Rachmaninoff's Complete Songs: A Companion with Texts and Translations

Song 46, Without Opus (1900)

Song 46, Without Opus (1900) 124 46 Ночь Night Unlike Songs 1 through 9, which Rachmaninoff chose not to publish, he did approve the publication of the present song in a charity anthology to benefit widows and orphans of musicians in Moscow. The paper on which the fair copy was made was used by the composer in the second half of 1900, and the manuscript bears that date, but the song was probably composed earlier in 1899. In the fall of that year, Vera Skalon decided to marry her childhood friend Sergei Tolbuzin, burning more than a hundred of Rachmaninoff’s letters to her. They remained friends, and she was a matron of honor in Rachmaninoff’s wedding in 1902, but she never stopped loving him, according to her sister Lyudmila’s memoir (VOR 1, 247). Rachmaninoff’s own tender feelings for Vera are thought to be behind this text which he presumably chose at about this time. The third stanza is an intimate appeal to her in the present, and he wisely decided to remove it. The text is from that same debut book of poems by Daniil Ratgauz that Tchaikovsky used in 1893 to write his last songs, Op. 73, and the mood is the same: “I am alone, but you are with me, darling, even though we’re apart.” The song begins softly as a Largo, then in the second stanza, with arpeggios, becomes more animated, with volume varying from piano to forte; there is anger and self-pity in the third stanza; then a pause as it slows down and becomes quieter and more somber by the end. It has a strong sincerity to it: performances by Valentina Levko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky bring out its power well. Снова฀сон฀на฀усталые฀очи฀нейдёт. Я฀один…฀Но฀в฀немой฀тишине Кто-то฀тихо฀мне฀скорбные฀песни฀поёт, Наклоняется฀нежно฀ко฀мне. Замирает฀душа…฀Очарованный฀слух Ловит฀звуки฀знакомых฀речей… То฀не฀ты฀ли,฀желанный,฀неведомый฀друг,฀ Грёза฀детских,฀умчавшихся฀дней? Истомилася฀грудь฀от฀вседневных฀тревог, Гаснет฀в฀сердце฀желаний฀всех฀пыл… И฀давно฀уже฀мне฀мой฀насмешливый฀рок Все฀дороги฀к฀блаженству฀закрыл. Догорает฀свеча…฀Ночь฀глухая฀плывёт. Я฀один…฀И฀в฀немой฀тишине฀ Кто-то฀тихо฀мне฀скорбные฀песни฀поёт, Наклоняется฀нежно฀ко฀мне. 125 Song 46 (1900) Text. Daniíl Maksímovich Ratgáuz, 1893. Title: Под฀шепот฀мечты฀ (Whispers of a dream). First published in Stikhotvoreniia (Poems), Kiev, 1893, pp. 76-77. Set only by Rachmaninoff, who changed the title and omitted the third stanza from the song (shown below). Meter. Ternary. Anapest, alternating 4-foot and 3-foot lines: Someone sings to me softly a song that is sad, I’m alone, in the stillness of night… Music. The manuscript is dated Moscow, 1900, a date confirmed by examination of the paper (Cannata 1995, 67). A Minor. 12/8, Largo. For Middle Voice: c1 –a2 . Without opus. First published in 1904 by Jurgenson in a “Collection of compositions by contemporary Russian composers, vol. 2” (Rytsareva, 33 and LN 1, 553). No dedication. Recordings. Del Grande, Hvorostovsky, Levko, Lisovsky, Oja, Popescu, Söderström, Suchkova. Sno±va so±n na usta±lyje o±chi nejdjo±t. Ja± adi±n… No v nemo±j tishyne± Kto±-ta ti±kha mne sko±rbnyje pe±sni pajo±t, Naklanja±jetsa ne±zhna ka mne±. Zamira±jed dusha±… Acharo±vannyj slu±kh Lo±vid zvu±ki znako±mykh reche±j… To ne ty± li zhela±nnyj neve±damyj dru±k, Grjo±za de±tskikh umcha±fshykhsa dne±j? Istami±lasa gru±t’ at fsedne±vnykh trevo±k, Ga±snet f se±rttse zhela±nij fse±kh py±l… I davno± uzhe± mne± mo±j nasme±shlivyj ro±k Fse± daro±gi g blazhe±nstvu zakry±l. Dagara±jet svecha±… No±dzh glukha±ja plyvjo±t… Ja adi±n… I v nemo±j tishyne± Kto±-ta ti±kha mne sko±rbnyje pe±sni pajo±t, Naklanja±jetsa ne±zhna ka mne±. Once more sleep does not come to my tired eyes. I am alone… But in the quiet stillness Someone softly sings me mournful songs, Tenderly bending down to me. My heart stops… Thrilled, I seem to hear The loving sounds of a familiar voice… Is that you, my heart’s desire, my secret friend, My dream of bygone childhood days? My breast is weary from everyday worries, All my heart’s ardent desires are burned out… And long ago a mocking fate Closed all paths to happiness for me. The candle’s burning down… Dull night comes on. I am alone… But in the quiet stillness Someone softly sings me mournful songs, Tenderly bending down to me. То฀не฀ты-ли฀к฀кому฀тщетно฀ ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀рвусь฀я฀всегда И฀к฀кому฀я฀взываю฀с฀мольбой, О,฀подруга฀души,฀ ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀то฀не฀ты-ль?฀—฀если฀да, То฀явись฀поскорей฀предо฀мной! Third stanza of the poem, omitted by Rachmaninoff from the song: Could฀it฀be฀you,฀whom฀I฀seek฀ ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀unceasingly, You,฀whom฀I฀beg฀to฀be฀with฀me, O,฀darling฀girl฀of฀my฀heart,฀is฀it฀you?฀ ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀—฀if฀so, Then฀appear฀before฀me฀right฀now! ...