Triumphlied
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The ''Triumphlied'' ( Op. 55) is a work for baritone solo, choir and orchestra by the German composer
Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...
. Brahms wrote the work on the occasion of the German victory in the Franco-Prussian War and dedicated it to emperor Wilhelm I. The text itself emanates from the
Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book o ...
predicting the downfall of Babylon but is consciously reinterpreted into political terms. It premiered on 5 June 1872 in Karlsruhe. Due to its patriotic message bound to the zeitgeist of the
Unification of Germany The unification of Germany (, ) was the process of building the modern German nation state with federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without multinational Austria), which commenced on 18 August 1866 with adoption of ...
, the ''Triumphlied'' lost popularity after
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, despite its musical quality. Today it is one of Brahms's rather unknown œuvres.


History

Brahms began the composition in autumn of 1870 under the impression of German victories during the Franco-Prussian War. The first part was finished after the proclamation of Wilhelm I as emperor. The second and third part were composed after the conclusion of a peace treaty in summer of 1871. The first print of the ''Triumphlied'' was published in 1872. It was dedicated to "His Majesty the German Emperor Wilhelm I reverentially devoted by the composer". Originally Brahms, who admired
Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of ...
, had intended to dedicate the work to both the emperor and the chancellor exalting the "victory of German arms".


Scoring and structure

The ''Triumphlied'' is scored for choir (8 parts), baritone solo and orchestra. The orchestra includes 2 flutes, 2
oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...
s, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 1
contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The reed is cons ...
, 4 horns, 3
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standar ...
s, 3
trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrat ...
s,
tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th&n ...
,
timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditiona ...
s and strings. An organ may be included '' ad libitum''. Performed, the work takes between 22 and 26 minutes.


First movement

:''Halleluja! Heil und Preis, Ehre und Kraft sei Gott unserm Herrn. Denn wahrhaftig und gerecht sind seine Gerichte. Halleluja!'' — :"Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his judgments. Alleluia!" () The movement is marked as "''Lebhaft und feierlich''" (Lively and festive). The
main theme In music, a subject is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based. In forms other than the fugue, this may be known as the theme. Characteristics A subject may be perceivable as a complete m ...
of the first movement is a motivic echo of "'' Heil dir im Siegerkranz''", the unofficial
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europe ...
of the German Empire. Although Brahms only set the first words of Revelations chapter 19 ("For true and righteous are his judgments") to music, the continuation of the biblical text ("For he has judged the great prostitute") — referring to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
— are, however, insinuated in the music which is testified by a handwritten note on Brahms's copy of the score.


Second movement

:''Lobet unsern Gott, alle seine Knechte, und die ihn fürchten, beide, Kleine und Große. Halleluja! Denn der allmächtige Gott hat das Reich eingenommen. Lasset uns freuen und fröhlich sein, und ihm die Ehre geben.'' — :"Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him." () The second movement, moderately animated, starts in G major and consists of three parts. The choir is used in an antiphonal way. In the third part of this movement, Brahms incorporated the famous
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...
"'' Nun danket alle Gott''".


Third movement

:''Und ich sahe den Himmel aufgetan. Und siehe, ein weißes Pferd, und der darauf saß, hieß: Treu und Wahrhaftig, und richtet und streitet mit Gerechtigkeit. Und er tritt die Kelter des Weins des grimmigen Zorns des allmächtigen Gottes. Und hat einen Namen geschrieben auf seinem Kleide, und auf seiner Hüfte, also: Ein König aller Könige, und ein Herr aller Herrn. Halleluja. Amen!'' — :"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Alleluia. Amen!" () Also consisting of three parts, the last movement begins in D minor and ends in D major.


Premiere and publication

The premiere of the first part took place on 7 April 1871 on the occasion of the Good Friday concert "In Memory of those who fell in Battle" in the cathedral of
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...
. The newspaper ''Weser-Zeitung'' wrote that the first part of the ''Triumphlied'' was a "real paean", "worthy of a great nation".M. Kalbeck, S. 359/360 The first performance of the complete work took place on 5 June 1872 in
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the German States of Germany, state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital o ...
. It was published by N. Simrock.


Literature

* Daniel Beller-McKenna: ''Brahms and the German spirit''. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, Mass. u.a., 2004, , p. 98-132. * Klaus Häfner: ''Das „Triumphlied“ op. 55, eine vergessene Komposition von Johannes Brahms''. In: Badische Landesbibliothek Karlsruhe (Hrsg.): Johannes Brahms in Baden-Baden und Karlsruhe, Ausstellungskatalog, Selbstverlag der Bad. Landesbib. Karlsruhe, 1983, , p. 83-102.


References


External links

*
Triumphlied (1871)
Introduction by Daniel Beller-McKenna for American Symphony Orchestra

classicalarchives.com {{Authority control German patriotic songs Compositions by Johannes Brahms