Yours Is My Heart Alone

"Yours Is My Heart Alone" or "You Are My Heart's Delight" (German: "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz") is an aria from the 1929 operetta The Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns) with music by Franz Lehár and the libretto by Fritz Löhner-Beda and Ludwig Herzer. It was for many years associated with the tenor Richard Tauber, for whom it was written. The aria is sung by the character of Prince Sou-Chong in act 2. An American version of the show opened on Broadway in 1946 starring Tauber but it soon closed as Tauber had throat trouble.[1]

Sheet music with Franz Lehár's inscription to Richard Tauber, August 1929

The aria has been sung in Italian (as "Tu che m'hai preso il cuor" [You who have taken my heart]) by a few operatic tenors, notably Giuseppe Di Stefano, Mario Del Monaco, and Luciano Pavarotti.

Composition

Written in D-flat major, Lehár had composed parts of the song already in 1923 when the original version of the operetta premiered under the title Die gelbe Jacke (The Yellow Jacket). When Löhner-Beda re-arranged the operetta, he moved Prince Sou-Chong's passage from act 1 to act 2. With new lyrics, it has possibly become Lehár's most famous single song, popularised by Tauber, who sang it at almost every recital he gave, often as an encore. With Tauber's emigration to London in 1938, it became popular also in the English-speaking world with lyrics by Harry B. Smith, which had originally been written in 1931, and went on to become a staple of light music repertoire for tenor voice. It became a standard and has been covered by artists from other genres, like jazz, swing, big band, and pop music.

Lyrics

Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!
Wo du nicht bist, kann ich nicht sein.
So, wie die Blume welkt,
wenn sie nicht küsst der Sonnenschein!
Dein ist mein schönstes Lied,
weil es allein aus der Liebe erblüht.
Sag mir noch einmal, mein einzig Lieb,
oh sag noch einmal mir:
Ich hab dich lieb!

Wohin ich immer gehe,
ich fühle deine Nähe.
Ich möchte deinen Atem trinken
und betend dir zu Füssen sinken,
dir, dir allein! Wie wunderbar
ist dein leuchtendes Haar!
Traumschön und sehnsuchtsbang
ist dein strahlender Blick.
Hör ich der Stimme Klang,
ist es so wie Musik.

Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!
...

You are my heart's delight,
And where you are, I long to be
You make my darkness bright,
When like a star you shine on me
Shine, then, my whole life through
Your life divine bids me hope anew
That dreams of mine may at last come true
And I shall hear you whisper,
"I love you."

In dreams when night is falling
I seem to hear you calling
For you have cast a net around me
And 'neath a magic spell hath bound me
Yours, yours alone
How wondrous fair is your beautiful hair
Bright as a summer sky
is the night in your eyes
Soft as a sparkling star
is the warmth of my love.

You are my heart's delight,
(repeat first verse)[2]

Tu che m'hai preso il cuor
sarai per me il solo amor.
No, non ti scorderò,
vivrò per te, ti sognerò.
Te o nessuna mai più
ormai per me, come il sole sei tu,
lontan da te è morir d'amor
perchè sei tu che m'hai
rubato il cuor.

Ti vedo tra le rose,
ti dico tante cose.
se il vento lieve t'accarezza
un profumar di giovinezza
mi fai tremar!
La notte sogno tremando di te
quale incantesimo
il mio cuor sul tuo cuor
mentre si schiudono
le pupille tue d'or.

Tu che m'hai preso il cuor
...[3]

Notable recordings

As "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz"

As "You Are My Heart's Delight"

As "Yours Is My Heart Alone"

As "Tu che m'hai preso il cuor"

References
  1. Yours Is My Heart at the Internet Broadway Database
  2. English lyrics by Harry Graham (not a literal translation)
  3. Italian lyrics as sung by Pavarotti
  4. "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  5. "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  6. "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" on YouTube, Franco Bonisolli
  7. https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/gb/cat/4808144
  8. "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" on YouTube, José Carreras
  9. "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  10. "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  11. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  12. "Sinatra Discography". jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Sinatra. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  13. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  14. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 185. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  15. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  16. "78 RPM – Glenn Miller – Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread) / Yours Is My Heart Alone – Bluebird – USA – B-10728". 45worlds.com. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  17. "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  18. "Discogs.com". Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  19. "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  20. "Tu che m'hai preso il cuor" on YouTube, Giuseppe Di Stefano
  21. "Tu che m'hai preso il cuor" on YouTube, Mario Del Monaco
  22. "Tu che m'hai preso il cuor" on YouTube, Luciano Pavarotti
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