by Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Frédéric Chopin to a friend
Language: English  after the Unknown Language
Palma, 28 Dec 1838 Imagine me, between rocks and sea, in a cell in an immense, deserted monastery, it's doors bigger than the coach entrance to any Paris mansion. Here I am with my hair uncurled, no white gloves, and as pale as usual. My cell, shaped like a great coffin, has a vast and dusty arched ceiling, and a little window looking to the garden with its orange trees, palms and cypresses. Opposite the window, below a rosette in the lacy Moorish style, is a camp-bed. Beside the bed is an old untouchable, a kind of square desk, on which stands a wax candle...on the same desk, Bach, my scribbles, and other papers, not mine...(....and the orange trees, palms and cypresses...) Silence... If you shout...silence again... In short I am writing from a very strange place...
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Unknown Language by Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Dominick Argento (1927 - 2019), "Frédéric Chopin to a friend", 1968 [voice and guitar], from Letters from Composers, no. 1. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-12-16
Line count: 15
Word count: 138