by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
Where should this music be? i' th' air...
Language: English
Where should this music be? i' th' air or th' earth? It sounds no more;--and sure it waits upon Some god o' th' island. Sitting on a bank, Weeping again the king my father's wrack, This music crept by me upon the waters, Allaying both their fury and my passion, With its sweet air: thence I have follow'd it,-- Or it hath drawn me rather,--but 'tis gone. No, it begins again.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Tempest, Act I, Scene 2 (Ferdinand) [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Brian Dennis (b. 1941), "Where should this music be?", 1982, first performed 1983 [ medium voice and piano ], from 4 Shakespeare Songs [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Kaija Saariaho (1952 - 2023), "Ferdinand's Comfort", published 2004? [ soprano, baritone, and instrumental ensemble ], from The Tempest Songbook, no. 5
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Andrea Maffei) , no title, first published 1869
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-12-10
Line count: 9
Word count: 71
Où cette musique peut‑elle être ? Dans...
Language: French (Français) after the English
Où cette musique peut-elle être ? Dans l’air ou sur la terre ? Elle se tait. Sûrement, elle accompagne quelque dieu de l’île, J’étais assis sur une plage, pleurant encore le naufrage du roi mon père, quand cette musique a glissé sur les eaux jusqu’à moi, calmant et leur furie et ma douleur par ses doux sons. C’est de là que je l’ai suivie ou plutôt qu’elle m’a entraîné. Mais elle a cessé… Non ! elle recommence.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Tempest, Act I, Scene 2 (Ferdinand)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2016-02-08
Line count: 9
Word count: 74