Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön
Encyclopedia
Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön ("This image is enchantingly lovely") is an aria
from the 1791 opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
, libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder
. The aria comes from Act I, scene I of the opera. Prince Tamino has just been presented by the Three Ladies with an image of the princess Pamina, and falls instantly in love with her.
Schikaneder wrote the lyrics in fairly strict iambic tetrameter
, the meter he used through most of The Magic Flute. The stanzaic form and rhyme scheme involves two quatrains followed by two rhymed tercets, thus:
s, two bassoon
s, two horns
, the usual string section
, and the tenor soloist.
Mozart's musical setting mostly follows the scheme of Schikaneder's poem. There is an opening section in E flat corresponding to Schikaneder's first quatrain, a modulation to the dominant key of B flat for the second quatrain, a chromatic and modulating passage for the first triplet, and a return to E flat for the last.
The third to last line ":Was würde ich? Ich würde sie voll Entzücken" is not a legal iambic tetrameter, and may reflect a change of the text by Mozart, who places a dramatic full-measure pause after Tamino's self-directed question.
The orchestra for the most part plays a discreet accompaniment to the soloist. There is a solo for the clarinets between the first and second quatrains, and the first violins play a thirty-second note motif, evoking Tamino's surging emotions, in the third section.
(1758-1826), a friend of Mozart's who performed the role of Tamino at the premiere of The Magic Flute. It is frequently performed and recorded today, both as part of The Magic Flute and separately in recitals and recorded compilations.
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
from the 1791 opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder , born Johann Joseph Schickeneder, was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer and composer. He was the librettist of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and the builder of the Theater an der Wien...
. The aria comes from Act I, scene I of the opera. Prince Tamino has just been presented by the Three Ladies with an image of the princess Pamina, and falls instantly in love with her.
Lyrics
Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön Wie noch kein Auge je geseh'n! Ich fühl' es, wie dies Götterbild Mein Herz mit neuer Regung füllt. Dies' etwas kann ich zwar nicht nennen, Doch fühl' ichs hier wie Feuer brennen. Soll die Empfindung Liebe sein? Ja, ja, die Liebe ist's allein. O, wenn ich sie nur finden könnte! O, wenn sie doch schon vor mir stände! Ich würde, würde, warm und rein, Was würde ich? Ich würde sie voll Entzücken An diesen heissen Busen drücken Und ewig wäre sie dann mein. |
This image is enchantingly lovely, Like no eye has ever beheld! I feel it as this divine picture, Fills my heart with new emotion. I cannot name my feeling, Though I feel it burn like fire within me, Could this feeling be love? Yes! Yes! It is love alone! Oh, if only I could find her, If only she were standing before me, I would, I would, with warmth and honor ... What would I do? Full of rapture, I would fold her in this glowing bosom, And then she would be mine forever! |
Schikaneder wrote the lyrics in fairly strict iambic tetrameter
Iambic tetrameter
Iambic tetrameter is a meter in poetry. It refers to a line consisting of four iambic feet. The word "tetrameter" simply means that there are four feet in the line; iambic tetrameter is a line comprising four iambs...
, the meter he used through most of The Magic Flute. The stanzaic form and rhyme scheme involves two quatrains followed by two rhymed tercets, thus:
[AABB][CCDD][EEF][GGF]
Music
Mozart composed the aria in E-flat major. It is scored for two clarinetClarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, two bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s, two horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, the usual 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...
, and the tenor soloist.
Mozart's musical setting mostly follows the scheme of Schikaneder's poem. There is an opening section in E flat corresponding to Schikaneder's first quatrain, a modulation to the dominant key of B flat for the second quatrain, a chromatic and modulating passage for the first triplet, and a return to E flat for the last.
The third to last line ":Was würde ich? Ich würde sie voll Entzücken" is not a legal iambic tetrameter, and may reflect a change of the text by Mozart, who places a dramatic full-measure pause after Tamino's self-directed question.
The orchestra for the most part plays a discreet accompaniment to the soloist. There is a solo for the clarinets between the first and second quatrains, and the first violins play a thirty-second note motif, evoking Tamino's surging emotions, in the third section.
Premiere and reception
The aria was first sung by Benedikt SchackBenedikt Schack
Benedikt Schack was a composer and tenor of the Classical era, a close friend of Mozart and the first performer of the role of Tamino in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute.- Early life :...
(1758-1826), a friend of Mozart's who performed the role of Tamino at the premiere of The Magic Flute. It is frequently performed and recorded today, both as part of The Magic Flute and separately in recitals and recorded compilations.