FOUR QUARTETS FOR
SOPRANO, ALTO, TENOR, AND BASS, OP. 92
Recording: Edith Mathis, soprano; Brigitte Fassbaender, alto;
Peter Schreier, tenor; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, bass; Karl
Engel, piano [DG 449 641-2]
Published 1884.
Brahms’s
return to the genre of mixed voices with piano accompaniment
reflects the more mature style heralded by the masterpieces of
the late 1870s and early 1880s. These quartets are quite
different from the earlier dialogue-based quartets and duets
(including the Liebeslieder and Neue
Liebeslieder waltzes), and are more tightly
argued than the first two of the Op. 64
quartets, with which they share aesthetic similarities. The
pieces are unusually unified in mood, all having a very
atmospheric or nocturnal quality. They also form a natural
complement to the contemporary unaccompanied part songs, Op. 93a. Some of these also
share the elegiac quality of Op. 92, and both sets end with a
setting of a brief, aphoristic text by Goethe. The first
quartet is the composer’s penultimate setting of Daumer, the
poet whose words he used more often than any other.
One of his most gorgeous creations, the quartet’s rapturous
harmonies and gloriously illustrative piano writing set it
apart, as does its exceedingly romantic mood. The second
quartet is as melancholy as the first is rapt. Its
distinctive, turning triplet melody exudes sadness and regret,
although there is a hopeful major-key ending. The third
quartet returns to the warmly nocturnal mood of the first,
including the adventurous harmonies at the end of the second
stanza and the magnificent ending, whose decreasing activity
without decreasing speed is a trademark Brahmsian
technique. The final Goethe setting uses unstable
harmonies, restless rhythms, and intricate counterpoint to set
its titular question. The response, which sets most of the
poem in a new meter and tempo, transforms a melodic figure heard
near the end of the “question” section and turns it into the
main melody of the “answers.”
Note: Links to English translations of the
texts are from Emily Ezust’s site at http://www.lieder.net.
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)
ONLINE
SCORE FROM IMSLP (From Breitkopf & Härtel Sämtliche
Werke)
ONLINE SCORES FROM THE CHORAL PUBLIC DOMAIN LIBRARY (Choral
Wiki):
No.
1: O schöne Nacht
No.
2: Spätherbst
No.
3: Abendlied
No.
4: Warum?
1. O schöne Nacht! (O Lovely Night!). Text
by Georg Friedrich Daumer, adapted from a Hungarian source.
Andante con moto. Rondo form (ABAB’CA’). E MAJOR, 3/4
time.
German Text:
O schöne Nacht!
Am Himmel märchenhaft
Erglänzt der Mond in seiner ganzen Pracht;
Um ihn der kleinen Sterne liebliche
Genossenschaft.
Es schimmert hell der Tau
Am grünen Halm; mit Macht
Im Fliederbusche schlägt die Nachtigall;
Der Knabe schleicht zu seiner Liebsten sacht -
O schöne Nacht!
English
Translation
0:00 [m. 1]--Introduction.
The
piano begins with a large arpeggio reaching up from a very low
opening pitch and stretching up four octaves in three beats over
the chord of E major. This leads to a bar of gentle
syncopations of a third in the right hand after the beat.
The arpeggio and thirds are repeated a third higher, still
outlining the same chord.
0:10 [m. 5]--Stanza 1,
line 1 (A). Brahms
treats the title line as a refrain. The four voices enter
and move very narrowly, propelled by the downward-turning line in
the bass. The soprano and tenor follow this and expand it
slightly. Under the voices, the piano arpeggio is heard
again, still another third higher. This time the piano
breaks into reiterated octave E’s after the beat. After the
voices drop out, these octaves continue, with the bass of the
piano echoing the line of the vocal bass before reaching upward
with two-note harmonies. The right-hand syncopations also
imitate the very narrow vocal motion, still in octaves.
0:26 [m. 13]--Stanza 1,
lines 2-5 (B). The
bass presents the second and third lines with a leisurely melody
that simply outlines the E-major chord at the beginning before
gradually moving to the harmony of the “dominant” chord. The
piano accompaniment consists of the continuing two-note harmonies
in both hands, the left hand playing on the beat, moving upward,
and the right hand after the beat, moving down. The right
hand abandons the previous octaves in favor of thirds, sixths, and
fourths such as those in the left hand.
0:42 [m. 21]--The tenor
takes over for the fourth and fifth lines with a slightly more
active melody that leaps up and down. The piano begins to
play triplet arpeggios in the left hand with somewhat more filled
out motion in the right, still placing the most emphasis after the
beat. The tenor repeats “liebliche Genossenschaft,”
beginning with a slight syncopation. He also ends his line
on the “expectant” dominant.
0:55 [m. 28]--Stanza 1,
line 1 (Refrain, A).
The tenor leads into the refrain with another slightly syncopated
entry. After he states “O schöne,” the other three voices
enter for their presentation of the line as at the beginning
(including the piano arpeggio). The tenor must repeat
“schöne” after his lead-in. The small piano interlude that
followed the first presentation of the refrain is omitted.
1:05 [m. 33]--Stanza 2,
lines 1-3 (B’). The
alto sings the first line (twice) and the first part of the second
line to the same melody the bass had used at 0:26 [m. 13].
Revealingly, the piano accompaniment under her is almost exactly
the same as the music of the interlude that had preceded the bass
entry! After this “interlude” music is complete, the right
hand breaks into a more flowing syncopated line as the alto
completes her phrase.
1:20 [m. 41]--The soprano
takes the rest of the second line and the third line, beginning in
a similar manner to the tenor at 0:42 [m. 21]. The soprano
line quickly diverges, however, repeating “mit Macht” and
expanding to six leaps to the top note (the tenor only had
two). She is much more exuberant and does not settle to a
gentle half-cadence as he did. The piano part is completely
new, breaking into a much faster motion with left-hand arpeggios
and right hand trills that graphically illustrate the singing of
the nightingale. The name of the bird (“die Nachtigall”) is
repeated.
1:28 [m. 45]--As the
soprano completes “die Nachtigall” with the expected motion to the
keynote E, the harmony in the piano makes a strong and sudden
motion (in a so-called “deceptive” cadence) to the distant key of
C major. The cascading right hand arpeggios are in faster
groups of six. The piano very quickly quiets down in
preparation for the next line.
1:32 [m. 47]--Stanza 2,
line 4 (C). Brahms
marks that this passage should be quite subdued (sotto voce in the piano and mezza voce in the
voices). The tenor and bass present the line with a rapt
C-major duet. There is a distinct countermelody in the top
voice of the piano above fast arpeggios in the right hand and
slower ones in the left. The word “sacht” (“quietly”) is
repeated four times, with rests between the repetitions. The
piano breaks into triplets alternating between the hands, the
right hand playing on the vocal rests. This creates the
effect of two 4/4 bars superimposed on 2 bars (plus 2 beats) of
the prevailing 3/4. The first and third statements of
“sacht” are over a mysteriously dissonant “diminished seventh”
harmony.
1:46 [m. 54]--The last
beat of the bar [m. 53] restores the 3/4 meter. The tenor
and bass continue their duet, leading into the repetition of the
line by all four voices. When the women enter, they sing to
the harmonized countermelody heard in the piano with the previous
tenor/bass duet. The piano itself begins the previous tenor
melody in its top voice, later imitating this in its bass.
This is a very elegant alternation of music between voices and
piano. Because the tenors and basses led into the
repetition, they repeat the word “seiner” and the line is extended
by one bar. The repetitions of “sacht” are the same as
before, except that the women join the harmonies and the piano
right hand is an octave lower.
2:01 [m. 62]--Stanza 2,
line 5 (Refrain, A’).
The voices enter strongly on the last beat of m. 61, restoring
again the 3/4 meter and holding their chord for another full
bar. With the piano, which begins playing the faster
arpeggios again, they sing another “diminished seventh”
harmony. This helps them to pivot very smoothly back to the
home key of E major. They then settle down and continue
their statement of “O schöne Nacht” as before, but holding one
chord longer and repeating “schöne” to extend it by yet another
bar. More left hand arpeggios are also added under the
extended right hand after-beat octave syncopations.
2:14 [m. 68]--The bass
leads into a second statement of “O schöne Nacht” that emphasizes
the “dominant” harmony and swells in volume, increasing the
tension. The soprano repeats no words, the alto and tenor
“schöne,” and the bass “schöne Nacht.” The piano continues
its now moving (not repeated) octave after-beat syncopation with
short left-hand arpeggios.
2:22 [m. 71]--The soprano
now leads into a final statement of the refrain that settles to
the close with heavy cross-rhythms, the soprano singing a beat
before the others. The piano returns to its repeated octave
E’s, still after the beats. All voices except the soprano
begin with “schöne” and all voices repeat “O schöne.” The
warm final chord, which brings the voices together, is supported
by the familiar E-major arpeggio, which is then reiterated with a
faster rolled chord.
2:43--END OF QUARTET [76 mm.]
2. Spätherbst (Late Autumn). Text by
Hermann Allmers. Andante. Varied strophic form.
E MINOR, 3/4 time.
German Text:
Der graue Nebel tropft so still
Herab auf Feld und Wald und Heide,
Als ob der Himmel weinen will
In übergroßem Leide.
Die Blumen wollen nicht mehr blühn,
Die Vöglein schweigen in den Hainen,
Es starb sogar das letzte Grün,
Da mag er auch wohl weinen.
English
Translation
0:00 [m. 1]--Stanza 1,
line 1. Low bass piano octaves set the song in motion.
The lower three parts, in repeated chords, lead into the faster
melody presented by the soprano. The piano begins a
characteristic accompaniment with detached triplet arpeggios in
the bass and chords or octaves, also detached, in the right
hand. The effect is imitation of plucked strings. The
soprano, on “tropft,” introduces a highly characteristic downward
turning melody in triplets. The alto, harmonized by the
tenor, imitates the turning melody.
0:14 [m. 6]--Stanza 1,
lines 2-3. The soprano leads into a statement of the
downward turning “triplet” melody a step lower, on “Wald.”
The soprano moves faster than the other parts. The bass
skips the word “Wald” to catch up to the soprano, while the alto
and tenor again trail her with a harmonized imitation. The
bass and soprano proceed with line 3 as the alto and tenor
complete their line with “Heide.” Line 3 is a gently arching
melody. The alto and tenor still lag behind with the
text. The piano continues its pattern.
0:26 [m. 11]--Stanza 1,
line 4. The soprano swells to a passionate high note on
“Leide,” where she again sings the downward turning figure.
As she finishes her line, she drops out. The alto catches up
with the text in time to imitate the downward turning figure on
“übergroßem.” The tenor does not harmonize it in rhythm this
time, and sings on slower notes, sometimes moving with the
bass. The bass himself has sung “übergroßem” on much longer
notes so that he can add a second trailing voice behind the alto
on “Leide.” The lower three parts finish the word “Leide”
together as they settle down, the bass having held it from the
imitation. The soprano, alto, and bass have sung the same
triplet melody in a chain of descending octaves.
0:40 [m. 16]--Stanza 2,
line 1. The piano briefly breaks its constant motion for the
lead-in from the lower three voices. It is much shorter this
time, only a beat and a half before the soprano enters. Her
line is the same as in stanza 1, but the other three parts are
different, especially the tenor, who harmonizes not only the alto’s imitation of the
triplet melody, but also the soprano’s first presentation (on
“wollen” and “nicht”). The piano right hand is also
changed. It has longer connected chords instead of detached
chords and octaves.
0:48 [m. 20]--Stanza 2,
lines 2-3. Again, the soprano is the same as in stanza
1. The alto is very close. The tenor and bass are
again quite varied, with the tenor harmonizing both the soprano
and the alto in the triplet melody (on “schweigen” and
“in”). The piano right hand still plays connected
chords. The parts all come back to their stanza 1 forms
during line 3.
1:01 [m. 25]--Stanza 2,
line 4. With the exception of the smooth piano chords in the
right hand, line 4 begins exactly as in stanza 1 in all four
parts, with the triplet melody on “weinen” in the soprano and
“auch” in the alto. But at the point where the bass
imitation would be expected, there is a change. The alto
instead repeats her triplet melody, now on “weinen,” and makes a
beautiful shift to the major key. The soprano does not drop
out. This extends the line by a bar. The bass follows
with a varied version of the triplet melody. The piano, in
an inner voice, doubles the triplet melodies of the alto and
bass. The top three parts repeat “auch wohl weinen,” the
bass “wohl weinen,” with the second “weinen” on his triplets.
1:14 [m. 30]--The trailing
alto and tenor add an extremely gentle, lilting cadence in the
major key. The bass extends his line with a third “weinen”
and is in fact the last voice to end. The piano breaks its
pattern and inserts rests. These subvert the triple meter in
the final bars of postlude that trail the vocal cadence.
1:31--END OF QUARTET [33 mm.]
3. Abendlied (Evening Song). Text by
Friedrich Hebbel. Andante. Two-part form with common
opening passage (ABA’C). F MAJOR, 4/4 time.
German Text:
Friedlich bekämpfen
Nacht sich und Tag:
Wie das zu dämpfen,
Wie das zu lösen vermag.
Der mich bedrückte,
Schläfst du schon, Schmerz?
Was mich beglückte
Sage, was war’s doch, mein Herz?
Freude wie Kummer,
Fühl ich, zerrann,
Aber den Schlummer
Führten sie leise heran.
Und im Entschweben,
Immer empor,
Kommt mir das Leben
Ganz wie ein Schlummerlied vor.
English
Translation
0:00 [m. 1]--Stanza 1 (A), lines 1-2. The piano
establishes the pattern that will be constant throughout the
stanza. The left hand bass is played in octaves with a
constant two-bar formula, first a rising arpeggio, then a broken
downward cadence gesture. This is moved according to the
harmonies. The right hand follows the octaves with
descending chords after the beat. After a two-bar
introduction establishing the pattern, the voices enter with the
first two lines, all singing together in gentle harmony with a
descending melody. The bass voice somewhat follows the piano
bass, and the inner voices trail behind at the end of each line.
0:15 [m. 7]--Stanza 1,
lines 3-4. The piano follows the same pattern, but now the
right hand after-beat chords arch up and down. The voices
still sing together. Line 3 makes a striking harmonic motion
to D major, but line 4 quickly restores the home key of F after
the soprano reaches her highest pitch. This line swells
dramatically in volume. The words “zu lösen vermag” are
repeated (the soprano nearly an octave lower) to confirm the
cadence and settle back down. The two-bar introduction is
then repeated.
0:33 [m. 15]--Stanza 2 (B), lines 1-2. The piano
suddenly drops out. The bass presents a descending melody on
line 1, imitated by the alto and tenor harmonizing in
sixths. The piano then enters in stark bass octaves, also
imitating the descending line of the vocal bass. The lower
three voices then sing line 2 in very quiet, mysterious harmony,
the piano still playing only bare bass octaves. The
questioning line is repeated, growing very strongly in
volume. These lines also move to D, first minor, then major.
0:48 [m. 21]--Stanza 2,
line 3. The piano drops out again as the voices reach their
high point. The soprano, who has rested, enters on a high
note (F), as the others sing their last “Schmerz.” The
voices come together and become quiet again. They move back
again to the home key (F), the soprano singing plaintive
half-steps. The voices reach a dissonant “diminished
seventh” on “beglückte.”
0:53 [m. 23]--Stanza 2,
line 4. The voices continue to sing on unstable,
tension-filled, but very quiet diminished seventh chords.
The piano enters, again playing the bare octave bass line.
After “Sage,” there is a pause from voices and piano. When
they re-enter, the piano is still on bare bass octaves. The
voices have diminished sevenths on “was” and “doch,” then pause
again before finally resolving to a half-cadence on “Herz.”
A piano bridge with arpeggios in contrary motion leads back to the
opening music.
1:09 [m. 29]--Stanza 3 (A’), lines 1-2. The
music is as in stanza 1, lines 1-2, but without the introduction.
1:18 [m. 33]--Stanza 3,
lines 3-4. These lines begin similarly to the corresponding
lines in stanza 1, but instead of moving to D, the goal is a
half-step lower, D-flat, with darker colors. To help with
the transition back to F, the word “leise” is stretched out with
long held notes. The following descent is also slower,
roughly doubling the values of the corresponding moment on “lösen”
in stanza 1. The rise and fall in volume is much less
dramatic, the previous forte
not indicated here by Brahms.
1:30 [m. 39]--Stanza 4,
lines 1-2 (A’,
continued). For the first two lines of the last stanza,
Brahms lengthens the material of A.
The lower voices enter on a long upbeat, and all sing in a narrow
range. The soprano’s entry sweeps down on line 1, then back
up on line 2. Also in line 2, the piano finally begins to
break from the constant pattern, holding bass notes over bar
lines.
1:39 [m. 43]--Stanza 4,
lines 3-4 (C or
Coda). For these lines, the motion gradually
decreases. This has already begun with the piano bass.
The right hand chords after the beat are reduced to thirds, and
they are sustained. The piano bass begins to be more static,
placing emphasis on a descending octave F. The voices,
propelled by soprano and bass, sing gently rocking phrases.
They pause after “ganz” and again after “wie.” The piano right
hand also inserts pauses there. The piano drops out for the
florid “Schlummerlied.”
1:55 [m. 49]--At “vor,”
the voices avoid a full arrival and lead into a very quiet
repetition of the two lines. The melody is a third
lower. The piano accompaniment is reduced to longer chords
on weak beats, the bass now only playing the rising and falling
octave F’s. The moving line is now in soprano and tenor, and
the soprano adds extra rests after “mir” and in the middle of
“Leben.” “Schlummerlied” is again sung without piano, but
the moving lines are now in alto and tenor instead of soprano and
alto.
2:14 [m. 56]--The voices
finally reach their full cadence on “vor.” The piano enters
with them for a postlude. The bass is the same two-bar
pattern used in stanzas 1 and 3, but with note values twice as
long. The right hand, entering after the beat, plays figures
recalling the gentle rocking motion in the last section.
Finally, the bass is reduced to one falling octave with a right
hand response on the second half of each bar. A warm, rich
rolled chord ends this extremely atmospheric setting.
2:36--END OF QUARTET [60 mm.]
4. Warum? (Why?). Text by Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe. Lebhaft (Lively)--Anmutig bewegt
(Gracefully moving). Two contrasting sections, the second of
which contains three subsections resembling varied strophes.
B-FLAT MAJOR, 4/4 and 6/8 time.
NOTE: This piece is not to be confused with the great motet Op. 74, No. 1, also often called “Warum?”
German Text:
Warum doch erschallen
himmelwärts die Lieder?
Zögen gerne nieder
Sterne, die droben
Blinken und wallen,
Zögen sich Lunas
Lieblich Umarmen,
Zögen die warmen,
Wonnigen Tage
Seliger Götter
Gern uns herab!
English
Translation
SECTION 1 (Lebhaft--4/4).
Lines
1-2
0:00 [m. 1]--The piano
ascends in powerful, vigorous chords on the “dominant” harmony of
the home key. They play in dotted (long-short) rhythm.
At the last moment, the harmony is diverted unexpectedly to G-flat
major, where the voices enter together powerfully on the question
word “Warum.” The soprano continues with the question on a
wide melody (a downward arpeggio and a dissonant upward leap),
moving from G-flat to B major. The strong chords of the
piano in dotted rhythm are heard again under her line.
0:10 [m. 6]--The voices
all enter again on “Warum” as the soprano finishes her line.
The alto, overlapping with the soprano, begins her own statement,
moving to C major. When the other voices enter again,
overlapping the alto, the men state “Warum” and the soprano
repeats the second line with the continuing alto. The bass
then begins his statement of the line, with a more conventional
motion from C to F major. The dotted-rhythm piano chords
again underpin both the alto and bass lines.
0:18 [m. 11]--The tenor’s
presentation of the line is quite different. All voices
enter together again, with the tenor beginning his line while the
bass finishes it. Things settle down, however, the piano
being reduced to F-major chords, then bass octaves. The
women repeat “Warum” twice, then continue with “doch erschallen,”
as does the bass, who only states “Warum” once and trails them
slightly. The tenor’s moving line introduces a new,
wider-ranging downward-upward leaping sequence. The motion
is home to B-flat.
0:25 [m. 15]--The soprano
takes over the tenor’s leaping sequence, bringing it to the
forefront. All voices sing “himmelwärts die Lieder,” the
soprano and tenor repeating “himmelwärts” twice. Under all
of this, the piano begins a new, less assertive accompaniment in
flowing arpeggios. The music has settled on B-flat.
0:31 [m. 18]--The voices,
after a pause, present two more isolated statements of “die
Lieder.” The soprano does not sing in the second one.
The harmony of both these and the piano arpeggios becomes
active. Through a so-called “augmented sixth” chord on the
first “die Lieder,” the key moves to D major. This change of
key places the final question mark on the inquiry. The
piano, under the last “Lieder,” moves to oscillating bare octave
D’s in both hands, continuing them in a one-bar bridge to the
second section.
SECTION 2 (Anmutig bewegt--6/8).
Lines
3-11
0:42 [m. 23]--Subsection
1, lines 3-5. The answers all begin with “Zögen,” a
subjunctive word meaning “would pull,” “would lure,” “would
draw,” “would entice,” etc. The voices enter in the new
meter in gracefully flowing block harmony, in the main key of
B-flat. The main melody is the leaping sequence sung by the
tenor and the soprano around 0:25 [m. 15]. The piano plays
flowing, arching arpeggios. These break apart into isolated
rising arpeggios in lines 4 and 5. The men lag slightly
behind the women in line 4. Line 5 moves to F major.
0:56 [m. 30]--Subsection
2, lines 6-7. The piano bridges to the next subsection and
back to B-flat. It begins as had the first one., with line 6
slightly varying line 3. The piano right hand plays melodic
octaves before “Lunas” is repeated, with the men trailing the
women. The music moves to G-flat major, a key heard early in
Section 1. The piano breaks as “Lunas” leads into line 7,
then plays isolated rising arpeggios again.
1:14 [m. 38]--Subsection
3, lines 8-10. The piano bridge is similar to the previous
one. The motion back to B-flat is more abrupt. Line 8
is similar to line 6. In line 9, the women begin before the
men, but stretch “wonnigen” out, the soprano holding a long note
and the alto repeating the word. Under this, the piano
breaks again, as it had at the corresponding spot in subsection
2. The music changes keys again, this time to D major,
another prominent key in Section 1. After two rising
arpeggios, the piano breaks again under line 10, where the voices
sing together, the bass lagging slightly behind. The piano
enters again under “Götter.”
1:32 [m. 46]--Subsection
3, line 11. For the last line, Brahms breaks apart the men
and women, who sing in canon (direct imitation), both pairs
singing in thirds. The women’s entrance moves back to
B-flat. The men enter as the women reach their last note and
syllable. The piano plays the isolated rising arpeggios from
here until the end.
1:40 [m. 50]--The women
enter before the men sing “herab.” They lead a second canon
on the line. This time, rather than moving in strict thirds,
the alto has a beautifully leaping and sighing line on
“gern.” The men imitate them with only a short breath at a
much closer distance than in the first canon. The bass has
the leaping, sighing line. The women hold “uns,” allowing
the men to catch up. All four voices sing the final sonorous
“herab” together. The final piano arpeggios under the last
vocal chord quietly slow to the end.
2:12--END OF QUARTET [55 mm.]
(runoff after 2:03)
END OF SET
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