I find the cantata nice, the first half emanating the german choral glow and the second with a rousing beethoven finish, but not particularly memorable. Joy explanation of an antique gem catpie legend authors the critic the dilettante and the critic the wrangler the yelpers the storks vocation celebrity playing at priests songs poetry. He would exploit for his composition another poem, gluckliche fahrt prosperous voyage, a poem that goethe wrote right after his meeresstille. Gluckliche fahrt prosperous voyage, a poem that goethe wrote right. Two years later, in 1828, mendelssohn composed calm sea and prosperous voyage. If we have inadvertently included a ed poem that the holder does not wish to be displayed, we will take the poem down within 48 hours upon notification by the owner or the. Calm at sea the prosperous voyage consistent with the original work, this page includes an additional untitled poem. The work was published in 1822, with a dedication to the poet. Calm sea and prosperous voyage london concert choir. Beethoven admired him and the work is dedicated to goethe. Beethoven and mendelssohn both took inspiration from goethes poem, calm sea and prosperous voyage beethoven with a choral piece and mendelssohn with an overture.
Beethovens choral fantasy and mass in c major orchestra of. In this second poem, goethe called upon his reading of homers odysseus. The sea voyage the eagle and dove prometheus ganymede the boundaries of humanity the godlike. Beethovens opus 112, 18141815 schuberts song calm sea 1815 and mendelssohns overture opus 27, 1828, revised in 1834. But the fear associated with the calm sea gives way to joy as a mist is dispelled and the wind kicks up. Goethes two short 1795 poems, calm sea and the prosperous voyage, inspired several composers, among them beethoven and mendelssohn. Beethoven wrote his piece for chorus and orchestra. Lilys menagerie to charlotte loves distresses the musagetes morning lament the visit the magic net the goblet to the grasshopper. The prosperous voyage consistent with the original work, this page includes an additional untitled poem. These two short poems were composed at least as early as 1795, when schiller published them, though perhaps a bit earlier. Beethoven unites them in a short cantata for chorus and orchestra opus 112, also composed in the same year, 1815.
The same poems were used by beethoven to produce a short choral work with the same title. The second, gluckliche fahrt, evokes the joy and release from fear at the arrival of the winds so vital for a prosperous voyage. The concert will open with a performance of beethovens calm sea and prosperous voyage. The mendelssohn quotations performed by the clarinet portray the deathly stillness of the sea as described by goethe in his poem calm sea and prosperous voyage. Between 1828 and 1833 mendelssohn wrote three overtures, each with sea connotations. Schubert never met goethe, but he was the poet the. Apr 25, 20 each turned to a great poet, goethe and whitman, respectively, to depict the sea as a symbol of the unity of the worlds peoples and ocean travel as a metaphor for mankinds journey of selfdiscovery. The tension is finally dispelled when land is sighted. The two lesser known beethoven works were both well performed, particularly calm sea and prosperous voyage, based on poetry of goethe. Afterwards, mendelssohn played bach fugues and improvised. Each turned to a great poet, goethe and whitman, respectively, to depict the sea as a symbol of the unity of the worlds peoples and ocean travel as a metaphor for mankinds journey of selfdiscovery.
The first performance was given on december 25, 1815, in vienna. Apr 15, 2010 beautiful ouverture from mendelssohn based on the poem by goethe. This is the fourth of mendelssohns seven overtures and was written before the similarly maritime hebrides overture, op. Incidentally, beethoven actually knew goethe well and had admired goethes poetry since his youth. The mendelssohn who wrote calm sea and prosperous voyage 1828 was a landlubber, as yet lacking the firsthand nautical experience that informed the hebrides overture 1830. Silence deep rules oer the waters, calmly slumbring lies the main, while the sailor views with trouble. It was composed in 1828 and inspired by a pair of poems calm sea and prosperous voyage by goethe, who very much liked young mendelssohns orchestral setting. The first poem, meeres stille, tells of the dread and deathly stillness of a becalmed sea. The calm sea part refers to an oceans vastness and a vessels immobility on it, no breeze, until in prosperous voyage winds strike up through orchestral flurries were on the move and land is sighted.
The mist is torn away, the heavens turn bright, and aeolus unfastens the bonds of fear. Sea pictures program notes sonoma county philharmonic. Goethes two short 1795 poems, calm sea and the prosperous voyage, inspired several composers, among them beethoven and. Calm sea and prosperous voyage, a poem by goethe, which has been set to music by two great masters. Calm sea and prosperous voyage by ludwig van beethoven. In 1815, when mendelssohn was just 6, beethoven had composed a cantata for choir and orchestra using the texts of two poems by goethe. He wasnt the only one to be inspired by these works. Mendelssohn intended that these three works be published as a set with a single opus number and in 1834 revised calm sea for that purpose. In the mighty waste of oceansunk to rest is evry wave. Calm sea and prosperous voyage elgars enigmas exposed. Voyage to a culture of discovery schiller institute and. The first half tells of a sailor observing a calm sea with no wind to move his boat. America, youve got it better amerika, du hast es besser becalmed at sea meerestille tr. Its heavenly, peaceful introduction, inspired by the first poem, describes the smooth stillness of the becalmed sea.
He came, on his fathers side, of thuringian stock, his greatgrandfather, hans christian goethe, having been a farrier at. Beautiful ouverture from mendelssohn based on the poem by goethe. Calm sea and prosperous voyage indianapolis symphony orchestra. Beethovens choral fantasy and mass in c major orchestra. Does the poetic marine imagery and orchestration place any particular emphasis on the letter c. Silence deep rules oer the waterscalmly slumbring lies the main. Calm sea and prosperous voyage indianapolis symphony.
Youd be forgiven for assuming that calm sea and prosperous voyage mean moreorless the same. Two poems, one piece, the settings are respectively enthralled and hesitant, then energised and. Apr 11, 20 the prosperous voyage consistent with the original work, this page includes an additional untitled poem. Beethoven and mendelssohn both took inspiration from goethe s poem, calm sea and prosperous voyage beethoven with a choral piece and mendelssohn with an overture. Four sea interludes from brittens opera, peter grimes. Instead, he responded to goethes pair of pithy, potent poems, previously the subject of beethovens op. All in all, buy it for the mass in c, but enjoy all of it. One hundred twentyfourth season chicago symphony orchestra. His other compositions inspired by goethe include the overture calm sea and prosperous voyage op. They walked together in goethes garden in weimar and then had dinner.
Silence deep rules oer the waters, calmly slumbring lies the main. The elegisher gesang is a personal favourite, tuneful and far gentler than most all of beethovens work, but very suitable for what it is. Two poems by goethe, the rst titled calm at sea and the second titled prosperous voyage, were the source for three 19th century settings. Composed in 1815, first performed at the great redoutensaal in vienna on christmas day of that year, and published feb. Mendelssohn overture calm sea and prosperous voyage notes.
Mendelssohn wrote this concert overture, titled calm sea and prosperous voyage and based on two of goethes poems the poems appear. The image that goethe presents is a masterful study in contradictions. Contemporary composer jake heggies excellent score to his opera mobydick. Feb 05, 2014 goethe s two short 1795 poems, calm sea and the prosperous voyage, inspired several composers, among them beethoven and mendelssohn. Beethoven in fact never voyaged by sea, but his composition, premiered in 1815, continues to surprise. Yet immediately, as early as the third line, the apparent serenity deep calmness reigns over the waters, without motion rests the sea, will be.
Silence deep rules oer the waters,calmly slumbring lies the main,while the sailor views with troublenought but one vast level plain. Back before boats had engines, a totally still sea was alarming. Chicago symphony orchestra riccardo muti zell music director. For mendelssohn, the attraction lay in writing a musical representation of the complete stillness and the gradual picking up of the wind that brings the ship safely into port. The first was entitled calm at sea, and the second, the prosperous voyage. Calm sea and prosperous voyage restores to the literary canon an extraordinarily gifted writer, who was recognized as a major talent before all but disappearing from public view for decades, until nearly the end of her life. Mendelssohns calm sea and prosperous voyage has always seemed a poor cousin to his more popular hebrides overture, despite its literary credentials. Schubert, beethoven, and others had already been attracted by goethes poetic depiction of a deathly still sea. Calm sea and prosperous voyage mendelssohn wikipedia. Meeresstille calm sea could lead us rapidly to an impression of. Mendelssohn overture calm sea and prosperous voyage. It was inspired by two poems of goethe and by beethovens cantata of the same name. Jun 26, 2010 goethe vertonungen goethe settings mendelssohn. Calm at sea the prosperous voyage courage my only property admonition old age epitaph rules for monarchs paulo post futuri the fools epilogue.