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Rendezvous - (2009)
Erich Kurt Mühsam
for baritone and piano
Ich bin verdammt zu warten
in einem Bürgergarten
auf das geliebte Weib.
Nun sitz ich hier als Beute
gewissenloser Leute
mit breitem Unterleib.
Sie sind so froh beim Biere,
bald zwei, bald drei, bald viere -
und reden vom Geschäft.
Die Gattin spricht vom Hause,
die Töchter trinken Brause,
und Flock, das Hündchen, kläfft.
Die Kellnerinnen schwirren.
Die Tischgeschirre klirren.
Der Himmel scheint so blau.
Wie süß ist's doch, zu warten
in einem Bürgergarten
auf die geliebte Frau.[ 4 pages, circa 2' 15" ]
Erich Kurt Mühsam
I am condemned to wait
in a city park
For a beloved gal.
Now I sit as prey
of unscrupulous folk
with bulging bellies.
They are all so jolly from beer,
Soon two, then three, then four --
And blabber about their dealings.
The wife chats of house things,
The daughters drink fizzy things,
And Snowflake, the hound, yawns.
The serving wenches buzz about,
The dishes clatter and clink.
The heaven shines so blue.
How sweet to be condemned to wait
in a city park
For the beloved wife.
gb
The lover complains of having to wait for the rendezvous, but in the process of a rhapsodic complaint, comes to the opposite notion. The condemnation is actually "sweet," as the anticipation -- a feature to each rendezvous -- is experienced. The setting opens with a gesture built on the tonic major seven chord, which then becomes accompaniment to the first three lines per the structure of the text itself. In each set of three, there is some rhythmic similarity in the vocal line, though the notes change.
The intervening sets of three move away for a moment to various other tonal regions, based on the mediant and sub mediant majors, but return quickly to the tonic, a reflection of the visions which surround the lover never fully occupy his attention for long, the rising expectation of the love's arrival being foremost in his thoughts.
The score for Rendezvous is available as a free PDF download, though any major commercial performance or recording of the work is prohibited without prior arrangement with the composer. Click on the graphic below for this piano-vocal score.
