Gypsy songs (Brahms)

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Johannes Brahms (1887)

The Gypsy songs op. 103 and op. 112, No. 3–6 are a song cycle for 4 voices (or choir ) and piano by Johannes Brahms . The texts are Hungarian folk songs in German adaptation by Hugo Conrat (actually: Hugo Cohn; * June 2, 1845, Breslau; † March 22, 1906, Berlin), a friend of Brahms' from the Vienna circle. The actual translation of the texts, however, was done by the Conrat family's Hungarian nanny.

history

Brahms set the first eleven of the gypsy songs, "which could be understood in a certain order as being in a novel-like context" ( Brahms ), either in the Thun summer of 1887 or in the winter of 1887/88 during a stay in Budapest . Another four songs followed in 1891 and were published as op. 112 together with the vocal quartets Sehnsucht und Nächtens (text: Franz Theodor Kugler ), which are not related to the Gypsy songs.

The Gypsy songs can be seen in Brahms' oeuvre on the one hand as vocal counterparts to the Hungarian Dances and on the other hand as more exotic counterparts to the love song waltzes op. 52 and 65. The cycle owes its popularity to the enthusiasm for national currents in 19th century music, during which time the term gypsy music was largely incorrectly equated with Hungarian folk music.

The first public performance of the Lieder op. 103 took place on October 31, 1888 in Berlin . The cycle was a great success from the start, but the placement of the work in the concert hall also caused the composer some discomfort: the songs were actually designed by Brahms as solo vocal quartets for house music use. Nevertheless, the songs are also very suitable for (small) choral ensembles, especially in connection with the voluminous sound of modern pianos, so that today performance by choirs is more the rule in concert practice. CD recordings, on the other hand, are often to be found with soloists.

The titles

Gypsy songs, op.103

  1. Hey, gypsies, pick the strings
  2. Towering Rima flood
  3. Do you know when my child
  4. Dear god you know
  5. Brown boy leads to the dance
  6. Roses three in a row
  7. Sometimes it comes to mind
  8. Listen, the wind laments in the branches
  9. Nobody is looking at me anywhere
  10. Moon covers his face
  11. Red evening clouds are moving

Four Gypsy Songs, op.112

  1. Heaven is so bright
  2. Herald red rose buds
  3. Stinging nettle stands at the edge of the road
  4. Dear swallow, little swallow

literature

  • Hans Gebhard (Ed.): Harenberg Chormusikführer . Harenberg, Dortmund 1999, ISBN 3-611-00817-6 .

Web links