He became a teacher at a seminary and wrote a number of hymns. The first version of Beethoven’s song Ich liebe dich, written in 1797 had 5 verses. The revised version dating from around 1800 reduces the poem to its 2nd verse and the 2nd half of the 3rd verse.
Song 5 - Trocknet nicht Op 83/1 (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) This song was written in 1810 and published in 1811 as part of Drei Gesänge Op 83, dedicated to Princess
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Caroline Kinsky, wife of Prince Ferdinand Johann, one of the trio of Viennese noblemen who had established an annuity for Beethoven two years previously, thereby, temporarily at least, solving his financial worries.
Songs 6-11 - An die Ferne Geliebte Op 98 (Alois Jeitteles, 1794-1858) Alois Isidor Jeitteles was born in Brünn, now Brno in the Czech Republic. He studied philosophy in Prague and medicine in Vienna, after which he returned to Brünn to become a doctor there. He remained in Brünn for the rest of his life, and seems to have been very hard-working and conscientious, devoting himself to his patients especially during the several cholera epidemics that occurred in Brünn. His first poetry appeared in the periodicals Salam (1812-1817) and Aglaja (1815-1832) and in 1818 he co-founded the Jewish weekly magazine Siona. Jeitteles knew Beethoven and wrote a poem Beethovens Begräbnis at his death. His daughter was the Czech suffragette Ottilie Bondy.
The poems that make up An die ferne Geliebte were published in Salam in 1815. Beethoven wrote the cycle the following April and it was published later that year. It was an instant success. It is generally considered to be the first song-cycle; it is through-composed and cyclical in that the music of the first song returns at the end. Beethoven called the cycle Liederkreis an die ferne Geliebte, so it is a ring both musically and symbolically as in a ring of love. Beethoven dedicated the work to Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz, Duke of Raudnitz, a wealthy patron of music, in whose palace the Eroica symphony had been premiered in 1804. Schumann loved this work, which undoubtedly influenced him in the composition and concept of his own Liederkreis cycles.
Song 12 - Busslied from Sechs Lieder nach Gedichten von Gellert Op 48 (Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, 1715-1769) Gellert was born in Saxony. He studied theology at Leipzig university and was destined for a career in the church, but his parents couldn’t afford the university fees, so he dropped out, and gave up his ambition for a clerical career. Instead he became a lecturer in philosophy and poetry at the university of Leipzig. He was popular with his students and is said to have been kind and generous. Much of his poetry is of a religious character, and often has the theme of being content with one’s lot and curbing one’s passions. In 1746 he published his Fabeln und Erzählungen, a collection of moralistic fables in verse which became very popular. A second volume was published 2 years later. An equally popular collection of hymns and religious poems, Geistliche Oden und Lieder, dates from 1758 and were published in 1803. The text of Busslied is taken from this set. The song was written in May and June 1803 on the death of Beethoven’s patron the Countess von Browne, to whom he had dedicated his piano sonatas op 10.
Song 13 - Resignation (Paul von Haugwitz, 1791-1856) Paul von Haugwitz was a Prussian aristocrat who had a very successful career in the Prussian army, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. His father was the Prussian foreign minister who in 1792 travelled to Vienna to sign a Treaty of opposition to Revolutionary France with Leopold II. Haugwitz was an occasional poet and translator, translating the poetry of Wordsworth, Byron and Thomas Moore into German. Beethoven first sketched his ideas for Resignation in 1814, the song was completed in 1817 and printed in the Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode on March 31st 1818
Song 14 - Liebes-Klage Op 82 No 2 (translation into German from Pietro Metastasio, 1698-1782) This song was written c 1790 and published in 1811 as part of Vier Arietten und ein Duett. The original Italian text is by Pietro Metastasio, the pseudonym of Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, and comes from his poem Amor timido set to music by Vivaldi and many other composers. It is not known who wrote the very free German
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translation, Liebes-Klage.
Song 15- Andenken (Friedrich von Matthisson) Andenken was composed in 1808-9 to a then very popular Matthisson poem, written in 1792 and published in 1802 as part of his Gedichte. Matthisson’s poems, with their stylised melancholy, kept their popularity with the public until the end of the 19th century, when his rather sentimental, bucolic style of writing went out of fashion. His poetry has remained unfashionable to this day.
Song 16 - Der Kuss Op 128 (Christian Felix Weisse, 1726-1804) Christian Weisse was the son of a headmaster of a school in Leipzig and a friend of Gellert. He was appointed as a private tutor to the Count Geyersberg and was the editor of Bibliothek der schönen Wissenschaften (Library of the Beautiful Sciences) a literary magazine. In 1762 became a tax collector and acquired the Schloss Stötteritz on the outskirts of Leipzig, which he refurbished and where he held very successful salons. In his spare time, he wrote children’s poetry and long prose tragedies. From 1775 to 1782 he published what is regarded as Germany’s first children’s magazine Der Kinderfreund (The Children's Friend). Der Kuss was first sketched 1798, composed in 1822 and published in 1825. The text comes from Weisse’s Scherzhaften Liedern (Jesting Songs) of 1758.
Song 17 – Sehnsucht (Was zieht mir das Herz so?) Op 83 No 2 (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) This song, written in 1810, is a setting of an early Goethe poem. Beethoven had wanted to meet Goethe for a long time, he wrote to him in April 1811 but received a very lukewarm reply. They finally met on 19th July 1812 in Teplitz. Three weeks later, Beethoven wrote to Gottfried Härtel of the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel: “Goethe appreciates the Court air too much, more than is proper for a poet. There is nothing more ridiculous than when poets, who should be regarded as the first teachers of the nation, forget all else when faced with such glitter.”
Song 18 – Sehnsucht (Die stille Nacht) (Christian Ludwig Reissig, 1783-1822) Christian Ludwig Reissig entered the Imperial Austrian Army as a Rittmeister (cavalry squadron commander) in 1808. He was wounded at the storming of Esslingen in 1809, cited for his bravery and discharged. Beethoven set 7 of his poems, more than any other poet except Goethe. This Sehnsucht dates from 1815-16. 16 versions of the first few bars of the vocal line exist in Beethoven’s sketchbooks. It was first published as one of three songs ‘aus Reissig’s Blümchen des Einsamkeit’
Song 19 – Feuerfarb Op 52 No 2 (Sophie Mereau, 1770-1806) Sophie’s maiden name was Schubart; she married Karl Mereau in 1793. Through him she met Schiller who admired her poetry. She shocked society with her many affairs, including one with Clemens Brentano, novelist, poet and co-author with Achim von Arnim of Des Knaben Wunderhorn. In 1795 she travelled to Berlin with one of her lovers. She divorced Karl, and renewed her relationship with Brentano, marrying him when she became pregnant with their child in 1803. The child died age just 6 weeks. The marriage with Brentano was unhappy, in 1805 her 4th child died soon after birth and she died age just 36 from a haemorrhage after the birth of her 6th child. The 8 songs that make up Beethoven’s Op 52 were all composed in the 1790s but not published until 1805.
Song 20 - Das Geheimnis (Ignaz Heinrich Karl von Wessenberg, 1774-1860) Ignaz Heinrich Karl von Wessenberg was a Catholic clergyman on the liberal wing of the church, and a poet. He rose through the clerical ranks quickly, becoming Vicar General and administrator of the Diocese of Konstanz in 1802. Various ecclesiastical disagreements took place over the following years as Wessenberg’s proposed liberal reforms, and his plans for a German national church, were opposed by the Vatican and by local factions in the
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church. Wessenberg refused to relinquish his position and eventually, in 1821, the pope abolished the Diocese of Konstanz (as the only way of getting rid of Wessenberg) and merged it with the neighbouring Archdiocese of Freiburg. After his death his collection of paintings formed the basis of the new Municipal Wesseneberg Gallery of the Rosgarten Museum in Konstanz and his library was given to the university. Das Geheimnis was first published in 1816 in a Viennese almanac.
Song 21 - Der Wachtelschlag (Samuel Friedrich Sauter, 1770-1846) Samuel Sauter was a schoolmaster for much of his life. He campaigned for improved conditions and pay for teachers under the slogan Brot und Ehre (Bread and Honour). His poetry is heavily influenced by folk idioms and can seem very naïve. A volume called Volkslieder und andere Reime was published in 1811, and further volumes were published under the pseudonym Gottlieb Biedermeier, containing poems harking back nostalgically to a simpler and carefree way of life. These volumes gave rise to the term ‘Biedermeier’ being used to describe the uneventful, and to some historians ‘boring’, period of German and Austrian history from from the fall of Napoleon in 1815 to the revolutions of 1848. The poem of Der Wachtelschlag is based on one from Des Knaben Wunderhorn. The song was composed in 1803
Song 22 – Das Liedchen von der Ruhe Op 52 No 3 (Hermann Wilhelm Franz Ueltzen, 1759-1808) This song was written in 1793 and published in 1805 by the Bureau des Arts et d'Industrie in Vienna as part of Op 52. The poet, Hermann Wilhelm Franz Ueltzen has sunk into complete oblivion, in fact this poem is the only known example of his work; were it not for Beethoven, Ueltzen would have sunk without trace.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Beethoven was born in Bonn. His overbearing father subjected him to a harsh regime of piano, violin and other music lessons from the age of 5 in an attempt to emulate Leopold Mozart’s ‘successes’ with his son as a travelling child prodigy. The young Beethoven found some relief in the von Breuning household where he taught the children piano and widened his social circle to include Franz Wegeler, a medical student who became a life- long friend, and Count Waldstein. A visit to Vienna during which he probably met Mozart was cut short by his mother’s death and Beethoven returned to Bonn.
In 1792, age 22, Beethoven left Bonn for Vienna. He studied piano with Haydn and composition with Salieri, but it was as a pianist that he made his name initially. Plans to return to Bonn were scuppered by the French invasion and some Viennese noblemen offered him financial support to remain in Vienna. His reputation as a pianist, and now as a composer also, began to grow. He premiered his 1st piano concerto in 1795 and his 1st symphony in 1800, and his op 1, three piano trios, was published in 1795. Other works followed and in 1803 he hired the Theater an der Wien for a major concert that included his 1st and 2nd symphonies and 3rd piano concerto.
A cloud was overshadowing these successes though as from his mid or late 20s Beethoven was gradually losing his hearing. In 1802 he spent the summer in the spa town of Heiligenstadt, just outside Vienna, where he wrote his Heiligenstadt Testament, a letter to his brothers describing his deafness, his thoughts of suicide, and his determination to continue for the sake of his art.
Returning to Vienna that autumn, Beethoven’s composition style changed as he embarked on his middle, ‘heroic’ period. Works from this time include the 3rd Symphony (the Eroica, originally dedicated to Napoleon, but with the dedication angrily crossed out when Napoleon declared himself Emperor in 1804), piano sonatas such as no 21 op 53 (Waldstein) and no 23 op 57 (Appassionata), his opera Fidelio, the Kreutzer sonata and the violin
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concerto. Important patrons included the Archduke Rudolf, youngest son of the Emperor Leopold II, for whom Beethoven wrote 14 works including the Archduke Trio.
A bout of illness in 1811 and 1812 led Beethoven to spend some time in the spa town of Teplitz, during which he met Goethe, and wrote the 3 Immortal Beloved letters; these were never sent, and the intended recipient is unknown.
Family problems erupted in 1812 and 1813; Beethoven disapproved of his brother Johann’s cohabitation, and later marriage, to Therese Obermayer, who already had an illegitimate child, and the death of his other brother Kaspar led to bitter disputes over the custody of Kaspar’s son Karl. Beethoven’s deafness was getting worse. He could now only converse through ‘conversation books’, many of which survive.
Major works of Beethoven’s Late period include the song-cycle An die ferne Geliebte (1816), the Missa Solemnis (1819), written for Archduke Rudolf’s promotion to Cardinal-Archbishop of Olomouc, the Diabelli Variations, the last 3 piano sonatas, the late string quartets and the 9th Symphony.
Relations with his nephew Karl continued to be stormy – he had been seeing his mother again against Beethoven’s wishes, and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head. He survived, and after a stay in hospital went to stay with Beethoven and Johann in Gneixendorf, just outside Vienna. Beethoven’s health was continuing to disintegrate – he was suffering from fever, jaundice and gout and, as was revealed in the autopsy, cirrhosis of the liver and severe lead poisoning as a result of the treatments his doctors were giving for his stomach swellings. Beethoven died on 26th March 1827, age 56, allegedly during a thunderstorm. 10,000 people lined the streets of Vienna for his funeral.
Nigel Foster
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