Loewe - Two Ballads

Carl Loewe composed in most of the genres of his day, but he is most remembered for his over 400 songs for voice and piano. He was called the Schubert of North Germany, and exerted a great influence on German lieder composers in the 19th century.  Loewe was also a fine pianist as well as baritone, conductor and composer, and his songs are known for the imaginative effects in the  accompaniments.  His ballads were very popular in the 19th century, especially in Germany where they remain in the lied repertoire.  With the coming of modern scholarship and recordings, Loewe's music is being heard more often outside Germany.

The text for the ballad Edward Opus 1, No. 1 originated in the British Isles. There are many versions of this poem in England, Scotland, and Ireland and there are also very similar ballads in Northern Europe.  The poem was many centuries old before it was put on paper in 1765.  The German poet Johann Gottfried Herder translated the poem to German, the version Loewe used in his setting of the poem.

The poem is a dialogue between Edward and his Mother. After his Mother presses him where the blood on his sword came from, Edward confesses that he has killed his father. After the Mother continues to ask questions, this time about what will happen to his wife, children, towers and house, his Mother asks what will he do for his Mother dear. Edward replies she will recieve the curse of hell, and it is then that he accuses his Mother of counseling him to murder his father. 

Edward

"Why does your sword drip with blood,

Edward, Edward?

Why does your sword drip with blood

And why are you so sad, O?"

"O, I have killed my hawk so good,

Mother, Mother;

O, I have killed my hawk so good,

And I have no more, O!"

"Your hawk's blood was never so red,

Edward, Edward!

Your hawk's blood was never so red,

My dear son, I tell you, O!"

"O, I have killed my red-roan steed,

Mother, Mother;

O, I have killed my red-roan steed,

That was once so fair and free, O!"

"Your steed was old, and you have more,

Edward, Edward!

Your steed was old, and you have more,

Something else troubles you, O!"

"O, I have slain my father dear,

Mother, Mother;

O, I have slain my father dear,

Alas and woe is me, O!"

"And what penance will you do for that,

Edward, Edward?

And what penance will you do for that,

My dear son, now tell me, O!"

"I'll set my feet in yonder boat,

Mother, Mother;

I'll set my feet in yonder boat,

And I'll go over the sea, O."

"And what will you do with your towers and house,

Edward, Edward?

And what will you do with your towers and house

That were so fair to see, O?"

"I'll let them stand till they fall down,

Mother, Mother;

I'll let them stand till they fall down,

For here will I never be, O."

"And what will you leave to your children and wife,

Edward, Edward?

And what will you leave to your children and wife,

When you go over the sea, O?"

"The world has room, let them beg through life,

Mother, Mother;

The world has room, let them beg through life,

For never more will I see them, O."

"And what will you leave to your mother dear,

Edward, Edward?

And what will you leave to your mother dear,

My dear son, now tell me, O!"

"The curse of hell from me shall ye bear,

Mother, Mother;

The curse of hell from me shall ye bear,

For the counsel you gave to me, O!"

The link below is of the German bass Kurt Moll singing the ballad with an orchestral accompaniment:

Moll's interpretation is classic, and his deep bass voice suits the music quite well. At the other end of the spectrum is the 1932 version done by Lawrence Tibbett. This version uses the original piano accompaniment. Tibbett also sings in the dialect that the poem was written in when published in 1765.  In comparison to Moll's more contemporary interpretation, Tibbett's is much more free musically in tempo and is over the top dramatically, some might even say to the point of going too far. But his version is certainly not boring:

Totendanz, Opus 44, No. 3 is set to parts of a poem by Johann Goethe who wrote the poem in 1813.  The poem is not only in the tradition of the dance of death that runs through European culture for centuries (an aftermath of the changes in society created by the Black Death ), but Goethe infuses it with some black humor as a night watchman at first just watches the skeletons shed their shrouds and dance. But a voice whispers in his ear to take one of the shrouds, which he does. As the skeletons end their dance, they all grab their shrouds and go back to their graves except for the one that had his shroud taken by the watchman.  The skeleton climbs up the tower wall, and as it corners the watchman, bells toll out and save the watchman as the skeleton shatters into pieces.

Totendanz

At dead of night the watchman on the tower

looks down on the row of graves.

The moon has made everything bright,

the churchyard is as if in daylight.

One grave stirs, then another;

out they come, here a woman, 

there a man, in white

trailing winding sheets.

Now intent on pleasure, they stretch

their bones in around dance.

Poor and young, old and rich,

their trains hinder their dance.

Since they have no need of shame,

they all shake them off and the 

shrouds lie scattered 

over the burial mounds.

Now shanks stir and legs totter,

there are crazy antics and 

now and then clicks and clacks

as if castanets were beating time. 

To the watchman it seems ludicrous,

and the artful Tempter whispers in his ear,

"Go out and seize one of the shrouds!" No sooner said

than done, and he retreats behind hallowed doors.

The moon shines brightly on the hideous dance,

but at last  they disperse, and  one by one

slip back into their clothes and scurry

back under the turf.

Finally only one is left, tripping and stumbling,

fumbling and groping at the graves,

but none of hiss fellows has wronged him.

He smells the grave cloth in the air. 

He rattles the tower gate, but is repulsed,

fortunatley for the watchman,

by holy ornaments

shining with metal crosses.

But he has to have his shroud and will not rest,

nor is there time for lengthy reflection.

The creature grasps the Gothic decorations

and clambers from coping to coping.

Poor watchman, he's done for now!

Up it climbs from turret to turret like a long legged spider.

The watchman blenches and trembles, gladly

would he give the shroud back! Now -can anything save the watchman!

A corner of the shroud catches on an iron spike,

already the moon is clouded over, the light fades,

the bell thunders out a mighty stroke of ONE!...

And the skeleton is dashed to pieces below.

Loewe - Sir Olaf Opus 2, No. 2

The Erlking (Erlkönig in German)  is a Scandinavian folktale that was introduced to Germany in the 18th century and is most closely associated with the poem written by Johann Goethe in 1782 and set to music by Franz Schubert.  Goethe's Erlking poem was inspired by a translation by Johann Herder of a much older poem originally published in 1739 in Denmark. Scholars reckon that the original Danish poem dates from sometime in the Middle ages, which in turn may have been passed down from old Breton legends.

Johann Herder

The poem that Herder translated didn't deal with the Erlking directly, but with the Erlking's daughter. The Danish poem was known as Oluf han rider, (Olaf he rides).  The ballad tells of Sir Olaf riding through the woods to his wedding. On the way he meets a group of elves dancing in the forest and the Erlking's daughter repeatedly asks him to dance with her. Olaf refuses repeatedly her offers of gold until the Erlking's daughter becomes angry and strikes him a painful blow. Sir Olaf makes it back to his home and mother. The next morning Olaf is found by his bride dead under his red cloak.

Carl Loewe set the poem in 1821 and it was published in 1824 in his opus 2 set of songs. Loewe was a well regarded baritone singer as well as a composer and conductor. He wrote in many different genres but was most well known for over 400 songs.  The beginning of the 21st century has seen an increased interest in Loewe and his songs, especially in Germany.

SIR OLAF
Sir Olaf rides late and far to
summon his wedding guests.
Elves are dancing on a green bank,
and the Erlking's daughter offers him her hand.
"Welcome, Sir Olaf, come dance with me
and I will give you golden spurs."

"I cannot dance, I do not wish to dance - for tomorrow is my wedding-day."
"Come closer, Sir Olaf, come dance with me,
and I will give you a shirt of silk, a shirt of silk so white and fine -
my mother bleached it with moonbeams!"
"I may not dance, I do not wish to dance -
for tomorrow is my wedding-day."

"Come closer, Sir Olaf, come dance with me
and I will give you a heap of gold."
"A heap of gold I would gladly take,
but I cannot and should not dance with you."
"If you will not dance with me, Sir Olaf,
then plague and sickness will follow you!"

She dealt him a blow to the heart,
and all his life he had never felt such pain.
Then she heaved him up upon his horse:
"Ride home to your worthy lady then!"
And when he came to the door to his house,
his mother, trembling, stood before him.

"Tell me, my son, and tell me true,
Why are you so pale and sick?"
"And should I not be pale and sick?
I was in the Erlking's realm."
"Tell me, my son, so dear, What should I tell your bride?"
"Tell her that I rode to the wood,
To test my horse and hound."

At early morning when day had hardly dawned,
his bride arrived with the wedding crowd. They poured mead and wine:
"Where is Sir Olaf, my bridegroom?"
"Sir Olaf rode to the wood,
To test his horse and hound."
The bride lifted up the cloth scarlet red,
Under it lay Sir Olaf: he was dead.

Loewe - Symphony No. 1 In D Minor

Carl Loewe came to be known as  'The Schubert of North Germany' and was born in 1796. He was especially known for his songs and ballads but was also a singer, conductor, and composer of other types of music. The quality of his vocal music caused Richard Wagner (known for his withering condemnations of many of his contemporary composers) to comment that Loewe was a serious German master that used the German language with meaning, and who could not be overly revered.

Loewe received his first instruction in music from his father who was the village cantor. While he was a choir boy he had a high soprano voice that became a baritone after his voice broke. While Loewe was in the choir at the Marktkirche in Halle, his talent so impressed the Kappelmeister Daniel Gottlob Türk that he took the lad into his home as a private pupil. After the death of Türk he managed to obtain a scholarship at the local university where he majored in theology and philosophy. He had already written an opera and some songs by this time.

After his schooling was over in 1819 he left Halle to do some traveling and met Goethe, Hummel and Weber. In 1820 he was invited to apply for a teaching post at the Gymnasium and seminary in  Stettin, Prussia ( after World War Two this town was renamed Szczecin and is now in  Poland). He passed the examinations, won the position and stayed there the rest of his working life. A year later he was appointed the royal and municipal musical directorship and became organist for the local church. He began concert touring as a singer, pianist and conductor in the 1840's and appeared in Vienna, London, Scandinavia and Paris. He was said to have a fine baritone voice and a commanding stage presence.

As a conductor he conducted the premiere of Mendelssohn's Overture To A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1827, and did most of his composing in the years he was in Stettin. He wrote chamber music, music for piano solo, cantatas, operas, and over 400 songs and ballads for voice. He also wrote two symphonies, the second in E minor had its first performance in 170 years in 2004. His first symphony in D minor is in 4 movements:
I. Allegro maestoso - The movement begins with a strong D minor chord from the full orchestra, followed by the dramatic first theme. A shorter, more lyrical second theme in a major key played in the woodwinds, appears and is soon swallowed up by the repetition of the first theme as the exposition is repeated. The development section expands on pieces of the first theme, along with fragments of the second theme. After the short development section the recapitulation begins with the repeating of the first theme with modulations that lead into the second theme in a different major key than before. The first theme returns in a short coda that throws the ending back to the dramatic. A sonata form movement with bold themes, terse and concentrated in mood.

II. Scherzo - Vivace - A strongly rhythmic scherzo in the minor that turns fugal for a brief sequence before it returns to the opening material. The entire scherzo is repeated, the trio enters with statements from the woodwinds that are commented on by the strings. The trio is short, and the scherzo is repeated in full.

III. Andante grazioso - A short intermezzo with apparently not too much to say, perhaps the weakest movement in the symphony, but it does show Loewe's lyrical side.

IV. Adagio espressivo -  The opening of the finale is the closest thing to a slow movement this symphony has. A gentle theme leisurely unwinds. The next section has the strings play pizzicato, then the theme begins at a quicker pace with a counter melody played with it. A second theme is begun in the oboe, then with the full orchestra. The first theme returns with the woodwinds and returns to a slower pace. The theme repeats in different combinations of instruments. A fugal rendition of the theme is next heard in the strings and continues with woodwinds. The theme appears in the flute, once again in the major. The second theme is heard again, the full orchestra once again plays the theme and the movement builds to the final statement of the theme and after a short coda the movement ends.

Loewe resigned his positions in Stettin after 46 years of service due to poor health. He moved back to Germany and died of a stroke in 1869. As a curious aside, in 2012 while renovations were being done on a pillar in the cathedral in Stettin where Loewe was an organist, an urn was found inside the pillar that was thought to contain the heart of Loewe. A commission was appointed to investigate, and after examining documents and inscriptions on the pillar, it was determined that the urn did indeed contain the heart of the composer.