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 William Dazeley and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Ständchen ('Komm in die stille Nacht!')
German source:
Robert Reinick
Liebchen, was zögerst du?
Sonne ging längst zur Ruh’,
Welt schloss die Augen zu,
Rings nur einzig die Liebe wacht!
Liebchen, was zögerst du?
Schon sind die Sterne hell,
Schon ist der Mond zur Stell’,
Eilen so schnell, so schnell!
Liebchen, ach Liebchen, drum eil’ auch du!
Einzig die Liebe wacht,
Ruft dich allüberall.
Höre die Nachtigall,
Hör’ meiner Stimme Schall,
Liebchen, o komm in die stille Nacht!
Serenade
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Why delay, my dearest?
The sun has set long ago,
The world has closed its eyes.
Love alone keeps watch around us!
Why delay, my dearest?
Already the stars are bright,
Already the moon’s at her post,
They make such haste, such haste!
Dearest, my dearest, so make haste too!
Love alone keeps watch,
Calling for you everywhere;
Listen to the nightingale,
Listen to my voice ring out,
Dearest, O come into the silent night!
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Ständchen ('Komm in die stille Nacht!')
German source:
Robert Reinick
Serenade
English source:
Richard Stokes
Komm in die stille Nacht! –
Come into the silent night! –
Liebchen, was zögerst du?
Why delay, my dearest?
Sonne ging längst zur Ruh’,
The sun has set long ago,
Welt schloss die Augen zu,
The world has closed its eyes.
Rings nur einzig die Liebe wacht!
Love alone keeps watch around us!
Liebchen, was zögerst du?
Why delay, my dearest?
Schon sind die Sterne hell,
Already the stars are bright,
Schon ist der Mond zur Stell’,
Already the moon’s at her post,
Eilen so schnell, so schnell!
They make such haste, such haste!
Liebchen, ach Liebchen, drum eil’ auch du!
Dearest, my dearest, so make haste too!
Einzig die Liebe wacht,
Love alone keeps watch,
Ruft dich allüberall.
Calling for you everywhere;
Höre die Nachtigall,
Listen to the nightingale,
Hör’ meiner Stimme Schall,
Listen to my voice ring out,
Liebchen, o komm in die stille Nacht!
Dearest, O come into the silent 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…