A collection of well-known traditional Bavarian songs, arranged for Alto Saxophone in Eb with piano accompaniment
1.
Ein Prosit
'Ein Prosit' ('A toast') is a probably the most widely heard song in Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest runs from September to October in Munich, Bavaria and is the world's largest Volksfest, attracting some 6 million visitors. Vast quantities of beer are consumed during this festival and this simple song is often heard as a prelude to drinking, the words meaning something like 'A toast to well-being.'
LYRICS: Ein Prosit, ein Prosit Der Gemütlichkeit Ein Prosit, ein Prosit Der Gemütlichkeit
'Trink, trink, Brüderlein trink' ('Drink, drink, brothers drink') is another Oktoberfest song that extols the joys, though not so much the virtues, of drinking. The lyrics suggest that one should not stop drinking, that it gives men courage with women and even suggests that God's eleventh commandment to Moses was to 'Drink, drink, brothers drink/leave your worries at home.' Though a popular German song, it was written by a Dutch composer, Wilhelm Lindemann in 1927.
LYRICS: Trink, trink, Brüderlein trink, lass doch die Sorgen zu Haus! Trink, trink, Brüderlein trink, zieh doch die Stirn nicht so kraus. Meide den Kummer und meide den Schmerz, dann ist das Leben ein Scherz.
'Muss i denn' ('Must I then') is German folksong that was adapted by Friedrich Slichter and published in 1827. The lyrics tell of a young man leaving his beloved but promising to return within the year. As a song of parting and, in a later adoption, as a hiking song, it was already known outside Germany in the 19th century. In the 1960s, however, it won worldwide popularity when it was adapted as 'Wooden Heart' and sung by Elvis Presley in 1960 and Joe Dowell in 1961.
LYRICS: Muss i denn, muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus, Städtele hinaus, Und du, mein Schatz, bleibst hier? Wenn i komm', wenn i komm', wenn i wiedrum komm', wiedrum komm', Kehr' i ein, mein Schatz, bei dir. Kann i glei net allweil bei dir sein, Han i doch mein Freud' an dir! Wenn i komm', wenn i komm', wenn i wiedrum komm', wiedrum komm', Kehr' i ein, mein Schatz, bei dir.
'O alte Burschenherrlichkeit' ('Oh Old Student') is a student song dating from the first part of the 19th century. It is a reminiscence of student life and the freedom of youth, the first stanza, for example, lamenting 'Oh old student/where did you go?/The golden times will never come back/ so happy and unattached.' The repeated latin phrase 'O jerum, jerum, jerum,/o quae mutatio rerum!' means something like 'the times they are a-changing.' The song has become popular not just in Germany but in many parts of central Europe.
LYRICS: O alte Burschenherrlichkeit, wohin bist du entschwunden? Nie kehrst du wieder, gold’ne Zeit, so froh und ungebunden! Vergebens spähe ich umher, ich finde deine Spur nicht mehr. O jerum, jerum, jerum, o quae mutatio rerum!
'Tiroler Holzhackerbuam' (literally 'Tyrolean woodcutter brother') is a lusty German march and another favourite in Bavaria's Oktoberfest. One of the most famous performers of the song was Bavarian singer Franzl Lang, also known as the 'Yodel King.'
'Lustig ist das Zigeunerleben' ('Gypsy life is fun') likely dates from the mid 19th century. It is a romantic description of the wandering life of the Roma peoples. It has been widely recorded by popular singers such as Heintje, Tony Marshall, Heino and Mike Krüger. The lyrics tell of the joys and freedoms of Roma life, including the lack of taxes, that food and drink can always be found in the wilderness and that a soft bed may always be made from moss and brushwood.
LYRICS: Lustig ist das Zigeunerleben, faria, faria hoo Brauchen dem Kaiser kein' Zins zu geben, faria, faria hoo Lustig ist es im grünen Wald, wo des Zigeuners Aufenthalt. faria, faria, faria, faria, faria, faria hoo
'Tief drin im Böhmerwald' ('Deep down in the Bohemian Forest') is popular Bavarian song that actually originates from neighbouring Bohemia. Its lyrics were written by glassworker Andreas Hartauer as a reminiscence and longing for the Bohemian forest of his childhood. The song gained special meaning for the German people expelled from the Bohemian forest after 1945. Hartauer also wrote a melody for this song but a later tune by Jakob Eduard Schmölzer gradually became more popular due to its suitability for dancing.
LYRICS: Es war im Böhmerwald, wo meine Wiege stand, im schönen, grünen Böhmerwald, Es war im Böhmerwald, wo meine Wiege stand, im schönen, grünen Wald.
'Es klappert die Mühle am rauschenden' ('The mill rattles by the rushing brook') is believed to have been written by German teacher Ernst Anschütz in around 1824 and published in a collection of music for use in schools. The melody is likely based on an 18th century folksong 'Es ritten drei Reiter zum Tore hinaus.' The lyrics tell the story of a mill, which 'rattles by the rushing brook', the hard-working miller 'grinds corn for our hearty bread.' Each stanza ends with the sound of the mill: 'Klipp klapp, klipp klapp, klipp klapp!'
LYRICS: Es klappert die Mühle am rauschenden Bach, klipp klapp. Bei Tag und bei Nacht ist der Müller stets wach, klipp klapp. Er mahlet uns Korn zu dem kräftigen Brot, und haben wir solches, so hat's keine Not. Klipp klapp, klipp klapp, klipp klapp!
