Valse brillante | A dance by Chopin sounds loudly in the ballroom

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by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Valse brillante

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Ein Tanz von Chopin lärmt im Saal,
Ein wilder, zügelloser Tanz.
Die Fenster leuchten wetterfahl,
Den Flügel ziert ein welker Kranz.

Den Flügel du, die Geige ich,
So spielen wir und enden nicht
Und warten angstvoll, du und ich,
Wer wohl zuerst den Zauber bricht.

Wer wohl zuerst einhält im Takt
Und von sich weg die Lichter schiebt,
Und wer zuerst die Frage sagt,
Auf die es keine Antwort gibt.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Hermann Hesse, Sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von Volker Michels, Band 10 Die Gedichte, bearbeitet von Peter Huber, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2002, pages 66-67.

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Valse brillante", written 1901, appears in Neue deutsche Lyriker III , in Buch der Liebe, first published 1919 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Johannes Schmiedel (b. 1921), "Valse brillante", op. 109 (1983) [ voice and guitar ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Valse brillante", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Valse brillante", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-06-02
Line count: 12
Word count: 70

Valse brillante

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

A dance by Chopin sounds loudly in the ballroom,
A wild, riotous dance.
The windows gleam pallidly because of the weather,
The grand piano is adorned by a wilted wreath.

You the piano, I the violin,
Thus we play and do not stop
And wait full of fear, you and I, [to see]
Who shall be the first to break the enchantment.

Who shall be the first to stop in the rhythm
And push the lights away,
And who shall first speak the question
For which there is no answer.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Valse brillante", written 1901, appears in Neue deutsche Lyriker III , in Buch der Liebe, first published 1919
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-05-03
Line count: 12
Word count: 90