 1992 paperback cover | |
| Author | Robert Schneider |
|---|---|
| Country | Austria |
| Language | German |
| Genre | Novel |
| Published | 1992 |
| Publisher | Reclam |
Published in English | 1995 |
Schlafes Bruder is a novel by Austrian writer Robert Schneider, first published in German in 1992. It was an international success and was adapted into a feature film and an opera, among others.
The plot is set in an Austrian mountain village in the 19th century. The protagonists (Elias, Peter and Elsbeth) face hardship and fate which they cannot understand nor prevent. The title is derived from Greek mythology, where Hypnos, god of sleep, is the brother of Thanatos, god of death. A chorale which Bach set to conclude his cantata Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56, which uses the same image, plays a role in the story. [1]
The book is the first part of a trilogy, followed by Die Luftgängerin and Die Unberührten. [1]
The book was first published in 1992 by Reclam. [2] It was an immediate success in Europe and has been translated into 36 languages. The first English-language edition was published by Overlook Press in 1995 under the title Brother of Sleep. [3]
The protagonist, Johannes Elias Alder, called Elias, is born in a small mountain village in Vorarlberg. He is a gifted musician, training his voice and able to imitate all villagers. Peter, his cousin of about the same age, is fascinated by him. Elias secretly practices the organ at night, with Peter assisting him.
When the boys are twelve years old, Peter, who is abused by his father, sets fire to his parents' farm on Christmas Day. Elias, who discovers the flames first, rescues Peter's sister Elsbeth. More than half the village burns down during the fire. Elias doesn't tell anyone that Peter was the perpetrator of the fire, for love of his only friend.
Elias grows up to a good-looking and ambitious young man. After the organist and teacher commits suicide, Elias becomes his successor. He loves Elsbeth. Peter is jealous and arranges a marriage of Elsbeth and Lukas, the son of a wealthy farmer. Elias has a vision in a desperate night when he struggles with God. He loses his love for Elsbeth and becomes depressed.
When Elias is 22 years old, the cathedral organist of Feldberg listens to his organ playing and invites him to an organ festival. There, Elias plays an improvisation on the chorale "Komm, o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder" from Bach's cantata Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, fascinating all listeners. [4] His love for Elsbeth is revived and he decides to take his own life, according to the thoughts expressed in the chorale. He tries to sleep no more and dies, buried by Peter.
In 1995, Joseph Vilsmaier directed a film Schlafes Bruder (Brother of Sleep), with André Eisermann as Elias, Ben Becker as Peter, and Dana Vávrová as Elsbeth. It won several awards and was nominated in 1996 for the Golden Globe in "Best Foreign Language Film." [1]
In 1994/95, Herbert Willi composed an opera Schlafes Bruder on a libretto by Robert Schneider, on a commission by the Opernhaus Zürich to celebrate 1000 Jahre Österreich. [5] It premiered on 19 May 1996. [6] The production was invited to the Wiener Festwochen of 1996. [7] In 2005, the band Helangår set the novel to music. [8]
Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Gott soll allein mein Herze haben, BWV 169, a solo cantata for an alto soloist, in Leipzig for the 18th Sunday after Trinity, and first performed it on 20 October 1726.
Joseph Vilsmaier was a German film director who began his career as a technician and cameraman. He is internationally known for films such as Comedian Harmonists.
Robert Menasse is an Austrian writer.
Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?, BWV 8, is a church cantata for the 16th Sunday after Trinity by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a chorale cantata, part of Bach's second cantata cycle. Bach performed it for the first time on 24 September 1724 in St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig. The cantata is scored for SATB singers, four wind instruments, strings and continuo.
The Day He Himself Shall Wipe My Tears Away is a novella by the Japanese author Kenzaburō Ōe, first published in Japanese in 1972. It has been translated into English by John Nathan and was published in 1977 together with Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness, Prize Stock and Aghwee the Sky Monster. The work deals with themes of militarism and emperor-worship through the reminiscences of an unreliable narrator.
Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56, is a church cantata which Johann Sebastian Bach composed for the 19th Sunday after Trinity. It was first performed in Leipzig on 27 October 1726, and is part of Bach's third cantata cycle. The composition is indicated as solo cantata while it requires only a single vocal soloist, in this case a bass. Bach rarely used the word cantata to refer to a composition: the autograph score of BWV 56 is one of a few cases where he did.
Günter Kunert was a German writer. Based in East Berlin, he published poetry from 1947, supported by Bertold Brecht. After he had signed a petition against the deprivation of the citizenship of Wolf Biermann in 1976, he lost his SED membership, and moved to the West two years later. He is regarded as a versatile German writer who wrote short stories, essays, autobiographical works, film scripts and novels. He received international honorary doctorates and awards.
The cantatas composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, known as Bach cantatas, are a body of work consisting of over 200 surviving independent works, and at least several dozen that are considered lost. As far as known, Bach's earliest cantatas date from 1707, the year he moved to Mühlhausen, although he may have begun composing them at his previous post in Arnstadt. Most of Bach's church cantatas date from his first years as Thomaskantor and director of church music in Leipzig, a position which he took up in 1723.
"Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" is a Lutheran hymn written in German by Philipp Nicolai, first published in 1599 together with "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". It appears in German hymnals and in several English hymnals in translations such as "Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying", "Wake, O wake! with tidings thrilling", and "Up! Awake! From Highest Steeple". Johann Sebastian Bach based a chorale cantata on the hymn, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, one of its many musical settings.
Ben Becker is a German film and theatre actor.
Brother of Sleep is a 1995 German film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier and based on the novel Schlafes Bruder by Austrian writer Robert Schneider. It was chosen as Germany's official submission to the 68th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not manage to receive a nomination.
Dana Vávrová was a Czech-German film actress and director.
Josef Haslinger is an Austrian writer.
Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen, BWV 48, in Leipzig for the 19th Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 3 October 1723.
Siegfried Lorenz is a German baritone who performs opera, oratorio and Lied. A member of the Komische Oper Berlin and later the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, he made award-winning recordings and appeared as a guest internationally. He has been an academic voice teacher in Berlin and Hamburg.
Sister-books is the term for a group of texts in the medieval literature. These works were written by Dominican nuns in the first half of the fourteenth century in South Germany and Switzerland. They relate the mystical experiences of sisters within the monastery, and were influential in the development of medieval mysticism.
Robert Schneider is an Austrian writer, who published novels including Schlafes Bruder, texts for the theatre, and poetry. His works have been translated to many languages. Schlafes Bruder became the basis of a film, a ballet, an opera and several plays, and received international awards. Schneider withdrew from writing in 2007.
Herbert Willi is an Austrian composer of classical music, whose orchestral works, concertos and chamber music have been performed internationally and also recorded. Willi composed an opera, Schlafes Bruder, for the Opernhaus Zürich.
Roberto Saccà is a German operatic tenor. He was a member of the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Opernhaus Zürich, and has appeared in major European opera houses and festivals, first with a focus on roles such as Mozart's Ferrando and Rossini's Lindoro. He performed in world premieres such as Boesman's Reigen and Willi's Schlafes Bruder.
Georg Philipp Telemann composed the church cantata Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen, TWV 1:884, for bass, violin and continuo for the 21st Sunday after Trinity. He used a text by Erdmann Neumeister.
