- Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Beethoven)
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Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt ("Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage"), is a cantata for chorus and orchestra composed by Ludwig van Beethoven (op. 112), based on verses by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and dedicated to him. The work was first performed in Vienna in 1815 and first published in 1822. The piece is in a single movement, a typical performance usually taking between 7 and 8 minutes.
The cantata beautifully evokes the imagery of the pair of poems which later inspired a more famous concert overture by Mendelssohn. The poems' titles are not synonymous: in the days before steam, a totally calm sea was cause for alarm; it is only when the wind at last rises that the ship can continue on its journey. The first section depicts a ship becalmed, the second its success in resuming its voyage.
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German English Meeres Stille:
Calm Sea:
Tiefe Stille herrscht im Wasser,
Ohne Regung ruht das Meer,
Und bekümmert sieht der Schiffer
Glatte Fläche ringsumher.
Keine Luft von keiner Seite!
Todesstille fürchterlich!
In der ungeheuern Weite
Reget keine Welle sich.Deep stillness rules the water
Without motion lies the sea,
And sadly the sailor observes
Smooth surfaces all around.
No air from any any side!
Deathly, terrible stillness!
In the immense distances
not a single wave stirs.Glückliche Fahrt:
Prosperous Journey:
Die Nebel zerreißen,
Der Himmel ist helle,
Und Äolus löset
Das ängstliche Band.
Es säuseln die Winde,
Es rührt sich der Schiffer.
Geschwinde! Geschwinde!
Es teilt sich die Welle,
Es naht sich die Ferne;
Schon seh ich das Land!The fog is torn,
The sky is bright,
And Aeolus releases
The fearful bindings.
The winds whisper,
The sailor begins to move
. Swiftly! Swiftly!
The waves divide,
The distance nears;
Already, I see land!Recordings
- Beethoven
- John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists: "Messe in C", Archiv Produktions
- Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus: "Beethoven: Mass in C, Elegiac Song & Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage", Telarc
See also
- Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Mendelssohn) - concert overture by Felix Mendelssohn
This article about a classical composition is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. - Beethoven
