Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

composed a set of six romances for voice and piano, Op. 6, in late 1869; the last of these songs is the melancholy "None but the Lonely Heart" (russian: Нет, только тот, кто знал, translit=Net, tol'ko tot, kto znal, link=no), a setting of Lev Mei's poem "The Harpist's Song" which in turn was a translation of " Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt" from

Goethe's Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tre ...

Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship ''Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship'' ( ger, Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre) is the second novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1795–96. Plot The eponymous hero undergoes a journey of self-realization. The story centers upon Wilhelm' ...

''. Tchaikovsky dedicated this piece to Alina Khvostova. The song was premiered by Russian mezzo-soprano

Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya Yelizaveta Andreyevna Lavrovskaya (russian: Елизавета Андреевна Лавровская, link=no; – February 4, 1919) was a Russian mezzo-soprano praised for her dramatic performances of operatic arias and her sensitive int ...

in Moscow in 1870, following it with its Saint Petersburg premiere the following year during an all-Tchaikovsky concert hosted by

Nikolai Rubinstein Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein (russian: Николай Григорьевич Рубинштейн; – ) was a Russian pianist, conductor, and composer. He was the younger brother of Anton Rubinstein and a close friend of Pyotr Ilyich Tc ...

; the latter was the first concert devoted entirely to Tchaikovsky's works.

Text

Mei's Russian translation (transliteration) Net, tol'ko tot, kto znal svidan'ja, zhazhdu, pojmjot, kak ja stradal i kak ja strazhdu. Gljazhu ja vdal'... net sil, tusknejet oko... Akh, kto menja ljubil i znal — daleko! Akh, tol'ko tot, kto znal svidan'ja zhazhdu, pojmjot, kak ja stradal i kak ja strazhdu. Vsja grud' gorit... Goethe's original Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt weiß, was ich leide! Allein und abgetrennt von aller Freude, seh ich ans Firmament nach jener Seite. Ach! der mich liebt und kennt, ist in der Weite. Es schwindelt mir, es brennt mein Eingeweide. Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt Weiß, was ich leide! An English translation None but the lonely heart knows what I suffer! Alone and parted from all joy, I see the firmament in that direction. Alas, who loves and knows me is far away. I'm dizzy, it burns my entrails. None but the lonely heart knows what I suffer.

Notable recordings

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

(in English) * Frank Sinatra, four recordings: as a

V-Disc V-Disc ( "V" for Victory) was a record label that was formed in 1943 to provide records for U.S. military personnel. Captain Robert Vincent supervised the label from the Special Services division. Many popular singers, big bands, and orches ...

in 1946, again in 1946 and 1947 (all for Columbia Records, arranged by

Axel Stordahl Axel Stordahl (August 8, 1913 – August 30, 1963) was an American arranger who was active from the late 1930s through the 1950s. He is perhaps best known for his work with Frank Sinatra in the 1940s at Columbia Records. With his sophisticat ...

), and finally in 1959 for the Capitol Records album '' No One Cares'', arranged by

Gordon Jenkins Gordon Hill Jenkins (May 12, 1910 – May 1, 1984) was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Lo ...

(in English) *

Leonard Warren Leonard Warren (April 21, 1911 – March 4, 1960) was an American opera singer. A baritone, he was a leading artist for many years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Especially noted for his portrayals of the leading baritone roles in ...

(in English) *

Lawrence Tibbett Lawrence Mervil Tibbett (November 16, 1896 – July 15, 1960) was an American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang leading roles with the Metropolitan Opera in New York ...

(in English) *

Rosa Ponselle Rosa Melba Ponzillo, known as Rosa Ponselle (January 22, 1897 – May 25, 1981) was an American operatic soprano. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the 20t ...

(with German text) * Elisabeth Schwartzkopf (with German text) * Fritz Wunderlich (with German text) * Boris Christoff (with Russian text) *

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

and Itzhak Perlman (with Russian text) *

Dmitri Hvorostovsky Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky (russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Хворосто́вский, ; 16 October 1962 – 22 November 2017) was a Russian operatic baritone. Early life and education Hvorostovsky was born i ...

(with Russian text) * Pavel Lisitsianhttps://www.amazon.com/Net-Tolko-Znal-Only-Knew/dp/B0032127KK (with Russian text)

References

Sources * * *

External links

"Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt" / "Песнь Миньоны: Нет, толко тот, кто знал"

The LiederNet Archive The LiederNet Archive (formerly The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Archive) is a donation-supported web archive of art song and choral texts founded in 1995 by Emily Ezust, an American/Canadian computer programmer and amateur violinist. The websi ...

{{Authority control Compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1869 songs Music with dedications Songs about loneliness Works based on Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship Musical settings of poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe