The Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder [Paperback]

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

This new translation of the original texts of over 750 songs allows the reader to follow, line by line, the English directly opposite the German. "Will no doubt become the standard lieder-resource for the English-speaking world..." - Choice

Product Details

• Paperback: 435 pages
• Publisher: Limelight Editions (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879100044
• ISBN-13: 978-0879100049
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indespensible resource for singers, pianists., February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder (Paperback)

offers english (poetic not literal) translations of many german lieder texts neglected in other resources such as "word by word translations of songs and arias." indespensible resource for singers, pianists, and others interested in lieder who do not speak german. includes the greater portion of texts set by Schubert, Wolf, Schumann, etc. also includes texts set by more modern or obscure composers, e.g. Peter Cornelius, Clara Schumann, etc. a book that needed to be written.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasury of Art Song, February 10, 2005

By 

Robin Friedman (Washington, D.C. United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder (Paperback)

I recently purchased a six-CD set on EMI of Fischer-Dieskau singing Brahms lieder. My collection includes the song texts in German, but, alas, does not have English translations. I needed to know something of the texts and thus turned to "The Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder", first published in 1976 and recently reissued. This book includes the original texts and English translations of 750 songs, including, of course, many texts set by Brahms. The book does not include all the songs in my compiliation, but it gave me much more than I had without it. It includes, among much else, the complete text and translation of Brahms's song-cycle, "Die Schone Magelone" Op. 33, which set 15 poems of Ludwig Tieck. In this day of cost-cutting, where both texts and translations are frequently not included in CDs, Fischer-Dieskau's book is an excellent resource.

The song texts are easy to use as they are accompanied by a three-fold index that lists the contents by composer, poets, and titles and first lines. The songs in the book are arranged alphabetically. The book also includes an excellent introduction by Fischer-Dieskau which manages to be both an overview and highly personal at the same time.

In addition to helping to find texts and translations of songs on recordings, this book has many other uses. It can be used simply to read the poetry that was set by the great composers of song and to follow-up by listening to settings of poems that the reader finds appealing. The book can be used as a guide to songs that were set by more than one composer or to explore songs. The book includes many texts that were set by the great masters of song, including Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, and others. There are many other texts set by composers who are obscure. For those with a desire to do so, this book can be used as a means of finding and exploring songs by composers who lie somewhat outside the most familiar track. And, of course, this is a wonderful book simply for browsing.

This book will delight any lover of art song and would make a treasured and unique gift to any lover of song.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important anthology, January 22, 2001

By 

Itamar Ronen (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder (Paperback)

This book, compiled by one of the greatest lieder performers of our time, is an extensive anthology of lieder texts from mid-18th century (Haydn, Gluck) to the first half of the 20th (Shoeck, Hindemith), with the vast majority placed in the heart of Fisher-Dieskau expertise - the romantic lieder: over 150 of Schubert's songs, most of Schumann's, and then Loewe, Cornelius, Brahms and many more. Important cycles by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Wolff, Mahler etc. are given in their entirety. The translation, even though it does not preserve the rhyme, does preserve the line structure and serves its purpose to the fullest. English texts (W. Scott, W. Shakespeare etc.) used by composers in their German translation, are "back-translated" to English, rather than presented in their original form. The texts are alphabetically organised, and in addition to the poet's (or translator's) name, the names of (in most cases) all composers who wrote music to the text are given. There are 3 useful indices - one by author, one by composer and one general index. In the interesting introduction to the book, Fischer-Dieskau briefly sketches the history of the artistic song from his own very interesting point of view. And here one has to realise that this is indeed a personal anthology made by a great performer of the German Lied. Most of the texts, with very few exceptions, are originally in German, or used by the composers in their German translation. If the text is not in German, as in the case of Carpani's "In Questa Tomba Oscura", it is there since it is set to music by Beethoven, or Tchaikowski's setting for the Scottish ballad "Edward" is in the book probably just because he used the German translation... This book can not replace much needed books that are not available, such as the entire corpus of Schubert's song texts, in the way that Norton's anthology of English literature can not replace the complete writings of the authors that appear in the collection. The texts are not annotated, something that would be welcome in a more reference-type book. However, for whoever is interested in the German lied, this is an essential and extensive anthology, accompanied by very good translations and very well organised. PS - now someone should come up with a French equivalent...