Lehár, Franz

Wiki entry: Franz Lehár

International Music Score Library Project [IMSLP] entry: Franz Lehár

Franz Lehár [1870-1948] was a Hungarian composer, famous today mainly for his operas and operettas.

Piece

MP3

Midi

Genre

Vilia

MIDI

classical song

Sequenced in 2023 from the Chappell edition, © MCMVII. This is an arrangement by H. M. Higgs for piano and voice of the famous Vilia song from Lehár's best-known opera Die Lustige Witwe [The Merry Widow].
The Midi version here includes the usual English lyrics, by Adrian Ross; the original German words are by librettists Viktor Léon and Leo Stein. In the original, the song is sung by Hanna, the widow; the only time I've seen the opera performed live, it was sung instead by a tenor, which I quite liked, so I've lowered the voice part by an octave, and scored for bassoon rather than clarinet.
The score is marked Allegretto.
Note that, contrary to the impression given that a "vilia" is sinister, a witch, in Slav folklore she's more like a nymph, and is generally friendly to people.

Words:

German	English	notes
Es lebt eine Vilja, ein Waldmägdelein,	There once was a Vilja, a witch of the wood,	(a)
Ein Jäger erschaut sie im Felsengestein!	A hunter beheld her alone as she stood,	(b)
Dem Burschen, dem wurde	The spell of her beauty upon him was laid,
So eigen zu Sinn,
Er schaute und schaut	He look'd and he longed for the magical maid!
auf das Waldmägdlein hin.
Und ein niegekannter Schauder	For a sudden tremor ran,
Fasst den jungen Jägersmann,	Right thro' the love-bewilder'd man,
Sehnsuchtsvoll fing er still zu seufzen an!	And he sigh'd as a hapless lover can.	(c)

Vilja, O Vilja, Du Waldmägdelein,	Vilja, O Vilja! The witch of the wood!
Fass mich und lass mich	Would I not die for you, dear, if I could?	(d)
Dein Trautliebster sein!
Vilja, O Vilja, was tust Du mir an?	Vilja, O Vilja, my love and my bride!	(e)
Bang fleht ein liebkranker Mann!	Softly and sadly he sigh'd
Vilja, O Vilja, Du Waldmägdelein,	Vilja, O Vilja! The witch of the wood!
etc	etc

Das Waldmägdelein streckte	The wood maiden smiled, and no answer she gave,
die Hand nach ihm aus
Und zog ihn hinein in ihr felsiges Haus.	But beckon'd him into the shade of the cave;
Dem Burschen die Sinne vergangen fast sind	He never had known such a rapturous bliss,
So liebt und so küsst gar kein irdisches Kind.	No maiden of mortals so sweetly could kiss!
Als sie sich dann satt geküsst	As before her feet he lay,
Verschwand sie zu derselben Frist!	She vanish'd in the wood away,
Einmal hat noch der Arme sie gegrüsst:	And he call'd vainly till his dying day!	(f)
Vilja, o Vilja, Du Waldmägdelein,	Vilja, O Vilja! The witch of the wood!
etc	etc

Notes: (a) not really a "witch"; (b) "among the rocks"; (c) "hapless lover" is "longingly" in the German; (d) "die" is an exaggeration for "true love"; (e) "bride" is not in the German; (f) not in the German.

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Andy Walker, anw [at] cuboid4.me.uk [remove digit to construct address]