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Vola e torna e qua e posa, It flies away and returns, it circles and is still.
Nè riposa, nè da quel lume It has no rest and has no peace
Se lontana è da quell lume If it is far from that flame
Che l’uccide e che l’alletta Which attracts her and kills her.
“Ach, ich fühl's” from Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Premiering in September of 1791, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte follows the story of Tamino and Pamina and
their struggles to escape the evil queen, complete their quest and find love along the way. In Ach, ich
fühl's Pamina is anguished that Tamino will not speak to her. However, she is unaware that Tamino is
under a vow of silence and can not speak to her at all because of it. The song features a heartstricken
piano accompaniment to a devastated vocal line which matches the momentum of the lyrics beautifully.
Ach, ich fühl’s, es ist verschwunden, Oh, I feel that it is gone,
Ewig hin mein ganzes Glück! forever gone – the happiness of love!
Nimmer kommt ihr Wonnestunde No more come the hours of joy
Meinem Herzen mehr zurück! to my heart!
Heidenröslein by Franz Schubert was written in 1815 and was primarily based on Pamina's and
Papageno's duet Könnte jeder brave Mann from the end of Act 1 of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. The poem,
written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1799, tells the story of a man’s rejected love for his
sweetheart, depicted as a rose. The song displays the voices of the man and his love as they discuss if she
will be taken by him and their subsequent struggle as she fights to maintain her freedom.
Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein stehn, Once a boy escaped a rose
Röslein auf der Heiden, Blooming in the meadow,
War so jung und morgenschön, Young and sweet with morning dew,
Lief er schnell es nah zu sehn, he drew near, the better to view,
Sah's mit vielen Freuden. Gazed upon t with pleasure.
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot, Rose-bud, rosebud, rosebud red,
Röslein auf der Heiden. rose-bud in the meadow,
Knabe sprach: "Ich breche dich, Said the boy, “I’ll trample you,
Röslein auf der Heiden." Rosebud in the meadow!”
Röslein sprach: "Ich steche dich, Said the rose, “My thorns are few,
Daß du ewig denkst an mich, but their sting you’ll surely rue,
Und ich will's nicht leiden." and I shall not suffer.”
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot, Rose-bud, rosebud, rosebud red,
Röslein auf der Heiden. rose-bud in the meadow,
Und der wilde Knabe brach And this willful boy then tore
's Röslein auf der Heiden; rose-bud from the meadow,
Röslein wehrte sich und stach, But the rose-bud used her thorns,
Half ihm doch kein Weh und Ach, and although he groans and mourns,
Mußt' es eben leiden. He alone must suffer.
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot, Rose-bud, rosebud, rosebud red,
Röslein auf der Heiden. rose-bud in the meadow,
“Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito” from Cinco canciones negras by Xavier
Montsalvatge (1912-2002)
A Spanish composer and music critic, Xavier Montsalvatge was highly renounced for his collection of
five vocal pieces Cinco canciones negras composed in the summer of 1945. Canción de cuna para
dormir a un negrito was the first piece written and premiered in mid-May 1945. It led to the creation of
the other four pieces in the set and the subsequent mainstream popularity of Montsalvatge’s music. The
habanera rhythm in the opening measures of the piano part sets the foundation of the music and continues
throughout the piece with the voice lilting above it to sing the child to sleep.
Ninghe, ninghe, ninghe Lullay, lullay, lullay,
tan chiquito, el negrito so small, little black boy
que no quiere dormir. who does not want to sleep.
“Through the Sunny Garden” from Two September Songs by Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Featuring words by Mary Coleridge, Through the Sunny Garden describes the lowlands of Scotland
looking out over the sky and hills with vibrant imagery. Roger Quilter captures this imagery extremely
well through use of rich text painting and vivid piano textures. The singer brings to life the scene with a
pointed clarity and vast imagination.
“The Valley and the Hill” from Two September Songs by Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Featuring words by Mary Coleridge, The Valley and the Hill describes the highlands of Scotland with the
sights and smells of the sea and the thick foliage. Quilter creates drama and serenity in the piece through
creative use of the dynamics, tempos and rhythmic expression between the singer and the piano. The
graphic text painting within the vocal line creates a drama within the piece unlike its counterpart and to
the benefit of the set.