Friede auf Erden

music: Arnold Schönberg
text: Conrad Ferdinand Meyers

[original German text:]

Da die Hirten ihre Herde
Ließen und des Engles Worte
Trugen durch die niedre Pforte
Zu der Mutter mit dem Kind,
Fuhr das himmlische Gesind
Fort im Sternenraum zu singen,
Fuhr der Himmel fort zu klingen:
"Friede, Friede! auf der Erde!"

Seit die Engel so geraten,
O wie viele blut'ge Taten
Hat der Streit auf wildem Pferde,
Der geharnischte vollbracht!
In wie mancher heiligen Nacht
Sang der Chor der Geister zagend,
Dringlich flehend, leis verklagend: "Friede, Friede... auf der Erde!"

Doch es ist ein ewiger Glaube,
Dass der Schwache nicht zum Raube
Jeder frechen Mordgebärde
Werde fallen allezeit:
Etwas wie Gerechtigkeit
Webt und wirkt in Mord und Grauen
Und ein Reich will sich erbauen,
Das den Frieden sucht der Erde.

Mählich wird es sich gestalten,
Seines heiligen Amtes walten,
Waffen schmieden ohne Fährde,
Flammenschwerter für das Recht,
Und ein königlich Geschlecht
Wird erblühn mit starken Söhnen,
Dessen helle Tuben dröhnen:
Friede, Friede auf der Erde!

-----------------------------

[English translation, ©1999 by Joe Monzo:]

There the shepherds their herds
left and the angel's words
carried by the lowly gate
to the mother with the child,
led the heavenly followers
away in the starry space to sing,
continued the sky sounding:
"peace, peace! on the earth!"

Since the angels thrive so,
O like many bloody acts
had the struggle on wild horses,
the armor-clad fully-plowed!
In like some holy night
sang the Choir of Spirits fearing,
urgently imploring, sofly accusing:
"peace, peace... on the earth!"

But it is an eternal faith
that the weaklings not to the robbers
from each shameless murder-gesture
will to-fall always:
Something like justice
wove and produced in murder and dread
and a realm wants to be pleased,
that the peace sought the earth.

Gradually will it be taken-shape,
govern themselves its holy office,
weapons to forge without danger,
flame-swords for the right,
and a royal species
begins to blossom with strong sons,
whose bright pipes roar:
Peace, peace on the earth!

[English translation of preface to published score]

Arnold Schoenberg composed the poet Conrad Ferdinand Meyer's words "Peace on Earth" in the year 1907. Although the 4-part a capella choral piece developed in the same year as the two extremely forward-pointing works, the F#-minor [2nd] String Quartet and the George songs "Das buch der hängenden Gärten [The book of the hanging gardens]", he does not show tracks of the forward-urgent, the tonality resolving tendency of these two works. The harmony moves in the late romantic context, but like Schoenberg, betrays the ripe championship of the then 33-year-old composer places the chord-connections into the service of the word interpretation. In the poetry of the fading-away, their became, its seriousness and its belief-ness is appropriate the artistic strength, which radiates the work.

Against the mixed choir unusual demands are made. They are situated once in the difficulties of the Intonation, on the other hand in the liberty of the guidance of the individual voices. These functions form at the same time a high incentive for mastering it. The work is to be performed if possible a capella. Arnold Schoenberg wrote however a score for small orchestra (woodwinds in pairs, 2 horns, quintet of strings), to support the voices of the choir and facilitate the performance. The voices prepared by the composer are available with this edition for the first time. The available note text is conscientiously compared with autograph.