FIVE SONGS (LIEDER), OP.

49
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Daniel Barenboim, piano [DG 449 633-2]
Published 1868.

The concluding group of Brahms’s first “multi-opus” song publication happens to

include
the most famous and familiar of all his pieces. Almost everybody recognizes the
melody of the Lullaby (“Wiegenlied”), the fourth song of the set. In fact, if
somebody
knows a single tune of Brahms, but no other, this, and not the “big tune” in the
First Symphony’s finale (a distant second at best), is most likely it. Arranged
endlessly over the years in both vocal and instrumental versions, often with the
elimination of the subtle and symbolic counter-melody in the accompaniment, the
song
may actually be a novelty in its original form. Unusually, it carries a dedication
within the opus, to Bertha Faber, a close friend and former romantic interest. She
and her husband remained trusted confidants, and the Lullaby was composed for their
first child (although to make it universal, Brahms made sure it was appropriate for
babies of either gender). The counter-melody, disguised in syncopation, is a love
song Brahms once heard Bertha sing. The second verse, not part of the original
Wunderhorn
text, was added after the first publication, giving the song much-needed additional
length. The first three songs are also largely folk-based. Like the Lullaby, all
four of the remaining songs have interesting piano parts. “Am Sonntag Morgen” is
brief, popular, heartbreaking, and effective. “An ein Veilchen,” to an excellent
poem (actually an adaptation) by Hölty, makes a remarkable and rapid shift from
delicate
rapture to desolate grief. The central “Sehnsucht” is evocative and virtuosic, if
overwrought, and its effectiveness is diminished by an overuse of the top vocal
pitch.
These first three songs all have brief changes of meter, an unusual connection.
The utterly profound closing song, retaining the 3/4 meter of the Lullaby, almost
seems like an “adult” response to the cradle song. Brahms followed the pattern of
Op. 48 in closing a group of mostly folk-based songs with an extended and
sophisticated
setting of a text by Schack. He would also use Schack as a capstone for Op. 58.
“Abenddämmerung” has one of the finest and most original of all his piano
accompaniments
to songs. It perfectly captures the poem’s nostalgic essence. The long song never
really moves above a volume level of piano.

Note: Links to English translations of the texts are from Emily Ezust's site at
http://www.recmusic.org/lieder.
For the most part, the translations are line-by-line, except where the difference
between German and English syntax requires slight alterations to the contents of
certain lines. The German texts (included here) are also visible in the
translation
links.

IMSLP WORK PAGE

ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (First Edition from Brahms-Institut Lübeck--original keys;
does not include the second verse of No. 4, but indicates a repetition of the first
verse)
ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (From Breitkopf & Härtel Sämtliche Werke--original keys;
includes the second verse of No. 4 with repeat sign)
ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (Edition Peters, edited by Max Friedländer):
No. 1: Am Sonntag Morgen (in original key, E minor)
No. 1: Am Sonntag Morgen (in middle key, C-sharp minor)
No. 1: Am Sonntag Morgen (in low key, B minor)
No. 2: An ein Veilchen (in original key, E major)
No. 2: An ein Veilchen (in middle key, D major)
No. 2: An ein Veilchen (in low key, C major)
No. 3: Sehnsucht (in original key, A-flat major)
No. 3: Sehnsucht (in low key, F major)
No. 4: Wiegenlied (in original [middle] key, E-flat major; includes second verse
on new music staves)
No. 4: Wiegenlied (in high key, F major; includes second verse on new music staves)

No. 4: Wiegenlied (in low key, D-flat major; includes second verse on new music
staves)

No. 5: Abenddämmerung (in original key, E major)

No. 5: Abenddämmerung (in low key, D major)

1. Am Sonntag Morgen (On Sunday Morning). Text by Paul Heyse, after an Italian
popular
song (from the Italienisches Liederbuch). Andante espressivo. Through-composed
binary form. E MINOR, 2/4 time with one 3/4 measure (Middle key C-sharp minor, low
key B minor).

German Text:
Am Sonntag Morgen, zierlich angetan,
Wohl weiß ich, wo du da bist hingegangen,
Und manche Leute waren, die dich sah’n,
Und kamen dann zu mir, dich zu verklagen.
Als sie mir’s sagten, hab’ ich laut gelacht,
Und in der Kammer dann geweint zur Nacht.
Als sie mir’s sagten, fing ich an zu singen,
Um einsam dann die Hände wund zu ringen.

English Translation

0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. Lines 1-2. The piano gives a very brief introduction of an
accented octave, then the same together with the clashing notes a step below. The
vocal line has a halting long-short rhythm with rests in the middle of the words
“Sonntag” and “Morgen.” The piano also has a long-short rhythm in the left hand,
but the right hand fills the gaps. The piano figures are detached, harmonized
(beginning
in thirds), and hushed. The first line ends with a leap and a smooth descent,
which
is echoed a step higher by the piano (over the continuing detached pattern). The
second line comes to a questioning close after an ascent in half-steps, and the
piano
rounds it off with a similar smooth descending line.
0:18 [m. 8]--Lines 3-4. Line 3 is set to the same music as line 1. Line 4 is set
a third higher than its analogous counterpart, line 2, underscoring the troubling
accusation. The end of the line comes to a desolate full cadence. At that point,
the accompaniment makes a transition with smooth rising lines in the right hand.

0:31 [m. 14]--Part 2. Lines 5-6. Brahms marks the shift to the singer’s internal
dialogue with an artful intensification. The vocal line is marked animato. The
halting uncertainty is abandoned in favor of a soaring, anguished line 5 that
reaches
a high F-sharp over “dominant” harmony. The piano changes to a rippling
accompaniment
with triplet rhythm in an internal voice, creating two-against-three tension with
the singer and left hand. At the high point, the left hand begins to play
arpeggios
in the triplet rhythm. Line 6 settles to another chromatically-tinged close.
Here,
the right hand harmonizes the voice in thirds, but the left hand remains in triplet
rhythm, playing wide-ranging rising broken octaves, leaving out the first note of
each triplet figure. The bridge to the next line briefly returns to the detached
accompaniment from Part 1.
0:43 [m. 19]--Lines 7-8. Line 7 begins like line 5, but it leaps a step higher,
reaching G over a striking harmonic detour through C major. Line 8 corresponds to
line 6, but it is greatly stretched out, soaring up to a lamenting high A on
“Hände.”
This is prolonged by the insertion of a 3/4 measure at this climax. The
accompaniment
follows the model of line 6, including the harmonization in thirds and the upward-
leaping
broken triplets, now including smaller intervals (fifths and sixths) as well as
octaves.
The 3/4 measure also delays the last vocal cadence.
0:54 [m. 23]--Cadence and postlude. The piano postlude overlaps with the final
crying
vocal cadence. The right hand, still harmonized in thirds, echoes these last vocal
phrases, while the left hand continues the broken triplet-rhythm leaps (now
including
various intervals). A biting dissonance is introduced after the singer concludes.
The right hand gradually works its way downward and recedes. The last cadences,
the second an octave lower than the first, continue the quiet, but agitated motion
in a middle voice under longer gestures.
1:15--END OF SONG [27 mm.]

2. An ein Veilchen (To a Violet). Text by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty, after
an Italian poem by Giovanni Battista Zappi. Andante. Sehr zart (Very tenderly).
Through-composed form with partial return. E MAJOR, 6/8 time with three 9/8
measures
(Middle key D major, low key C major).

German Text:
Birg, o Veilchen, in deinem blauen Kelche,
Birg die Tränen der Wehmut, bis mein Liebchen
Diese Quelle besucht! Entpflückt sie lächelnd
Dich dem Rasen, die Brust mit dir zu schmücken.
O dann schmiege dich ihr ans Herz, und sag ihr,
Daß die Tropfen in deinem blauen Kelche
Aus der Seele des treu’sten Jünglings flossen,
Der sein Leben verweinet, und den Tod wünscht.

English Translation

0:00 [m. 1]--The piano begins the rippling accompaniment, whose figures gently
tumble
downward in the 6/8 meter over bass downbeats. The voice enters in the third
measure,
singing the first line to a lilting melody that leaps up, then down, then back up,
reaching a high point on “Kelche.” The phrase continues with the first clause of
the second line. This descends toward the related minor key, C-sharp, but moves
beyond that key, reaching a half-close in G-sharp major. A brief piano echo, with
harmonies above the rippling accompaniment, quickly moves back toward the home key.

0:20 [m. 12]--The singer settles back into the home key, completing the second line
and, following the enjambment in the poem, flowing right into the third line up to
the end of the exclamation. This phrase descends toward a warm cadence. The piano
doubles the vocal line, adding harmonies of thirds and sixths over the continuation
of the gently tumbling accompaniment.
0:27 [m. 16]--The cadence leads into two dolce bars of the rippling accompaniment.
The voice enters with the next phrase, which again follows the enjambment of the
poem by completing the third line and beginning the fourth. It is sung in two
segments
separated by a “bridging” measure in the piano. The first of these, which
completes
the third line, makes a key shift to A minor. The second segment, setting the
first
words of the fourth line, moves again, now to C major. In another “bridging”
measure,
the piano immediately converts this to the preparatory “dominant” chord in F major.
The mood becomes breathless.
0:41 [m. 24]--With sudden buoyancy, the singer completes the fourth line, building
rapidly and reaching high. The piano accompaniment also builds up to forte. The
line closes on a joyous half-close in F major, a half-step above the home key.
After
this climax, the piano rapidly diminishes in both volume and pitch with a trailing
three-bar bridge. The bass arrives on E, which for now supports a dissonant
“diminished”
chord that still pulls to F major.
0:51 [m. 30]--The fifth line is the basis for the entire middle section of the
song.
The accompaniment pattern breaks, and at a very subdued level, the piano moves
directly
back home to E major. A new accompaniment begins, with the right hand following
the left in syncopated harmonies. The left hand itself plays patterns of rising
arpeggios and descending stepwise motion. When the voice enters, it is extremely
anxious, the anxiety reflected by a shifting meter. The words “O dann schmiege
dich
ihr ans Herz” work upward in pitch and excitement, incorporating a 9/8 measure (m.
32) before another single 6/8 bar.
0:59 [m. 34]--With the excitement and anxiety rapidly building, the words are
repeated
(without the initial “O”) in two more 9/8 measures The right hand piano chords
become
fuller, higher, and louder, and the left hand patterns begin to add harmony.
Finally,
the words “dich ihr ans Herz” are given an additional repetition as the voice
reaches
its highest pitch and loudest volume. The climax comes with the return to 6/8 (in
m. 36) after the two 9/8 bars. In that climactic 6/8 measure, the piano begins to
oscillate with harmony on F-sharp minor, but does not make a complete motion away
from the home key.
1:07 [m. 37]--The oscillating piano figures (still with the right hand following
the left) continue as they had begun underneath the climax. The last words of the
fifth line, “und sag ihr,” are set over these figures, which diminish in volume and
activity. The voice sustains the words in long notes that sound like a sigh.
After
one measure of accompaniment similar to the previous one under the climax, the next
two measures greatly reduce the right hand motion. The rapid-fire off-beat chords
give way to two cadence gestures on the beats. After the voice drops out, a bridge
of another two measures reduces activity even more. In it, the left hand drops out
in the second half of the measure and is followed by an isolated right hand
harmony.
The second measure is the highly anticipatory “dominant” chord, which prepares for
the partial return.
1:18 [m. 42]--The sixth line is set to the same vocal melody as the first, which
it parallels. The accompaniment, however, follows the pattern of the previous
music,
with the right hand following the left on oscillating harmonies after initial bass
notes. The marking molto dolce suggests a more subdued mood. The seventh line
also
closely follows the vocal melody from the first part of the second line, but a new
leaping motion is added to the words “treusten Jünglings flossen.” This
accommodates
the extra syllables, as the line is completed here. The harmonic motion is as it
was before, to the half-close in G-sharp major. The corresponding piano echo
incorporates
both the new vocal line and the new accompaniment.
1:39 [m. 52]--The mood changes dramatically for the last line. It begins on the
same harmony and melodic note that would be expected from the previous pattern.
But the voice slows down for a long descending line. The piano, meanwhile,
abandons
the right hand after-beats. The arpeggios are thinned to octaves doubled between
the hands. The right hand does double the descending vocal line, harmonizing it
in thirds. The descent moves through “Der sein Leben verweinet.” It breaks into
two halves before the word “verweinet.” On that word, the key is inflected to
minor
over “dominant” harmony.
1:51 [m. 57]--The rest of the last line is stretched out even more. The words are
set to long notes. The first word “und” is held over the downbeat. It then creeps
up to “den Tod.” At the mention of death (“Tod”), the harmony makes a striking
motion
to F major (the so-called “Neapolitan” key). Then, as the words “den Tod” are
repeated
before the final “wünscht,” the direct shift back to E is equally arresting. A
similar detour had occurred at the climax of the first section and the beginning
of the middle section. The voice leaps up, holds “Tod” over the bar line, then
leaps
back down to the cadence. Despite the change in mood, the harmony under the
cadence
is unambiguously major, which adds tenderness to the sadness.
2:09 [m. 63]--The postlude, following the arrival at the final “wünscht,” is
extremely
gentle. The piano continues its arpeggios in octaves. Above these, the opening
melody is recalled in an almost transfigured way. The right hand then plays
descending
chords over the continuing left hand arpeggios. These break off, then the left
hand
provides a bass for the last chords. The top note of the yearning final chord is
the major third, G-sharp.
2:38--END OF SONG [69 mm.]

3. Sehnsucht (Yearning). Text by Josef Wenzig, after a Bohemian (Czech) folk text.
Langsam (Slowly); Lebhaft (Lively). Two-part through-composed form. A-FLAT
MAJOR,
3/4 time with four 4/4 measures (Low key F major).
(The title Sehnsucht is also used for Op. 14, No. 8 and the quartet Op. 112, No.
1.)

German Text:
Hinter jenen dichten Wäldern
Weilst du meine Süßgeliebte
Weit ach weit, weit ach weit!
Berstet ihr Felsen,
Ebnet euch Täler,
Daß ich ersehe,
Daß ich erspähe
Meine ferne, süße Maid!

English Translation

First Section--Langsam
0:00 [m. 1]--Line 1. The quiet two-bar piano introduction sets up the
accompaniment
for this first section. A low bass line with sinuous half-step motion underlies
a right hand triplet rhythm in the tenor range. The first note of each triplet is
replaced by the bass note. The figures and bass notes leap up an octave on each
middle beat. The voice enters in the third measure with a slow, mysterious
arpeggio
on “Hinter.” This reaches up, then slowly leaps back down. Another such pattern
follows on “dichten,” but it turns to the minor key. The accompaniment also
changes
here. Three implied 2/4 measures are superimposed on two 3/4 measures, each with
an octave leap up, but not back down. The figures gradually move higher.
0:17 [m. 7]--Line 2. The vocal line immediately moves back to major and takes a
gentler, sweeter path, reaching to a high note on “meine,” then slowly working
down.
The piano part changes again. The triplet figures without the initial notes
continue
in the right hand, but the octave leaps are dispensed with in favor of a smoother,
more continuous line. The left hand also loses its regularity. At the high vocal
note, it leaps up and descends in thirds. The last two syllables of the long word
“Süßgeliebte” are set, after a leap, to a stretched-out descending half-step. The
right hand figures stall on the underlying harmony, and the left hand adds
descending
bass octaves after downbeat chords.
0:31 [m. 12]--Line 3. The two invocations of “Weit, ach weit” are set to four 4/4
measures in a brief meter change. This allows the notes to be lengthened and
evened
out. The singer slowly skips down, then leaps up on the first invocation. The
accompaniment
is similar to what has gone before, retaining the triplet figures without initial
notes, but an upper line doubling the voice is added, and the left hand plays
rolled
harmonies and detached descending octave leaps in the bass. The second invocation,
beginning with a minor-key inflection, is more elaborate. It quickly builds to a
climax, adding shorter notes and an additional leap up to the already-established
high note. Rapidly receding, it leaps down to the leading tone in the “dominant”
key (E-flat). This leading tone is suspended on a fermata in voice and piano.
Second Section--Lebhaft
0:49 [m. 16]--Lines 4-5. The expected motion to E-flat does not complete, and as
the new section storms in, again in 3/4 but at a much faster speed, the home key
is strongly asserted. The voice plunges downward on both lines, leaping up between
them. The right hand still plays triplets, but they are now on feverishly repeated
chords and they include the initial beat. The piano left hand, in octaves, plays
a bass line in contrary motion to the vocal line. This bass line resembles the
opening
vocal gestures from the beginning of the slow first section. It includes minor-key
inflections.
0:55[m. 20]--Lines 6-7. These lines are set to a narrowly rising, but intense
vocal
line at a much quieter volume. The rapid right hand triplets continue, but a
“sighing”
vocal figure at the end of each line is doubled above them. The bass becomes more
settled, abandoning the rising figures. There are brief suggestions of the
“dominant”
key.
1:01 [m. 24]--Line 8. This final line is given an extended treatment. The quiet
volume level almost expresses a sense of wonderment at the vision of the “sweet
maiden.”
The left hand now joins the right in the intense triplets on repeated chords,
providing
bass notes on the downbeats. The rising line reaches higher, breathlessly
repeating
“meine ferne.” Again, there is a rapid buildup and a motion toward the “dominant.”
The repetition leads once again to the high A-flat. From there, the line broadly
descends and the volume recedes as the text is completed with “süße Maid.” Again,
the motion to E-flat is thwarted by a re-assertion of the home key. The line ends
on a suspended “dominant” harmony, however.
1:09 [m. 30]--Lines 6-7 repeated. These lines are stated again. Line 6 is more
breathless and rapid than before and leaps upward. Line 7 now ecstatically builds
and reaches up, again attaining the high A-flat. The harmony makes a different
motion
here in the other direction, toward the “subdominant” key of D-flat. The left hand
settles again on bass notes, leaving the repeated triplet chords to the right. The
“sighing” vocal figure at the end of each line is again doubled by the right hand
above the triplets.
1:15 [m. 34]--Line 8 repeated. As at 1:01 [m. 24], the left hand joins the
triplets
and adds initial downbeat bass octaves. The implied D-flat is re-interpreted as
C-sharp, and the music makes a surprising motion to A major, a half-step above the
home key. There, the words “meine ferne” are sung breathlessly in the high
register.
In contrast to the first statement, the word “meine” is added before “süße” rather
than “ferne” again. These words quickly shift the harmony back down to the home
key. The mood is increasingly excited.
1:21 [m. 38]--The whole line is now given in a joyous concluding statement. The
voice arches up to the final high A-flat on “süße.” That word is given an
additional
repetition before finally arriving on “Maid.” The vocal cadence is on the third
of the chord (C). Under this final statement, the accompaniment changes
dramatically.
Both hands play broad arpeggios, but the right hand winds up and down in the
continuing
triplet rhythm. The left hand slowly arches up and down, then punctuates the
cadence
with low octaves.
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