Farewell Bliss and Farewell Nancy WoO 152 nr. 20, Early version of codas, Hess 193 (mp3)

Farewell Bliss and Farewell Nancy WoO 152 nr. 20, Early version of codas, Hess 193 (mp3)
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Performer: Mark S. Zimmer
Length: 2:54
Farewell Bliss and Farewell Nancy WoO 152 nr. 20, Early version of codas, Hess 193
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Author: Mark S. Zimmer
Length: 2:49
Farewell Bliss, and Farewell Nancy (Original version of Coda to WoO 152 nr. 20), Hess 193 (1810).

This beautiful Irish song in D minor in its present form has a coda which is a fairly straightforward restatement of the melody line. However, in the autograph Artaria 187, we find the original draft of the piano part which has a unique and quite dramatic coda which repeats after each verse, as well as a rather peculiar and indecisive concluding coda. The rolling 16th-note triplets in the bass were, however, present from the very beginning. We see here another instance of Beethoven's inspiration being quite unusual and even startling, having to be "dumbed down" for the intended audience; however in this case this result came from Beethoven's own editing, rather than the requests of George Thomson. Beethoven apparently crossed the coda out almost immediately, as there are no string parts to correspond to the piano part. Thomson tacked on the third verse, which is a stanza from Robert Burns' poem, Ae Fond Kiss.

Farewell Bliss, and Farewell Nancy

Farewell bliss and farewell Nancy,
Farewell fleeting joys of fancy;
Hopes and fears and sighs that languish
Now give place to cureless anguish. 
Why did I so fondly love thee?
Why to mutual passion move thee?
Why to wearing sorrow bring thee?
Why let causeless slander sting thee?

Gazing on my precious treasure, 
Lost in reckless dreams of pleasure,
Thy unspotted heart possessing,
Grasping at the promis'd blessing,
Pouring out my soul before thee,
Living only to adore thee,
Could I see the tempest brewing?
Could I dread the blast of ruin?

Had we never lov'd so kindly;
Had we never lov'd so blindly,
Never met, or never parted,
We had ne'er been broken hearted.
Faretheewell, thou first and fairest,
Faretheewell, thou best and dearest;
Once fond kiss, and then we sever,
One farewell, alas! forever.

---Mrs. Anne Grant (Third stanza by Robert Burns)


Hess: 193


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