Between 1890 and 1896, Hugo Wolf produced the forty-six songs that make up his Italienisches Liederbuch (Italian Songbook). The first twenty-two were composed between September 1890 and December 1891, and make up Volume I of the collection. They were published in 1892. Volume II, consisting of the remaining twenty-four songs, was composed in 1896. Despite this lengthy hiatus between the two volumes, Wolf managed to achieve a remarkably unified style across the entire collection. In part, this was due to the nature of the texts. Wolf selected the poems to set to music, which except for one were all love poems in some fashion, from a collection of anonymous Italian poetry translated into German by Paul Heyse, who also translated many of the poems in his Spanisches Liederbuch.
Beginning the latter half of Volume II is “Benedeit, die sel’ge Mutter” (“Blessed are you happy mother”). The poet praises the mother of his beloved in the opening line of this poem, before lavishing even greater praise upon the object of his affection. He admires her beauty from afar, with affectionate and passionate longing, which he gives voice to in the final stanza. Wolf’s setting opens beautifully in the key of E-flat major with a simple chordal accompaniment over which the vocal melody, full of ardent admiration and affections, gracefully unfolds. For Wolf, this opening section is only mildly chromatic, and remains wholly in the tonic key. At the third stanza the music changes to reflect the unsettled heart of the poet in his distant longing for his beloved. With a change of key to that of the parallel minor, the music becomes more chromatic. The unsettled mood of the accompaniment, heard not only in the chromatic harmonies, but also in a persistent eight-note rhythm, is a reflection of the anxious vocal melody, which no longer moves with its earlier grace and contentment. At the close of the final stanza, a brief transition passage leads to a reprise of the opening two stanzas.Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Baritone
Hugo Wolf
Benedeit, die sel’ge Mutter, from the Italienisches Liederbuch Play
Recorded on 07/01/2010, uploaded on 10/24/2011
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Between 1890 and 1896, Hugo Wolf produced the forty-six songs that make up his Italienisches Liederbuch (Italian Songbook). The first twenty-two were composed between September 1890 and December 1891, and make up Volume I of the collection. They were published in 1892. Volume II, consisting of the remaining twenty-four songs, was composed in 1896. Despite this lengthy hiatus between the two volumes, Wolf managed to achieve a remarkably unified style across the entire collection. In part, this was due to the nature of the texts. Wolf selected the poems to set to music, which except for one were all love poems in some fashion, from a collection of anonymous Italian poetry translated into German by Paul Heyse, who also translated many of the poems in his Spanisches Liederbuch.
Beginning the latter half of Volume II is “Benedeit, die sel’ge Mutter” (“Blessed are you happy mother”). The poet praises the mother of his beloved in the opening line of this poem, before lavishing even greater praise upon the object of his affection. He admires her beauty from afar, with affectionate and passionate longing, which he gives voice to in the final stanza. Wolf’s setting opens beautifully in the key of E-flat major with a simple chordal accompaniment over which the vocal melody, full of ardent admiration and affections, gracefully unfolds. For Wolf, this opening section is only mildly chromatic, and remains wholly in the tonic key. At the third stanza the music changes to reflect the unsettled heart of the poet in his distant longing for his beloved. With a change of key to that of the parallel minor, the music becomes more chromatic. The unsettled mood of the accompaniment, heard not only in the chromatic harmonies, but also in a persistent eight-note rhythm, is a reflection of the anxious vocal melody, which no longer moves with its earlier grace and contentment. At the close of the final stanza, a brief transition passage leads to a reprise of the opening two stanzas. Joseph DuBose
More music by Hugo Wolf
Elfenlied, from Gedichte von Eduard Morike
Das Köhlerweib ist trunken
Wohl denk ich oft, from Drei Gedichte von Michelangelo
Alles endet, was entstehet, from Drei Gedichte von Michelangelo
Italian Serenade in G Major
Fühlt meine Seele, from Drei Gedichte von Michelangelo
Neue Liebe
Lebe wohl
Die Spröde
Als ich auf dem Euphrat schiffte
Performances by same musician(s)
Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen, from the Italienisches Liederbuch
Dass doch gemalt all deine Reize wären, from the Italienisches Liederbuch
Geselle, woll’n wir uns in Kutten hüllen, from the Italienisches Liederbuch
Ihr seid die Allerschönste, from the Italienisches Liederbuch
Ein Ständchen Euch zu bringen kam ich her, from the Italienisches Liederbuch
Sterb ich, so hüllt in Blumen meine Glieder, from the Italienisches Liederbuch
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