An die Hoffnung op. 124
Version for alto (or mezzo-soprano) and piano
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An die Hoffnung
Text: Friedrich Hölderlin
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1.
| Reger-Werkausgabe | Bd. II/5: Lieder V, S. 158–167. |
| Herausgeber | Knud Breyer und Stefan König. Unter Mitarbeit von Christopher Grafschmidt und Claudia Seidl. |
| Verlag | Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart; Verlagsnummer: CV 52.812. |
| Erscheinungsdatum | Oktober 2024. |
| Notensatz | Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart. |
| Copyright | 2024 by Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart and Max-Reger-Institut, Karlsruhe – CV 52.812. Vervielfältigungen jeglicher Art sind gesetzlich verboten. / Any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited by law. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. / All rights reserved. |
| ISMN | M-007-33910-4 |
| ISBN | 978-3-89948-463-2. |
An die Hoffnung
Friedrich Hölderlin: An die Hoffnung, in:
id.: Taschenbuch für das Jahr 1805. Der Liebe und Freundschaft gewidmet, Friedrich Wilmans, Frankfurt am Main
Friedrich Hölderlin: An die Hoffnung, in: id.: Gedichte, Philipp Reclam jun., Leipzig , p. 31–32.
Copy shown in RWA: DE, Meiningen, Meininger Museen, Rbü 140.
Note: Regers Exemplar in den Meininger Museen (Max-Reger-Archiv) ist nur auf den Seiten 30/31 und 32/33 aufgeschnitten, der Text An die Hoffnung ist mit Bleistift unterteilt.
Note: Als Abschluss der vierten Strophe hat Reger eine Zeile eingefügt: “o du Holde, Holde, dich, ja dich will ich finden”.
1. Composition and Publication
In the spring of 1912, during his holidays after his first season as the conductor of the Meiningen Court Orchestra, Reger also began to make creative use of his new position by devoting himself to orchestral composition. He composed his Concerto in the Old Style op. 123, the Romantic Suite op. 125 and the Römischer Triumphgesang (“Roman Triumphal Song”) op. 126 (with male choir), and then also the orchestral song An die Hoffnung (“To hope”) op. 124, to a poem by Friedrich Hölderlin.1
On 29 February 1912, Reger had asked his friend Karl Straube to find him a “text for a ‘Scene (recitative) and aria’ for contralto and orchestra” (Postcard to Karl Straube of 29 February 1912). Roughly a month later, when they met in person, Straube gave him a Reclam volume of Hölderlin’s poems (See his postcard to Karl Straube of 27 March 1912). On 19 April, Reger wrote to Bote & Bock to announce his publication plans for the coming autumn, asking them to decide which of the works mentioned he might be allowed to “give to C.F. Peters” (Letter to Bote & Bock [Hugo Bock] of 28 April 1912). Bote & Bock decided to forgo the orchestral song An die Hoffnung, which Reger accordingly offered to Henri Hinrichsen (C.F. Peters) when they met in Leipzig on 9 May (See his postcard to Henri Hinrichsen of 2 May 1912). Hinrichsen agreed to publish it, and Reger subsequently informed him that he would also be submitting a version of the work with piano, alongside the orchestral version (See his letter to Henri Hinrichsen of 19 May 1912). On 22 May, Reger wrote to his employer, Duke Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen, to inform him that he had completed the orchestral score, but added that he “now [...] still have to make the edition with piano” (Letter to Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen of 22 May 1912). Reger submitted the engraver’s copies of both versions to his publisher on 29 May. In his accompanying letter, Reger asked to be sent “2 specimen proofs of the piano edition very soon” (Letter to Henri Hinrichsen of 29 May 1912) as well as “1 such copy to Mrs Mysz-Gmeiner” (Letter to Henri Hinrichsen of 5 July 1912). Reger was clearly hoping that she would perform it, though this did not come about. Reger already had the proofs of both the orchestral and the piano versions in his hands by 27 June. He returned the latter with corrections on 4 July. On 13 July, Anna Erler-Schnaudt received a rolled-up package from Reger, together with a rehearsal plan for the proposed first performance of the orchestral version, for which she was to sing the solo part (See his letter to Anna Erler-Schnaudt of 13 July 1912). This was presumably the aforementioned specimen proof. This first performance took place on 12 October in Eisenach, with Erler-Schnaudt accompanied by the Meiningen Court Orchestra, after which Reger gave her the autograph of the piano version.
2.
Translation by Chris Walton.
1. Reception
Erler-Schnaudt only used the piano version of An die Hoffnung to prepare for her performance with orchestra. There is no evidence of the piano version having been performed in public at this time, though its printed edition was relatively successful and was thus important in domestic music-making. By January 1913 a new print-run was made of 200 copies, and this was followed by a further issue in November 1915 with the same number of copies. After Reger’s death, further reprints of 300 copies each were published roughly every three years.1
2.
Translation by Chris Walton.
1. Stemma
2. Quellenbewertung
Der Edition liegt als Leitquelle der Erstdruck der Fassung mit Kla- vier zugrunde. Als Referenzquellen wurden die Stichvorlage der Fassung mit Klavier sowie in wenigen Fällen Stichvorlage und Erstdruck der Partitur herangezogen. Die Orchesterstimmen und der Entwurf spielten für editorische Entscheidungen keine Rolle.
3. Sources
- Entwurf (E)
- Stichvorlage Klavierauszug (SVK)
- Stichvorlage Partitur (SVP)
- Erstdruck Klavierauszug (EDK)
- Erstdruck Partitur (EDP)
- Erstdruck Stimmen (EDSt)
Object reference
Max Reger: An die Hoffnung op. 124, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/mri_work_01463.html, version 3.1.0, 23rd December 2024.
Information
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