Songs
Der Zauberlehrling
(1832)
Op. 20 no.2
Der Zauberlehrling
Hat der alte HexenmeisterSich doch einmal wegbegeben!Und nun sollen seine GeisterAuch nach meinem Willen leben.Seine Wort' und WerkeMerk ich, und den Brauch,Und mit GeistesstärkeThu' ich Wunder auch. Walle! walle Manche Strecke, Daß, zum Zwecke, Wasser fließe, Und mit reichem vollem Schwalle Zu dem Bade sich ergieße.Und nun komm, du alter Besen!Nimm die schlechten Lumpenhüllen;Bist schon lange Knecht gewesen;Nun erfülle meinen Willen!Auf zwei Beinen stehe,Oben sei ein Kopf,Eile nun und geheMit dem Wassertopf! Walle! walle Manche Strecke, Daß, zum Zwecke, Wasser fließe, Und mit reichem vollem Schwalle Zu dem Bade sich ergieße. Seht, er läuft zum Ufer nieder!Wahrlich! ist schon an dem Flusse,Und mit Blitzesschnelle wiederIst er hier mit raschem Gusse.Schon zum zweitenmale!Wie das Becken schwillt!Wie sich jede SchaleVoll mit Wasser füllt! Stehe! stehe! Denn wir haben Deiner Gaben Vollgemessen! -- Ach! ich merk' es! Wehe! wehe! Hab' ich doch das Wort vergessen!Ach das Wort, worauf am EndeEr das wird, was er gewesen.Ach, er läuft und bringt behende!Wärst du doch der alte Besen!Immer neue GüsseBringt er schnell herein.Ach! und hundert FlüsseStürzen auf mich ein. Nein, nicht länger Kann ich's lassen, Will ihn fassen. Das ist Tücke! Ach! nun wird mir immer bänger! Welche Miene! welche Blicke!O, du Ausgeburt der Hölle!Soll das ganze Haus ersaufen?Seh' ich über jede SchwelleDoch schon Wasserströme laufen,Ein verruchter BesenDer nicht hören will.Stock, der du gewesen,Steh doch einmal still! Willst's am Ende Gar nicht lassen? Will dich fassen, Will dich halten, Und das alte Holz behende Mit dem scharfen Beile spalten.Seht, da kommt er schleppend wieder!Wie ich mich nun auf dich werfe,Gleich, o Kobold, liegst du nieder;Krachend trifft die glatte Schärfe.Wahrlich! brav getroffen!Seht, er ist entzwei!Und nun kann ich hoffen,Und ich athme frei! Wehe! Wehe! Beide Theile Stehn in Eile Schon als Knechte Völlig fertig in die Höhe! Helft mir, ach! ihr hohen Mächte!Und sie laufen! Naß und nässerWird's im Saal und auf den Stufen.Welch entsetzliches Gewässer!Herr und Meister! hör mich rufen! --Ach, da kommt der Meister!Herr, die Noth ist groß!Die ich rief, als Geister,Werd' ich nun nicht los. "In die Ecke, Besen, Besen! Seid's gewesen. Denn als Geister Ruft euch nur, zu seinem Zwecke, Erst hervor der alte Meister."
The sorcerer's apprentice
The old sorcererHas finally gone away!Now the spirits he controlsShall obey my commands.I've noted his method,What he says and does,And with strength of spirit,I shall work wonders too. Wander! WanderOn and on,So that waterMight flow,And gush abundantlyAnd fill the bath. So come along, you old broomstick!Dress yourself in rotten rags!You've long been a servant;Obey my orders now!Stand up on two legs,Let's give you a head on top,Make haste now and off you goWith the water-jug!Wander! WanderOn and on,So that waterMight flow,And gush abundantlyAnd fill the bath.Look, he's running down to the bank;In truth! He's already reached the river,And back he comes as quick as lightningAnd swiftly pours it all out. Here he comes a second time! Look how the tub is filling!Look how every basinFills to overflowing! Stand still, stand still!Because weHave had our fillOf all your gifts! - Alas! Alas! I realise now;I've forgotten the magic word!The word, alas, that turns him backInto what he once was.Alas! speedily he runs and fetches! If only you were a broom as before! He keeps rushing inWith more and more water,Alas! a hundred riversPour down on my head! No, I won't permit it A moment longer;I shall seize him.Oh, the spiteful brute!Ah, now I'm getting really scared!What a face! And what a look!O, you creature from hell!Shall the entire house be drowned?I can see streams of waterPouring through every door.A despicable broomNot to listen!You who were once a stick - Will you once again stand still!Will you neverEver stop?I'll catch you,I'll hold you,And swiftly split this old woodWith this sharp hatchet.Look, once more he comes, dragging pails!Wait till I get to grips with you,Then, O goblin, I'll knock you flat;The smooth blade crashes down on him.A fine blow, in truth!Look - he's split in two. There's hope for me now,I can breathe freely again!Alas! alas!Both halvesStand up at once,A pair of servants,Ready for action!Ah, help me, you powers on high! And off they run! Hall and stepsGet wetter and wetter.What a ghastly inundation!Lord and master, hear my cries! - Ah, my master comes at last!Sir, I'm in desperate straits!The spirits I summoned - I can't get rid of them.'Into the corner,Brooms! Brooms - Have done!Only your old masterCan call you forthAs spirits.'
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
If you would like to use our texts and translations, please click here for more information.
Composer
Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (G30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869),was a German composer, tenor singer and conductor. He wrote over 400 ballads and songs.
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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.
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Previously performed at:
Der Zauberlehrling
The sorcerer's apprentice
If you would like to use our texts and translations, please click here for more information.
Composer
Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (G30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869),was a German composer, tenor singer and conductor. He wrote over 400 ballads and songs.
Information from Wikipedia. Read more here.
See Full Entry
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:
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