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Bilingual Bedtime/German songs
BewegungsliedAction song

Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir.

The melody of Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir on a staff, as engraved in the book
Download the tune

The melody as written on the staff, so you can learn the tune before you sing.

Verse 1

  1. Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir,brew-der-khuhn, kom tahnts mit meer,Little brother, come and dance with me,
  2. beide Händchen reich ich dir,bai-duh hehnt-khuhn raikh ikh deer,I hold out both little hands to you,
  3. einmal hin, einmal her,ain-mahl hin, ain-mahl hair,once this way, once that way,
  4. rund herum, es ist nicht schwer!roont heh-room, ehs ist nikht shvair!round about, it is not hard!

Verse 2

  1. Mit den Füßchen tapp tapp tapp,mit dayn fews-khuhn tahp tahp tahp,With the little feet, tap tap tap,
  2. mit den Händchen klapp klapp klapp,mit dayn hehnt-khuhn klahp klahp klahp,with the little hands, clap clap clap,
  3. einmal hin, einmal her,ain-mahl hin, ain-mahl hair,once this way, once that way,
  4. rund herum, es ist nicht schwer!roont heh-room, ehs ist nikht shvair!round about, it is not hard!

Verse 3

  1. Mit dem Köpfchen nick nick nick,mit daym kerpf-khuhn nik nik nik,With the little head, nod nod nod,
  2. mit dem Fingerchen tick tick tick,mit daym fing-er-khuhn tik tik tik,with the little finger, tick tick tick,
  3. einmal hin, einmal her,ain-mahl hin, ain-mahl hair,once this way, once that way,
  4. rund herum, es ist nicht schwer!roont heh-room, ehs ist nikht shvair!round about, it is not hard!

About this song

Gretel coaxes her brother into dancing with this in Humperdinck's fairy opera Hänsel und Gretel, on words by his sister Adelheid Wette. Take both of the child's hands, step once one way and once the other, then turn right round on the last line. Every -chen ending means little.

Where it comes from

The words: Adelheid Wette (words) and Engelbert Humperdinck (music), Hänsel und Gretel: Märchenspiel in drei Bildern, Klavierauszug (B. Schott's Söhne, Mainz, 1894), Plattennummer 25618, S. 18 to 20.

The tune: The source print engraves its own tune. Adelheid Wette and Engelbert Humperdinck, Hänsel und Gretel, Klavierauszug (B. Schott's Söhne, Mainz, 1894), plate 25618, S. 18, the Tanzlied of the first Bild, headed 'Ziemlich lebhaft (Viertel = 100)' with the stage direction '(Klatscht in die Hände)'. Every note is read off that engraving at 4550 px, F major, 2/4, eight bars: c8. d16 c8 bes | a g f4 | g8. a16 g8 f | e d c r | a' f c'4 | bes8 g d'4 | e8. d16 c8. bes16 | a8 g f4. Cross-checked note for note against the second score block in the de.wikipedia article 'Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir' (the Humperdinck setting, also F major, 2/4, Ziemlich lebhaft 4=100): the two agree in all 27 notes, pitch and value, including the eighth rest closing bar 4. That article's first score block is the older Thuringian folk tune in G major and is deliberately not used, since Humperdinck composed a wholly new melody for the opera. Humperdinck's own F major is kept; range f' to e''

From the book

Bilingual Bedtime

Thirty-Seven German Songs for Children

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Spannenlanger HanselAll 37 songsRingel, Ringel, Reihe
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