Springtime symphony | May is standing upon the green hill

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Rudolph Baumbach (1840 - 1905)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Auf grünem Hügel steht der Mai

Language: German (Deutsch)

Available translation(s): ENG

Auf grünem Hügel steht der Mai,
Der fröhliche Geselle, 
Will halten eine Symphonei 
Mit seiner Hofkapelle. 
    Er schwingt mit Fleiss 
    Ein grünes Reis 
Mit Blüthen rosenrothen; 
    Es ist die Flur 
    Die Partitur, 
Die Blumen sind die Noten. 

Herbei, herbei ihr Sänger all 
Und setzt euch um den Bronnen. 
Frau Lerche und Frau Nachtigall 
Das sind die Primadonnen. 
    Die Emmeriz, 
    Der Stiegelitz, 
Die singen im Duette, 
    Der Spatz im Rohr 
    Verstärkt den Chor
Und bläst die Clarinette.

Der Fink, der liederreiche Mann,
Der Zeisig darf nicht fehlen, 
Und weil der Kauz nicht singen kann, 
Muss er die Pausen zählen. 
    Der Kukuk schreit 
    Und im Getraid 
Das Rebhuhn und die Wachtel, 
    Es klopft der Specht, 
    Der Jägerknecht[,] 
Die Viertel und die Achtel. 

Und alles, was auf Sechsen geht, 
Will auch nicht länger schweigen. 
Der Heuschreck schlägt das Hackebret, 
Die lust'gen Grillen geigen. 
    Es summen zart 
    Nach Harfenart 
Die Biene und die Hummel, 
    Maikäfer braun 
    Bläst die Posaun, 
Baumschröter schlägt die Trummel. 

Nun heben auch die Hirsche an 
Im Tannenforst zu röhren, 
Die Kuh auf grünem Wiesenplan 
Lässt ihre Stimme hören, 
    Dazu die Geis
    Und Lämmlein weiss
Und buntgefleckte Kälber.
    Ich weiss es nicht,
    Wie mir geschicht,
Ich glaub', ich singe selber.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Rudolf Baumbach, Spielmannslieder, Leipzig: Verlag von A. G. Liebeskind, 1883, pages 8-10.

Authorship:

by Rudolph Baumbach (1840 - 1905), "Frühlings-Symphonei", appears in Spielmannslieder [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 Ferdinand Hummel (1855 - 1928), "Frühlings-Symphonie", op. 49 no. 2, published 1887 [ ssa chorus and piano ], from Frühlingslust. Drei Frühlingslieder für dreistimmigen Frauenchor mit Pianoforte, no. 2, Leipzig: Siegel [sung text not yet checked]
by Robert Kratz (1852? - 1897), "Frühlings-Symphonei", op. 21 (Drei Gesänge für vierstimmigen Männerchor) no. 1, published 1888 [ ttbb chorus ], Leipzig: Eulenburg [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl Lehnert , "Frühlings-Symphonei ", published 1892 [ satb chorus and piano ], Leipzig: Hug [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl Neumann , "Frühlings-Symphonei", op. 48 (Vier Männerquartette) no. 3 [ ttbb quartet ], Leipzig: Licht & Meyer [sung text not yet checked]
by Johannes Pache (1857 - 1897), "Frühlingsconcert", op. 96, published 1889 [ ssa chorus and piano ], Leipzig: Hug [sung text not yet checked]
by Theodor Podbertsky (1846 - 1913), "Frühlings-Symphonie", op. 98 (Zwei Männerchöre mit Pianoforte ad lib) no. 1, published 1898 [ ttbb chorus and piano ], Leipzig: Luckhardt's Musik-Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
by Fürchtegott Ernst August Riedel (1855 - 1929), "Frühlings-Symphonei ", op. 15 (Sechs Lieder für gemischten Chor (Humoristische Gesänge 3. Folge)), Heft 3 no. 5, published 1888 [ satb chorus ], Leipzig: Siegel [sung text not yet checked]
by Ferdinand Sabathil (1852 - 1937), "Frühlings-Symphonei ", op. 71, published 1896 [ ttbb chorus and piano ], Köln: P.J. Tonger [sung text not yet checked]
by Max von Weinzierl (1841 - 1898), "Frühlings-Symphonie", op. 43 (Zwei Gedichte für vier Männerstimmen) no. 1, published 1883 [ ttbb quartet ], Leipzig: Siegel [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Springtime symphony", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2020-01-08
Line count: 50
Word count: 199

Springtime symphony

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

May is standing upon the green hill,
The merry comrade,
Wishes to hold a symphony
With his court orchestra.
    With vigour he waves
    A green sprig
With rosy red blossoms;
    The meadow is 
    The musical score,
The flowers are the musical notes.
  
Come hither, come hither, ye singers all
And seat yourselves around the well.
Madame Lark and Madame Nightingale --
Those are the prima donnas.
    The yellowhammer,
    The goldfinch
They sing in duet,
    The sparrow in the reeds
    Strengthens the choir
And plays the clarinet.

The finch, the chap who is rich in songs,
The siskin must not be absent,
And because the owl cannot sing
He must count the rests.
    The cuckoo screams
    And in the cornfield
The partridge and the quail,
    The woodpecker,
    The servant of the hunters, pounds out
The quarter notes and the eighth notes.

And everything that walks upon six legs
Also no longer wishes to remain silent.
The locust plays the dulcimer,
The merry crickets fiddle.
    Delicately,
    After the fashion of harps,
Hum the bee and bumble bee,
    The brown June-bug
    Blows the trombone,
The rhinoceros beetle beats the drum.

And now the stags as well begin
To roar in the fir forest,
The cow upon the green meadow
Lets her voice be heard,
    Along with that of the goat
    And white lambs
And colourfully spotted calves.
    I do not know
    What is happening to me,
I believe I shall sing myself.

Translations of title(s):
"Frühlings-Symphonei" = "Springtime symphony"
"Frühlings-Symphonie" = "Springtime symphony"
"Frühlingsconcert" = "Spring concert"

Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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:

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Rudolph Baumbach (1840 - 1905), "Frühlings-Symphonei", appears in Spielmannslieder

This text was added to the website: 2020-01-11
Line count: 50
Word count: 238