Selected Songs from the Famous Poems of Goethe (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Qian Renkang Translated and Annotated
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Goethe is undoubtedly one of the most influential poets on music. His poems and dramas set to music, as well as songs composed by the poet based on folk tunes, have been widely disseminated around the world for over a century. This book collects 75 songs composed by renowned composers from various countries for Goethe's poetry (including different composers setting the same poem) and songs written by Goethe based on folk tunes. Among these, 49 songs are multiple arrangements (ranging from two to seven) of the same poem. The 75 songs selected in this book are generally arranged in chronological order of their poetic creation. Each song is accompanied by a piano accompaniment for singing from the score. The original poems of Goethe are translated into Chinese by the author, adhering to the rhyme and rhythm of the poetry and the tempo of the music. Each song is presented alongside the original text and the Chinese translation of the lyrics, along with annotations that provide historical background on the composition of the poems and music, as well as explanations of the form and content of the lyrics, for reference by the readers.