Kindertotenlieder is a song cycle

Song cycle

A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...

 for voice and orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

 by Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...

. The words of the songs are poems by Friedrich Rückert

Friedrich Rückert

Friedrich Rückert was a German poet, translator, and professor of Oriental languages.-Biography:Rückert was born at Schweinfurt and was the eldest son of a lawyer. He was educated at the local Gymnasium and at the universities of Würzburg and Heidelberg. From 1816-1817, he worked on the editorial...

.

Text and music

The original Kindertotenlieder were a group of 428 poems written by Rückert in 1833–34 in reaction to the illness (scarlet fever) and death of his children. Painter describes the poems thus: "Rückert's 428 poems on the death of children became singular, almost manic documents of the psychological endeavor to cope with such loss. In ever new variations Rückert's poems attempt a poetic resuscitation of the children that is punctuated by anguished outbursts. But above all the poems show a quiet acquiescence to fate and to a peaceful world of solace." These poems were not intended for publication.

Mahler selected five of Rückert's poems to set as Lied

Lied

is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...

er, which he composed between 1901 and 1904. The songs are written in Mahler's late-romantic idiom, and like the texts reflect a mixture of feelings: anguish, fantasy resuscitation of the children, resignation. The final song ends in a major key and a mood of transcendence.

The poignancy of the cycle is increased by the fact that four years after he wrote it, Mahler lost his daughter, Maria, aged four, to scarlet fever

Scarlet fever

Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...

. He wrote to Guido Adler: "I placed myself in the situation that a child of mine had died. When I really lost my daughter, I could not have written these songs any more."

Scoring and performance

The work is scored for a vocal soloist (the notes lie comfortably for a baritone

Baritone

Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...

 or mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano

A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...

) and an orchestra consisting of piccolo

Piccolo

The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...

, 2 flutes

Western concert flute

The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....

, 2 oboe

Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

s, cor anglais

Cor anglais

The cor anglais , or English horn , is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family....

 (English horn) , 2 clarinet

Clarinet

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, bass clarinet

Bass clarinet

The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...

, 2 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, contrabassoon

Contrabassoon

The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon or double-bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower...

, 4 horn

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 ....

s, 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...

, glockenspiel

Glockenspiel

A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...

, tam-tam, celesta

Celesta

The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...

, 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 strings

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 composer wrote, concerning the performance of the work, "these five songs are intended as one inseparate unit, and in performing them their continuity should not be interfered with".

The Kindertotenlieder were premiered 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...

 on January 29, 1905. Friedrich Weidemann was the soloist, and the composer conducted.

The work takes about 25 minutes to perform.

Lyrics

"Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n" Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n als sei kein Unglück die Nacht gescheh'n. Das Unglück geschah nur mir allein. Die Sonne, sie scheinet allgemein. Du musst nicht die Nacht in dir verschränken musst sie ins ew'ge Licht versenken. Ein Lämplein verlosch in meinem Zelt, Heil sei dem Freudenlicht der Welt. "Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen" Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen ihr sprühtet mir in manchem Augenblicke. O Augen, gleichsam, um in einem Blicke zu drängen eure ganze Macht zusammen. Doch ahnt' ich nicht, weil Nebel mich umschwammen, gewoben vom verblendenden Geschicke, daß sich der Strahl bereits zur Heimkehr schicke, dorthin, von wannen alle Strahlen stammen. Ihr wolltet mir mit eurem Leuchten sagen: Wir möchten nah dir immer bleiben gerne! Doch ist uns das vom Schicksal abgeschlagen. Sieh' recht uns an, denn bald sind wir dir ferne! Was dir noch Augen sind in diesen Tagen: In künft'gen Nächten sind es dir nur Sterne. "Wenn dein Mütterlein" Wenn dein Mütterlein tritt zur Tür herein, und den Kopf ich drehe, ihr entgegen sehe, fällt auf ihr Gesicht erst der Blick mir nicht, sondern auf die Stelle, näher nach der Schwelle, dort, wo würde dein lieb Gesichten sein. Wenn du freudenhelle trätest mit herein, wie sonst, mein Töchterlein. Wenn dein Mütterlein tritt zur Tür herein, mit der Kerze Schimmer, ist es mir, als immer kämst du mit herein, huschtest hinterdrein, als wie sonst ins Zimmer! O du, des Vaters Zelle, ach, zu schnell erloschner Freudenschein! "Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen" Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen, bald werden sie wieder nach Hause gelangen. Der Tag ist schön, o sei nicht bang, sie machen nur einen weiten Gang. Ja wohl, sie sind nur ausgegangen, und werden jetzt nach Hause gelangen. O, sei nicht bang, der Tag is schön, sie machen einen Gang zu jenen Höh'n. Sie sind uns nur voraus gegangen, und werden nicht wieder nach Hause verlangen. Wir holen sie ein auf jenen Höh'n im Sonnenschein, der Tag ist schön, auf jenen Höh'n "In diesem Wetter" In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus, nie hätt' ich gesendet die Kinder hinaus; man hat sie getragen hinaus, ich durfte nichts dazu sagen! In diesem Wetter, in diesem Saus, nie hätt' ich gelassen die Kinder hinaus; ich fürchtete sie erkranken, das sind nun eitle Gedanken. In diesem Wetter, in diesem Graus, Nie hätt' ich gelassen die Kinder hinaus; ich sorgte, sie stürben morgen, das ist nun nicht zu besorgen. In diesem Wetter, in diesem Graus! Nie hätt' ich gesendet die Kinder hinaus! Man hat sie hinaus getragen, ich durfte nichts dazu sagen! In diesem Wetter, in diesem Saus, in diesem Braus, sie ruh'n als wie in der Mutter Haus, von keinem Sturm erschrecket, von Gottes Hand bedecket.

"Now the sun wants to rise as brightly" Now the sun wants to rise as brightly as if nothing terrible had happened during the night. The misfortune had happened only to me, but the sun shines equally on everyone. You must not enfold the night in you. You must sink it in eternal light. A little star went out in my tent! Greetings to the joyful light of the world. "Now I see well, why with such dark flames" Now I see well, why with such dark flames in many glances you flash upon me O Eyes: as if in one look to draw all your strength together I didn't realise, because a mist surrounded me woven of tangled destinies that your beam was already returning homewards to the place from which all rays emanate. You would tell me with your brightness: We would gladly stay with you! Now that is denied to us by Fate. Look at us, soon we will be far away! What are only eyes to you in these days, in the coming night shall be your stars. "When your mother" When your mother steps in through the door and I turn my head to see at her, falling on her face my gaze does not first fall, but at the place nearer the doorstep, there, where your dear little face would be, when you with bright joy step inside, as you used to, my little daughter. When your mother steps in through the door with the glowing candle, it seems to me, always you came in too, hurrying behind her, as you used to come into the room. Oh you, of a father's cell, ah, too soon extinguished light! "I often think: they have only just gone out" I often think: they have only just gone out, and now they will be coming back home. The day is fine, don't be dismayed, They have just gone for a long walk. Yes indeed, they have just gone out, and now they are making their way home. Don't be dismayed, the day is fine, they have simply made a journey to yonder heights. They have just gone out ahead of us, and will not be thinking of coming home. We go to meet them on yonder heights In the sunlight, the day is fine On yonder heights. "In this weather" In this weather, in this windy storm, I would never have sent the children out. They have been carried off, I wasn't able to warn them! In this weather, in this gale, I would never have let the children out. I feared they sickened: those thoughts are now in vain. In this weather, in this storm, I would never have let the children out, I was anxious they might die the next day: now anxiety is pointless. In this weather, in this windy storm, I would never have sent the children out. They have been carried off, I wasn't able to warn them! In this weather, in this gale, in this windy storm, they rest as if in their mother's house: frightened by no storm, sheltered by the Hand of God.

Selected recordings

• Heinrich Rehkemper
  Heinrich Rehkemper
  Heinrich Rehkemper was a German baritone singer whose repertoire was in opera and Lieder, and whose career was principally in Germany between the First and Second World War...
  
   with orchestra (Berlin, Polydor 78rpm 66693-66695, 1928)
• Kirsten Flagstad
  Kirsten Flagstad
  Kirsten Målfrid Flagstad was a Norwegian opera singer and a highly regarded Wagnerian soprano...
  
  , Wiener Philharmoniker cond. Adrian Boult
  Adrian Boult
  Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was...
  
   (Decca 414624, = London LP OS 25039/LXT 5395)
• Kathleen Ferrier
  Kathleen Ferrier
  Kathleen Mary Ferrier CBE was an English contralto who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist, with a repertoire extending from folksong and popular ballads to the classical works of Bach, Brahms, Mahler and Elgar...
  
   Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, cond. Otto Klemperer
  Otto Klemperer
  Otto Klemperer was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century.-Biography:Otto Klemperer was born in Breslau, Silesia Province, then in Germany...
  
   (Decca CD 028942599529)
• Kathleen Ferrier
  Kathleen Ferrier
  Kathleen Mary Ferrier CBE was an English contralto who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist, with a repertoire extending from folksong and popular ballads to the classical works of Bach, Brahms, Mahler and Elgar...
  
  , Wiener Philharmoniker cond. Bruno Walter
  Bruno Walter
  Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
  
   (Orig. Columbia 78 rpm LX 8939-8941: Col. 33c 1009: HMV/Angel LP & CD)
• Lorri Lail, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra cond. Rolf Kleinert (Saga LP 5106-7)
• Věra Soukupová
  Věra Soukupová
  Věra Soukupová is a Czech mezzo-soprano.Born in Prague, Soukupová studied singing at the Prague Conservatory and privately with Luis Kadeřábek and A. Mustanová-Linková...
  
  , Czech Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Václav Neumann
  Václav Neumann
  Václav Neumann was a Czech conductor, violinist and viola player.Neumann was born in Prague where he studied at the Prague Conservatory, with Josef Micka , and with Pavel Dědeček and Metod Doležil . He co-founded, and played 1st violin in, the Smetana Quartet, before holding conducting posts in...
  
   (Supraphon LP SUA 10498)
• Norman Foster
  Norman Foster (bass)
  Norman Foster was an American operatic bass-baritone, a film and television actor and a television producer.-Recordings:...
  
  , Bamberg Symphony Orchestra cond. Jascha Horenstein
  Jascha Horenstein
  Jascha Horenstein was an American conductor.Horenstein was born in Kiev, Russian Empire , into a well-to-do Jewish family; his mother came from an Austrian rabbinical family and his father was Russian....
  
   (1955) (VOXBOX CDX2 5509)
• John Shirley-Quirk
  John Shirley-Quirk
  John Shirley-Quirk CBE is an English bass-baritone.He was born in Liverpool, England, and sang in his high school choir. He played the violin and was awarded a scholarship. While studying chemistry and physics at Liverpool University, he studied voice with Austen Carnegie...
  
  , with Benjamin Britten
  Benjamin Britten
  Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
  
   (BBC LP Transcription CN 515 01)
• Anne Sofie von Otter, Wiener Philharmoniker cond. Pierre Boulez
  Pierre Boulez
  Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
  
   (DGG CD)
• Christa Ludwig
  Christa Ludwig
  Christa Ludwig is a retired German mezzo-soprano, distinguished for her performances of opera, Lieder, oratorio and other major religious works like masses and passions, and solos contained in symphonic literature...
  
  , Berliner Philharmoniker cond. Herbert von Karajan
  Herbert von Karajan
  Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor. To the wider world he was perhaps most famously associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, of which he was principal conductor for 35 years...
  
   (DGG CD)
• Christa Ludwig, Philharmonia Orchestra cond. André Vandernoot
  André Vandernoot
  André Vandernoot was a Belgian conductor. He studied at the Royal Music Conservatory in Brussels, and later flute and conducting at the Hochschule für Musik, Vienna. In 1951, he was a prize-winner in a conducting competition in Besançon, France.From 1959 to 1973, Vandernoot was conductor and...
  
   (Col. CX 1671/Angel LP 35776)
• Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a retired German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous lieder performers of the post-war period and "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century"...
  
  , Berliner Philharmoniker cond. Rudolf Kempe
  Rudolf Kempe
  Rudolf Kempe was a German conductor.- Biography :Kempe was born in Dresden, where from the age of fourteen he studied at the Dresden State Opera School. He played oboe in the opera orchestra of Dortmund and then in the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra, from 1929...
  
   (Electrola E 70004 (WBLP 511)/HMV BLP 1081)
• Jessye Norman
  Jessye Norman
  Jessye Norman is an American opera singer. Norman is a well-known contemporary opera singer and recitalist, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music...
  
  , Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. Seiji Ozawa
  Seiji Ozawa
  is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
  
   (Philips 426-251-2)
• Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a retired German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous lieder performers of the post-war period and "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century"...
  
  , Berliner Philharmoniker cond. Karl Böhm
  Karl Böhm
  Karl August Leopold Böhm was an Austrian conductor. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century.- Education :...
  
   (DGG LP 138 879)
• Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a retired German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous lieder performers of the post-war period and "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century"...
  
  , w. Daniel Barenboim
  Daniel Barenboim
  Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
  
   (pno) (EMI CDC7676572)
• Hermann Prey
  Hermann Prey
  Hermann Prey was a German lyric baritone. He is most famous for lieder and for light comic baritone roles in opera.-Biography:...
  
  , Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam cond. Bernard Haitink
  Bernard Haitink
  Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, CH, KBE is a Dutch conductor and violinist.- Early life :Haitink was born in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink and Anna Haitink. He studied music at the conservatoire in Amsterdam...
  
   (Philips LP)
• Janet Baker
  Janet Baker
  Dame Janet Abbott Baker, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer.She was particularly closely associated with baroque and early Italian opera and the works of Benjamin Britten...
  
  , Israel Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Leonard Bernstein
  Leonard Bernstein
  Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
  
   (Columbia MQ 33532)
• Janet Baker, Hallé Orchestra cond. John Barbirolli
  John Barbirolli
  Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
  
   (EMI/HMV LP ASD 4409: EMI GROC CD 24356 69962)
• Marilyn Horne
  Marilyn Horne
  Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages....
  
  , cond Henry Lewis (Decca LP SXL 6446)
• Maureen Forrester
  Maureen Forrester
  Maureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester, was a Canadian operatic contralto.-Life and career:Maureen Forrester was born and grew up in a poor section of Montreal, Quebec. She was one of four children to Thomas Forrester, a Scottish cabinetmaker, and his Irish-born wife, the former May Arnold. She...
  
  , Boston Symphony Orchestra cond. Charles Münch
  Charles Münch
  Charles Munch was an Alsatian symphonic conductor and violinist. Noted for his mastery of the French orchestral repertoire, he is best known as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.-Biography:...
  
   (RCA Victor LP)
• Brigitte Fassbaender
  Brigitte Fassbaender
  Brigitte Fassbaender , is a mezzo-soprano opera singer, a stage director and since 1997 Intendant of the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, Austria...
  
  , Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin cond. Riccardo Chailly
  Riccardo Chailly
  Riccardo Chailly, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music.-Biography:...
  
   (Decca CD 425 790-2)
• Thomas Hampson, Wiener Philharmoniker cond. Leonard Bernstein (DGG CD 28943 16822)
• Thomas Hampson, w. Wolfram Rieger (pno) (EMI CLassics 24355 64432)
• Bryn Terfel
  Bryn Terfel
  Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
  
  , Philharmonia Orchestra of London cond. Giuseppe Sinopoli
  Giuseppe Sinopoli
  -Biography:Sinopoli was born in Venice, Italy, and later studied at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice under Ernesto Rubin de Cervin and at Darmstadt, including being mentored in composition with Karlheinz Stockhausen...
  
  (DGG CD)

External links

• Kindertotenlieder (MIDI)
• Complete collection of Rückert's Kindertotenlieder (in German)
• A discussion of the songs by Mitch Friedfeld
• A discussion of the songs by Derek Lim
• The German lyrics as translated by Emily Ezust; from Ezust's Lied and Art Song Texts Page
• A side by side layout of German & English text, using Emily Ezust's translation
• The score of the work has been posted by the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University School of Music.