Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) was a German composer,
pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born
in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his
professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped
with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as
one of the "Three Bs" of music, a comment originally
made by the nineteenth-century conductor Hans von
Bülow. He composed for symphony orchestra, chamber
ensembles, piano, organ, voice, and chorus. A virtuoso
pianist, he pre...(+)
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) was a German composer,
pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born
in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his
professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped
with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as
one of the "Three Bs" of music, a comment originally
made by the nineteenth-century conductor Hans von
Bülow. He composed for symphony orchestra, chamber
ensembles, piano, organ, voice, and chorus. A virtuoso
pianist, he premiered many of his own works. He worked
with leading performers of his time, including the
pianist Clara Schumann and the violinist Joseph Joachim
(the three were close friends). Many of his works have
become staples of the modern concert repertoire.
Brahms has been considered both a traditionalist and an
innovator, by his contemporaries and by later writers.
His music is rooted in the structures and compositional
techniques of the Classical masters. Embedded within
those structures are deeply Romantic motifs. While some
contemporaries found his music to be overly academic,
his contribution and craftsmanship were admired by
subsequent figures as diverse as Arnold Schoenberg and
Edward Elgar. The detailed construction of Brahms's
works was a starting point and an inspiration for a
generation of composers.
Fünf Gesänge (Five songs), Op. 104, is a song cycle
of five part songs for mixed choir a cappella by
Johannes Brahms. Composed in 1888 when Brahms was a
55-year-old bachelor, the five songs reflect an
intensely nostalgic and even tragic mood. Brahms has
chosen texts which centre on lost youth, summer turning
into fall and, ultimately, man's mortality. While the
score and the parts themselves are not that difficult
for the singers, the sombre nature of the texts coupled
with intense soaring melodies and complex harmonies
make it quite a demanding work for any choir.
Nachtwache II (Night watch II) was composed by Brahms
in E? Major, for chorus (SAATBB). All at once, the mood
is set by a more confident and reassuring tone in the
music as well as in the text. The repeated calls of
"Ruhn sie?" in all six voices is an imitation of the
horns of the night watchmen, telling their listeners to
confidently put out their lamps and let themselves be
enveloped by the peaceful night. This is the shortest
of the five songs, with just 21 bars.
Although originally written for Chorus (SAATBB), I
created this arrangement of the "Nachtwache II" from
'Fünf Gesänge' (Op.104 No. 2) for Wind Sextet (Flute,
Oboe, Bb Clarinet, English Horn, French Horn &
Bassoon).
SHEET MUSIC