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Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder: Was treibt mich zu ihr hin? Sind's ihre süßen Lieder, [Oder ist's]1 ihr froher Sinn? Was hält mich so gefangen Wenn ihre Stimme schallt? Ist's unbewußt Verlangen, Ist's ihres Aug's Gewalt? 's ist nicht der Wuchs, der schöne, Und nicht des Auges Strahl, Auch nicht die süßen Töne; 's ist Alles allzumal!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Ausgewählte Dichtungen von Friedrich Bodenstedt, Zweite Auflage, Berlin: Verlag der Königlichen Geheimen Ober-Hofbuchdruckerei (R.v. Decker), 1864, page 263.
1 Humperdinck: "Ist es"Authorship:
- by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892), "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", appears in Alte und neue Gedichte, in 9. Aus dem Buche Edlitam (1847-1851) [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 P. Bade-Wiméz , "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", op. 5 (Vier Lieder) no. 3, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
- by Kaspar Jakob Bischoff (1823 - 1893), "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", op. 54 (Vier Lieder für Sopran (oder Tenor) mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1876 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Leipzig, Schuberth & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Frühling (1868 - 1937), "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", op. 28 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1900 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Eberle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Hill (1838 - 1902), "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", op. 41 (Sechs Lieder für Sopran (oder Tenor) mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 2, published 1878 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Frankfurt a/M., Henkel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Engelbert Humperdinck (1854 - 1921), "Oft sinn ich hin und wieder", 1876, published 2005 [ voice and piano ], Köln: P.J. Tonger; two settings, one in the key of d minor and the other in the key of Ab major. Misattributed to Wilhelm Bodenstedt in both scores. [sung text checked 2 times]
- by Hans Kretzschmer , "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", published 1893 [ voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 1, Naumburg a/S., Schmidt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", op. 163 (Friedrich Bodenstedts Lieder für eine Sopran oder Tenorstimme am Piano zu singen), Heft 2 no. 8, published 1853 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Berlin, Bote und Bock [sung text not yet checked]
- by Erik Meyer-Helmund (1861 - 1932), "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", op. 31 (Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1887 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Rahter [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adolf Müller, jun. (1839 - 1901), "Was treibt mich zu ihr hin", op. 20 (Sechs Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1881 [ voice and piano ], Wiener-Neustadt: E. Wedl [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ferdinand Sieber (1822 - 1895), "Was hält mich so gefangen", op. 16 (Drei Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1865 [ voice and piano ], Dresden, Friedel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolf, Graf von Sporck (1839 - 1904), "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", published 1888 [ voice and piano ], from Achtzehn Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 4, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Wilhelm Karl Vogrich (1852 - 1916), "Oft sinn ich hin und wieder", published 1890 [ voice and piano ], from Erstes Lieder-Album, no. 10, Leipzig, Hofmeister [sung text not yet checked]
- by J. Wilhelmi , "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", op. 29 (Vier Lieder für Sopran (oder Tenor) mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1890 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Leipzig, Schuberth jun. [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-03-31
Line count: 12
Word count: 58
Often my pondering thoughts move back and forth: What drives me to her? Is it her sweet songs, [Or is it]1 her joyful spirit? What holds me captive thus When her voice sounds? It is unconscious yearning, Is it the power of her eyes? It is not her stature, her lovely stature, And not the beams of her eyes, Also not the sweet sounds; It is everything all at the same time!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translations of title(s):
"Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder" = "Often my pondering thoughts move back and forth "
"Was hält mich so gefangen" = "What holds me captive thus"
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2022 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 Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892), "Oft sinn' ich hin und wieder", appears in Alte und neue Gedichte, in 9. Aus dem Buche Edlitam (1847-1851)
This text was added to the website: 2022-05-03
Line count: 12
Word count: 72