Four brothers | There were four brothers who loved

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Vier Brüder

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Chosen for Diff

Vier Brüder waren, die liebten
Einander so treu und tief;  
Die konnten beisammen nicht bleiben:
Der Ältste gar bald entschlief. 

Der Jüngste barg mit Schweigen
Im Busen sein grimmes Weh;
Der Zweite vernahm die Kunde,
O Gott!  weit über die See! 

Und Einer in glühendem Liede
Sang aus für alle den Schmerz: 
Wem war wohl von den Dreien
Am tiefsten zerrissen das Herz?

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 349.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Vier Brüder", appears in Liederbuch, in 6. Romanzen, no. 375, Basel: Benno Schwabe, first published 1875 [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 Theodor Gaugler (1840 - 1892), "Vier Brüder", op. 22 no. 13, published 1876 [ ttbb chorus ], from Fünfzehn Lieder und Gesänge von Friedrich Oser zunächst für Volksgesang (vierstimmigen Männerchor), no. 13, Binningen: Kompfe [sung text not yet checked]
by Friedrich Wilhelm Emil Siegert (1838 - c1901) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Four brothers", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Melanie Trumbull

This text was added to the website: 2019-03-31
Line count: 12
Word count: 63

Four brothers

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Chosen for Diff

There were four brothers who loved
Each other so faithfully and deeply;
They could not remain together:
The eldest soon passed away.

With silence the youngest hid
His grim woe in his bosom;
The second received the tidings,
Oh God! far across the ocean!

And one in a fervent song
Sang out the pain for all of them:
Of the three, who had the most
Deeply broken heart?

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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 Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Vier Brüder", appears in Liederbuch, in 6. Romanzen, no. 375, Basel: Benno Schwabe, first published 1875
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-08-28
Line count: 12
Word count: 68