This edition was prepared by Charles Pearson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Die Tochter der Heide (1. Fassung)
Staff Notation • Secular, Lieder
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3 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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Die Tochter der Heide (1. Fassung) by Hugo Distler — Lyrics
Wasch dich, mein Schwesterchen, wasch dich!
Zu Robins Hochzeit gehn wir heut:
Er hat die stolze Ruth gefreit.
Wir kommen ungebeten;
Wir schmausen nicht, wir tanzen nicht
Und nicht mit lachendem Gesicht
Komm ich vor ihn zu treten.
Strähl dich, mein Schwesterchen, strähl dich
Wir wollen ihm singen ein RätselLied,
Wir wollen ihm klingen ein böses Lied;
Die Ohren sollen ihm gellen.
Ich will ihr schenken einen Kranz
Von Nesseln und von Dornen ganz.
Damit fährt sie zur Hölle!
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About Die Tochter der Heide (1. Fassung)
Hugo Distler's Die Tochter der Heide, here presented in its first version, is a secular German Lieder for SSAATB choir. The text depicts a sinister scene set around a wedding. The narrator urges her sister to wash and adorn herself not for celebration, but to sing a riddle-song, a 'wicked song' intended to punish the bride, Ruth, and the groom, Robin. The verses describe weaving a wreath of nettles and thorns for the bride, and wishing her to hell. The final verse calls for the house to burn down while the wedding guests feast, with two specific individuals seemingly ensnared by a spell. This dramatic, unsettling narrative is powerfully conveyed through Distler's choral writing, making it a striking choice for an advanced choir.
