Und wenn meine Tränen

es nicht schaffen können,

wie sie immer strömen,
wie sie immer brennen,
wird mein Liebster kommen
und mir Wasser bringen,
wird sich Meereswasser
aus den Locken ringen.

Denn er liegt da unten

in des Meeres Grunde,
und wenn ihm die Wogen
rauschen diese Kunde,
dass ich hier soll freien
und ihm treulos werden,
aus der Tiefe steigt er
auf zur bösen Erden.

In die Kirche soll ich --

nun, ich will ja kommen,
will mich fromm gesellen
zu den andern Frommen.
Lasst mich am Altare
still vorüberziehen;
denn dort ist mein Plätzchen,
wo die Witwen knien.

English Translation

0:00 [m. 1]--Stanza 1, lines 1-2. The first two lines are sung in block harmony
with six notes to each line in the 3/2 meter. The altos are in unison, so the
harmony
is in three parts. The altos remain static on the keynote D for eight notes before
jumping down. The sopranos sharply rise and fall in the second line. The steady
motion and minor key create a sense of resigned melancholy. The piano simply plays
a rising octave under each line, the second with harmony above it.
0:09 [m. 3]--Stanza 1, lines 3-4. The next two lines are still set in groups of
six steadily moving chords, but the meter changes to 4/4. This allows there to be
a two-beat break between each line, during which the piano overlaps with the end
of the line for a descending bridge figure that has an unsettling, interrupting
character.
The voices swell in both pitch and volume on each line, and the altos split for
the last three notes of each line. The fourth line makes a strong motion to C
major.

0:17 [m. 7]--Stanza 1, lines 5-8. The remaining four lines return to the steady,
static motion with no breaks between the lines, and the meter changes back to 3/2.
All four lines remain at a quiet level, matching the static motion with static
dynamics.
On the last line, the meter changes again to two bars of 4/4 simply to allow two
beats of rest at the end. The altos are in unison for the first two lines,
splitting
rather dramatically for the end of the third (seventh) line and the last line. The
first sopranos have a very sad chromatic note (E-flat ) at the top of the final
line.
The piano now participates fully, the left hand doubling the alto (and second
alto)
line throughout. The right hand plays a group of two chords for the second and
third
beats of the first three lines, then doubles the parts more fully on the last line.

0:31 [m. 1]--Stanza 2, lines 1-2, as at 0:00. Because Müller’s poem consistently
holds to the six-syllable lines in all stanzas, no change in declamation is needed
between the stanzas.
0:37 [m. 3]--Stanza 2, lines 3-4 in 4/4, as at 0:09.
0:46 [m. 7]--Stanza 2, lines 5-8, as at 0:17.
1:00 [m. 1]--Stanza 3, lines 1-2, as at 0:00 and 0:31.
1:07 [m. 3]--Stanza 3, lines 3-4, as at 0:09 and 0:37.
1:16 [m. 7]--Stanza 3, lines 5-8, as at 0:17 and 0:46.
1:30 [m. 1]--Stanza 4, lines 1-2, as at 0:00, 0:31, and 1:00.
1:37 [m. 3]--Stanza 4, lines 3-4, as at 0:09, 0:37, and 1:07.
1:46 [m. 7]--Stanza 4, lines 5-8, as at 0:17, 0:46, and 1:16. The voices slow
slightly
at the end.
2:02--END OF SONG [11 mm. (x4)]

12. Märznacht (March Night). Text by Johann Ludwig Uhland. Poco Allegro. Two-
part
sectional form with double canons. B-FLAT MINOR—B-FLAT MAJOR, 6/4 time.

German Text:
Horch! wie brauset der Sturm und der schwellende Strom in der Nacht hin!
Schaurig süßes Gefühl! lieblicher Frühling, du nahst!

English Translation

0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The first section in B-flat minor sets the first large line
in an elaborate double canon (direct imitation) in three-bar units. It begins with
the first sopranos, imitated a half-bar later by the first altos a fifth lower.
The line has an opening note, then a leap up to a faster descending chromatic line.
The canon continues through “Sturm” before the second sopranos and second altos
enter. The first sopranos make it through “und der.” The lines have an unsettled,
windswept quality, which is enhanced by the piano part. In this song, the piano
does not follow the vocal lines at all, but plays a series of sweeping accompanying
arpeggios, passed between the hands, which frequently dovetail with one another.

0:08 [m. 4]--The second sopranos and second altos enter with the same canon at the
fifth heard in the first parts, three bars after each respective first part. The
second sopranos imitate the first sopranos exactly, at the same pitches, as the
second
altos also imitate the first altos exactly. The first parts now break their canon
with each other, joining together in harmonic arching motion on “und der
schwellende
Strom,” where the first altos catch up to the first sopranos and bring the line to
a close. Meanwhile, the second parts continue their precise imitation of the first
parts, reaching the same point the first parts did before they entered, just as the
first parts complete the line together.
0:13 [m. 7]--The first parts begin again with the same lines heard at the
beginning.
They only continue through “Sturm” as the second parts complete the line as the
first parts had previously done, remaining in direct imitation of their respective
first parts throughout. Thus, these three measures are essentially a precise
repetition
of the last three measures (mm. 4-6), but the piano accompaniment is thinned out
slightly and the dynamic level decreases and begins to wind down. The first parts
drop out after completing their initial canon at the fifth on the word “Sturm,” the
first sopranos dropping out first.
0:19 [m. 10]--As the first altos come to a close, the second sopranos, followed by
the second altos, also repeat the first three bars of imitation at the fifth, but
in isolation, as the first parts had been at the beginning. They quietly wind
down,
closing on “Sturm.” The piano drops out in the last two bars. Both second parts
complete a full imitation of the first parts. As the second altos bring the
section
to a close, they lead directly into the shift to B-flat major for the second part,
which sets the second long line.
0:25 [m. 13]--Part 2. The shift to major has occurred, but the change in character
only happens gradually. Similar to Part 1, the first sopranos begin, followed by
the first altos a half-bar later. Although both parts begin with a descending
chromatic
line, they are no longer in direct imitation. The first altos begin a sixth lower,
and the motion is completely different in each part on “süßes Gefühl.” The piano
now changes from arpeggios to an oscillating motion, at first in the right hand
only,
and the dynamic trajectory is reversed from Part 1. This section begins quietly
and steadily builds.
0:32 [m. 16]--The second parts enter. As in the first section, they imitate their
respective first parts exactly, on the same pitches. The first parts diverge
widely
from each other, however. The first sopranos reach a held high note on “Frühling”
while the first altos continue with descending chromatic motion. The first parts
complete the line at the same time, while the second parts continue their direct
imitation of them, reaching the point in their musical lines where they had entered
against the first parts. The piano becomes thicker, subtly adding long B-flats in
the left hand and fuller oscillating harmonies in the right.
0:38 [m. 19]--As in Part 1, the first parts begin their lines again as the second
parts complete their imitation. This time, however, they do not break off, and
continue
with their lines after the second parts reach the conclusion. The piano builds
more,
with the left hand moving an octave lower.
0:44 [m. 22]--The second parts also begin a full repetition as the first parts,
unlike
their process in the first section, complete their second statement fully. Thus,
the sections at 0:32 [m. 16], 0:38 [m. 19], and 0:44 [m.22] are essentially
repetitions
of the same music with the parts exchanging, the only real change being in the
building
volume and strengthening piano part, whose bass B-flat now moves down another
octave.

0:50 [m. 25]--The first parts have completed their second statement and now add
totally
new lines on “lieblicher Frühling, du nahst!” as the second sopranos complete their
line. The second altos change their conclusion slightly to make it more conducive
to a full cadence, replacing their ascent on “Frühling, du nahst!” with a leap down
to a held B-flat and cutting the word “lieblicher.” This final phrase is rich and
full. The new line in the first altos is particularly interesting. Under the
voices,
now harmonizing fully, the piano reaches an ecstatic motion with full oscillating
chords in the right hand. The left hand also oscillates with a broken octave above
its low B-flat. The joyous conclusion, which slows at the final cadence, contrasts
sharply with the unsettled opening, although the motion throughout the song has
been
a continuous, swelling stream (matching the “schwellende Strom” of the text). The
loud-soft-loud dynamic arc, reaching its quiet point at the shift from minor to
major
at Part 2, is also masterfully constructed.
1:04--END OF SONG [27 mm.]
END OF SET

BRAHMS LISTENING GUIDES HOMEEIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM (A GERMAN REQUIEM) TO WORDS OF

HOLY SCRIPTURE FOR TWO SOLOISTS, CHORUS, AND ORCHESTRA, OP. 45
Recording: Barbara Bonney, soprano (5th Mvt.); Andreas Schmidt, baritone (3rd and
6th Mvts.); Rudolf Scholz, organ; Concert Chorus of the Vienna State Opera (Chorus
master: Walter Hagen-Groll); Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini
[DG 449 651-2]
Published 1868.

In terms of both length and musical content, the German Requiem is Brahms’s largest
single work. Deeply moving, profound, and powerful, its status as one of the
greatest
monuments of choral music, especially among its nineteenth-century peers, is
unchallenged.
Surprisingly, this magnum opus is a relatively early composition, falling firmly
in the second period, the “first maturity.” It is an oratorio, a choral setting
of biblical texts, and has little to do with the Latin Requiem Mass. Brahms, whose
religious views were complex and skeptical, nonetheless knew his Bible very well.
He assembled a text using the Old and New Testaments and even two verses from the
Apocrypha. They are meant primarily as a consolation for mourning survivors, but
also contain much hope and blessing for the departed, particularly in the last two
movements. Written in stages between 1865 and 1868, its final form is nearly
symmetrical.
The first and seventh movements have similar texts, and the musical material of
the first subtly takes over the ending of the seventh, so that both movements end
in the same way. The second and sixth movements are grand and epic, with huge
major-key
closing sections after darker minor-key main sections. The closing section of the
sixth movement is among his grandest creations. It is largely constructed as a
fugue,
but not slavishly. A true fugue occurs at the end of the third movement, one
constructed
with a very special characteristic--an unchanging bass pedal tone. He had
considerable
trouble getting the orchestra in the first performance to execute this correctly.
The prominent role of a baritone soloist in the first part of the movement (he is
also heard in a smaller role in the sixth) is balanced by the soprano solo in the
“opposite” fifth movement. This fifth movement, among his most beautiful
creations,
was the last composed, a late addition to a work that had already premiered in six
movements. Finally, the popular fourth movement is like a central character piece.
The work was doubtless inspired by the death of his mother in 1865, an event that
may have also precipitated the addition of the fifth movement, whose choral words
(never sung by the soloist) make prominent maternal references. The Requiem is his
first work for chorus and full orchestra. He had not yet written a symphony, and
it served as a further study in orchestration, particularly in the use of brass and
timpani. The first movement famously omits violins (a device earlier used in his
second orchestral serenade). Brahms also scores for harp, an instrument he rarely
employed. Here, it is used sparingly, but to great effect, most notably at the end
of the first and last movements. It is of interest that the choral parts never
split,
so the choral texture never has more than four voices in harmony or counterpoint.
Note: The texts below are the German Luther Bible text used by Brahms. The King
James Version is used as a comparable Reformation-era English text. Lines are
matched
as closely as possible. Verses are numbered differently in Psalms 39 and 84.
Scriptural
references are listed in both German and English.

IMSLP WORK PAGE

ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (First Edition from Brahms-Institut Lübeck--Note that
soprano,
alto, and tenor clefs are used in the voice parts.)
ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (From Breitkopf & Härtel Sämtliche Werke)
ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (Edition Eulenburg, edited by Siegfried Ochs):
First Movement (with introductory material)
Second Movement
Third Movement
Fourth Movement
Fifth Movement
Sixth Movement
Seventh Movement

1st Movement: “Selig sind, die da Leid tragen” (“Blessed are they that mourn”).
Ziemlich langsam und mit Ausdruck (Rather slow and with expression). Ternary form.
F MAJOR, 4/4 time.

German Text:
--Selig sind, die da Leid tragen,
denn sie sollen getröstet werden.
--Matthäus 5:4
--Die mit Tränen säen,
werden mit Freuden ernten.
--Sie gehen hin und weinen
und tragen edlen Samen,
und kommen mit Freuden
und bringen ihre Garben.
--Psalm 126:5, 6
English Text: