Hello
All,
I had the idea to make your weekly video The Ride of the Valkyries from Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” But, though it would have been fun, it’s such a scream-fest it wouldn’t have taught anything to anyone about German diction. It did make me want to get some Wagner to you though. With that in mind, I offer you two videos. The total time of these videos is about 16 minutes but trust me, they’re going to seem much much longer. I’m reminded of what Mark Twain said after he went to Bayreuth the first time to see Wagner’s “The Ring.” When asked what he thought of it, he said something like, “The opera started promptly at 8:00 and after 3 hours of the most glorious music I’ve ever heard I looked at my watch and it was 8:15!”
I had the idea to make your weekly video The Ride of the Valkyries from Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” But, though it would have been fun, it’s such a scream-fest it wouldn’t have taught anything to anyone about German diction. It did make me want to get some Wagner to you though. With that in mind, I offer you two videos. The total time of these videos is about 16 minutes but trust me, they’re going to seem much much longer. I’m reminded of what Mark Twain said after he went to Bayreuth the first time to see Wagner’s “The Ring.” When asked what he thought of it, he said something like, “The opera started promptly at 8:00 and after 3 hours of the most glorious music I’ve ever heard I looked at my watch and it was 8:15!”
The first
video is of Swedish Soprano (her German is exquisite) Birgit Nilsson singing the “Liebestod” from Tristan und Isolde. This opera is looooong. The first time I saw it was at a dress
rehearsal which started at 10:00 in the morning and by the time the thing was
over it was dark outside (Met dress rehearsals have very long intermissions). And it’s not an easy time. Music historians have settled on the idea
that this is the piece where “modern music” was created. Eventually you will study the “Tristan Chord”
and this aria has it about nine zillion times.
Also known as the “Liebestod” this aria is the last thing in this 5 hour
opera and it is a payoff worth the wait.
Please please please follow the score which I have provided a link to
below and notice how simple it all looks on paper. I am also providing a link to the text and
translation.
Secondly we have Ben Heppner singing Walther’s Prize Song from Die Meistersinger. Unlike the Tristan excerpt, this is practically an art song - 3 verses in total. Heppner is Canadian but he is easily the most popular heldentenor of our time and his sung German is very idiomatic so it is worth using as an example.
As always, please read the translations first so that you have a bit of an idea of what’s being said and then listen to the video while following the German.
Secondly we have Ben Heppner singing Walther’s Prize Song from Die Meistersinger. Unlike the Tristan excerpt, this is practically an art song - 3 verses in total. Heppner is Canadian but he is easily the most popular heldentenor of our time and his sung German is very idiomatic so it is worth using as an example.
As always, please read the translations first so that you have a bit of an idea of what’s being said and then listen to the video while following the German.
It’s
Wagner so it seems scary but give it a try; If you will, it’ll be as rewarding
as anything else I’ve sent you this semester.
Wagner seems so scary but it’s unbelievable stuff and though I’ve picked
two of his longer operas to play from, as you can see, the music can be very
tuneful and
R
R
Tristan
und Isolde
Score
Die Meistersinger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQoPa9uagoU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQoPa9uagoU
Score
((Starts on page 538))
Liebestod
Mild und leise Mildly and gently,
wie er lächelt, how he smiles,
wie das Auge how the eye
hold er öffnet --- he opens sweetly ---
Seht ihr's, Freunde? Do you see it, friends?
Seht ihr's nicht? Don’t you see it?
Immer lichter Brighter and brighter
wie er leuchtet, how he shines,
stern-umstrahlet illuminated by stars
hoch sich hebt? rises high?
Seht ihr's nicht? Don’t you see it?
Wie das Herz ihm How his heart
mutig schwillt, boldly
swells,
voll und hehr fully and nobly
im Busen ihm quillt? wells in his breast?
Wie den Lippen, How from his lips
wonnig mild, delightfully, mildly,
süßer Atem sweet breath
sanft entweht --- softly wafts ---
Freunde! Seht! Friends! Look!
Fühlt und seht ihr's
nicht? Don’t you feel and see it?
Hör ich nur diese Weise,
Do I alone hear this melody,
die so wundervoll und
leise, which wonderfully and softly,
Wonne klagend, lamenting delight,
alles sagend, telling it all,
mild versöhnend mildly reconciling
aus ihm tönend, sounds out of him,
in mich dringet, invades me,
auf sich schwinget, swings upwards,
hold erhallend sweetly resonating
um mich klinget? rings around me?
Heller schallend, Sounding more clearly,
mich umwallend --- wafting around me ---
Sind es Wellen Are these waves
sanfter Lüfte? of soft airs?
Sind es Wogen Are these billows
wonniger Düfte? of delightful fragrances?
Wie sie schwellen, How they swell,
mich umrauschen, how they sough around me,
soll ich atmen, shall I breathe,
soll ich lauschen? Shall I listen?
Soll ich schlürfen, Shall I drink,
untertauchen? immerse?
Süß in Düften Sweetly in fragrances
mich verhauchen? melt away?
In dem wogenden Schwall, In the billowing torrent,
in dem tönenden Schall, in the resonating sound,
in des Welt-Atems
wehendem All ---in the wafting Universe of the World-Breath ---
ertrinken, drown,
versinken --- be engulfed ---
unbewußt --- unconscious ---
höchste Lust! supreme delight!Walther
The
Prize Song
"Morgenlich leuchtend im rosigen Schein,
von Blüt und Duft
geschwellt die Luft,
voll aller Wonnen,
nie ersonnen,
ein Garten lud mich ein, -
dort unter einem Wunderbaum,
von Früchten reich behangen,
zu schaun in sel'gem Liebestraum,
was höchstem Lustverlangen.
Erfüllung kühn verhiess,
das schönste Weib:
Eva im Paradies."
"Abendlich dämmernd umschloss mich die Nacht;
auf steilem Pfad
war ich genaht
zu einer Quelle
reiner Welle,
die lockend mir gelacht:
dort unter einem Lorbeerbaum,
von Sternen hell durchschienen,
ich schaut im wachen Dichtertraum,
von heilig holden Mienen,
mich netzend mit dem edlen Nass,
das hehrste Weib,
die Muse des Parnass!"
"Huldreichster Tag,
dem ich aus Dichters Traum erwacht!
Das ich erträumt, das Paradies,
in himmlisch neu verklärter Pracht
hell vor mir lag,
dahin lachend nun der Quell den Pfad mir wies;
die, dort geboren,
den Ruhm erkoren,
der Erde lieblichstes Bild,
als Muse mir geweiht,
so heilig ernst als mild,
ward kühn von mir gefreit,
am lichten Tag der Sonnen,
durch Sanges Sieg gewonnen
Parnass und Paradies!"
Walther
"Shining in the rosy light of morning,
the air heavy
with blossom and scent,
full of every
unthought-of-joy,
a garden invited me
and, beneath a wondrous tree there,
richly hung with fruit,
to behold in blessed dream of love,
boldly promising fulfillment
to the highest of joy's desires,
the most beautiful woman:
Eva in Paradise."
"In the evening twilight, night enfolded me;
on a steep path
I had approached
a spring
of pure water,
which laughed enticingly to me:
there beneath a laurel-tree,
with stars shining brightly through its leaves,
in a poet's waking dream I beheld,
holy and fair of countenance,
and sprinkling me with the precious water,
the most wonderful woman,
the Muse of Parnassus!"
"Most gracious day,
to which I awoke from a poet's dream!
The Paradise of which I had dreamed
in heavenly, new-transfigured splendor
lay bright before me,
to which the spring laughingly now showed me the path;
she, born there,
my heart's elect,
earth's loveliest picture,
destined to be my Muse,
as holy and grave as she is mild,
was boldly wooed by me;
in the sun's bright daylight,
through victory in song, I had won
Parnassus and Paradise!"
von Blüt und Duft
geschwellt die Luft,
voll aller Wonnen,
nie ersonnen,
ein Garten lud mich ein, -
dort unter einem Wunderbaum,
von Früchten reich behangen,
zu schaun in sel'gem Liebestraum,
was höchstem Lustverlangen.
Erfüllung kühn verhiess,
das schönste Weib:
Eva im Paradies."
"Abendlich dämmernd umschloss mich die Nacht;
auf steilem Pfad
war ich genaht
zu einer Quelle
reiner Welle,
die lockend mir gelacht:
dort unter einem Lorbeerbaum,
von Sternen hell durchschienen,
ich schaut im wachen Dichtertraum,
von heilig holden Mienen,
mich netzend mit dem edlen Nass,
das hehrste Weib,
die Muse des Parnass!"
"Huldreichster Tag,
dem ich aus Dichters Traum erwacht!
Das ich erträumt, das Paradies,
in himmlisch neu verklärter Pracht
hell vor mir lag,
dahin lachend nun der Quell den Pfad mir wies;
die, dort geboren,
den Ruhm erkoren,
der Erde lieblichstes Bild,
als Muse mir geweiht,
so heilig ernst als mild,
ward kühn von mir gefreit,
am lichten Tag der Sonnen,
durch Sanges Sieg gewonnen
Parnass und Paradies!"
Walther
"Shining in the rosy light of morning,
the air heavy
with blossom and scent,
full of every
unthought-of-joy,
a garden invited me
and, beneath a wondrous tree there,
richly hung with fruit,
to behold in blessed dream of love,
boldly promising fulfillment
to the highest of joy's desires,
the most beautiful woman:
Eva in Paradise."
"In the evening twilight, night enfolded me;
on a steep path
I had approached
a spring
of pure water,
which laughed enticingly to me:
there beneath a laurel-tree,
with stars shining brightly through its leaves,
in a poet's waking dream I beheld,
holy and fair of countenance,
and sprinkling me with the precious water,
the most wonderful woman,
the Muse of Parnassus!"
"Most gracious day,
to which I awoke from a poet's dream!
The Paradise of which I had dreamed
in heavenly, new-transfigured splendor
lay bright before me,
to which the spring laughingly now showed me the path;
she, born there,
my heart's elect,
earth's loveliest picture,
destined to be my Muse,
as holy and grave as she is mild,
was boldly wooed by me;
in the sun's bright daylight,
through victory in song, I had won
Parnassus and Paradise!"
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