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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation © by Salvador Pila
Der Tod ist groß
Language: German (Deutsch)
Der Tod ist groß. Wir sind die Seinen lachenden Munds. Wenn wir uns mitten im Leben meinen, wagt er zu weinen mitten in uns.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Schlußstück", appears in Das Buch der Bilder, first published 1920 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Raffi Armenian (b. 1942), "Schlussstück", 1976 [ mixed chorus, brass and percussion ], from Drei gedichte von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Schlußstück", 2016, published 2016 [ mezzo-soprano, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henk Badings (1907 - 1987), "Schlußstück", from Fünf Rilke-Lieder, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Axel Borup-Jørgensen (1924 - 2012), "Schluszstück", op. 44 no. 2 (1963), published 1984 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], København : Samfundet til Udgivelse af Dansk Musik [sung text not yet checked]
- by Axel Borup-Jørgensen (1924 - 2012), "Schlußstück", subtitle: "Oratorium", op. 50 (1963/64) [ 16 voices, piano, cymbals, cimbalom, and percussion ], Manuskript [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alois Bröder (b. 1961), "Schlußstück", published 2003 [ mezzo-soprano and orchestra ], from Lachen. Weinen. Blühen. Vergehen., no. 4, Selbstverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Omar Daniel , "Schluszstück", 2006 [ soprano, piano ], from Rilke Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Dvořák (b. 1971), "Schlußstück", 1991/92 [ mixed chorus ], from Zwei kurze Lieder nach Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 2, Selbstverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Enders (1923 - 2019), "Schlußstück", 1999/2000, published 2000 [ soprano, clarinet, piano ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Erhard (1928 - 2017), "Der Tod ist groß", published 1951, Augsburg : Böhm & Sohn [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Olga) Pozzi Escot (b. 1933), "Der Tod ist groß", 1959 [ speaker and string quartet ], from Three Poems of Rilke, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Philipp Jakob Formann (1906 - 1980), "Schlußstück" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ilse Fromm-Michaels (1888 - 1986), "Schlußstück", 1948/49 [ baritone and piano or orchestra ], from Drei Rilke-Gesänge, no. 3, Sikorski [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gunnar de Frumerie (1908 - 1987), "Der Tod ist gross", op. 10 no. 3 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich Funk (1902 - 1986), "Der Tod ist groß", op. 39 no. 1 [ men's chorus, 2 trumpets, 2 timpani ], Manuskript. Ohne Jahr. Bestand im Hochschularchiv Weimar/Thüringisches Landesmusikarchiv [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Fürstenthal (1920 - 2016), "Schlussstück" [ voice and piano ], from 16 Lieder und Balladen vom Leben und Vergehen, no. 16, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ulrich Gasser (b. 1950), "Der Tod ist groß", 1993-1995 [ 6 male voices, 6 female voices, 8 flutes ], from oratorio Von der unerbittlichen Zufälligkeit des Todes, no. 2, Manuscript; note: this piece also calls for some Arthur Schneiter sounding stones [sung text not yet checked]
- by Caspar de Gelmini (b. 1980), "Monoton?" [ voice, viola, violin, violoncello, percussion ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse (1881 - 1944), "Der Tod ist groß", 1928-1929, published c1935 [ tenor, soprano, chorus and orchestra ], from cantata Der Kreis des Lebens, no. 4, Amsterdam : Alsbach [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hermann Grabner (1886 - 1969), "Der Tod ist groß", c1930 [ mixed chorus ], Berlin : Deutscher Sängerbund [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilfried Hiller , "Der Tod ist groß", 2009 - 2010, first performed 2010 [ mezzo-soprano, viola d'amore and harp ], from Du meine heilige Einsamkeit, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilfried Hiller , "Der Tod des Johannes", 2013 - 2014, first performed 2014 [ soprano, chorus, solo violin, orchestra ], from Skulpturen der Liebe, no. 7, Schott Music; note: there is one sentences from Oscar Wilde: Das Geheimnis der Liebe ist größer als das Geheimnis des Todes [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Rudolf) Walther Hirschberg (1889 - 1960), "Schlußstück", op. 43 no. 12 (1937) [ medium voice and piano ], from Buch der Bilder; Zwölf Lieder, no. 12, Berlin : Verlag der Signale für die musikalische Welt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franck Adrian Holzkamp (b. 1966), "Schlußstück", 2010 [ soprano, mixed chorus, tape and orchestra ], from symphony Dem Menschenkind [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Jobst (1908 - 1943), "Der Tod ist gross", op. 6 (Drei Gesänge) no. 3 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Viktor Kalabis (1923 - 2006), "Der Tod ist gross", 1988-1989, first performed 1993 [ low voice and piano ], from Kolotoč života, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Willy Kehrer (1902 - 1976), "Der Tod ist groß", op. 28, Heft 2 (Buch der Bilder) no. 3 (1922), first performed 1938 [ soprano and mezzo-soprano (ad libitum) and piano ], from Eine Rainer-Maria-Rilke-Stunde, no. 12, Thüringen : Willy-Kehrer-Archiv Schmölln [sung text not yet checked]
- by Matthias Kern , "Schlussstück" [ chorus ], from Chormusik nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Armin Knab (1881 - 1951), "Der Tod ist gross", published 1948 [ chorus ], Rodenkirchen b. Köln : Tonger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Koetsier (1911 - 2006), "Schluszstück", op. 1 (1932/1956), copyright © 1956 [ alto, viola and piano ], from Anfang und Ende : Gesänge der Nacht, no. 6, Amsterdam: Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Lavater (1885 - 1959), "Der Tod ist groß", 1934 [ men's chorus ], from Vom Leben : eine Reihe ernster Gesänge, no. 3, Leipzig ; Zücivh : Gebrüder Hug & Co [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bruno Mantovani (b. 1974), "Schlußstück", 2006 [ 6 voices, clarinet, horn, percussion, piano, viola, and cello ], from cantata Cantates: Cantate No.1, no. 11 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernadetta Matuszczak (b. 1931), "Der Tod ist gross", 1971, copyright © 1977 [ baritone and orchestra ], from Piesni Rilkego, no. 6, Kraków : Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne [sung text not yet checked]
- by Erwin Ernst Wilhelm Meier (b. 1937), "Schlußstück", 1937 [ baritone, speaker and piano ], from Musikalische Lesung, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edvard Moritz (1891 - 1974), "Der Tod ist groß", op. 18 no. 1 [ voice and piano ], from Vier ernste Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Motzkus (b. 1986), "Schluszstück", op. 35 no. 3, op. 8 no. 4 [ voice and piano ], from cantata Requiem, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Helmut Paulsen (b. 1909), "Der Tod" [ medium voice and piano ], from Sieben besinnliche Lieder, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Emma Possanner , "Schlussstück" [ voice and piano ], from 9 Lieder, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Reinthaler (b. 1950), "Schluß – Stück", 1973 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hermann Reutter (1900 - 1985), "Totentanz", op. 18 no. 4 (1925-1930) [ chorus, clarinet, strings ], from Gesang vom Tode, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfgang Michael Rihm (1952 - 2024), "Der Tod ist groß", 2015/2016 [ soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra ], from oratorio Requiem-Strophen, no. 2a [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfgang Michael Rihm (1952 - 2024), "Der Tod ist groß", 2015/2016 [ soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra ], from oratorio Requiem-Strophen, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfgang Michael Rihm (1952 - 2024), "Der Tod ist groß", 2015/2016 [ soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra ], from oratorio Requiem-Strophen, no. 11 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabor Rivo (b. 1964), "Schlußstück", op. 8 no. 1 (1986) [ soprano, violin and piano ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 1, Selbstverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Barend Roest Crollius (1912 - 2000), "Schluszstück", published 1948? [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Zes liederen, no. 5, 's-Gravenhage : Albersen [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jens Jürgen Rohwer (1914 - 1994), "Der Tod ist groß", published 1955, In: Das singende Jahr [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bert Rudolf (1905 - 1992), "Schlußstück" [ soprano and string quartet ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 5, Astoria Verlag GmbH / Hal Leonard Europe [sung text not yet checked]
- by Yasunori Sago , "第5楽章", 2009 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Symphony No.10, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sven-David Sandström (b. 1942), "Schlussstück", 2017 [ mixed chorus ], from Drei Rilke Gesänge, no. 2, Stockholm : Gehrmans Musikförlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by León Schidlowsky (b. 1931), "Schlußstück", 1952, first performed 1957 [ voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder vom Tode, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fritz Franz Schieri (1922 - 2009), "Schlußstück" [ voice and piano ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Hubert Rudolf Schiske (1916 - 1969), "Schlussstück", op. 25 (1945), published 1988?, copyright © 1948 [ chorus ], from oratorio Vom Tode, no. 1, Wien : Universal [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jürgen Schmitt (b. 1954), "Schlußstück", published 2001 [ voice and piano ], from 4 Lieder nach Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hanning Schroeder (1896 - 1987), "Schlußstück" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hanning Schroeder (1896 - 1987), "Der Tod ist groß", 1925, first performed 1986 [ soprano, flute,clarinet, viola and violoncello ], from cantata Rilke-Kantate, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hanning Schroeder (1896 - 1987), "Der Tod ist groß", 1945 [ mixed chorus ], from Reigen. Kleiner Zyklus, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frank Schwemmer (b. 1961), "Schlußstück" [ men's chorus ], from Als welkten in den Himmeln ferne Gärten, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Konrad Seckinger (1935 - 2015), "Der Tod ist groß" [ mixed chorus ], Musikverlag A. Böhm & Sohn GmbH & Co. KG [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rüdiger Seitz (1927 - 1991), "Schlußstück", copyright © 1997 [ voice and piano ], from Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde, no. 1, Innsbruck : Ed. Triol [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975), "Schlußstück", op. 135 no. 11, from Symphony no. 14, no. 11, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fritz Spindler (1816 - 1905), "Schlußstück" [ women's chorus ], Leipzig : Kistner & Siegel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Stadlmair (1929 - 2019), "Schlussstück", 1959, copyright © 1960 [ mixed chorus ], from Miniaturen, no. 6, Wiesbaden : Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joep Willem Frederik Straesser (1934 - 2004), "Der Tod", 1991, from An die Musik, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Strauß-König (b. 1930), "Der Tod ist groß", 2003 [ baritone and piano ], from Die Blätter fallen, no. 4, from Festliche Musik, no. 3, Edition Dohr [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mindaugas Urbaitis (b. 1952 ), "Schlußstück", 1998 [ mezzo-soprano, trombone, vibraphone, percussion, 2 violins, viola, violoncello and double bass ], from Schlußstück, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Van Crombruggen , as Vincent Christoff, "Schluszstück", published c1950 [ voice and piano ], from Liederen, no. 6, Bruxelles : A. Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernest Vietor (flourished 1905-1930), "Schlussstück", op. 17 no. 5 (1939-40) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rolf Wallin (b. 1957), "Schlußstück", 1994 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Drei Gedichte von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Manfred Weiss (b. 1935), "Schlussstück", 2006 [ alto and piano ], from Lieder vom Ende, no. , Landsberg : Bellmannmusik e.K. - Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Konstantin Wladigeroff (b. 1978), "Schlussstück", 2020 [ countertenor and brass ], from Magie; Hommage an Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 15 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ekkehard Wölk (b. 1967), "Schlußstück", 2007 [ bass, piano and percussion ], from Liederzyklus Book of Images. Rilke-Lieder 2, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Winfried (Petrus Ignatius) Zillig (1905 - 1963), "Schlußstück " [ men's chorus and piano ], from Lieder des Herbstes nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Alfred Kunz.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Mathias Rüegg (b. 1952) , copyright © ; composed by Mathias Rüegg.
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Giusi Drago , appears in Dalla misura delle stelle (Rainer Maria Rilke) ; composed by Marguerite de Geymuller.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Tamara Isaakovna Silman (1909 - 1974) , copyright © ; composed by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Conclusió", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Salvador Pila) , "Conclusion", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Mathias Rüegg) , copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Finale", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: John Versmoren
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 24
Conclusion
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Death is great. We belong to her with laughing mouths. When we believe ourselves to be in the midst of our lives, she dares to cry inside us.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2011 by Salvador Pila, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Schlußstück", appears in Das Buch der Bilder, first published 1920
This text was added to the website: 2011-05-22
Line count: 6
Word count: 28