by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Wie soll ich meine Seele halten, daß
Language: German (Deutsch)
Wie soll ich meine Seele halten, daß sie nicht an deine rührt? Wie soll ich sie hinheben über dich zu andern Dingen? Ach gerne möcht ich sie bei irgendwas Verlorenem im Dunkel unterbringen an einer fremden stillen Stelle, die nicht weiterschwingt, wenn deine Tiefen schwingen. Doch alles, was uns anrührt, dich und mich, nimmt uns zusammen wie ein Bogenstrich, der aus zwei Saiten eine Stimme zieht. Auf welches Instrument sind wir gespannt? Und welcher [Geiger]1 hat uns in der Hand? O süßes Lied.
W. Hiller sets stanza 2
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View original text (without footnotes)1 Martinsson: "Spieler"
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Liebeslied", appears in Neue Gedichte, first published 1892 [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 Fritz Althoff (b. 1892), "Liebes-Lied", from Einsame Stunde. Nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke und Christian Morgenstern, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Elizabeth R. Austin (b. 1938), "Liebeslied" [ medium voice and piano ], from Drei Rilke-Lieder, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Natalie Bayada-Snoeren , "Liebes-Lied" [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Rilke, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Benary (1931 - 2015), "Liebes-Lied" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Berghorn (1911 - 1978), "Liebeslied" [ bass and piano ], from Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gordon Ware Binkerd (1916 - 2003), "Liebeslied", 1958, copyright © 1967 [ men's chorus ], Boosey and Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harrison Birtwistle, Sir (1934 - 2022), "Liebes-Lied 1", 2006, first performed 2009 [ baritone and piano ], from Bogenstrich, no. 1, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harrison Birtwistle, Sir (1934 - 2022), "Liebes-Lied 2", 2006, first performed 2009 [ voice and cello ], from Bogenstrich, no. 5, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wendelin Bitzan (b. 1982), "Liebeslied", 2010 [ voice, horn, violoncello, harp ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfonso Bögeholz Fuentes (b. 1933), "Liebeslied", copyright © 2012 [ alto and piano ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 2, Köln : Arundo Edition [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eduard Bornschein (1883 - 1945), "Liebeslied", 1926 [ voice and piano ], from 10 Gesänge nach Gedichten von R. M. Rilke, no. 2, Mainz : Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas Böttger (b. 1957), "Liebes-Lied", 1980/81, first performed 1982/1983 [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], from 5 Rilke-Lieder, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Josef Breuer (1914 - 1996), "Liebes-lied" [ women's chorus ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 2, Arezzo Musikverlag Gmbh [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfram Buchenberg (b. 1962), "Liebes-Lied" [ mixed chorus ], Carus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leslie Crabtree (b. 1941), "Liebeslied", 2008 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Carsten Daerr (b. 1975), "Liebes Lied" [ voice and band ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Hans August Daetwyler (1907 - 1994), "Liebeslied" [ soprano and string quartet ], from 3 Rilke-Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Omar Daniel , "Liebeslied", 1999 [ mixed chorus, string quartet and clarinet ], from Love Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hansmaria Dombrowski (1897 - 1977), "Liebeslied", 1936-1944 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johannes Driessler (1921 - 1998), "Liebeslied", op. 10, Heft 2 no. 4 (1954/55) [ voice and piano ], Manuscript is lost [sung text not yet checked]
- by Evelyn Faltis (1897 - 1937), "Liebeslied", op. 8 (Sieben Lieder für Singstimme und Klavier) no. 5, published 1921 [ voice and piano ], Berlin: Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marius Flothuis (1914 - 2001), "Liebeslied", 1976 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Vijf liederen, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Siegfried Fournes (1896 - 1932), "Liebeslied", copyright © 1978 [ voice and piano ], from Gesamtausgabe der Lieder von Siegfried Fournes, no. 32, Steinkirchen : G. Fournes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ralf Albert Franz (b. 1969), "Liebes-Lied", 2016, copyright © 2018 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs romantische Lieder, no. 6, Kassel : Verlag Merseburger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Albin Fries (b. 1955), "Liebeslied", 2005, published c2007 [ soprano and piano ], from Traumreigen, no. 4, [Wien] : [Selbstverl.] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernst Fuchs-Schönbach (1894 - 1975), "Liebeslied", op. 59 (Sieben Lieder) no. 1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Axel Gebhardt (b. 1962), "Liebes-Lied", from Fünf Lieder nach Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Haas (1886 - 1960), "Liebeslied" [ voice, viola d'amore and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harald Heilmann (1924 - 2018), "Liebeslied", copyright © 1993 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Rilke-Lieder, no. 2, Berlin : Astoria [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Herzog (1917 - 1986), "Wie soll ich meine Seele halten" [ bass and piano ], from 5 Gesänge, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilfried Hiller , "Träumerei", 2013 - 2014, first performed 2014, stanza 2 [ soprano, chorus, solo violin, orchestra ], from Skulpturen der Liebe, no. 5, Schott Music [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Rudolf) Walther Hirschberg (1889 - 1960), "Liebeslied", op. 43 no. 3 (1937) [ medium voice and piano ], from Buch der Bilder; Zwölf Lieder, no. 3, Berlin : Verlag der Signale für die musikalische Welt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Armin Caspar Hochstetter (1899 - 1978), "Liebes-Lied", from An deine Seele, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mary (Carlisle) Howe (1882 - 1964), "Liebeslied", 1931 [ voice and piano ], from Four Poems By Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Madeleine Isaksson (b. 1956), no title, 1993-1995, first performed 1993 [ soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, viola, violoncello ], from A svävare, no. 2, This song text is a mixture of two poems: Llama de amor viva - Juan de la Cruz Liebeslied - Rainer Maria Rilke [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Jobst (1908 - 1943), "Liebeslied", op. 6 (Drei Gesänge) no. 1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Otto Jochum (1898 - 1969), "Liebes-Lied" [ speaker ], from Stufen der Einsamkeit, no. 12 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sven Eric Emanuel Johanson (1919 - 1997), "Liebeslied" [ mixed chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jouni Kaipainen (b. 1956), "Wie soll ich meine Seele halten", published 1995 [ soprano, violin, viola, cello ], from Glühende Blumen des Leichtsinns, no. 4, Copenhagen : Edition Hansen [sung text not yet checked]
- by Viktor Kalabis (1923 - 2006), "Liebeslied", op. 38 no. 4 (1974), published 2001, first performed 1976 [ high voice and strings ], from Pět romantických písní o lásce na slova R. M. Rilk, no. 4, manuscript / Editio Bärenreiter, 2001 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Klepper (b. 1924), "Liebes-Lied", 2000 [ soprano and piano ], from Sechs Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Knaak (b. 1958), "Liebes-Lied", 2011 [ voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Kowalski (1882 - 1956), "Liebeslied", 1951 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Konrad Lang (b. 1943), "Liebeslied", 2010/12, copyright © 2012 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], Edition Gamma [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Lang (1917 - 1987), "Liebeslied", published 1942 [ voice and piano ], Basel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marius Felix Lange (b. 1968), "Liebes-Lied", 1999 [ soprano and string sextet ], from 3 Liebeslieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernst Ludwig Leitner (b. 1943), "Liebeslied", 2018 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Texten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Luca Lombardi (b. 1945), "…dich und mich…", Scheda 98 (1993) [ soprano and piano ], Milano : Ricordi [sung text not yet checked]
- by Torbjörn Iwan Lundquist (1920 - 2000), "Wie soll ich meine Seele", 1984/1989 [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Siebenmal Rilke, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Maegaard (1926 - 2012), "Liebeslied", op. 87 (1990) [ alto and 2 guitars ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dietrich Manicke (b. 1923), "Liebeslied", 1952, from 5 Lieder, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rolf Martinsson (b. 1956), "Liebes-Lied", first performed 2015 [ voice and orchestra ], from Ich denke Dein, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Arturo Milesi , "Liebeslied", published 193-?, from 5 Lieder für Sopran oder Tenor mit Klavierbegleitung, no. 1, Basel : Ernst Vogel [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Erich Mitzscherlich (1906 - 1985), "Liebeslied", op. 12 (Sechs Lieder nach Rainer Maria Rilke) no. 2 (1948-1956) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Möckl (1925 - 2014), "Liebes-Lied" [ high voice and piano ], from Lieder von allerlei Liebe, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Giovanni Molaro (b. 1989), "Liebeslied", copyright © 2018 [ boys' chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Per Nørgård (b. 1932), "Zwei Saiten eine Stimme", 354 (1964/2004), published 1965 [ mezzo-soprano violin or alto and piano ], Kopenhagen : Wilhelm Hansen [sung text not yet checked]
- by Per Nørgård (b. 1932), "Liebes-lied", B 81a no. 2 (1955-1956), published 2013 [ mezzo-soprano and instrumental ensemble ], from Tre Kærlighedssange, no. 2, Wilhelm Hansen Musikforlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Per Nørgård (b. 1932), "Fragment V", 70 (1961) [ mezzo-soprano or violin and piano ad libitum ], note: parafrase over et digt af Rainer Maria Rilke(“Liebeslied”). Værket danner grundlag for både Rilke-tonesætninger i Nr. 81 TRE KÆRLIGHEDSSANGE (III.” Wie soll ich meine Seele halten”) og for Nr. 354 ZWEI SAITEN, EINE STIMME – for mezzosop. og violin (2004) – sidstnævntemed undertitlen: en (tredje) variant af LIEBESLIED fra FRAGMENT V. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Kris Oelbrandt (b. 1972), op. 26, Heft 3 (2011), published 2016, copyright © 2016 [ mezzo-soprano, baritone and instrumental ensemble ], from oratorio Niets dan liefde: Spring oratorio, no. 3, Rijswijk, the Netherlands : Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Poul Rovsing Olsen (1922 - 1982), "Liebeslied", op. 36 (2 tyske sange) no. 2 (1956) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robin Orr (1909 - 2006), "Liebes-Lied", published 1972 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], Edition Peters [sung text not yet checked]
- by Helmut Paulsen (b. 1909), "Liebeslied", published 1942 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder nach Texten zeitgenössischer Dichter für mittelhohe Stimme, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dora Pejačević (1885 - 1923), "Liebeslied", op. 39 (1915) [ voice and orchestra ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Matei Pop , "Liebeslied" [ voice and piano or string quartet ], from Două lieduri pe versuri de R.M. Rilke, no. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Emma Possanner , "Liebeslied" [ voice and piano ], from 9 Lieder, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928 - 2016), "Liebes-Lied", 1958-9, orchestrated 1964 [ high voice and chamber orchestra or strings or string quintet ], from Die Liebenden, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Reinthaler (b. 1950), "Liebeslied", 1971/72 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Rettich (1892 - 1988), "Liebes-Lied", op. 27 no. 4 [ voice and piano ], from An die Geliebte, no. 4, Astoria Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dennis Riley (1943 - 1999), "Liebeslied" [ mixed chorus ], C.F.Peters [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dennis Riley (1943 - 1999), "Liebes-Lied" [ chorus ], from Elegy for September 15. 1945, C.F. Peters Musikverlag Frankfurt am Main [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig Rottenberg (1864 - 1932), "Liebeslied" [ voice and piano ], from Gedichte von R. M. Rilke, no. 3, Mainz : Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Reinhold Ruiss , "Liebes-Lied" [ tenor and piano ], from Rilke Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arianna Savall (b. 1972), "Liebes-lied" [ voice and harp ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Walter Schlageter (1907 - 1995), "Liebes-Lied" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Siegmund Schmidt (b. 1939), "Liebes-Lied", 2006 [ vocal duet for soprano and alto with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Schoendlinger (1919 - 1983), "Liebeslied" [ mixed chorus ], from Zwei Madrigale nach Worten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Schoendlinger (1919 - 1983), "Liebeslied" [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ruth Schonthal (1924 - 2006), "Liebeslied", 1941-1946 [ soprano and piano ], from Acht Lieder, no. 4, Southern Music Company [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hermann Schröder (1904 - 1984), "Liebes-Lied", 1969, copyright © 1972 [ chorus ], from Rilke-Zyklus, no. 3, Heidelberg : Willy Müller / Süddeutscher Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harry E. Seelig , "Liebeslied" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Triphon Dimitrov Silyanovski (1923 - 2005), "Liebeslied", 1953 [ soprano and piano ], from 5 песни за сопран и пиано (лява ръка), по стихове на Райнер Мария Рилке = Five Songs for Soprano and Piano (Left Hand) on Poetry by R.M. Rilke, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by James Martin Simon (1880 - 1944), "Liebeslied", 1934 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig-Wolfgang Simoni , as Louis Saguer, "Liebeslied", published 1937 [ high voice and orchestra ], from Drei Lieder nach Texten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 1, Edition Tonos [sung text not yet checked]
- by Oliver Steller (b. 1967), "Liebes-Lied", 2006 [ narrator, saxophone and double bass ], from Zwischen den Sternen. Gedichte. Briefe. Leben. , no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Sturzenegger (1905 - 1976), "Liebeslied", published 1944 [ alto, tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jack Symonds (b. 1988), "Liebeslied", op. 20 no. 2 (2014) [ soprano, viola or viola d'amore, clarinet ], from Rilke Lieder, no. 2, Australian Music Centre [sung text not yet checked]
- by Siegfried Thiele (b. 1934), "Liebeslied", 1978 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georg Tintner (1917 - 1999), "Liebes-Lied" [ soprano and piano ], from Junge Liebe [sung text not yet checked]
- by Teemu Tommola , "Liebes-Lied" [ mixed chorus and violins ad libitum ], Sulasol [sung text not yet checked]
- by Yury Semyonovich Vaikhansky (1958 - 2019), "Liebes-Lied" [ voice and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Theodorus (Theo) Cornelis Maria Verbey (1959 - 2019), "Liebes-Lied", 1998, copyright © 1998 [ baritone and piano ], from Sechs Rilke-Lieder, no. 1, Amsterdam : Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jakob Vinje (b. 1968), "Liebes-Lied", 2005 [ narrator, chorus and orchestra ], from symphony Zaubergans: Symphonische Dichtung [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rolf Wallin (b. 1957), "Liebes-Lied", 1994 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Drei Gedichte von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by James Weeks (b. 1978), "Liebeslied als Geige", 2005, first performed 2005 [ mixed chorus ], New Voices (BMIC/SAM) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Felix Werder (b. 1922), "Liebes-Lied", from Rilkes Tauben, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Inger Wikström (b. 1939), "Liebeslied", op. 12 (Drei Rilke-Lieder) no. 2 (1983), first performed 1983 [ soprano and piano ], Svensk Musik [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stefan Georg Winkler (b. 1931), "Liebes-Lied", 1985 [ voice and piano ], from 13 Lieder [sung text not yet checked]
- by Konstantin Wladigeroff (b. 1978) and by Alexander Wladigeroff (b. 1978), "Liebeslied", 2020 [ soprano, chamber orchestra and piano ], from Magie; Hommage an Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Erna Woll (1917 - 2005), "Wie soll ich meine seele halten", published 1971 [ voice and piano ], from Wo die Seele flügelbebend sich öffnet, no. 3, Rodenkirchen/Rhein : P. J. Tonger Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jeffrey Wood , "Liebeslied", published 2019 [ mezzo-soprano, baritone and piano ], from Rilke-Lieder, Fayetteville, AR : Classical Vocal Reprints [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri Zagwijn (1878 - 1954), "Liebeslied", 1948, from Drei Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Grete von Zieritz (1899 - 2001), "Liebeslied", op. 77 (5 Lieder) no. 3 [ tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Winfried (Petrus Ignatius) Zillig (1905 - 1963), "Liebes-Lied" [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder des Abschieds nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gérard Zinsstag (b. 1941), "Liebes-Lied", 2015 [ mezzo-soprano, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello ], from Rilke-lieder, no. 5, Ricordi [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Jessie Lemont (1872 - 1947) [an adaptation] ; composed by Leonard Bernstein.
- Also set in English, a translation by Margaret Dows Herter Norton (1894 - 1985) , "Lovesong", appears in Translations from the Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, first published 1938, copyright © 1966 ; composed by Libby Larsen, Donald Waxman.
- Also set in English, a translation by Dana Gioia (b. 1950) , "The song", appears in The Gods of Winter, first published 1991, copyright © ; composed by Alva Henderson, Lori Laitman, Paul Salerni.
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Reena Esmail.
- Also set in English, a translation by Harold Smith ; composed by John Theodore Livingston Raynor.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Norbert Ruebsaat (b. 1946) , "Love Song", copyright © ; composed by Hildegard Westerkamp.
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Tomas Dusatko.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Steven Gellman.
- Also set in English, a translation by Stephen Mitchell (b. 1943) , "Love song", copyright © ; composed by Richard Burchard.
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Michael John Trotta.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Konstantin Petrovich Bogatyryov (1925 - 1976) , copyright © ; composed by Yury Semyonovich Vaikhansky.
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Vincenzo Errante (1890 - 1951) , "Canto d'amore" ; composed by Luigi Cortese.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Cançó d'amor", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Ruth Schonthal) , "Love song", copyright ©
- ENG English (Elisabeth Siekhaus) , "Love song", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Chant d'amour", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Canto d'amore", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 13
Word count: 83