Nannas Lied

An analysis of Nannas Lied  (Words by Bertolt Brecht; music by Kurt Weill, 1939)

Historical context

At Christmas 1939, Weill set a Brecht text, "Nannas Lied," as a Christmas present for his wife, Lotte Lenya. Apparently, she never performed the song in public. The lyric was part of Brecht's play, Die Rundköpfe und die Spitzköpfe, [the round heads and the pointy heads] and had previously been set by Hans Eisler.  The play is a satirical anti-Nazi parable about a fictitious country called Yahoo in which the rulers maintain their control by setting the people with round heads against those with pointed heads, thereby substituting racial relations for their antagonistic class relations.

Lotte Lenya always regarded Weill’s songs as Art Songs in the manner of Schubert, and not cabaret songs, according to her friend Lys Simonette, in her introduction to Teresa Statas’ collection of Weill songs.

The song is about a prostitute who is pretending to have no regrets. The refrain,

Wo sind die Tränen von gestern abend? Where are the tears of last night,

Wo ist der Schnee vom vergangenen Jahr? Where is the snow of yesteryear?

comes from a line of the medieval French poet François Villon in his Ballade des dames du temps jadis ("Ballad of the Ladies of Times Past") with his question, Mais où sont les neiges d'antan? ("Where are the snows of yesteryear?"). This in its turn draws on a whole tradition of nostalgia in medieval poetry.

In the context of Weill’s repertoire

The song is similar to other Brecht / Weill songs, having a bittersweet and melancholic quality, and showing the influence of klezmer (Ashkenazi Jewish music) in both style and the way it is performed. It has an ironic quality, as the woman pretends not to care about her lost innocence, but in the last verse, admits that it is not easy, changing lust into small change. This motif of presenting a facade to the hearer also occurs in Je ne t’aime pas, which was a collaboration between Weill and Maurice Magre.

In the context of vocal repertoire

This could be classified as a Song of Characterisation, or a Song of Reminiscence. It is strophic, although Lotte Lenya claimed that Weill’s songs were art songs. It is melancholy and poignant.

Translation

Meine Herren, mit siebzehn Jahren Kam ich auf den Liebesmarkt Und ich habe viel erfahren. Böses gab es viel Doch das war das Spiel Aber manches hab’ ich doch verargt. (Schließlich bin ich ja auch ein Mensch.) Gott sei Dank geht alles schnell vorüber Auch die Liebe und der Kummer sogar. Wo sind die Tränen von gestern abend? Wo ist die Schnee vom vergangenen Jahr? Freilich geht man mit den Jahren Leichter auf den Liebesmarkt Und umarmt sie dort in Scharen. Aber das Gefühl Wird erstaunlich kühl Wenn man damit allzuwenig kargt. (Schließlich geht ja jeder Vorrat zu Ende.) Gott sei dank geht alles schnell vorüber, usw. Und auch wenn man gut das Handeln Lernte auf der Liebesmess’: Lust in Kleingeld zu verwandeln Ist doch niemals leicht. Nun, es wird erreicht. Doch man wird auch älter unterdes. (Schließlich bleibt man ja nicht immer siebzehn.) Gott sei dank geht alles schnell vorüber, usw.

Gentlemen, when I was seventeen I came onto the market of love And I’ve got a lot of experience. There was a lot of bad stuff however, that was the game but some of it I deserved. (In the end, I am human too.) Thank God everything goes by so fast Even love and trouble, just the same Where are the tears of last night, Where is the snow of yesteryear? Admittedly, with the years, you go more easily onto the market of love and embrace them there in droves. But your feelings Become remarkably cool When you don’t ration them. (in the end, every bargain comes to an end.) Thank God everything goes by so fast, etc And even when you’ve learnt to trade in the fairground of love: to change love into small coin it’s still never easy but it’ll be managed. But you get older in the meantime. (at least you don’t stay seventeen forever) Thank God everything goes by so fast, etc

Summary

The music for this song was written in 1939. The words had been written earlier by Bertolt Brecht for a play satirizing the Nazis. The song tells the story of a prostitute who pretends not to feel regret for her career. The line “Where are the snows of yesteryear?” comes from a medieval French poem and is in a long tradition of melancholy nostalgia.

München 2015

München diary

Tuesday 7 April

Arrived in München airport about 5 and got the S-Bahn to Marienplatz. Saw the Altes Rathaus and the square, then walked to the Hotel Lux. Nice man carried our bags upstairs. Charming classical whimsy decor on the stairwell, and a lovely curving staircase.

We went to a proper Bavarian pub, Augustiner am Platzl. I had a Dunkles beer with my meal, my favourite type that you cannot get in the UK. We sat at a table with a nice family from Franconia. They are on their way back from the Tyrol and stopped in München for one night.

Then walked round the block and looked at the shops and buildings in the dark. I like seeing a city by night. Noticed a regretful plaque about the dance hall used by the Nazis to plot the Holocaust. Good that the history is not being swept under the carpet.

Wednesday 8 April

 I slept like a log apart from some loud clubbers going past in the wee small hours.

After breakfast, we went to a couple of souvenir shops, past the Hofbrauhaus, then went to the Viktualienmarkt, where we saw an enormous maypole, and lots of lovely local produce.

 

Then we headed back up to Marienplatz, saw the Frauenkirche - very peaceful Gothic interior - and came back to Marienplatz in time to hear the glockenspiel clock doing its chimes and to see the little figures on it dance around. 

Then we walked to the Theatinerkirche, which had a mad baroque interior, very over the top. We had lunch in a lovely café on Schäfflerstraße. My mum had tomato and mango soup, with fresh apple and kiwi juice. I had a Toscana salad, with green leaves and mozzarella balls.  

Then past the Residenz, along Maximilienstraße, past the government building, and down to the river Isar. 

Walked along on the islands in the middle of the river, then sat down on the river bank opposite the weir.

 We saw the Volksbad, a lovely Art Nouveau swimming baths.

Then we walked back to the hotel via the Isartor (the river gate of the city), a barbican style gate. 

Found a lovely supermarket (Rewe) and bought mint tea there. 

Thursday 9 April

Breakfast was yoghurt and fruit.

Went to the Hofgarten and saw the Temple of Diana.

Went to the Englischer Garten. We saw a black squirrel and a red squirrel, and heard lots of woodpeckers, and a nuthatch, and a chiffchaff. Also saw some corydalis scouleri, a toothwort orchid, and some wild tulips (Tulipa sylvestris).

Had coffee at the Chinesische Turm.

There was a lake with geese - white one with black stripes on their heads that said "Meep!", and some pink-footed ones. 

There was a lovely view over München from the Monopteros.

I went to the Jewish cultural centre, but it was 10 € to go in the museum, so I didn't. Bought a postcard and a bookmark in the shop. They had loads of klezmer, and mezuzahs, and dreidel, and haggadahs, and menorahs. The synagogue was very modern.

The original München synagogue was destroyed by the Nazis. The new one was built 68 years later.

Walked via the Sendlinger Tor and a small park in Nußbaumstrasse to the Theresienwiese, as there was meant to be a flea market there, but there wasn't. There was a circus, and the "meadow" was very bare. 

 Then I was so hot and bothered that I had a dunkles beer in an Italian restaurant on Mozartstrasse. Then walked to the Asamkirche, which was totally amazing - a baroque extravaganza. Ye Olde Church of Bling. 

Found some nice gifts for two friends in a shop called Schmuckrausch on Sendlingstrasse, and some earrings for me.

Went to Opatija im Tal for dinner and had cici-salad, which was like a Serbian version of shish kebab with salad. My mum had turkey in cream sauce with spätzle.

Friday 10 April

Breakfast was yoghurt and fruit, then we walked to the Asamkirche along Sendlingerstrasse. It was closed until one pm for cleaning, but I asked the nun who was cleaning it if we could go in, as my mum had not seen it, and 1pm would be too late. She let us go in, which was very kind. Bought some salad from shops on the main street to the Isartor. Had a bit of a sit down near some bits of the old town wall by the Isartor.

Picked up the bags from the hotel, then watched the glockenspiel clock in Marienplatz again before catching the train to the airport. Ate our salad and sandwich under some espalier'd trees. Looked at the shops in Terminal One before going through the customs gate.