Gustav Mahler – 3rd Symphony, 5th movement (soprano and piano) with score
“Es sungen drei Engel”
Performed by Helen Neeves (soprano) and Iain Farrington (arranger/piano)
Published by Aria Editions
http://www.iainfarrington.com
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) composed his 3rd Symphony in 1893-6 while he was chief conductor at the Hamburg Stadttheater. It was premiered in Krefeld, Germany in 1902. Mahler gave each movement a programmatic title, although these were only shared with friends:
A Summer’s Midday Dream
Part One
Introduction: Pan awakens.
1. Summer marches in (Bacchic procession)
Part Two
2. What the flowers of the meadow tell me
3. What the animals of the forest tell me
4. What man tells me
5. What the angels tell me
6. What love tells me
Mahler also described the piece as ‘a major work, liberally reflecting the whole world – one is oneself only, as it were, an instrument played by the whole universe… In it Nature herself acquires a voice and tells secrets so profound that they are perhaps glimpsed only in dreams!’ The third movement is derived from Mahler’s song ‘Ablösung im Sommer’, a setting of a text from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, while the fourth movement is a setting of Nietzsche taken from ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’. Mahler draws on the Wunderhorn for the text of the fifth movement, here presented in Mahler’s own version for soprano solo. He considered adding a seventh movement, the Wunderhorn setting ‘Wir geniessen die himmlischen Freuden’, which ended up as the last movement of his Fourth Symphony.
An arrangement for solo piano of Mahler’s work brings the music close to its compositional origins. In each one of his composing ‘huts’, Mahler had a piano at his disposal. His sketches are often on two or three staves of music, and can be read directly on the piano. Mahler often played his latest works on the piano to friends and colleagues, and his early training as a pianist left him with a good virtuoso technique. By performing the music in this way, it enabled the first listeners to hear the melodies and harmonies unadorned.
Mahler also ‘recorded’ some of his music onto piano rolls: the first movement of the 5th symphony, the last movement of the 4th symphony and several songs. These demonstrate Mahler’s ‘orchestral’ piano technique, full in texture and tone, carrying the general sweep and drama of the music.
This solo piano arrangement of Symphony No. 3 is not just a literal transcription of the notes onto two staves, but a transformation into pianistic texture of the full sonic landscape. Hearing Mahler’s music in this way allows us to take in the content as ‘pure’ music. In Mahler’s lifetime, piano duet versions of the Symphonies were published, but very few for solo piano. This arrangement allows one player the opportunity to perform and study them.
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Es sungen drei Engel einen süßen Gesang,
mit Freuden es selig in dem Himmel klang.
Sie jauchzten fröhlich auch dabei:
daß Petrus sei von Sünden frei!
Und als der Herr Jesus zu Tische saß,
mit seinen zwölf Jüngern das Abendmahl aß,
da sprach der Herr Jesus: “Was stehst du denn hier?
Wenn ich dich anseh’, so weinest du mir!”
“Und sollt’ ich nicht weinen, du gütiger Gott?
Ich hab’ übertreten die zehn Gebot!
Ich gehe und weine ja bitterlich!
Ach komm und erbarme dich über mich!”
“Hast du denn übertreten die zehen Gebot,
so fall auf die Knie und bete zu Gott!
Liebe nur Gott in alle Zeit!
So wirst du erlangen die himmlische Freud’.”
Die himmlische Freud’ ist eine selige Stadt,
die himmlische Freud’, die kein Ende mehr hat!
Die himmlische Freude war Petro bereit’t,
durch Jesum und allen zur Seligkeit.
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Three angels sang a sweet song,
with blessed joy it rang in heaven.
They shouted too for joy
that Peter was free from sin!
And as Lord Jesus sat at the table
with his twelve disciples and ate the evening meal,
Lord Jesus said: “Why do you stand here?
When I look at you, you are weeping!”
“And should I not weep, kind God?
I have violated the ten commandments!
I wander and weep bitterly!
O come and take pity on me!”
“If you have violated the ten commandments,
then fall on your knees and pray to God!
Love only God for all time!
So will you gain heavenly joy.”
The heavenly joy is a blessed city,
the heavenly joy that has no end!
The heavenly joy was granted to Peter
through Jesus,
and to all mankind for eternal bliss.
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