An Zeppelin WoO VI/21
Version for Singstimme und Klavier
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- An Zeppelin WoO VI/21 for male voice choir
Other versions:- An Zeppelin WoO VI/21, Version for gemischten Chor a cappella
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1.
| Reger-Werkausgabe | Bd. II/5: Lieder V, S. 133–135. |
| 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. |
unknown
Note: Erschienen in Johann Christian Glücklich, Lose Blätter, 3. Auflage, Wiesbaden 1909, S. 268 (nur eine Strophe). Im Börsenblatt für den deutschen Buchhandel ist der Gedichtband am 18. Oktober 1909 (Nr. 242, S. 12339) angezeigt.
Note: Als Vorage verwendete Reger vermutlich eine Abschrift der publizierten Strophe (s. o.), ergänzt um eine (heute verschollene) zweite Strophe. Letztere wurde von Glücklich durch eine neue Strophe ersetzt und diese zusammen mit einer dritten Strophe Mitte September 1909 Reger brieflich übermittelt (siehe Zur Entstehung, Herausgabe und Rezeption der Werke).
Note: Zur Zeit der ersten und zweiten Auflage von Glücklichs Gedichtband (1886) waren die Luftschiffe des Grafen Zeppelin noch Zukunftsmusik (LZ 1 wurde erst 1899 gebaut). Überdies vermutete der Dichter bereits im Vorwort zur zweiten Auflage, “eine event. nötig werdende dritte Auflage [werde] voraussichtlich weit umfangreicher werden wie die erste und zweite” (s. o., Lose Blätter, S. 7).
Note: Die Wiederholungen in den jeweils letzten beiden Zeilen stammen von Reger. Weitere Eingriffe in den nachgelieferten Strophen sind vorstellbar. Da Reger die Einpassung dieser zwei Strophen dem Verlag überließ, muss sein Anteil an ihrer letztlichen Gestalt offen bleiben (siehe Zur Entstehung, Herausgabe und Rezeption der Werke).
1. Composition and Publication
In 1909, in the third edition of his poetry collection Lose Blätter (“Loose leaves”), Christian Glücklich published the poem “An Zeppelin”1 (“To Zeppelin”), a eulogy to the airship pioneer Ferdinand Graf Zeppelin. Back in 1898, Zeppelin had acquired the relevant patents from the Hungarian designer David Schwarz to be able to start building airships. He relied repeatedly on public donations to be able to finance his endeavours. These funds were raised through assorted appeals and lotteries. The general interest in his work was correspondingly high. On 4 August 1908, the airship “LZ 4” completed a demonstration flight from Friedrichshafen to Mainz in 24 hours. On the way back, however, the airship crashed near Echterdingen and was completely destroyed. The resulting initiative named “Zeppelin donation of the German People” raised over 6 million marks. It is possible that these events were what inspired Glücklich to write his poem.
Reger set An Zeppelin to music at the beginning of September 1909. He made three versions of it: for male choir,2 for mixed choir3 and for voice and piano. He also added a short piano prelude and postlude to this last version. Reger knew Glücklich personally from his time in Wiesbaden and had already set his poem “Am Meer” to music in 1894 (WoO VII/18), though he did not publish it.4
Reger gave the manuscript for “Am Meer” to Glücklich at the time.5 In June 1909, when he was turning 70, Glücklich wrote to Reger to ask for permission to publish the song. (See Reger’s postcard to Johann Christian Glücklich of 17 June 1909) In fact, it was only published after Reger’s death,6 though their renewed contact prompted Glücklich to send him the poem “An Zeppelin”. Reger wrote to his publisher Bote & Bock to say that he had received a “Zeppelin hymn (a people’s song) [...] with the request to put it to music; I can hardly say no, so I’ll compose the text! Then I will send it to the poet – a fleeting acquaintance of mine – though I will make him expressly aware that he may not publish the thing without first contacting you!” (Letter from Reger to Bote & Bock [Gustav Bock] of 3 September 1909) Reger’s post book contains a reference to a registered letter to Glücklich on 4 September7 that presumably contained the score An Zeppelin for voice and piano. Reger’s copies for the engraver are no longer extant. It is possible that he had made a separate copy of the version that he sent to Glücklich.
In the version published in the Lose Blätter, the poem “An Zeppelin” comprises only a single verse. Reger’s setting, however, has three. When Reger submitted the engraver’s copy for all three versions of An Zeppelin to his publisher on 8 September 1909, he already had two verses. With regard to the notation of his version with piano, he wrote: “1.) for voice and piano! (2nd verse written above it.) […] a 3rd verse will follow; I will send it to you as soon as I have this 3rd verse from the poet!” (Reger’s letter to Bote & Bock of 8 September 1909) It is impossible to say whether Glücklich initially sent Reger his volume of poems with the single verse,8 but we do know that Reger received at least the second verse in manuscript and quite possibly added it to the score after the fact. He probably requested a third verse because the song was considered too short. However, he rejected Glücklich’s extra text. On 10 September, Reger wrote to his publisher: “Telegram just received; please print only the 1st verse of the ‘Zeppelinhymne’ (thus not the 2nd verse). I will get the poet to make 2 new verses!” (Postcard to Bote & Bock of 10 September 1909) On 12 September, he confirmed that “I’ve arranged for the poet to write just a good 2nd and 3rd verse; as soon as I have both these verses, I will send them to you immediately!” (Letter to Bote & Bock of 12 September 1909). This was done promptly on 16 September,9 meaning that the work could be printed in October 1909. Reger wanted An Zeppelin to be delivered first “to Friedrichshaven, Stuttgart, Frankfurt/ Main, Basel, Zurich, Lucerne, in short, everywhere that Zeppelin is particularly celebrated. [...] so that we’re ‘leading the way’ with ‘our’ anthem”. (Letter to Bote & Bock of 17 September 1909 (Gustav Bock))
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was informed directly by either Reger or Glücklich about the planned dedication.10 Reger chose the following wording: “‘To His Excellency Count Zeppelin!’ The shorter the better!” (Letter to Bote & Bock of 14 September 1909 [Gustav Bock])
2.
Translation by Chris Walton.
1. Reception
At present, there are no records of performances in Reger's time.
1. Stemma
2. Quellenbewertung
Der Edition liegt als Leitquelle der Erstdruck der Fassung für Sing- stimme und Klavier zugrunde. Der Erstdruck der Fassung für Män- nerchor spielte eine untergeordnete Rolle.
3. Sources
Object reference
Max Reger: An Zeppelin WoO VI/21, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/mri_work_01154.html, version 3.1.0, 23rd December 2024.
Information
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