Composer: Heinrich Marschner
Title: Songs for Baritone
Seventeen songs for baritone and three duets
for baritone and soprano
Editor: Jeffrey Williams
Poems by
Franz von Dingelstedt, A. H. Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Ferdinand Freiligrath, Emanuel von Geibel,
J. W. von Goethe, Friedrich Halm, Carl Herloßsohn, Ludwig Kalisch, Marianne Marschner, Wilhelm Müller, Wolfgang Müller, Gustav Pfarrius, and Friedrich Rückert
lf German Romantic composer, Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861), is remembered today, it is for his dark, supematural operas, Der Vampyr (1828), Der Templer und die Jüdin (1829), and Hans Heiling (1833).
Each of these operas happens to feature a baritone in the title role. This was quite uncommon for the time, and throughout his compositional life, Marschner demonstrated a particular adroitness writing for the baritone voice. These characters were "anti-heroes", much like the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni, but with a Byronic twist. Marschner was clearly drawn to this voice and character type's dramatic possibilities and it united perfectly with his propensity for the occult.
While Marschner should rightfully be remembered for his contribution to the development of German Romantic Opera, he also expended a great deal of time to the genre of art song. He composed over 420 songs and a perhaps shocking number ofthem were for the baritone voice. Marschner and his publishers specifically labeled them as such, and they frequently appeared with the vocal line in hass clef (each song in this publication does, as well). Marschner composed more songs than Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, and Robert Schumann combined, but for some reason, we do not hear them on today's concert stages. Marschner's songs give ample evidence ofhis dramatic f1air, his progressive use of chromatic harmony for his day, and his expressive flexibility. He also has a notable amount of vocal chamber music for various combinations and all three of his duets for baritone and soprano are included in this publication. Finally, Marschner set poetry by many literary figures we recognize as important: Goethe, Rückert, Müller, Geibel, von Fallersleben, and others.
Early on in Marschner's career, the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Leipzig) said of a set of his music, "The author certainly possesses an uncommon talent for discovering melodies always interesting and never ordinary. The harmony is füll, though not overbearing." Having spent much time with Marschner's music over the years, I agree with this assessment. While Marschner undeniably borrowed from Carl Maria von Weber and other greats, he had a compositional voice all his own. Similar to Marschner's operatic writing, his songs feature vocal line leaps of an octave and more, the frequent use of triplets, a special brand of melodiousness, and the assurance that no matter where you are in a given work, you are never far from a diminished chord. You'11 see and hear the vigorous dramatic tension in "Ballade vom Ritter Hugo", the witty, character-driven charm in "Geständniss", the ardent religious fervor in "Gebet", the deep German longing in "Der deutsche Wald, das deutsche Herz", and the skillful thematic development and counterpoint in "Trost beim Abschied".
Classical Vocal Reprints already carried 62 Marschner songs since acquiring Recital Publications, but each song in this edition is new to Classical Vocal Reprints. Each song has a corresponding page with background information as well as the text in the three-line Phonetic-Translation system format made famous by Leyerle Publications. You'11 find that there are songs appropriate for all levels in this edition: beginning student to professional. This serves as the sheet music companion to Centaur Records (CRC 3846) Heinrich Marschner: Songs for Baritone featuring Jeffrey Williams, baritone, Jennifer McGuire, piano, and Sangeetha Ekambaram, soprano. I hope you enjoy these songs.
Jeffrey Williams
Table of Contents
Ballade vom Ritter Hugo, op. 190, no. 3............................................................ 1
Geständniss, op. 51, no. 1................................................................................. 8
Leb' wohl, Therese!, op. 128, no. 3.................................................................. 15
Die Vertraute, op. 151, no. 4............................................................................. 20
Verloren, op. 123, no. 1.................................................................................... 28
Gebet, op. 154, no. 1......................................................................................... 36
Eine dunkle Stunde, op. 151, no. 3.................................................................. 44
Herbstlied, op. 154, no. 4.................................................................................. 48
Der deutsche Wald, das deutsche Herz, op. 185, no. 1.................................... 53
Des Harfners Klage, op. 160, no. 4.................................................................. 59
Ungleiche Theilung, op. 151, no. 5................................................................... 63
Doppelte Gefahr, op. 68, no. 6........................................................................... 66
Das sehnende Herz, op. 162, no. 6.................................................................. 75
Ermuthigung, op. 185, no. 2.............................................................................. 81
Aufforderung, op. 94, no. 2................................................................................ 89
Um Mitternacht, op. 128, no. 4........................................................................... 94
Treue, op. 151, no. l......................................................................................... 100
DUETS FOR BARITONE AND SOPRANO
Tarantella, op. 154, no. 1................................................................................ 105
Corsarenliebe, op. 154, no. 2.......................................................................... 122
Trost beim Abschied, op. 154, no. 3............................................................... 140
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