Vater und Sohn / Father and Son Lyrics — Artus Excalibur

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• Work: Artus - Excalibur (world premiere: March 15, 2014, Theater St. Gallen)
• Who sings: Artus and Ector
• Scene job: grief duet that lands after the wedding attack, with Ector dying in Artus' arms
• Musical shape: quiet memory images that swell into a last vow, then collapse back into breath
• Recorded reference: the concept album released April 3, 2014, tied to the St. Gallen production

Artus - Excalibur (2014) - stage musical - non-diegetic. This number sits in the harshest corner of Act II: the wedding festivities have barely cooled when the assassination attempt reveals a second target. Ector is mortally wounded. Artus drops the kingly posture and becomes a son again, right there on the floor of his own celebration.

What makes "Vater und Sohn / Father and Son" sting is its refusal to decorate tragedy. It is not a heroic farewell. It is two people trying to hold onto the smallest, most ordinary memories while the plot keeps shouting about crowns and war. The sea imagery in the text is a smart choice: Camelot is loud, political, and crowded, but the shoreline is private. That is where the song goes. If you have ever watched someone you love fade out mid-sentence, the pacing of this duet will feel uncomfortably familiar.

Creation History

The show was built for Theater St. Gallen with music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Robin Lerner, and German translation by Nina Schneider. The St. Gallen concept recording followed quickly after the premiere, and the album presentation leaned into pop-rock polish with Celtic and Irish folk color, as described in the release notes. In that larger sonic world, this duet is the deliberate dimmer switch: the arrangement leaves space for the words and for the silence between them.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Artus has just married Guinevere, and the court is in full celebration. Loth's men strike. The attempt on the king fails, but the damage lands anyway: Ector has been fatally injured. Artus, who has already been shaken by secrets about his origin, now loses the one steady parent figure he trusted. The next story beat is predictable in the oldest way: grief turns into rage, and rage points toward war.

Song Meaning

The meaning is simple and brutal: this is the last honest moment Artus gets before he has to become a wartime king. Ector is not handing over a moral lecture. He is trying to leave Artus with a small, human anchor - the bond they actually lived, not the bloodline argument that keeps circling the legend. The mood is hushed, almost suspended. Even when the melody rises, it feels like a final attempt to stay upright.

Annotations

"Meine Verwundung ist bedeutungslos, wenn ich hoere, wie du mich Vater nennst"

Ector chooses language over heroics. The wound does not matter, the name does. In a story full of prophecy and weapons, this line drags the focus back to a plain truth: the title "father" is earned by care, not by lineage.

"Einst in das Licht auf die Wellen - der Tag war so freundlich und hell"

That seaside picture is a memory you can stage without clutter: one soft light cue, one pause in the orchestra, and suddenly Camelot disappears. The lyric also hints at time accelerating, which is what grief does. One moment you are young. Then you blink and you are old.

"Komm noch einmal mit dorthin, zu dem stillen Platz am Meer"

Artus is bargaining in plain sight. He cannot stop death, so he tries to move the scene somewhere else. The "still place" is a fantasy exit ramp: away from court, away from duty, away from the crown that keeps taking things.

Sound and staging cues

Rhythm: The vocal lines sit close to speech, then stretch into longer tones when the characters get trapped in memory. It is a neat way of showing shock turning into acceptance.

Instrumentation: In a score described as pop supported by Celtic and Irish folk color, this track pulls back. When the texture thins, the duet feels exposed, like the castle walls have vanished.

Emotional arc: tenderness, denial, then that final narrowing where the body gives up. No big flourish, just a quiet ending that makes the next war decision feel personal.

Technical Information (Quick Facts)

• Song: Vater und Sohn (alternate title: Father and Son)
• Artist: St. Gallen premiere cast (roles: Artus and Ector)
• Featured: Duet
• Composer: Frank Wildhorn
• Lyricist: Robin Lerner
• Book: Ivan Menchell
• German translation: Nina Schneider
• Arrangements and orchestrations: Koen Schoots
• Release Date: April 3, 2014 (concept recording release)
• Genre: Musical theatre; ballad
• Instruments: Orchestra and band (cast recording context)
• Label: Prestige Classics Vienna (manufacturer listed for the CD release)
• Mood: Grief-struck, intimate, resolute
• Length: 3:05
• Track #: Disc 2 track 3 (common listings place it early in Act II)
• Language: German
• Album: Artus - Excalibur - Das Musical (St. Gallen concept recording)
• Music style: Pop-rooted theatre writing with folk color in the broader score
• Poetic meter: Accentual, speech-led verse that opens into longer sustained lines

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sings this song in the musical?

It is a duet between Artus and Ector.

Where does it happen in the story?

It takes place in Act II after the wedding celebration turns violent and Ector is revealed to be mortally wounded.

Why is the duet such a turning point for Artus?

Because it strips away the king narrative and leaves him with personal loss. The next steps toward war stop being abstract politics.

What does the sea imagery do for the scene?

It creates a private world inside a public tragedy, a place where Artus can imagine he is only a son again.

Is the focus on bloodline or upbringing?

Upbringing. The lyric keeps returning to the lived bond, not the origin story.

Is there an official English recording called "Father and Son"?

The English title is commonly used in listings, but the most documented released version tied to the 2014 St. Gallen recording is in German.

How long is the track on the CD release?

Common CD listings report 3:05.

Which performers are tied to the 2014 St. Gallen premiere roles?

Listings for the premiere cast name Patrick Stanke as Artus and Alexander Bellinkx as Ector.

Does the song connect directly to the next number?

Yes. The duet sets up Artus' shift into vengeance and the war-facing material that follows.

Awards and Chart Positions

There is no reliable, separate single-chart history broadly documented for this track by itself. What is well sourced is the launch of the St. Gallen concept recording: Playbill reported the album entered the No. 1 slot on both Amazon and iTunes in Germany at release on April 3, 2014.

Additional Info

I keep coming back to how the song undercuts spectacle. This show can do sword-stone destiny and big ensemble thunder, but here it chooses the smallest language possible: a name, a memory, a shoreline. That decision also makes the later war material harsher. Once you have heard Artus plead for "one more time" with the person who raised him, the crown starts to feel less like a prize and more like a burden that collects bodies.

Key Contributors

Sources

Sources: Playbill (Michael Gioia, April 3, 2014), German Wikipedia (Artus - Excalibur), English Wikipedia (Artus-Excalibur), HitSquad Records product description, LyricTranslate (Vater und Sohn), YouTube upload listing