Synopses & Reviews
"These songs are a source of endless delight . . . of the highest and most lasting value." — Grove's Dictionary. Fifty-eight songs, with new prose translations. Selections include famed "Wiegenlied" (Lullaby), "Unbewegte laue Luft," "Von ewiger Liebe," "Die Kranze," and "Am Sonntag Morgen." Breitkopf & Hartel edition.
Synopsis
"These songs are a source of endless delight, and when, as often happens, this beautifully polished musicianship is set alight with the glow of personal emotion, the results are of the highest and most lasting value." -- Grove's Dictionary
Brahms's melodic gifts and genuine emotional response to poetry produced some of the finest German songs, equaling and occasionally surpassing Schubert in lyricism. Frequent performances and recordings of these songs continue to prove Brahms's lasting contributions to this domain, and create a need for authentic, accessible printed music. The finest complete musical transcript of Brahms, published by Breitkopf & Hartel (for whom Brahms worked as editor), is reproduced here -- the authoritative texts with new translations of the lyrics.
This volume (Series II of the complete Dover Brahms songs, published in four volumes) contains Stanley Appelbaum's new literal prose translations of 58 songs first published between 1868 and 1964. Among these are the famous "Lullaby" ("Wiegenlied") and "Unbewegte laue Luft," called by Grove's Dictionary "one of Brahms's finest, full of richly glowing color." Brahms found inspiration mainly in the German poets (with an occasional translation of the Persian Hafiz or the French poet-king Thibault IV) but his rhythms and melodies most often reflect his own complex personality rather than the conventional German folk-song style advocated by his fellow "nationalistic" composers.
In addition to the song texts, a translation of the original editor's commentary has been included, plus new listings of titles, opening lines, and poets. With this edition one may appreciate, play, and sing Brahms's lieder from legible notation, printed with wide margins on opaque paper, bound for durability on the music stand. Nowhere else are the great songs of Brahms available to musicians, students, and classical music lovers, at the lowest price and highest quality of design and reproduction.
Table of Contents
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SONG TITLES
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SONG OPENINGS
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF POETS
GLOSSARY OF GERMAN TERMS OCCURRING ON THE MUSIC PAGES
EDITOR'S COMMENTARY
TRANSLATIONS
"FOUR SONGS, OP. 43"
1. Von ewiger Liebe
2. Die Mainacht
3. Ich schell mein Horn ins Jammertal
4. Das Lied vom Herrn von Falkenstein
"FOUR SONGS, OP. 46"
1. Die Kränze
2. Magyarisch
3. Die Schale der Vergessenheit
4. A die Nachtigall
"FIVE SONGS, OP. 47"
1. Botschaft
2. Liebesglut
3. Sonntag
4. O liebliche Wangen
5. Die Liebende schreibt
"SEVEN SONGS, OP. 48"
1. Der Gang zum Liebchen
2. Der Überläufer
3. Liebesklag des Mädchens
4. Gold überwiegt die Liebe
5. Trost in Tränen
6. Vergangen ist mir Glück und Heil
7. Herbstgefühl
"FIVE SONGS, OP. 49"
1. Am Sonntag Morgen
2. An ein Veilchen
3. Sehnsucht
4. Wiegenlied
5. Abenddämmerung
"EIGHT SONGS TO TEXTS BY DAUMER, OP. 57"
1. Von waldbekränzter Höhe
2. Wenn du nur zuweilen lächelst
3. "Es träumte mir, ich sei dir teuer"
4. "Ach, wende diesen Blick"
5. In meiner Nächte Sehnen
6. Strahlt zuweilen auch ein mildes Licht
7. "Die Schnur, die Perl an Perle"
8. Unbewegte laue Luft
"EIGHT SONGS, OP. 58"
1. Blinde Kuh
2. Während des Regens
3. Die Spröde
4. "O komme, holde Sommernacht"
5. Schwermut
6. In der Gasse
7. Vorüber
8. Serenade
"EIGHT SONGS, OP. 59"
1. Dämmrung senkte sich von oben
2. Auf dem See
3. Regenlied
4. Nachklang
5. Agnes
6. "Eine gute, gute Nacht"
7. Mein wundes Herz verlangt nach milder Ruh
8. Dein blaues Auge hält so still
"NINE SONGS, OP. 63"
1. Frühlingstrost
2. Erinnerung
3. An ein Bild
4. An die Tauben
5. Junge Lieder I
6. Junge Lieder II
7. Heimweh I
8. Heimweh II
9. Heimweh III