Already in the 1880’s Omar’s quatrains found their way into musical compositions. The oldest one so far is a song cycle by August Riedel: Liebesgesänge (1882) based on the German translation by Friedrich Bodenstedt (1881). A second German composition was done by Felix von Woyrsch: Drie Persische Lieder (1884), also based on Bodenstedt. It was Liza Lehmann’s song-cycle In a Persian Garden (1896) that became very popular. It was performed and recorded many times, even up to our days. Since then a variety of musical styles or genres has been created: modern popular music, classical music, film scores, orchestral works and piano pieces but also jazz, folk and pop songs.
Recently I set up a database Music and more showing about 200 musical compositions inspired by and base on Omar Khayyám’s rubáiyát. The main body consists of classical music. Two smaller databases show compositions and records of non-classical music and narrations of the rubáiyát.
Additions to either of these genres are very welcome. Please use the “Reply-form’ below.