Wednesday, May 26, 2021
As Beethoven was the father of the Liederkreis (song cycle), it’s entirely appropriate to include the great song cycles of Schubert and Schumann in any commemoration of Beethoven’s life and work.
Schubert composed “Die Schöne Müllerin” (The Lovely Miller-Maiden) in 1820, during the last decade of Beethoven’s life. It’s a cycle of 20 poems by Wilhelm Mueller, and is the tale of a young miller who sets out after his apprenticeship to find life and love. The cycle begins with “Das Wandern” in which the young apprentice joyfully undertakes the adventure.
Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust,
Das Wandern!
Das muss ein schlechter Müller sein,
Dem niemals fiel das Wandern ein,
Das Wandern
Vom Wasser haben wir’s gelernt,
Vom Wasser!
Das hat nicht Rast bei Tag und Nacht,
Ist stets auf Wanderschaft bedacht,
Das Wasser.
Das sehn wir auch den Rädern ab,
Den Rädern!
Die gar nicht gerne stille stehn,
Die sich mein Tag nicht müde gehn,
Die Räder.
Die Steine selbst, so schwer sie sind,
Die Steine!
Sie tanzen mit den muntern Reihn
Und wollen gar noch schneller sein,
Die Steine.
O Wandern, Wandern, meine Lust,
O Wandern!
Herr Meister und Frau Meisterin,
Lasst mich in Frieden weiter ziehn
Und wandern.
----
To wander is the miller’s delight;
to wander!
A poor miller he must be
who never thought of wandering,
of wandering.
We have learnt it from the water,
from the water!
It never rests, by day or night,
but is always intent on wandering,
the water.
We can see it in the wheels too,
the wheels!
They never care to stand still
but turn tirelessly the whole day long,
the wheels.
The stones themselves, heavy as they are,
the stones!
They join in the merry dance and seek to move still faster,
the stones.
O wandering, my delight,
O wandering!
Master and mistress,
let me go my way in peace,
and wander.
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John Scialdone published this page in Daily Beethoven 2021-05-26 09:09:40 -0400