Jarmila Novotná was an internationally known opera soprano from the former Czechoslovakia. She had beautiful tone production. The Czech government treated her as a national heroine and as its cultural ambassador. Best known for her performances in Der Rosenkavalier, The Marriage of Figaro, and La Traviata, she was a celebrated performer at the Metropolitan Opera and other theaters across Europe and the United States.
This lullaby from Smetana’s opera The Kiss is beautiful, but it was very difficult to find its text. I ended up going to the score to find the words in Czech. I don’t speak Czech, but in the score there was a German translation. The English here is a translation of the German.
Smetana, The Kiss, “A ty, mé robě, ted’ již náležim”
A ty, mé robě, ted’ již náležim, ted’již náležim jen to bě!
Hajej můj andilku, hajej a spi
Matička kolébá děfátko svy
Hajej, dadej, nynej, malej,
Matička kolébá děfátiko svy;
Hajej, dadej, nynej, malej,
Matička kolébá . . .
Ach, matička v hroběspí!
Co jenten Lukaš myslí?
Však on se smíři!
Začnu jinou!
Letěla belounká holubička,
Potkala božiho andělička.
Duše z těla, kam jsi chtěla
Chtěla jsem doltět donebička,
Chtěla jsem doltět donebička!
Dolet’ si, dušinko, až donebe,
Já půjdu k děfáku misto tebe;
Tam je zlíbám, ukolíbám,
Líbá tě nastokrát tvá matička,
Lībá tě nastokrát tvá matićka !
Smetana, The Kiss, “Und dir nun bleib‘ ich”
Und dir nun bleib‘ ich. Du wärst hilflos ohne Marinka
Bei dir wach ich
Schlaf mein Kindlein
Schlaf‘ ein, schlafe ein
Mögen die Engel dir gnädig sein!
Schafe Liebling, schliess‘ dein Aug‘ zu
Schlafe bei dem Liedchen in sanfter Ruh
Eia, eia, schlafe still ein:
Dich wiegt dein Mütterlein
Ach, deine Mutter schäft ja im Grab
Wo mag wol Hanno weilen?
Still er wird schon kommen
Ich will singen
Wie hell am Himmel die Sterne auch steh’n
Wie sanft im Mondlicht die Waldbächlein gehen:
Mehr wie Sterne, sanft, wie Wellen,
Strahlet in’s Leben der Liebe Gewalt,
Strahlet in’s Leben der Liebe Gewalt
Smetana, The Kiss, “Lullaby”
And now I stay with you. You would be helpless without Vendulka
I wake up with you
Sleep, my little child
Go to sleep, go to sleep
May the angels have mercy on you!
Sleep darling, close your eyes
Sleep in gentle peace with this song
Eia, eia, fall asleep quietly:
Your little mother rocks you
Oh, your mother sleeps in her grave
Where might Lukas be?
Still, he’ll come
I want to sing
No matter how bright the stars are in the sky
How gently the forest streams flow in the moonlight:
More like stars, gentle, like waves,
Shines into the life of love power,
Radiate love power into the life
Dvořak, Songs my mother taught me, No 4 op.55
Když mne stará matka zpívat, zpívat učívala,
podivno, že často, často slzívala.
A teď také pláčem snědé líce mučím,
když cigánské děti hrát a zpívat, hrát a zpívat učím!
Dvořak, Songs my mother taught me, No 4 op.55
In the days long vanished;
Seldom from her eyelids
Were the teardrops banished.
Now I teach my children,
Each melodious measure.
Oft the tears are flowing,
Oft they flow from my memory’s treasure.
Offenbach, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, “Elle a fui la tourterelle”
Elle a fui, la tourterelle!
Ah! souvenir trop doux!
Image trop cruelle!
Hélas! à mes genoux
Je l’entends, je la vois!
Elle a fui, la tourterelle.
Elle a fui loin de toi;
Mais elle est toujours fidèle
Et te garde sa foi.
Mon bien-aimé, ma voix t’appelle.
Oui, tout mon coeur est à toi.
Elle a fui, la tourterelle.
Elle a fui loin de toi.
Chère fleur qui viens d’éclore,
Par pitié, réponds-moi!
Toi qui sais s’il m’aime encore,
S’il me garde sa foi!
Mon bien-aimé, ma voix t’implore,
Ah! que ton coeur vienne à moi.
Elle a fui, la tourterelle,
Elle a fui loin de toi!
Offenbach, The Tales of Hoffmann, “She has fled, the turtle dove”
She has fled, the turtle dove!
Ah, memory too sweet!
Image too bitter!
Alas, at my knees
I hear him, I see him!
She has fled, the turtle dove.
She has fled far from you;
but she is forever faithful
and keeps her promise to you.
My beloved, my voice calls to you.
Yes, all my heart is yours.
She has fled, the turtle dove.
She has fled far from you.
Dear flower that has just bloomed,
for pity’s sake, answer me!
You who knows if he still loves me,
if he keeps his promise to me!
My beloved, my voice implores you. Ah! may your heart come to me.
She has fled, the turtle dove,
she has fled far from you.
Jarmila Novotná
September 23, 1907 – February 9, 1994
Jarmila Novotna was a Czech-born lyric coloratura soprano who sang major roles at the Metropolitan Opera from 1940 to 1956.
Novotná was widely considered one of the finest singing actresses of her time. Her interpretations of such roles as Donna Elvira, Euridice, Manon, Melisande, Antonia and Marenka were praised for their intelligence and lyrical grace. She also excelled in trouser roles, particularly Orlofsky in “Die Fledermaus,” Cherubino in “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Octavian in “Der Rosenkavalier.”
She made her Metropolitan debut in “La Boheme” in 1940, singing with Jussi Bjoerling. The Times review noted her “charming simplicity, feeling and high artistic intelligence.” That year Downes also praised her “great” Violetta at the Met: “She conceived the music, from first note to last, dramatically, and portrayed the character with an aristocratic sensibility and simplicity.
In her years at the Metropolitan Opera, Novotná sang 193 performances — 142 in the opera house, the rest on tour — and won consistent praise for her expressiveness and musicianship.