Program Notes for May 10, 2014
© 2014 Mary Eichbauer
George Friderich Handel (1685-1759). Water Music, Suite No. 2 in D major, HMV
349. Composed 1717; first performed in London 17 July 1717. Scored for two
oboes, two horns, two trumpets, basso continuo, and strings.
In 1717, King George I asked Handel to create an orchestral composition for about 50
musicians, including winds, brass, and strings. The composition was meant to provide
entertainment for a royal excursion on the River Thames from Whitehall Castle to
Chelsea on a summer’s evening. The Royal party rode in a grand barge, while the
musicians were loaded on a second barge following. As the tide rose on the Thames, the
barges were pushed upstream; as it fell, they moved back down to Whitehall. All that was
needed to keep them on their way was steering, not rowing. According to eyewitnesses,
the whole river that night was covered with the boats and barges of those who wished to
hear the music and catch glimpses of the royal passengers. When the barges reached
Chelsea, the king went ashore briefly. George I was so pleased with Handel’s Water
Music, he asked that it be played over and over—probably four times total. The
musicians played from 8:00pm to midnight, with a short break while the king was ashore.
It is not known today in what order the movements were played on that original
excursion. Today, the work is divided into three suites according to key and
instrumentation. The second suite, in D major, which we will hear tonight, consists of
five movements and features two trumpets in addition to two oboes, two horns, basso
continuo, and strings.
The Overture begins with a lively brass fanfare, accompanied by descending
scales in the oboes and strings. The horns repeat the fanfare, and the different
instrumental sections sound two-note calls, echoed by other instruments. At least three
melodic lines are usually playing at once: a version of the fanfare, a busily descending
eighth-note theme, and a theme of hooked notes. The whole effect is resolutely royal and
cheerful. A brief Adagio section of a few measures prepares us for the Hornpipe.
The Hornpipe is one of the most-played sections of Water Music. Written in 3/2
time, it begins with three rising half notes, followed by a syncopated rhythm in the next
four measures and a straight rhythm following. The trumpets repeat the theme and share
it with the horns. A minor-key interlude for strings picks up the pace and creates an
exciting contrast. The opening section is repeated to end the movement.
The 3/4 time Minuet is stately and less brash than the preceding movements, but
still of an elegant and royal character.
“Lentement” means “slow” in French, and this majestic dance in 3/4 time is
brassy and deliberate, with a hooked rhythm that makes us imagine a skipping step.
The closing Boureé is also a dance, but written in a quick 2. The simple melody is
played three times over, and feels like a sophisticated version of a country dance.
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). Eines deutsches Requiem, op. 45. Composed 1866.
First performed 1868; complete version first performed in Leipzig in 1869. Scored
for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four
horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, strings, soprano,
baritone, and chorus.
The word “requiem,” meaning a mass for the dead, comes from a line in Latin
from the traditional Catholic liturgy: “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine” (“Grant
them eternal rest, O Lord”). Most Catholic requiem masses take as their subject death and
the recently dead, consisting of pleas to God for mercy, prayers for the dead, and often of
frightening descriptions of the righteous anger of God and the horrors of hell.
In contrast, Brahms wrote a Protestant requiem, and, more than this, he clearly
indicated that he wanted to write a “human” requiem, one that gives comfort and solace
to those living in bereavement. He selected his texts carefully from the German Bible,
combining Old and New Testament passages in order to craft a message emphasizing
God’s love and forgiveness, and the hope of resurrection, rather than the implacable and
fearful message of the traditional Catholic requiem mass. Brahms, an agnostic, had
nonetheless thought deeply about religion, and knew his Bible well. He said in one letter
that he could find his Bible “even in the dark.”
The “German” Bible refers to the first widely accessible Bible in German that
most middle class people were able to read. In his desire to spread the holy writ to all the
people, Martin Luther translated the original Greek and Hebrew texts (not the Latin
vulgate, where most translations started) of the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha
into the German vernacular. These translations of scripture into the everyday language of
the German people, along with the invention of moveable type and the increase in
literacy among the middle class, had several explosive effects. Individuals could read
texts, including sacred ones, and make up their own minds about what they read. Instead
of listening to readings and interpretations of sacred texts by priests, as in the Middle
Ages, now individuals could develop and form opinions and discuss them with others,
enriching and diversifying a communal spiritual life outside of organized religion.
Divided into seven sections, Brahms’ German Requiem was not dedicated to any
one person. Brahms had lost his mentor and friend, Robert Schumann, in 1856, and his
mother in 1865. In letters to Clara Schumann, he indicates that the memory of his mother
inspired him as he was writing this work, but he meant it to have universal appeal, and
not just to memorialize significant losses in his own life. Brahms intended the Requiem
to comfort all those who had suffered loss and needed comfort, including himself.
The first performance in 1867, which only included three of the movements, was
marred by a percussionist’s miscue (he played consistently loud notes, instead of soft
notes with an occasional loud emphasis), when he drowned out the other instruments and
voices. The audience reacted rudely, although some still saw through the mistake to the
beauty of the work.
The first complete performance of the Requiem was a different matter. Robert
Schumann had earlier said of his protégé Brahms: “If he directs his magic wand where
the power and masses of the choir and orchestra can lend him their strength, then we will
have before us wonderful glimpses into the secrets of the spiritual realm.” Referring to
this statement, critic Adolf Schubring said: “With the first performance of Brahms's
Deutsches Requiem on Good Friday, April 10, 1868, before an audience of 2500 in the
Bremen Cathedral, there were thousands, who until this time knew practically no music
by Brahms, hardly even his name, astounded, attentive, deeply moved by a [piece of]
music....” The Requiem made Brahms, overnight, into an admired composer and a force
to be reckoned with.
The German Requiem has an overall structure that moves from grief to comfort,
and each movement also shows this progression in miniature. There are many
symmetries: the opening and closing movements are a matched pair; the funeral march of
the second movement and the resurrection theme of the sixth are opposite counterparts, as
are the baritone solo of the third and the soprano solo of the fifth movement. The
transition point from grief to what will become the certainty of resurrection begins with
the fourth movement.
The lower strings begin the opening movement in warmth, not sadness. The first
line, one of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew, sets
the tone, and the goal, for the whole piece: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted.” This text is combined with a piece from the Psalm 126: “They that sow in
tears shall reap in joy.” This section ends with the heavenly sound of rising arpeggios in
the harp, while the choir holds a high note.
The second movement also begins with low instruments, but seriously and sadly.
“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass” (Peter I). In
further texts from Peter I, James, and Isaiah, the listener is exhorted to have patience in
waiting for the second coming. The somber beginning of this music becomes gradually
louder and more sorrowful until the text from Isaiah bursts forth in an excess of joy.
“...they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
The third section’s somber texts, from Psalms and the Wisdom of Solomon, are
sung by the baritone with choral accompaniment. “Lord, make me to know mine end, and
the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” They emphasize the
brevity, frailty, and vanity of life, and urge the listener to have faith. The baritone asks,
“And now, Lord, what wait I for?” And the chorus answers, “My hope is in thee.” The
chorus argues the triumphant conclusion, a fugue: “But the souls of the righteous are in
the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them.”
The fourth movement offers us a moment’s respite from the contemplation of
death. It is framed as a pastoral whose aim is to praise God and entreat His presence. The
music is gentle but moving, with moments of great urgency and then of lyrical sweetness.
The fifth movement, written in 1868, somewhat later than the rest of the piece, is
a moving and subdued soprano solo, supported by the chorus, that does not descend into
darkness, but deals with the pain of individual loss. “...I will see you again, and your
heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you” (John). And, the most telling
verse, near the end: “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you”
(Isaiah).
The stormy, monumental sixth movement, sung by the baritone and chorus,
dwells on the hope of resurrection as expressed in texts mostly from Corinthians and
Revelation. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” The music
becomes portentous and triumphant, appropriate for its dramatic theme of the last
judgment and the final victory over death.
The key words in the seventh movement are “selig sind” (“blessed are they”),
which are also the first words of the opening movement. The text is brief, and the
treatment is peaceful, with the sopranos and the harp subtly referring to the music from
the opening section. The music rises, as in the opening, and the work is resolved in peace
and acceptance.
Brahms: A German Requiem
Text and Translation
I
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen; denn sie
sollen getröstet werden.
Die mit Tränen säen, werden mit Freuden
ernten.
Sie gehen hin und weinen und tragen edlen
Samen und kommen mit Freuden und
bringen ihre Garben.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall
be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless come again
with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him. (Psalms 126:5-6)
II
Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras und alle
Herrlichkeit des Menschen wie des Grases
Blumen. Das Gras ist verdorret und die
Blume abgefallen.
So seid nun geduldig, lieben Brüder, bis auf
die Zukunft des Herrn. Siehe, ein
Ackermann wartet auf die köstliche Frucht
der Erde und ist geduldig darüber, bis er
empfahe den Morgenregen und
Abendregen.
Aber des Herrn Wort bleibet in Ewigkeit.
Die Erlöseten des Herrn werden
wiederkommen, und gen Zion kommen mit
Jauchzen; Freude, ewige Freude wird über
ihrem Haupte sein; Freude und Wonne
werden sie ergreifen und Schmerz und
Seufzen wird weg müssen.
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of
man as the flower of grass. The grass
withereth, and the flower thereof falleth
away. (I Peter 1:24)
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the
coming of the Lord. Behold, the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of
the earth, and hath long patience for it, until
he receive the early and latter rain. (James
5:7)
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.
(I Peter 1:25)
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with songs and
everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall
obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and
sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:10)
III
Herr, lehre doch mich, daß ein Ende mit mir
haben muß, und mein Leben ein Ziel hat
und ich davon muß.
Siehe, meine Tage sind einer Hand breit vor
dir, und mein Leben ist wie nichts vor dir.
Ach, wie gar nichts sind alle Menschen, die
doch so sicher leben.
Sie gehen daher wie ein Schemen, und
machen ihnen viel vergebliche Unruhe; sie
sammeln und wissen nicht wer es kriegen
wird.
Lord, make me to know mine end, and the
measure of my days, what it is; that I may
know how frail I am.
Behold, thou hast made my days as an
handbreath; and mine age is as nothing
before thee: verily every man at his best
state is altogether vanity.
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew:
surely they are disquieted in vain: he
heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who
shall gather them.
Nun, Herr, wes soll ich mich trösten? Ich
hoffe auf dich.
Der Gerechten Seelen sind in Gottes Hand
und keine Qual rühret sie an.
IV
Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr
Zebaoth!
Meine Seele verlanget und sehnet sich nach
den Vorhöfen des Herrn; mein Leib und
Seele freuen sich in dem lebendigen Gott.
Wohl denen, die in deinem Hause wohnen,
die loben dich immerdar.
V
Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit; aber ich will euch
wiedersehen, und euer Herz soll sich freuen,
und eure Freude soll niemand von euch
nehmen.
Sehet mich an; ich habe eine kleine Zeit
Mühe und Arbeit gehabt, und habe großen
Trost gefunden.
Ich will euch trösten, wie einen seine Mutter
tröstet.
VI
Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt,
sondern die zukünftige suchen wir.
Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis: Wir
werden nicht alle entschlafen, wir werden
aber alle verwandelt werden;
und dasselbige plötzlich, in einem
Augenblick, zu der Zeit der letzten Posaune.
Denn es wird die Posaune schallen, und die
Toten werden auferstehen unverweslich,
und wir werden verwandelt werden.
Dann wird erfüllet werden das Wort, das
geschrieben steht: Der Tod ist verschlungen
in den Sieg.
Tod, wo ist dein Stachel? Hölle, wo ist dein
Sieg?
Herr, du bist würdig zu nehmen Preis und
Ehre und Kraft; denn du hast alle Dinge
erschaffen und durch deinen Willen haben
sie das Wesen und sind geschaffen.
And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is
in thee. (Psalms 39:5-8)
But the souls of the righteous are in the
hand of God, and there shall no torment
touch them. (Wisdom of Solomon 3:1)
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of
Hosts!
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the
courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh
crieth out for the living God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:
they will be still praising Thee. (Psalms
84:2-3, 5)
And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I
will see you again, and your heart shall
rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from
you. (John 16:22)
Behold with your eyes, how that I laboured
but a little, and found for myself much rest.
(Ecclesiasticus 51:35)
As one whom his mother comforteth, so
will I comfort you. (Isaiah 66:13)
For here we have no continuing city, but we
seek one to come. (Hebrews 13:14)
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
Then shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where
is thy victory? (I Corinthians 15:51-55)
Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and
were created. (Revelation 4:11)
VII
Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn
sterben, von nun an. Ja der Geist spricht,
daß sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit; denn ihre
Werke folgen ihnen nach.
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labours; and their
works do follow them. (Revelation 14:13)