The books below are in German only.
Hofmannsthal left various writings pertaining to Der Rosenkavalier. Most important is the text of the opera itself, which has been transmitted in four versions: the piano-vocal score; the orchestral score (Orch in the table below); the Fürstner libretto (L); and Hofmannsthal’s “book edition” (Book).
The first three are quite similar, though not identical. The fourth version, the book edition, or Buchausgabe, that Hofmannsthal published separately, differs more substantially. It does not include the small changes and cuts which Strauss made himself for his own musical reasons, or two sections he requested from Hofmannsthal: the Act I trio (“Nein, Er agiert mir”), and the Act II duet (“Mit Ihren Augen voll Tränen”). It does include the familiar ending to Act 2 and the final duet (“Ist ein Traum”), both requested by Strauss.
There are also the following pieces of writing from Hofmannsthal’s pen: preliminary outlines for the opera; extensive drafts of the text itself; the original version of Act 2; two brief essays on the opera (the “Ungeschriebenes Nachwort” and “‘Der Rosenkavalier’: Zum Geleit”); and a scenario for the 1926 Rosenkavalier film.
Finally, while they were at work on the opera, Strauss and Hofmannsthal enlisted the help of the artist Alfred Roller. Roller designed the costumes and sets for the premiere, and wrote a production book which describes his designs and gives detailed notes on stage direction.
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| DTV | Hofmannsthal, Hugo von. Der Rosenkavalier. Berlin: S. Fischer, 1911. Reprint, Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2004. The “book edition” (Buchausgabe). |
| Fürstner | ——. Der Rosenkavalier. Berlin: Fürstner, 1911. The libretto. |
| GW | ——. Der Rosenkavalier, ed. Bernd Schoeller. In Dramen: Operndichtungen, vol. 5 of Hofmannsthal: Gesammelte Werke in Einzelbänden. Frankfurt: S. Fischer, 1979. |
| SW | ——. Der Rosenkavalier, ed. Dirk O. Hoffmann and Willi Schuh. Vol. 23 of Hofmannsthal: Sämtliche Werke. Frankfurt: S. Fischer, 1986. From the critical edition of Hofmannsthal’s works–what has been called the “gold standard” for Hofmannsthal scholars, who are its intended audience. The complete genesis of the text is traced in detail through all its stages, with all drafts and variants. With notes, photographs, correspondence, etc. |
| Artemis | ——. Der Rosenkavalier, ed. Dieter Lamping with Frank Zipfel. In Dramen und Opernlibretti, vol. 2 of Hofmannsthal: Gesammelte Werke. Düsseldorf and Zurich: Artemis und Winkler, 2004. |
| Reclam | ——. Der Rosenkavalier, ed. Katharina Hottmann. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2008. With footnotes on foreign and difficult words, an afterword, and a bibliography. |
| Pahlen | Pahlen, Kurt. Richard Strauss: “Der Rosenkavalier.” Opern der Welt. Munich, Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, 1980. Text and running commentary, on facing pages. There are numerous comments on the music, with notated examples, and notes on difficult words. |
| Fassungen | Schuh, Willi, ed. “Der Rosenkavalier”: Fassungen; Filmszenarium; Briefe. Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1971. The text is based on the orchestral score. Discrepancies with the book edition are noted, in a less complicated form than in the Sämtliche Werke volume. Also: correspondence, photographs, and on the endpapers and slipcase, costume sketches (the book is very attractive from a visual standpoint). |
| Text | Outlines | Drafts | Act2 | Essays | Film Scenario | Production Book | |
| Fürstner | L | ||||||
| GW | Book | • | • | • | • | ||
| SW | Orch | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| Artemis | Book | ||||||
| Reclam | Orch | • | |||||
| Pahlen | Orch | ||||||
| Fassungen | Orch | • | • | • | • | • |
Der Rosenkavalier - Guide to Research 