The Grice Song Book

Speranza

Geach sings about Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein
Shalom Lappin, of King's College, London, recalls that in 1974 Peter Thomas Geach (if not Herbert Paul Grice) came to the Philosophy Department at Tel Aviv University, where Lappin was a young lecturer.

After Geach's talk, there was a reception at the home of the Chair of the Department.

During the reception, Geach expressed the desire to sing a song that he had composed in German about Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, the debate over definite descriptions, and other matters philosophical.

I recorded the song on a cassette tape, which became part of my collection, and it accompanied me on my wanderings.

It disappeared in our house here for many years until my wife came upon it unexpectedly in a drawer, this past weekend.

Some additional rummaging turned up an old tape deck with stereo speakers, long unused.

Unfortunately the tape had split, but several days of analogue engineering and a transplant to a blank cassette (amazingly, still available at Mapplin, right here on The Strand) managed to restore it.

Lappin has now produced an mp3 file of the recording.

The sound quality is not great, but Geach's lyrics are clear, and he is in fine voice.

Enjoy.

Lappin writes with more information/

Mark Textor points out that Geach's song is apparently based on a poem by Heine.

He has translated the song, sustaining the analogy with the poem.
We include Textor's translation of Geach, a published translation of the Heine poem, and the German original of the poem (all generously provided by Textor), below.

We thank Textor for his insights and his translation.

This would seem to open up new lines of research in Geach scholarship.

Anyone interested in pursuing them (or changing their thesis topic accordingly) should contact Textor.

We  am merely the sound engineer here."


Geach’s Philosophical Take on the ‘Lorelei’

Wittgensteinelei

I know not if there is a reason

why I am so sad at heart

for Frege explains in so many pages that there is a Sinn
but fear weighs heavy when nightfalls

and nothing nothings the No

the peak of the mountain is sparkling

in the furthest Aussersein

the round square twinkles

the King of France is sitting up there

& combing his only hair

with a one tooth comb

& sings a song as well

Which has an enthralling silent melody
In his little boat, Frege hears it with much woe
He does not see the contradictions, he only gazes up the mountain
I believe that the waves will devour Frege and his ship
And this by his song's sheer power

Herr Wittgenstein has done.



----


Lorelei

By Heinrich Heine

Translated by A.Z. Foreman

I know not if there is a reason

Why I am so sad at heart.

A legend of bygone ages

Haunts me and will not depart.

The air is cool under nightfall.

The calm Rhine courses its way.

The peak of the mountain is sparkling

With evening's final ray.

The fairest of maidens is sitting

Unwittingly wondrous up there,

Her golden jewels are shining,

She's combing her golden hair.

The comb she holds is golden,

She sings a song as well

Whose melody binds an enthralling

And overpowering spell.

In his little boat, the boatman

Is seized with a savage woe,

He'd rather look up at the mountain

Than down at the rocks below.

I think that the waves will devour

The boatman and boat as one;

And this by her song's sheer power

Fair Lorelei has done.



The Original:

Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,

Daß ich so traurig bin;

Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,

Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.

Die Luft ist kühl, und es dunkelt,

Und ruhig fließt der Rhein;

Der Gipfel des Berges funkelt

In Abendsonnenschein.

Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet

Dort oben wunderbar,

Ihr goldenes Geschmeide blitzet,

Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar.

Sie kämmt es mit goldenem Kamme

Und singt ein Lied dabei;

Das hat eine wundersame,

Gewaltige Melodei.

Den Schiffer im kleinen Schiffe

Ergreift es mit wildem Weh;

Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,

Er schaut nur hinauf in die Höh'.

Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen

Am Ende Schiffer und Kahn;

Und das hat mit ihrem Singen

Die Lorelei getan.
AND ANOTHER: 

 Geach's text is a parody of Heine's poem.

In fact, Geach is singing his words to the most familiar setting of that poem -- by Friedrich Silcher (1789-1860).

While Geach is indeed in fine voice, one can find on YouTube a recording of Silcher's original by the incomparable Richard Tauber.