{"id":234,"date":"2007-03-05T22:51:30","date_gmt":"2007-03-06T06:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/03\/05\/middle-voices-from-brahms-golden-period\/"},"modified":"2007-03-05T22:56:48","modified_gmt":"2007-03-06T06:56:48","slug":"middle-voices-from-brahms-golden-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/03\/05\/middle-voices-from-brahms-golden-period\/","title":{"rendered":"middle voices from brahms’ golden period"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just came home from a rehearsal (with Jennifer Gill, mezzo-soprano and Janet Coleman, piano) of the Two Songs, Op 91 of Johannes Brahms. What a great gem of the repertoire these two songs are! The two songs are Gestillte Sehnsucht<\/em> (Satisfied Longing) and Geistliches Wiegenlied<\/em> (Heavenly Cradle Song).<\/p>\n

As a set, they cover polar opposites of love (both lower- and uppercase): earthly or physical love and heavenly or divine Love. <\/p>\n

The first song is in ABA (song) form, with the agitated ‘B’ section corresponding to the second verse which refers to the stirrings of the narrator’s physical urges. <\/p>\n

The second song is in a modified song form, roughly AAABA, with the gently rocking 6\/8 meter giving way to an inexorable 3\/4 meter when the verse refers to a fierce, cold wind. In each song, the viola is heard first, performing the introductory role that would normally be taken up by the piano. <\/p>\n

In both of the songs, there is much interplay between the two leading voices, with the viola punctuating the beginning and end of each phrase, sometimes commenting on or interacting with the vocal line elsewhere. The piano’s role is relegated to the background, though it provides nearly constant rhythmic tension against both voices. These two songs are fully mature works, written around 1884, in the same highly-prolific period as the Third Symphony, op. 90, the Fourth Symphony, op. 98, the Double Concerto for violin and cello, op. 102, the two String Quintets, opp. 88 & 111, C-minor Piano Trio, op. 101, Clarinet Quintet, op. 115 and the Clarinet Trio, op. 114! All this – works any one of which would by themselves be the magnum opus of any lesser composer – written between 1882 and 1891!<\/p>\n

If your interest has been piqued, the three of us will be performing these songs, along with works of Falla, Reynaldo Hahn, and others, on Jennifer Gill’s recital at the Old Church (1422 SW 11th Ave, Portland), Wednesday, March 7th at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door.<\/p>\n

\nGestillte Sehnsucht (Satisfied Longing)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Steeped in a golden evening glow,
\n how solemnly the forests stand!
\n In gentle voices the little birds breathe
\n into the soft fluttering of evening breezes.
\n What does the wind whisper, and the little birds?
\n They whisper the world into slumber.<\/p>\n

You, my desires, that stir
\n in my heart without rest or peace!
\n You longings that move my heart,
\n When will you rest, when will you sleep?
\n By the whispering of the wind, and of the little birds?
\n You yearning desires, when will you fall asleep?<\/p>\n

Alas, when no longer into the golden distance
\n does my spirit hurry on dream-wings,
\n when no more on the eternally distant stars
\n does my longing gaze rest;
\n Then the wind and the little birds
\n will whisper away my longing, along with my life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u201c Friedrich R\u00c3\u00bcckert (1788-1866); translated by Emily Ezust.<\/p>\n

\nGeistliches Wiegenlied (Heavenly Cradle Song)<\/strong><\/p>\n

You who hover
\n Around these palms
\n In night and wind,
\n You holy angels,
\n Silence the treetops,
\n My child is sleeping.<\/p>\n

You palms of Bethlehem
\n In the roaring wind,
\n How can you today
\n Bluster so angrily!
\n O roar not so!
\n Be still, bow
\n Softly and gently;
\n Silence the treetops!
\n My child is sleeping.<\/p>\n

The child of heaven
\n Endures the discomfort,
\n Oh, how tired he has become
\n Of earthly sorrow.
\n Oh, now in sleep,
\n Gently softened,
\n His pain fades,
\n Silence the treetops!
\n My child is sleeping.<\/p>\n

Fierce cold
\n Comes rushing,
\n How shall I cover
\n The little child’s limbs?
\n O all you angels,
\n You winged ones
\n Wandering in the wind.
\n Silence the treetops!
\n My child is sleeping.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u201c Emanuel von Geibel (1815-1844); translated by Lena and Daniel Platt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just came home from a rehearsal (with Jennifer Gill, mezzo-soprano and Janet Coleman, piano) of the Two Songs, Op 91 of Johannes Brahms. What a great gem of the repertoire these two songs are! The two songs are Gestillte Sehnsucht (Satisfied Longing) and Geistliches Wiegenlied (Heavenly Cradle Song). As a set, they cover polar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[],"tags":[3655,53,3662,62,3660,3659],"class_list":["post-234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-news","tag-piano","tag-portland","tag-symphony","tag-viola","tag-violin"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-3M","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13149,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2014\/01\/13\/a-tale-of-two-brahms\/","url_meta":{"origin":234,"position":0},"title":"a tale of two brahms","author":"Charles Noble","date":"January 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Another musician who blogs quite frequently is the pianist Stephen Hough (a favorite soloist here in Portland, with frequent appearances with the Oregon Symphony), and he recently wrote a blog post for the Guardian newspaper (he also has a regular blog at the Telegraph) describing his process of revising his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/WxH50l50dvs\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4274,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/03\/28\/diaz-denk-play-brahms\/","url_meta":{"origin":234,"position":1},"title":"diaz & denk play brahms","author":"Charles Noble","date":"March 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This is one of those recordings that I'm very excited about getting my hands on.\u00a0 Roberto D\u00ecaz, currently the president of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and a former principal violist of both the National Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra, along with Jeremy Denk, one of the more exciting,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "piano"","block_context":{"text":"piano","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/instruments\/piano-music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/546.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":737,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/02\/06\/chamber-concert-noon-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":234,"position":2},"title":"chamber concert noon today","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 6, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"If you've got time in your lunch hour for a quick concert of chamber music masterpieces, come on over to the Old Church (1422 SW 11th Ave) at Noon today to hear (mostly) members of the Oregon Symphony play music by Beethoven and Brahms.\u00c2\u00a0 Here's the line-up: Beethoven - Quartet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "chamber music"","block_context":{"text":"chamber music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/chamber-music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"mol_brownbaglunch_big.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/mol_brownbaglunch_big.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6550,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2011\/05\/31\/performance-round-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":234,"position":3},"title":"performance round up","author":"Charles Noble","date":"May 31, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking part in two very enjoyable, but very different, concerts of chamber music. The first was as part of the Third Angle New Music Ensemble, which presented its Asian Music Now concert on Friday evening, which highlighted music by Asian composers, with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "soloists & recitals"","block_context":{"text":"soloists & recitals","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/soloists-recitals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/242740_10150208657670750_16345205749_6856419_4054333_o-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":181,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/01\/26\/programming-games\/","url_meta":{"origin":234,"position":4},"title":"programming games","author":"Charles Noble","date":"January 26, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm in the process of figuring out what to play on a planned spring recital, and it's made me think a lot about the largely forgotten art of programming - the act of picking what pieces will be on a concert.I was poking through some of my music that I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5141,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/08\/06\/for-a-good-time-call-brahms\/","url_meta":{"origin":234,"position":5},"title":"for a good time, call brahms","author":"Charles Noble","date":"August 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I had the best time this morning.\u00a0 By this time of the summer, I've usually frittered away a large portion of my free time on the bike or in front of the tv watching the pros ride their bikes.\u00a0 The viola gets put away in the studio and gets to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/41Slgj2sgZL._SL160_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}