| |
Mahler devoted most of
the summer of 1902 to work on the Fifth Symphony, but he also
composed a Rückert setting for Alma (AMML,
33):
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[11] August 1902
Mein Geliebter hat mir gestern ein Lied vorgesungen,
das er mir vor mehreren Tagen in meine Noten gelegt
hatte, in den Klavierauszug von ›Siegfried‹. Er
hatte gehofft, ich würde die Oper wieder spielen und
es selbst finden. |
[11] August 1902
My beloved gave me a song yesterday, which he had
placed amongst my music, in the piano edition of
Siegfried, several days ago. He had hoped I
would play the opera again and find it myself. |
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Es ist das erste Liebeslied, das er geschrieben hat.
»Ein Privatissimum an dich«, sagte er.
Es ist das Rückertsche Gedicht: »Liebst du um
Schönheit.« |
It is the first love song that
he has written. "A Privatissimum for you," he
said.
It is Rückert's poem: "Liebst du um Schönheit?" |
|
Das letzte, »Liebe mich immer,
immerdar«, ist so innig, daß mich, als ich es mir
jezt wieder nach langer Zeit angesehen habe, die
Rührung fast übermannte. |
The final "Love me always,
always," is so intimate that, as I look at it again
after a long time, emotion almost overwhelms me. |
Henry-Louis de La Grange recalls that in
her later years Alma Mahler kept this autograph 'on the wall of
her living-room in New York' (HLGII,
817).
Although this autograph was originally a
presentation copy, at some point it became a working copy as the
the pencil corrections, additions and revisions attest.
Presumably this was at about the time that Gustav and Alma
agreed that it might appear in print: in order that it could be
offered to a suitable publisher at least one further manuscript
would be required. As the publisher of Mahler's most recent
songs, C.F. Kahnt was an obvious candidate and negotiations were
opened in the late autumn of 1906, although Alfred Hoffmann, the
owner of the firm, appears to have considered Mahler's proposed
purchase price for the publishing rights (Mahler retained the
performance rights) of 500 fl. (worth about 850 Marks) to be too
high. Hofmann's counter proposal of 600 Marks was accepted by
the composer, with the proviso that he should be sent proofs,
and he signed the contractual letter on 8 December 1906. As in
the case of his 1905 contract with Kahnt, this document granted
the publisher, amongst other rights, those to make 'the usual
arrangements, extracts and adaptations for single or multiple
instruments or voices, and also transpositions into other keys
[and] translations into other languages...' (GMBsV,
171–2). |
