K108 Hugo Wolf. Two sacred songs

deutsch K108 Zwei Geistliche Lieder

K108 Hugo Wolf. Two sacred songs

from the Spanisches Liederbuch. Instrumentation by Igor Stravinsky — Zwei Geistliche Lieder aus dem Spanischen Liederbuch von Hugo Wolf. Instrumentiert von Igor Strawinsky

Scored for: vocal: Mezzo soprano; instrumental: 3 Clarinets in A, 2 Horns in F, 2 Solo-Violinen, Solo-Bratsche, Solo-Violoncello, Solo-Kontrabass.

Score: Transposing instruments.

Construction: Two orchestral songs which are not numbered and have separate sets of figures ([I:] Herr, was trägt der Boden hier. . . ; [II]: Wunden trägst du. . .) with the original, highly sensitive German expressive markings retained.

Summary: The first poem is by Paul Heyse after an anonymous Spanish original, and depicts the dialogue between a man and the crucified Christ. The man asks what the ground that Christ’s blood is soaking into will bring forth in the future. Christ answers that it will produce thorns for the Son of God and flowers for Man. The man further asks as to whether a garden could flourish there where such streams would flow. And the Lord answers yes, and there will be two sorts of different wreaths that can be weaved in it. And to the last question asked by the man, as to what sorts of wreaths these may be, Jesus answers that they are wreaths of thorns and wreaths of flowers. Die von Dornen sind für mich, die von Blumen reich’ ich dir.’ [‘Those made from thorns are for me, and those made of flowers I give to you ‘]. – The second poem is a translation by Emanuel Geibel of a poem by Jose de Valdivivielso. This is also a dialogue between a young man and Christ, between the Soul and Creator as the metaphor of a pair of lovers. The young man sees Christ’s wounds and wants to help by bearing their pain as well. He receives the answer that this stigmata are the price for acquiring the soul of a man. He dies from these wounds because he loved the man, his soul, so much. The young man speaks directly to the Lord. He wants to bear these fatal wounds in Christ’s place. He receives the answer that they are wounds of life, as out of every wound inflicted upon him, there springs up life for the man. Christ’s suffering also hurts the man. And again the Lord answers that he would undergo even greater agony if he could in doing so win the young man, as only he knows how to love rightly who is dying from the fire of love!

Dedication: To Marylin Horne.

Date of origin: San Francisco 15th until 17th. May 1966.

First performance: On 6th November 1968 in the County Museum of Artin Los Angeles with the soloist Christina Krooskos and an instrumental ensemble under the direction of Robert Craft.

Remarks: These two editions, which do not make any alterations to Wolf’s original structure, are Stravinsky’s religious and programmatic swansong from work and life. In 1969, he was still occupied with the orchestration of Bach’s Preludes and Fugues from both books of the Well-Tempered Clavier.

Versions: Boosey & Hawkes published a conducting score in 1969, which they later stopped producing, choosing to replace it with hire material.

Copyright: © 1969 by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.

Editions

a) Overview

108-1 1969 FuSc; sung text German; 16 pp. 23.8 x 31 (4°); B. & H. 19759.


K Cat­a­log: Anno­tated Cat­a­log of Works and Work Edi­tions of Igor Straw­in­sky till 1971, revised version 2014 and ongoing, by Hel­mut Kirch­meyer.
© Hel­mut Kirch­meyer. All rights reserved.
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