Gemüthlichkeit Unappreciation Thread

[tagutcow]

http://www.kunstderfuge.com/bios/beethoven.html#17.

[The Grosse Fuge's] sections, built on various transformations of a cantus firmus subject almost have the weight of separate movements, as in the Ninth Symphony finale. The lyric beauty of the slow G flat section and the Gemüthlichkeit of the recurring section in 6/8 metre sometimes go unappreciated, it seems, by listeners awed by the determined dissonant fury of the others.

Gaaah! I hate it when writers pull **** like this! Even Google's "Language Tools" doesn't know what Gemüthlichkeit is, and a Google search only retrieves one Engligh-language resource on its front page:

Disappearance of "˜Gemüthlichkeit' at the universities deplored as early as 1910
http://www.springerlink.com/content/m1j366q133437865/

Apparently it's been a rough two centuries for Gemüthlichkeit-- first going sometimes unappreciated in music, and then disappearing at universities... as early as 1910, no less! I still have no ******* idea what it is, though.

If someone would kindly tell me what it is, I promise I will never fail to appreciate Gemüthlichkeit ever again!

 

[Amory]

That's an archaic spelling. It's Gemütlichkeit now. Kind of untranslateable, means something like friendlyness or coziness. Think of a fat old Bavarian with a white beard telling stories by a fire, drinking a beer. He and the environment have Gemütlichkeit.

 

[tagutcow]

Originally Posted by Amory

That's an archaic spelling. It's Gemütlichkeit now. Kind of untranslateable, means something like friendlyness or coziness. Think of a fat old Bavarian with a white beard telling stories by a fire, drinking a beer. He and the environment have Gemütlichkeit.

Er... how about a Bavarian beer wench?

Would this be a good example of Gemüthlichkeit? Believe you me, it doesn't go unappreciated from these quarters!

 

[speedfreak]

No, that actually misses the point somehow. Gemütlichkeit isn't about D cups.

It is more about familiarity, or maybe even easy-going.

 

[Thomas]

iirc, Gemutlichkeit has no solid translation, but is rather hinted at, as though nailing words down to describe it would make it disappear. That said, it's a kind of affable repose, a contented ease of being.

 

[Douglas]

Beer wench remains the single greatest thing I have ever derived from SF.

 

[P-K-L]

Originally Posted by tagutcow

Er... how about a Bavarian beer wench?

Would this be a good example of Gemüthlichkeit? Believe you me, it doesn't go unappreciated from these quarters!

Everyone who has ever been to the Oktoberfest knows that it is everything but gemütlich.
I never actually thought about translating Gemütlichkeit.
It can be applied in many situations.
Amory's described setting is gemütlich, for sure.
Your favourite beater corduroys should be gemütlich. A nicely cushioned sofa is gemütlich.
All in all situations in which you feel comfortable and cosy.

 

[tagutcow]

Originally Posted by Thomas

iirc, Gemutlichkeit has no solid translation, but is rather hinted at, as though nailing words down to describe it would make it disappear.

Well obviously, if it had a servicable equivalent in English, the author would probably have used that instead. I still think it's kind of ridiculous to thow something like that at a reader, though.

I'm reminded of the Seinfeld episode where the New Yorker editor uses "Vorstein" to explain the appeal of a cartoon.

In any case, no part of the GroBe Fuge puts me in mind of a fat old Bavarian man drinking beer and telling stories.

 

[redcaimen]

Originally Posted by Thomas

iirc, Gemutlichkeit has no solid translation, but is rather hinted at, as though nailing words down to describe it would make it disappear. That said, it's a kind of affable repose, a contented ease of being.

If Burl Ives turned into a word would that word be Gemutlichkeit?

 

[unjung]

 

[CBDB]

Originally Posted by speedfreak

No, that actually misses the point somehow. Gemütlichkeit isn't about D cups.

It is more about familiarity, or maybe even easy-going.

If I remember my German doesn't it roughly translate as conviviality?
CB

 

[UFN]

It's close but it's not really the same. Instead of the fat bavarian, think of yourself and your family in front of a fire, telling stories, sipping a nice single malt etc.

/U.