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CARL NIELSEN
(1865- 1931)
Completeworks for a cappellachoir
Canzone-Koret
conductedby FransRasmussen
Notesby
Torben Schousboe
o1984
Booklet to accompany Danacord DACOCD 368
3
4 SANGE FORMANDSKOR
Four songs for male choir (page14)
[1]
, , D e t b 6 d e sd e rfo ri l a n g e A r" ( Fs3D1887
"A moment of pleasure,Ar age of pain"
J.P.Jacobsen,
1875
T T BB 0:53
[ 2]
L a n g s el (,,Ih vo rj e g e n d sl a a er Oiethen") ( FS3m ) 1887
Jean ("Of a' the airts the wind can blaw")
RobertBurns;ovenataf Caralis,1868
T T BB 0:59
[3]
, , By d m i g a tl e ve " (F S 3 t)1 8 8 7
To Althea, who may mmmand him Alything
RobertHerick; oversataf Caralis,1868
T T BB 0:35
[4]
, , F o r d r o mte j e g fa sth ve re n e steNat"( FS3u) 1887
"Earlier I dreamt every single night"
J. P. Jacobseq1866-67
T T BB 0:39
[5]
Greshoppen(,,GrashoppensidderpaaEngen")(FS161)1899
The Grasshopper("The grasshoppersits in the meadow") (a -ti)
B. S. Ingemann,1845
[ 6]
Edderkoppens Sang af,,Aladdin"
(,,Betragt mit svage Spind!") (FS 27) 1899
The Spider's Song from "Aladdin"
("Irok at my delicate webl") (p, i6)
AdamOehlenschliger,
1805
[7]
Sang til Kolding Iatinskoles Majfest
(,,Kom blankeste Sol!") (FS 28) 1901
Song for the May Festival of Kolding Grammar School
("Come, bright sun!") (p, 17)
LauddsL. Thura.1730
SS 0:37
SSA 1:49
SSA 1:06
[8]
Morten Bprups Majvise (,,Frydeligt med Jubelkor") (FS 34 a) 1906
Morten Bprup's May Song ("Joyously, with jubilmt choils") (p, 17)
MortenBorup;ove$ataf Fr. Moth,1895
[9]
Sidskensang(,, Du er, min Tro, en underlig Pog") (FS 40) 1906
Song of the Siskin ("You are, faith, a shange lad") @,18)
Emil Aarestrup,1838
SSAT 2:02
[10]
Serenade(,,Gerne vi lytter") 1907
Serenade("We listen happily") (p, 20)
HotherPloug,1907
SATB 3:01
[11]
,,Kom, Gudsengel, stille Dod!" (FS 41) 1907
"Come, 419"1 o1 6od, tranquil Death!" (p,2t)
Emil Aarestrup,1839
[12]
Aftenstemning(,,AltSkovensigfordunkler")(FS48)1908
Evening Mood ("Already the forest darkens") (p, 22)
MatthiasClaudius,1779;oversataf CarstenHauch,1838/1842
SSA 1:56
ATB 3:02
TTBB 2:19
llte Februar 1909 (FS 49) 1909 (p,2z)
[13]
[14]
,,Hvorlivetikkel9fter"
"Where life itself won't carry"
,,Fra Klokkemes Malme"
"From the ringing of the bells"
L. C. Nielsen,1909
TTBB 2:14
TTBB 2:10
[15]
Til Snapseni "Bel Canto" (,,Endsk6nt jeg ganske sikkert ved") (FS 53) 1909
Song for the Snaps at the "Bel Canto" ("Although I know for swe") 1p,zt1
AageBerntsen,1909
TTBB 0:13
[lfl
Paaske-Liljen (,,Paaskeblomstl en Draabe stark") (FS 59) 1910
The Daffodil ("Daffodil! One strong drop") (p,25)
N.F.S.Grundtvig,
1817
TTBB 2:49
[lfl
BgrnehjalpsdagensSang(,,ViBOrn,viB@rn,vivaagner")(FS62)1911
SA,TTBB 1:55
Song for Children's Relief Day ("We children, we children awaken") 1p,221
JohamesJorgensetr'
1911
[18]
,,Fredlys din Jord, du danske Mandl" (FS 69) 1914
"Protect Your Land, Oh Danish Matl" (p,28)
AndersW. Holm,1914
ll9l
, , A t , J u l e sn e fra B e th l e h e m" (FS67) 1914
"Oh, Christmas Snow From Bethlehem" (p,29)
Johannes
J@rgensen,
1907
SopranoSolo:ElisabethRehling
[20]
,,Hil dig, vor Fane!" (FS 73) 1915
"Hail to Thee, Our Banner!" 1p,.]07
N.F.S.Grundtvig,1837
TTBB 2:02
[ 21]
, , D e r e r e tyn d i g tkn d " (F S 1 1 0 )1924
"There Is a Lovely Land" (p,-11l
AdamOehlenschleger,
18l9?/l823
SAT T B 1:50
[22]
Hymne til Livet (,,Himmelkaftens Hene") (FS 113) 1924?
Hymn to Life ("Lord of the heavenly force") (p, 32)
SophusMichaelis
SS,4A -l:55
[23]
Foraarssang(,,Vaaren! Vaaren er i Brudd!') (FS I 18) 1926
Spring Song ("Springtime! Spring is awakening!") (p,32,
MofrenBorup;oversataf MarinusBorup,1918
SATB 2:49
TO SKOLESANGE (FS 138) 1929
Two School Songs (p, J4)
[24] ,,Blomsterstov fra Blomsterb8ger"
"Pollen from the calyx"
[25]
,,NuerforstakketTidforbi"
"Now for a bricf time it's over"
Viggo Stuckcnberg,
1901
TTBB 2:54
S +T T BB
2:33
SATB 2:31
SATB 1:41
TRE MOTETTER
op. 55 (FS 739) 1.929
Three Motets op.55 (p,-17)
[26] "Afflictus sum"
Ps.XXXVII,9
[2fl
"Dominus regit me"
Ps.XXII, 1-2
[28]
"BenedictusDominus"
Ps.XXX.22
[29]
Til min F6depl (,,Blidt vugges du i Himmelseng") (FS 144) 1929
To the Isle of my Birth ("Gently you rock in your heavenly bed") (p, 281
1929
S. P. Raben-Korch,
6 KANONER (FS 152) 1930
Six Canons (p, -19)
[30] Bokserne(,,Ve'dusla'mej?")
The Boxers ("Would you hit me?")
CarlNielsen
ATTB 6:05
SATB 3:33
SSATB1:58
TTBB 2:55
TTI 0:31
[31]
,,Traadenbrister, Rokken staaer"
"The tread snaps,the spinning wheel stops"
H. C. Ande6en,1831
B2l
,,Yngtet,legbeder, hold op"
"Watchman, I beg you, please stop"
LudvigHolbcrg,1737;oversataf SigurdMiiller, 1902
TB 0:45
[33]
,,Ikke det altid slaar til"
"It isn't always the case"
LudvigHolberg,1737;ovenataf SigurdMiiller, 1902
SSS 0:25
[34]
,,Du skal le ad @deleggelse"
"At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh"
JobsBog V, 22-23
AT 1:03
[35]
,,Stilhed og M6rke"
"Silence and dark"
CarlNielsen,1903
SSS 0;4-l
SS 1:06
[36]
SjOlundsSangere(,,Paa Sjolunds fagre, sommerskgnne@"") (FS 154) 1930
The Singers of Sj6lund ("On the beautitul, summer island of SjOlund") 1p,,ro;
Karl Elnegaard
[37]
Kantate til Dansk Ligbrcndingsforenings 50 Aars Jubileum
( , , A f F l amme b l e vd u a vl e t" )(Fs149) 1931
SSAT B 1:54
Cantata for the Danish Cremation Union's 50th Alniversary
("By flames were you begotten") (p, 47)
Sophus
Michaelis,1931
(Dueto tholimitiedplayingtime of thecompactdisconly stanza1 andstava 4 havebeenincluded)
[38]
Kvadet om Nordens Harpe (,,Nordens herlige Harpe!) (FS 158) 1931
The Poem of the Harp of the North ("The glorious Harp of the Northl") (p, a2)
AageBemtsen,1931
SATTB 2:03
TTBB 3:11
CANZONE-KORET
FransRasmussen,
conductor
Recorded at Store-Heddinge Church, October 1983 - April 1984
Recording Engineer, Musical advisor and Producer: Torben Schousboe
Executive producer: JesperBuhl
The original recordings were first releasedon LP Dansk Musik Antologi/Danacord D.M.A. 06'11062afi
made possible through a generous support from: Carl Nielsens og Anne Marie Carl-Nielsens Legat and
from Fonden af 28 .9. 1972 vlbajesteretssagfOrer
Ole Gangsted-Rasmussen.
Thanks also to Gangstedfonden
The FS numbers here and in the Nielsen Chronology refer to the bibliography
Carl Nielsen: Kompositioner. En bibliografi ved Dan Fog i samarbejdc med Torben Schousboe
(Copenhagen 1965)
NIELSEN
Significant Events
Cail August Nielsen born, 9 June,
at Sortelung near Norre Lyndelse on Funen
CN composes his first tunos
Military musician in Odcnse 1879-83
Pupil at the Copenhagen Music Conservatory
(violin) (V.Tofte, N.W.Gade, O.Rosenhoff)
Deputizes in various Copenhagen orchestras
and plays chamber music (violin)
Private music teacher (piano)
CHRONOLOGY
Year
Works for
a cappella choir
Other compositions
(selection)
1865
t8'74-'t5
r8't9
1881
1882-83
1884-86
Polka for violin
1887
Andante tranquillo e
Scherzo for Strings
Violin Sonata No.1 in G
Ouartetto No.1 in d
"Det bades der for"
("4 moment of pleasule, an age ofpain")
(FS 3 U ffBB
Continues studies with Orla Rosenhoff
1888
Second violinist at the Royal Orchestra in
Copenhagen 1889-1905
Journey to Dresden, Iripzig, Berlin,
Paris and Italy
Maries Anne Maie Brodersen in Paris
Journey to Berlin and Wien, meets Brahms
Journeyto Italy 1899-1900
1889
"Lengsel" ("Jean"1 @S 3 m)
"Bid me to liw" (FS 3 I)TTBB
"Earlier I tlreamt every single night" (FS 3 u)
String Quartet in F
String Quartef in g
(revised as op.13)
String Quintct in G
Littlo Suite op.1
Fantasy Pieces op.2
TTBB
TTBB
1890-91
Five Piano Pieces op.3
String Quafret op.5
Songs opp.4 and 6
Symphony no.1 performed
Symphonic Suite op.8
Songsop.l0
1895
Violin Sonata op.9 in A
1896-97
Humoresque-Bagatelles
ibr Piano op. l l
"Hymnus Anoris" op.12
1898
String Quartet op.1.1
1899 The Crasshopper (FS 161)
The Spi.ler's Song from "Aladdin" (FS 27)
1891
1894
9
JS
ss,{
Annual state pension
1901
Journey to Athens
Deputy conductor at the Royal Theatre
Resigns as a violinist from the Royal
Orchestm
Song for the May Festival of Kolding
Grammar School (FS 28)
"Saul and David",opera
1902
Symphony no.2 op.1
1903
"Helios" Overfure op.17
1904
"Sleep" op.18
"Maskarade", opera
1904-06
SSA
1905
1906
1907
Morteil B4rup's May Song (FS 34 a)
"Thou Danish Man"
String Quafret op.44 in F
"Hr. Oluf han rider:',
incidental music
Song of the Siskin (FS 10)
Serenatle
Strophic Songs op. 21
SSA
SSAT
SATB
r-rr(1901-07)
Second conductor at the Roval Theatre 1908-14
1908
1909
Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen work
Celle 1910-14
lrequently in
1910
"Come,AngelofGod,tranquilDeath
(F541)
"Saga-Drom"
University Cantata
Evening Mood (FS 18)
11th February 1909 (FS 49):
"Were life itself won't catry
" From the ringing of the bells"
Cantata for the National
Exhibition at Aarhus
Song for the Snaps at the "Bel Canto" (FS 53)
The Daffodil (FS 59)
1910-11
Symphony no.3
19l1
Song fol Chikben's ReliefDay (FS 62)
Violin Concerto op.33
Joumey to Amsterdam (conducts Symphony no. 3) I9I2
Violin Sonata op.35
Several concen joumeys abroad during the
following years
Music for "A Midsummer
1913
Eve Play"
Fredeik Rung dies
l9I4
Hymn tunes
Resignation from the Royal Theatre
Serenalaio vano
"Protectyourland,ohDanishman!" (FS69)
First World War
10
ATB
TTBB
TTBB
TTBB
TTBB
SA,TTBB
TTBB
Collaboration with Thomas Laub
Conductor for the "Musitforeningen" 1915-27
Teacher at the Copenhagen Music ConseFatory
1915-31
CN and AMCN live periodically apart 1915-22
1915
1916
1917
Deputy conductor in Gdteborg 1918-22
Concertjourneys to Amsterdam
Journey to Spain and Hungary
1918
1919
1920
1.921
Concerts in Berlin
Concerts in Irndon
Celebration of Nielsen's 60th anniversary
Joumey to Italy and Paris
Conductor at the first orchestral concefi
of the Danish State Radio
Recreational journey to Menton and Nauheim
Autobiography "My Childhood"
Member of the jury ofthe international
Schubert competition
Concerts in Stocklolm
1925
1926
A Score ofDanish Songs
(FS 67)
"Oh, Christmas snowlronBethlehem"
"Hail to thee, our banner!" (FS 73)
Symphony no.4
Chaconne lor Piano
Cantata for the Merchant's Committee
Theme with Vadations
for Piano op.40
''Pan and S1rinx
Music for "Aladdin"
Suite for Piano op.45
Twenty Popular Melodies
Music for "The Mother"
"Springtime on Funen"
Symphony no.5
Wind Quintet op.43
Songbook for the People's
High School
Prelude and Theme with
Variations lbr Violin
Melodies to the Songbook "Danmark"
Ten Little Danish Songs
"There Is a Lorely Lantl" (FS 110)
Hymn to Life (FS 113)
Symphony no.6
New Melodies for Johan
Borup's Songbook
Spring Song (FS 1 18)
Flute Concerto
1927
1928
Rhapsodic Ove(ture
Three Pieces for Piano
Clarinet Concerto op-57
S+TTBB
TTBB
SATTB
S.fd4
SATB
Opera "Saul and David" in Gdtoborg
1929
1930
29 small Preludes fbr
Organ op.51
T||o School Songs (FS 138):
"Pollen from the calyx"
"Nowfor a brieftime it's over"
Three Motets op.55 (FS 139):
"Afilictus sum" (Ps. X)XVII,g)
"Dominus legit me" (PS.XXI,|-2)
"Benedictus Dominus" (Pil(XY,22)
Cantata for the Polytechnic High School
Hymn to Art
To the Isle ofmy Birth (FS 141)
Piano Music for Young
and Old, op.53
Music for "Amor and
the poet,,
Six Canons (FS 1 52):
The Boxers
"The thread snaps"
"Watchndn, I beg you"
"It isn't al||ays the case"
"At destruction and fanine thou shalt laugh"
"Silence antl dark"
The Singers ofSj1lunds (FS 151)
Director of the Copenhagen Music Conseruatory
Dcath ol Carl \ielsen. J Ocrober.in Copenhagen
1931
Cantata for the School of
Commerce
"Pocm in Song and Music"
"Commotio" for Organ
Cantatafor the 50thAnniversary ofthe
Danish Cremation Union (FS 119)
The Poem of the Harp of the North (FS 158)
SATB
SATB
ATTB
SATB
SSXZ,
TTBB
TTT
sss
TB
s.ts
JS
SATTB
SSI4TB
TTBB
As a composer, Carl Nielsen is most famous for his symphonic works and his numerous songs. Less wellknown are the many choral compositions. They are fairly evenly spreadover his producion, and they may be
divided into two large groups according to disposition and purpose.
The first group, the best-krown of the two, includes works for larger concerts and other wholly or partly
public events, i.e. the compositions for choir, possibly with soloists, and orchestra (Hymnus amoris op.L2,
1896-97; Sleep op.l 8, I 903-04; Springtime on Funen op.42, 1921) plus the cantatas,which were composed
on commission (e.g. Cantata for theAnniversary ofCopenhagen University,7908l Cantata for the Nqtional
Exhibition at Aarhus,1909; Cantata for the Centenary of the Merchants' Committee,19'17; Cantata for the
Centenary of the Polytechnic High School,1929. Hymn toArt,).929, Cantatafor the 51thAnniversary ofthe
Young Merchants' Educqtion Association, 1930',Poem in Song arul Music, I 930; a.o.).
Thc second group includes the numerous works for a cappella choir, original compositions as well as
arrangemcntsfor choir of a number of Nielsen's songs. Generally, the works of this second group are less
famous - strangely enough in consideration of their quality and applicability . Only Three Motets op.55 have
wonrealfame, and alsoAftenstemning(EveningMood) andPaaske-Liljen(TheDaffodil) are generallyknown
and popular.
The aim of this recording is to show that also the smaller compositions for choir include pearls that can
please choristers and audience alike. Most of the works are recorded here for the first time. The rccording
comprises Nielsen's total output of individual works originally composed for a cappella choir; excluded are
all anangements, accompagnied works, and choral pieces extracted from larger contexts. The works are
prescntedin chronological order, so that a musical joumey through Niclscn's life is made possible. Some of
the works exist in manuscript only; they have been revised and edited for this purpose and with a view to
publication in the near future - e.g. the hithcrto unknown Serenade from 1907 that is mentioned in thc
composer'sdiary and of which the music was discoveredin 1983.
Most of Nielsen's compositions fbr a cappella choir were writtcn for definite purposesor with particular
choirs in mind. According b chronology and scoring they fall into four groups. The first group is made up
of the early songs for male choir composed in 1887, when Nielsen was being taught music theory and
composition by Orla Rosenhoff. The second group (1899-1907) is dominated by songs for equal voiccs,
composed for school choirs, atrd it ends with three rather demanding compositions for adult, trained choirs
(Songs of the Siskin,Serenade, and Comq Angel of Gotl. The latter work strikes the darker male-dominated
soundscharactcristicof the third group (1908-15);during this busy and criticalperiodNielsenkept in contact
with the Copcnhagen male choirs Bel Canto and Studenter-Sangforeningen(The Students' Choral Society)
and composed his choral songs for thcm. Thc fourth group includes works from the years 1924-31. Thcy arc
composed mainly for mixed choir. From the work of this period one can infer that which is also othewtse
known: that many of the active choirs (headedby Mogens Woldike's 1'alesrrina-Choir) had attaineda higher
musical level, and that Nielsen had taken this into account in his compositions, e.g. in his use of polyphony
rooted in thc 16th century practice (Hymn to LLk, Th,reeMotets, 6 Canons).
Carl Nielsen's
("A
moment
autograph
ofpleasure,
ink score of the first of the four early songs for male choir, i'Det
an age ofpain";
b6des der for"
FS 3 l) is dated 4/12 87. The ink score of Langsel
m) is to be found on the reverce side of the manuscript.
(-Iean; FS 3
The two other songs for male choir, "Bid me to live"
(FS 3 u) are from the same period. Nielsen only wrote
(FS 3 t) and "Earlier
I dreamt every single night"
the first stanza under the simple and honophonic
music
of these study pieces. Four years later Nielsen
composed the Jacobsen texts again, but now as lieder for song and piano (op.6 no.4 and op.4 no.3); Jacobsen's
textswereusedby
othercontemporary
from English were recommended
composers, too. Very likely, theJacobsen
to Nielsenby
Orla Rosenhoff,
and had other pupils do the same. The translations
Caralis (nom de plume ofthe poet C. Preetzmann),
of 1867 and 1868 with poems "after
[ 1 ]
L2l
the English"
ofthe
texts andthe two translations
who composed songs himselfto
English poems by Burns and Herrick
and Nielsen used four other texts from Caralis' anthologies
for early songs with piano accompaniment.
il SANGE FOR MANDSKOR
Four sonss for male choir
Oet bpdes der for i lange Aar,
Som kun var en stakket Glede;
Det smiler man ftem i en flygtig Stund,
MaD bort kan i Aar cj gr@de.
Der rinder Sorg, rinder Harm af Roser iode.
0.P.Jacobsen,1875J
A moment of pleasure,
An age ofpain;
In a fleeting moment one smiles forth
What cannot be wept away in yearsGrief and ire flow from red roses.
L@ngsel
I hvor jeg end
Slaaer Oiet hen,
Det soger helst mod Vest:
Der ei det jo,
Den Glut mon boe,
Jeg lider allerbedst.
Bag Hybenbek
Den vilde Bek
Slaaer der saamangenBugt,
Men Dag og Nat
Ikkun min Skat
Omsnoer min Lengsels Flugt.
(Robert Bums;
oversat af Caralis, 1868)
similar texts
were done by
Jeail
Of a' the airts fhe wind can blaw,
I dearly like the west,
For there the bonnie lassie lives,
The lassie I lo'e best:
There wild woods grow, and rivers row,
Aid monie a hill betueen;
But day and night my fancy's flight
Is ever wi' my Jean(Robert Burns)
t3 I
[ritrhea]
Byd mig at leve, og mit Liv
Tilhorer ene Dig;
Byd mig at elske, og jeg gi'er
Et kjerligt Hjerte Dig.
(Robert Herrick;
oversat af Caralis, 1 868)
t4l
To Anthea, who may command himAn),thin1
Bid me to live, and I will live
Thy Protestant to be;
Or bid me love, and I will give
A loving heart to thee.
(Robert Herrick)
[TilAsali]
For dromte jeg fast hver enesteNat,
Jeg havde dit Hjerte vundet;
AJ<,hvor var Dagen da mork og mat,
Naar Mulnet igcn var svundet!
(J.P.Jacobsen, 1866-67)
Earlier I dreamt every single night
That I had won youi heart;
Oh, how dark and dull was the day
Once the dark of night had subsided!
During the next 12 years, Nielsen developed and consolidated his own personal style as a symphonist;
especially the First Symphony, the string quartetsand the three song collections op.4, 6 and 10 brought hrm
recognition as the most talented of the young Danish composers. It was probably becauseof his simple and
poignant melodic style that from the year 1899 onwards hewas askedto composechoral songsfor equal voices
for use in schools.
First was The Grasshopper (FS 161), pdnted in the second volume of J.Mikkelsen's Sclo ol Songs (52
Two-part Songs, 1t399)and popular at once - to such degree that Nielsen's two daughterc were temporarily
nicklamed "thc grasshoppers" at school. - On December 4th, 1899, he composed The Spider's Song (FS
27) and presented it to his friend Margrete Rosenberg "with total propdetory right in performance and
publication". This strophically varied composition was published in I 907 and is much more demanding and
compositorically devcloped than the ffte Grasshopper.Though composedfor three-part children's choir, its
beautiful melismas and its useofnotes foreign to the key signaturerequire quite a degreeof independencern
the individual choral groups.
t 5 I
Gr@shoppeil
Groshoppen sidder paa Engen.
I Sommgrens AftenskjerSynger han Elskovsviser
Alt for sin Hjertenskjer?
The Grasshopper.
The gmsshopper sits in the meadow,
In the evening glow of summer,
Is he already singing
Love songs for his loved one?
[ 6l
Sangtugl han ligner dog ikl@:
Kun Vingor til Stads hatr fik.
Spillemand i det crdnne!
Hvormed gjgr du musik?
He hardly resembles a song-bird:
His wings are only for show,
Oh, fiddler in the open,
How do you make your song?
Ivrigt han strygei Fiolen
Og nikker paa Blomsterstol Benet er Fiddelbuen Og Vingen hans Fiol.
(B.S.Ingemann, 1815)
Eagerly he plays his violin
And nods on his flower-chair His leg is his fiddle bow
And his wing his violin.
t dderkopprn"Sang a[,.4taddin
The Spitler's Song from "Alafulin'
Betragt mit svage Spind!
Hvor Traadene sig flette!
Den allermindste Vind
Kan alt i Hast udslette.
Et ringe Billed kun
Paa Almagts Velde stor.
Hor i den [egl.: din] bittre Stund
Mit stille Trostens Ord!
Look at my delicate web!
The twining of the threadsl
The slightest little breeze
Could spoil it in an instant.
It isjust a small symbol
Of the power of the Almighty.
Listen, in your hour ofpain
To my quiet word of comfort.
Giv paa min Gierning Agt!
Saa sidder hist den HOie
I Centret af sin Magt
Med et opmerksomt @ie;
Han drager, som han vil,
Snart Traaden ud, snart ind,
Han l@gger Merke til
Det alleimindste Spind.
(Adam Oehl enschkiger, 1 805)
Pay attention to my calling!
For there sits the exalted one
At the centrc of his power
And with an attentive eye;
At will he draws the thread
In and out, in and out,
And he is well aware
Whenever a yam is spun.
Stylistically much simpler is the bright, strophic, homophonic Song forth€ May Festiyal ofthe Kolding
Grammar School ("Come bright Sun!") (FS 28), commissioned by the headmasterof the school, Sigurd
Miiller, who wantcd the text of the school's old May song from 1730 to be sung again at the annual May
festival. Nielsen completed the composition on the 9th of April, 1901, and it was first performed in public
outside the town hall of Kolding at the May festival on thc 1Oth of May, 1901. The song was received with
enthusiasm- and even more so whcn it was repeatedduring the pupils' return to the school. It was published
in the year-book of the school for 1901.
16
[7 I
Sang til Kokling Latinskoles Majfesl
Song for the May Festival of KoLling Grammar School
Kom blanleste Sol!
med mildeste Miner fta Himmelens Pol!
Lad Straalerne kastes i Dag paa vor Stad,
saa bliver hver Borger fornljet og glad,
naar Skoven ham mpder i Majnaaneds Pragt
og skonneste Dragt.
Come, bright sun!
With your mild countenance from the pole of Heaven!
Irt your rays today bc cast on our city
So each citizen may be content and happy,
When the wood meets him in the glory of May,
And its loveliest dress.
Saa priser han Gud,
at Vinteiens kedsomme Tider gik ud.
Han horer de Toner med sodeste Lyd,
som vidne om Somrens lyksaligste Pryd,
og onsker sig derued al Velstand og godt
fra Himmelens Slot.
(Laurils L. Thura, 1730)
Then he praises God
For putting out the dull winter.
He heam the swcet-sounding tones
That bear witness of the bliss of summer,
And thereby prays for happiness and prospcrity
From the Castle ofHeaver.
Five years later, Nielsen composedanother May songfor the school in the same style, using the translation
by the literay historian Frederik Moth of the Latin May song from c. 1500 for Aarhus Cathedral School by
Morten Borup, "In vernalis temporis". Nielsen's three-part music for Morten Borup's May Song (FS 34
a) was printed in 1906 in the year-book of the school, and later in several song books.
f 8l
Morten BPtups Majvisc
Morten BArup's May Soilg
Frydeligt med Jubelkor
hilses Vaarens Komme,
Svalon melder trindt paa Jord,
"FrostensTid er omme!"
Land og Hav og Lundens Tr@r
herligt prydes fjernt og n@r,
- nye Skabnings-Under!
Kraft paa ny vort Legem faar,
l@gt er nu hvert Hjertesaar
i de glade Stunder.
Joyously, with jubilant chons
The approach of spring is greeted;
The swallow heralds all about,
"The season of frost is overl "
The land and the sea and the trees in the grove
Are wondrously adomed - both near and far
- new miracles ofcreation!
Our bodies gain strength again,
All wounded hearts are healed
These happy days.
Jordens rige Blomsterpragt,
Skovens grgnne Smykke,
Fuglesang€nsTryllemagt
lylder os med Lykke;
Havets Storme raser ud,
Luften herges ej af Slud,
Duggens Perler rene
samler Solens Straaleglans
i en dejlig Perlekans
nndt paa Gres og Grenc.
The floral splendour of the land,
The onamentation of the woods,
The magic powers of the birds' song
Fill us with delight;
The stoms at the sea have died away,
The air is no more raged by sleet;
But the pure pearls of dew
Gather the radiance of the sun
To a lovely string ofpearls
Through the grass and the leaves.
Hvor dog Gud er god og viisl
Hvor er Verden fager!
Hvor dog alt til Herrens Pris
Aand og Tanke dragerl
Han har stort og smaat paa Jord,
Ufren, som paa Marken gror,
Form og Farye givet.
Efter Nat vi Dagen nu
hilse vil med frejdig Hu,
takke Gud for Livetl
But how good and wise is Godl
How beautiful is the world!
How thc spirit and the mind
Make everything praise the Lordl
For He has given shape and coulour
To all thiDgs, large and small, on earth
- the herbs that grow in the fiold.
Now, with the lifting of night,
We greet the day cheerfully,
Thanking God for giving us lifel
(Moilen BArup,ca 1500;
owrsataf Fr.Moth,I 895)
The bright sound of thescchoral songsfor school use is also to be found in the music fbr Emil Aarestrup's
subtle Song of the Siskin (FS 40), composed for two sopranos,alto and tenor, as a virtuoso chamber piece
for a trained choir. The work was witten for the Madrigal Choir of the Cecilian Society in Copenhagenby
request of its leader, the conductor Frederik Rung, whom Nielsen had known from his period as a violinist
in the Royal Orchestraand still knew as a deputizing conductor. Nielsen used sevenofAarestrup's l4 stanzas
(1-3, 6-8, f4); he began the composition on December the 5th, 1906 and finished it six days later, and it was
first performed by the Madrigal Choir and Frederik Rung on April thc 7th, 1907 at the Cecilian Society. The
work was printed as late as 1953.
t 9 I
Sidskensang
Du er, min Tro, en uDderlig Pog.
Saa fiin og klog,
Du leser saamangenLerdmands Bog,
Og dog -
Song ol the Siskin
You are, faith. a strangc lad,
So grand and so learned,
You read so many wise men's books,
tud yet -
Og dog har du hverken Mod eller List;
Hvad bli'r det tilsidst?
At sukke og see paa en Rosenqvist Jovist!
And yet you possessneither courage nor cunning;
So how will you end up?
Sighing and obseruing a rose bush Oh, yes!
Dertil maa nok hore en dygtig Forstand.
Ei, ei! hvor kan
En Pige faae Lyst til saa underlig Mand,
Som han?
That really takes a great intellect.
Dear, dear! How can
A girl iall for so strange a man
As you?
At skive et Vers, og Citharen slaae Naa, naa! lad gaae! Er godt, men ei nokl det maae vi fo6taae,
Vi Smaae.
Writing verse and plucking you zrther
Is all very welll
Fine, but it's not enough, we do realize,
we small ones.
Vel kleder det smukt, at He.ren er bly;
Men reddes og flye,
Naar Glutter er ene, og Skoven har Ly:
O fy!
Of cou6e, modesty becomes a young gentleman;
But to take fright and nn away
When the lass is alone, and the forest offers shelter
Dear me!
Saa har vi Fugle en anden Maneer;
Man seer, man leer,
Forft lger hinanden, og kysses og be'er
On meer.
No, we birds have another tdck:
We see and we laugh,
Chase each other and kiss and ask
For more.
Hoist&rede! gjt r du ligesaa;
Det lykkes maal
Der seerjeg din sode Pige jo staae:
Dear friendl You do the samel
You must succeed!
I see your sweet girlfriend is here now:
Nu gaae!
(EmilAarestrup,1838)
,
.
Goon!
In the autumn of 1983, a hitherto unknown choral composition by Carl Nielsen was found: Serenade, a
four-part strophic choral song for mixed choir to a text by Nielsen's friend Hother Ploug, written as a tribute
to Mrs. Vilhelmine Heise on the occasion of her 69th birthday, the Sth ofFebruary, 1907. Shewas the widow
ofthe great Danish composer Peter Heise, and in her later years she often gathered artists in her apartment at
Vester Voldgade in Copenhagen,e. g. for choral evenings in which Nielsen would take part. His music to
Ploug's poetic tribute was composed on February the 9th, 1907, and performed two days later at a gathering
at Mrs. Heise's. The music, too, is a stylistic tribute to her past, in as much as its first half is in the serenade
style of Heise and Lange-Miiller (9/8 measurein Moderato tempowith holdingnotes and ratherslowharmonic
rhythm), while thc second half is more in Nielsen's own vein. - The existencc of the work has becr
ackrowledged since the publication in I983 of Nielsen's diary from 1907, and from a tenor part and a proof
ofthe text in the Nielsen Collection at the Royal Library. An inquiry from the presentowners ofthe manuscript
partsmade it possiblefor the presentauthor to identify the composition and to edit a scoreofit. With the present
recording the work receives its first public performance.
tf0l
Sercndile
Serenade
Gerne vi lytter, naar Strengene bringor
Sjalen fra hojere Verdener Bud;
gerne vi loftes pe Tonemes Vinger
np over Jordli\ er\ Taageog Slud:
gerne de dansende Rhytmor vi fOlger,
slyngedr sammen.Orct til Lyst.
helst vi dog selv skabe Tonemes Bolgcr,
aander dem ud af det bankende Bryst.
We listen happily when the strings bring
Word from on high to our souls;
Gladly we let ourselves be liftod on wings of song
Up above the fog and sleet of earthly life;
Gaily we follow the rhythms of dance,
htertwined, our ears rapt, Though we would rather be making the music ourselves Breathing it out of our beating chests.
Sangen er Lrftelse, Sangen er Glede,
Sangen forfrisker som Sommerens Vind,
Sangen hussvalcr i Arbcjdets Hede,
Sangen b&r TrOst til det engstedo Sind;
most, naar i Rhytmernes Kampe vor Stemme
slynger sig tet i de andres Favn,
naar Harmonierne ladcr os glemme,
af der paa Jordcn er Mislyd og Savn.
Song is exaltation, song is delight,
Song refreshens like a summer breeze,
Song soothes during the ardour ofwork,
Song brings comfort to the anxious mind;
Most of all when our voice in the struggle of rhythms Intortwining in the embrace of others,
When the harmony leads us to forget
That discord and hardship are on carth.
Takket da vere den Frue, som st&vner
til sig de Unges frejdige Kor,
fatter den Trolddom, Tonerne evner
ene at l&gge om Digterens Ord:
Takket for Vclkomstens Smil fra dit SEde.
lyttende @rc, aarvaagen Sans,
taktet tbr Timerne, rige paa Glede,
festlige Aflner i Tonenes Glans.
(Hother Ploug,1907)
Thanks, then, to the lady who calls
The cheerful young choir to herself,
Who grasps the magic only music
Can bestow on the poet's words:
Thanks for thc welcoming smile from your seat,
Listening ears, alort senses,
Thanks for the hours ofpleasure,
The glorious evenings of radiant song.
One and a halfyears later Nielsen wrotc another choral composition for the sameenscmble, again to a text
by Aarcstrup: "Come, Angel ofGod, tranquil Death" (FS 41). The strophic song, still unpublished, is an
emotional contrast to Song of Siskin - composed for the deep voices (alto, tcnor, and bass) in a partly
polyphonic texture; in the middle bars the tenor part is above the alto, thus crcaling a strange,dark and tense
sound. Nielsen used the first four (and best) of Aarestrup's six stanzas,adding a "but" in the last line. His
score is dated October 25th, 1907, and the work was given its firct performance at his own concert rn
Copenhagenon November 30th, 1907, by the Madrigal Choir and Frederik Rung.
tfll
Kom, Gudsengel, stille DO.tl
Come, Angel ofGotl, tranEtil Death!
Kom, Gudsengel, stille Dc,dl
L@g mig hen til Ro og Hvile
Leg mig i nin Moders Skloi
Under Mos og Taarepile.
Come, Argel of God, tranquil deathl
Lay me now to peace and rest,
Lay me in my mothcr's lap
Beneath moss and weeping willow.
Jeg er tret af Dagens Blaa,
Tr&t af Nattens Stjernetaage,
Tornekrandsen harjeg paa O jeg kan ei lenger vaage.
I am weary of the blue of day,
Weary of the stars of night,
I bear the crown ofthorns Oh, I can keep my vigil no longer-
Jeg har grublet mig saa slov
Paa dcn sv&re Livets Gaade,
Jeg er bleven 0r og ddv
Og kan intet meie raade.
Long have I pondered
The difficult puzzle of life,
I have become dizzy and deaf
Ard yet can find no answer.
Hjertot, som saa ungt og tast
Banked i sin Smerte,
Med sin sidste Lykle brast;
[Ven] Koldt er nu mir Hjerte
(Emil Aarestrup, 1839)
The heart, which young and fim
Beat on through the pain,
Burst from its final joy;
But now my heart is cold-
From I 908 to 1915 Carl Nielsen composed a number of songsfor the Copenhagenmalc choirs Bel Ccnto
(foundcd in L906) ard Studenter-Sangforeningen(The Students' Choral Socicty; founded in 1839), and for
the rest of his life he kept in contact with these choirs, using them also at performances of his cantatas.
Evening Mood (FS 48) was composed in 1908 for Bel Canto and the French horn player Valdemar
Poulsen,who conductedthe choir fiom I 906-28. The tcxt was CarstenHauch's Danish translation ofMatthras
Clatdrus' Abendlied "Der Mond ist aufgegangen", known also from the Danish Hymnal. Nielsen used the
first pair of stavas of Hauch's revised and more romantic and lyrical translation of 1842 with the changed
first stanza.The piece was first performedby Bel Canto on October 19th, 1908 and was published thc same
year.
Aftewtemnin7
ll2]
Ewiling
Mood
Alt Skoven sig fordunkler,
Den gyldne Stjerne funkler
Paa Himlen reen og blid;
Sin Ret Naturen kr@ver,
(Jg over Engen svever
Den hvide Damp ved AJtenstid
Already the forest darkens,
The golden star Minldes
Against the clear and gentle sky;
Nature will have her way,
And across the meadow floats
The white mist of dusk.
Hvor rolig Jordenhviler
BagNattensSl@rog smiler
Saamild og somm€rvarm,
Fastlig et stilleKammer,
Hvori al DagensJammer
Forglemmes
skali Sovnens
Arm!
(Matthias Claudius,1779;
oversataf CarstenHauch,1838I1812)
How calmlyreststheworld Smilingbehindtheveil of night,
So mild, andwam asthesummer,
Almostlike a quietroom,
[n whichthewretchedness
of day
Shallbe forgottenin theembraceof sleep!
On February 71th,1909 Studenter'Sandoreningen and its conductor Salomon Levysohn performed the two
songsfor male choir that constitute the music for Nielsen's small cantata 11th February 1909 or Cantata on
the250thAnniversary oftheStormingofCopenhagen, llthFebruary 1659 (F549; textby L.C.Nielsen). First,
stanza I and 2 ofthe first song were sung, then came a poetic recitation in four stanzasdescribing events and
leelings during the war between Denmark and Sweden I 657-59, including the Swedish soldiers' march across
the frozen belts and the growing discouragementof the Danish people, superseededby the uprising and will
to resist of the Danish middle classeswhen the Swedes renewed the war in 1658. Thereafter the first stanza
was repeated,followed by the third stanzaofthe first choral song. After a speech,which must have dealt with
the will to resist of the Copenhagencitizens during the siege of Copenhagenand their thanksgiving seruices
after the victory, and with king Frederik III's participation in the defence of the capital and his promises to
the citizens of more liberty and pdvileges, the second choral song was sung. The final song of the memorial
ceremony was sung by all presentto the well-klown tune "I alle de Riger og hnde" ("In all the realms and
countries") by Joh. Chr. Gebauer.
[13]
16s9 * 11.Februar * 1909
L
Hvorlivet ikke lofter,
maa D/ders barske Velde til.
Hvor Kiv og Ufred klOfter,
1659 - 11th February ' 1909
I.
Where lile itsellwon't carry,
The terrible power of death must step in
Where quarels and strife divide
hvad sammen skulde staa,
d6r er kun Dodens svangre Dyb
for Liv at lide paal
Wlat should stand united,
There, life can only be sure of
The fatetul abyss of death.
Af Mulmets Skod kan fodes,
hvad ej blev skabt af Lysets IEnd.
Med Aag maa bittert bodes,
hvor ej betids man bar;
til Vaarkraft atter bryder frem
som Skud, hvor Kniven skarl
That could be bom of the womb of darkness
Which was not created by the loin of light.
With the bitter yoke one must pay for
What was not done in time;
Until the power of spring again breaks forth
Like shoots, where once the knife cut.
I Morkets Favn og Fare
O Danmaik var du ofte stedt;
men dog af Dpdens Snare
du lofted dig paany.
O lolt dig altid frit som for
i Frelsens gyldne Gry!
To the embrace and peril of darkness
Oh Denmark, you were often abandoned;
And yet, tom the snare of death
Agam you rose.
Oh always rise, free as befoie,
In the golden dawn of salvationl
t14l
il.
Fra Klokkernes Malme,
fra Tusinder, som kvad,
en brusende Salme
steg magtfuldt over Stad.
Do Munde, som gruende
angst havde sukkot,
blev nu som luende
Porte oplukket.
Og Hjerternes Jubel slog svulmende mod Sky.
Da bar den danske Borger sin genfodte By.
From the ringing of the bells,
From the singing ofthe multitude,
A hymn roared
Mightily up above the town.
Mouths which had sighed
From dread and fear,
Were now - Iike blazing
Gates - reopened.
And the rejoicing of hearts swclled to the sky.
The Danish townsmen lifted their reborn city.
I DOdsfrygtens klamme
og haardelige Haard
en Gnist blev til Flamme
og lofted sig til Aand.
De Viljer, som vaklende
for havde sveget,
af den forkvaklende
Jammer var steget.
Og Tungerne fik Mele afNattens vilde Mod,
da Stadens Borgcr prentod sit Borgerbrev med Blod
ID the clammy and ha6h
Hand of the fear of death,
A spark became a flame
And tuined into spirit.
Those who had wavered,
Betrayed the cause,
Were now arisen
From their warped wretchedness.
And tongues were given a voice by the headinessofthe night
When the townspeople stamped their passports in blood.
AfTidcrncs Taage
det glimtcr som ct Gryl
Hvor Viljerne vaage,
staar Sejren op paany.
I Stunder, som glodende
Tro knytter sammen,
afftattes bl0dende
Smerten og Skamnen.
For Sejrssalmens Brusen sank Skranker hen i Grus
Da stod don danskg Borger som Herre i sit Hus!
(L.C.Nielsen, 1909)
In the fog of generations
It gleams like the breaking of day:
Where there is a will awaiting,
Triumph will risc again.
At times bound togcther
By leNent belief,
The pain and the shame
Are washed clean of blood.
For barieB de overthrcwn by the rod of the riumphal hym
Each Danish citizen would be master of his own housel
On September 16th, 1909 Nielsen composed a four-part drinking song Song for the Snaps at the "Bel
Canto" (FS 53), to be sung "Allegretto (with subtle roguery)" when the first glass of Snapswas to be drunk
at the choir's feasts - a trifle, but a ftrnny musical painting for (still) sober choristers.
flSf
Til Snapsen i "BelCanto"
Songlor the Snaps at the "Bel Catlto"
Endsk6ntjcg ganske sikkert ved,
at Du er falsk som Du er hcd,
at Du i Morgen plager mig,
dog Kdre, Du behager mig,
Du ligelrem betager mig,
jcg tagcr Dig
(drikker) Ah-!
og klager ej.
(Aage Berntsen, 1909)
Although I know Ior sure
That you're as treacherous as you are strong,
That tomorrow you will tormcnt mc,
Still. friend, you pleasc me,
In fact you enthrall me,
So that I nust take you
(drinks) Ah-!
And not complain.
During these years, Nielsen composcd four significant choral songstbr the Staclenter'Sanglbrenirgen. Most
famous is his music for three stanzasof N.F.S.Grundtvig's great poem The Daffodil (FS 59) which Niclscn
wrote and lrad published in I 910, and which was included inhis Mu.sicfor Grundtvig-Easter-Eve at the Roydl
Thaatre (FS 156) in 1931. Though originally composed for male choir, the tunc has become onc of thc most
popular by Nielsen; it has done much for the inclusion of a largcr part of Grundtvig's poem in the Danish
Hymnal. The original version for male choir was first performed at a concert given by StudenterSangforeningen on the 2nd of May, 1910.
tf6l
Paaske'Liljen
Tha Daffotlil
Paaskeblomst! En Draabe st&rk
Drakjeg af dit gulc Beger,
Og som ved et Undetr@rk
Den mig h&ver, vederkv@ger:
Hancgal og Morgensang,
Synes mig, aI den udsprang,
Vaagnende jeg ser de dode
I en Paaske-Morgenrode.
Daffodil! One strong drop
Did I drink of your yellow cup,
And as ifby a miracle
It transports mc, rglieshens me:
It seemcd to me that cockcrow
And morning hymn burst from it,
Waking, I see the dead
h an Easter sunrise.
O! Hvor est du mig dog kjer,
Bondcblomst fra Landsbyhave!
Mer end Rosen est du verd,
Paaskeblomst paa Fedres Gravel
Du forkynder mig en Vaar,
Ja, et helligt Jubelaar.
Som hvcr &del Blomst af DOde
Skal fbrklaret igjenfode.
Oh, how dear you are to me,
Rustic flowor tiom a village garden!
Bottor than the rose are you,
Dailodils on our father's graves!
You herald the coming of spring to mc.
Aye, a sacred, triumphal ycar.
As each noble tlowcr of the dead
Shall bear again, transligured.
Vinterstorm og Hagl og Rogn
Suser, bruser over Jorden;
Mcn jcg standcr som et Tegn
For en Blomstertid i Norden.
N&gte man mig med Foragt
Rosendull og Sommeryragt!
Lige godt, naar demjeg frydcr,
Som har kjcr, hvad jeg bctyder!
Winter storms, hail and rain,
Whistle and roar across the land;
But I stand up as a symbol
Of a flowcring scason in the North.
I may be deniod with disdain
The scent ofroses and summor splendour!
It matters not, if I just delight those
Who love all that I stand forl
(N. F.S. Gruildtuig, I 8 I 7)
The Song for the Children's ReliefDay (FS 62) is another occasional work, composed towards the end
ofApril 19l1 to a text sentto Nielsenby the poet JohannesJorgenscnon March 1lth, 1911.The Children's
Relief Day, held for the first time in 1904, is an annual collection day for the benefit of childretr's institutions
and poor mothers and children. Nielsen composedhis music both for two equal voices and for four-part male
choir, and also for song with piano accompaniment.The two-part song was printed on postcardsand sold for
the benefit ofthe Children's ReliefDay 1911,held on the 16th ofMay. Both vcrsionsoriginally composed
for choir are included in the presentrecording, so that stanzas1-3 are sung in the two-part version, and stanza
4-6 in the four-part version for male choir.
t17l
B 4nlehj e lp sdagens SanI
Song for Chiklren's ReliefDay
Vi BOrn, vi BOrn, vi vaagner,
lange for det bliver Dag.
Saa ligger vi og lytter
til vort eget Hjertes Slag
og til en Fugl derude
i Morgenlys bag Rude.
We children, we children awaken,
Irng before it is day.
Then we lie and listen
To the beating of our own hearts
And to a bird outside
In the light of dawn behind the pane.
Vi Boin, vi Bom maa huske - [egl.r hviske -]
Hvisk og Tisk fra Seng til Seng fbr Mor blir vred paa Tulle
og Fader [egl.: og Far vred] pl sin Dreng de siger, vi skal sove
og dromme om gronne Skove.
We children-we childr(n must whisper.
Whisper from bed to bed,
For mother gets cross with Tulle,
And father with his boy They say that we must sleep
And dream ofgreen woods.
Vi Bprn, vi Bitrn vi springer
afvor Sengpaa bare Bdn saa kappes vi med Tojet,
og saa er ingen s6n!
Den Thekopl av, den brender!
Dct er godt for valne Henderl
We children, we children jump
Out of our beds in bare legs We race to get our clothes on,
For then no-one takes too longl
That teacupl Gosh,it's hot!
But it's good lor numb fingers!
Vi Bdrn, vi Bdrn vi traver,
trippetrap! - vor Skolegang,
vi skriver, rcgnor, staver aa, Dagen er saa langl
og glad i sidste Time
vi horer Klokken kime.
We childreD, we children trot
- trip, trip - our way to school,
Reading, writing and arithmetic Oh, but the day is long!
Happily at the end of the day
We hear the bell ring.
Vi bom, vi Born, vi kvidrer
over Gade og i Gaard,
og Fugle, som ej v6d det,
maa tro det nu er [egl.: nu er dcl] vaar.
vi har det Foraar inde,
som aldrig skal forsvindel
We children, we children tuitter
Across streets and in our yards,
And birds who don't know bottor,
Must think the spring is here, We have spring inside us,
And it will never disappear!
Vi Born, vi Bom, vi beder
nu for alle stakkels Smaa,
som maa i mgrke Kroge
i NOd og Kulde staa.
Lad os alle med hverandre
i Sang og Solskin vandre!
(Johannes J0rgensen, I9l 1)
we children, we children now pray,
For all poor little ones
Who stand in dingy corners
In need, and in the cold.
Let us all join together
And wander in song and sunshlne.
26
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Nielsen's ink score of the two-port version of the Song for Children's Relief D ay wqs printed on postcards
The homophonic "ProtectyourLand,
Oh Danish Man!" (FS 69) was firstperformed by the samechoir
on December the 9th, 1914. The text was by Arders W. Holm, who included the poem in his book Protdcl
Your Land - Moods During the World War rn l9l7 .
flSf
F'redlys din Jord, du danske Mand!
Protect Your Land, Oh Danish Man!
Fredlys din Jord, du danske Mand!
Hostvejrct h@rger over Land.
Nu stimer Silden ved din Kyst,
og Laden bugner af din Host.
Fred med din Jord og med din Strand,
du gode, danske Fredens Mandl
Protect your land, oh Danish mml
Autumn weather ravages the country.
The hering shoals in your wate6,
And the bam is bursting with your haryest.
Peacehe with your lanrJand luur shorcr.
You good and peaceful Danish man!
Nu kriges Grib og Falk og @rn;
vern om dit Bo og dine BOm,
beskem dit lille Lerkeskjul
mod Himlens store, vilde Fugl;
Uvejret viger dog en Gang
for Sol og Fred og Fuglcsang.
Vulture and falcon and eagle are warring;
Safeguard your home and your children.
Shelter your little lark's nest
From the birds ofprey in the sky;
One day the storm will subside
To the sun, and peace, and birdsong.
Omgerd din Gaard, steng Laas og Slaa!
Ufred vil mange, Fred kun faa.
Vis, saa Alverden ser og veed,
at du vil Fred og .4rlighed.
L011over Danskens Jord og Strand
dit hvide Kors for Fredens Innd
Fence in you fam, lock and bolt the door!
Many want strife, but few want peace.
Show lbr all the world to scc
That you want peace and honesty.
Raise above the Danish land and waters
Your white cross, Ior the country of peace.
Hegn om dit Hus og Hjemmets Jord,
vem om det Land, hvor Dansken bor,
da skal en Fredens Dag igen
du linde Fjenderne som Ven.
Fredlys dio Jord, du danske Mand!
bevar vort Folk og F@dreland!
(Arulers W. Holm, 19141
Fence in your house and your earth,
Safeguard the land ofthe Danes,
Then, one peaceful day,
You \hall lind your eDemiesas lric nds again.
Protect your land, oh Danish man!
PreseNe our people and native land!
In December 1914 Carl Nielsen was preoccupied with the composition of his epoch-making simple
popular songs which were published in the collection A Score of Danish Songs(1915; FS 70) together with
those by his friend Thomas Laub, and which constituted a stylistic departure in popular Danish communal
singing. On December the 13th, in the middle of this work, Nielsen composed the choral piece " Oh
Christmas Snow From Bethlehem" (FS 67)for Stud"nter-Sangforeningen andthe soprano Emilie Ulrich,
who first pedormed it at the choir's Christmas concert in the cathedralof Copenhagenon Decembcr the 18th.
The text for this poetic composition consists of the last two stanzas of Johannes Jprgensen's poem
"Bethlehem" from the collection F/owers qnd Fmits (L907), which also includes thc texts for Nielsen's sonq
"Just Lower Your Head, Oh Flower" (FS 42) and his choral work Jleep (FS 33).
t19l
[Bethlehem]
Oh, Christmas Snow From Bethlehem
Al, Julesne fra Bethlehem,
fald blidt i blodo Flager
og saa den Sed, der skal gaa frem
paa Evighedens Agerl
Lad hvide Frokom falde tyst
i mangt et m/rkt og frosscnt Bryst,
som Nattens Kulde nager!
Oh, Chdstmas snow from Bethlehem,
Fall gently in soft flakes
And sow the seod which will grow up
In the pasture of etemityl
Let white seed fall silently
Upon many a dark and frozen breast,
Troubled by the cold of the night.
Ak, Jesusbam paa Krybbestraa,
Iad Verdens Roster tiel
Der er ej nogen anden Vraa,
hvorjeg vil heller bie.
For mig lra Fald og Fare hjem
og laan mig Hus i Bethlehem
hos Dig og Sanct Marie.
(Iohannes Jprgensen, 1907)
Oh, Infant Jesusin Your crib of straw,
Silence tho world's voices!
There is no nook
Where I would rather tarry.
Lead me home from peril and downfall
And lend mc a house in Bethlehem
With yourself and Saint Maiy.
Four months later, onApril 27th, 1915, Studeftter-Sqngforeningenperformedforthe first time the strophic
and homophonic choral song Hail to Thee, Our Banner (FS 73). The text was N.F.S. Grundtvig's Danish
version of the Latin hymn "Salve crux arbor" (Soug-Workfor the Danish Church,1.837,no.230). Though
the text was a hymn, the contents creatcd associationsto the situation during the World War, and the work
received several subseouentoerformances.
I20l
Hil dig, ror Fane!
Hail to Thee, our Banner!
Hil dig, vor Fane!
Kors-Banner hvidtl
Holde paa Bane
Med dig vi Skridt:
Vis er os Glansen,
Evigheds-Kranson,
Liv for Bekymringer frit.
Hail to Thee, our banner!
Our white cross flag!
Ifwe keep our track
While marching with you:
We shall see the glory,
The wreath of eternity,
Life without wories.
Fjendeme grue,
Mer end for Sverd,
Ved dig at skue,
Plantct dem n&r;
Hvor du dig hever,
Sejer omsvever
Kors-Herens signede Her.
The enemy trembles
More than for swords
At the sight of you,
Planted nearby;
How you carry yoursell
Victory engulfs
Thc blcsscd army ofthe Lord of the Cross
Hojt dig at bero,
gavKonstantin
H&der og,€re,
Guld-Krone fin;
Dog i Guds Rige
Hojere stigo
Skal end Berommelse din.
Bearing you on high
Brought Constantine
Honour and dignity,
A fine, golden crown;
But in the Kingdom of God
Higher yet
will your fame rise.
Starkere Fjender,
Korsl i dit Fjed,
StOv overyindcr,
Studser derved,
Vinder tillige
Himmerigs Rige,
Har under KoN det med Fred.
(N.F.S.G|utnltuig, I 8 37)
Mightier encmies,
Cross! in your steps
Are conquered by dust,
Which, startled thereby,
Also gains
The Kingdom of Heaven,
As peace, under the Cross.
During the following years Nielsen's position as Denmark's most significant composcr was firmly
established.In other countrieshe was, ofcourse, best known for his symphoniesand other instrumental works;
his national fame rcstcd equally upon these compositions and on his many popular songs. Therefore, he
created something of a sensationby composing, in 1924, a new tune for Adam Oehlenschliiger's Parrlotic
SongTherelsa Lovely Land (FS 110),whichwasregardedattheNationalAnthemwithHansErnstKr6yer's
tune from c. 1835, though the latter was characterized by its origins as a composition for male choir, and
though, according to modern taste, it suffered from the repetition of the third and sixth line (a romantic
convention). Though the baritone Anders Brems had sung Nielsen's tune at various concertsin Denmark some
time before, the official premiere ofthe new tune took place on June 1st, 1924, at a concert at the Royal Theatre
on the occasion ofthe national song festival ofthe Danish Choral Society: about 900 choristerssinging under
the baton ofGeorg H6eberg, who was conductor at the Royal Theatre. The melody was pdnted the very same
day in the newspaper Politiken. The newspaper critics agreed that Nielsen's new tune was good but that it
probably would not replace the traditional Kroyer tune, becauseeveryone was used to that. But what was
worse for Nielsen's friends: Thomas Laub had aheady composed a new and eminent tune for "There Is a
Lovely Land" on July the 13th, 1919, which had been published rn HOjskoleblodet (The High-School
Bulletin) of November the 14th, 1919, and later in Folkehpjskolens Melodibog 1922 (Songbook for the
People's High-School 1922) ofwhich Laub and Nielsen were co-editors. Therefore, one could hardly fail to
seeNielsen's new tune - popular at once and later sung on severaloccasions- asa dval to lnub's tune. Nielsen
had possibly not been sufficiently aware of Laub's fine tune and of Laub's vulnerability in these matters; or
clse his naive enthusiasmmay have betrayedhim. But ofone thing we can be certain: Laub composedhis tune
for unison singing with accompaniment, whereas Nielsen composed his tune for choir, five-part choir, and
so it was published by the Danish Choral Society in 1924. At the same time the publishers Wilhelm Hansen
printed the composer's arrangementsfor song and piano, for four-part male choir, and for four-part mixed
choir. The original, warm sounding version with two tenor parts has been rccorded here.
[21]
fFedrelaruls-Sang]
There Is a Lovely Land
Der er et yndigt Land,
det staar med brede Boge
ner salten Oste6trand;
det bugter sig i Bakke, Dal,
det hedder gamle Danmark,
og det er Frejas Sal.
There is a lovely Land,
Standing with its broad beeches
Near the salty eastern shores;
It bends itself into hills and dales,
It's called old Denmark,
And it is the hall of Freya.
Der sad i fordums Tid
de harnisklledte Kamper,
udhvilede fta Strid;
saa drog de frem til Fjenders Mdn,
nu hvilc deres Bene
bag Hljens Bavtastgn.
In it sat in the days of old
Warriors in their armour,
Rcsted after the battle;
Then thoy set forth to strike the enemy,
Now their remains rest
Behind the monolith on the hill.
vaagner sodt af vinterblund;
- nyfodt Verden straaler!
Livskraft ildner Krop og Sind,
hver en Pore suger ind
Vaar i tulde Skaalerl
Sweetly awakcn from their winter sleep;
- newborn, thc world sparkles!
Vitality tires body and soul,
Each and every pore absorbs
Spring by the buckettul!
Mark ved Mark har Blomsterbal.
Lundens gronne Gemmer
trilrer lydt af Fuglekald
httr de sOdeStemmcr!
Bugten blinker langt langt ud.
Luften blaaner - glemt er Slud Duggens Taarer smiler.
Lys og let fordamper Sky
Solen stradlel: Bugt og By
varmt i Vaarlys hvilor.
A.ll the fields hold flower balls.
The green hiding-places of the grove
Twitter loudly of birdsong
- hear their swcct voicesl
The bay glistens far, Iar out.
Tho air turns blue - snow is forgotten The tears oI the dew are smiling.
Clouds lightly evaporate The sun is shining: bay and town
Rest warmly in the spring light.
Tak for al Guds Kerlighedl
jubler Land- og Havglans.
Jorden - hvilken Herlighed!
- dog af llans kun Afglans;
rort aMam, er alle Ting
- oppe, rede, rundt omking frem i Farver svulmet;
selv Han mindre ligner dem,
end en Vaar, dcr straaler frem,
lignor Vintermulmet.
(Morteil Bqrup, I 526;
uvrr:at dJ Marittu\ B@rup,lalSl
Thanks for all God's love!
Exults the brilliance of land and sca.
The earth - what magnitjccncel
if only a pale reflection of His;
Stirred by Him, all things
- up there, down here, round about
Have emerged in colours;
He Himself resembles them less
Than the awakening spring
Resembles tho dark of winter.
In the beginning of May 1929 Nielsen composed Two School Songs (FS I 38) for the newly established
mixed choir at Birkerod StateSchool to texts by Viggo Stuckenbcrg (no.3 and 4 of the five School Songs for
the end-of-term celebration at Slomatrn's School, where Stuckcnberg was employed as a teacher;published
in the collection Snop, 1901). That was a commission lrom the music teacherofthe school, thc organist Knud
Malmstrpm, who admired Nielsen's music, and who senthim Stucketrberg'stexts (letters of 2nd and 7th May,
1929) on the initiative of the headmasterof the school, H.C.Engelsen, asking Nielsen to set them to music for
use at the end-of-term celebration in June. Though preoccupied with plans for a greater, polyphonic choral
work, Nielsen respondedimmediately and positively (May the 4th and 1Oth);and the two homophonic choral
songs were first performed on the 27th of June, 1929, and printcd that same year at the school's expcnsc.
Det Land endnu er skont,
thi blaa sig SOenbelter,
og Lovet staar saa grOnt;
og edle Kvinder, skOnnc MOcr
og Mend og raskc Svonde
bebo de Danskes @er.
(A.|am Oehlenschlager, 18 1 9 ?I 1 823)
The couDtry is still beautiful,
For the blue sea encircles it,
And the leaves are green as ever;
Atd gentle women, lovely maidens,
And men and strong lads
Dwell on the lsles of the Danes.
Amoredemanding,partlypolyphoniccompositionforfour-partwomen'schoirisHymntoLife(FS
with textby
Sophus Michaelis,
in the Danish Concert
Society on the 12th of March,
Htnile
l22l
composed for Poul Schierbeck's
who performed
113)
it at a concert
1925.
til Livet
Hymn ro Life
Himmelkaftens Herre, veldige Fornyer,
Liv og Dpd er Drejning kun om samme Pol.
Lyset slukkcs aldrig. Bagved alle Skyer
tlammer Guddomskildens Dag af Sol ved Sol.
Lord of thc heavenly force, mighty regenerator,
Lifo and death are but rotations round the same pole,
The light is never extinguished. Behind all clouds
The day of the divine well burns fiom the sun, by the sun.
Straale foder Straale. Fakkel trender Fakkel.
Dpden er kun Skyggen, som til Hvile gaar.
Evigt blomstrcr Livets tonende Mirakkel,
lylder Universet med en hellig Vaar.
(Sophus Michailis)
Rays bring forth rays- Torches ignite torches.
Dcath is but a shadow which la),s itselfto rest.
The resounding miracle of lifo blossoms eternally.
Filling the universe with a sacred spring.
In 1926 and 1929, Nielsen
homophonic
and strophic Spring
was again commissioned
Song (FS 1 18) for fourpart
for Aarhus Cathedral School to a new translation
done in 1918 by Marinus
master Heering,
to write
choral
songs for school use. The fine,
mixed choir was composed on May 15th,1926,
of headmaster Morten
Borup's
old "In vernalis temporis",
B6rup (who lcft the school in 1910) and printed in the collectior
The song was first performed
I23l
fine choirEcro,
Grekkeliljer
on May 30th, 1 926, by thc Cathedral School choir under the direction
at the memorial
festival
for Morten
B@rup (who died 3Oth May,
Foraarssang
Vaaren! Vaaren er i Brudd!
Frydefulde Kommel
"Svit svivit!'' - hor SvalensBud:
"Nu er Kulden ommel"
Ager, Bugt og EgeluDd
l526).
Spring Song
Springtime! Spring is awakening!
Joyous arrival!
"Tweet tweet" - hear the swallow's mcssago:
"The cold seasonis over!"
Meadows, bays and oak groves
12
(1920).
of senror
l24l
TO SKOLESANGE
T\ro School Songs
Blomsterstov fra Blomsterbeger
tumles op og ned;
Bamesind, som ingen heger,
vejres langt af Ird.
Stovet ved ej, hvor det b@res,
finder Muld eller forteres, vogt dit Snille, du, som hai det,
av det vel, og vaer det!
Pollen from the calyx
Is shaken up and down;
Children's minds, untended,
Are easily dislocated.
The pollen knows not whither it is blown,
Whether it finds soil or is consumed, Guard your ingenuity, if you have it,
Keep it in check - and use it!
Du har tusind Ting at l@re,
fdr du bliver klog.
Mindst er det at f€lle, sk@re
og fbrstaa en Bog;
s@rret Arbejdet at erc,
Medgang, Modgang stot at tere,
i hvad saa du faar at bere, .rrllsr: dig selv at vere!
You have a thousand things to leam
Before you can call yourselfwise.
The ledsl of it: To count and cut
And understand a book;
G/edlel: To respect your woik,
Ald bear good and bad forrune
Whatever you have to go through,
Ereatestato be yourself!
^\d
Du skal ikke tro, at Skolen
er en IJktiegaard,
hvor du bleges, medens Solen
over Veiden staar.
Lektier maa vi alle slide,
men fra Bogens dllde Side
strommer det, som dulgt staar skrevet
Livet fuldest levetl
You must not think that school
Is just a bodng workplace,
Wlere you get pale whilst the sun
Is high in the sky.
We all must do our schoolwork,
Bul from lhe lifelesspagrs ot the book
Flows that which is hidden in the wdting:
Life lived to the tull!
Det har nok en Del at sige,
om du kender Kain
og det Strog af Jorderige,
som faar hyppigst Regn.
Bedre er det, om du nemmer
det, som Kain i Sindet gemmer;
alt det Liv, en Draabe foder,
naar en Byge bloder.
Of course it is important
That you should know Cain,
And which part of the world
Receives the most rain.
But even better that you sense
What went on in Cain's mind,
And all the life a drop brings forth
When a cloud bursts.
Ej blot Videns tunge Skatte,
Kundskabs rige Guld,
ej blot det at kunne fatte
Sol og Mand og Muld,
Yes, possessthe weighty treasure ofknowledge
The ich gold of learning,
Possessthe ability to gnsp
The sun and nan and earth,
34
- l@r dig Sandhed, Ret at agte,
l&r din Sjel alt skont at magte,
da har Skolen dig foi Livet
Livets bedste givet!
(Vig go Stuckenbery, I 90 I )
12s'l Nu
- learn the truth, to respect what's right,
L€am aheady now to master your sou ,
The school will have given you for life
What's very best in life.
er for stakket Tid forbi
dit Slid, du stakkels lille,
nu kan du gaa, nu er du fri,
skal ilke sidde stille!
Nu kan du trostig iaabe op,
og, deNom du kan naa det,
slaa Luftspring over Skovens Top,
- gOr hvad du vil! Du maa det!
Now for a brieftime it's over Your grind, you poor little one,
Now you can leave, you're free,
Don't need to sit still any longerl
Now you can safely shout and cheer,
And, if you can get that high,
Do a somersault right over the woods,
- do what you wantl You may!
Ak, stakket Tid - Nej, knap saa lang
er hele Vintren skaaret,
som blot en Dag i Skov og Vang
med Solblest gonnem Haaret.
Lad Skoleaaret rinde smukt,
til H@lvten kun det frommer,
om ej du hoster rigest Frugt
i Feden, som kommer!
Oh, short timel - Not quite as long
Is the whole winter
As but one day in the woods and fields
With the sumy brceze through one's hatr.
Let the school year slip by It has only half seryed its purpose
Ifyou don't reap richer ftuits
In the holiday to come!
Gaa over Eng, staa ved en Aa,
naar Solen stille daler,
hOr Myggen summe, Cedden slaa,
se hojt mod Himlens Svaler!
Der legges blot saa dyi en Skat
Cross the field, stand by the brook
While the sun quietly falls,
Hear the mosquitos hum, the pike scud,
Look up at the swallows in the sky!
A costly treasure is laid
Across the meadow each night,
Peace,happiness, love of life - catch hold of it,
So that you long may rejoicel
L- a.
Ag a n
E-d^wAr
Fred, Lykte, Livsmod - grib den fat,
at du kan glades lenge!
Og kom saa, naar paany du maa
Skovskyggens Ldvtag bytte
med Skolens faste Muistensvraa,
hvo{ du skal Arbejd skotte,
og smelt i, hvad du der faar fat,
et Ekko af de Klange,
du fanged dig en Sommernat.
mens Aa randt under Spangel
(Vig go Stuckenbery, I 90 1)
And then, when again you must
Swap the leafy canopy of the woods
With the hard brick walls of school,
Where you are to mind your work,
Hear, in what the teacher tells you
An echo of the sounds
You caught one summer night
Whilst the brook ran under the bridgel
35
Nielsen had been asked by Knud Malmstrgm to conduct the first performance of the Two School Songs
himself; but he was at that time staying at Damgaard in Jutland in order to concentrateon the composition of
the polyphonic choral work that was to become his greatestof its kind: Three Motets (FS 139), published in
1931 as op.55 and composed to some versesfrom the psalter of the Old Testament, chosenby his wifc, Anne
Marie Carl-Nielscn, and himself. Together, they had attendeda concert in Copenhagenon March 1Oth1928,
at which Mogens Woldike and his Palestrina'Choir (fotnded 1922) had performed choral works from the
'16th ccntury. Afterwards she asked Nielsen which
of thc works he would like to have composed himself.
Nielsen thought for a while, with his finger on his mouth, and answered: The Motet "Vox in Rama" by
Clemens non Papa. The Three Motets werc composed on Wrildike's suggestion; he lent Nielsen some
compositions by Clemens non Papa, Orlandus Lassus, Palestrina and othcrs for purposes of study. Nielsen
spent some timc looking for texts that would fit, and he startet to compose in May 1929. From Damgaard he
wrote to his wife on May the 15th: "l have been scared by the great, glorious church music, but I supposc I
am entitled to sing as well as I can and in my own way. I am rather hard-working and study the old masters
not only at the piano, but I copy, and doing so one is obliged to be thorough." His copies (of "Vox in Rama"
inter alia) arekept in the Royal Library together with his sketchesfor Zfrree Motets. A week later he wrote:
"I am already working on my new composition (without text, which can always easily be found and underlaid
in Latin). Only a few words are neededfor each piece, as everything dependson the generalmood: 1) Sorrow
and lament,2) Peaceand relish,3) Thanks and rejoicings(Hymn)". On May the 26th he finished the motet
"Dominus regit me" for four-part mi-\ed choir and wrote the following day to his wife: "I am vcry proud of
this work which is totally individual, though always with an eye to the old masters." In his summer house at
Skagen hc finished, on June 15th, the first motet "Afflictus sum" with its strong dissonancesand great
emotional tension, composed for the dark choral voices: alto, two tenors, and bass; and on Junc thc 21st he
sketched the theme of the last motet "Benedictus Dominus" for five-part mixcd choir. He finished it at
Dangaard on June the 28th, rcceiving on the same day a letter from his wifc: "How is the new piece...do you
think you can manageto give it some of the strotrgand spicy sound like in Clemensnon Papa?..."Nielsen
answercd at once: "l am taking great pains and I am so absorbedthat each note is a thing of importancc, you
see: It does not depend on mood, temperament or emotion (in the general sense),but on sonething beyond
the personal sphere.My symphonic vein and drive in the large instrumental forms (sonatas,symphonies etc.)
is of no use here, and I even have to suppressmany sides of my talent in order to dsc to a higher stratum of
air and approach the old masters,who float there, pure, and great, like archangelsat the border of Heaven. I
don'treallyimitatethem,butlcomposeinaccordancewiththem." -ThreeMotetswetefirstperformedon
thc 11th ofApril, 1930, in Copenhagenby Mogens Woldike andthe Palestrina-Cholr, to whom the workwas
dedicated.
Three Motets op. 55
[26]
Alflictus sum et humiliatus sum nimis;
Rugiebam a gemitu cordis mei.
(Ps. XXXWL9)
I am feeble and soie broken:
I have ioared by reason of the disquietness of my hoart
(Ps.38:8)
[27]
Dominus regit me,
In loco pasquae ibi me collocavit.
Super aquam refectionis educavit me.
(Ps. X)01, 1-2)
Tho Lord is my shepherd;
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
(Ps. 23: 1-2)
[28]
BenedictusDominus,
Quoniam mirificavit misericordiam suam nihi.
(Ps. XXX, 22)
Blessed be the Lord:
for he hath shewed me his maruellous kindness.
(Ps. 31:21)
The four-part homophonic song for male choir'fo the Isle ofmy Birth (FS 144), which reflects some of
the soft inflection ofthe Funen dialect, was composedin CopenhagenonNovemberZ6Ih,1929,at a timewhen
Nielsen was busy with meetings and with the composition oftunes for popular communal singing. A fair copy
of the work was made the following day, but the work remained unpublishcd until 1934. The text by
S.P.Raben-Korch is an homage to the mutual native island of Funen; it was pdnted the same year in the
collection Fanen Songsand other Poems, published on Nielsen's suggestion.In his manuscript, Nielsen used
four of the ooem's nine stanzas(no.s 1-3 and 8). and those four have been recorded here.
I29l
Til min FOdeO!
To the Isle of my Birth
Blidt vugges du i Himmelseng
paa Bolstre blaa,
mens over spnglet Blomstereng
Sanglarker graa
din SkOnhedsPris i Jubelkvad udsjunger.
Og hver en Sommermorgens Gry,
naar Dagen lyser over By,
du signet bli'r af tusind glade Tunger.
Gently you rock in your heavenly bed
Upon blue pillows,
Whilst over many-coloured flowery meadows
Grey skylarks
Jubilantly sing out your beauty.
And at the dawn of each summer moming
When day breaks over the towns,
A thousand happy tongues bless you in song-
Som der du gynger, blod og rund,
du Blomstero, saa smilende og kernesund
i salten S0, en badende Gudinde - fast - at skue,
der boltier glad sit Irgems Pragt,
mens Flora selv har gavmild lagt
et Rosenbaand om Barmens edle Bue.
As you lie rocking, soft and round,
You island offlowers, Smiling and sound
In the salty sea, You are a bathing goddess to behold
Proudly showing off the beauty ofher body,
While Flold herself has generously laid
A band ofroses round the ample cune ofher bosom.
Om Brage, Sargens Vogter tio,
et Sagn gaar om,
at han paa Fyn i Odins Bo
til Verden kom
og blev den fo$te Skjald i hele Norden,
og Digt og Sang og Toners Magt
hans Herskempir er underlagt,
og Fyn blev Sangens Kongebo paa Jorden.
Of Brage, th€ faithful Keeper of the Song,
The legend says
That he in Odin's abode on the island of Funen
Was bom to the world
And became the first bard in the whole of the North,
And poetry and song and the power of music
Are subjects of his sceptie,
And Funen became the royal home of song on earth.
Og derfor blev dit Fynbomaal
som Fuglesang.
Det fik vel ej af Sverdets Staal
den hvasse Klang,
men mer af StrygeN Klap paa Leens Kinder,
og Solens Smil er i dets Gem
og Hoets Duft og Mosens Em
og Bggens blide Sus, naar Dagen rinder.
(5. P. Raben-Korch, 1929)
That's why your Funen tongue
Became like birdsong.
It did not, certainly, get its keen sound
From the steel of swords,
But rather from the tapping of the scythe on the whetstone.
The smile of the sun is hidden there,
The scent of hay, and vapour from the marsh,
And the gentle sighing of the beech, when the day ebbs oul
In May 1930, Nielsenwrote
Four EqualVoices.
forTwoto
Andersen
(no.s 18 and 33-37).
collection;
Nielsen
to which
(changing
(FS 152), which were published
inSchools
andTrainingColleges.
The editors had asked a number
thatyear
Editedby
ofDanish
among them Holberg's
the composer
it slightly
epigram "Nothing
added the final effect:
"A
fool".
andHakon
to contdbute
to the
had showed him a couple of
comes ofnothing"
Nielsen
in60 DanishCanons
FinnH4ffding
composers
had been asked for two pieces, but he wrote six. H6ffding
suitable texts as paradigm,
Miiller,
the 6 Canons
ForUse
translated by Sigurd
found the other text by Holberg
for musical reasons); he wrote the text for the first canon and used for the last canon his
overture (FS 32). - The 6 Canons are here recorded for soloists - the fifth of thcrr
own motto from thellelios
for the original
voices: alto and tenor.
6KANONER
t30]
Bokserne
Ve' du sla' mej?
ka' du ta' mej?
eller ve' du sel ha' Klo?
Hum! Hem! Hum! Tsiml Tam!
Der likjeg dcn
og du igen
hov hov! Saa Tuden flod.
(Carl Nielsen)
[3f]
The Borcrs
Would you hit mel
Can you get me?
Or do you want a beating yourself?
Hum! Ha! Hum! Ah! Ouchl
You got me there,
And I got you,
Hev! So your conk turned red!
[H.C.Bunkellotl]
Traaden brister, Rokken staaer, Spindcvisen tier.
Ungdoms-Sangen bliver snart gamle Melodier.
(H.C.Awlersen, vigne' 1831)
I32l
SixCanons
The treadsnaps,the spimingwheel stops,the spinningsong quicts.
Songs ol youth soon become old, old tunes.
[TiINatuEgteren]
Vegter, jeg beder, hold op med i Sang at onske mig Godnal, [egl.: Godnat mig;]
Watchman, I beg you. please stop bidding me good night in song.
Synger du, [saa] vaagner jeg straks; [og] tier du, lsaal sover jeg ind.
When you sing I wake up, and when you stop I lall asleep.
(Ludvig Holberg, Lpigram II,1 1737;
overyat af Sigwd Mi)ller, 1902)
lAf intet kommer iiltetl
t33l
Ikle det altid slaar til, at af intet kommer der intet:
It isn't always the case, that nothing comes of nothing:
Du blev Minister - saa blev noget der dog afet Nul.
You became a minister - so at least something came of a nobody:
Afool.
[: Et Fe.]
(Ludvig Holberg, Epigran N,56, 1737;
oversat af Sigurd. Milller, 1902)
Du skal le af Odelaggelse,
og ikke frygte for Markens Dyr;
thi med Stenene paa Marken har du Pagt,
og Markens Dyr skulle holde Fred med dig.
(Jobs BogV,22-23)
t34]
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh:
neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field:
and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
(The BookofJob,V,22-23)
t3sl
Stilhed og mgrke - saa stiger Sol under frydefuld Lovsang - Silence and dark - then the sun rises to a joyous paean Vandrer sin gyldne Vej - senker sig stille i Hav.
Wande$ its golden path - sets quietly in the sea.
(Carl Nielsen, 1903)
In the same year Nielsen composed
the homophonic,
Zealand; FS 154) with a warm and tense sound owing
Lund".Tbe
autbor Karl M.R.Elnegaard
Folkettdende
t36l
five-pail
choral song The Singers
of SjOlund
to his use of two tenor parts as in "There
had been a high-school
(r.e.
Is a Lovely
teacher at 5016 and was sub-editor
of Sorq
from 1905 until his death in 1951.
Sjglunds Sangere
The Singers of Sjplund
Paa Sjolunds fagre, sommerskome @,
hvor Aaen mutrtert sig i Dalen slynger,
hvor Bogen spejlei sig i stille SO,
og Nattergalen blodt vemodigt synger;
hvor gamle Minder dybt i Muld har Rod,
der er vort Hjem, der trygt vor Vugge stod.
On the beautitul, summer island of Sjolund [i.e.Zealand]
Where the river gaily winds through the valley,
Where the beech mino6 itself in the calm lake,
And the nightingale sings softly, wistfully;
Where memories are rooted deep in the soil,
There we make our home, there our cradle safely stood.
Der l@rte vi af L@rkens glade Sang
at synge ud vor IEngsel og vor Glede,
og var end Dagen stundom graa og trang,
og faldt os Vejen mlrdig tit at trede,
kom Sangen som vor Trost i Trengsels Stund
og lagde Smilet atter om vor Mund.
There we leamed from the joyful song of the lark
To sing out our longing atrd our happiness,
And even ifthe day was grey and difficult
And the road seemed weary to travel,
Song would comfort us in our hour of trouble
And return a smile to our mouths.
Vi elskerSangensomen herligSkat
og vil medal vor Magtog Kraft denveme,
denlofterSindetoverMismodsNat
og straalermildt for os somHaabetsStj€me
DerforskalSangenej paaIaben dO,
menlydefrit og frisk pe SjolundsO!
(Katl Elnegaard)
We love songlike a wondroustreasure
And wouldguardit with all our powerandneans,
It raisesthemindabovethenightofdespondency
And shinesblithelyfor uslike a starof hope.
Therefore,
songmustnot die on our lips,
But soundfteelyandfaeshlyon theislandof Sjolund.
Nielsen's great Coumotio for oryan (FS 155) was finished at Damgaard on the 1st of March, 1931. The
daybefore,onFebruarythe28th,hewroteinhisdiary:"ComposedthechoralsongfortheCremationUnion's
50th anniversary' ' - the correct title of the homophonic and strophic choral piece for five-part mixed choir 1FS
149) that was later, somewhat misleadingly, called a cantata.The author ofthe peculiar text was the musical
and exotic poet Sophus Michaelis. Nielsen posted the manuscript to the Cremation Union in Copenhagenon
March the 3rd, and the work was first perfomed in a radio broadcast about the union on the 23rd of March,
the day before the jubilee.
1377
Kantate til Dailsk Ligbl@ndiilgsforening
Cantata for thc Danrth Crcmalion Union
Af Flamme blev du avlet,
i Lue blev du dobt.
AfJordetuen kavlet,
paa Baalet blir du stobt.
Nu har du Irbet rundet
og naar dit sidste Maal,
hvor smeltet og forsvundet
du ildfast staar som Staal.
By flames wele you begotten,
In a blaze were you chdstened,
And having crawled iaom the mound
You were shaped in the fire.
Now you have run the course
And reached your final goal,
Where - melted and vanished You stand fireproof, like steel.
Af Stobeskeen skabes
dit Legems visne Stof,
og som din Bolig skabes
din Umes sn@vreHof.
Derinde skal i DOden
du stedes under Tag
og bie MorgenrOden
i Haabets Sarkofag..
From tho foundry ladle are scraped
The withered remains ofyour body,
And for your future dwelling is fomed
The cavity of your um.
In it, you shall - lifeless Be consigned to rest,
And await the dawn of day
In the sarcophagusof hope.
AfAand dit StOv er taget
og bliver Aand igen,
af Lyset gennemdmget
Your dust is taken from the spirit
And turns into spirit again,
Penetratedby light,
som Ild det farer hetr.
Dcn sterke lld skal rense
dit Liv for Fugt og Slam
og Rummet uden Granse
for evigt skille Ham.
It passeson like fire.
The fierce fire will cleanse
Your body of mould and dirt,
And space without bounds
will exuviate for ever.
Tak for den skonne Himmcl,
der koner denne Jord,
de gyldne Stjerners Vrimmel
dc fjerne Verdners FIor.
Hvil nu i Fred i DOden
bag Lygtemandcns Tag
og vent paa Morgenroden
i Haabets Sarkofag.
(Sophus Michatlis, 1931)
Give thanks fbr the lofty Heaven
That crowns this earth,
The multitude ofgolden stars,
The profusion of distant worlds.
Now rest in peace in death
Beneath jack-o'-lantem's roof,
And await the dawn of day
In the sarcophagus olhope.
On the occasion of thc 25th anniversary of the male choir Bel Canto ()-8th May, 1931), a Scandinavtan
male choirs' festival was held in Copenhagenon the 29th - 31st ofMay, I 93 1. Participantswere one male chorr
from each ofthe Nordic countries Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden,and two from Denmark: StudenterSangforeningen andBel Canto. For that occasion Nielsen composed, on April the 3rd, his last choral piece
The Poem ofthe Harp ofthe Norlh (FS 158) to a text witten two days before by the doctor and author Aage
Bemtsen. At the inaugural conccrt ofthe festival on May the 29th, the homophonic and strophic choral song
was succesfully performed as a final apotheosis by the joint choirs under the direction of Bel Canto's
conductorAndcrs Rachlew; two days later it was repeatedin the sameway, the composer receiving the warm
applauseof the audicnce and the choirs.
l38l
Kvatlet on NortLens Harpe
The Poem of the Harp of the North
Nordens herlige Harpe!
Enkcl Streng er svag.
Veldigt cr Harpens Melel
Megtig er Harpens Magt,
hvis Strongo cr sammenlagt
stemte Brodersjele.
The glodous Harp of thc North!
Each single string is feeble,
But the voice of the Harp is mighty!
Great is the power of the Harp
Whose strings are united,
well-tuned fratemal souls.
Nordens herlige Harpe!
Strenge fem er lagt
tungt over Harperammen.
Sagaensstorc Haand
The glorious Harp of the Nofrh!
Five strings aro laid
Sturdilly across the frame.
The mighty hand of thc saga
har leget med Klogt og Aard,
Toner slynges sammen.
Has played with shrewdness and spirit,
The notes are inteftwined.
Nordens herlige Harpe!
Samme Bjomeblod
bruser i Harpens Hjerte.
Knuget af Vold og Ve,
det nordiske Sind vil le
gemem tld og Smerte.
The glorious Harp of the North!
The same blood ofbears
Pumps in the heart of the Harp.
Oppressed by force atrd anguish,
The Nordic spirit keeps smiling
Through liie and pain.
Nordens heilige Harpe!
Broderstrengens V@ld
stiger mod Stj€rner skarpe
m€gtig cr Harpens Magt,
hvis Strenge er sammenlagt.
Nordens heilige Harpe!
(Aage Berntsen, 1931)
The glorious Harp of the North!
The power ofthe brother strings
Rises towards the bdght stais.
Great is the power of the Harp
Whose strings are united.
The glorious Harp of the Northl
Special thanks to Mr. Per Somm€rschield for his generoushelp and for his translation into English of all the
poetrc texts (except seven: "Jean", "Bid ne to live", Three Motets, and the last two of Six Canons).
Backcover photo of Carl Nielsen: Elis Hdgh-Jensen,Kpbenhavn Aug. 28, 1927
tY.
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I I ] ,,Det bodes der for i lange Aar" (FS 3 l) 0:53
[2] Langsel0:59
[ 3 ] ,,Byd mig at leve" (FS 3 t) 0j35
[ 4 ] ,,For dromte jeg fast hvcr eneste Nat" 0.39
d
6
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aL2
tsl
t61
Grashoppen 0:37
Edderkoppens Sang af ,,Aladdin" 1:49
I 7 l Sang til Kolding Latinskoles Majfest 1.06
t 8 1 Morten Borups Majvise (,1i56
I e 1 Sidskensang 2.02
ll01 Serenade3.01
t l l l .,Kom, Cudsengel, stille DAdl" 3 :02
tl2l Aftenstemning 2..19
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tl31 .,Hvor Livet ikke lofter" 2..l4
tl41 ..Fra Klokkemes Malm€" 2.'40
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Hymne til Livet 1.55
Foraarssang2j.19
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a4l ,,Blomsterstov fra Blomsterb@ger" 2r3-l
12sl ,,Nu er for stakket Tid forbi" 1:41
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2:55
6KANONER
t301 Bokseme 0.31
t311,,Traaden brister, Rokken staaet" 0:43
I32l ,,Vegter, jeg beder, holdop" 0:45
133l ,,lkke det altid slaar tiI" 0.25
t34l ,,Du skal le ad Odeleggelse" 1:03
t3sl ,,Stilhed og Morke" 1i06
eX
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@ A'
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CANZONE.KORET
Frans Rasmussen,
conductor
Recorded st. Heddinge Church Oct. 1983 - April 1984
Previously released on LP D.M.A. 061-062 DACO217/218
Recorded and produced by Torben Schousboe
Cover painting by: Edward Weie
Executive producer Jesper Buhl
Total playing time 78:56
Danacord Records
Gernersgade 35
DK - 1319 Copenhag€n DENMARK
@DANACORD 1994
t3q
pn
t3El
Sjolunds Sangere2.03
Kantate til Dansk Ligbrandingsforening
Kvadet om Nordens Harpe 3. -11
O
6 ^( J
TRE MOTETTER
op. 55
126l "Afflictus sum" 6.15
I27l "Dominus regit me" 3:33
I28l "Benedictus Dominus" 4.58
ll5l Til Snapsen i "Bel Canto" 0:43
U6l Paaske-Li.ljen2i49
llTl Bomehj&lpsdagens Sang,l.55
U8l,,Fredlys diD Jord, du danskeMand!" 2j54
u9l ,,Ak, Julesne fta Bethlehem" 2:3i
dig, lot Fanet" 2:02
f20l,,Hil
[2ll,,Der er et yndigt Land" 1 :50
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