Hansel u Gretel: Deutsch http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/haensel.html http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/haensel_gri... 1825 illus Ludwig Grimm Virginia Commonwealth
English translation http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/haenseleng.... they have a popup tool bar so you can go from English to German easily you can also select which illustrator you wish to have: Ludwig Grimm 1825 , Crane 1886, Meyerheim 1889 , Ubbelolide 1907, Richter 1853
Each year, throughout Europe, Hansel und Gretel enter the opera house on the season's programming, adding another Christmas tradition.
In April 1890, Humperdinck was assisting Wolf with the manuscripts for the Morike Lieder. Humperdinck was engaged as a Lecturer and editor of Wagner's works. for the music publisher, Schott u Sohne. He had just completed a successful adaption of D F E Auber's Marchenoper, Das eherne Pferd. His sister, Adelheid, married a a friend, Hermann Wette, who asked Humperdinck to write some music for a children's play, Schneewittchen-Snow White. And in addition to this, Cosima Wagner, wanted him to train her son, Siegfried. He wasn't exactly wanting work. He had more than he needed with people making requests on his time.
Wolf sent a letter, in which he pleaded for a downright cute and folksy tune (etwas recht Hubsches Volkstumlicsches) for a children's Christmas Fest. The Wolf Morike Lieder are extremely short pieces. Many of them are scarcely two minutes long, requiring deft skill of the singer and pianist to create the illusion of innocence as they reflect the naivete of childhood. Wolf was writing sophisticated music with transparent structures on childhood themes: cradle songs, prayers and lullabyes for the Christ Child.They are comparable to William Blake's Songs of Innocence. Humperdinck sent his sister a piece. This became the catalyst for Hansel und Gretel. At the time he composed the dance-duet, "Brother come and dance with me", the Echo-u-Kikerikilied and the Schlummerlied (lullabye) that were performed by children for a private performance in his sister's Salon at Christmas. He didn't have further thoughts on creating any opera on the theme at the time. Cosima Wagner had sent him Gozzi's Der Rabe and he was considering setting Grillparzer's, "Der Traum ein Leben" at the time.
His sister created more text. He set the Sandman's Song and the Evening Prayer. In January 1891, Humperdinck wrote back to Wolf that he was engaged in writing something more on the theme of Hansel u Gretel, but it was taking more time than expected. He wished to see the thing through-but by then, he had realized that he was creating a new opera. The composition took two years to finish. Schott, his publisher and employer, was not very thrilled about it. Schott foresaw no future and refused to publish, allowing him 50 original autographed copies. However, three heavyweights took interest and were impressed: Felix Mottl, Herman Levi and Richard Strauss. The opera opened on December 23, 1893 in the Bayerisches Staatsoper in Munich. The public loved it...and Humperdinck was able to pay his debts. Schott now had reason to print the score. More works were demanded. Following the success of Hansel u Gretel came the Wolf and the Seven Kids and the King's Children, both popular children's stories circulating at the time.
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