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7 mm. after reh. E - 15 mm. after reh. E
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Skills & Techniques: Endurance, High Register, Phrasing, Slurred Flexibility, Transposition
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Horn 1 (Eb)
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Berliner Philharmoniker (1990)
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San Francisco Symphony (1990)
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Composer & Composition Information
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
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Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer and pianist and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene. In his lifetime, Brahms' popularity and influence were considerable; following a comment by the nineteenth-century conductor Hans von Bülow, he is sometimes grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as one of the Three Bs.
Brahms composed for piano, chamber ensembles, symphony orchestra, and for voice and chorus. A virtuoso pianist, he premiered many of his own works; he also worked with some of the leading performers of his time, including the pianist Clara Schumann and the violinist Joseph Joachim. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. Brahms, an uncompromising perfectionist, destroyed many of his works and left some of them unpublished. The text & image are reprinted from The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra where more information about the composer can be found. |
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Schicksalslied, Op. 54
Brahms’ work on the cantata, Schicksalslied (“Song of Fate”), Op. 54 began months after the premiere of his German Requiem. But this shorter work, sometimes dubbed the “Little Requiem,” was not completed until May of 1871. As the text left off with “the futility of man’s destiny in a storm-tossed world,” Brahms struggled with the ending. Eventually, the solution emerged with a sublime inevitability. After moving from E-flat major to a tempestuous C minor, the final section of the piece returns to the music of the opening, this time in pure C major. In this final section, the orchestra is heard alone, leaving the text behind. Dramatically, Brahms moves beyond Hölderlin’s poem, offering an epilogue filled with wistful nostalgia, lament, and quiet reassurance.
The text is written by & reprinted from Timothy Dudd (The Listeners Club) where more information about the composition can be found.
The text is written by & reprinted from Timothy Dudd (The Listeners Club) where more information about the composition can be found.
Notable Performances/Recordings:
San Francisco Symphony (2014)
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (2012)
New Philharmonia Orchestra (1968)
San Francisco Symphony (2014)
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (2012)
New Philharmonia Orchestra (1968)