Franz Schubert - Ellens Gesang (1825) - I. "Raste Krieger" & "Jager, ruhe" (Elly Ameling)

I recently was fortunate enough to stumble upon a Phillips compilation of Elly Ameling's renditions of various Lieder by Franz Schubert, a composer who is slowly but surely entering into both my music collection and my preferences. There is ample reason to rejoice about this addition, as Ameling (who I first "met" through Haydn's "Orlando Paladino", selections from which I uploaded a few weeks ago) proves to be a possessor of a distinctively lovely voice and an overall impossibly attractive manner; while the material itself evokes contrasting feelings of melancholy, joy, vigor and apathy within my mind. Thus, I find myself unable not to post some of my favorites from the recording, and I would like to begin with a piece both most familiar and largely obscure (in complete form, that is) to the general audience: Ellens Gesang.

When Schubert introduced himself to the poems of the famed Englishman, Sir Walter Scott, in 1825, the composer was quickly attracted to the idea of writing musical settings based on the German translations of the bard's verses in hopes of basically becoming more widely-known in Europe and England, in particular. Thus, the young composer set himself a task of composing music for seven out of thirteen songs that appear in Scott's classical "Lady of the Lake" poem (which had already been set, albeit in operatic form, by Rossini), including three solo pieces for the title character, Elena herself. The pieces are said to have been first performed at the castle of Countess Sophie Weissenwolff in the little Austrian town of Steyregg and dedicated to her which led to her subsequently becoming known as the Lady of the Lake herself. The cycle was subsequently published in 1826 as Schubert's op. 52. In this particular case, I want to center the attention of the listener on Elena's pieces which prove to be, as a complete "concerto" for the voice and the piano, to be one of Schubert's most endearing creations. For this duo of postings I'm providing both the English texts of the songs and short descriptions coupled with my own small ideas,

I. "Raste Krieger, Krieg ist aus". The first two songs that form the cycle are just that: songs with simple, appealing melodies and relatively slight narrative. The first one, addressed to an unnamed soldier, acts as a sort of cavatina for Elena, as the heroine urges the object of her appeal to lead a more peaceful life. The piece is, unlike either of its' successors, multi-sectioned, developing into an acute version of the rondo form with the main refrain, reminding one of European folk songs in its' uncomplicated melodic development over the piano's feather-light rising lines, connecting two contrasting episodes: one - a gentle "lullaby" of unexpected sincerity, the second - a more extroverted appeal to the soldier's surroundings not to remind the poor man of his war days (interestingly, the melody is divided into the martial call itself which is interspersed with lyrical episodes playing with musical ideas from both the refrain and the "lullaby").

Text: Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o'er,
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking;
Dream of battled fields no more,
Days of danger, nights of waking.

In our isle's enchanted hall,
Hands unseen thy couch are strewing,
Fairy strains of music fall,
Every sense in slumber dewing.

Refrain.

No rude sound shall reach thine ear,
Armour's clang, or war-steed champing,
Trump nor pibroch summon here
Mustering clan, or war-steed champing.

Ruder sounds shall none be near
Guards nor warders challenge here,
Here's no war-steeds neigh and champing,
Shouting clans, or squadrons stamping.

Yet the lark's shrill fife may come
At the day-break from the fallow,
And the bittern sound his drum,
Booming from the sedgy shallow.

Refrain.

II. "Jäger, ruhe von der Jagd". The second song is almost identical textually to the preceding piece with the soldier being replaced with a hunter just back from the woods. Accordingly the refrains (standing on either side of the central section, thus an ABA da capo aria is formed) adopt a piano accompaniment mimicking the horn's noble sound, while the central ironic appeal uses a pitiful allusion to the dying steed who seems to have been abandoned by his master.

Text: Huntsman, rest! thy chase is done,
while our slumbrous spells assail ye,
Dream not, with the rising sun,
Bugles here shall sound reveillé.

Sleep! the deer is in his den;
Thy hounds are by thee lying;
Sleep! nor dream in yonder glen,
How thy gallant steed lay dying.

Refrain.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Schubert
• belcanto
• romantic
• classical

[ayaari]

Simply incredible

[eutuve]

errata corrige

the lyrics ARE NOT mine.....got them from the web

[eutuve]

Carissimo Lindoro,

I am sending in a PM the German, English and Italian lyrics..

Hope you find them suitable ( they are mine, mind you )to add them in more info , to enrich this beautiful job you have done here..there are also Dutch ones

Saluti

Eu

[AKI0YK]

Actually here are first 2 Ellens Gesang combined: I: Rast Krieger and II Jaeger ruhe. Both are among my favorites of Shuberts 500+ Lieder.

Suffisance, yes, it's hard to better Ameling. But please don't throw away young singer's efforts. They are trying hard to deliber the best of the music with their abilties. Listening stardard performances like these one is one thing and experiencing live is another.

[ahnungsvoll]

Eine wunderbare Musik; eben Schubert und dazu die sauber beherrschte Stimme.

Danke!

[operaoaf]

gorgeous singing! exquisite phrasing and tone.

[suffisance]

Thanks so much for posting this. Funny--Orlando Paladino was just broadcast yesterday, and what a work of art that record is.

It doesn't get much better than Ameling--no, actually, I don't think it DOES get better. This is a really hard song, IMHO, and she makes it seem effortless.