Josef Suk (1874-1935)

Tři písně (3 Songs, Op. 48a)

III. Mé ženě! (To My Wife!, 1902)

Josef Suk was one of Antonín Dvořák's most promising students while he taught at the Prague Conservatory — and future son-in-law. Suk belonged to the burgeoning group of Czech modernists who succeeded stalwart nationalist composers such as Bedřich Smetana, Zdeněk Fibich, and Antonín Dvořák. The influence of lyric Romanticism (Strauss) and complex polytonal language (French Impressionism) are palpable in this reverent ode to one's life companion.

Primarily an instrumental composer, Tři písně marks one of Suk’s rare forays into vocal music. The accompaniment is lush and dream-like, but repetitive — much like the structure of many of his piano pieces. Despite his lack of experience with vocal music, his setting of the Czech language is immaculate, observing the first-syllable and preposition emphasis. In the first line of text alone, Suk appropriately added accents specific syllables, allowing for natural declamation of the text.

Buď svatý mír, v tvých prsou duše drahá. (While the second syllables of these words will lengthen due to the diacritical mark, the emphasis is always on the first syllable.)

na rtu mém (“na” in Czech is a preposition, which are so closely tied to the word immediately following that the stress is often on the preposition itself. Here, by putting “na” on the downbeat, Suk is ensuring proper inflection).

Let holy peace fill your breast, dear soul,

and may there be holy peace in your dreaming eyes,

you, my star, to which my spirit gravitates,

but by the prayer that trembles on my lips.

My head is bowed down in the hard struggle of life.

and, weary, I would fain rest.

Here you have come, in your pure beauty,

and I gazed on your dizzying height!

Well, shine to me, thou radiance from the blue sky,

I look so gladly upon your holy sight.

And enough for me, that from the peace of your inner beam

also fall into my soul!

Disclaimer: the majority of featured scores are out-of-print and no recordings exist. As such, I have edited these scores myself. Unfortunately, many nuances of musicianship (i.e. rubato, legato, articulations, etc.) are difficult to accurately demonstrate via MIDI file.

It is up to you to bring these pieces to life! Please contact me if interested in obtaining any music.

All IPA transcriptions are by Kylie T. Gougler .