Carl Bohm was a prolific German composer and pianist known for his accessible and lyrical compositions, particularly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works often exhibit a romantic sensibility characterized by expressive melodies and rich harmonies. StillWiedieNacht (Still as the Night) is one of Bohm's most well-known songs, often performed as a solo art song or adapted for various instrumental arrangements. The piece embodies the gentle, intimate mood suggested by its title, with a flowing, cantabile melody conveying a deep longing and serenity. The text describes a profound love that is as still and eternal as the night itself, capturing the Romantic era’s fascination with nature, emotion, and transcendence.
Still wie die Nacht
Still as the night und tief wie das Meer, deep as the sea, soll deine Liebe sein! thy love would be for me. Wenn du mich liebst, Lovest thou me, so wie ich dich, then love I thee will ich dein eigen sein. and all thine own I’ll be Heiß wie der Stahl Glowing as steel, und fest wie der Stein and stronger than stone, soll deine Liebe sein! thy love would be alone!
(Translation by M.J. Barnett)
Jules Massenet, one of the leading French opera composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was renowned for his gift for melody and emotional expressiveness. His opera Werther, based on Goethe’s novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, is a prime example of his ability to capture deep human emotions through music. Va!Laissercoulermeslarmes(Go! Let my tears flow) is sung by Charlotte in Act III. Overcome with sorrow and inner turmoil, Charlotte expresses her grief and repressed emotions, finally allowing herself to weep over her love for Werther. The aria is marked by a tender, flowing melody that captures the quiet yet profound depth of her suffering. Massenet’s orchestration enhances the melancholy atmosphere, using subtle harmonic shifts and delicate phrasing to reflect Charlotte’s vulnerability.
Va! Laisse couler mes larme!
Elles font du bien, ma charie
Les larmes qu’on ne pleure pas
Go! Let flow my tears!
They do me good, my darling
The tears which one does not cry Dans notre ame retombent toutes
Inside our soul fall again, all of them, Et de leurs patients gouttes And with their patient drops
Martelent le Coeur triste et las
Sa resistance enfin sepuise
Hammer the heart sad and weary
Its resistance finally exhausts itself; Le Coeur se creuse et s’affaiblit
The heart collapses and weakens; Il est trop grand, rien ne l’emplit
Tout le brise
And too fragile, everything breaks it!
All the breaking
(Translation by Mark Isaacs, Mark Armstrong Harris)
Enrique Granados, a Spanish composer, and pianist, is celebrated for his contributions to Spanish classical music, particularly for his evocative piano works and tonadillas, a genre of Spanish songs inspired by the 18th-century theatrical tradition. LaMajaDolorosais a set of three songs from his Tonadillas collection, which reflects the spirit of majas and majos figures from Spanish popular culture often associated with passionate and expressive emotions about the deep sorrow a maja (a woman from the working-class Madrid society) grieving the loss of her beloved. The movements show a process of grief: sorrow, desperation, and acceptance.
No. 1
¡Oh muerte cruel!
Oh, cruel Death!
¿Por qué tú, a traición why have you, pitilessly, Mi majo arrebataste a mi pasión? Stolen my love away from me?
¡No quiero vivir sin él I don’t want to live without him
Porque es morir, porque es morir because it is death, it is death
Así vivir! To live this way!
No es posible ya It is impossible
Sentir más dolor
To feel more pain: En lágrimas deshecha ya mi alma está My spirit is dissolved in tears.
¡Oh Dios, torna mi amor Oh, God, return my love
Porque es morir, porque es morir Because it is death, it is death
Así vivir!
To live this way!
No. 2
¡Ay majo de mi vida,
Ah, man of my life, no, no, tú no has muerto! No, no – you haven’t died!
¿Acaso yo existiese How could I continue to exist si fuera eso cierto? If this were true?
¡Quiero, loca, besar tu boca!
I want, irrationally, to kiss your mouth! Quiero, segura, gozar más de tu ventura, I want, truly, to cast my lot with yours, ¡ay!, de tu ventura. Ah, with yours!
Mas, ¡ay!, deliro, sueño:
Ah! Still, I rant and dream: mi majo no existe. My man no longer exits. En torno mío el mundo All about me the world lloroso está y triste. Is weeping and sad.
¡A mi duelo no hallo consuelo! For my sorrow there is no consolation! Mas muerto y frío siempre el majo será mío. Even dead and cold, my man will be mine, ¡Ay! Siempre mío. Ah, always mine
3
De aquel majo amante
Of that handsome lover que fué mi gloria that was once my joy guardo anhelante I ardently keep dichosa memoria. Sweet memories. El me adoraba He adored me vehemente y fiel. Fervently and loyally. Yo mi vida entera My whole life di a él. I gave to him, Y otras mil diera And a thousand more would I give, si él quisiera, if he wished it, que en hondos amores for in deep love martirios son las flores. Agony is a flower
Y al recordar mi majo amado
And when I think of my beloved van resurgiendo ensueños Dreams of a time gone by de un tiempo pasado. Are rekindled.
Ni en el Mentidero
Neither in Mentidero, ni en la Florida nor in Florida, majo más majo A more handsome man paseó en la vida. Ever roamed. Bajo el chambergo Under the rum of his hat sus ojos ví I saw his eyes con toda el alma fixed upon me puestos en mí with all his soul. que a quien miraban They bewitched enamoraban, all those whom they beheld, pues no hallé en el mundo And in this world I never found a gaze mirar más profundo. So profound.
Y al recordar mi majo amado
And when I think of my beloved, van resurgiendo ensueños Dreams of a time gone by de un tiempo pasado. Are rekindled.
(Translation by Michael P. Rosewall)
Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti is a one-act opera that satirizes the idealized suburban American life of the 1950s. The opera explores themes of marital dissatisfaction, materialism, and emotional isolation through the story of Sam and Dinah, a couple struggling with their disconnected relationship. WhataMovie!is one of Dinah’s most striking solo moments. In this aria, she recounts a melodramatic Hollywood film she has just seen, ridiculing its absurdity while simultaneously revealing her own deep longing for the romance and adventure missing from her own life. The music combines jazz-influenced harmonies and rhythms with sweeping, cinematic melodies, reflecting both the ridiculousness of the movie and Dinah’s own inner turmoil.
Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a darkly thrilling musical that blends elements of horror, tragedy, and satire. With its intricate score and richly developed characters, the show remains one of Sondheim’s most celebrated works. BytheSeais sung by Mrs. Lovett in Act II as she dreams of a whimsical and idyllic seaside life with Sweeney Todd. The song provides a stark contrast to the grim and violent atmosphere of the musical, serving as a moment of comic relief. However, beneath its lighthearted and charming exterior lies Mrs. Lovett’s manipulative and delusional nature, as she desperately tries to distract Sweeney from his obsession with revenge.
The song I'maStrangerHereMyselfis from the musical One Touch of Venus, composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Ogden Nash. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1943 and tells the story of a statue of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, who comes to life and falls in love with a man named Rodney Hatch. “I’m a Stranger Here Myself" is sung by Venus, reflecting her confusion and sense of alienation as she navigates life in the modern world. The song's lyrics express a blend of romantic longing and bewilderment as Venus tries to understand the human emotions and experiences she's now encountering. The melody is reflective of Weill’s signature blend of popular and classical styles, and Nash’s lyrics provide a whimsical yet poignant take on the character’s experience of being out of place in a new environment.
LostintheBrassis a song from the musical Band Geeks, which is a part of the Broadway Junior collection. The musical is based on the 2001 Band Geeks episode of The Simpsons and features music by Mark Bryan and lyrics by Amanda Green. The song is sung by the character of the band director, who is struggling to find a sense of identity and control in the chaos of managing a high school band. The song's lyrics express feelings of being overwhelmed and lost in the noise and confusion of the band, symbolized by the brass section. It captures a sense of trying to maintain order while everything around you feels out of control, and how that feeling of being "lost" can sometimes be humorous but also deeply relatable.