An die Freude (Ode To Joy)-Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller

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歡樂颂

(德) 約翰.克里斯朵夫.費列迪克.逢.席勒 (1759 –1805)

–My New Year wish to all as we enter the second decade of the 21st century YK, Ottawa

“Ode To Joy” is an ode written in 1785 by the German poet, playwright and historian Friedrich Schiller, celebrating the ideal of unity and brotherhood of all mankind. It is best known for its musical setting by Ludwig van Beethoven in the final movement of his Ninth Symphony (completed in 1824), a choral symphony for orchestra, four solo voices and choir.1

The Beethoven setting became the official anthem of the European Union in 1972; the former anthem of Rhodesia used its tune. It has been used in a number of other contexts; possibly the most famous use of it in American popular culture is within the Die Hard franchise. It was also used as a plot point in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 movie A Clockwork Orange.

[From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_to_Joy]

1 Video clips

Words written by Beethoven (not Schiller) are shown in italics. (http://raptusassociation.org/ode1785.html.)

German original English translation
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,und freudenvollere.Freude! (men’s chorus: Freude! )

Freude! (chorus again: Freude! )

 Oh friends, not these tones!Rather, let us raise our voices in more pleasingAnd more joyful sounds!Joy! (Joy!)

Joy! (Joy!)
Freude, schöner Götterfunken*Tochter aus Elysium,Wir betreten feuertrunken,Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!

Deine Zauber binden wieder

Was die Mode streng geteilt;

Alle Menschen werden Brüder,

Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

 Joy, beautiful spark of divinity*Daughter of Elysium,We enter, drunk with fire,Into your sanctuary, heavenly (daughter)!

Your magic reunites

What custom strictly divided.

All men become brothers,

Where your gentle wing rests.
Wem der große Wurf gelungen,Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,Mische seinen Jubel ein!

Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele

Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!

Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle

Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!

 Whoever has had the great fortuneTo be a friend’s friend,Whoever has won a devoted wife,Join in our jubilation!

Indeed, whoever can call even one soul,

His own on this earth!

And whoever was never able to, must creep

Tearfully away from this band!
Freude trinken alle WesenAn den Brüsten der Natur;Alle Guten, alle BösenFolgen ihrer Rosenspur.

Küße gab sie uns und Reben,

Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;

Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,

Und der Cherub steht vor Gott.

Vor Gott!

 Joy all creatures drinkAt the breasts of nature;All good, all badFollow her trail of roses.

Kisses she gave us, and wine,

A friend, proved in death;

Pleasure was given to the worm,

And the cherub stands before God.

Before God!
Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegenDurch des Himmels prächt’gen Plan,Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen. Glad, as His suns flyThrough the Heaven’s glorious design,Run, brothers, your path,Joyful, as a hero to victory.
Seid umschlungen, Millionen!Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!Brüder, über’m SternenzeltMuss ein lieber Vater wohnen.

Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?

Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?

Such’ ihn über’m Sternenzelt!

Über Sternen muss er wohnen.

 Be embraced, millions!This kiss for the whole world!Brothers, above the starry canopyMust a loving Father dwell.

Do you bow down, millions?

Do you sense the Creator, world?

Seek Him beyond the starry canopy!

Beyond the stars must He dwell.
Finale repeats the words:Seid umschlungen, Millionen!Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!Brüder, über’m Sternenzelt

Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen.

Seid umschlungen,

Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!

Freude, schöner Götterfunken

Tochter aus Elysium,

Freude, schöner Götterfunken

Götterfunken!

 Finale repeats the words:Be embraced, you millions!This kiss for the whole world!Brothers, beyond the star-canopy

Must a loving Father dwell.

Be embraced,

This kiss for the whole world!

Joy, beautiful spark of divinity,

Daughter of Elysium,

Joy, beautiful spark of divinity

Divinity!

* The vocal part of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony thus ends with the final word”Götterfunken” (literally, “Godly-spark”).

冬L’inverno (Winter) Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741)(意) 安东尼奥. 菲凡尔迪

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For introduction, see “La Primavera” Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Itzhak Perlman (violin) performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: Winter

I.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBq4ov5Y_84&feature=related

II.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dggfA9Vo64U&feature=related

  1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8DzsScxhBE&feature=related

Tr. YK Chan 陈耀国譯

L’inverno (Winter) – Concerto in f-minor

Allegro non molto
“Aggiacciato tremar trà neri algenti
Al Severo Spirar d’ orrido Vento,
Correr battendo i piedi ogni momento;
E pel Soverchio gel batter i denti;”

Largo
“Passar al foco i di quieti e contenti
Mentre la pioggia fuor bagna ben cento”

Allegro
“Caminar Sopra ‘l giaccio, e à passo lento
Per timor di cader gersene intenti;
Gir forte Sdruzziolar, cader à terra
Di nuove ir Sopra ‘l giaccio e correr forte
Sin ch’ il giaccio si rompe, e si disserra;
Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte
Sirocco Borea, e tutti i Venti in guerra
Quest’ é ‘l verno, mà tal, che gioja apporte.”

 冬 – F 小调协奏曲

不太快的快板
战栗着, 霜寒的雪

在刺骨的冷风中结了冰;

来去走动地大踏步,
也在寒气里齒震.

慢板

在炉灶旁安乐地休息,

在外面的却被大雨淋透.

快板

在冰地上慢慢小心地走,
因害怕跌交摔倒.
就突然拐个弯,滑了,跌在地上

然后,爬起来,急跑过冰地不让它裂开.
感觉到寒冷的北风直透家里

虽然门户都已杣锁好…
这是冬天,然而它带来它特有的欢乐.

Der Lindenbaum (The Linden Tree 椴树/菩提树) by Wilhelm Müller

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Der Lindenbaum is the 5th of the Winterreise (Winter Journey 冬之旅) cycle of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller, best known as the song cycle set for voice and piano by Franz Schubert (D. 911, published as Op. 89 in 1827). It is the second of Schubert’s two great song cycles on Müller’s poems. It was originally written for tenor voice but also transcribed for other voice ranges.

Poem/lyric synopsis:  “The wanderer comes to the linden tree, with its pale flowers and heart-shaped leaves that stands at the gate. In the shade of this tree he has dreamt many beautiful dreams, and in the bark he has carved words of love. It was his favourite place. Now he passes it with his eyes shut, even though it is deepest night, but the branches rustle to him, ‘Come to me weary traveler, You’ll find your peace with me’. A gust of wind blows his hat off, and many hours afterwards he remembers the tree, and it seems to say ‘You’ll find your peace with me.’ It is a tacit invitation to suicide.”

[Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winterreise; http://www.gopera.com/winterreise/articles/rp_lied05.mv] 

Sung by:

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyxMMg6bxrg&feature=related

Alexander Kipnis (bass) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdLVzVkvRcg&feature=related

Am Brunnen vor dem Tore
Da steht ein Lindenbaum
Ich träumt in seinem Schatten
So manchen süßen Traum
Ich schnitt in seine Rinde
so manches liebes Wort
Es zog in Freud und Leide
Zu ihm mich immer fort
 
Die kalten Winde bliesen
Mir grad ins Angesicht
Der Hut flog mir vom Kopfe
Ich wendete mich nicht
Nun bin ich manche Stunde
Entfernt von diesem Ort
Und immer hör ich’s rauschen:
“Du fändest Ruhe dort
 
 Ich mußt auch heute wandern
Vorbei in tiefer Nacht
Da hab ich noch im Dunkel
Die Augen zugemacht
Und seine Zweige rauschten
Als riefen sie mir zu:
“Komm her zu mir, Geselle
Hier findst du deine Ruh
   [Tr. Frank, 2001]

Outside the gate’s a fountain
And an old Linden tree,
Under its shady branches
My dreams were sweet and free.
I carved in its old bark,
So many phrases dear.
In times of joy and sadness
It always drew me near.

Today I still must wander
All through the gloomy night
’twas then that in the darkness
I closed my eyes so tight.
And I heard branches whisper
As if they called to me:
Come to me weary traveler,
You’ll find your peace with me.

The frigid winds were blowing
Against my face and me.
My hat flew into darkness,
I did not turn to see.
Now I am many hours
Away from this old tree
And still I hear it whispering
You’d find your peace with me.

The Empty Chair

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(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

If I Had a hammer
(Words and music by L. Hays and P. Seeger)

If I had a hammer
I’d hammer in the morning
I’d hammer in the evening … all over this land,
I’d hammer out danger
I’d hammer out a warning
I’d hammer out love between all of my brothers and my sisters
All over this land.

If I had a bell
I’d ring it in the morning
I’d ring it in the evening … all over this land,
I’d ring out danger
I’d ring out a warning
I’d ring out love between all of my brothers and my sisters
All over this land.

If I had a song
I’d sing it in the morning
I’d sing it in the evening … all over this world,
I’d sing out danger
I’d sing out a warning
I’d sing out love between all of my brothers and my sisters
All over this land.

If I’ve got a hammer
And I’ve got a bell
And I’ve got a song to sing … all over this land,
It’s a hammer of justice
It’s a bell of freedom
It’s a song about love between all of my brothers and my sisters
All over this land.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Light One Candle   (by Peter Yarrow)

 

 

It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. – Chinese proverb

Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
Justice and freedom demand
But light one candle for the wisdom to know
When the peacemaker’s time is at hand

Don’t let the light go out
It’s lasted for so many years
Don’t let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears

Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe
And light one candle for those who are suffering
Pain we learned so long ago

Light one candle for all we believe in
That anger not tear us apart
And light one candle to find us together
With peace as the song in our hearts

Don’t let the light go out
It’s lasted for so many years
Don’t let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears

Don’t let the light go out
It’s lasted for so many years
Don’t let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears

What is the memory that’s valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What’s the commitment to those who died
That we cry out they’ve not died in vain?

We have come this far always believing
That justice would somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail

Don’t let the light go out
It’s lasted for so many years
Don’t let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears

Don’t let the light go out
It’s lasted for so many years
Don’t let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears

Don’t let the light go out
Don’t let the light go out
Don’t let the light go out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZ1zxtbOJE

An Silvia (To Silvia/Who is Silvia? 谁是西尔维亚?) Eduard von Bauernfeld (1802-1890)

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A German poem based on a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) , from Two Gentlemen of Verona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Gentlemen_of_Verona), Act IV, Scene 2.

 

It’s also a lied set to this text by Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) , “An Silvia“, op. 106 no. 4, D. 891 (1826).  Sung by:

Fritz Wunderlich (tenor) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14AT7-79oJk&feature=related

Lucia Popp (soprano) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX8BuKKpVeY&feature=fvw

Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano) – In English http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8vHk038_VY&feature=related

Was ist Silvia, saget an,
Daß sie die weite Flur preist?
Schön und zart seh ich sie nahn,
Auf Himmelsgunst und Spur weist,
Daß ihr alles untertan.
Ist sie schön und gut dazu?
Reiz labt wie milde Kindheit;
Ihrem Aug’ eilt Amor zu,
Dort heilt er seine Blindheit
Und verweilt in süßer Ruh.
Darum Silvia, tön, o Sang,
Der holden Silvia Ehren;
Jeden Reiz besiegt sie lang,
Den Erde kann gewähren:
Kränze ihr und Saitenklang!  
Original English text:Who is Silvia? What is she,
That all our swains commend her?
Holy, fair, and wise is she;
The heaven such grace did lend her,
That she might admirèd be.
Is she kind as she is fair?
For beauty lives with kindness.
Love doth to her eyes repair,
To help him of his blindness,
And, being help’d, inhabits there.
Then to Silvia let us sing,
That Silvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing
Upon the dull earth dwelling:
To her let us garlands bring.