"" ("The Secret Invitation" or "The Lovers; Pledge"), Op. 27, No. 3, is one of a set of four songs composed for voice and piano by Richard Strauss in 1894. The German conductor Robert Heger

orchestrated Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

it in 1929."Richard Strauss: 'Heimliche Aufforderung' (The Lover’s Pledge) Arranger: Robert Heger

Universal Edition Universal Edition (UE) is a classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, they originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market (which had until then been dominated by Leipzig-bas ...

The text is from a poem in German by

John Henry Mackay John Henry Mackay, also known by the pseudonym Sagitta, (6 February 1864 – 16 May 1933) was an egoist anarchist, thinker and writer. Born in Scotland and raised in Germany, Mackay was the author of '' Die Anarchisten'' (The Anarchists, 1891) a ...

History

Strauss composed the song on 22 May 1894 and gave it as a wedding present to his wife, the soprano

Pauline de Ahna Pauline Maria de Ahna (also known as Pauline Strauss (4 February 1863 – 13 May 1950) was a German operatic soprano and the wife of composer Richard Strauss. Her singing career was closely tied to her husband's career as a conductor and composer. ...

. During their American tour in 1904, Pauline Strauss sang this song as the concluding piece in her Carnegie Hall debut on 1 March. Strauss recorded the orchestral version in 1941 with Julius Patzak (tenor) and the

Bavarian State Orchestra The Bavarian State Orchestra (german: Bayerisches Staatsorchester, italic=no) is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811. Profile On 9 December 2011, this ensemble c ...

, and in 1944 the piano version with himself accompanying Alfred Poell (baritone).

Music

The song is written with a

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note va ...

of 6/8 time and in the key of

G-flat major G-flat major (or the key of G-flat) is a major scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has six flats. Its relative minor is E-flat minor (or enharmonically D-sharp minor), and its parallel ...

and several modulations (it has been

transposed In linear algebra, the transpose of a matrix is an operator which flips a matrix over its diagonal; that is, it switches the row and column indices of the matrix by producing another matrix, often denoted by (among other notations). The tr ...

into several other key); the

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

indication is (lively). The

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...

is from B to E, an interval of an octave + a fourth. The music takes briefly a

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...

character in two places ("Verachte sie nicht zu sehr" and "den Durst gestillt .. festfreudiges Bild"). The accompaniment is highly pianistic and Strauss himself never orchestrated it, unlike the other three songs of this cycle. Heger's orchestration has been described as "lacklustre".

Lyrics

Strauss altered three words slightly: the originals are in square brackets. The song describes a man wooing a woman amidst a crowd of drinking carousers and his invitation to a later tryst. Heimliche Aufforderung Auf, hebe die funkelnde Schale empor zum Mund, Und trinke beim Freudenmahle dein Herz gesund. Und wenn du sie hebst, so winke mir heimlich zu, Dann lächle ich und dann trinke ich still wie du... Und still gleich mir betrachte um uns das Heer Der trunknen Zecher chwätzer– verachte sie nicht zu sehr. Nein, hebe die blinkende Schale, gefüllt mit Wein, Und laß beim lärmenden Mahle sie glücklich sein. Doch hast du das Mahl genossen, den Durst gestillt, Dann verlasse der lauten Genossen festfreudiges Bild, Und wandle hinaus in den Garten zum Rosenstrauch, Dort will ich dich dann erwarten nach altem Brauch, Und will an die Brust dir sinken, eh du's gehofft rhofft Und deine Küsse trinken, wie ehmals oft, Und flechten in deine Haare der Rose Pracht. O komm omme du wunderbare, ersehnte Nacht! O komm, du wunderbare, ersehnte Nacht! —John Henry Mackay (1864–1933) The Lover's Pledge Up, lift now the sparkling gold cup to the lip, and drink! and leave not a drop in the goblet fill'd full to the brink. And as thou dost pledge me, let thine eyes rest on me, then I will respond to thy smile and gaze all silent on thee. Then let thy eyes bright wander around o'er the comrades gay and merry. O do not despise them, love; Nay! lift up the sparkling gold goblet and join the sway, let them rejoice and be happy, this festive day. But, when thou hast drunk and eaten, no longer stay; rise and turn thine eyes from the drinkers, and hasten away! And wending thy steps to the garden, where blush the roses fair, come the sheltering arbour! I'll meet thee there, And soft on thy bosom resting let me adore thy beauty, drink thy kisses as oft before. I'll twine around thy fair forehead the roses white. O, come, thou wondrous blissbestowing longed-for night! O, come, thou wondrous blissful, thou longed-for night! —Translation: John Bernhoff

Instrumentation and accompaniment

Orchestration by Heger: 2

flutes The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, 2

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

s, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

s, 2

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

s, 1

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

, harp and string section

Opus 27

The other songs of Opus 27 are: * No. 1 " Ruhe, meine Seele!" (Nicht ein Lüftchen regt sich leise) * No. 2 " Cäcilie" (Wenn du es wüßtest) * No. 4 " Morgen!" (Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen)

References

External links

*
Text and English translation for "Heimliche Aufforderung"
* ,

Ben Heppner Thomas Bernard Heppner (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian tenor and broadcaster, now retired from singing, who specialized in opera and other classical works for voice. Early life and career Heppner, of Mennonite descent, was born in Mur ...

, with orchestral accompaniment,

James Levine James Lawrence Levine (; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March 1 ...

conducting * , Ben Heppner, with piano accompaniment by Craig Rutenberg {{Authority control Songs by Richard Strauss 1894 songs Music dedicated to family or friends