Heine-Lieder : Das alte Lied / Hervey

Composer: Hervey, Arthur
Dates: 1855-1922
Song title: Das alte Lied
Opus, no., etc.: Nr.2
Music collection title: Herzens Stimmen : album of six songs
Imprint(s): London: S. Lucas, Weber & Co., 1884
Source(s) for score: Twelve songs of Heine : Nr. 7-12 - London : Stanley Lucas, Weber, Pitt & Hatzfeld [189-?]. Boston Public Library (NUC #NH0326669 (**M.446.24), New York Public Library (NUC #NH0326658); Pl. no.: S.L.W. & Co. 2169
1st line of poem: Ei! Kennt ihr noch das alte Lied (Go to text)
Source of poem: Buch der Lieder: Junge Leiden: Traumbilder, Nr.8, stanza 4 (Metzner incorrectly lists this as a setting of "Es war ein alter König" Neuer Frühling, Nr.29)
Date of composition: -
Nationality of composer: English (born in Paris of Irish parentage)
Language(s) of text: German, English (Translated by Charles Hervey)
Tempo marking: Allegretto fantastico
Key: A minor/major
Time signature: 3/4
No. of measures: 45
Approximate duration: 2 min.
Form: through-composed
Vocal range: d to e' [d' to e"]
Vocal tessitura: middle (Go to chart)
Vocal rhythms: mostly quarter notes and constantly varied subdivisions thereof (duplet and triplet eighth notes, dotted eighths and sixteenths); longer note values in second half, as in Lassen setting
Vocal intervals: Quite variable; about one-third stepwise motion, the rest skips of a third to an octave
Vocal comments: a few intervals slightly awkward to learn, but generally very easy and satisfying to sing
Textual variants, etc.: The 4th stanza of Heine's long 8th poem from Traumbild (Ich kam vor meiner Herrin Haus), which is the first stanza in which the Minstrel's ghost speaks, in an introduction to his story. Although within the larger poem it is the Minstrel speaking, as a stand-alone piece this is appropriate for either male or female voice. Heine's first line is repeated after the third line; the last line is also repeated, first just "Die Menschen" then the entire line.
Instrumental part(s): fairly simple; octave passages (sometimes doubling the voice) alternate with full-voiced chords and simple syncopated patterns; left-hand melody in postlude
Summary: Some significant rhythmic and harmonic parallels can be discerned between this and Eduard Lassen's setting of the same text. But unlike Lassen, Hervey has written a fairly lengthy prelude which sets an almost martial mood, somewhat softened in the second half. Harmonically this song is a bit more adventurous than Lassen's version, but still stands firmly under the conservative late Romantic umbrella. It is short, reasonably effective, true to its text and vocally gratifying, but not at the highest level of inspiration.