"Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" ("Yours is my entire heart") is a song from the operetta

Operetta

Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...

 Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles) with music by the Hungarian composer Franz Lehar

Franz Lehár

Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...

 and words by Fritz Löhner-Beda

Fritz Löhner-Beda

Fritz Löhner-Beda , born Friedrich Löwy, was an Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer.- Life :He was born in Wildenschwert, Bohemia ....

 and Ludwig Herzer. It was for many years associated with the tenor Richard Tauber

Richard Tauber

Richard Tauber was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Some critics commented that "his heart felt every word he sang".-Early life:...

 for whom it was written.

Introduced in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 in 1923 under the title Die gelbe Jacke (The Yellow Jacket), Lehar later revised it under the title Das Land des Lächelns in 1929. Tauber created the role of Prince Sou-Chong, who sings the song in the 2nd Act.

It has possibly become Lehar's most famous single song, popularised by Tauber, who sang it at virtually every recital he gave. It went on to become a staple of virtually all light music

Light music

Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music, which originated in the 19th century and had its heyday during the early to mid part of the 20th century, although arguably it lasts to the present day....

 repertoire for tenor voice. Artists who have performed it (in German or in translation) have included Fritz Wunderlich

Fritz Wunderlich

Friedrich "Fritz" Karl Otto Wunderlich was a German lyric tenor, famed for his singing of the Mozart repertory and Italian and German opera and lieder. He died in an accident when he was only 35...

, Jussi Björling

Jussi Björling

Johan Jonatan "Jussi" Björling was a Swedish tenor. One of the leading operatic singers of the 20th Century, Björling appeared frequently at the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as well as at other major European opera...

, Mario Lanza

Mario Lanza

right|thumb|[[MGM]] still, circa 1949Mario Lanza was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16....

, Sergio Franchi

Sergio Franchi

Sergio Franchi was an Italian tenor.Franchi was born in Cremona, Italy. His father wanted him to become an electrical engineer, so he studied both music and engineering simultaneously. The family moved to South Africa in 1952, where Sergio worked part-time as a draftsman, while continuing to study...

 in duet with Anna Moffo

Anna Moffo

Anna Moffo was an Italian-American opera singer and one of the leading lyric-coloratura sopranos of her generation...

 (in English "Yours is My Heart Alone"), Placido Domingo

Plácido Domingo

Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...

, José Carreras

José Carreras

Josep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini...

, Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti

right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...

, Stuart Burrows

Stuart Burrows

Stuart Burrows - OBE is a Welsh operatic tenor.-Biography:The Cilfynydd-born singer scaled the peaks of musical distinction during his lengthy career which saw him give up teaching to pursue a new life on the opera stage...

, and Max Raabe

Max Raabe

Max Raabe is a German singer. He is particularly noted as the founder and leader of the Palast Orchester....

. As a standard

Standard (music)

In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391...

 it has been covered by artists from other genres, including Oscar Peterson

Oscar Peterson

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...

, James Last

James Last

James Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...

 and Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

.

Lyrics

Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!

Wo du nicht bist, kann ich nicht sein.

So, wie die Blume welkt,

wenn sie nicht küsst der Sonnenschein!

Dein ist mein schönstes Lied,

weil es allein aus der Liebe erblüht.

Sag mir noch einmal, mein einzig Lieb,

oh sag noch einmal mir:

Ich hab dich lieb!



Wohin ich immer gehe,

ich fühle deine Nähe.

Ich möchte deinen Atem trinken

und betend dir zu Füssen sinken,

dir, dir allein! Wie wunderbar

ist dein leuchtendes Haar!

Traumschön und sehnsuchtsbang

ist dein strahlender Blick.

Hör ich der Stimme Klang,

ist es so wie Musik.



Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!

Wo du nicht bist, kann ich nicht sein.

So, wie die Blume welkt,

wenn sie nicht küsst der Sonnenschein!

Dein ist mein schönstes Lied,

weil es allein aus der Liebe erblüht.

Sag mir noch einmal, mein einzig Lieb,

oh sag noch einmal mir:

Ich hab dich lieb!