''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.'']
See also
*
Zigeunerlieder (Brahms)
*
Hungarian Dances (Brahms)
The ''Hungarian Dances'' () by Johannes Brahms ( WoO 1), are a set of 21 lively dance tunes based mostly on Hungarian themes, completed in 1879. They vary from about a minute to five minutes in length. They are among Brahms's most popular wo ...
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.
Further reading
* Stark, Lucien. 1998. ''Brahms’s Vocal Duets and Quartets with Piano: A Guide with Full Texts and Translations''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. .
External links
*
Rehearsal Information for The Napa Valley Chorale 2006using a recording with four solo voices
Free scores at th
Brahms Institut
{{Italic title
Lieder composed by Johannes Brahms
1874 compositions
Waltzes