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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille
Um Mitternacht, wenn die Menschen erst...
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: FRE
Um Mitternacht, wenn die Menschen [erst]1 schlafen, [Dann]2 scheinet uns der Mond, [Dann]2 leuchtet uns der Stern, Wir wandeln und singen, Und tanzen erst gern. Um Mitternacht, wenn die Menschen [erst]1 schlafen, Auf Wiesen an den Erlen Wir suchen unsern Raum, [Und]3 wandeln und singen Und tanzen einen Traum.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Poem headed by:
...Der Mond ist unendlich schön, Ich bin durch die neuen Wege gelaufen da sieht die Nacht himmlisch drein. Die Elfen sangen.1 omitted by Wolff
2 Wolff: "Da"
3 Stöhr: "Wir"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, from Briefe an Charlotte Stein [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 Robert Kahn (1865 - 1951), "Elfenliedchen", op. 75 (45 Lieder für dreistimmigen Chor a capella) no. 27 (1924) [ three-part chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julius Kniese (1848 - 1905), "Elfenliedchen", op. 12 (Fünf Lieder für 1 mittlere Stimme und Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1900 [ medium voice and piano ], Berlin, Fürstner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bohuslav Martinů (1890 - 1959), "Elfenliedchen", H 94 no. 2 (1915) [ voice and piano ], from Čtyři malé písně na Goethův text = Four Little Songs to a Text by Goethe, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), "Elfenliedchen", op. 6 no. 3, from Neun Lieder von W. Goethe, no. 3, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Friedrich Niggli (1875 - 1959), "Um Mitternacht", op. 14 (Sechs Lieder) no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Margarete Schweikert (1887 - 1957), "Elfenliedchen", op. 3 (Sechs Lieder) no. 3 (1910), published 1912 [ voice and piano ], München: Wunderhorn-Verlag [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Richard Stöhr (1874 - 1967), "Elfensang", op. 20 (5 Lieder nach Gedichten von Goethe) no. 2 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Weigl (1881 - 1949), "Die Elfen sangen", op. 8 (Fünf Frauenlieder für eine mittlere Stimme und Klavier = 5 Songs for young women for a middle voice and piano) no. 1 (1904-6), published 1914 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Weigl (1881 - 1949), "Die Elfen sangen", op. 25 (8 Frauenchöre a capella) no. 7 (1906), published 1933 [ three- or four-part women's chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julius Weismann (1879 - 1950), "Elfenliedchen", op. 4 (Zehn Lieder) no. 9 (1900/1) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Erich J. Wolff (1874 - 1913), "Elfensang", op. 15 (Drei Lieder von Goethe) no. 2, published 1907 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942), "Elfenlied", op. 22 (Sechs Lieder) no. 4 (1934), published c1977 [ soprano and piano ], Hillsdale, N. Y. : Mobart Music Publications [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hermann Karl Josef Zilcher (1881 - 1948), "Elfenlied", op. 51 no. 9, published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Dorel Handman.
- 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 Russian (Русский), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (A. Rosenthal) , "The fairies sang"
- ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff) , "Song of the elves"
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant des elfes", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 54
Chant des elfes
Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)
À minuit, quand les hommes dorment avant tout, La lune brille sur nous, Les étoiles nous éclairent, Nous errons et chantons, Et dansons avant tout. À minuit, quand les hommes dorment avant tout, Dans les prairies, près des aulnes, Nous cherchons notre endroit Et errons et chantons, Et dansons un rêve.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2009 by Guy Laffaille, (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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, from Briefe an Charlotte Stein
This text was added to the website: 2009-08-22
Line count: 10
Word count: 51