#38 rückertlied no. 3 ich bin der welt abhanden gekommen (MAHLER)

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen,
Mit der ich sonst viele Zeit verdorben,
Sie hat so lange nichts von mir vernommen,
Sie mag wohl glauben, ich sei gestorben.

Es ist mir auch gar nichts daran gelegen,
Ob sie mich für gestorben hält,
Ich kann auch gar nichts sagen dagegen,
Denn wirklich bin ich gestorben der Welt.

Ich bin gestorben dem Weltgetümmel,
Und ruh' in einem stillen Gebiet.
Ich leb' allein in meinem Himmel,
In meinem Lieben, in meinem Lied.


I am lost to the World,
with whom I used to tarry long.
She has not heard from me since yesteryears:
perhaps She thinks I am dead.


I do not care
what of me She thinks,
I cannot deny what She says,
as I am really dead to this World.


I am dead to the turmoils of this World,
and I rest in a quiet place.
I live alone in my Heaven
in my Love, and in my Song.


(text: Friedrich Rückert, from Liebesfrühling; translation: me)


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The tempo on the score is Molto lento e ritenuto. However there must be a hidden sense of pulse, of movement. The languor must not be too excessive. The first phrase should be sung on one long breath: Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen. The next phrase is marked rallentando: this should be observed. The phrases must be drawn out, but not crescendoed. A stress should be put on the word verdorben, as in a mild rage or quiet resignation. Although the next phrase was marked a tempo, I suggest to shift it to the next phrase i.e. nichts von mir vernommen. I justify this by saying that one should suggest a drawn-out intonation on the phrase sie hat so lange as if saying "Ah, well"; the slower tempo will also correspond well with the word lange. I stress the words nichts von mir in that next phrase. The next phrase is a bit tricky. I suggest following the dynamics closely (pianissimo and piano) as to be able to save the breath for the long arching line at ich sei gestorben! What I do is I change my laryngeal position at the word glauben, so as to maintain the same placement for ich sei gestorben! which will lend great ease to me as the next few phrases are all placed high.

Es ist mir auch gar nichts daran gelegen, Ob sie mich für gestorben hält should be sung with a bit of insouciance: "I do not care anyhow what she thinks!" Especially the second phrase, as it is the sister of Salome's "Allein was tuts!": hence I lend it my full voice and my full strength, while conserving enough for the crescendo-decrescendo marking of the first part of the phrase. Ich kann auch gar I sing with a bit of crescendo at the first few quavers, before diminishing the phrase. I treat the next phrase by dividing it into small sub-phrases: denn wirklich/bin ich geSTORben/gestorben DER WELT. The direction on the score suggests a mezza voce should be used; on a bad day I just limit myself to singing it piano rather than employing a true mezza voce.

The next few phrases, while placed low, was actually the point of this lied. I always sing the phrases Ich bin gestorben, dein Weltgetümmel using what I call the cello slur: it is a special character of my voice which, with its medium low placement, is able to imbibe a phrase with a certain thickness using my nasal resonance, giving a phrase an almost sliding character. The next phrase is another challenge to the breath, as to make it meaningful the entire phrase should be sing on one breath. I make the phrase devoid of any fanciful additions and let it speak for itself, particularly on the ruh' which should be haunting and peaceful at the same time. If in any case the breath cannot suffer the phrase then I find a breath between stillen and Gebiet to be the most satisfactory resort; however one must draw out the Gebiet over the accompanying figures as to last for a dotted minim. Ich leb'allein demands my tonal colours, so I pour it all in a final respite before the concluding phrases, which must be sung on a wisp of a breath with full head resonance, as if suggesting a child's breathy voice: the singer is in Heaven, and he is young again, unconcerned with the rest of the world.