Obscure Music Monday: Bronsart's Osterlied
Ingeborg Bronsart von Schellendorf, (born Ingeborg Lena Starck, Aug. 24, 1840 - June 17, 1913) was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia to Swedish parents. Her father was a businessman, and her parents, though not musical themselves, were supportive of their daughter, who showed talent at a young age.
Bronsart studied piano with Nicolas von Martinoff and Adolf Henselt, and composition with Constantin Decker. She also studied with Franz Liszt in Weimar, and when she was in Paris around 1861, she had several composer friends, such as a Rossini, Wagner, and Berlioz. In September of 1861 she married Hans Bronsart von Schellendorff, also a pianist and composer, and she toured Europe giving concerts until 1867, when her husband became general manager of the Royal Theater in Hanover. She stayed busy as a composer, writing several operas, chamber music, songs, and instrumental music. In 1903 she wrote the sacred choral work Osterlied (Easter Song). The text is from German poet and dramatist August von Platen-Hallermünde, and speaks of hope and the music matches that theme as well, in the bright key of E major. The text is as follows:
The angels play even at the Tomb,
He is risen indeed!
O may I bear my pilgrim staff
To that place of dawn
To that cleft rock
With the hollow tomb:
For he is risen!
Whoever cleaves to his own idol
Goes down into the dust;
Faith alone belongs
With that bright angelic host;
Whoever seeks love
As long as he lives
He rises from the dust!
So grant to us, O Son, like thee
To return from the regions of Hell!
O soon may the trumpet call
Resound from pole to pole!
O Death, thy sting
Does us no harm;
O Hell, thou hast won no victory!
Sadly we can't find a recording of this work; we hope that changes soon!