"Fünf Söhne" or "Ik hebbe se nich ob de Scholen gebracht" is a traditional German folk song which I have learned from the classic "Zupfgeigenhansl" songbook, where it is attributed to East Frisia and dated to 1575. My instrumental arrangement is based on two separate Zupfgeigenhansl editions, with accompaniment based partly on the chords in the original 1908 edition (which I've uploaded here) and partly on the guitar part added by Hans Scherrer for the revised 1914 edition. Suzuki MC-815 mandocello Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin Vintage Viaten tenor guitar All images by Hermann Pfeiffer, from the Zupfgeigenhansl book. The best-known commercial recording of the song is by Liederjan, from their 1978 album "Mädchen, Meister, Mönche" (Link). There is also a pretty good (and rather artsily shot) performance here, using the same Scherrer guitar part as in my version. Martin
"Ik hebbe se nich ob de Scholen gebracht" is a song with a very sad story. With your arrangement and with the deep voice of your mandocello you captured the atmosphere very well. It's very sinister and dark or “Ernst and duster” like said in the performance instruction of Zupfgeigenhansel.
Thanks, Frithjof. Yes, it's a very dark song, with powerful lyrics. It's a fragment of only three verses surviving from a much longer ballad, but the very sparseness of the lyrics makes them more powerful: QUOTE Fünf Söhne Ik hebbe se nich up de Scholen gebracht Ik hebbe nich einmal över se gelacht Se gaent nich spolen up de straten Ik hebbe se up de wille See gesandt Eren levesten Vader to söken Dat eine starf den bitteren Dod Dat ander starf von Hunger so grot Dat drüde word gehangen Das verde blef up de wille See dot Dat vifte flut achter dem Lande Wanse wol up den Kerkhof quam Se reip God sinen hemmelschen Vader an Un bedet all mit Vlite Dat em God wolde de Sünde vergeven Un halen en in sin Rike UNQUOTE Which translates roughly as: QUOTE Five sons I didn't send them to school I didn't once laugh over them They didn't go to play in the street I sent them to the wild seas To look for their dearest father. The first died the bitter death, The second died of hunger so great, The third was hanged, The fourth stayed on the wild seas, dead The fifth was driven across the land As she came to the churchyard She cried to God, her Father in Heaven, And prayed with all her strength, That God may forgive their [or "her"?] sins And keep them [or "her"?] in His Realm UNQUOTE Martin
It's so sad, that one can lose the hair by listening to it or playing it...
Yes, very sad. Very well played. Thank you for sharing.
