"These songs are a source of endless delight, and when, as often happens, this beautifully polished musicianship is set alight with the glow of personal emotion, the results are of the highest and most lasting value." €" Grove's Dictionary
Brahms' melodic gifts and genuine emotional response to poetry produced some of the finest German songs, equaling and occasionally surpassing Schubert in lyricism. Frequent performances and recordings of these songs continue to prove Brahms's lasting contributions to this domain, and create a need for authentic, accessible printed music. The finest complete musical transcript of Brahms, published by Breitkopf & H¤rtel (for whom Brahms worked as editor), is reproduced here €" the authoritative texts with new translations of the lyrics.
This volume (Series III of the complete Dover Brahms songs, published in four volumes) contains Stanley Appelbaum's new literal prose translations of 64 songs first published between 1877 and 1886. Among these mature works are such favorites as "Geheimnis," "Alte Liebe," and "Vergebliches St¤nhchen." Brahms found inspiration mainly in the German poets, but his rhythms and melodies most often reflect his own complex personality rather than the conventional German folk-song style advocated by his fellow "nationalistic" composers.
In addition to the song texts, a translation of the original editor's commentary has been included, plus new listings of titles, opening lines, and poets. With this edition one may appreciate, play, and sing Brahms's lieder from legible notation, printed with wide margins on opaque paper, bound for durability on the music stand. Nowhere else are the great songs of Brahms available to musicians, students, and classical music lovers, at the lowest price and highest quality of design and reproduction.