The art of song | Desecrate not the art of song!

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Des Liedes Kunst

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Choose for Diff

Entweihe nicht des Liedes Kunst! --
Zu süßem Trost für dieses Leben, 
O! hat sie Gottes Huld und Gunst 
Aus seiner Fülle dir gegeben! 

Und ziehst du einst aus dieser Welt, 
Und muß verwehn, was du errungen: 
Das Lied doch wird im Himmelszelt 
Vor Gottes Throne noch gesungen!

Was hier als schwacher Ton erklang 
Hallt droben fort durch alle Sphären, 
Und was du hier gestammelt bang 
Wird volle Weisheit dir verklären! 

O lasse drum dein Lied schon hie 
Vom ewgem Glanz durchleuchtet werden: 
Des Liedes Kunst -- vergiß es nie! --
Ist nicht allein von dieser Erden!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, pages 330-331.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Des Liedes Kunst", appears in Liederbuch, in 5. Vermischte Lieder, no. 359 [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 Philipp Tietz (1816 - 1878) [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-05-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 94

The art of song

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Choose for Diff

Desecrate not the art of song! --
Oh! from His plenitude, God's benevolence 
And favour has given it to you 
For sweet comfort in this life!

And when you someday depart from this world,
And that which you have achieved must dissipate:
Yet the song shall still be sung
In the heavens before God's throne!

What rang out as a weak tone here
Shall continue to resound on high through all the spheres,
And what you here stammered anxiously
Shall be transfigured for you by full wisdom!

Oh, therefore let your song here already
Be suffused by the eternal radiance:
The art of song -- never forget it! --
Is not only of this world!

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), "Des Liedes Kunst", appears in Liederbuch, in 5. Vermischte Lieder, no. 359
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-09-14
Line count: 16
Word count: 112