Elegy for Young Lovers: Difference between revisions

Elegy for Young Lovers
*Elegie für junge Liebende*
Elegy for Young Lovers; Elegie für junge Liebende
Opera by Hans Werner Henze
	The composer in 1960
Librettist	W. H. Auden; Chester Kallman;
Premiere	20 May 1961; Schlosstheater Schwetzingen

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 17:30, 5 December 2024

Elegy for Young Lovers (German: Elegie für junge Liebende) is an opera in three acts by Hans Werner Henze to an English libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman.

Background

The opera was first performed in a German translation by Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine at the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen at the Schwetzingen Festival on 20 May 1961, conducted by Heinrich Bender. The first performance using the original English text was in Glyndebourne, also in 1961. The Juilliard Opera Center produced the opera in New York City in 1965, with the composer conducting.^[1] Henze revised the opera in 1987, and this revised version received its first performance on 28 October 1988 at the La Fenice, Venice, with Markus Stenz conducting.

According to Ann Saddlemyer in her book Becoming George: The Life of Mrs. W. B. Yeats (2002), the poet is partially based on W. B. Yeats, and his wife "George" (Georgie Hyde-Lees) was the inspiration for both the secretary and the woman with visions. David Anderson has noted that the poet also portrays Auden as well.^[2] Robert Henderson has summarised the thesis of the opera as follows:

Elegy for Young Lovers... is a bitter indictment of the Romantic notion of the artist as hero, feeding remorselessly on those around him both in the name of art and to satisfy his own monstrous and inhumanely egotistical appetites.^[3]

Auden and Kallman described this opera as their equivalent of Richard Strauss' opera Arabella.^[2] The dedication of the opera is to the memory of Hugo von Hofmannsthal.^[4]

Henze quoted material from the aria My own, my own in his Fifth Symphony, completed in 1962.

Roles

Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, 20 May 1961^[5] Conductor: Heinrich Bender
Hilde Mack, a widow	coloratura soprano	Eva Maria Rogner
Elisabeth Zimmer	soprano	Ingeborg Bremert
Carolina, Countess of Kirchstätten, secretary to Mittenhofer	contralto	Lilian Benningsen
Toni Reischmann	tenor	Friedrich Lenz
Gregor Mittenhofer, a poet	baritone	Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dr. Wilhelm Reischmann, a physician	bass	Karl-Christian Kohn
Josef Mauer, a mountain climb leader	spoken	Hubert Hilten

Synopsis

The opera is set in an inn called Der Schwarze Adler in the Austrian Alps in 1910. The plot is centred on a poet, Gregor Mittenhofer, who manipulates the people in the inn to provide inspiration to his work, his faithful secretary, his doctor, his young "muse" Elisabeth and a hysterical woman who lost her husband to the mountains decades before and has visions.^[6]^[7] When a young man arrives who attracts Elisabeth, Mittenhofer lets her go but does not act to prevent the young lovers' death in a snowstorm in the mountains, using the tragedy as the inspiration for a final "Elegie" of pure music, sung without words.

Recordings

Liane Dubin (Elisabeth Zimmer), Catherine Gayer (Hilda Mack), Martha Mödl (Carolina Gräfin von Kirchstetten), Loren Driscoll (Toni Reischmann), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Gregor Mittenhofer), Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Henze conducting, in German, 1963 DG [1] Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
Richard Lloyd-Morgan (Mittenhofer), Regina Schudel (Hilda Mack), Aurelia Hajek (Carolina), Silvia Weiss (Elisabeth), Bruno Fath (Toni Reischmann), Orchestra of the Berliner Kammeroper, Brynmor Llewelyn Jones, conductor, 1989 Deutsche Schallplatten DS (live in Berlin)^[8]
Lisa Saffer (Hilda Mack), Rosemary Hardy (Elizabeth Zimmer), Mary King (Carolina von Kirchstetten), Christopher Gillett (Toni Reischmann), Roderick Kennedy (Dr. Wilhelm Reischmann), David Wilson-Johnson (Gregor Mittenhofer), Adrian Brine (Josef Mauer), Schönberg Ensemble, Live recording Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 27 September 2000, conductor: Oliver Knussen. 2CD is part of the Schönberg Ensemble Edition box (A Century of Music in Perspective).
Jami Rogers (Hilda Mack), Valdine Anderson (Elizabeth Zimmer), Deborah Milnes-Johnson (Carolina von Kirchstetten), Thomas Randle (Toni Reischmann), Peter Klaveness (Dr. Wilhelm Reischmann), Roderick Williams (Gregor Mittenhofer), David Wilson-Johnson (Josef Mauer); Paris, Maison de Radio France, Salle Olivier Messiaen. Concert performance: Saturday 28 May 2005. Broadcast: France Musique, Saturday 4 June 2005^[9]

References

^ Keats, Sheila (1971). "Current Chronicle". The Musical Quarterly. LVII (1): 141–148. doi:10.1093/mq/lvii.1.141.
^ ^a ^b Anderson, David E., Review of W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman: Libretti and Other Dramatic Writings by W. H. Auden, 1939–1973 (March 1995). Notes (2nd Ser.), 51 (3): pp. 948–949.
^ Henderson, Robert, "Hans Werner Henze" (July 1976). The Musical Times, 117 (1601): pp. 566–568.
^ Weisstein, Ulrich, "Reflections on a Golden Style: W. H. Auden's Theory of Opera" (Spring 1970). Comparative Literature, 22 (2): pp. 108–124.
^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Elegie für junge Liebende, 20 May 1961". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
^ "Surprise at Schwetzingen". Time. 2 June 1961. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
^ Bernard Holland (11 August 1988). "A Dominion of Words". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
^ "Elegie für junge Liebende", operone.de (in German)
^ Three excerpts from Elegy for Young Lovers on YouTube, Jami Rogers

External links

Work details, sheet music, Schott Music

[1] Keats, Sheila (1971). "Current Chronicle". The Musical Quarterly. LVII (1): 141–148. doi:10.1093/mq/lvii.1.141.

[Anderson-2] Anderson, David E., Review of W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman: Libretti and Other Dramatic Writings by W. H. Auden, 1939–1973 (March 1995). Notes (2nd Ser.), 51 (3): pp. 948–949.

[3] Henderson, Robert, "Hans Werner Henze" (July 1976). The Musical Times, 117 (1601): pp. 566–568.

[4] Weisstein, Ulrich, "Reflections on a Golden Style: W. H. Auden's Theory of Opera" (Spring 1970). Comparative Literature, 22 (2): pp. 108–124.

[5] Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Elegie für junge Liebende, 20 May 1961". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).

[6] "Surprise at Schwetzingen". Time. 2 June 1961. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2007.

[7] Bernard Holland (11 August 1988). "A Dominion of Words". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 November 2023.

[8] "Elegie für junge Liebende", operone.de (in German)

[9] Three excerpts from Elegy for Young Lovers on YouTube, Jami Rogers

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Opera by Hans Werner Henze}}
 {{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
 {{Infobox opera
 | name = Elegy for Young Lovers<br />{{Lang|de|Elegie für junge Liebende}}
@@ Line 18: / Line 19: @@
 | premiere_location = [[Schlosstheater Schwetzingen]]
 }}
-'''''Elegy for Young Lovers''''' (in German, '''''{{Lang|de|Elegie für junge Liebende}}''''') is an opera in three acts by [[Hans Werner Henze]] to an English [[libretto]] by [[W. H. Auden]] and [[Chester Kallman]].
+'''''Elegy for Young Lovers''''' (German: '''''{{Lang|de|Elegie für junge Liebende}}''''') is an opera in three acts by [[Hans Werner Henze]] to an English [[libretto]] by [[W. H. Auden]] and [[Chester Kallman]].
 ==Background==
-The opera was first performed in a German translation by [[Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine]] at the [[Schlosstheater Schwetzingen]] at the [[Schwetzingen Festival]] on 20 May 1961, conducted by Heinrich Bender. The first performance using the original English text was in [[Glyndebourne Festival Opera|Glyndebourne]], also in 1961. The Juilliard Opera Theater produced the opera in New York City in 1965, with the composer conducting.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://mq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/LVII/1/141 | last=Keats | first=Sheila | title=''Current Chronicle'' | journal=The Musical Quarterly | volume=LVII | issue=1 | pages=141–148 | date=1971 | accessdate=26 October 2007 | doi=10.1093/mq/lvii.1.141}}</ref> Henze revised the opera in 1987, and this revised version received its first performance on 28 October 1988 at the [[La Fenice]] Theatre, Venice, with Markus Stenz conducting.
+The opera was first performed in a German translation by [[Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine]] at the [[Schlosstheater Schwetzingen]] at the [[Schwetzingen Festival]] on 20 May 1961, conducted by Heinrich Bender. The first performance using the original English text was in [[Glyndebourne Festival Opera|Glyndebourne]], also in 1961. The [[Juilliard Opera Center]] produced the opera in New York City in 1965, with the composer conducting.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Keats|first=Sheila|title=Current Chronicle|journal=[[The Musical Quarterly]]|volume=LVII|issue=1|pages=141–148|year=1971|doi=10.1093/mq/lvii.1.141}}</ref> Henze revised the opera in 1987, and this revised version received its first performance on 28 October 1988 at the [[La Fenice]], Venice, with [[Markus Stenz]] conducting.
-According to Ann Saddlemyer in her book "Becoming George", the poet is partially based on [[W. B. Yeats]], and his wife "George" (Georgie Hyde-Lees) was the inspiration for both the secretary and the woman with visions. David Anderson has noted that the poet also portrays Auden as well.<ref name="Anderson">Anderson, David E., Review of ''W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman: Libretti and Other Dramatic Writings by W. H. Auden, 1939–1973'' (March 1995).  ''Notes'' (2nd Ser.), '''51''' (3): pp. 948–949.</ref>  Robert Henderson has summarised the thesis of the opera as follows:
+According to [[Ann Saddlemyer]] in her book ''Becoming George: The Life of Mrs. W. B. Yeats'' (2002), the poet is partially based on [[W. B. Yeats]], and his wife "George" (Georgie Hyde-Lees) was the inspiration for both the secretary and the woman with visions. David Anderson has noted that the poet also portrays Auden as well.<ref name="Anderson">Anderson, David E., Review of ''W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman: Libretti and Other Dramatic Writings by W. H. Auden, 1939–1973'' (March 1995). ''[[Notes (journal)|Notes]]'' (2nd Ser.), '''51''' (3): pp. 948–949.</ref> Robert Henderson has summarised the thesis of the opera as follows:
-<blockquote>''Elegy for Young Lovers''....is a bitter indictment of the Romantic notion of the artist as hero, feeding remorselessly on those around him both in the name of art and to satisfy his own monstrous and inhumanely egotistical appetites.<ref>Henderson, Robert, "Hans Werner Henze" (July 1976).  ''The Musical Times", '''117''' (1601): pp. 566–568.</ref></blockquote>
+<blockquote>''Elegy for Young Lovers''... is a bitter indictment of the Romantic notion of the artist as hero, feeding remorselessly on those around him both in the name of art and to satisfy his own monstrous and inhumanely egotistical appetites.<ref>Henderson, Robert, "Hans Werner Henze" (July 1976). ''[[The Musical Times]]'', '''117''' (1601): pp. 566–568.</ref></blockquote>
-Auden and Kallman described this opera as their equivalent of [[Richard Strauss]]' opera ''[[Arabella]]''.<ref name="Anderson"/> The dedication of the opera is to the memory of [[Hugo von Hofmannsthal]].<ref>Weisstein, Ulrich, "Reflections on a Golden Style: W. H. Auden's Theory of Opera" (Spring 1970).  ''Comparative Literature'', '''22''' (2): pp. 108–124.</ref>
+Auden and Kallman described this opera as their equivalent of [[Richard Strauss]]' opera ''[[Arabella]]''.<ref name="Anderson"/> The dedication of the opera is to the memory of [[Hugo von Hofmannsthal]].<ref>Weisstein, Ulrich, "Reflections on a Golden Style: W. H. Auden's Theory of Opera" (Spring 1970). ''Comparative Literature'', '''22''' (2): pp. 108–124.</ref>
 Henze quoted material from the [[aria]] ''My own, my own'' in his [[Symphony No. 5 (Henze)|Fifth Symphony]], completed in 1962.
@@ Line 33: / Line 34: @@
 ==Roles==
 {| class="wikitable"
+|+{{sronly|Roles, voice types, premiere cast}}
 !Role
-!Voice type
+![[Voice type]]
-!Premiere Cast, 20 May 1961 <br>(Conductor: Heinrich Bender)
+!Premiere cast, 20 May 1961<ref>{{Almanacco|dmy=20 May 1961|match=Elegie für junge Liebende}}</ref><br />Conductor: [[Heinrich Bender (conductor)|Heinrich Bender]]
 |-
 |Hilde Mack, ''a widow''
 |[[coloratura soprano]]
 |Eva Maria Rogner
 |-
-|Elizabeth Zimmer
+|Elisabeth Zimmer
 |[[soprano]]
 |Ingeborg Bremert
 |-
 |Carolina, Countess of Kirchstätten, ''secretary to Mittenhofer''
 |[[contralto]]
 |[[Lilian Benningsen]]
 |-
 |Toni Reischmann
 |[[tenor]]
 |Friedrich Lenz
 |-
 |Gregor Mittenhofer, ''a poet''
 |[[baritone]]
 |[[Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau]]
 |-
 |Dr. Wilhelm Reischmann, ''a physician''
-|[[bass (vocal range)|bass]]
+|[[bass (voice type)|bass]]
 |[[Karl-Christian Kohn]]
 |-
 |Josef Mauer, ''a mountain climb leader''
 |spoken
 |Hubert Hilten
-|-
 |}
 ==Synopsis==
-The opera is set in an inn called ''Der Schwarze Adler'' in the [[Austria]]n Alps in 1910. The plot is centred on a poet, Gregor Mittenhofer, who manipulates the people in the inn to provide inspiration to his work, his faithful secretary, his doctor, his young "muse" Elisabeth and a hysterical woman who lost her husband to the mountains decades before and has visions.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827016,00.html |title=Surprise at Schwetzingen |magazine=Time |date=2 June 1961 |accessdate=7 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205064024/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827016,00.html |archivedate=5 February 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D81430F932A2575BC0A96E948260&n | title=A Dominion of Words | newspaper=New York Times | author=Bernard Holland | date=11 August 1988 | accessdate=7 September 2007}}</ref>
+The opera is set in an inn called ''Der Schwarze Adler'' in the Austrian Alps in 1910. The plot is centred on a poet, Gregor Mittenhofer, who manipulates the people in the inn to provide inspiration to his work, his faithful secretary, his doctor, his young "muse" Elisabeth and a hysterical woman who lost her husband to the mountains decades before and has visions.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827016,00.html |title=Surprise at Schwetzingen |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=2 June 1961 |access-date=7 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205064024/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827016,00.html |archive-date=5 February 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/11/arts/review-opera-a-dominion-of-words.html| title=A Dominion of Words|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Bernard Holland|author-link=Bernard Holland| date=11 August 1988 |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref> When a young man arrives who attracts Elisabeth, Mittenhofer lets her go but does not act to prevent the young lovers' death in a snowstorm in the mountains, using the tragedy as the inspiration for a final "Elegie" of pure music, sung without words.
-When a young man arrives who attracts Elisabeth, Mittenhofer lets her go but doesn't act to prevent the young lovers' death in a snowstorm in the mountains, using the tragedy as the inspiration for a final "Elegie" of pure music, sung without words.
 ==Recordings==
-* Liane Dubin (Elisabeth Zimmer), [[Catherine Gayer]] (Hilda Mack), [[Martha Mödl]] (Carolina Gräfin von Kirchstetten), [[Loren Driscoll]] (Toni Reischmann), [[Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau]] (Gregor Mittenhofer), [[Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin|Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin]], Henze conducting, in German, 1963 [[Deutsche Grammophon|DG]] [http://www.musiquecontemporaine.fr/record/oai:bnf.fr:catalogue/ark:/12148/cb383925221]
+* Liane Dubin (Elisabeth Zimmer), [[Catherine Gayer]] (Hilda Mack), [[Martha Mödl]] (Carolina Gräfin von Kirchstetten), [[Loren Driscoll]] (Toni Reischmann), [[Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau]] (Gregor Mittenhofer), [[Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin|Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin]], Henze conducting, in German, 1963 [[Deutsche Grammophon|DG]] [http://www.musiquecontemporaine.fr/record/oai:bnf.fr:catalogue/ark:/12148/cb383925221] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718055653/http://www.musiquecontemporaine.fr/record/oai:bnf.fr:catalogue/ark:/12148/cb383925221 |date=18 July 2011 }}
-* Richard Lloyd-Morgan (Mittenhofer), Regina Schudel (Hilda Mack), Aurelia Hajek (Carolina), Silvia Weiss (Elisabeth), Bruno Fath (Toni Reischmann), Orchestra of the Berliner Kammeroper, Brynmor Llewelyn Jones, conductor, 1989 Deutsche Schallplatten DS (live in Berlin)<ref>[http://www.operone.de/opern/elegie.html Elegie für junge Liebende] on operone website (in German</ref>
+* Richard Lloyd-Morgan (Mittenhofer), Regina Schudel (Hilda Mack), Aurelia Hajek (Carolina), [[Silvia Weiss]] (Elisabeth), Bruno Fath (Toni Reischmann), Orchestra of the [[Berliner Kammeroper]], Brynmor Llewelyn Jones, conductor, 1989 Deutsche Schallplatten DS (live in Berlin)<ref>[http://www.operone.de/opern/elegie.html "''Elegie für junge Liebende''"], operone.de (in German)</ref>
-* Lisa Saffer (Hilda Mack), Rosemary Hardy (Elizabeth Zimmer), Mary King (Carolina von Kirchstetten), Christopher Gillett (Toni Reischmann), Roderick Kennedy (Dr. Wilhelm Reischmann), [[David Wilson-Johnson]] (Gregor Mittenhofer), Adrian Brine (Josef Mauer), Schönberg ensemble, Live recording Concertgebouw Amsterdam, 27 September 2000, conductor: [[Oliver Knussen]]. 2CD is part of the Schönberg Ensemble Edition box (a century of music in perspective).
+* [[Lisa Saffer]] (Hilda Mack), Rosemary Hardy (Elizabeth Zimmer), Mary King (Carolina von Kirchstetten), Christopher Gillett (Toni Reischmann), Roderick Kennedy (Dr. Wilhelm Reischmann), [[David Wilson-Johnson]] (Gregor Mittenhofer), Adrian Brine (Josef Mauer), [[Schönberg Ensemble]], Live recording [[Concertgebouw, Amsterdam]], 27 September 2000, conductor: [[Oliver Knussen]]. 2CD is part of the Schönberg Ensemble Edition box (A Century of Music in Perspective).
+*[[Jami Rogers-Anderson|Jami Rogers]] (Hilda Mack), Valdine Anderson (Elizabeth Zimmer), Deborah Milnes-Johnson (Carolina von Kirchstetten), Thomas Randle (Toni Reischmann), Peter Klaveness (Dr. Wilhelm Reischmann), Roderick Williams (Gregor Mittenhofer), David Wilson-Johnson (Josef Mauer); Paris, Maison de Radio France, Salle Olivier Messiaen. Concert performance: Saturday 28 May 2005. Broadcast: [[France Musique]], Saturday 4 June 2005<ref>{{YouTube|U6DSbyXeikM|Three excerpts from ''Elegy for Young Lovers''}}, [[Jami Rogers-Anderson|Jami Rogers]]</ref>
 ==References==
+{{Reflist}}
-'''Notes'''
-{{reflist}}
+==Further reading==
-'''Sources'''
+*Clements, Andrew, "''Elegy for Young Lovers''", ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'', ed. [[Stanley Sadie]] (London, 1992) {{ISBN|0-333-73432-7}}
-*{{it icon}}  [http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=20&Mese=05&Anno=1961&Giornata=&Testo=&Parola=Stringa Amadeus Almanac, accessed 30 October 2008]
-*Clements, Andrew, "''Elegy for Young Lovers''", ''The [[New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) {{ISBN|0-333-73432-7}}
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.schott-music.com/shop/1/show,16802.html Schott Music, sheet music page on ''Elegy for Young Lovers'']
+* [https://en.schott-music.com/shop/elegie-fuer-junge-liebende-no16802.html Work details, sheet music], [[Schott Music]]
-{{Hans Werner Henze|state=collapsed}}
+{{Hans Werner Henze}}
 {{W. H. Auden}}
+{{Portal bar|Opera}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:English-language operas]]
 [[Category:Operas by Hans Werner Henze]]

v t e Hans Werner Henze
List of compositions
Operas	Boulevard Solitude (1951) Ein Landarzt (1951) König Hirsch (1955) Der Prinz von Homburg (1958) Elegy for Young Lovers (Elegie für junge Liebende) (1961) The Bassarids (Die Bassariden) (1965) Der junge Lord (1964) El Cimarrón (1971) Der langwierige Weg in die Wohnung der Natascha Ungeheuer (1971) We Come to the River (1976) The English Cat (1983) Das verratene Meer (1989) Venus und Adonis (1995) L'Upupa und der Triumph der Sohnesliebe (2003) Phaedra (2007) Gisela! (2010)
Ballet	Ondine (1957)
Symphonies	No. 1 (Kammerkonzert 05) No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 Vokalsinfonie
Film scores	Muriel ou le Temps d'un retour Young Törless The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
Other works	Sonata per archi (1958) Doppio Concerto (1966) Fantasia for Strings (1966) Das Floß der Medusa (1968) Compases para preguntas ensimismadas (1970) Heliogabalus imperator (1972/86) Tristan (1973) Voices (1973) Royal Winter Music (1976) Five Scenes from the Snow Country (1978) Royal Winter Music (1979) Requiem: 9 geistliche Konzerte (1993) Sebastian im Traum (2004)
Related	Literaturoper Moment form Postmodern music
Category

v t e W. H. Auden
Books of poetry	Poems (1930) The Orators (1932) On This Island (1936) Another Time (1940) The Double Man (1941) For the Time Being (1944) The Age of Anxiety (1947) Nones (1951) The Shield of Achilles (1955) Homage to Clio (1960) About the House (1966) City Without Walls (1969) Academic Graffiti (1971) Epistle to a Godson (1972) Thank You, Fog (1974)
Books containing prose and verse	Letters from Iceland (1937) Journey to a War (1939)
Prose works and other books	The Enchafèd Flood (1950) The Dyer's Hand (1962) Secondary Worlds (1968) A Certain World (1970) Forewords and Afterwords (1973)
Individual poems	"The Orators" (1932) "Funeral Blues" (1936) "Spain" (1937) "Musée des Beaux Arts" (1938) "Refugee Blues" (1939) "September 1, 1939" (1939) "The Unknown Citizen" (1939) "Hymn to St Cecilia" (1940) "For the Time Being" (1944) "The Sea and the Mirror" (1944) "The Age of Anxiety" (1947) "In Praise of Limestone" (1948) "The Platonic Blow" (1948) "Horae Canonicae" (1949–55) "Bucolics" (1952–53) "The Shield of Achilles" (1955)
Plays	Paid on Both Sides (1928) The Dance of Death (1933) The Dog Beneath the Skin (1935) The Ascent of F6 (1936) On the Frontier (1938) Play of Daniel (1958)
Libretti	Paul Bunyan (1941) The Rake's Progress (1951) Elegy for Young Lovers (1961) The Bassarids (1966) Love's Labour's Lost (1973)
Screenwriting	Night Mail (1936)
Family	George Augustus Auden (father) John Bicknell Auden (brother) Chester Kallman (companion)
Related	W. H. Auden bibliography
Category

Authority control databases
National	Germany
Other	MusicBrainz work