From a friend on Facebook, via David Pesetsky:
Rehearsal memo to the musicians of the Orchestra for the next rehearsal:
Several weeks ago, we sent you a list of translations of the German markings in the Mahler Symphony. We now realize that this list contained many serious errors. The following contains the correct versions. So we don't waste valuable rehearsal time on this, copy these corrections into your part immediately.
GERMAN - ENGLISH
Langsam - Slowly
Schleppend - Slowly
Dampfer auf - Slowly
Mit Dampfer - Slowly
Allmahlich in das Hauptzeitmass ubergehen - Do not look at the conductor
Im Anfang sehr gemaechlich - In intense inner torment
Alle Betonungen sehr zart - With more intense inner torment
Getheilt (geth.) - Out of tune
Von hier an in sehr allmaehl icher aber stetiger Steigerung bis zumZeichen - From this point on, the spit valves should be emptied with ever-increasing emotion
Hier ist ein frisches belebtes Zeitmass eingetreten - Slowly
Haupttempo - Slowly
Noch ein wenig beschleunigend - Slowing down but with a sense of speeding up
Immer noch zurueckhaltend - With steadily decreasing competence
Sehr gemaechlich - With indescribably horrific inner torment
Etwas bewegter, aber immer noch sehr ruhig - Somewhat louder, though still inaudible as before
Alle Betonungen sehr zart - With smallish quantities of fairly mild inner torment
Gemaechlich - Intermission
Ganz unmerklich etwas zurueckhaltend - Slowly
Etwas gemaechlicher als zuvor - Slowly
Von hier ab unmerklich breiter werden - As if wild animals were gnawing on your liver
Ohne cresc. - Without toothpaste
Immer noch etwas zurueckhaltend - Slowly
Vorwaerts draengend - Slowly
Hauptzeitmass - Slowly
Allmaehlich etwas lebhafter - Screaming in agony
Ohne Nachschl(age) - Without milk (sugar)
Kraeftig bewegt - Slowly
Mit dem Holze zu streichen - Like a hole in the head
Mit Parodie - Viola solo<>
Sehr einfach und schlicht, wie eine Volksweise - Slowly
Daempfer ab - Eyes closed
Ploetzlich viel schneller - Even more ploddingly
Den ersten Ton scharf herausgehoben - Do not play until the buzzer sounds
Am Griffbrett - As if in tune
Aeusserst zart, aber ausdrucksvoll - Radiantly joyful, despite the itching
Wieder zurueckhaltend - Increasingly decreasing
Noch breiter als vorher - Better late than never
Nicht eilen - No eels
Allmaehlich (unmerklich) etwas zurueckhaltend - Much faster (slower) than conductor
Lang gestrichen - Heads up
Lang gezogen - Heads back down
Die werden allmaehlich staerker und staerker bis zum (fp) - In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion may be used as a flotation device
2 comments:
This comes from an April fool's day gag passed out at a rehearsal of Mahler's first symphony by the New Philharmonia Orchestra of Massachusetts. The author's home page is
http://web.mit.edu/linguistics/people/faculty/pesetsky, and there's a downloadable PDF there.
He also gave an instruction to the clarinets to play with the bells up. I don't think it was Lang gestrichen but I have always thought it would be a wonderful metaphor for restrained exuberance. Do you know what it was and what piece?
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