Schein uns, du liebe Sonne

[mlr]

Schein uns, du liebe Sonne,           On us, dear sun, do shine, Gib uns ein hellen Schein, Give us your brightest light, Schein uns zwei Lieb zusammen, Melt us in love together, Die gern beinander sein! Who cannot live apart.           Dort fern auf jenem Berge There on that distant mountain Lei sich ein kalter Schnee. Cold snow is falling deep. Der Schnee kann nicht zerschmelzen, A snow that cannot melt Denn Gotts Will muß ergehn. For God's will is command.           Gotts Will, der ist ergangen, God's will's become command Zerschmolzen ist der Schnee, The snow has melt away, Gott g'seg'n euch, Vater und Mutter, God bless you, father and mother, Ich seh euch nimmermerhr. I'll never see you again.

This beautiful piece was composed in 1948 by Arnold Schoenberg three years before his death in Los Angeles. How fitting that at a time of complete devastation for anyone so entwined with German culture, the inventor of 'modern' music, himself a refugee from the Third Reich, would write music so filled with tender longing for the past.

I don't know what compels me to return to the music of Schoenberg. At various times since my early twenties I have turned to his music for inspiration, challenge, and solace. This summer I suddenly find myself again obsessed.

Besides returning to pieces I know well, I have also become acquainted with the tonal music that he wrote after he immigrated to the U.S. In the midst of composing some of his late monuments of 12-tone music, he also wrote several pieces which were written in a completely tonal idiom. I had assumed that these pieces would be dry as dust and the least interesting of his music. What a shock to discover the opposite. The Second Chamber Symphony, which he had abandoned in 1906, and completed only in 1939 is a stunning work. It is as magical (and approachable) as Verklärte Nacht. The Suite for String Orchestra which was written as a commission for a student group is also lovely and easily rivals any of the famous pieces in that genre, including Tchaikovsky and Britten. I am not surprised that they are almost unknown.

Schoenberg's life itself is also inspirational to me. Last month I read a couple of related books: Allen Shawn's Arnold Schoenberg's Journey and Robert Craft's Down a Path of Wonder which contains some touching remembrances. Following the death of his first wife in 1923, Schoenberg married Gertrud Kolisch, the sister of a pupil, and started a second family. His daughter Nuria was born in Barcelona in 1932, one year before he left Europe. Two sons were born in the U.S. after that. In addition to teaching at U.S.C. and U.C.L.A., Schoenberg found the necessity of taking extra private pupils to support his young family.

His grandson, Randol, was the U.S. attorney who successfully won a suit against the government of Austria to obtain five Klimt paintings which ended up in Austrian museums after the Anschluß.

Comments

[andybr.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting this. I know Verklärte Nacht and love it but never had much time for Schoenberg's 12-tone music. I didn't know this piece and it is very beautiful. I am inspired to investigate some late Schoenberg now.