I bumped into Mr. Faust in Stuttgart

One day, after accompanying a midday prayer in Stuttgart Stiftskirche, I visited a book shop. Inside the book shop, the first floor, next to the postcard stand, among the red couch was the place I bumped into Mr. Faust.

To be exact, I met the Goethe’s quote that taken from his tragedy – FAUST. It says: “Art takes time and life is short.”

It reminds me of a famous Franz Schubert’s song that is also coming from the FAUST, “Gretchen at the spinning-wheel.” According to the book “Reclams Liedführer, 2nd edition, 1977” , this song was a milestone in music history.


Schubert’s first contact with Goethe occurred on 19.10.1814 with the composition of the monologue Gretchen at the spinning-wheel, and this date has been called the beginning of a new epoch of the Art Song.(Reclams Liedführer)

My peace is gone
My heart is heavy;
I shall never
Ever find peace again.

When he’s not with me,
Life’s like the grave;
The whole world
Is turned to gall…

(Full translation – https://www.oxfordlieder.co.uk/song/199 )

It is worth to remember that I heard Bach’s St. Matthew Passion live for the first time in Stuttgart Stiftskirche. It was also my first time listened to Bach’s My Life is Fulfilled BWV 82 live here. And in this week was my first time to accompany the midday prayer in Stiftskirche. I do not know if this idiom is German or English:


All good things come in threes
Aller guten Dinge sind drei

The good night music for tonight is an aria from My Life is Fulfilled BWV 82.
Slumber now, my eyes so languid, fall asleep most peacefully … (Aria)

For more blog posts that I mentioned about “My Life is Fulfilled BWV 82”:
https://thejourney-writing.com/2022/03/the-light-of-immortality.html
https://thejourney-writing.com/2022/03/farewell-letter.html