Songs
Gretchen am Spinnrade
(1814)
D118
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer, Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr.Wo ich ihn nicht hab’ Ist mir das Grab,Die ganze WeltIst mir vergällt.Mein armer Kopf Ist mir verrückt Mein armer Sinn Ist mir zerstückt.Nach ihm nur schau’ ich Zum Fenster hinaus, Nach ihm nur geh’ ich Aus dem Haus.Sein hoher Gang,Sein’ edle Gestalt, Seines Mundes Lächeln, Seiner Augen Gewalt.Und seiner Rede Zauberfluss.Sein Händedruck, Und ach, sein Kuss!Mein Busen drängt sich Nach ihm hin.Ach dürft’ ich fassen Und halten ihn.Und küssen ihnSo wie ich wollt’An seinen KüssenVergehen sollt’!
Gretchen at the spinning-wheel
My peace is goneMy heart is heavy;I shall neverEver find peace again.When he’s not with me,Life’s like the grave;The whole worldIs turned to gall.My poor headIs crazed,My poor mindShattered.My peace is goneMy heart is heavy;I shall neverEver find peace again.It’s only for himI gaze from the window,It’s only for himI leave the house.His proud bearingHis noble form,The smile on his lips,The power of his eyes,And the magic flowOf his words,The touch of his hand,And ah, his kiss!My peace is goneMy heart is heavy;I shall neverEver find peace again.My bosomYearns for him.Ah! if I could claspAnd hold him,And kiss himTo my heart’s content,And in his kissesPerish!
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Composer
Poet
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a German writer and statesman. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of metres and styles; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour; and four novels. In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him exist. A literary celebrity by the age of 25, Goethe was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Karl August in 1782 after first taking up residence there in November 1775 following the success of his first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther. He was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement. During his first ten years in Weimar, Goethe served as a member of the Duke's privy council, sat on the war and highway commissions, oversaw the reopening of silver mines in nearby Ilmenau, and implemented a series of administrative reforms at the University of Jena. He also contributed to the planning of Weimar's botanical park and the rebuilding of its Ducal Palace, which in 1998 were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Taken from Wikipedia. To view the full article, please click here.
See Full Entry
Sorry, no further description available.
Previously performed at:
- 16 Oct 2017: Franz Schubert: Katharina Ruckgaber & Sholto Kynoch
-
- 26 Oct 2016: Mastercourse Day Three
-
- 18 Oct 2016: Schubert and Brahms: Birgid Steinberger & Julius Drake
-
- 04 Mar 2016: Felicity Lott / Eugene Asti
-
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Gretchen at the spinning-wheel
Composer
Poet
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a German writer and statesman. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of metres and styles; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour; and four novels. In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him exist. A literary celebrity by the age of 25, Goethe was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Karl August in 1782 after first taking up residence there in November 1775 following the success of his first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther. He was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement. During his first ten years in Weimar, Goethe served as a member of the Duke's privy council, sat on the war and highway commissions, oversaw the reopening of silver mines in nearby Ilmenau, and implemented a series of administrative reforms at the University of Jena. He also contributed to the planning of Weimar's botanical park and the rebuilding of its Ducal Palace, which in 1998 were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Taken from Wikipedia. To view the full article, please click here.
See Full Entry
Sorry, no further description available.
Previously performed at:
- 16 Oct 2017: Franz Schubert: Katharina Ruckgaber & Sholto Kynoch
- 26 Oct 2016: Mastercourse Day Three
- 18 Oct 2016: Schubert and Brahms: Birgid Steinberger & Julius Drake
- 04 Mar 2016: Felicity Lott / Eugene Asti
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