Herr, was tragt der Boden from Geistliche Lieder - Spiritual Songs
by Hugo Wolf
Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903) is considered to be among the greatest composers of Lieder. That he is less well-known than Schubert, Schumann and Brahms is probably because his compositional strengths lie not so much in beautiful and accessible melodies, but in inventive piano motifs and a particularly sensitive treatment of words. Wolf himself is said to have insisted that his remarkably intense music was written for epicures, not amateurs.
Spanisches Liederbuch ("Spanish Songbook”) was composed in 1889 and 1890, and uses as its text German translations of sixteenth and seventeenth century Spanish poetry. Ten of the 44 songs in this set are known as the Geistliche Gesänge (Spiritual Songs). The first of these radiate gentleness and a simplicity of feeling. Repeating patterns in the piano underline this mood, and also help paint an aural picture of the scenes being described. In "Herr, was trägt der Boden" the vocal line tends to move in small intervals, recalling Gregorian Chant.
The music of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) can be heard as a bridge between the musical traditions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Audiences of today can hear in Mahler's music a surprisingly modern voice which speaks to them in terms they understand. It is a voice of great romantic feeling and profound sensibility, but also one of doubt and of relentlessly probed subconscious fears.
lyrics
4. LORD, WHAT DOES THE EARTH BEAR HERE
Lord, what does the earth bear here,
That you water so bitterly?
“Thorns, beloved heart, for me,
And for you an adornment of flowers”
Ah, where such brooks run,
Will a garden thrive there?
"Yes, and know this! Garlands
Most varied are plaited therein.”
Oh my Lord, for whose adornment
do they wind the garlands? Speak!
"Those of thorns are for me,
those of flowers. I give to you."
Ludwig Recordings is a Record Label specializing in the music of composer Christopher Ludwig and its artists.
Ludwig Recordings has an especially strong focus on Art Song.
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