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Bewaffneter Friede - (2012)
Wilhelm Busch
for medium voice and piano
Ganz unverhofft an einem Hügel
Sind sich begegnet Fuchs und Igel.
Halt, rief der Fuchs, du Bösewicht!
Kennst du des Königs Order nicht?
Ist nicht der Friede längst verkündigt,
Und weißt du nicht, daß jeder sündigt,
Der immer noch gerüstet geht?
Im Namen seiner Majestät
Geh her und übergib dein Fell.
Der Igel sprach: Nur nicht so schnell.
Laß dir erst deine Zähne brechen,
Dann wollen wir uns weiter sprechen!
Und allsogleich macht er sich rund,
Schließt seinen dichten Stachelbund
Und trotzt getrost der ganzen Welt
Bewaffnet, doch als Friedensheld.4 pages, circa 1' 55"
Wilhelm Busch
Armed peace
Quite by surprise on a little mount
A fox and hedgehog met.
"Stop," cried the fox, "you no-account!
It's the king's orders you forget.
Peace has now been long proclaimed,
And you should truly be ashamed,
To be armed with spines, even when tamed.
On behalf of His Royal Majesty, sir,
Disarm and drop them from your fur."
"Not so fast," the hedgehog said,
"Break your fangs; when broken, bled,
Then we'll debate just what you've said!"
Quickly he spiked against attack,
With sharpened spines did he react,
Confidently defying the world' caprice,
Armed, but a living hero of peace.
rhymed paraphrase by the composer
Copyright 2012 © Gary Bachlund All international rights reserved.
The text is from Busch's collection, Zu guter Letzt. For other settings of Busch's texts, click here.
The setting is a modified ABAB form, a light and flowing "six" in one. Simple diatonic scales make up much of the accompaniment, some small harmonic variation for spice. As the fox makes its demands, the vocal line rises to the top F in a bluster reminiscent of the wolf's in the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs.
The B section builds on B flat at the bottom of widening chords with a little arch beneath spanning two measures. The motor is halted for the dotted half notes, first as the fox makes its demands and second when
The score is available as a free PDF download, though any major commercial performance or recording of the work is prohibited without prior arrangement with the composer. Click on the graphic below for this piano-vocal score.
