by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by Andrea Maffei (1798 - 1885)
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
Onde vien questo canto? è dalla terra
Language: Italian (Italiano) after the English
Onde vien questo canto? è dalla terra O dall’aria?... Cessò. Di certo al dio Di quest’isola è sacro. Io m’era assiso Sovra un banco di sabbia, e di mio padre Piangea la morte; ed ecco uscir dal mare Un’armonia che n’addolcì lo sdegno, E insieme il mio dolor. Fin qui la voce Ne seguitai.... Che dico? ella m’ha tratto, Ella fin qui, poi tacque.... or ricomincia....
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Andrea Maffei (1798 - 1885), no title, first published 1869 [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: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-05-09
Line count: 9
Word count: 66