''Sechs Lieder'' (Six songs), Op. 4, is a set of six ''

Lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er'' for medium voice and piano by Max Reger. He composed them in Weiden and

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

between 1890 and 1892, and dedicated them to Elisabeth Riemann. They were published by Augener & Co. in London.

History

Reger composed the first song in Weiden in 1890, and the others in 1891 and 1892 in

where he studied at the conservatory from September 1890, composition with Hugo Riemann. Reger dedicated them to the singer Elisabeth Riemann, his teacher's wife. The collection Op. 4 contains the six first of Reger's almost 300 songs, begun when the composer was only 17. The first performance of an unspecified selection of four of them was at the conservatory of Wiesbaden on 8 August 1892, performed by Elisabeth Riemann and the composer. The songs were published by Augener & Co. in London with a translation by C. Hugo Laubach, probably before May 1893. Sophie Schröter and Reger performed songs No. 3, 5 and 6 at the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin on 14 February 1894 in the first documented performance.

Text and music

The texts are poems by five authors: # "Gebet" ( Friedrich Hebbel) # "Widmung" (

Friedrich Rückert Johann Michael Friedrich Rückert (16 May 1788 – 31 January 1866) was a German poet, translation, translator, and professor of Oriental languages. Biography Johann Michael Friedrich Rückert was born 16 May 1788 in Schweinfurt and was the e ...

) # "Winterahnung" (Rückert) # "Im April" ( Emanuel Geibel) # "Der zerrißne Grabkranz" Martin Greif) # "Bitte" (unknown) In 2008, the musicologists Richard Mercier and Donald Nold dedicated a book to Reger's songs. They noted that he chose texts not by literary significance but for their theme and mood. Reger composed individual songs, not

song cycle A song cycle () is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combinat ...

s, and selected for his performances songs from different collections. Most of his songs are through-composed, even when stanzas sometimes begin with the same material. He favours syllabic rendition of the text, which helps its intelligibility. Usually his melodies require an accompaniment for expression. Mercier and Nold noted the collection's variety of mood and tempo. "Gebet" (Prayer) is set as a slow chorale with continuous counterpart lines. "Widmung" (Dedication) is accompanied by triplets reminiscent of Schumann, while "Winterahnung" (Foreboding of winter) is reminiscent of Brahms. "Im April" (In April) has been called "one of Reger's sunniest songs", with lively music in a "rocky" rhythm representing spring. The dark mood of "Der zerrißne Grabkranz" (The broken grave wreath) is expressed in a hesitant slow beginning, accented by chords in the accompaniment. "Bitte" (Request) of "unsettled emotion" comes in phrases of irregular length.

References

Bibliography

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External links

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Mir ist, nun ich dich habe
(Widmung) lieder.net

(Winterahnung) lieder.net

(Im April) lieder.net

lieder.net

lieder.net {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Sechs Lieder'', Op. 4 Lieder composed by Max Reger 1890s songs Musical settings of poems by Friedrich Rückert Musical settings of poems by Emanuel Geibel Musical settings of poems by Friedrich Hebbel