This song was recorded live at the Oxford Lieder Festival as part of Hugo Wolf: The Complete Songs on Stone Records.
Click here to listen to this song with Sarah-Jane Brandon and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Nachtgruss
German source:
Robert Reinick
Mond und Sterne halten Wacht,
Auf der Erd’ ein kleiner Garten
Schlummert in der Blumen Pracht.
Gute Nacht, gute Nacht!
In dem Garten steht ein Häuschen,
Still von Linden überdacht;
Draussen vor dem Erkerfenster
Hält ein Vogel singend Wacht.
Gute Nacht, gute Nacht!
In dem Erker schläft ein Mädchen,
Träumet von der Blumenpracht;
Ihr im Herzen ruht der Himmel,
D’rin die Engel halten Wacht.
Gute Nacht, gute Nacht!
Goodnight greetings
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Moon and stars are keeping watch,
On earth a little garden
Lies dormant among the glittering flowers.
Good night!
In the garden there’s a cottage
That lime-trees quietly shelter;
Before the oriel outside,
A bird keeps melodious watch.
Good night!
In the oriel a girl is sleeping,
Dreaming of the glittering flowers;
Heaven dwells within her heart,
Where the angels are keeping watch.
Good night!
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Nachtgruss
German source:
Robert Reinick
Goodnight greetings
English source:
Richard Stokes
In dem Himmel ruht die Erde,
Earth slumbers beneath the heavens,
Mond und Sterne halten Wacht,
Moon and stars are keeping watch,
Auf der Erd’ ein kleiner Garten
On earth a little garden
Schlummert in der Blumen Pracht.
Lies dormant among the glittering flowers.
Gute Nacht, gute Nacht!
Good night!
In dem Garten steht ein Häuschen,
In the garden there’s a cottage
Still von Linden überdacht;
That lime-trees quietly shelter;
Draussen vor dem Erkerfenster
Before the oriel outside,
Hält ein Vogel singend Wacht.
A bird keeps melodious watch.
Gute Nacht, gute Nacht!
Good night!
In dem Erker schläft ein Mädchen,
In the oriel a girl is sleeping,
Träumet von der Blumenpracht;
Dreaming of the glittering flowers;
Ihr im Herzen ruht der Himmel,
Heaven dwells within her heart,
D’rin die Engel halten Wacht.
Where the angels are keeping watch.
Gute Nacht, gute Nacht!
Good night!
Composer
Hugo Wolf
Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf was born on 13 March 1860, the fourth of six surviving children, in Windischgraz, Styria, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was taught the piano and violin by his father at an early age and continued to study piano at the…
Poet
Robert Reinick
Robert Reinick was a German painter and poet, associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. One of his poems, Dem Vaterland, was set to music by Hugo Wolf. Reinick was born in Danzig (Gdańsk) and died in Dresden. Taken from Wikipedia. To view…