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

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 ...

, is a collection of Romantic pieces written for four

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

voices and

four hands 'Four Hands' is a Taiwanese drama directed by You-Ning Lee, starring Wu Hsing-kuo. The movie premiered on 12 October 2014 in Taiwan. The story depicts a veteran of the Republic of China Army from Shantung who settled in Taiwan, separated from his ...

on the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. 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 Georg Friedrich Daumer (Nuremberg, 5 March 1800 – Würzburg, 14 December 1875) was a German poet and philosopher. He was educated at the gymnasium of his native city, at that time directed by the famous philosopher Hegel. In 1817 he entered th ...

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 poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

. ''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 Ensemble may refer to: Art * Architectural ensemble * ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album * Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary * Ensemble cast (drama, comedy) * Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the chorus * ''En ...

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 Measure may refer to: * Measurement, the assignment of a number to a characteristic of an object or event Law * Ballot measure, proposed legislation in the United States * Church of England Measure, legislation of the Church of England * Measu ...

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 or REST may refer to: Relief from activity * Sleep ** Bed rest * Kneeling * Lying (position) * Sitting * Squatting position Structural support * Structural support ** Rest (cue sports) ** Armrest ** Headrest ** Footrest Arts and enter ...

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 female 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 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

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 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

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

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

is portrayed as a male who is selfish and irresponsible when it comes to sexual relationships with women; and the bass 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 mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

s and thanks them for inspiring not only the author (

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

), 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 (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

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, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

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 often based on a bass- ostinato and written in triple metre. Origin The t ...

, 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) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

sings

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

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

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

. 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