Sensational new source: A previously unknown Carnival song by Beethoven!
Monday, February 16, 2015
The following extremely important announcement has reached us from Henle Verlag and is published here with kind permission:
The new series PianoPlus is an ideal entry and re-access to the world of classical music, and likewise for all carnival enthusiasts and carnival grouches, who would like to make music with others.
As a sensational new source proves, Ludwig van Beethoven was – one can hardly believe – of a foolish nature and not at all averse to merry making and carnival. The Lied, discovered just a while ago in the attic of the Cologne Gürzenich, was supposedly composed during the Bonn period, but never published.
Hence, this opus opens our new series – following strict academic editing criteria and of course published in best proven Urtext quality.
This piece lends itself uniquely to the practice of the Rheinish pronunciation as required in many compositions by Beethoven (cf. Ludwig van Beethoven, 9th symphony in d minor, op. 125, 4th movement, mm. 241 ff. “Fründe schöner Jöttterfunke”). Be sure to sing in a loud and vociferous voice. You should not neglect the rhythm when practicing and please count in regular quarter beats.
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Excerpt from Ludwig van Beethoven “Eschte Fründe stonn zesamme” Posth. WoO 4711 (for English translation see below)
Comments
pf u = piano upper staff; pf l = piano lower staff; vp = vocal part; M = measures
Source
A Autograph. 3 leaves, 6 notated pages, upright format. Posth. WoO 4711 on leaves 2v–3v. Head title:Eschte Fründe|stonn zesamme| [with red crayon:] dem Dreygestirn zugeeignet. Strophes 1–4 are notated as repetitions. Mm. 41–63 and mm. 69–76 are only partly written out.
About this edition
A is the sole source, and all following Individual comments refer to it.
Individual Comments
12 Notated with red crayon above staff: “Alaaf!!!” [Cologne carnival cheer].
41–43 pf u Only partly written out. Completed according to parallel measures.
69–76 pf l Only partly written out. Completed according to parallel measures.
Cologne/Munich, Thursday before Shrove Tuesday 2015
G. Henle Publishers
English translation of text:
Real friends, hold together,
Hold together as well as a god and a pot**
Real friends, hold together, even when your happiness is on the move and runs away from you.
Friends, friends, friends in need
Walk a hundred, a hundred on a lot.
Real friends stick together
Just as a god and a pot.
When you will have good luck, success and come to money,
At once God and the world knows you are here.
People who previously have not known you,
Come running up out of the holes,
Suddenly everybody’s related to you.
Refrain:
Real friends …
Pat on the shoulder, Bravo has no end.
They think you’re really great and carry you on their hands.
Happy is he who cannot be fooled
And who is not too much distracted by beautiful eyes,
In every friend a real friend perceives.
When you have bad luck; it goes down the mountain,
Forgotten is everything you reached before.
People that have previously known you well
Don’t even shake hands with you.
Now you can see who rightfully called himself your true friend.
** “as a god and a pot” is a short form of the Cologne credo “we pray to God and eat out of one pot” meaning something like “we are so close that closer is not even possible.”
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