Das Marienleben


Das Marienleben is a song cycle by German composer Paul Hindemith. The cycle, written for piano and soprano, sets to music a collection of 15 poems by Rainer Maria Rilke that tells the story of the life of Mary. Thirteen years after its 1923 premiere in Frankfurt, Hindemith began extensively revising and reworking the piece, eventually producing a second version which premiered in Hanover in 1948.
Hindemith also orchestrated six of the songs: four in 1938 and two more in 1948.

Structure

The work consists of fifteen movements:
  1. Geburt Mariä
  2. Die Darstellung
  3. Mariä Verkündigung
  4. Mariä Heimsuchung
  5. Argwohn Josephs
  6. Verkündigung über den Hirten
  7. Geburt Christi
  8. Rast auf der Flucht in Ägypten
  9. Von der Hochzeit
  10. Vor der Passion
  11. Pietà
  12. Stillung Mariä mit dem Auferstandenen
  13. Vom Tode Mariä I
  14. Vom Tode Mariä II
  15. Vom Tode Mariä III
A typical performance lasts around an hour and a half.

Literature