Taylor Spencer

Johannes Brahms
Composer and pianist
Early Life
Born May 7
th
, 1833 to Johanna Henrika Christiane Nissen and Johann
Jakob Brahms in Hamburg, Germany.
Began his musical training from an early age.
An avid reader.
Eduard Marxins school
Young Adult Life
Folklore
F sharp Piano Sonata op. 2.
Used music to earn money
Joseph Joachim
The Schumanns
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A Change in Style
1860s
Touring Europe
Wagner
Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor

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On to Vienna
1863
A Cappella
Mother passed away.
A German Requiem
Waltzes
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The later Years
Traveled throughout Europe
Chamber Pieces
Performances
Richard Muhlfeld
Clarinet Sonata No. 1
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The gift of giving
Investor
Frugal
Poor
Giver
A perfectionist
Composing absence
Torn up works

The End of a Great Composer
Liver Failure
Final performance
Cancer
Passed away April 3, 1897
Beethoven and Schubert
Accomplishments
160 compositions
One of the leading romantic era composers
German Requiem

Orchestral Version of Ave Maria Opus 12
First published choral piece.
1859
Latin
Instrumental doubling
Considered on of the shortest Opus pieces.
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Listening Guide:Orchestral version of Ave Maria
Opus 12
0:00 No introduction, 2 sopranos sing in thirds, Major. Violins and Bass
0:14 Sopranos end cadence,2 altos sing, major, violas and horns
0:25 altos end cadence, sopranos descend, still singing in thirds, altos
follow shortly after but are not singing harmonious thirds
0:30 strings play ascending arpeggio, sopranos close with ave maria while
clarinet plays,
0:31 flute enters, altos say ave maria 1 octave lower, sopranos interject the
altos with Ave, violas play with altos, bass plays descending arpeggio.
0:48 Sopranos repeat opening, oboe counterpoint
1:02 Alto repeats, clarinet counterpoint

Continued
1:38 Sopranos and Altos sing Benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris tui. In
thirds,1 soprano sings with altos, strings, clarinets, and flutes
2:00 sopranos descend singing, winds play between other instruments, strings play harmonies,
then cadence. Altos and 1 soprano sing descending, begin playing and singing in minor.
2:14 All sing in unison, no orchestra, crescendo, winds, strings, and violins begin playing again.
Major again, then it repeats
2:30 All sing in unison, violas and bassoons, voices and orchestra harmonize, chromatic,
2:50 strings play bridge, winds and voices begin playing, say Ora 3 times, then strings begin
a 2 note bridge,
3:07 Ora is said 2 times quietly, pro nobis Is sung first by sopranos then altos follow
shortly after, strings and horns,
3:22 2 soprano and 1 alto sing opening, then other sopranos and altos join in, all voices begin
a descending cadence, basses, horns, cellos, flutes play twice, strings play final chords, the
horns play and slowly get quieter
3:35 end

Begrbnisgesang (Burial Song) For Choir And
Wind Instruments, Op. 13
1858
Begrbnisgesang was inspired by a poem written
by Michael Weisse.
C minor
Death
Emphasis on winds
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Listening Guide: Begrbnisgesang (Burial Song)
For Choir And Wind Instruments, Op. 13
0:00 Stanza 1- Basses sing and Bassoons play the melody, it sounds a bit
off, like the words dont end where they should, altos, tenors, and basses
sing the line again. A trombone and a tuba play along. Each statement and
response consists of 2 bars.
1:06 At this point the instruments begin to play an 8 note interlude. The
horn plays and gradually rises in pitch. The oboe then imitates it. The
trombones play in harmony. The bassoons play and sound like a drum.
Near the end of this stanza the timpani enters and drowns out the other
instruments.
1:40 Stanza 2- The lower voices repeat each phrase. This sounds ominous.
The timpani plays throughout. A descending phrase in a long-short rhythm
is played by the bassoons and trombones. In the second line a crescendo
begins and increases dramatically when the clarinets come in. The
sopranos enter. It begins to get very dramatic and the horns and clarinets
descend in repeating chords.

Continued
2:20 Stanza 3- The choir harmonizes in a repetition of Stanza 1 without any of the
responses repeated. The timpani, horns, bassoon, and clarinets all play a triple rhythm.
Oboes and trombones double the melody.
2:51 Band starts to play an interlude. It starts out very loud and then quickly begins to
dimuendo. The timpani continuously plays a triple meter.
3:14 Stanza 4- It is instantly turned into major mode. Half of each of the sections of the
choir sings. Basses enter; the clarinet plays a triple rhythm. Oboes and bassoons
double. The timpani plays last line of stanza 4.
4:00 Stanza 5- The full choir sings, Altos canon sopranos, Tenors imitate Basses,
Clarinets play thirds, Bassoons play in arpeggios, Trombones play when men sing,
Played in F, then A major.
4:30 Altos, tenors, and basses imitate one another. Clarinets and bassoons perform
rising arpeggios. Trombone and tuba play as well.
4:57 Stanza 6- Entire choir perform. Stanzas overlap a bit at the beginning. Clarinet
triple meter, Oboe doubles melody, near end of stanza oboe and clarinet play triple
rhythm together. Timpani plays into the last stanza.

Continued
5:45 Stanza 7- Music is played in minor mode again. The first stanza is
repeated. All but sopranos sing, Altos sing statements, tenors and basses
sing responses. Bassoon and horn play with altos, only bassoon
accompanies tenors and basses. Tuba and timpani join, then the choir
stops singing. Trombones and clarinets play a Picardy third.
6:14 Song ends.

Geistliches Lied (Sacred Song) For Mixed Chorus
And Organ, Op. 30
1856
Inspired by writings of Paul Flemming
Based on sacred text, shows he is familiar
with folk music
First accompanied choral piece
E major


Listening Guide: Geistliches Lied (Sacred Song)
For Mixed Chorus And Organ, Op. 30
0:00 Introduction- The organ begins to play a soothing introduction. Organ plays the
canons of the vocals.
0:30 Stanza 1- The voices sing in a double canon. The tenors imitate the sopranos a
tenth below. Basses imitate the altos on a second canon at a tenth below. The organ is
playing quietly with the vocals.
0:51 All voices enter at half bars following one another. The double canon is continued
throughout. All voices sing in a cadence.
1:15 The organ continues to play and performs in an interlude. The mode of the
performance is C minor.
1:23 Stanza 2- The voices enter at half bars again. The mode moves to E-flat. The altos
and basses sing a descending lines. The organ stops playing and so the voices are
singing a cappella. The voices begin a crescendo.
1:40 Sopranos enter, the music reaches a forte. The organ enters and plays many rising
lines. The range of the notes is longer during this part. Altos and basses stop singing
then enter again after a short time. The loudness of the piece ends and it goes back to
being quiet.

Continued
2:00 The sopranos enter again. The mode is changed back to C minor. At this time the
composition reaches a cadence. The organ plays along with the vocals in double
chords.
2:13 Organ interlude- the organ plays the last four lines that were played in the
introduction.
2:30 Stanza 3- The music begins to play again and sounds like the first stanza.
3:10 There is a coda after the saying of Amen. Altos and basses switch places so that
basses start the canons. Sopranos and tenors enter after the altos and basses say
Amen. Basses say amen again but louder, then the altos imitate them one bar later.
The tenors sing in another forte. The organ continues to play, but holds the low pedal.
3:40 The organ plays rising lines. The voices all say Amen again, The sopranos and
tenors are singing long notes. They all begin to sing descending notes. The climax
dimuendos. The voices stop singing. The organ plays one more line then the voices
come back and sing amen one more time with the organs accompaniment. This is
known as a plagal cadence.
4:55 Song ends

Bibliography
Johannes Brahms: Ave Maria, for female chorus, organ, and orchestra, Op. 12. (2008). Retrieved October 5,
2013, from classicalarchives: http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/5833.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
Begrbnisgesang, Op.13 (Brahms, Johannes). (2012, July 29). Retrieved October 7, 2013, from imslp:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Begr%C3%A4bnisgesang,_Op.13_(Brahms,_Johannes)
Geistliches Lied, Op.30 (Brahms, Johannes). (2012, July 2). Retrieved October 7, 2013, from imlsp:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Geistliches_Lied,_Op.30_(Brahms,_Johannes)
Brahms WebSource Timeline. (2013, August). Retrieved October 7, 2013, from mjq:
http://www.mjq.net/brahms/JBbio.htm
Brahms, J. (Composer). (1858). Begrbnisgesang (Burial Song) For Choir And Wind Instruments, Op. 13 .
[O. R. Romantique, Performer, & J. E. Gardiner, Conductor] Hamburg.
Brahms, J. (Composer). (1859). Ave Maria, Opus 12. Hamburg.
Brahms, J. (Composer). (2010). Geistliches Lied. [T. L. Singers, Performer, & M. Howard, Conductor]
Green, A. (2013). Classical music: Johannes Brahms. Retrieved October 7, 2013, from about.com:
http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalcomposers/p/brahmsprofile.htm

Bibliography Continued
Johannes Brahms. biography. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2013, from Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/people/johannes-brahms-
9223886
Komma, M. (1996, March). Johannes Brahms: Choral Music. Retrieved October 5, 2013, from Carus Verlag Online: http://www.carus-
verlag.com/index.php3?BLink=Brahms&selSprache=1
Kujawsky, E., Stahl, P., & Wyatt, D. (2005, June). Johannes Brahms . Retrieved October 7, 2013, from barbedwire:
http://www.barbwired.com/barbweb/programs/brahms_begrabnis.html
Markfromireland. (2013, May 2013). Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Geistliches Lied, Op 30. Retrieved October 7, 2013, from SaturdayChorale:
http://saturdaychorale.com/2013/05/13/johannes-brahms-1833-1897-geistliches-lied-op-30/
musicguide, a. (2008). Johannes Brahms:Begrbnisgesang ('Nun lasst uns den Leib'), for 5-voice chorus, winds, and timpani, Op.13. Retrieved
October 7, 2013, from Classical Archives: http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/224564.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about
Oron, A. (2006, February). Johannes Brahms (Composer, Arranger). Retrieved October 7, 2013, from Bach Cantatas: http://www.bach-
cantatas.com/Lib/Brahms-Johannes.htm
Palmer, J. (2013). Johannes Brahms Ae Maria, for female chorus and keyboard (or orchestra) in F major, Op. 12. Retrieved October 5, 2013,
from All music: http://www.allmusic.com/composition/ave-maria-for-female-chorus-amp-keyboard-or-orchestra-in-f-major-op-12-mc0002355739
Palmer, J. (2013). Johannes Brahms: Begrbnisgesang ("Nun lasst uns den Leib"), for 5-voice chorus, winds & timpani ("Funeral Hymn"), Op.
13. Retrieved October O7, 2013, from Allmusic: http://www.allmusic.com/composition/begr%C3%A4bnisgesang--quot-nun-lasst-uns-den-leib-
quot--for-5-voice-chorus-winds-amp-timpani--quot-funeral-hymn-quot--op-13-mc0002355961
Palmer, J. (2013). Johannes Brahms: Geistliches Lied ("Lass dich nur nichts dauern"), for chorus & organ (or piano), Op. 30. Retrieved
October 7, 2013, from All Music: http://www.allmusic.com/composition/geistliches-lied--quot-lass-dich-nur-nichts-dauern-quot--for-chorus-amp-
organ-or-piano-op-30-mc0002359361