"Froh zu sein bedarf es wenig" (It takes little to be happy) is a round in German from the 19th century, composed by .
History The text has been found several times from the 18th century, earliest in 1770 in Christian Felix Weiße's libretto of Johann Adam Hiller's opera Die Jagd.Johann Adam Hiller: Die Jagd. Eine komische Oper. piano reduction. Breitkopf, Leipzig 1771, pp. 88 f. – via Munich Digitization Center
The composition is by August Mühling. He is supposed to published it as part of his Gesänge, Op. 5, but it is not found as part of the first edition of 1812.August Mühling: Sammlung zwey- und dreystimmiger Gesänge: für weibliche Stimmen mit willkührlicher Begleitung des Clavier’s oder Pianofort’s: insbesondere für die höhere Töchterschule zu Nordhausen gesetzt und bestimmt. Nitzsche, Nordhausen 1812
Text and melody
Froh zu sein bedarf es wenig, und wer froh ist, ist ein König! Translation Happiness is cheap a thing, and who's happy, is a king.
Trivia This is a popular birthday party song in German speaking countries. Due to the simplicity of its melody this canon is a staple in German Kindergartens and elementary schools. Rolf Zuckowski has written an audio play about it.Froh zu sein, bedarf es wenig als Hörspiel von Rolf Zuckowski Der title of Hera Lind's 1992 novel Frau zu sein bedarf es wenig references the canon. Die medieval rock band In Extremo modified the text into their 2008 song Frei zu sein (Being Free).
References