Like the fifth of Beethoven’s Opus 75 songs, the last is set to a poem by Christian Ludwig Reissig. “Der Zufriedene” (“The Contented Man”) consists of four short stanzas set in strophic form, with a simple melody accompanied by joyful triplets in the piano.
In “Der Zufriedene,” Christian Ludwig Reissig seems to have found contentment following his severe injuries in the war, although his happiness centers around emptying bottles of wine with his buddy. Here’s a translation from Paul Reid’s Beethoven Song Companion:
Fortune, to be sure, never created me
Either rich or great in this life,
But I am still content
As if I had the happiest of lots.
A friend has been granted me
Exactly after my own heart,
For kissing, drinking and joking
Is just his cup of tea too.
With him I have, cheerfully and wisely,
Emptied many a bottle;
For on our journey through life
Wine is the best mount.
If my present lot should ever
Become even gloomier,
Then I shall think to myself: no rose
In this world blooms without thorns.
#Beethoven250 Day 224
“Der Zufriedene” (Opus 75, No. 6), 1809
One of the few live performances on YouTube is by the late great Peter Schreier.
Six years later, on 23 October 1815, the 18-year-old Franz Schubert stood on Beethoven’s shoulders to set “Der Zufriedene” to music (D.320) as well as “Kennst du das Land” (D.321), both from Beethoven’s Opus 75, and both set in the same key (A major) as Beethoven’s settings.