Ruhe, meine Seele!
Ruhe, meine Seele!, Op. 27 No. 1, is the first in a set of four songs composed by Richard Strauss in 1894. It was originally for voice and piano, and not orchestrated by Strauss until 1948, after he had completed one of his Four Last Songs "Im Abendrot".[1] The words are from a poem "Ruhe, meine Seele" (English translation "Rest, my Soul") written by the poet Karl Henckell.
History
Strauss composed the song in May 1894, and that September he gave it as a wedding present to his wife the soprano Pauline de Ahna.
Instrumentation and accompaniment
The instrumentation is: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B♭, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba, 3 timpani, celesta, harp and the orchestral string section.[2]
The accompaniment has sombre and ambiguous harmonies, with contrasting peaceful and tempestuous episodes.
Lyrics
Ruhe, meine Seele!
Nicht ein Lüftchen regt sich leise,
sanft entschlummert ruht der Hain;
durch der Blätter dunkle Hülle
stiehlt sich lichter Sonnenschein.
Ruhe, ruhe, meine Seele,
deine Stürme gingen wild,
hast getobt und hast gezittert,
wie die Brandung, wenn sie schwillt.
Diese Zeiten sind gewaltig,
bringen Herz und Hirn in Not –
ruhe, ruhe, meine Seele,
und vergiß, was dich bedroht!
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Rest, my Soul
Not a breeze is stirring lightly,
the wood lies slumbering gently;
through the dark cover of leaves
steals bright sunshine.
Rest, rest, my soul,
your storms have gone wild,
have raged and trembled
like the surf when it breaks.
These times are powerful,
bringing torment to heart and mind;
rest, rest, my soul,
and forget what is threatening you!
English translation by Emily Ezust
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Opus 27
The other songs of Strauss' Opus 27 :
- Op. 27 No. 2 "Cäcilie" (Wenn du es wüßtest)
- Op. 27 No. 3 "Heimliche Aufforderung" (Auf, hebe die funkelnde Schale)
- Op. 27 No. 4 "Morgen!" (Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen)
Recordings
Videos
Orchestral accompaniment:
Piano accompaniment:
References and notes
- ^ This is discussed in the essay "Ruhe, meine Seele! and the Letzte Orchesterlieder" by Timothy L. Jackson, in Richard Strauss and his World by Bryan Randolph Gilliam. Strauss orchestrated "Ruhe, meine Seele" just after completing "Im Abendrot" but before completing the other of the Last Four Songs: Frühling, Beim Schlafengehen and September. The author suggests that the five songs form a unified cycle, with reasons for Ruhe, meine Seele! to be performed as a prelude to Im Abendrot
- ^ Richard Strauss Lieder, Complete Edition Vol. IV, London, 1965, Boosey & Hawkes