Classical Music | Tenor

Recorded on 12/31/1969, uploaded on 06/07/2015

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

The defiant resolve with which “Ich grolle nicht” concluded quickly fades with “Un wüssen’s die Blumen, die kleinen” (“And if the blooms—the small ones—knew”). The brooding poet dwells heavily upon the rending pain of his heart caused by his unrequited love (“Sie hat ja selbst zerrissen, / Zerrissen mir das Herz”). If it was known to the world, the flowers would weep (“Und wüßten's die Blumen, die kleinen…Sie würden mit mir weinen”), the nightingales would sing (“Und wüßten's die Nachtigallen…Sie ließen fröhlich erschallen / Erquickenden Gesang”), and the stars would descend to comfort the poor poet (“Und wüßten sie mein Wehe…Sie kämen aus ihrer Höhe, / Und sprächen Trost mir ein”). Yet, only the one who has caused his pain knows of it. Against an anxious accompaniment of measured tremolandi, Schumann sets Heine’s lyric to a vocal melody weighted down by the burdened of its grief. Two descents through a perfect fifth, the first beginning on the dominant and the second a semitone higher, poignantly capture the poet’s dejected state, after which the following phrase emphasizes the A minor tonality with a cadential figure that hovers gloomily about the tonic. The first three stanzas are set in a rather strophic manner. Only minute differences are found. The last stanza, however, is significantly changed. With the subtle inclusion of a C-sharp, the first descent of the vocal melody suggests a move towards D minor. Yet, the start of the second descent on the subdominant initiates a modulation into F major. The tonic key is quickly regained, but the modulation sets up the woeful chromatic turn about the tonic (B flat-A-G sharp-A) as the vocal melody comes to a close. At the same moment, the piano breaks free from its accompanimental role, accenting the final notes of the vocal melody with full-voiced chords, and then concluding the song with an agitated coda.    Joseph DuBose

Recorded live on August 19th of 1965 at the Salzburg Festival.

courtesy of YouTube