Is there an English version of this that sticks to the original and is not some fucking shit swing version? I need it like this in English for a class I am teaching and all I can find is 40's swing guys doing it and totally ruining the theme of the music (I have to contrast that not always are dark themes represented in the minor key, slowly, or with serialismic syncopation).
The "rolled r" is only common in a few rural areas, mostly in Bavaria/Austria.
In the 19th, beginning of the 20th century it was really widespread, but also connected to the dialect of "simple rural workers". The rising educated classes did not use it, and today it is not standard high german. People, who have the dialect are also often compared to Hitler, who also rolled the r. I had the problem but managed to overcome the rolled r...
@Mprator Not all Germans or even German speakers (about 3 countries aside from Germany has German as their only national first language, with like 6 others as one of several national languages). Only certain dialects of German do, like those from say Hesse and Mainz for example.
@trooubermensch However in those areas like I just described, the R is rolled way different. It is like a Spanish rolled R, but it only rolls one time, if that makes sense? Imagine combining an R with the percussiveness of a D? It's hard to describe. Some country people still roll it though noticeably, but not like in this song.
When I type in "Moritat von Mackie Messer" or "Und der Haifisch", I get American versions and the muppets (?) . When I finally think: "I might as well settle for Louis", and type in "Mack The Knife", I get what I was looking for? This world is weird.
We may think the style exaggerated, but the diction remains clear, despite the limitations of early recording processes, and the passage of the better part of a century.
Afterrr all this time, we can still hearr the worrrds!
I believe this is Harald Paulsen, possibly Wolfgang Neuss, not Brecht, whatever it's better than those bloody jazz versions, back slapping rat packers that simply miss the acidic romance and depth of the song.
This song sang by Brecht himself was played in Finnish radio YLE 1 'bout month ago. I agree that this is not Bertold, his singing sounds more like reading.
This is so.... innocent!! You guys!! This is like a Century old, right? I can help laughing .... It sounds so crisp!! Ha ha ha!! I wish I could record this....
Brazillian writer and composer Chico Buarque wrote a song based on this, it's called O Malandro (The Bum), check out the lyrics, they're really interesting, they're about how a lazy bum started and economic crises...
I never heard the original version before, very interesting. please check out my cover of this song in my channel and feel free to vote and comment, hope you like it
Yes this is Brecht, The very original lyrics. The rolled R's are to parody a particular popular style of singing in Germany at that time, that Brecht found to be completely rediculous.
And no, it doesn't translate to the Bobby Darrin lyrics, it's a lot more explicit than that.
This is the same idea as a modern 'demo' for the song. Which was literally written pretty much overnight, as Harald Paulsen wanted an earlier and bigger entrance than the one in scene 2.
@Alfruna The Three Penny Opera is actually taken from The
Beggar's Opera written in 1728 by John Gay, with additional music. MacHeath is there, and most of the others. The Beggar's Opera was made into a movie with Lawrence Olivier as MacHeath, but what I saw of it didn't impress me, even with a great cast. The most recent Broadway version had Alan Cumming, Cindy Lauper and others, and a new translation of the Brecht work. It was pretty wild!
@sindzy this really is Brecht. And he and Kurt Weill had intended it to sound raw and unpolished, like it was sung by street musicians (keywords: communism, Moral, Moritat, realism/naturalism,...) and not at all like the lounge, rich folk-versions of Frank Sinatra for example.
@sindzy This is the first time I've heard this.... I love it...I aint anal about who did what first. I just like what I hear at any given time. The rawness and purity of this recording makes me smile... So does the fact that people are motivated enough to give an opinion on a very scratchy recording in a different language (from my own). But hey... I like King Kurt....
@sindzy Wikipedia?!?!?! Now, I could wirte on Wikipedia that Charles Manson was a Nobel Peace Prize... and I'm sure that a lot of people will believe it!
@Giomiller let's not start the old talk about wikipedia being inaccurate... It's the best encyclopaedia we have today because you can always write your own better article.
@Giomiller you cold write that in encyclopedia britannica too. I'm sure that a lot of people would believe it. But that is what is the good thing about wikipedia - a lot of people (and a lot of people with knowledge) work together, so the result can become very good.
How ironic that YouTube chooses to superimpose advertisments over the work of Brecht. I think he'd get a kick out of it and then savage the powers-that-be for it.
@Shawnieboy33 Hi. Actually I have grown up listening to Bobby Darin and only just discovered the original. I love the Englsh version very much, but the German original is really brilliant..Thanks for taking the trouble to inform me.I have also realised that the English version is probably not the literal translation.
@Shawnieboy33 You are so sound. Thanks very much. Shall check that out. I'm actually busy, what with clearing the ice and frost. Will get back.Take care.
Been looking for this version since i heard it on Arts network. thanks for posting this up, i like the feeling. Lends it self to the context of the song.
@oldixe You can still hear the rolled R´s at some places in Germany - and some peaple are pretty god at i, try and hear the new song by Ramstein: Haifisch...
Back then they did speak like that - especially when making movies. Same here in the US, when you watch old movies, they speak especially articulated and loud, seems to stem from the change from the silent movies? Just a thought
@uplifter1000 i think its more cuz a lot of people back in the day were trained as voice actors and for stage where they had to speak loud and clearly for the audience to better hear them.
A little to much rolling on the R's , he he. But really cool to hear the original, or one of the earliest versions. It's better this way I think... Somebody who knows other old classics like this, like from the start of the last century (like this one)???
When was this song originally released. Never heard this German version. I always thought Bobby Darin's version was the original. This is interesting. Thanks for sharing.
The song ist meant to be ugly. Brecht wanted it to sound ugly, because he believed in "epic theater" which wasnt there to entertain you, but to make you think..
It was meant to make you think, but it wasn't intended to be totally charmless. Brecht didn't want his audience to empathize with his characters, but if there was nothing to "catch" the audience and compel them to listen, the song wouldn't make them think. The text is there to make the audience think; the music is there to maintain the audience's interest without detracting from the text. That's why I don't like describing it as "ugly."
@pinkofhungary Atonality is a big part of the movement, so it can seem discordant and grating. That can easily be translated to "ugly" because of the sharpness of it, especially considering the focus on harmony and tonal quality in most music.
I do like this - thanks for uploading it. Ironically, this song about murder has itself been murdered many times - it's meant to be an ugly song, not a sentimental or passionate one! In my opinion, the one man who could possibly have "out-Brechted" Brecht is Joel Grey, but alas he never recorded it.
yeah but Joel Grey did do Der Silbersee, The Silver Sea. Though Brecht didn't collaborate with Weill on that one... Something else you may find interesting is Cabaret was supposedly based on Weill's musik. I read that on Wikipedia, and it, too, was meant to be ugly.
Don't know if I agree with "ugly," but it's definitely meant to be a gritty, dark song. And a good part of the grit should come from the performance, which is why a lot of times it's better when actors sing Kurt Weill than when classically trained musicians do it, haha.
Seventh verse, also not in the american version, and pretty dark
Und die minderjährige Witwe deren Namen jeder weiss wachte auf und war geschändet - Mackie, welches war dein Preis? Wachte auf und war geschändet - Mackie, welches war dein Preis?
And the underage widow whose name everyone knows - woken up and raped - Mackie what was your price?
I noticed also, that some english speakers have been asking if the german lyrics match the the american english ones. Only vaguely. The first verse is close, the second verse is also close to the original german, but after that the american lyrics are heavily sanitized.
I'll post an original german version and the english translation. You'll see the original german is a lot darker than the Booby Darin version.
Slightly different from the play version, but they did included the verse about the 'under age' or very young widow who is raped, and the only question is what was Mackie's price for the deed.
Und die minderjährige Witwe
Deren Namen jeder weiß
Wachte auf und war geschändet
Mackie welches war dein Preis?
But then pre-Nazi German cinema always was more edgy, and more interesting than most contemporary american fare.
FYI: The first and original version was sung by Harald Paulsen (Homocord #4-3747) in Sept. 1928. Cover-version no. 1 was Bert Brecht in Mai 1929 and cover-version no. 3 was from the actor who played the Moritaten-Sänger at the premiere Kurt Gerron in Dec. 1930. This version here sounds like Brecht. So it's cover-version No. 2.Not the original.
Thank you so much for posting this. I could never abide the lounge lizard versions of my childhood, but a Lotte Lenya album bought decades ago during fledgling Weill fandom revealed the excellent truth. But this is extra terrific. Many thanks!
(And to the many very ignorant people here: got google? It's pretty easy to learn who Brecht was and what he did. And it is very much worth learning.)
I remeber the old Ernie Kovacs comedy show of the mid fifties. In his skits each week he showed a series of sight gags and this was always playing in the background. I also saw on PBS a few years ago and old German film made in the Thirties that had this as the theme song.
so this is where all those singers; Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Bobby Darin etc (Frankie mentioned them and others on his version), got their version from??? as in, the original thing?! guys i really need you to confirm
We are putting on the show at my high school. The man who sings this song for us does opera as well, he has the British accent and rhythm down perfectly. I'll try and make a recording.
this is amazing. brecht singing his own song, cause we must remember he was also a son composwer (including music) and to make his operas he worked with weil and hindemith and eisler...,
Exaggerated rolling 'r's was a feature of cabaret song all through the 1920's and 1930's - it is interesting to hear that Brecht intended the Moritaet to sound like any other cabaret song.
His version is intriguing - though not as inexorable as Lotte Lenya's.
Since Brecht didn't want his plays to be acted or in Threepenny's case sung well he was so perfect. The 1997 album is amazing. Everything is back as it should be.
Oops it's not 1997. Its 1994. It's the London Donmar Warehouse Cast. Brought back the gritty feeling of the songs that had been taken out of Threepenny since Brecht died. I recommend it completely.
Is there an English version of this that sticks to the original and is not some fucking shit swing version? I need it like this in English for a class I am teaching and all I can find is 40's swing guys doing it and totally ruining the theme of the music (I have to contrast that not always are dark themes represented in the minor key, slowly, or with serialismic syncopation).
trooubermensch 2 weeks ago
From photos I've seen, I had the impression Brecht was a large man. He had a tiny voice, after all.
MrColigings 1 month ago
I didn't know German's rolled their R's like that. Sounds like a cat purring.
Mprator 1 month ago
@Mprator we dont... -.-
graffitiskater111 1 month ago
The "rolled r" is only common in a few rural areas, mostly in Bavaria/Austria.
In the 19th, beginning of the 20th century it was really widespread, but also connected to the dialect of "simple rural workers". The rising educated classes did not use it, and today it is not standard high german. People, who have the dialect are also often compared to Hitler, who also rolled the r. I had the problem but managed to overcome the rolled r...
(Btw. the song is really extreme and unnatural)
AustrianAtheist 1 month ago 3
@Mprator Not all Germans or even German speakers (about 3 countries aside from Germany has German as their only national first language, with like 6 others as one of several national languages). Only certain dialects of German do, like those from say Hesse and Mainz for example.
trooubermensch 2 weeks ago
@trooubermensch However in those areas like I just described, the R is rolled way different. It is like a Spanish rolled R, but it only rolls one time, if that makes sense? Imagine combining an R with the percussiveness of a D? It's hard to describe. Some country people still roll it though noticeably, but not like in this song.
trooubermensch 2 weeks ago
When I type in "Moritat von Mackie Messer" or "Und der Haifisch", I get American versions and the muppets (?) . When I finally think: "I might as well settle for Louis", and type in "Mack The Knife", I get what I was looking for? This world is weird.
Thalaranias 1 month ago 2
I can understand all the lyrics :) Very beautiful
Martysmartyful 2 months ago
We may think the style exaggerated, but the diction remains clear, despite the limitations of early recording processes, and the passage of the better part of a century.
Afterrr all this time, we can still hearr the worrrds!
JohnLogieBaird1 2 months ago
Junge Junge Ich KOTZE GLEICH Was ein abscheulicher Sound
MinecraftofDead 2 months ago
Very good, but Busch sings it a little bit better.
57Tanja 2 months ago
ruben blades
efsq 2 months ago
Cool! what year was this version?
lisamaria1972 2 months ago
I love how he rolls the rrrrrrrrrrr's!
tripoddi 3 months ago
Amazed to learn that this was actually Kurt Weill's. I love the Spanish-latino-salsa version "Pedro Navaja" by Rubén Blades.
pepamicro 3 months ago
which recording is this?
asukiban 3 months ago
This does nothing to promote German as the language for song. :)
stanibol 3 months ago
This is terrrrrible. Serrrrriously.
Gobberwart 3 months ago
I believe this is Harald Paulsen, possibly Wolfgang Neuss, not Brecht, whatever it's better than those bloody jazz versions, back slapping rat packers that simply miss the acidic romance and depth of the song.
TheSanealaddin 4 months ago
Only three versions are worth the effort: this, Bobby Darin's, and Satchemo's.
cub68134 5 months ago
yes she sing me this song but like i was a baby i diden't understood
valpodogg 10 months ago
This song sang by Brecht himself was played in Finnish radio YLE 1 'bout month ago. I agree that this is not Bertold, his singing sounds more like reading.
jaakkojoo 11 months ago
This is so.... innocent!! You guys!! This is like a Century old, right? I can help laughing .... It sounds so crisp!! Ha ha ha!! I wish I could record this....
chipande94 11 months ago
this a BEST
ssgjmer 11 months ago
wow this is so neat to know where the song came from great posting
thinkorthwim69 11 months ago
2:48 YouTube audio: Here's the original song "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" from "The Threepenny Opera" sung by Bertolt Brecht.
February 10, 1898: birth of Bertolt Brecht, German author (d. 1956).
mkworkman 11 months ago
How old is this song?
xxnagatoyukixx 11 months ago
@xxnagatoyukixx it's from 1928 :)
0kim0 11 months ago
This movie was on TCM last night. Great stuff.
corwinorr 1 year ago
Very interesting.I didn't know this was original.I learned something.In a way,I like the way it sounds.Very,very,interesting.
FRANK1FM 1 year ago
Brazillian writer and composer Chico Buarque wrote a song based on this, it's called O Malandro (The Bum), check out the lyrics, they're really interesting, they're about how a lazy bum started and economic crises...
eurekabach 1 year ago
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I never heard the original version before, very interesting. please check out my cover of this song in my channel and feel free to vote and comment, hope you like it
juanlagartooo 1 year ago
I love Dark Cabaret from Berlin in 1920's to 1930s, WEIMAR GERMANY, German Kabarett
djmusicjac 1 year ago
Where is Ernie Kovacs now that you need him?
WSenator1 1 year ago 2
@WSenator1 Now that right there is funny !
iwantpepperoni 1 year ago
this is the song then my mother sig me before to sleep went i was a baby
valpodogg 1 year ago
@valpodogg - Your mother sang a song about rape, robbery and murder as a lullaby? Hmmm. . .
WSenator1 1 year ago 15
@WSenator1 Moms can be sort of cool, too, y'know!
luvmyrecords 11 months ago
Yes this is Brecht, The very original lyrics. The rolled R's are to parody a particular popular style of singing in Germany at that time, that Brecht found to be completely rediculous.
And no, it doesn't translate to the Bobby Darrin lyrics, it's a lot more explicit than that.
This is the same idea as a modern 'demo' for the song. Which was literally written pretty much overnight, as Harald Paulsen wanted an earlier and bigger entrance than the one in scene 2.
bohemianscara 1 year ago
Ａｍａｚｉｎｇ！ 音源が残ってること ｉｔ’ｓ ａ Ｍｉｒａｃｌｅ
Ｔｈａｎｋ ｙｏｕ
mj20090625 1 year ago
WONDEBAR!
Thank you for posting.
genia106 1 year ago
C'mon guys read pediwikia. Brecht was the writer of The Threepenny Opera. Mackie Messer is sung by Harald Paulsen.
sindzy 1 year ago
@sindzy It was sung by alot of people...including Brecht.
Alfruna 1 year ago 2
Actually the ORIGINAL was sung by Kurt Gerron
GabiButcher 4 months ago
@Alfruna Even Rock legend Roger Daltry sang it for a movie with Raul Julia in the title role.
MrColigings 1 month ago
@Alfruna The Three Penny Opera is actually taken from The
Beggar's Opera written in 1728 by John Gay, with additional music. MacHeath is there, and most of the others. The Beggar's Opera was made into a movie with Lawrence Olivier as MacHeath, but what I saw of it didn't impress me, even with a great cast. The most recent Broadway version had Alan Cumming, Cindy Lauper and others, and a new translation of the Brecht work. It was pretty wild!
shoetip58 3 weeks ago
@sindzy this really is Brecht. And he and Kurt Weill had intended it to sound raw and unpolished, like it was sung by street musicians (keywords: communism, Moral, Moritat, realism/naturalism,...) and not at all like the lounge, rich folk-versions of Frank Sinatra for example.
Stymfalide 1 year ago
@sindzy This is the first time I've heard this.... I love it...I aint anal about who did what first. I just like what I hear at any given time. The rawness and purity of this recording makes me smile... So does the fact that people are motivated enough to give an opinion on a very scratchy recording in a different language (from my own). But hey... I like King Kurt....
5446steveo 1 year ago
@sindzy Wikipedia?!?!?! Now, I could wirte on Wikipedia that Charles Manson was a Nobel Peace Prize... and I'm sure that a lot of people will believe it!
Giomiller 4 months ago
@Giomiller let's not start the old talk about wikipedia being inaccurate... It's the best encyclopaedia we have today because you can always write your own better article.
sindzy 4 months ago
@Giomiller you cold write that in encyclopedia britannica too. I'm sure that a lot of people would believe it. But that is what is the good thing about wikipedia - a lot of people (and a lot of people with knowledge) work together, so the result can become very good.
Thorenhard 2 months ago
@sindzy You got this one wrong - it is Brecht singing. It is available on a a Telefunken cd of Die Dreigroschennoper and other songs.
gefriolsaeme 2 weeks ago
Wherever whoever put this up is, he must be thanked. Perhaps that's just happened.
schlaux 1 year ago 13
How ironic that YouTube chooses to superimpose advertisments over the work of Brecht. I think he'd get a kick out of it and then savage the powers-that-be for it.
pramjam64 1 year ago
Dude does roll some 'r's.
JonFrumTheFirst 1 year ago
You don't own the music? What a surprise! Do you think anyone cares?
nakedvolleyball 1 year ago
@nakedvolleyball Youtube often doesn't let you post music without either crediting the artist or stating that you don't own copyright.
3starshine 1 year ago
This is the very heart of all that is that era, superb, Brecht, Weil, Lenya, everything !
I can almost taste Berlin. Thankyou for posting this gem.
BunkyOhare 1 year ago
Great, edgy,direct, and simplistic. Great
lee1066 1 year ago
Danke. Been listening to this all day.
blackbirdieee 1 year ago
his voice makes me smile^^
dinmolle 1 year ago
Brilliant. Wish I knew German. Still, I can kinda work out from Bobby Darin's.Thanks for this.
blackbirdieee 1 year ago
@blackbirdieee You could just listen to an English version :P
It's Mack the Knife in English
Shawnieboy33 1 year ago
@Shawnieboy33 Hi. Actually I have grown up listening to Bobby Darin and only just discovered the original. I love the Englsh version very much, but the German original is really brilliant..Thanks for taking the trouble to inform me.I have also realised that the English version is probably not the literal translation.
blackbirdieee 1 year ago
@blackbirdieee Good news for you:
I found a German version with subtitles :D youtube.com/watch?v=BP35uVK-Rm4
Shawnieboy33 1 year ago
@Shawnieboy33 You are so sound. Thanks very much. Shall check that out. I'm actually busy, what with clearing the ice and frost. Will get back.Take care.
blackbirdieee 1 year ago
@Shawnieboy. Just been listening to Ute, Was good too. Thanks very much for your help and interest. Take care.
blackbirdieee 1 year ago
Merci~
Kool klipp
Bangkok Johnny
+66817138954
carsanookdotcom 1 year ago
love it perfect!!! thanks...gracias un millon.....bertolt brecht todo un maestro..
Michelitateatro 1 year ago
i love it
CarryFlag8 1 year ago
Been looking for this version since i heard it on Arts network. thanks for posting this up, i like the feeling. Lends it self to the context of the song.
skipdawg1 1 year ago
@skipdawg1
I will second that, superb ! I have played with this music for years in my head and
it works at any speed, from the original to a slow love ballad. Beautifull.
BunkyOhare 1 year ago
This is what the song is SUPPOSED to sound like.
schaefer58 1 year ago
Grande momento!
CALcasadasartes 1 year ago
Comment removed
CALcasadasartes 1 year ago
sounds....great?!
elvisguerra 1 year ago
lmao, love Brecht.
yeah, he was aiming for it to sound like a Minstral at a fair, with a monkey on their shoulder type of thing.
definately sounds a little creepy, perfect for good ole' Macheath
llamacake02 1 year ago 2
Haben Sie die Worte nach dem Lieder?
Mufaso1000 1 year ago
this is from bertolt brecht and kurt wiel's "three penny opera" isnt it?
leicafool 1 year ago
This song is gritty and ugly I love it! You wanna scare people with no culture put this on.
doscentoskay 1 year ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
fuck this.....bobby darin is better.
dimestarr91 1 year ago
the theme song to my past life post war germany..fucking classic
darpa322 1 year ago
A treasure.
mikern2001 1 year ago
Are you sure this isn't Bob Dylan? Sounds like him.
Mufaso1000 1 year ago 2
@Mufaso1000 LOL at Bob Dylan.
NoirFan01 1 year ago
I really like it, it's got an uncertain creepiness to it.
obscurebandfan 1 year ago
@obscurebandfan Ha, ha, ha, ha... Good!
TomC1011 1 year ago
Muy buena, es la canción que mi mama me cataba para dormir (pero canta muy mal,mi mama)
valpodogg 1 year ago
@valpodogg My mother did too. Love the song ever since.
Mortyee 3 months ago
wonderful... thank you for posting. i am wondering when he made this recording; it sounds like late 20s or early 30s...
Sexycosy 1 year ago
GENUIS !!! - ei kreis
BLESSTHEIRAINIRELAND 1 year ago
GREAT !!! - ei kreis
BLESSTHEIRAINIRELAND 1 year ago
Śet !!! Masakra jakaś żydowska
MrDefekator 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
LOL Alfruna.
There's always one humourless prick out there on the Internet who doesn't get a joke.
AlastairSnaresbrook 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
LOL Alfruna.
There's always one humourless prick out there on the Internet who doesn't get a joke.
AlastairSnaresbrook 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
LOL Alfruna.
There's always one humourless prick out there on the Internet who doesn't get a joke.
AlastairSnaresbrook 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Trust the Germans to rip off a famous jazz number and pass it off as their own. Typical Krauts!!
AlastairSnaresbrook 1 year ago
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing this.
orange8apples 1 year ago
Jeeze, does he ever roll his r's!
jessyquedens 1 year ago
I want the vinyl of that song has anyone a vinyl to sell or know wherefrom i can get it in austria ?
Steelsac1 1 year ago
Busch was imitating Brecht
thaxdouglas 1 year ago
alright this kinda creeps me out LOL
deonoxivar 1 year ago
I appreciate the volume and enunciation in the older films and in the newer films because I sure can't hear like I used to!
oldixe 1 year ago
Thank you so much. My grandfather came to the U.S. in 1899, from Wittenberg, so I have always been interested in the culture there.
oldixe 1 year ago
whiners cry baby , change your panties
zzzippo55 1 year ago
I dont know why, but the feeling this song gives me, its kinda of creepy and reminds me of a darker time.
tangymay 1 year ago
Are the R's supposed to be rolled like this in German?
oldixe 1 year ago
@oldixe Yes they are.
falcosnake39 1 year ago
@oldixe You can still hear the rolled R´s at some places in Germany - and some peaple are pretty god at i, try and hear the new song by Ramstein: Haifisch...
oksboelschwarzwolf 1 year ago
@oldixe
Back then they did speak like that - especially when making movies. Same here in the US, when you watch old movies, they speak especially articulated and loud, seems to stem from the change from the silent movies? Just a thought
uplifter1000 1 year ago
@uplifter1000 i think its more cuz a lot of people back in the day were trained as voice actors and for stage where they had to speak loud and clearly for the audience to better hear them.
CJDiggs 1 year ago
@CJDiggs
sounds right - maybe a bit of both? :)
uplifter1000 1 year ago
CRINGE.
queenmcsleaze 1 year ago
playing this [as 1 of 7] in an orchestra right now. so wonderful to hear the original...
dvtuba 1 year ago
Yes, this is Brecht. Amazing, isn't it?
Mannock 1 year ago 2
The idea is not to sing well, but to draw attention to the song medium.
justusberman 1 year ago 3
A little to much rolling on the R's , he he. But really cool to hear the original, or one of the earliest versions. It's better this way I think... Somebody who knows other old classics like this, like from the start of the last century (like this one)???
BearWindAppleyard 1 year ago
Is this Brecht's voice???
Angelam0 1 year ago
When was this song originally released. Never heard this German version. I always thought Bobby Darin's version was the original. This is interesting. Thanks for sharing.
this1tube 1 year ago 3
1928
rossewidge 1 year ago
@this1tube 1928
rossewidge 1 year ago
WTF!!??
singray7 1 year ago
His voice is like a weapon-mackie the knife indeed-thanx for sharing!!!
czkolyk 1 year ago 25
The song ist meant to be ugly. Brecht wanted it to sound ugly, because he believed in "epic theater" which wasnt there to entertain you, but to make you think..
pinkofhungary 1 year ago 57
@pinkofhungary finally at least one person who understands Brecht's intentions :D
Lemmybomber 1 year ago
@pinkofhungary
Thanks.
BunyipBlueEyes 1 year ago
It was meant to make you think, but it wasn't intended to be totally charmless. Brecht didn't want his audience to empathize with his characters, but if there was nothing to "catch" the audience and compel them to listen, the song wouldn't make them think. The text is there to make the audience think; the music is there to maintain the audience's interest without detracting from the text. That's why I don't like describing it as "ugly."
Riteilu 1 year ago 2
@pinkofhungary Atonality is a big part of the movement, so it can seem discordant and grating. That can easily be translated to "ugly" because of the sharpness of it, especially considering the focus on harmony and tonal quality in most music.
Unagodd 1 year ago
@pinkofhungary bist du deutsch?? are you german?? ich halte morgen ein referat uber brecht und das epische theater
underwaterunicornful 1 year ago
@pinkofhungary And how did you "learn" that? Did you actually think about it, or did you read it somewhere? Bullshitter.
nakedvolleyball 1 year ago
@nakedvolleyball
Someone's in a bad mood...
whikless 1 year ago
@pinkofhungary
That's right. Brecht was the one who actually developed the epic theatre in Germany.
Any americans here? Read the resistable rise of Arturo Ui. That is a great book and comprises both: German and American history.
schmuli 1 year ago
ryoushii
Thanks so much for translating !!!
dogwithbluedots 1 year ago
were doing it in german and me an 2 mates had to sing it in front of the class xD
ich mag das lied iwie :P
theguy906 1 year ago
I do like this - thanks for uploading it. Ironically, this song about murder has itself been murdered many times - it's meant to be an ugly song, not a sentimental or passionate one! In my opinion, the one man who could possibly have "out-Brechted" Brecht is Joel Grey, but alas he never recorded it.
sashaclarkson 1 year ago 2
yeah but Joel Grey did do Der Silbersee, The Silver Sea. Though Brecht didn't collaborate with Weill on that one... Something else you may find interesting is Cabaret was supposedly based on Weill's musik. I read that on Wikipedia, and it, too, was meant to be ugly.
Eivob 1 year ago
Don't know if I agree with "ugly," but it's definitely meant to be a gritty, dark song. And a good part of the grit should come from the performance, which is why a lot of times it's better when actors sing Kurt Weill than when classically trained musicians do it, haha.
Riteilu 1 year ago 2
And the last verse
Und die einen sind im Dunkeln, Und die anderen sind im Licht - Doch man sieht nur die im Lichte -Die im Dunklen sieht man nicht
And there are those in the dark, and others in the light - but one sees only those in the light, those in the dark one doesn't see.
The last two lines get repeated.
ryoushii 1 year ago
Seventh verse, also not in the american version, and pretty dark
Und die minderjährige Witwe deren Namen jeder weiss wachte auf und war geschändet - Mackie, welches war dein Preis? Wachte auf und war geschändet - Mackie, welches war dein Preis?
And the underage widow whose name everyone knows - woken up and raped - Mackie what was your price?
ryoushii 1 year ago
sixth verse - this one is kind of dark and not in the american version of the song
Und das große Feuer in Soho sieben Kinder und ein Greis - in der Menge Mackie Messer, den man nicht fragt und der nichts weiss.
And the big fire in Soho, with seven children and an old man - in the midst Mackie the Knife about which no one asks, and he knows nothing
ryoushii 1 year ago
Fifth verse
Jenny Towler ward gefunden mit 'nem Messer in der Brust und am Kai geht Mackie Messer der von allem nichts gewußt.
Jenny Towler was found mit a knife in her breast and on the dock walks Mackie the Knife, who doesn't know anything about it.
ryoushii 1 year ago
Fourth verse
Und Schmul Meier bleibt verschwunden und so mancher reiche Mann und sein Geld hat Mackie Messer dem man nichts beweisen kann.
And Schmul Meier is still missing, and so many another rich man, and his money has Mackie the Knife about which nothing can be proved.
ryoushii 1 year ago
third verse
An 'nem schönen blauen Sonntag liegt ein toter Mann am Strand und ein Mensch geht um die Ecke den man Mackie Messer nennt.
On a beautiful blue Sunday lies a dead man on the Strand and a man goes around the corner, the man called Mackie the Knife.
ryoushii 1 year ago
Second verse
Ach, es sind des Haifischs Flossen rot, wenn dieser Blut vergießt. Mackie Messer trägt 'nen Handschuh drauf man keine Untat liest.
Oh The shark's fins are red when this blood flows. Mackie the Knife carries gloves on which one can't read a crime.
ryoushii 1 year ago
First verse
Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne und die trägt er im Gesicht und Macheath, der hat ein Messer doch das Messer sieht man nicht.
And the shark, he has teeth and he carries them in his face, and Macheath he has a knife, but the knife one doesn't see.
ryoushii 1 year ago
I noticed also, that some english speakers have been asking if the german lyrics match the the american english ones. Only vaguely. The first verse is close, the second verse is also close to the original german, but after that the american lyrics are heavily sanitized.
I'll post an original german version and the english translation. You'll see the original german is a lot darker than the Booby Darin version.
ryoushii 1 year ago
Slightly different from the play version, but they did included the verse about the 'under age' or very young widow who is raped, and the only question is what was Mackie's price for the deed.
Und die minderjährige Witwe
Deren Namen jeder weiß
Wachte auf und war geschändet
Mackie welches war dein Preis?
But then pre-Nazi German cinema always was more edgy, and more interesting than most contemporary american fare.
ryoushii 1 year ago 2
I love this the best!
nicodagger 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Great but it's not Brecht singing. It's Ernst Busch from the 1931 film version.
coy0te9 2 years ago
It is Brecht. I have this song on vinyl and CD. So I am pretty sure. Check Busch's version - I think it is on youtube too- it's different from this.
Alfruna 2 years ago 12
@Alfruna SOUND LIKE LOTTY LENYA
thoostorm4 1 year ago
@Alfruna
FYI: The first and original version was sung by Harald Paulsen (Homocord #4-3747) in Sept. 1928. Cover-version no. 1 was Bert Brecht in Mai 1929 and cover-version no. 3 was from the actor who played the Moritaten-Sänger at the premiere Kurt Gerron in Dec. 1930. This version here sounds like Brecht. So it's cover-version No. 2.Not the original.
MillyVanillification 1 year ago
@MillyVanillification you have wayyyy to much time on your hands
antauk 1 year ago
I know who B. was.
I have come to the theatre to smoke...
Sanernando 2 years ago
Thank you so much for posting this. I could never abide the lounge lizard versions of my childhood, but a Lotte Lenya album bought decades ago during fledgling Weill fandom revealed the excellent truth. But this is extra terrific. Many thanks!
(And to the many very ignorant people here: got google? It's pretty easy to learn who Brecht was and what he did. And it is very much worth learning.)
iverglas 2 years ago
I remeber the old Ernie Kovacs comedy show of the mid fifties. In his skits each week he showed a series of sight gags and this was always playing in the background. I also saw on PBS a few years ago and old German film made in the Thirties that had this as the theme song.
oldinker 2 years ago
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oldinker 2 years ago
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oldinker 2 years ago
I keep coming back to thiis. There's something so beautiful about how it was so long ago.
scryerofold 2 years ago 2
so this is where all those singers; Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Bobby Darin etc (Frankie mentioned them and others on his version), got their version from??? as in, the original thing?! guys i really need you to confirm
felipolipi2000 2 years ago 2
correctamundo, this is the original song
quaxk 2 years ago
Short answer. Yes.
coy0te9 2 years ago
I love this song, and this is fascinating to hear the original, primitive version---thanks!
kapacon 2 years ago
he rrrrrrolls the rrrrrrr really hard :D
2menace 2 years ago 2
We are putting on the show at my high school. The man who sings this song for us does opera as well, he has the British accent and rhythm down perfectly. I'll try and make a recording.
thechamp1113 2 years ago
Even though there are better versions, there is nothing like being the first, the original.
harolddoza 2 years ago
wow... at first sight it's awful with these "r" and german language.. but there's a lot going on inside it.
KipDynamite29 2 years ago
@KipDynamite29 whats so awful about the german language? :p
ImaginaryNightshade 2 years ago
amazing, thanks are there more recordings with him singing?
armando5101 2 years ago
this is amazing. brecht singing his own song, cause we must remember he was also a son composwer (including music) and to make his operas he worked with weil and hindemith and eisler...,
armando5101 2 years ago
Exaggerated rolling 'r's was a feature of cabaret song all through the 1920's and 1930's - it is interesting to hear that Brecht intended the Moritaet to sound like any other cabaret song.
His version is intriguing - though not as inexorable as Lotte Lenya's.
thallassocracy 2 years ago 2
God help me, I was looking for good ol' robbie peter williams.
saxz99 2 years ago 2
Since Brecht didn't want his plays to be acted or in Threepenny's case sung well he was so perfect. The 1997 album is amazing. Everything is back as it should be.
blackbird107 2 years ago 3
what is the 1997 album about? is it brecht singing his own songs? please tell me. thnks
armando5101 2 years ago
Oops it's not 1997. Its 1994. It's the London Donmar Warehouse Cast. Brought back the gritty feeling of the songs that had been taken out of Threepenny since Brecht died. I recommend it completely.
blackbird107 2 years ago
Wonderful, many thanks for sharing
5 * * * * *
sohail909 2 years ago 6
ein geniales lied, so voller traurigkeit....
einmalig!!!
whateverVIE 2 years ago 2
Although Brecht was not a good singer, he wrote the lyrics (libretto) for this song, which was featured in Kurt Weill's "The Threepenny Opera".