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Die Gedanken treuer Liebe - (2009)
Eduard Möricke
for medium voice and piano
Zierlich ist des Vogels Tritt im Schnee,
wenn er wandelt auf des Berges Höh':
zierlicher schreibt Liebchens liebe Hand,
schreibt ein Brieflein mir in ferne Land'.
In die Lüfte hoch ein Reiher steigt,
dahin weder Pfeil noch Kugel fleugt:
Tausendmal so hoch und so geschwind
die Gedanken treuer Liebe sind.[ 2 pages, circa 1' 55"]
Eduard Möricke
Hunter's song
Dainty is the bird's step on the snow
when it wanders on the mountain heights:
daintier writes my love's dear hand,
writing a letter to me in a distant land.
A heron soars high in the air
where neither arrow nor bullet can fly:
a thousand times as high and swift
are thoughts of true love.
Translation from German to English copyright © by Emily Ezust, Lied and Art Songs Pages.
The piano dynamic is intended throughout, making intimate these thoughts sent over long distances. The scalar degrees in the seeming tonic of C major are all represented in the long-lined opening statement which serves also as the first extended phrase of the accompaniment to the vocal line. The chromaticism is more ranging than perhaps expected, though hidden by the parallel triadic harmonies, underpinned by a contrasting bass line.
The form is of two verses, the second with the accompaniment displaced one octave higher, as if even more "dainty." The short coda, as below, takes the roaming chromaticism further afield, cadencing in a distant C sharp minor triad over the deep C natural in the bass.
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.
