Der Tanz

About

Der Tanz' ('The Dance') is a poem by the German poet Christian Morgenstern (1872 - 1914). The poem features three odd characters, typical of his more whimsical writings: the four-quarter pig, the upbeat owl, and a fiddle-bow plant. The pig and the owl meet in the shadow of a pillar which 'stood in the mind of its creator', and dance together to the 'bewilderingly melodious' music performed by the fiddle-bow plant. However, in time, the pillar disappears, as its 'creator's brain was not of iron', and so do the three strange characters which had come along with it. The fiddle-bow plant gives one last stroke, and then there is nothing left as proof of their existence.

The poem itself has been set by multiple composers, including Sofia Gubaidulina. However, in this work, the creatures within the poem are referenced, in the movement titles and characters thereof:

I – Vierviertelschwein (Four-quarter pig)

II – Auftakteule (Upbeat owl)

III – Und (verwirrend melodiös…) Die Säule (And (bewilderingly melodious…) The Pillar)