Youkali

Youkali is the title of a piece of music by Kurt Weill , which he composed in 1934 for his opera Marie Galante , which was written in French exile, based on a novel by Jacques Deval . The French actor, musician and author Roger Fernay wrote a chanson text in 1935 for the original instrumental piece, which the composer described as Tango-Habanera .

Historical background

Kurt Weill found himself in exile in France in Paris in the mid-1930s in difficult economic circumstances, his opera was a failure and disappeared from the repertoire. Youkali, however, became a chanson in the style of a slow tango or a habanera that is still popular with female singers and is now one of the so-called jazz standards and is often performed. Another piece from the opera that lasted was Le train du ciel . For the singer Lys Gauty , Youkali was the secret anthem of the Resistance during World War II .

Musical structure and text

Youkali is written in 2/4 time , for which Weill specifies the Tempo Mouvement de tango habanera . The root key is D minor and the piece has 84 bars, some of which are repeated. Depending on the interpretation, the duration is between six and seven minutes. The musical volume ranges between ( mezzoforte ) and ( piano ). In keeping with the character of the music, Weill avoids loud tones. ${\displaystyle m\!f}$ ${\displaystyle p}$

The melancholy mood of the music is reinforced by the text, which tells in two stanzas and refrains of the longing of the main character of the opera, the prostitute Marie Galante , for honesty, peace and love returned. The word Youkali stands for an imaginary land of desires and hope.

Known interpretations (examples)

Ute Lemper delivered a well-known interpretation with piano accompaniment on her CD in 1991. Ute Lemper performs Kurt Weill . The soprano Teresa Stratas sang Youkali on the CD September songs in 1997 . The Greek soprano Loukia Spanaki performed further interpretations , as did the French chanteuse Sarah Holtrop in a jazz version with double bass accompaniment . Youkali also exists in numerous instrumentations and arrangements .

Web links

• Website with the text of the chanson
• Link to a German adaptation

Individual evidence and audio samples

1. ↑ Deutschlandradio Kultur website
2. ^ Lys Simonette: The Unknown Kurt Weill , European American Music Corporation, New York 1982, p. 26 ff.
3. ↑ Franz Wittenbrink
4. ↑ Ute Lempers
5. ^ Teresa Stratas
6. ↑ Loukia Spanaki
7. ↑ Sarah Holtrop