12/10 Beethoven's Journey Around the World

(The World in 1800)

Actually it's Urian's Journey Around the World.
One of the interesting songs Beethoven set to music in his early days was "Urians Reise um die Welt (Urian's voyage round the world)", the first song in the 8 Lieder Op.52 (1793?).  Around this time Beethoven had recently left Bonn to visit Vienna for the first time (1792), and soon undertook several concert tours through Prague, Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin (1796).  Perhaps these experiences motivated him to put such a "light" piece to music...or the other way around.

Basically the text is 14 refrains of "Urian" telling the story of his travels to the North Pole, Africa, China, America, Mexico, Tahiti, etc...and how everyone is as foolish as the people back home :).  When I first heard this song I thought it was kind of repetitive - until I read the translated text...a very big help to the enjoyment of this song!

Watch this video I threw together for the full text in German and English and have a sing-along..
..sorry if the text is a bit blurry - too many lyrics to type out!  Watch at 480p if you can.


text

Finally, everytime I hear about a music "journey around the world" I always flash back to my days as a Stockhausen fan and listening to his avant-garde opera "Licht".  He has a piece called Michael's Journey Around the World.  Is it possible he cribbed from Beethoven? Here's a blog with video..interesting stuff but not for the faint of heart...

12/5 A Beethoven Lieder Recital with Fischer-Dieskau and Shea

Beethoven's lieder (songs) aren't as well known as say, Schubert's, but he actually wrote the very first "song-cycle": An die ferne Geliebte (To my Beloved, far away, a song cycle by Jeitteles) Op.98 (1816).

Today I'll feature a kind of "vocal recital"...here's the program:

Peter W. Shea / Monica Jakuc Leverett (on Fortepiano)(2008):
1., 2.  An die ferne Geliebte (To my Beloved, far away)  (in 2 parts)
 (with embedded lyrics)

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore (1972):
3. Neue Liebe, neues Leben (New love new life), Op. 75, No. 2
4. Aus Goethes Faust ("Mephistos Flohlied"/Song of the Flea), Op. 75, No. 3
5. Mailied (Maying Song), Op. 52, No. 4
6. 3 Songs, Op. 83 - I. Wonne der Wehmut (Joy of Sadness)
7. 3 Songs, Op. 83 - II. Sehnsucht (Longing)
8., 9. An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98 (in 2 parts)

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Jörg Demus (no video sadly):
10. Andenken (Memory), WoO 136
11. L'amante impaziente (The impatient Lover, Arietta buffa), Op. 82, Nr. 3

(43 Minutes total)

Song of the Flea was previously featured here...
More song titles translated here...

7/24 Mephistos Flohlied (Song of the Flea)

My favorite lieder by B, this inspired me to actually arrange it for guitar and voice. The story is by Goethe, essentially it's about a flea being invited to a royal court. I think it gets squashed at the end....

Here's good ol Dieter's version:
Aus Goethes Faust ("Mephistos Flohlied"/Song of the Flea), Op. 72, No. 2


And here's Spin-17's version (from rehearsal so you may notice some "liberties" - posting this for the arrangement, not to show off my guitar virtuosity :)


Text Translation (from http://www.lindahines.net/blog/?p=788)

A king there was once reigning,
Who had a goodly flea,
Him loved he without feigning,
As his own son were he!

His tailor then he summon’d,
The tailor to him goes;
Now measure me the youngster
For jerkin and for hose!

In satin and in velvet
Behold the younker dressed;
Bedizen’d o’er with ribbons,
A cross upon his breast.

Prime minister they made him,
He wore a star of state;
And all his poor relations
Were courtiers, rich and great.

The gentlemen and ladies
At court were sore distressed;
The queen and all her maidens
Were bitten by the pest,

And yet they dared not scratch them,
Or chase the fleas away.
If we are bit, we catch them
And crack them without delay.

7/22 Seufzer eines Ungeliebten - Gegenlieb

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

This is a somewhat obscure lieder from B. with words by GA Bürger, the title translates to "Sigh of one who is unloved - Love returned". At the time B. was 25 and apparently a real man about town... It's nice to see a different side of the "thunderer".

The other thing that's interesting is that the melody for the "love returned" part sure sounds familiar...in fact it's largely the same as the end melody to the Choral Fantasy in 1809, which eventually led to the Ode to Joy melody of the 9th Symphony in 1824...talk about getting a tune stuck in your head!

Sung here by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau:
Seufzer eines Ungeliebten - Gegenlieb, WoO.118 (1795)