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To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Subject: RE: Brahms "Four Serious Songs"
Date sent: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 18:24:38 +0100
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They were first performed (privately) by Raimund vor zur Muehlen - a
baritone.

Brahms didn't draw a sharp distinction between baritones and basses. In this
he was probably influenced by eighteenth century German nomenclature (he was
ever a conservative), which divided low male basses into high basses
(baritones) and low basses (the authentic article). It is interesting to
note that Wagner, motivated by nationalism and anti-mediterranianism, also
revived this nomenclature at roughly the same time. I have a near complete
set of old Schott vocal scores for Wagner operas, in which Wotan is a hoher
Bass but Hagen a tiefer Bass; Sachs a hoher Bass but Pogner a tiefer Bass.
This same Meistersinger score also lists Beckmesser as a hoher Bass, which
has always amused me as he has to sustain a top A. Basses don't come much
hoher than that. Indeed, most of the Beckmessers I've heard could probably
moonlight as tenors, if they only changed their diets and led blameless
lives. Anyway, by the time he got to Parsifal, Wagner had more or less given
up on nationalism, and so Amfortas is a plain old baritone (and none plainer
than when I did the part myself) again, and Gurnemanz a mere bass. Wagner's
nationalism was misplaced: the term baritone enjoyed wide currency early in
Germany (for example, in the works of Schutz), and some scholars think it
was coined there.

Anyway, what was the question? Ah yes, Brahms. The original keys are: I D
minor, II G minor, III E major, IV Eb major. That gives you G at the top,
and (I think) G at the bottom. There are two top F#s, and quite a few Fs,
although the general lie of the songs is quite low. Basses often sing the
songs a tone lower. So do baritones who know of the existence of the
transposition ('darker in colour, and somehow so much more Brahmsian, my
dear, don't you think?). Brahms wrote the vocal line in the bass clef, so
tenors tend not to do them (they have quite enough on their plates already,
poor dears, what with walking and breathing at the same time), but I've
heard of contraltos going them.

These beautiful songs, among Brahms's last musical thoughts, are about
death. They are among the most concentrated things Brahms wrote, miracles of
musical economy (most clearly displayed in the second song). They share a
motif comprising a chain of descending thirds with the fourth symphony: you
will find studying this symphony thows a great deal of light on the songs.
I've often felt the songs pick up where the symphony left off. The
pasacaglia of the symphony (an estraordinary creation in itself) ends on
note of defiance: the songs pass from resignation to the joy, light and
confidence of St. Paul adressing, to the Corinthians, assuring them that
after death we shall know as we are known, and that even then three things
abide - faith, hope, and love - and that love is the greatest of the three.

I hope you study these songs well, and enjoy the effort.

Happy singing.

Regards / vriendelijke groeten

Laurie Kubiak
Commercial Analyst - Europe & Africa TSMS-2
Infrastructure Technology Services, Shell Services International
Shell Centre, London SE1 7NA
Telephone: +44 171 934 3853; Fax: +44 171 934 6674
Mobile: 07771 971 921: E.mail: Laurence.l.Kubiak-at-is.shell.com
Office: LON-SC 631



-----Original Message-----
From: BAlley-at-mcp.edu [mailto:BAlley-at-mcp.edu]
Sent: 07 January 2000 12:19
To: Vocalist-at-lists.oulu.fi
Subject: Brahms "Four Serious Songs"


I am a Baritone and would like to start working on the "Four Serious Songs"
Were they originally composed for Bass? Is there an edition for Baritone?
I have the edition for Contralto. Is that okay?

I would appreciate any information on these beautiful songs.

Thanks,
Bill Alley
Baritone
email: balley-at-mcp.edu