Letzte Bitte WoO VII/22
for voice and piano
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Text: Otto Julius Bierbaum
Elsa von Bercken (zurückgezogen)
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1.
| Reger-Werkausgabe | Bd. II/2: Lieder II, S. 30–31. |
| Herausgeber | Stefan König, Dennis Ried. Unter Mitarbeit von Alexander Becker, Nikolaos Beer und Christopher Grafschmidt. |
| Verlag | Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart; Verlagsnummer: CV 52.809. |
| Erscheinungsdatum | Oktober 2021. |
| Notensatz | Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart. |
| Copyright | 2021 by Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart and Max-Reger-Institut, Karlsruhe – CV 52.809. Vervielfältigungen jeglicher Art sind gesetzlich verboten. / Any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited by law. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. / All rights reserved. |
| ISMN | M-007-24652-5. |
| ISBN | 978-3-89948-404-5. |
Otto Julius Bierbaum: Letzte Bitte, in:
id.: Erlebte Gedichte, Verlag von Wilhelm Issleib (Gustav Schuhr), Berlin
[Probably] Otto Julius Bierbaum: Letzte Bitte, in:
id.: Erlebte Gedichte, 2nd edition, Wilhelm Issleib (Gustav Schuhr), Berlin
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Karlsruhe, Max-Reger-Institut/Elsa-Reger-Stiftung.
Note: Die zweite Auflage befand sich im Besitz Regers, der Otto Julius Bierbaum am 14. August 1900 mitteilte, den Band “in Bekanntenkreisen fleißigst „circuliren“ gelassen und daraus eine Anzahl ganz wundervoller Gedichte in Musik gesetzt” zu haben. (Brief)
Note: Seitenzahl und Text mit Erstausgabe identisch.
1. Composition and Publication
The composition of opp. 35 and 37 as well as WoO VII/21 and WoO VII/22 cannot be separated from each other. As early as 16 February 1899 Reger mentioned to Josef Loritz the composition of a song collection of “5–6 piece[s]”, which he wanted to dedicate to his friend. (Letter) Initially the project was not taken any further, then in the summer a larger collection of ten songs was composed, to be published under the opus number 35. Subsequently this was initially expanded with three further songs, then divided into two separate opus numbers, from which two songs (WoO VII/21 and 22) were in turn omitted. Ultimately Six Songs op. 35 and Five Songs op. 37 were published.
Following an invitation from Auguste von Bagenski, Reger spent from the last week of May to the second half of July 1899 on holiday in Schneewinkl near Berchtesgaden. There he met Auguste’s daughter Elsa von Bercken, his future wife, again, whom he knew from Wiesbaden and who was in the process of getting a divorce. In her Erinnerungen Elsa Reger wrote: “Ten songs were written in a short time. With the ink still wet on the page, learning the songs began, and in the evenings we sang “the new song” to my mother”.1
Reger made two manuscripts of each of these ten songs – one served as the dedication copy for Elsa von Bercken, and the other as the engraver’s copy for the publisher. The manuscripts differ mainly because the copy intended for Elsa von Bercken contains breath marks2. A few of the manuscripts contain dates of completion which provide information about the compositional process: on 16 June was completed, probably on 22 June, a day later and on 24 (or 27)3 June ; at the beginning of the next month he composed (2 July) and (4 July), and probably Volkslied (date unclear). On 16 July Reger finally announced euphorically to his former teacher Adalbert Lindner in Weiden: “A song cycle is finished. Op 31 is a mess compared with it.” (Postcard)
Shortly after this, however, there was a serious disagreement between Elsa von Bercken and Reger, who left Schneewinkl because of this.4Later, looking back, Reger’s widow wrote about the reason for his sudden departure, on which he took the manuscripts with him: “But this beautiful time came to a sudden end when Reger made it clear to me that he felt more for me than just admiration and friendship. I, however, did not feel more than this, and the parting was a disagreement.”5 Despite this unsuccessful courtship6 Reger continued to remain in contact with Elsa von Bercken. On 21 July, after he had prepared the songs for print, he sent the dedication copies made for her in Schneewinkl back to her from Weiden. On this occasion he made a title wrapper7 with the inscription: “To Frau Elsa von Bercken | née von Bagenski | most cordially dedicated. | Ten Songs for a medium voice with pianoforte accompaniment […] op 35”.Note: Last listed: private collection. – The page was dated 21 July 1899. Elsa Reger also recorded the order of the songs in manuscript in her Erinnerungen: “1. Dein Auge; 2. Der Himmel hat eine Träne geweint; 3. Traum durch die Dämmerung; 4. Flieder; 5. Du liebes Auge; 6. Glückes genug; 7. Volkslied; 8. Frauenhaar; 9. Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht; 10. Letzte Bitte”.8 Reger kept the other copies of the songs intended as engraver’s copies.
Even over a month after his departure from Schneewinkl, Reger regarded his op. 35 as a completed work, as he informed Ernst Guder on 18 August. But in the same letter, he reported to the Wiesbaden bookseller: “Today I found another 3 poems which could be set to music; they are very modern things.” (Letter) Just four days later he wrote the date of completion below the song Nächtliche Pfade. On 25 August he had also set to music the two other texts – Richard Dehmel’s Verlaine translation Helle Nacht, and Valerie Matthes’ d’Annunzio translation . He informed Elsa von Bercken: “Have now written three new songs, would happily send them to you, but don’t know whether it would be pleasant for you?” ( Letter)9
On 7 September Reger spent some time in Munich for discussions with his publisher Jos. Aibl and presented new compositions there, including op. 35. The same day his mother Philomena received a message of his success: “pleased him [the managing director Eugen Spitzweg] very much; he is to publish op 35, 37 (songs & sonata[)].” (Postcard) After this meeting, or in the course of preparing the works for print, the decision must have been made to divide what was until now opus 35 into two smaller song collections. Both the copyright agreement and the royalty receipt statement which Reger signed on 23 September record for the first time the final division into Six Songs op. 35 and Five Songs op. 37; the sonata referred to (in A major for violin) received the opus number 41. By this point at the latest, the songs Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht and Letzte Bitte (WoO VII/21 and and 22) were taken out of the collection, and Reger did not submit these for publication. The dedication to Elsa von Bercken was also dropped; instead, each song was given a separate dedication to well-known performers or singing teachers. The first two songs from op. 35 were dedicated to Josef Loritz and Susanne Triepel who were the first to sing Reger’s songs in public; other dedications followed to the bass-baritones Arthur van Eweyk and Anton Sistermans, and to Nikolaus Rothmühl, for many years director of the opera school at the Stern’sches Konservatorium in Berlin. Reger was also to continue with the strategy of these “individual dedications”10 in opp. 43 and 48.
No comments by Reger are known about the circumstances leading to the subsequent division of the songs into two opuses. In her Erinnerungen, Elsa Reger referred only to the events of July in Schneewinkl: “He tore away the bouquet of the 10 love songs, and did not publish them, as he wanted, in one volume dedicated to me, but scattered them between various volumes.”11 It is of course also possible that there were publishing reasons for the division. The words “to tear away” and “to scatter” do not adequately describe Reger’s process of reordering: the sequence of the first five songs in the original collection was retained, and as the conclusion of op. 35, Reger added Wenn lichter Morgenschein…, composed in Weiden. For op. 37 numbers “VI–VIII” of the songs composed in Schneewinkl were re-arranged (now op. op. 37 nos. 3, 2, and 4); the songs Helle Nacht (no. 1) and (no. 5), also newly composed, frame the collection.
2.
Translation by Elizabeth Robinson.
1. Reception
At present, there are no records of performances in Reger's time.
1. Stemma
2. Quellenbewertung
Der Edition liegt als Leitquelle die posthume Erstausgabe zugrunde, die nach Vorlage des verschollenen Widmungsexemplars für Elsa von Bercken publiziert wurde.
3. Sources
Object reference
Max Reger: Letzte Bitte WoO VII/22, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/mri_work_00789.html, version 3.1.4, 11th April 2025.
Information
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