Two Motets, Op. 74 (Brahms)
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Two Motets (''Zwei Motetten''), Op. 74, are two sacred
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...
s for unaccompanied mixed choir 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 ...
, published together. Number 1, composed in 1877 in several movements, is ''Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen?'' (Why has light been given to the weary of soul?), based on Biblical texts and a
chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...
. Number 2, believed to have been composed in 1863/64, is ''O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf'', containing different settings of the
stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...
s of Friedrich von Spee's "
O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf "" (O Saviour, tear open the heavens) is a Christian Advent song. The text was first printed in 1622, attributed to Friedrich Spee; the melody was first printed in 1666. History "" was first published in Würzburg in the collection ''Das Al ...
" (O Saviour, tear open the heavens). The two motets were published by N. Simrock in December 1878 and dedicated to
Philipp Spitta Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 – 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life He was born in , near Hoya, and his father, also called Phili ...
.


History

Brahms composed the two motets based on Biblical texts and chorales but without a liturgical occasion in mind. He first wrote ''O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf'' as individual settings of the five
stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...
s of Friedrich von Spee's
Advent song Advent songs () are songs and hymns intended for Advent, the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Topics of the time of expectation are the hope for a Messiah, prophecies, and the symbolism of light, among others. Several of the songs are part o ...
"
O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf "" (O Saviour, tear open the heavens) is a Christian Advent song. The text was first printed in 1622, attributed to Friedrich Spee; the melody was first printed in 1666. History "" was first published in Würzburg in the collection ''Das Al ...
", possibly in 1863/64. In Pörtschach in 1877, he wrote ''Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen?''. As was the case for his earlier ''
Ein deutsches Requiem ''A German Requiem, to Words of the Holy Scriptures'', Op. 45 () by Johannes Brahms, is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and soprano and baritone soloists, composed between 1865 and 1868. It comprises seven movements, which together l ...
'', he chose biblical texts from the
Book of Job The Book of Job (), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The language of the Book of Job, combining post-Babylonia ...
, the
Book of Lamentations The Book of Lamentations (, , from its incipit meaning "how") is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In the Hebrew Bible, it appears in the Ketuvim ("Writings") as one of the Five Megillot ("Five Scroll ...
, and the
Epistle of James The Epistle of James is a Catholic epistles, general epistle and one of the 21 epistles (didactic letters) in the New Testament. It was written originally in Koine Greek. The epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience. It survives in manusc ...
. In the manner of
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
, he ended the motet with a
chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...
, the first stanza of Luther's "
Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin "" (; In peace and joy I now depart) is a hymn by Martin Luther, a paraphrase in German of the , the canticle of Simeon. Luther wrote the text and melody, Zahn No. 3986, in 1524 and it was first published in the same year. Originally a song ...
". The two motets were published together by N. Simrock in December 1878, with a dedication to
Philipp Spitta Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 – 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life He was born in , near Hoya, and his father, also called Phili ...
. The motets have been performed and published individually.


Themes and movements

Brahms structured the motet that was printed first (i.e. Warum ist das Licht gegeben) in four movements, three on Biblical verses in Martin Luther's translation, and, as a closing
chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...
, the first stanza from Luther's hymn "Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin". The first movement is based on a longer biblical passage, , full of existential questions about the misery of human life. The first line is translated as "Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul" in the
King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...
(KJV). The second movement sets a short line, , a request to turn to God, in the KJV "Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens." The third movement uses , which is a commentary on the book of Job, recalling his patience and calling those happy who endure (KJV: "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.")


No. 1, Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen?

# Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen? ''Langsam und ausdrucksvoll'', D minor # Lasset uns unser Herz samt den Händen aufheben. ''Wenig bewegter'', F major # Siehe wir preisen selig, die erduldet haben. ''Langsam und sanft'', C major # Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr' dahin (chorale), D dorian


No. 2, O Heiland, reiß' die Himmel auf

# First stanza, ''Tempo giusto'', F dorian # Second stanza, ''Tempo giusto'', F dorian # Third stanza, ''Tempo giusto'', F dorian # Fourth stanza, ''Adagio'', C minor # Fifth stanza, ''Allegro'', F dorian


Music

Brahms wrote No. 1 in memory of Hermann Göß, who had suffered from an illness for years and died prematurely. Brahms used material from a Latin mass, Missa canonica, which he had begun in 1856. He inserted a fugue for the first movement and a canon for six voices in the second movement. The motet begins with two settings of the question "Warum?" (Why?) in homophony, the first time strong and the second time soft and diminishing. The motif reappears with slight changes to the expression, structuring the sections of the first movement and ending it.


References


Literature

* Michael Heinemann: ''Zwei Motetten für gemischten Chor a cappella op. 74''. In: Wolfgang Sandberger (ed.): ''Brahms-Handbuch.'' Metzler, Weimar 2009, pp. 309–311.


External links

* * *
Two Motets for Mixed Chorus, Op. 74
(listening guide, recording by the
NDR Chor The NDR Chor (North German Radio Choir) is the choir of the German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), based in Hamburg. It was founded in 1946, with Max Thurn as the first director of then 55 singers. The group has participated in premiere ...
) kellydeanhansen.com {{authority control Motets by Johannes Brahms 1863 compositions 1877 compositions