Alterslied - Walther von der Vogelweide

Performed by Eberhard Kummer. This recantatio, Walther’s last recorded work, was written to drum up support for Frederick II’s long-delayed crusade. As such, it is often presented simply as propaganda. But Walther was an old man when he wrote it, and I like to think that the poem, especially the first stanza, which is particularly beautiful, is heartfelt. I have prepared an English verse translation, and in time I hope to add it to the video. Some may notice that the Alterslied is in the same metrical form as the Nibelungenlied, and I believe that this poem is the source for the melody to which the Nibelungenlied is often performed.