Sad Poem Was Set To Music By Composer Brahms

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 27, 16 December 1938, Page 6

Sad Poem Was Set To Music By Composer Brahms

Men Who Live Apart From Humanity

NE winter Goethe took a trip into the Harz mountains, and very naturally he wrote about it, The resulting poem was catied "Harzreise," and it is full of the rather sombre meditation characteristic of much of Goethe’s work. The poem apnealed to Brahms very strongly. It is difficult to understand why Brahms, whose life was smooth enough, shovld have joined his sentiments with those of the pessimistic hermit, aloof, and out of sympathy with the world, who is the subect of Goethe’s poem. The object of Goethe's journey to the Harz mountains was a visit to a young author with whom he had been corresponding, and the poem recalls some of their talk together. The young writer was something of a hermit, and the first two portions of the poem which Brahms eventually set to music, for contralto solo, emphagise the sad state of those who live apart from comradeship, taking no share in mankind’s tasks. But the last part of the work is in a happier spirit, finding consolation in a divine thought finely expressed; it concludes with a prayer to the "Father of Love" to open the selfish eyes of the lonely one to all the beauty about him, Brahms succeeds in perfectly adjusting his mood to that of Goethe and Goethe’s hermit.

The music is broadly melodious and dramatic, growing in intensity to where, toward the end, a choir of men’s voices enters with the impressive appeal to the Almighty to grant to the solitary hermit the joy of hearing an echo of one strain of the music of His Heavenly Kingdom. The Alte Rhapsody drew from the late Sir George Henschel a simple but touching tribute, following his first introduction of the work in America. Writing from

Boston in February, 1882, Sir George said: . "Miy dear Brahms,--Yesterday evening saw the first performance of your Rhapsody in America. The concert will be repeated next Sunday. It was just perfect yesterday. Miss How (the contralto) has a lovely voice and gave a magnificent performance. The men’s chorus went very well, and when it first resounded -in the perfectly quiet hall with its audience of 2500-the effect was overwhelming. I} was transt ~~ t

le i et eee ported to heavenly heights. There were many who could.not restrain their tears and only after a complete silence the spell-bound public broke forth inte applause. "A thousand, thousand thanks, dear master, In deepest reverence, Yours very sincerely,

GEORGE

HENSCHEL

Alito Rhapsody, by Brahms will be heard from 3YA on Wednesday, December 21.