Opus 75, 6 Lieder – Sechs Gesange for Voice and Piano
I) Kennst du das Land – II) Neue Liebe, neues Leben – III) Aus Goethes Faust – IV) Gretels Warnung – V) An der fernen Geliebten – VI) Der Zufriedene
Opus 75 – Six Lieder – Sechs Gesange (six songs) for voice and piano, Opus 75, 1809; dedicated to Princess Kinsky, published in Leipzig, Breitkopf and Hartel, October 1810. G.A. Number 219 (series 23-5) – Boett. IX – 2, V- 5 and 3, IV – 6 and VII 4 and 5 – Bruers 75 – KH. 75 – L. III, page 180 – Nottebohm 75 – Petters 22 and 98 (numbers 3 and 4) Thayer 158, Biamonti 502.
[By Biamonti Giovanni – Catalogo cronologico e tematico delle opere di Beethoven comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati, Torino, ILTE 1968]
Official title: Opus 75 Sechs Gesänge nach Texten verschiedener Dichter für Singstimme und Klavier Widmung: Maria Charlotte (Caroline) Fürstin Kinsky NGA XII/1 Nr. 40-45, 80 AGA 219 = Serie 23/5
Creation and publication: Beethoven’s sketches and handwritten dating of several manuscripts show that numbers 1, 5, and 6, as well as the second versions of numbers 2–4, were created in Vienna in 1809. The original London edition was published by Clementi, Banger, Collard, Davis & Collard between August and October 1810, followed by the Leipzig edition in December of the same year by Breitkopf & Härtel. The second version of song no. 2, which in the autograph is dated 1809, was probably written as a response to the first version (WoO 127) published by Simrock in 1808 without Beethoven’s consent. Sketches exist for no. 3, probably made in 1792, but perhaps shortly after the publication of Faust. Ein Fragment, they were transcribed in Bonn in 1790. Helga Lühning supposes that Beethoven elaborated them into a first version and, in 1809, during a renewed and detailed study of Goethe’s work, composed a second version.
Works 73–81a and 82, as well as the songs WoO 136, WoO 137, and WoO 139, were part of an agreement between Beethoven and Muzio Clementi (probably during his stay in Vienna 1808–1810) aiming to have the works published as original editions in London and Leipzig or Vienna. Beethoven initially planned to print the songs together with the songs of the subsequent works 75 and 82 and publish them simultaneously on 1 February 1811. On 4 February 1810, he offered the following works to Breitkopf & Härtel: “12 Gesänge Mit Begleitung des Klawier’s theils Deutscher theils Italienischer text” (BGA 423).
These were probably the six German songs Op. 75 and the five Italian songs Op. 82, for which he intended to compose a sixth song. With Clementi, who was establishing himself as a musician in Vienna in the summer of 1810, Beethoven had probably already agreed to perform in London shortly after offering the works to Breitkopf & Härtel. For five songs, Clementi adhered to the date set by Beethoven and delivered only the sixth later; delays occurred at Breitkopf & Härtel due to negotiations over fees. The manuscripts were finally sent to the publisher on 3 July 1810 (BGA 452), and Beethoven informed them regarding the dedication on 21 August (BGA 465). A signed certificate of ownership sent to Beethoven on 25 July 1810 was returned by the composer on 19 February 1811. Beethoven sent copies to Clementi and to Breitkopf & Härtel as printing models, so the two editions were created independently. Clementi’s prints are characterized by greater care and fewer defects than the German editions. Breitkopf & Härtel’s edition of Op. 75 was published together with Op. 74 and 76–79 in December 1810.
Texts: songs nos. 5 and 6 are based on poems by Christian Ludwig Reissig and were published by Artaria in Vienna as early as July 1810—i.e., before being published by Breitkopf & Härtel—in a collection issued by the poet himself: “Achtzehn deutsche Gedichte mit Begleitung des Piano-Forte von verschiedenen Meistern”, followed in subsequent years by a series of collective editions setting Reissig’s poems by various publishers. Christian Ludwig Reissig (1783–1847), born in Kassel, entered Austrian military service in March 1809, was severely wounded in May, and received a commendation in January 1810 “für seine gute Dienstleistung und seine frühzeitige, vor dem Feind überkommene schwere Verwundung”. His poetry collection, Blümchen der Einsamkeit, was published in 1809 and in a third enlarged edition in 1815 by Wallishausser in Vienna. Reissig successfully had a large number of his poems set to music by a total of 40 known composers, including—besides Beethoven—Abbé Joseph Gelinek, Mauro Giuliani, Adalbert Gyrowetz, Friedrich Heinrich Himmel, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Leopold Kozeluch, Conradin Kreutzer, Ignaz Moscheles, Wenzel Müller, Johann Friedrich Reichardt, Antonio Salieri, Ignaz von Seyfried, Bernhard Anselm Weber, Joseph Weigl, and Karl Friedrich Zelter.
These song compositions were mostly published by Reissig himself, with dedications to high-ranking personalities in collections whose identification and bibliographic distinction present various difficulties. Beethoven set a total of seven of Reissig’s poems to music: in 1809, besides “An den fernen Geliebten” and “Der Zufriedene” for Op. 75, also “Lied aus der Ferne” WoO 137, “Der Jüngling in der Fremde” WoO 138, and “Der Liebende” WoO 139; in 1814, “Des Kriegers Abschied” WoO 143; and in 1815/16, “Sehnsucht” WoO 146.
Dedication: Maria Charlotte (Caroline), Princess Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, born Baroness von Kerpen on 4 March 1782 and died 2 November 1841, married on 8 June 1801 to Prince Ferdinand Johann Nepomuk Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (see Op. 86). Beethoven gave the dedication for Op. 75 to the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig on 21 August 1810. He described Princess Kinsky to Breitkopf & Härtel on 28 January 1812 as one of “der hübschsten Dicksten Frauen in Wien” (BGA 545). Alongside Prince Lobkowitz and Archduke Rudolf, Prince Kinsky was one of Beethoven’s pension patrons, and the dedication to his wife is likely a sign of the composer’s gratitude. When the prince died on 3 November 1812 following a horse-riding accident, his wife and her brother-in-law, Franz Anton Graf von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky, assumed guardianship of the minor children. Kinsky had already been in arrears with Beethoven’s pension payments during his lifetime, and the Austrian financial recession of 1811 had significantly reduced its value. In July 1811, Kinsky had verbally promised Beethoven a salary increase, which was not paid.
After Kinsky’s death in 1812, Beethoven addressed the princess on 30 December 1812 with a request for payment of his guaranteed pension share (BGA 607f). She forwarded Beethoven’s request to Count Kolowrat in Prague, as she could not decide on financial matters without the consent of her co-guardian and the Bohemian Landrecht in Prague. Consequently, a legal dispute lasting one year arose between Beethoven and Kinsky’s heirs over their portion of Beethoven’s pension, resolved only on 18 January 1815 through an agreement. The dedication of Op. 94 to Princess Kinsky in 1816 is perhaps an expression of Beethoven’s gratitude for continuing to pay the pension. In addition to Op. 75 and 94, the Drei Gesänge Op. 83 (1811) are also dedicated to her. The princess was a skilled singer and appeared in concerts (Johann Friedrich Reichardt reports a performance at the end of January 1809 at the Palais Lobkowitz: “Die Stimme der Fürstin hat besonders in der Tiefe einen weichen, vollen, echt Italienischen Klang”).
First performance unknown. In a letter to Goethe dated 28 May 1810, Bettina von Arnim reported that Beethoven had offered her Op. 75 no. 1, playing it on the piano: “unangemeldet trat ich ein, er saß am Klavier, ich nannte meinen Namen, er war sehr freundlich und fragte: ob ich ein Lied hören wolle, was er eben komponiert habe; – darauf sang er scharf und schneidend, daß die Wehmut auf den Hörer zurückwirkte: ‘Kennst du das Land?’ — ‘Nicht wahr, es ist schön’, sagte er begeistert, ‘wunderschön! Ich will’s noch einmal singen’, er freute sich über meinen heiteren Beifall.”
The sketches will be featured in an article specially created for the Beethovenian Music Research Center, www.lvbeethoven.org
Opus 75 Number 1 Kennst du das Land, Lied for voice and Piano
Opus 75-1 – Kennst du das Land – 1809, a song of Mignon from Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre by Goethe. The original manuscript is lost. Revised copies exist, one of which is in the Bodmer collection of the Beethovenhaus. Two stanzas on the same sweet and well-shaped musical motif, each answered by a second motif with an aspiring, Mosso movement, with the words of the refrain: “Dahin! Dahin mocht ich mit dir, o mein Geliebter ziehn”. The text:
Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn,
Im dunkeln Laub die Gold-Orangen glühn,
Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Himmel weht,
Die Myrte still und hoch der Lorbeer steht?
Kennst du es wohl?
Dahin! dahin
Möcht ich mit dir, o mein Geliebter, ziehn.
Kennst du das Haus? Auf Säulen ruht sein Dach.
Es glänzt der Saal, es schimmert das Gemach,
Und Marmorbilder stehn und sehn mich an:
Was hat man dir, du armes Kind, getan?
Kennst du es wohl?
Dahin! dahin
Möcht ich mit dir, o mein Beschützer, ziehn.
Kennst du den Berg und seinen Wolkensteg?
Das Maultier sucht im Nebel seinen Weg;
In Höhlen wohnt der Drachen alte Brut;
Es stürzt der Fels und über ihn die Flut!
Kennst du ihn wohl?
Dahin! dahin
Geht unser Weg! O Vater, laß uns ziehn!
Opus 75 Number 2 Neue Liebe, neues Leben, Lied for Voice and Piano
Opus 75-2 – Neue Liebe, neues Leben – 1809: Herz mein Herz, text by Goethe. The original manuscript is in the Bodmer collection of the Beethovenhaus. Second version of the lied WoO 127. Three stanzas, the first and last on the same musical motif, the second, following the text, livelier and more cheerful. The text:
Herz, mein Herz, was soll das geben?
Was bedränget dich so sehr?
Welch ein fremdes neues Leben!
Ich erkenne dich nicht mehr!
Weg ist alles, was du liebtest,
Weg, warum du dich betrübtest,
Weg dein Fleiß und deine Ruh’,
Ach, wie kamst du nur dazu!
Fesselt dich die Jugendblüte,
Diese liebliche Gestalt,
Dieser Blick voll Treu und Güte
Mit unendlicher Gewalt?
Will ich rasch mich ihr entziehen,
Mich ermannen, ihr entfliehen,
Führet mich im Augenblick
Ach, mein Weg zu ihr zurück.
Und an diesem Zauberfädchen,
Das sich nicht zerreissen läßt,
Hält das liebe, lose Mädchen
Mich so wider Willen fest,
Muß in ihrem Zauberkreise
Leben nun auf ihre Weise.
Die Verändrung, ach wie groß!
Liebe, Liebe, laß mich los!
Opus 75 Number 3 Aus Goethes Faust, Lied for Voice and Piano
Opus 75-3 – Aus Goethes Faust – 1809 Flohlied: “Es war einmal ein König”, from Goethe’s Faust. The original manuscript (or revised copy?) was, according to KH., in the collection of Siegfried Ochs in Berlin (died 1929). Some sketches date back to Beethoven’s last period in Bonn; cited by Nottebohm at the time, they were reproduced by Schmitz. It belongs to the comic genre, as in, for example, Der Urianische Reise or Die Probe des Kusses, here naturally elevated (also thanks to the poetry) and partly transformed into musical character; the diabolical, bizarre, pungent, fantastic elements are represented, albeit soberly, by various characteristic features: the instrumental refrain with its whimsicality, the variety of cadences throughout the melodic period (G, F, C minor, and at its end major), and the elusive conclusion. The text:
Es war einmal ein König,
Der hatt’ einen [großen Floh,
Den liebt’ er gar nicht wenig,
Als wie seinen eig’nen Sohn.
Da rief er seinen Schneider,
Der Schneider kam heran;
Da, miß dem Junker Kleider
Und miß ihm Hosen an!
In Sammet und in Seide
War er nun angetan,
Hatte Bänder auf dem Kleide,
Hatt’ auch ein Kreuz daran,
Und war sogleich Minister,
Und hatt einen großen Stern.
Da wurden seine Geschwister
Bei Hof auch große Herrn.
Und Herrn und Frau’n am Hofe,
Die waren sehr geplagt,
Die Königin und die Zofe
Gestochen und genagt,
Und durften sie nicht knicken,
Und weg sie jucken nicht.
Wir knicken und ersticken
Doch gleich, wenn einer sticht.
Opus 75 Numero 3 Aus Goethes Faust, Lied for Voice and Piano is part of “Research becomes Art” project
A New Life for the Unknown Works of Ludwig van Beethoven: An Artistic Exploration by “musical actor” Luigi Maio
Opus 75 Number 4 Gretels Warnung, Lied for Voice and Piano
Opus 75-4 – Gretels Warnung – Etwas lebhaft mit leidenschaftlicher Empfindung, doch nicht zu Geschwind, text by Gerhard Anton von Halem. The current location of the original manuscript is unknown; it was once owned by the author of the text, the amateur poet Gerhard Anton von Halem of Leipzig (died 1858), who had received it as a gift from Beethoven. Three stanzas, set to the same gently undulating melody (by no means lacking in expression), in which Gretel recounts how, after giving in to the love of the handsome Christel, she was abandoned by him for other girls, and she urges her companions not to trust him. The text:
Mit Liebesblick und Spiel und Sang
Warb Christel jung und schön;
So lieblich war, so frisch und schlank
Kein Jüngling rings zu seh’n.
Nein, keiner war
In ihrer Schaar,
Für den ich das gefühlt!
Das merkt er, ach!
Und ließ nicht nach,
Bis er es all, bis er es all,
Bis er es all erhielt!
Wohl war im Dorfe mancher Mann,
So jung und schön wie er;
Doch sah’n nur ihn die Mädchen an
Und kos’ten um ihn her.
Bald riß ihr Wort
Ihn schmeichelnd fort,
Gewonnen war sein Herz.
Mir ward er kalt,
Dann floh er bald
Und ließ mich hier, und ließ mich hier,
und ließ mich hier im Schmerz.
Sein Liebesblick und Spiel und Sang,
So süß und wonniglich,
Sein Kuß, der tief zur Seele drang,
Erfreut nicht fürder mich.
Schaut meinen Fall,
Ihr Schwestern all’,
Für die der Folsche glüht,
Und trauet nicht dem, was er spricht.
O seht mich an, mich Arme an,
O seht mich an, und flieht!
Opus 75 Number 5 An der fernen Geliebten, Lied for Voice and Piano
Opus 75-5 – An der fernen Geliebten. Ernst wohnten süsse Ruh und goldner Frieden, text by Reissig. The original manuscript is held at the Deutscher Staatsbibliothek in Berlin. The melody, extremely simple and very brief, is relentlessly repeated for six stanzas, and has little or nothing to do with the meaning of the text. The G.A. offers two versions, both of which we publish. The text:
Einst wohnten süße Ruh’ und gold’ner Frieden
In meiner Brust;
Nun mischt sich Wehmut, ach! seit wir geschieden,
In jede Lust.
Der Trennung Stunde hör’ ich immer hallen
So dumpf und hohl,
Mir tönt im Abendlied der Nachtigallen
Dein Lebewohl!
Wohin ich wandle, schwebt vor meinen Blicken
Dein holdes Bild,
Das mir mit banger Sehnsucht und Entzücken
Den Busen füllt.
Stets mahn’ es flehend deine schöne Seele,
Was Liebe spricht:
“Ach Freund! den ich aus einer Welt erwähle,
Vergiß mein nicht!”
Wenn sanft ein Lüftchen deine Locken kräuselt
Im Mondenlicht;
Das ist mein Geist, der flehend dich umsäuselt:
“Vergiß mein nicht!”
Wirst du im Vollmondschein dich nach mir sehnen,
Wie Zephyrs Weh’n
Wird dir’s melodisch durch die Lüfte tönen:
“Auf Wiederseh’n!”
