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Sad Waltz (Valse Triste, Kanashiki warutsu)


Senow Music Sheet No. 59
セノオ楽譜五十九番 悲しきワルツ
Designer: Takehisa Yumeji (Japanese, 1884 – 1934)
Composer: Jean Sibelius (Finnish, 1865 – 1957)
Lyricist: Artist Unidentified
Translator: Futami Kōhei (Japanese, 1885 – 1970)
Publisher: Seno'o ongaku shuppansha (Japanese)
Japanese
Taishô era
1926 (Taishô 15) May 25, 5th edition; 1st edition 1917 (Taishô 6), August 30

Medium/Technique Color lithograph; ink on paper
Dimensions Height x width: 26.2 × 19.1 cm (10 5/16 × 7 1/2 in.)
Credit Line Gift of Mary and Robert Levenson
Accession Number2023.1120.1-3
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsMusical scores

DescriptionIt contains English lyrics and a Japanese adaptation.Translation of lyrics from Japanese, by Kuniko and Kendall Brown:
“Dozing on a lonesome bed,
Sensing that my end has come,
Arise at music in a peaceful dream,
Many visitors to play the soft sound,
To the melodious sound of music
Recollecting fond memories of the past,
Calling dear friends from the spirit world,
Alas, they’re not persons from this world
Alas, there is no other way.
Ah, sad waltz, a lonely sound,
Ah, friends of this lonely figure.
I long for my friends’ faces, but they turn away.
Ah, alas.
Yet again the sad voice sings,
I leave the bed,
Yet again, this strange crowd.
The singing voice gets loud,
Without a sound, they dance,
The dancing visitors circle round.
A strange echo amidst the dancing,
There is a loud call.
The people leave, the singing stops,
I am frightened,
My strength wanes,
My breath stops.
I hear the Reaper enter."
Marks mark at bottom
ProvenanceBy 2019, Mary and Robert Levenson, Belleair, FL; 2023, gift of Mary and Robert Levenson to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 13, 2023)