Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen...

Kennst du das Land, wo die [Zitronen]1 blühn,
Im dunkeln Laub die Gold-Orangen glühn,
Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Himmel weht, 
Die Myrte still und hoch der Lorbeer steht? 
Kennst du es wohl?
Dahin! dahin
Möcht ich mit dir, o mein Geliebter, ziehn.

Kennst du das Haus? Auf Säulen ruht sein Dach.
Es glänzt der Saal, es schimmert das Gemach,
Und Marmorbilder stehn und sehn mich an:
Was hat man dir, du armes Kind, getan?
Kennst du es wohl? 
Dahin! dahin
Möcht ich mit dir, o mein Beschützer, ziehn.

Kennst du den Berg und seinen Wolkensteg?
Das Maultier sucht im Nebel seinen Weg;
In Höhlen wohnt der Drachen alte Brut;
Es stürzt der Fels und über ihn die Flut! 
Kennst du ihn wohl?
Dahin! dahin
Geht unser Weg! O Vater, laß uns ziehn!

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) , no title, from Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre, Book III, Chapter 1

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Ludwig Abeille (1761-1838) , "Sehnsucht nach Italien"
by Wilhelm Baumgartner (1820-1867) , "Mignon", op. 1 (Sechs Lieder für 4 Männerstimmen) no. 1. [four men's voices]
by Bror Beckman (1866-1922) , "Kennst du das Land?", 1906.
by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) , "Mignon", op. 75 no. 1 (1809), stanza 1.
by Alban Maria Johannes Berg (1885-1935) , "Mignon", 1907, stanza 1, from Jugendlieder.
by Carl Blum (1786-1844) , "Sehnsucht nach Italien", c1820.
by Leopold Damrosch (1832-1885) , "Mignon", op. 17 no. 2.
by Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921) , "Mignon", 1884, published 1889. [low voice and piano]
by Zdenko Antonín Václav Fibich (1850-1900) , "Kennst du das Land?", 1871.
by Carl Gollmick (1796-1866) , "Lied der Mignon", c1828/9.
by Friedrich Götzloff , "Aus dem Wilhelm Meister", c1806.
by August Ferdinand Häser (1779-1844) , "Sehnsucht nach Italien", 1819.
by Moritz Hauptmann (1792-1868) , "Mignon", op. 37 no. 1, published 1852?
by Georg Jakob Ernst Häusler (c1760-1837) , "Kennst du das Land wo die Cytronen blühn?", 1799.
by Bernhard (Joseph) Klein (1793-1832) , "Mignonslied", published 1836. [voice and piano]
by Bernhard (Joseph) Klein (1793-1832) , "Mignon", op. 15 (Neun Lieder von Goethe) no. 8, published 1827/32. [voice and piano]
by Joseph Klein (1802-1862) , "Mignon", published 1836 [voice and piano], from Sechs Gedichte aus Wilhelm Meister's Lehrjahren, von Goethe, no. 1.
by Nikolaus, Freiherr von Krufft (1779-1818) , "Kennst du das Land", published 1812.
by Huub de Lange (1955-) , "Mignon", published 2006 [SATB chorus and piano], from Myrte Lieder, no. 1.
by Leopold Lenz (1803-1862) , "Kennst du das Land", op. 12 no. 1, published 1832 [low soprano or baritone and piano], from Mignon der Harfner und Philine ein Cyclus von acht Gesaengen aus "Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre", no. 1.
by Hélène Liebmann, née Riese (1796-1819+) , "Kennst du das Land?", op. 4, published 1811.
by Franz (Ferencz) Liszt (1811-1886) , "Mignons Lied", S. 275 (1842), rev. 1848.
by Oswald Lorenz (1806-1889) , "Mignons Lied", published 1838. [voice and guitar]
by Franz Anton Maurer (1777-1803) , "Kennst du das Land" [voice and piano], from Drey Lieder, no. 1, München: In der Falterischen Musikhandlung
by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847) , "Sehnsucht nach Italien", 1822.
by Ignaz von Mosel (1772-1844) , "Das Lied der Mignon", published 1823 [voice and piano], from Sechs Gedichte, no. 2.
by Hans Georg Nägeli (1773-1836) , "Mignon", c1795-7 [voice and piano], sketch
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814) , "Italien", published 1795-96.
by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829-1894) , "Mignon", op. 91 no. 4, from Die Gedichte und das Requiem fur Mignon aus Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister's Lehrjahre", no. 4.
by Othmar Schoeck (1886-1957) , "Kennst du das Land?", WoO. 92 (1903?)
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) , "Kennst du das Land? (Mignons Gesang)", D. 321 (1815), published 1832.
by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "Kennst du das Land?", op. 79 (Liederalbum für die Jugend) no. 29.
by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "Kennst du das Land?", op. 98a no. 1 (1849).
by Louis [Ludwig] Spohr (1784-1859) , "Mignons Lied", op. 37 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 1 (1816).
by Gaspare Spontini (1774-1851) , "Mignon", 1830?
by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774-1850) , "Mignons Sehnsucht", op. 54 no. 1 (1815?)
by Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) , "Mignon: Kennst du das Land?", 1888, from Goethe-Lieder, no. 9.
by Erich J. Wolff (1874-1913) , "Mignon", op. 15 (Drei Lieder von Goethe) no. 1, published 1907. [voice and piano]
by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758-1832) , "Kennst du das Land?", 1795.

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) , "Pesn' Min'ony", op. 25 (Shest' romansov) no. 3.

by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) , "Connais-tu le pays", from the opera Mignon, no. ?, also set in Italian

by Charles Gounod (1818-1893) , "Mignon", 1871, published 1871.

by (Marie Eugène) Henri (Fouques) Duparc (1848-1933) , "Romance de Mignon", 1869.

by Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872) , "Wezwanie do Neapolu"

by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) , "Non conosci il bel suol", from the opera Mignon, no. ?, also set in French

ENG English (Walter Meyer)
ITA Italian (Paolo Montanari)
ITA Italian (Ferdinando Albeggiani)
DUT Dutch [singable] (Lau Kanen)
FRE French (Pierre Mathé)
ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Mignon

Knowst thou the land where citron-blossoms blow,
in shaded grove the golden orange glows,
where fragrant zephyrs wafting o'er the sky,
scarce stir the myrtle, fan the laurel high?
Knowst thou the land?
'Tis there, 'tis there,
I long to go with thee, beloved one, there!

Knowst thou the house? On towering pillars raised,
its glittering halls with thousand colours blaze,
and marble statues stand and gaze at me:
What have they done, poor child, poor child, to thee?
Knowst thou the house?
'Tis there! 'tis there
I long to go with thee, beloved one, there!

Knowst thou the mount, whose clouds shut out the day?
The mule thro' mist and darkness seeks its way,
in caverns lurks the dragons' ancient brood,
o'erthrowing rocks, down foams the roaring flood:
Knowst thou the mount? Knowst thou it, say!
'Tis there! 'tis there
we'll find our home, o father, let us roam!

Singable translation by John Bernhoff , "Mignon"

a text in German by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) , no title, from Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre, Book III, Chapter 1 DUT RUS ITA FRE POL

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

[ None yet in the database ]

Date added to the website: 2009-07-16.