| Marketing Copy | In 1901, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) made first mention of his growing deafness in a letter to Dr. Franz Wegeler in Bonn. The likelihood that his condition was incurable tempted the composer to withdraw from society, and it likely caused his temporary attraction to more religious subjects, such as the poems of Christian Fürchtegott Gellert. Six of these poems are used as the texts for his SIX SONGS, Op. 48 (SECHS LIEDER), written for voice and piano between 1801 and 1802, though No. 3 may have been sketched as early as 1798. While each poem is by Gellert, the six settings are not musically related, unlike Beethoven's one other song collection, AN DIE FERNE GELIEBTE, Op. 98. The most popular of the SIX SONGS is the fourth, the majestic DIE EHRE GOTTES AUS DER NATUR (The Glory of God in Nature), with the starting text of "Die Himmel rühmen des ewigen Ehre" ("The Heavens extol the Glory of God"). While Gellert's poem is inspired by Psalm 19, it expands on the biblical text with themes of natural theology popular at the time, where God's magnificence is revealed in nature's wonders. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 4.2.3.0: Timp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set): Solo Medium or High Voice. Felix Josef Mottle transcribed DIE EHRE GOTTES AUS DER NATUR for orchestra in the original key of C. In this edition, Arthur Luck has transposed Mottl's orchestration to the key of D. No score exists for Luck's version in D, so it is recommended that the original Mottl score in C (A273801) be used in performances. Both versions are available from the publisher. |
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