''Neue Liebeslieder'' (New Love Songs), Op. 65, written by

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

, is a collection of Romantic pieces written for four

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

voices and

four hands Piano four hands (, , ) is a type of piano duet involving two players playing the same piano simultaneously. A duet with the players playing separate instruments is generally referred to as a '' piano duo''.Bellingham, Jane"piano duet" ''The O ...

on the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

. They are also known as ''Neue Liebesliederwalzer''. ''Neue Liebeslieder'' were written during the Romantic period between 1869 and 1874. The text of the songs is adapted from folk songs of various areas of Europe including Turkey, Poland, Latvia and Sicily. The text for songs 1 through 14 were translated and compiled by Georg Friedrich Daumer in his poem series, ''Polydora''; the text for the fifteenth and final song, entitled "''Zum Schluß''" ("In Conclusion"), was written by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

. ''Neue Liebeslieder'' were written following the success of the popular ''Liebeslieder Waltzes'', Op. 52.

Musical aspects

The ''Neue Liebeslieder'' differs from the earlier ''Liebeslieder'' in that only seven of its 15 songs are for the ensemble quartet, while seven others are solo songs for individual members of the quartet, and one is for a duo. Throughout the quartet songs, Brahms uses innovative techniques to portray a central idea. For example, in the first song, measures 16–21, he depicts the rocky shores by the repeated cry of "''zertrümmert''", which in English means "wrecked". Brahms also enhances the text "''Well auf Well''" ("wave after wave") with octave leaps in all four parts in measure 4 and 29. In No. 8, Brahms's use of the musical

rest REST (Representational State Transfer) is a software architectural style that was created to describe the design and guide the development of the architecture for the World Wide Web. REST defines a set of constraints for how the architecture of ...

in the middle of the words mixed with the chorus singing ''dolce'' helps to create a gentle atmosphere. The seven solo songs and one duet differ from the quartet songs in that the soloists illustrate different characters who behave in certain ways when it comes to love. The

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

is a female who continuously has no luck when it comes to men; the

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

is depicted as a female who has suddenly abandoned her lover; the

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

is portrayed as a male who is selfish and irresponsible when it comes to sexual relationships with women; and the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

is one who is hopelessly in love with his married lover. The final song in this cycle, "''Zum Schluß''", written for the entire vocal quartet, moves away from the subject of lovers and puts the spotlight on the

muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

s and thanks them for inspiring not only the author (

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

), but also all of the artists in the world. With this change in subject comes the change in meter. When Brahms changes the standard

meter The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

to , the nine beats are grouped into three groups of three; thus, it is a waltz within a waltz. In addition, "''Zum Schluß''" has a Baroque influence in two respects: the music is much more

contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...

than the previous songs in this cycle, and the song is actually a

passacaglia The passacaglia (; ) is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is typically based on a bass- ostinato and written in triple metre. Origin Th ...

, with the theme (F–C–B–A–D–C) running throughout the outer sections. At the climax of this song in measure 16, the piano drops out and the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

sings

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

and moves from the dominant key back to the tonic key of

F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...

. J. A. Fuller Maitland, in '' Grove's Dictionary'', wrote: It is self-evident that ''Zum Schluß'', whose text and music are in stark contrast to all of the other waltzes in both Op. 52 and Op. 65, is a personal statement by Brahms, who throughout the troubled relationships in his life (''sich Jammer und Glück wechseln in liebender Brust'') found solace in music (''Linderung kommt einzig, ihr usen von euch'').Swafford, Jan, 1999. ''Johannes Brahms: A Biography.''

References

* Fuller Maitland, J. A. 1904. "Brahms, Johannes". ''Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', edited by J. A. Fuller Maitland, M.A., F.S.A. in five volumes, 1:382–91. London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd.; New York: The Macmillan Company.

External links

*
Rehearsal Information for The Napa Valley Chorale 2006

using a recording with four solo voices

Free scores at th
Brahms Institut
{{Italic title Lieder composed by Johannes Brahms 1874 compositions Waltzes

Musical aspects

See also

References

Further reading

External links