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Works

Firefly's Song

2015

Scored for

children's choir and instrumental ensemble or children's choir and piano

Duration

1.40

Short description

As a student, Pärt earned pocket money by accompanying on piano the theatre club of the Tallinn Palace of the Pioneers (now the Kullo hobby centre). He came to the theatre at the invitation of Salme Lauren, who was then director of the theatre club and for whose translated, written, and staged plays Pärt composed a large amount of music in those years. Among those pieces are his earliest known works – composed more than half a century ago over the period 1956–1960, their exact dates unknown. 

Firefly’s Song was written for Lauren’s play Adventure in the Woods and it belongs to Pärt’s 1960 cycle Tykes’ Songs, later titled Five Children’s Songs, as well as to the 2015 collection Songs from Childhood. Both are dedicated to his mother.<…

As a student, Pärt earned pocket money by accompanying on piano the theatre club of the Tallinn Palace of the Pioneers (now the Kullo hobby centre). He came to the theatre at the invitation of Salme Lauren, who was then director of the theatre club and for whose translated, written, and staged plays Pärt composed a large amount of music in those years. Among those pieces are his earliest known works – composed more than half a century ago over the period 1956–1960, their exact dates unknown. 

Firefly’s Song was written for Lauren’s play Adventure in the Woods and it belongs to Pärt’s 1960 cycle Tykes’ Songs, later titled Five Children’s Songs, as well as to the 2015 collection Songs from Childhood. Both are dedicated to his mother.

World premiere

06.10.2015
Center of Russian Culture, Tallinn, Estonia

Composer's recital: Arvo Pärt "Lapsepõlvelood" / "Songs from Childhood" CD promotional concert

Sten Lassmann (piano), Madis Metsamart (percussion), Kadri Hunt (conductor), Mari Poll (violin), Children's Music Studio of Estonian Radio , Iris Teemägi (soloist), Andreas Lend (cello)

Completion year

2015

Original version

1959

Dedication

"to my mother"

Scored for

children's choir and instrumental ensemble or children's choir and piano

Arranger

Tauno Aints

Duration

1.40

Publishers

Arvo Pärt Centre , Universal Edition

Language

Estonian, English, German

Instrumentation details

instrumental ensemble: vibraphone, piano, violin, cello

Vocal text

FIREFLY'S SONG
Lyrics by Salme Lauren
Transalation by Reet Sool

In the forest dim and dark
Tiny fires brightly spark.
Even though it’s very late,
We are all still wide awake.

Diligently every night
In the woods the path we light.
But when dawn breaks in the east
You can't see us in the least.


JAANIUSSI LAUL
Sõnad Salme Lauren

Metsapõues hämaras
tulukesed säravad.
Saabunud on öine tund,
silmis meil ent pole und.

Hoolsasti me igal ööl
metsas valgustame teed.
Kuid kui koitma hakkab päev,
ei sa meid siis enam näe!


LIED DES GLÜHWÜRMCHENS
Text von Salme Lauren
Übersetzt von Cornelius Hasselblatt

Dunkel ist der Wald und schwarz
Feuer glänzen hier und da.
Angekommen ist die Nacht,
hat uns keinen Schlaf gebracht.

Voller S…
FIREFLY'S SONG
Lyrics by Salme Lauren
Transalation by Reet Sool

In the forest dim and dark
Tiny fires brightly spark.
Even though it’s very late,
We are all still wide awake.

Diligently every night
In the woods the path we light.
But when dawn breaks in the east
You can't see us in the least.


JAANIUSSI LAUL
Sõnad Salme Lauren

Metsapõues hämaras
tulukesed säravad.
Saabunud on öine tund,
silmis meil ent pole und.

Hoolsasti me igal ööl
metsas valgustame teed.
Kuid kui koitma hakkab päev,
ei sa meid siis enam näe!


LIED DES GLÜHWÜRMCHENS
Text von Salme Lauren
Übersetzt von Cornelius Hasselblatt

Dunkel ist der Wald und schwarz
Feuer glänzen hier und da.
Angekommen ist die Nacht,
hat uns keinen Schlaf gebracht.

Voller Sorge jede Nacht
leuchten wir im Wald den Weg.
Wenn jedoch der Tag anbricht,
siehst du uns dann gar nicht mehr!

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