Schliesse mir die Augen beide
Encyclopedia
Schliesse mir die Augen beide is a poem by Theodor Storm
, twice set to music by Alban Berg
. Berg composed his first setting in 1907, dedicating it to his future wife. The second version was composed in 1925
to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Universal Edition
music publisher. This second setting was Berg's first full-fledged 12 tone
composition, and he re-used its tone row
, or rather its secondary set, in the first movement of the Lyric Suite for string quartet of 1926.
The text is as follows:
Schliesse mir die Augen beide
mit den lieben Händen zu!
Geht doch alles, was ich leide,
unter deiner Hand zur Ruh.
Und wie leise sich der Schmerz
Well' um Welle schlafen leget,
wie der letzte Schlag sich reget,
füllest du mein ganzes Herz.
Close both my eyes
with your beloved hands!
Let all my suffering
gain rest beneath your hand.
And as gently the pain
wave upon wave lies in sleep,
As the last blow falls
you fill my whole heart.
Theodor Storm
Hans Theodor Woldsen Storm , commonly known as Theodor Storm, was a German writer.-Life:Storm was born in Husum, at the west coast of Schleswig than an independent duchy and ruled by the king of Denmark...
, twice set to music by Alban Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
. Berg composed his first setting in 1907, dedicating it to his future wife. The second version was composed in 1925
1925 in music
-Events:* February 25 - Art Gillham - The Whispering Pianist records the first electrical recordings to be released for Columbia using the Western Electric system ....
to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Universal Edition
Universal Edition
Universal Edition is a classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, and originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market...
music publisher. This second setting was Berg's first full-fledged 12 tone
Twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
composition, and he re-used its tone row
Tone row
In music, a tone row or note row , also series and set, refers to a non-repetitive ordering of a set of pitch-classes, typically of the twelve notes in musical set theory of the chromatic scale, though both larger and smaller sets are sometimes found.-History and usage:Tone rows are the basis of...
, or rather its secondary set, in the first movement of the Lyric Suite for string quartet of 1926.
The text is as follows:
Schliesse mir die Augen beide
mit den lieben Händen zu!
Geht doch alles, was ich leide,
unter deiner Hand zur Ruh.
Und wie leise sich der Schmerz
Well' um Welle schlafen leget,
wie der letzte Schlag sich reget,
füllest du mein ganzes Herz.
Close both my eyes
with your beloved hands!
Let all my suffering
gain rest beneath your hand.
And as gently the pain
wave upon wave lies in sleep,
As the last blow falls
you fill my whole heart.