Songs
Es war einmal ein König
(1809)
Op. 75 no.3
Es war einmal ein König
Es war einmal ein KönigDer hatt' einen großen FlohDen liebt' er gar nicht wenigAls wie seinen eig'nen Sohn.Da rief er seinen Scheider,Der Schneider kam heran;"Da, miß dem Junker KleiderUnd miß ihm Hosen an!"In Sammet und in SeideWar er nun angetan,Hatte Bänder auf dem Kleide,Hatt' auch ein Kreuz daran,Und war sogleich Minister,Und hatt einen großen Stern.Da wurden seine GeschwisterBei Hof auch große Herrn.Und Herrn and Frau'n am Hofe,Die waren sehr geplagt,Die Königin und die ZofeGestochen und genagt,Und durften sie nicht knicken,Und weg sie jucken nicht,Wir knicken und erstickenDoch gleich, wenn einer sticht.
There once was a king
There once was a kingWho had a large fleaWhom he loved not a little,Just like his own son.He summoned his tailor,The tailor appeared:'Here - make robes for this knightAnd make him breeches too!'In silk and satinThe flea was now attired,With ribbons on his coat,And a medal too,And became a minister straightawayAnd wore an enormous star.His brothers and his sistersBecame grand at court as well.And courtly lords and ladiesWere most grievously plagued,Queen and maid-in-waitingWere bitten and stung,Yet they were not allowedTo squash or scratch them away -We bow and scrape and suffocate,As soon as any bite.Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
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Composer
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the classical and romantic eras in classical music, he remains one of the most recognized and influential musicians of this period, and is considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time.
Read his full Wikipedia article here.
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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.
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Es war einmal ein König
There once was a king
If you would like to use our texts and translations, please click here for more information.
Composer
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the classical and romantic eras in classical music, he remains one of the most recognized and influential musicians of this period, and is considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time.
Read his full Wikipedia article 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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