On March 26, 1896, Brahms' lifelong friend and champion, Clara Schumann, suffered a stroke. Brahms, who considered Clara to be the "greatest wealth" in his life, was deeply shocked and forced to confront the fact that she might soon die. To cope, he immersed himself in work, completing the Vier ernste Gesänge (Four Serious Songs), Op. 121, by his birthday, May 7, 1896. Brahms compiled the texts for the Vier ernste Gesänge from Martin Luther's translation of the Bible -- mostly passages from the apocryphon, Ecclesiastes. The four songs represent a progression of thought about, and reaction to, death, and by virtue of their subject hardly require the adjective, "serious." Appearing after a decade in which the composer wrote no original songs, these four songs are truly unique in Brahms' output: they show no trace of folksong influence, they are not in strophic form, and they occasionally adopt a harsh, dramatic quality that is quite beyond his other songs. Brahms refused to have them performed, suggesting that they were of great personal importance to him. "Denn es gehet dem Menschen" (It is for a person [as it is for an animal]), from Ecclesiastes 3:19-22, focuses on the transience of life. The text notes that people, just like animals, must die. In D minor, Brahms' setting conveys this transience through changes in tempo, meter and texture. The song proceeds with a turning melody, never leaving D minor; a quiet shift to a 3/4 meter and Allegro tempo bring with it denser and more complex harmonies, climaxing with the appearance of a new texture and the question, "Who knows if the soul of a person rises upward?". "Ich wandte mich und sahe an alle" (I turned and looked upon everyone), sets Ecclesiastes 4:1-3. The opening notes, over a stumbling accompaniment, anticipate the beginning of the next song. This is the most recitative-like of the four songs. The text for "O Tod, o Tod, wie bitter bist du" comes from Ecclesiastes 41:1-2; Brahms alters the opening text, "O Tod, wie bitter bist du" (O death, how bitter you are) to "O Tod, wie wohl tust du dem Dürftigen" (O death, how good you are to the poor) when it returns for the second time. A musical metamorphosis accompanies this textual one, reflecting a shift in attitude from the bleak to the reassuring. Death, although final, alleviates suffering. The fourth and final song, "Wenn ich mit Menschen- und mit Engelzungen redete" (If I speak with the tongues of humans of angels), is drawn from 1 Corinthians 13; it is both a paean to, and a eulogy for, love. (AllMusic)
Song 1: "Denn es gehet dem Menschen" For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast; for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man [...] goeth upward and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his portion. For who shall bring him to see what shall happen after him? Song 2: "Ich wandte mich" So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun; and behold the tears of such as were oppressed,and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. Song 3: "O Tod, wie bitter bist du" O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that liveth at rest in his possessions, unto the man that hath nothing to vex him, and that hath prosperity in all things; yea, unto him that is yet able to receive meat! O death, acceptable is thy sentence unto the needy and unto him whose strength faileth, that is now in the last age, and is vexed with all things, and to him that despaireth, and hath lost patience! Song 4: "Wenn ich mit Menschen und mit Engelszungen redete" Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, it profiteth me nothing... For now we see through glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
totally new to my ears. But, anything that Fischer-Dieskau sings is pure and powerful. Brahms was more often than not a serious composer. I would like to now track down the translation of the lyrics and find out whose words they were. Thanks for uploading.
Hear that mankind? Animals have nothing to envy from us, and surely not at present times! This songs are so amazing that I can't put it to words, I like DFD's voice and his approach to this piece but I like even more Ferrier, Kipnis, or Hotter.
On March 26, 1896, Brahms' lifelong friend and champion, Clara Schumann, suffered a stroke. Brahms, who considered Clara to be the "greatest wealth" in his life, was deeply shocked and forced to confront the fact that she might soon die. To cope, he immersed himself in work, completing the Vier ernste Gesänge (Four Serious Songs), Op. 121, by his birthday, May 7, 1896.
Brahms compiled the texts for the Vier ernste Gesänge from Martin Luther's translation of the Bible -- mostly passages from the apocryphon, Ecclesiastes. The four songs represent a progression of thought about, and reaction to, death, and by virtue of their subject hardly require the adjective, "serious." Appearing after a decade in which the composer wrote no original songs, these four songs are truly unique in Brahms' output: they show no trace of folksong influence, they are not in strophic form, and they occasionally adopt a harsh, dramatic quality that is quite beyond his other songs. Brahms refused to have them performed, suggesting that they were of great personal importance to him.
"Denn es gehet dem Menschen" (It is for a person [as it is for an animal]), from Ecclesiastes 3:19-22, focuses on the transience of life. The text notes that people, just like animals, must die. In D minor, Brahms' setting conveys this transience through changes in tempo, meter and texture. The song proceeds with a turning melody, never leaving D minor; a quiet shift to a 3/4 meter and Allegro tempo bring with it denser and more complex harmonies, climaxing with the appearance of a new texture and the question, "Who knows if the soul of a person rises upward?". "Ich wandte mich und sahe an alle" (I turned and looked upon everyone), sets Ecclesiastes 4:1-3. The opening notes, over a stumbling accompaniment, anticipate the beginning of the next song. This is the most recitative-like of the four songs.
The text for "O Tod, o Tod, wie bitter bist du" comes from Ecclesiastes 41:1-2; Brahms alters the opening text, "O Tod, wie bitter bist du" (O death, how bitter you are) to "O Tod, wie wohl tust du dem Dürftigen" (O death, how good you are to the poor) when it returns for the second time. A musical metamorphosis accompanies this textual one, reflecting a shift in attitude from the bleak to the reassuring. Death, although final, alleviates suffering. The fourth and final song, "Wenn ich mit Menschen- und mit Engelzungen redete" (If I speak with the tongues of humans of angels), is drawn from 1 Corinthians 13; it is both a paean to, and a eulogy for, love.
(AllMusic)
This is gold.
Those last chords. Like a last breath after final realisation of what life was really all about.
Ich wandte mich 4:40
O Tod 9:16
Wenn ich mit Menschen 13:38
Song 1: "Denn es gehet dem Menschen"
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts;
as the one dieth, so dieth the other;
yea, they have all one breath;
so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast;
for all is vanity.
All go unto one place;
all are of dust, and all turn to dust again.
Who knoweth the spirit of man [...] goeth upward
and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better,
than that a man should rejoice in his own works,
for that is his portion.
For who shall bring him to see what shall happen after him?
Song 2: "Ich wandte mich"
So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun;
and behold the tears of such as were oppressed,and they had no comforter;
and on the side of their oppressors there was power;
but they had no comforter.
Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive.
Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been,
who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
Song 3: "O Tod, wie bitter bist du"
O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man
that liveth at rest in his possessions,
unto the man that hath nothing to vex him,
and that hath prosperity in all things;
yea, unto him that is yet able to receive meat!
O death, acceptable is thy sentence unto the needy and unto him whose strength faileth,
that is now in the last age,
and is vexed with all things,
and to him that despaireth,
and hath lost patience!
Song 4: "Wenn ich mit Menschen und mit Engelszungen redete"
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not charity,
I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries,
and all knowledge;
and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,
and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned,
it profiteth me nothing...
For now we see through glass, darkly;
but then face to face:
now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;
but the greatest of these is charity.
that was serious
Lol
Indeed
What a wonderful performance of 4 incredible songs. Thank you for posting this.
totally new to my ears. But, anything that Fischer-Dieskau sings is pure and powerful. Brahms was more often than not a serious composer. I would like to now track down the translation of the lyrics and find out whose words they were. Thanks for uploading.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vier_ernste_Gesänge
Hear that mankind? Animals have nothing to envy from us, and surely not at present times!
This songs are so amazing that I can't put it to words, I like DFD's voice and his approach to this piece but I like even more Ferrier, Kipnis, or Hotter.
Das ist wunderbahr! 💗
Very good.
i love brahms
....Это действительно серьезно ...и печально, но какая КРАСОТА ЖИЗНИ!!!
Precioso!
"La aportación pianistica es muy grande, tanto que a veces la fuerza pianística está a punto de anular los textos".
Спасибо
Magnifico😣
😊
9:16
4. 13:43