Page 4 - UM0097-Rastlose-Liebe-Beethoven-Goethe-Nieuwenhuizen

Preface

The poem by Goethe was written in 1776, during the Sturm und Drang period in German literature, a
movement that was expressed above all by young authors and that is characterized by a resistance to
existing rules and traditions. That is also reflected in this poem, both in the irregularities in the rhyming
scheme and in the language being used, which was generally speaking very vibrant and boisterous
during the Sturm und Drang period. Expletives, unfinished sentences or cries were very common.
The poem inspired several composers. It was used for a composition by Franz Schubert in 1815, in the
Romantic period, while Johann Friedrich Reichardt also composed two pieces that were inspired by the
poem. Both composers made a few changes to Goetheꞌs original text.

Rastlose Liebe

Dem Schnee, dem Regen,
Dem Wind entgegen,
Im Dampf der Klüfte,
Durch Nebeldüfte,
Immer zu! Immer zu!
Ohne Rast und Ruhꞌ!

Lieber durch Leiden
Möcht’ ich mich schlagen,
Als so viel Freuden
Des Lebens ertragen.
Alle das Neigen
Von Herzen zu Herzen,
Ach, wie so eigen
Schaffet das Schmerzen!

Wie soll ich fliehen?
Wälderwärts ziehen?
Alles vergebens!
Krone des Lebens,
Glück ohne Ruhꞌ,
Liebe, bist du!

Beethoven probably made his sketches of ꞌRastlose Liebeꞌ Unv 22 before 1796. He intended to put
several of Goetheꞌs texts to music: from the same period, there are also sketches of ꞌErlkönigꞌ WoO
1
2
3
131 , ꞌGretchen am Spinnradeꞌ and ꞌHeidenrösleinꞌ Unv 23 . It is quite possible that Beethoven
intended to work out and publish those four songs as a bundle, but the song fragments were never
completed, for reason that will likely never be known.

In the period between 1792 and 1796, Beethoven used a lot of less interesting texts, to which he also
composed less interesting music. In many cases, they were occasional songs, but sometimes they were
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songs with a beautiful and interesting structure that ended up as simple strophic songs. That is in no
way the case with ꞌRastlose Liebeꞌ Unv 22. The available material shows that Beethoven, like he did
with ꞌErlkönigꞌ WoO 131, intended to compose a well-structured, narrative song, certainly not a simple
strophic song.

The notion that the composer thought highly of these poems by Goethe is further underlined by the
fact that he wanted to complete and publish the songs once more in 1823. In addition, he wrote a

1 'Erlkönig' for Voice and Pianoforte, reconstruction Cees Nieuwenhuizen Opus 52, Upstream Music UM 0003,
Alkmaar, The Netherlands, 2003
2 Without Hess or Unv number
3 'Heidenröslein' for Voice and Pianoforte, reconstruction Cees Nieuwenhuizen Opus 87 No.3, Upstream Music
UM 0098, Alkmaar, The Netherlands, 2019
4 Like ꞌAbschiedsgesang an Wiens Burgerꞌ WoO 121, November 1796 and ꞌKriegslied der Österreicherꞌ WoO 122,
April 1797

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