Now Lenz wants to greet us

Now Lenz wants to greet us is a German spring song, the text of which was first published by Karl Ströse in a collection of poems in 1878 and was published in 1886 in a version set to music by Gustav Weber . In the 20th century it became one of the most famous spring songs and folk songs in the German-speaking world.

history

In 1878, Karl Ströse's volume of poems, German Minne from the Old Time, was published - selected songs by the minstrels of the Middle Ages , in which Ströse presented his own free transfer of medieval poetry. For three “dance modes” Ströse was inspired by poems by the medieval poet Neidhart von Reuental . One of them can be found on page 50 Ströses poem Now, Lenz wants to greet us , for which the author Neidhart's poem Diu zît is based. The three “dance tunes” by Ströse were set to music by the German composer Carl August Fischer and published in Bremen in 1885 in one movement for a voice and piano accompaniment. The included Now the Lenz wants to greet us consists of five stanzas with four verses each. However, this version of the song was not widely used.

Rather, it was a melody that the Swiss composer Gustav Weber (1845–1887) placed under the text for the first time and published in one movement for four voices in 1886 by the Zürcher Liederbuchanstalt. This melody is based on the Geusenlied Wilhelmus van Nassouwe from the 17th century (today's national anthem of the Netherlands). Weber mentions “Neidhart von Reuenthal” as the author of the lyrics. This song contains only two stanzas, but each has eight verses. The four verses that make up the fourth stanza in Carl August Fischer's setting are missing. In this version, the song - hardly known at the beginning of the 20th century or only sung as a choral song - found its way into songbooks of the youth movement in the 1920s - for example in 1926 in Was singet und klinget. Lieder der Jugend (Wülfingerode-Sollstedt), where "Neidhart von Reuenthal" is also named as the author.

After the Second World War and up to the present day, Lenz wants to say hello to the German songs most frequently printed in songbooks and recorded on sound carriers, as well as in the Federal Republic of Germany in the German Democratic Republic . A long-playing record released by Philips in 1973 with folk songs sung by Hermann Prey bears the title Nun wants Lenz to greet us . Up to the present day musicians and music groups take the song into their programs, for example Bube Dame König , who also released it on their album Traumländlein 2015.

Text and melody of the popular folk song version

In its version, widely used as a folk song, the song deals exclusively with the awakening of nature in the coming spring and people's joy at the end of the hardships of winter. It comprises two stanzas with eight verses each:

1. Now spring wants to greet us, from noon it blows tepid; sprout from every meadow the flowers red and blue. The brown heather wove from it a garment very fine and invites in festive dress to the May dance.

2. Forest birds sing songs, as you desire them. So on to jumping happily, the rice is worth gold! Hey, under green linden trees, there shine white dress! Heija, now we have children an end to all winter sorrows!

The melody added by Gustav Weber in 1886 reads:

Original text by Karl Ströse

The original text by Karl Ströse (1878), as it was also set to music by Carl August Fischer in 1885 and whose four verses of the fourth stanza do not appear in the folksong version, is:

1. Now spring wants to greet us, from noon it blows tepid; sprout from every meadow the flowers red and blue.	2. The brown heather wove from it a garment very fine and invites in festive dress to the May dance.
3. Forest birds sing songs, as you desire them. So on to jumping happily, the rice is worth gold!	4th Welcome to the May trip! You blonde Irmengard, The maids are at hand Slip into the dance robe!	5. Hey, under green linden trees, there shine white dress! Heija, now we have children an end to all winter sorrows!

A poem by Neidhart von Reuental that serves as a model

The poem (summer song) Diu zît written by Neidhart von Reuental is hie in Middle High German is a dialogue between two friends. One of the two women hopes to meet her lover again and asks her friend Iremgart not to tell others about it. In contrast to Ströses poem, Neidhart's poem is not a pure spring or summer song, but also a love poem (here based on an edition by Siegfried Beyschlag ):

I. Diu zît is here. ine gesachs before mangem jâre schoener never. by the end the wind would be cold. the heart is delighted, daz sîn sêre enkalt. but the power is granted.	II Dec meien zil bring vogele sanc and beautiful flowers vil. wait, how you heath stât beautiful in lent varwe and wünneclîcher wât! suffer sî have forgotten.
III “Wol dan with me zuo der linden, trûtgespil! that we find everything that suits your heart. yes knows dû vil wol, I was sanding you vert. disiu travel is worth gold. "	IV "Go there soon after the waete, if I am in the sake, daz I do mîne vart. nûne say ez no one, liebiu Iremgart: want me to be there! "
V Sâ dô zehant the maids were bred sûberlîch. sheer het siz an escort. “Zuo the green linden me mîn wille treit. end have miniu leader. "

The author Karl Ströse

The only two literary publications by the author Karl Ströse are Deutsche Minne from the old days , which appeared in 1878 . Selected songs by the minstrels of the Middle Ages, freely transcribed by K. Ströse and Altes Gold. Sayings of the minstrels of the Middle Ages . The bibliographic database WorldCat lists him as the same person as the German geologist , teacher , non-fiction author and school director Karl Ströse (born August 8, 1853 in Ballenstedt am Harz , † April 6, 1918 in Dessau ), who published several textbooks on geological topics.

Web links

• Frauke Schmitz-Gropengiesser (2009): Now Lenz wants to greet us. In: Popular and Traditional Songs. Historical-critical song lexicon , liederlexikon.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Karl Ströse: German love from old times. Selected songs by the minstrels of the Middle Ages, freely transcribed by K. Ströse. Second edition, Leipzig: Barth 1878, p. 50f. DVA : L 1/897. Quoted from: Frauke Schmitz-Gropengiesser (2009): Now will the Lenz greet us , Edition A . In: Popular and Traditional Songs. Historical-critical song lexicon , liederlexikon.de .
2. ^ Neidhart von Reuental: Summer song 10 . In: Edmund Wießner, Hanns Fischer, Paul Sappler (eds.): The songs of Neidharts. Fifth, improved edition, edited by Paul Sappler with a melody appendix . Max Niemeyer Verlag, Tübingen 1999, p. 12f.
3. ↑ Carl August Fischer : Tanzweise (Niedhart [sic] von Reuenthal) . In: German love from old times. Three songs for one voice with accompaniment of the pianoforte composed by August Fischer . Praeger & Meier, Bremen 1885. Op. 2, No. 1, pp. 3-5. DVA : B 50,287th Quoted from: Frauke Schmitz-Gropengiesser (2009): Now the Lenz wants to greet us , Edition B . In: Popular and Traditional Songs. Historical-critical song lexicon , liederlexikon.de .
4. ↑ Now Lenz wants to greet us. The LiederNet Archive, accessed April 7, 2019.
5. ↑ Georg Nagel: Now Lenz wants to greet us. In: song archive , April 28, 2018.
6. ^ ^{A b} Gustav Weber : May trip. Minnelong. Set by G. Weber. Neidhart von Reuenthal. In: Collection of folk songs for the male choir. Songbook for school, home and club. II. Volume. Published by the Zürcherische Liederbuchanstalt under the editing of Gustav Weber, music director in Zurich. Fourth stereotype edition . Self-published by the Liederbuchanstalt, Zurich 1886. No. 218, pp. 440f. DVA : V 3/4690. Quoted from: Frauke Schmitz-Gropengiesser (2009): Now will the Lenz us greet , Edition C . In: Popular and Traditional Songs. Historical-critical song lexicon , liederlexikon.de .
7. ↑ Now Lenz wants to greet us . In: What sings and sounds. Songs of youth . Treue-Verlag, Wülfingerode-Sollstedt 1926, p. 54. DVA : V 3/5657. Quoted from: Frauke Schmitz-Gropengiesser (2009): Now will the Lenz us greet , Edition D . In: Popular and Traditional Songs. Historical-critical song lexicon , liederlexikon.de .
8. ↑ Example: Now Lenz wants to greet us , sung by Renate Frank-Reinecke, cello: Joachim Bischof, viola: Joachim Ulbricht, violin: Reinhard Ulbricht , on Youtube, accessed on April 8, 2019.
9. ↑ LP Die Schönsten Deutsche Volkslieder , ETERNA , 1981 - 8 35 088. On Discogs , accessed April 8, 2019.
10. ↑ LP Hermann Prey - Now will der Lenz greet us (German folk songs), Philips, 1973 - 6305 017. On Discogs , accessed on April 8, 2019.
11. ↑ Now Lenz wants to greet us , sung by Hermann Prey , on Youtube, accessed on April 8, 2019.
12. ↑ Now Lenz wants to greet us, text: After Neidhart von Reuenthal , CD Traumländlein. New folk music from the Saale to the Irish Sea. Band Jack Dame König, accessed April 8, 2019.
13. ↑ Now Lenz wants to greet us , sung by Bube Dame König , on Youtube, accessed on April 8, 2019.
14. ^ Siegfried Beyschlag (ed.): The songs of Neidharts. The text of the parchment manuscripts and the melodies. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1975, chapter "Gespielinnen" (L 4), pp. 22-25.
15. ↑ Ströse, Karl . In: Program of the Dessau High School, Dessau 1911 . In: Franz Kössler: Personal dictionary of teachers of the 19th century. Professional biographies from school annual reports and school programs 1825 - 1918 with lists of publications. Volume: Staa - Stutzki. Giessen University Library, Giessen Electronic Library 2008. p. 137.
16. ↑ Paul Langhans (Ed.): Dr. A. Petermann's communications from Justus Perthes Geographical Institute . 64th year. Justus Perthes, Gotha 1918. p. 228.
17. ↑ Ströse, K. (1853-1918). WorldCat , accessed April 8, 2019.