Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Daniel Barenboim,
piano [DG 449 633-2]
Published 1886.
The late songs are great songs, and of the seven
groups from the later 1880s, Op. 96 is arguably the greatest
(perhaps rivaled by Op. 105).
The outer two reflect the serious, ambitious tone of resignation
and regret that also characterizes Op. 94,
and they are among the most well-regarded of Brahms’s entire art
song output. The second is a magically exquisite love song,
and the third is a fleeting Schumann-like utterance whose piano
part could function as a standalone scherzo or etude. All
except No. 2 are to texts by Henrich Heine, the great romantic
poet whose most well-known setting is probably Robert Schumann’s
cycle Dichterliebe (Op. 48). Brahms apparently
planned a full set of Heine songs, but repressed one manuscript
after negative criticism from Elisabet von Herzogenberg (whose
opinions of his songs he valued highly). He substituted his
final setting of the poet he turned to most, Daumer (also the
source of the last song from Op. 95).
“Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht,” already one of Heine’s most
famous poems, is given a concise, but utterly profound treatment
that captures the images of death, night, and the nightingale’s
love song in vivid musical colors. The rich chromatic
harmonies in an extremely slow 6/8 tempo are like Wagner in
miniature. “Wir wandelten,” the Daumer love song, is given
sophistication by the imitative canon in the piano part, along
with the bell-like upper notes. The simple scene of lovers
walking together is imbued with loftiness, such that Daumer does
not suffer at all in Heine’s company. This is especially
true when it is juxtaposed with the interlude-like brevity of “Es
schauen die Blumen,” whose piano cross-rhythms give the
minute-long song a tense unrest throughout. The 6/8 meter of
“Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht” returns to close the set with
“Meerfahrt,” a grim, lugubrious barcarolle so distinctive and
amazing in effect that it is unlike any other Brahms song.
The long piano introduction, with its disturbing foghorn blasts,
sets the stage for a bitterly unfulfilled journey. The
transitory glimpse of the island of spirits is marked by an
intrusion of lilting waltz rhythms upon the barcarolle, and the
dissonant climax, with an unexpected high vocal note, is
breathtaking. The return of the foghorn blasts against the
word “trostlos” (“comfortless”) gives the piece one last pang of
agony before the unfortunate gondola disappears on the horizon.
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--original
key edition and lower key edition [A-flat major, B-flat major, G
minor/major, F minor]) ONLINE
SCORE FROM IMSLP (From Breitkopf & Härtel
Sämtliche Werke--original keys)
ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (Edition Peters, edited by
Max Friedländer): No.
1: Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht (in original key, C
major) No.
1: Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht (in middle key, B-flat
major) No. 1:
Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht (in low key, A-flat major) No.
2: Wir wandelten (in original key, D-flat major) No.
2: Wir wandelten (in middle key, B-flat major) No. 2:
Wir wandelten (in low key, A-flat major) No.
3: Es schauen die Blumen (in original key, B minor/major) No.
3: Es schauen die Blumen (in low key, G minor/major) No.
4: Meerfahrt (in original key, A minor) No.
4: Meerfahrt (in middle key, F minor) No. 4:
Meerfahrt (in low key, E minor)
1.
Der Tod, das
ist die kühle
Nacht
(
Death Is the
Cool Night
).
Text by Heinrich Heine. Sehr langsam (Very slowly).
Two-part through-composed form. C MAJOR, 6/8 time (Middle
key B-flat major, low key A-flat major).
German Text:
Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht,
Das Leben ist der schwüle Tag.
Es dunkelt schon, mich schläfert,
Der Tag hat mich müd gemacht.
Über mein Bett erhebt sich ein Baum,
Drin singt die junge Nachtigall;
Sie singt von lauter Liebe -
Ich hör es sogar im Traum. English
Translation
0:00 [m. 1]--Stanza 1,
lines 1-2. The piano sets up the halting short-long rhythm
in right hand chords. The voice mysteriously enters with the
left hand. It rises in the opposite rhythm of the right-hand
chords. Already on “ist,” the harmony moves to an evocative
“diminished seventh.” The left hand simply plays long bass
notes, leaping down measure by measure. Before the second
line, on “Nacht,” the pure major harmony is restored. The
piano changes under the second line, moving to harmonized
undulation in both hands. The vocal line gently rises, then
descends quietly but emphatically to a full cadence on “Tag.” 0:33 [m. 7]--Stanza 1, lines 3-4. At the cadence, the
short-long chords have resumed. They now rise in chromatic
harmonies, the top notes moving by half-step. When the voice
enters, the words “Es dunkelt schon” are hesitantly uttered in
isolation, matching the top piano pitches. After a brief
pause, “mich schläfert” follows in the same hesitant manner.
Line 4 is marked with a sudden but subdued accent on a high note
as the harmony moves to the “dominant” minor key (G minor).
After the interjection of “Der Tag” on the long high notes, the
piano again moves to undulation, and the voice presents the
remainder of the line, moving to a strong arrival on G. The
arrival quickly switches to major with the long-short chords. 1:14 [m. 14]--Stanza 2, lines 1-2. The piano sets up
a new accompaniment pattern with dream-like arpeggios in the left
hand and bell-like short-long nightingale calls with rolled chords
in the right. The piano bass remains firmly anchored on
G. The vocal line is generally set higher than in Stanza
1. In the first line, it rises and remains in major, despite
chromatic harmonies in the piano. The second line begins
with the highest vocal note yet, and descends while first turning
to minor and then moving back toward C. The volume and
excitement levels slowly but steadily increase against poignant,
dissonant harmonies. 1:32 [m. 18]--Stanza 2, line 3. The piano bass moves
to the home keynote of C. The arpeggios and nightingale
calls continue, still using chromatic harmonies. The vocal
line reaches even higher, soaring to a climactic note on “Liebe,”
and then the singer drops out as the piano takes over the
melody. The voice then repeats the words “von lauter Liebe”
before again breaking off and allowing the piano to continue the
melodic line. At that point, the piano bass moves back to
the “dominant” note G. 1:51 [m. 23]--Stanza 2, line 4. The intensity begins
to settle down. The voice enters with a minor-key inflection
on the first words, “Ich hör es.” The piano now doubles and
harmonizes the melody, and the arpeggios cease. Those words
are immediately repeated, and the line is completed with another
arrival on G. The volume has diminished, and the piano right
hand moves down to the middle register for a brief continuation,
the bass moving back to C. The final words “sogar im Traum”
are repeated to end the vocal presentation, the descent inflected
toward minor and even the “Phrygian” mode, but the arrival is in
major. 2:16 [m. 27]--Piano postlude. The “pedal” bass on C
re-establishes the short-long pulse of the opening chords.
In the middle register, the right hand plays two downward-turning
figures, still using poignant chromatic harmonies. Finally,
like low tolling bells, a slow two-chord descent is given twice
before the last rolled chord, which is indicated to be held as it
fades. 2:55--END OF SONG [31 mm.]
2.
Wir
wandelten
(
We
Wandered
). Text by Georg Friedrich Daumer from a Hungarian
source. Andante espressivo. Three-part
through-composed form. D-FLAT MAJOR, 4/4 time with one
measure of 3/2 (Middle key B-flat major, low key A-flat major).
German Text:
Wir wandelten, wir zwei zusammen,
Ich war so still und du so stille,
Ich gäbe viel, um zu erfahren,
was du gedacht in jenem Fall.
Was ich gedacht, unausgesprochen
Verbleibe das! Nur Eines sag’ ich:
So schön war alles, was ich dachte,
So himmlisch heiter war es all’.
In meinem Haupte die Gedanken,
Sie läuteten wie gold’ne Glöckchen:
So wundersüß, so wunderlieblich
Ist in der Welt kein and’rer Hall. English
Translation
Part 1 (Stanza 1 and Stanza 2, lines 1-2) 0:00 [m. 1]--Introduction. Beginning on an upbeat,
both hands alternate a dolce melody with “pedal” notes on
A-flat, above in the right and below in the left. The melody
itself, which the singer will take over, is presented by the inner
voices, with the left hand imitating the right two beats
behind. It consists of upward leaps followed by
descents. The left hand “pedal” notes briefly move to
E-flat. In the last two measures, the imitation breaks as
both hands play descending figures, the right hand decorated by
rolled chords. 0:19 [m. 7]--Stanza 1. The singer enters on an upbeat
and sings the first line to the melody just heard in the piano
introduction’s imitation. Under it, the piano right hand
begins an undulating pattern of thirds in alternation with lower
A-flats, continuing the “pedal” effect. The left hand begins
to imitate the voice, but then settles on a low open fifth.
The voice pauses, and as the piano connects the two lines, it
begins its pattern of inner-voice imitations between high and low
“pedal” notes, as in the introduction. The imitation
continues with the right hand doubling the voice, which continues
the original melody on the second line. 0:36 [m. 13]--As the voice completes the second line, the
piano plays its descending figures from the end of the
introduction, repeating the second one. Above it, the singer
presents the third line in halting figures with repeated short
notes beginning off the beat. The line is completed with the
voice doubling the piano’s “repeated” descent. The fourth
line follows immediately, descending to an arrival on the
“dominant” key (A-flat major) over mildly chromatic piano
harmonies and a syncopated left-hand pulse. The brief
echoing transition returns quickly to the home key with a fleeting
hint of the repeated “pedal” notes in the left hand. 0:51 [m. 18]--Stanza 2. The first line and the first
half of the second line, ending with the exclamation point after
“verbleibe das,” are set to a phrase that conflates the first two
lines of Stanza 1. The first line is set almost exactly as
it was before, but at the very end, merging into the second line
(which also represents a poetic line enjambment), it continues in
a descent resembling the second line of the first stanza (but the
piano continuing its line 1 pattern, without the imitation).
This includes the descending piano figure at the arrival
point. The last part of the line (“Nur eines sag’ ich”)
echoes that descending piano figure. 1:09 [m. 23]--In a stunning transition to Part 2, the
piano’s harmony shifts “outward” by a half-step and leads into the
harmonically remote key of E major, a minor third above the home
key. There, the last words, “eines sag’ ich,” are repeated
and stretched out in a disruptive 3/2 measure, leading into the
second half of Stanza 2 and the middle section of the song. Part 2 (Stanza 2, lines 3-4 and Stanza 3, lines
1-2) 1:16 [m. 24]--The 3/2 measure and the restatement of the
last words make a full arrival on E major. There, at once
back in 4/4, the piano leads into a gentle but straightforward
presentation of the stanza’s last two lines. The vocal line
consists of two straight descents with turning embellishments at
the end of each. The piano accompaniment is largely in block
chords. The last line introduces highly chromatic harmony,
moving toward A-flat (notated as G-sharp) and seeming to head back
home, but the piano’s bridge into Stanza 3, which echoes the
turning embellishments, quickly leads back to E major. 1:37 [m. 31]--Stanza 3. The vocal setting of these
two lines is like that of the previous two that ended Stanza 2,
but the accompaniment pattern is new and fresh. Beginning
with the upbeat, left-hand harmonies in the middle range are
followed by high right-hand octaves after the beat, gently leaping
up and down, representing the bells described in the text.
This time, the second line’s harmonic motion follows its
implications and leads back to the home key (D-flat major), still
using the after-beat figuration in the right hand, which will
continue into the last section. Part 3 (Stanza 3, lines 3-4) 1:55 [m. 37]--These last two lines initially resemble the
familiar melody from Part 1, but the right-hand notes, now with
added harmonies, continue to enter after the beat, thus musically
connecting all of Stanza 3. The left hand briefly imitates
the vocal line, but more subtly than before. At the last
line, the continuation deviates from the familiar melody. A
descent is embellished with sighing two-note figures on each
syllable, including note repetition connecting most of these
two-note groups. The after-beat pattern continues in the
piano right hand. At the end of the line, the piano moves to
the familiar descending figure from the end of the
introduction. The vocal line ends on a half-close. 2:11 [m. 42]--The last two lines are repeated and
varied. Brahms marks the repetition più dolce. The
after-beat pattern briefly breaks, with the left hand playing
descending arpeggios under right-hand chords. The word
“wunderlich” has a subtle, poignant dissonance. At the last
statement of the final line, the two-note figures return, as does
the after-beat pattern in the piano, but now these two-note
figures soar upward, gently arching back down before a longer note
leads into a sighing final cadence over a slower piano. 2:29 [m. 46]--The piano postlude, beginning with the vocal
cadence, consists of gently soaring and sighing motion in both
hands, with hints of imitation between the hands in both
directions. The final melodic descent in the right hand is
delayed, giving one last touch of intimacy to this exceptional
song. 2:52--END OF SONG [49 mm.]
3.
Es schauen
die Blumen
(
All the
Flowers Gaze
).
Text by Heinrich Heine. Unruhig bewegt (With restless
motion). Through-composed form. B MINOR/MAJOR, 3/2
time (Low key G minor/major).
German Text:
Es schauen die Blumen alle
Zur leuchtenden Sonne hinauf;
Es nehmen die Ströme alle
Zum leuchtenden Meere den Lauf.
Es flattern die Lieder alle
Zu meinem leuchtenden Lieb -
Nehmt mit meine Tränen und Seufzer,
Ihr Lieder, wehmütig und trüb!
0:00 [m. 1]--Introduction.
The unsettled effect is immediately established by a clash of
sixteenth-note triplets in the right hand against leaping straight
sixteenth notes in the left. This two-against-three pattern
remains in force for much of the song. The right-hand
triplets arch upward, obscuring within them a melancholy
descending melody on accented double-stemmed notes. This is
subtly harmonized by the top voice of the leaping left hand, whose
bottom notes mostly remain fixed on a “pedal” B. After the
first two measures, the next two move down more steadily in both
hands. The last two measures settle even lower and introduce
pauses in first the left, then the right hand in preparation for
the vocal entry. 0:09 [m. 7]--Stanza 1. The vocal entry on the first
line matches the concealed melody of the introduction, as does the
piano itself, but this only lasts for the first measure. The
piano is marked sotto voce, continuing the
two-against-three conflict. The second line introduces a
distinctive upward-rising figure in the voice, which is
immediately echoed in the piano bass bridging to the third
line. This is identical to the first. The fourth line
thwarts the expected repetition by turning quickly to major and
reaching higher. The echo of the upward-rising figure in the
piano bass also incorporates the major inflection. 0:22 [m. 15]--Stanza 2. The music now deviates from
the pattern. The first line uses the distinctive
upward-rising figure as a starting point, but then stretches
things out by setting the word “alle” on a longer syncopated line,
then repeating the word a step higher. The piano patterns
are also different, with the left hand immediately playing low
syncopated octaves in the left hand, anticipating this rhythm in
the voice a measure earlier. The right hand continues to
play the triplet figuration. After the repetition of “alle,”
the voice continues with the second line, all remaining in major
and ending on a half-close. Both lines become more animated
and forceful. The piano bridge to the last two lines is
melodically active in both hands. 0:31 [m. 21]--The last two lines are set to music
reminiscent of the first stanza, but with important changes.
The third line of the stanza remains in major. The fourth
moves lower and introduces notes from the minor. The
right-hand triplets continue, but now the left hand plays a
thumping low B twelve times, all off the beats, four to a
measure. As the line ends, the low bass B slows to two in
the measure. Another measure, a piano bridge, re-introduces
the familiar upward-rising bass figure, remaining surprisingly in
major. The entire setting of these lines slowly and steadily
diminishes in volume. 0:40 [m. 26]--The last two lines are repeated and stretched
out in slower notes. Under them the upward-rising bass
figure is heard three more times. After the last two of
these, both hands of the piano briefly break. The final word
“trüb” is set to a rising figure, soaring to and holding the upper
note for two full measures, and remaining strongly in major.
The word is underpinned by two brief piano gestures (the right
hand still in triplets). The last piano chords, also in
major, are a quiet but emphatic punctuation. 0:55--END OF SONG [31 mm.]
4.
Meerfahrt
(
Ride on
the Sea
). Text by Heinrich Heine. Andante
sostenuto. Three-part through-composed form. A MINOR,
6/8 time (Middle key F minor, low key E minor).
German Text:
Mein Liebchen, wir sassen beisammen,
Traulich im leichten Kahn.
Die Nacht war still, und wir schwammen
Auf weiter Wasserbahn.
Die Geisterinsel, die schöne,
Lag dämm’rig im Mondenglanz;
Dort klangen liebe Töne,
Dort wogte der Nebeltanz.
Dort klang es lieb und lieber,
Und wogt’ es hin und her;
Wir aber schwammen vorüber,
Trostlos auf weitem Meer. English
Translation
Part 1 0:00 [m. 1]--Introduction. It is unusually
long. The persistent barcarolle rhythm (like the “Venetian
Gondola Songs” of Mendelssohn) is established with a stubborn low
bass. Against this rhythm, a melody enters, beginning
strikingly with an accented and powerful dissonance (a note from
the major key in the context of minor), having the effect of a
foghorn. After this blast, the melody settles into the
barcarolle rhythm, with the bass and melody moving toward an
initial cadence. The melody then continues to wind downward,
becoming more active and decorative. The last four measures
are a statement and a quieter repetition, with an interrupted
cadence, the repetition settling in preparation for the vocal
entry. 0:42 [m. 15]--Stanza 1. The first verse, unlike the
other two, matches the first section of the three-part form.
Its presentation is atmospheric and straightforward, continuing
the rocking barcarolle character and mostly remaining in the home
key. The second line is stretched out to twice the length of
the first, ending with a yearning half-close. The setting of
the next couplet, the third and fourth lines, is similar, with the
fourth line twice the length of the third, but here there is a
complete motion to the “dominant” minor key (E minor), also ending
with a yearning half-close. 1:16 [m. 27]--The fourth line is repeated in a new setting,
almost angry in its effect, with an extra repetition of the word
“weiter.” This ends with a full close in E minor, but
coinciding with this cadence, the dissonant foghorn blast once
again appears in the piano. As a bridge to the second stanza
(and middle section), the first part of the melody from the
introduction is heard, but it does not complete its initial
cadence. Part 2 (Stanza 2 and Stanza 3, lines 1-2) 1:36 [m. 34]--Stanza 2. Beginning with a half-measure
upbeat, the first two lines are presented in an awestruck manner
as the isle of spirits appears to the couple on the boat.
The harmony is much more active, with the first line moving toward
D major and the second toward G. The barcarolle pattern
persists in the piano, but with some waltz flavor. At this
point, Brahms indicates a steady, but powerful buildup in tempo
and volume, using both German and Italian directions. The
third and fourth lines veer back to the “dominant” key of E, but
now it is major. The fourth line is set to shorter notes,
adding to the gradual animation. Here, the piano deviates
somewhat from its pattern, adding richly colorful chromatic
chords. 2:05 [m. 45]--Stanza 3. There is no real break for
the new poetic verse, as the increasingly animated music
continues, using these first two lines as a climax. The
harmony makes a radical detour to A-flat major, a half-step above
the home key. The piano adds highly unstable “diminished
seventh” chords. The vocal line marks the climax with a rise
to its highest pitch on “hin und her,” finally holding out a note
as the piano continues its forcefully dissonant harmonies.
The climax subsides, Brahms indicating a gradual slowing, again in
both German and Italian directions. There is a quick and
artful motion back to the home key, accomplished by re-spelling
the note A-flat as G-sharp and converting it to a “leading note”
in A minor. Part 3 (Stanza 3, lines 3-4) 2:17 [m. 51]--The character of the first part returns, but
there is no literal reprise. Line 3 of the final stanza is
sung to longer descending and despairing notes as the boat passes
by the glorious vision. With the final line, Brahms does
explicitly indicate “as at the beginning” (“Wie zu Anfang”) and
indeed, the dissonant foghorn blast returns, underpinning the
first setting of that final line with the opening music from the
introduction. The use of the dissonance on the word
“trostlos” (“comfortless”) emphasizes the bleakness. The
line is concluded, but the piano continues, bridging to its
extended repetition. 2:38 [m. 58]--The horn blast is heard again, but
this time it is not a dissonant intrusion, rather part of the
underlying harmony. The final line is repeated in its
entirety in a varied setting, still underpinned by the
introduction music. Then, settling to a ghostly quietness,
the last words “auf weitem Meer” are repeated once more, even
adding a fourth statement of “weitem” (mirroring the repetition of
the same adjective as “weiter” in the first stanza). The
energy is completely spent after the final vocal cadence, and the
piano simply puts the brakes on the boat, bringing the
quasi-tragic barcarolle to a close with a low open octave. 3:20--END OF SONG [66 mm.]