Cäcilie (Richard Strauss)
Encyclopedia
Cäcilie, Op. 27 No. 2, is the second in a set of four songs composed by Richard Strauss
in 1894.
The words are from a love poem "Cäcilie" written by Heinrich Hart (1855-1906), a German dramatic critic and journalist who also wrote poetry. It was written for the poet's wife Cäcilie.
tsɛːˈtsiː.liːə, or UK English as "Cecilia".
on 9 September 1894, the day before his wedding to the soprano Pauline de Ahna
, as a wedding present to her.
, 3 timpani
, harp
and the orchestral string section
.
The tempo direction is "Sehr lebhaft und drängend".
Strauss, in his rich and lively orchestration, included parts for a solo string player from each section.
The change of key a semitone
down from E to E explains why, from bar 34 on the violas are asked to play the note B, a semitone below the lowest normally possible on the instrument. At this point Strauss asks half the violas to tune this string down a semitone.
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
in 1894.
The words are from a love poem "Cäcilie" written by Heinrich Hart (1855-1906), a German dramatic critic and journalist who also wrote poetry. It was written for the poet's wife Cäcilie.
tsɛːˈtsiː.liːə, or UK English as "Cecilia".
History
Strauss composed the song at WeimarWeimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
on 9 September 1894, the day before his wedding to the soprano Pauline de Ahna
Pauline de Ahna
Pauline Maria de Ahna was a German operatic soprano. She is best remembered today as the wife of composer Richard Strauss who wrote several of his works for her.-Biography:...
, as a wedding present to her.
Instrumentation and accompaniment
The song was originally written with piano accompaniment in the key of E major, but later orchestrated in his 'heroic' key of E. The instrumentation is: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in E, 2 trumpets in E, 3 trombones, tubaTuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, 3 timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and the orchestral string section
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
.
The tempo direction is "Sehr lebhaft und drängend".
Strauss, in his rich and lively orchestration, included parts for a solo string player from each section.
The change of key a semitone
Semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically....
down from E to E explains why, from bar 34 on the violas are asked to play the note B, a semitone below the lowest normally possible on the instrument. At this point Strauss asks half the violas to tune this string down a semitone.
Lyrics
Cäcilie
Wenn du es wüßtest,
Was träumen heißt von brennenden Küssen,
Von Wandern und Ruhen mit der Geliebten,
Aug in Auge,
Und kosend und plaudernd,
Wenn du es wüßtest,
Du neigtest dein Herz !
Wenn du es wüßtest,
Was bangen heißt in einsamen Nächten,
Um schauert vom Sturm, da niemand tröstet
Milden Mundes die kampfmüde Seele,
Wenn du es wüßtest,
Du kämest zu mir.
Wenn du es wüßtest,
Was leben heißt, umhaucht von der Gottheit
Weltschaffendem Atem,
Zu schweben empor, lichtgetragen,
Zu seligen Höhn,
Wenn du es wüßtest, wenn du es wüßtest,
Du lebtest mit mir.
Cecilia
If you but knew, sweet,
what ‘tis to dream of fond, burning kisses,
of wand’ring and resting with the belov’d one;
gazing fondly
caressing and chatting,
could I but tell you,
your heart would assent.
If you but knew, sweet,
the anguish of waking thro' nights long and lonely
and rocked by the storm when no-one is near
to soothe and comfort the strife weary spirit.
Could I but tell you,
you’d come, sweet, to me.
If you but knew, sweet,
what living is, in the creative breath of
God, Lord and Maker
to hover, upborne on dove-like pinions
to regions of light,
if you but knew it, could I but tell you,
you’d dwell, sweet, with me.
English translation by John Bernhoff
Opus 27
The other songs of Strauss' Opus 27:
- Op. 27 No. 1 "Ruhe, meine Seele!
Ruhe, meine Seele!Ruhe, meine Seele!, Op. 27 No. 1, is the first in a set of four songs composed by Richard Strauss in 1894. It was originally for voice and piano, and not orchestrated by Strauss until 1948, after he had completed one of his Four Last Songs "Im Abendrot"...
" (Nicht ein Lüftchen regt sich leise)- Op. 27 No. 3 "Heimliche Aufforderung
Heimliche AufforderungHeimliche Aufforderung, Op. 27 No. 3, is one of a set of four songs composed by Richard Strauss in 1894. It was originally for voice and piano, and not orchestrated by Strauss until 1948, a year before his death...
" (Auf, hebe die funkelnde Schale)- Op. 27 No. 4 "Morgen!" (Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen)
Videos
Orchestral accompaniment:
- Renée Fleming, Rome
- Renée Fleming, Copenhagen
- Renée Fleming, Beijing
- Renée Fleming, Moscow
- Jessye Norman
- Anna Netrebko
- Ben Heppner
Orchestral accompaniment, sound only:
Piano accompaniment:
- Kiri te Kanawa and Georg Solti
- Christa Ludwig and Gerald Moore
- Kishani Jayasinghe
- Krista McClellan and Matthew Larson
Piano acccompaniment, sound only:
- Joana Banyeres and Maria Canela
- Gwyneth Jones and John Wustman, Carnegie Hall, 1978
- Bárbara Hendricks
External links