Eight Songs op. 43
for high or medium voice and piano
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No. 1 Zwischen zwei Nächten
Text: Gustav Falke
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No. 2 Müde
Text: Gustav Falke
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No. 3 Meinem Kinde
Text: Gustav Falke
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No. 4 Abschied
Text: Oskar Wiener
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No. 5 Wiegenlied
Text: Richard Dehmel
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No. 6 Die Betrogene spricht
Text: Anna Ritter
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No. 7 Mein Herz
Text: Oskar Wiener
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No. 8 Sag es nicht
Text: Oskar Wiener
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1.
| Reger-Werkausgabe | Bd. II/2: Lieder II, S. 34–54. |
| Herausgeber | Stefan König, Dennis Ried. Unter Mitarbeit von Alexander Becker, Nikolaos Beer und Christopher Grafschmidt. |
| Verlag | Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart; Verlagsnummer: CV 52.809. |
| Erscheinungsdatum | Oktober 2021. |
| Notensatz | Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart. |
| Copyright | 2021 by Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart and Max-Reger-Institut, Karlsruhe – CV 52.809. Vervielfältigungen jeglicher Art sind gesetzlich verboten. / Any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited by law. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. / All rights reserved. |
| ISMN | M-007-24652-5. |
| ISBN | 978-3-89948-404-5. |
No. 1 Zwischen zwei Nächten
Gustav Falke: Zwischen zwei Nächten, in:
id.: Zwischen zwei Nächten. Neue Gedichte, J. G. Cotta’sche Buchhandlung Nachfolger, Stuttgart
[Probably] First edition
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Karlsruhe, Max-Reger-Institut/Elsa-Reger-Stiftung.
Note: In Regers Besitz.
Note: Reger hatte aus Falkes Gedichtsammlung kurz zuvor das Gedicht “Schweigen” für gemischten Chor vertont (Op. 39 Nr. 3). Das Gedicht selbst hatte er in der Anthologie Sonnenblumen entdeckt und sich daraufhin die Bände Tanz und Andacht (1893), Zwischen zwei Nächten und Mit dem Leben angeschafft.
No. 2 Müde
by Gustav Falke
Gustav Falke: Müde, in:
id.: Zwischen zwei Nächten. Neue Gedichte, J. G. Cotta’sche Buchhandlung Nachfolger, Stuttgart
[Probably] First edition
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Karlsruhe, Max-Reger-Institut/Elsa-Reger-Stiftung.
Note: In Regers Besitz.
No. 3 Meinem Kinde
Gustav Falke: Meinem Kinde, in:
id.: Tanz und Andacht. Gedichte aus Tag und Traum, Dr. E. Albert & Co., München
First edition
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Karlsruhe, Max-Reger-Institut/Elsa-Reger-Stiftung.
Note: Die Erstausgabe war in Regers Besitz. In seinem 1904 erschienenen Aufsatz Hugo Wolfs künstlerischer Nachlass (RWV Schriften A3) zitiert er daraus auszugsweise das Gedicht die Die Peitsche euch! (Vgl. Hugo Wolfs künstlerischer Nachlass, zitiert nach der Originalfassung als Faksimile des Autographs (Max-Reger-Institut, Karlsruhe, Signatur: D. Ms. 100) in Mitteilungen des Max-Reger-Instituts, Bonn, im Auftrage des Kuratoriums des Max-Reger-Instituts hrsg. von Ottmar Schreiber, Heft 15 (Mai 1966), S. 38.)
Note: Reger kannte den Text auch durch Richard Strauss’ Vertonung von 1897 (Sechs Lieder op. 37 Nr. 3), die er im März 1899 für Klavier solo übertragen hatte (RWV Strauss-B1 Nr. 6).
No. 4 Abschied
Oskar Wiener: Abschied, in:
id.: Gedichte, Schuster & Loeffler, Berlin
[Probably] First edition
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Yo 27682 M.
Note: Der Band enthält alle vier von Reger vertonten Wiener-Gedichte.
No. 5 Wiegenlied
Richard Dehmel: Wiegenlied, in:
id.: Lebensblätter. Gedichte und Anderes, Verlag der Genossenschaft PAN, Berlin
[Probably] First edition
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Karlsruhe, Max-Reger-Institut/Elsa-Reger-Stiftung.
Note: In der Erstausgabe mit Widmung: “Für die kleine Abel Liliencron”.
Note: Die Vertonung von Richard Strauss (Acht Lieder op. 49 Nr. 3) entstand nach der Reger’schen.
No. 6 Die Betrogene spricht
unknown
No. 7 Mein Herz
Oskar Wiener: Mein Herz, in:
id.: Gedichte, Schuster & Loeffler, Berlin
[Probably] First edition
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Yo 27682 M.
Note: Der Band enthält alle vier von Reger vertonten Wiener-Gedichte.
No. 8 Sag es nicht
Oskar Wiener: Sag es nicht, in:
id.: Gedichte, Schuster & Loeffler, Berlin
[Probably] First edition
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Yo 27682 M.
Note: Der Band enthält alle vier von Reger vertonten Wiener-Gedichte.
1. Composition
1.1.
In mid-August 1899, whilst he was still preoccupied with the completion of the song collections opp.35 and 37, Reger again asked Ernst Guder for “a few beautiful poems to set to music” (letter dated 18 August 1899) For the new collection of Eight Songs op. 43 his choice fell exclusively on contemporary sources: alongside Richard Dehmel and Gustav Falke, the Prague writer Oskar Wiener is represented for the first time with three poems. In his op. 31 , Reger had drawn exclusively on poems by Anna Ritter.1 The poem Die Betrogene spricht (no. 6), which was not published in any of her collections, could have been specially written for Reger to set.
On 12 October the song , which opens the collection, was completed.2 After that, the composition was interrupted for a while, presumably in favor of other works (Three Choruses op. 39, Four Sonatas for violin solo op. 42). On 14 November Reger then informed Josef Loritz: “Since last Saturday I have written another 5 new songs, one of which I would again like to dedicate to you; by 9 December there will probably be 7 pieces & we can then try these out straight away. (that is op 42.).” (Letter )3 By the end of November, that is before the run-through he referred to in Weiden, he finally informed his friend: “Eight new songs op 42 are ready / already sold to Aibl.” (Postcard dated end of November 1899)
2. Publication
2.1.
On 15 December Reger submitted the engraver’s copy, together with other manuscripts (opp. 38 to 44) to the publisher as op. 424. When signing the publisher’s contract and the royalty receipt statement on 17 December he changed the opus number to 43.5 The assembled jobs were worked through by the engravers, and on 6 April 1900 Reger was able to report that he had “already dealt with the proof-reading!” of opp. 39 to 44. (Letter to Emil Krause) Although in mid-month he thought that the first printed editions would only be ready “in 8 weeks” (Letter dated 16 April 1900 to Ella Kerndl), he was in fact able to send a gratis copy to the critic Alexander W. Gottschalg on 1 May. Reger added the explanatory comment: “The 8 songs op 43 are, depending on the poetic source, often also very difficult! A very musical singer & sensitive accompanist will always be needed. However, as much as it is clear to me that with such works I will gain little popularity – with the best will in the world I cannot give up my demands on the performers, my way of writing, I want to achieve that which I have in mind artistically.” (Letter) He also told Georg Göhler, the reviewer and conductor of the Leipzig Riedelverein: “The songs often have a difficult accompaniment – but I have tried out everything practically with singers, & the singer is never drowned out”. (Letter dated 17 May 1900)
In order to emphasize his high aspirations, Reger dedicated the individual songs to successful artists, as he had done earlier with opp. 35 and 37. These included the soprano Lilli Lehmann (no. 5)6, who had become famous through her appearances in Mozart and Wagner operas, and the baritone Karl Scheidemantel (no. 1), whom the fifteen-year-old Reger had heard in 1888 at the Bayreuth Festival as Amfortas in Parsifal. The latter was surprised by the composer’s dedication, who asked him “to kindly forgive this ‘rapacious assault’ & to accept the dedication!” (Letter dated 2 May 1900) Reger, “one of the most productive writers of dedications of his time”7, hoped to win over these prominent personalities in this way as promoters, and above all, as performers of his works. In the case of op. 43, at least, this strategy was not successful: with the exception of Loritz and Maria Hösl, who had previously introduced Reger’s songs into the repertoire, none of the dedicatees performed his works in public.
But there were other requests: for the alto Iduna Walter-Choinanus, Reger made transpositions of Meinem Kinde (from A flat major to G flat major) and Wiegenlied (from E flat major to C major). He performed both songs with the singer in Munich at the end of 1902.
3.
Translation by Elizabeth Robinson.
1. Reception
At present, there are no records of performances in Reger's time.
1. Stemma
2. Quellenbewertung
Der Edition liegt als Leitquelle grundsätzlich der Erstdruck zugrunde. Im Bereich der Vortragsanweisungen wurde dennoch oftmals den Lesarten der Stichvorlagen der Vorzug gegeben (siehe Zu den editorischen Besonderheiten dieses Bandes). Die auf Basis des Erstdrucks erstellte autographe Transposition der Nr. 3 Meinem Kinde war für die Edition der Originalfassung zumindest in drei Fällen bei Tonfragen relevant (T. 14, 18 und 14); die Transposition der Nr. 5 Wiegenlied spielte für die Originalfassung hingegen eine untergeordnete Rolle. Ebenfalls von geringer Bedeutung waren die Entwürfe (Nr. 1 und 5), die Quellen der später entstandenen Fassung für Singstimme und Orchester der Nr. 5 (1915; Stichvorlage und Erstdruck) sowie Josef Regers vom Komponisten autorisierte Bearbeitung für Harmonium der Nrn. 3 und 8 (1903).
3. Sources
Object reference
Max Reger: Eight Songs op. 43, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/mri_work_00044.html, version 3.1.4, 11th April 2025.
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