Alto Rhapsody

The Alto Rhapsody, Op 53, is a work for contralto, male chorus, and orchestra by Johannes Brahms. It was written in 1869, as a wedding gift for Robert and Clara Schumann's daughter, Julie. Brahms scholars have long speculated that the composer may have had romantic feelings for Julie, which he may have integrated into the text and music of the Alto Rhapsody. The text, with its metaphysical portrayal of a misanthropic soul who is urged to find spiritual sustenance and throw off the shackles of his suffering, has powerful parallels in Brahms's life and character.

The Rhapsody is a setting of verses from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Harzreise im Winter. The work is in three sections: the first two, in a chromatically dense and wandering C minor, are for the soloist and orchestra and describe the pain of the misanthropic wanderer. The second section is an aria in all but name. The third section, in a nominal C major, brings in the male chorus, which joins the soloist in a plea to a celestial spirit for an abatement of the wanderer's pain. The third part of the Rhapsody has similarities of vocal and choral style to A German Requiem, which was written the previous year.

The work typically takes between twelve and fifteen minutes in performance. See recordings, below, for indicative timings.

The work was first "tried out" on 6 October 1869, at the dress rehearsal for the Karlsruhe season's first orchestral subscription concert. Amalia Boni sang the solo role; the conductor Hermann Levi was on hand, but there was no male voice chorus, and it is unclear whether Boni was accompanied by orchestra or simply on piano. Brahms and Clara Schumann were present, but there was certainly no other audience.^[1] It received its first public performance, and its first definitely known proper performance, on 3 March 1870, at Jena. The soloist at the first performance was Pauline Viardot and the conductor was Ernst Naumann.^[2]

The text Brahms set is:

German original	English translation
Aber abseits wer ist's? Im Gebüsch verliert sich sein Pfad; hinter ihm schlagen die Sträuche zusammen, das Gras steht wieder auf, die Öde verschlingt ihn.	But who is that apart? His path disappears in the bushes; behind him the branches spring together; the grass stands up again; the wasteland engulfs him.
Ach, wer heilet die Schmerzen dess, dem Balsam zu Gift ward? Der sich Menschenhaß aus der Fülle der Liebe trank! Erst verachtet, nun ein Verächter, zehrt er heimlich auf seinen eigenen Wert In ungenügender Selbstsucht.	Ah, who heals the pains of him for whom balsam turned to poison? Who drank hatred of man from the abundance of love? First scorned, now a scorner, he secretly feeds on his own merit, in unsatisfying egotism.
Ist auf deinem Psalter, Vater der Liebe, ein Ton seinem Ohre vernehmlich, so erquicke sein Herz! Öffne den umwölkten Blick über die tausend Quellen neben dem Durstenden in der Wüste!	If there is on your psaltery,^[3] Father of love, one note his ear can hear, then refresh his heart! Open his clouded gaze to the thousand springs next to him who thirsts in the wilderness!

^ George S. Bozarth, Brahms Studies
^ Michael Musgrave, The Cambridge Companion to Brahms
^ translations differ on whether ‘auf deinem Psalter’ means ‘on your psaltery’ (an old instrument like a small harp) or ‘in your psalter’ (‘in your book of psalms’).

Recordings

The Alto Rhapsody is not frequently performed in concert, perhaps because of the expense of hiring a soloist and chorus for a short piece, but it has been recorded many times. A selection of recordings available 2012 illustrates the wide range of tempi adopted by different interpreters of the Rhapsody, with playing times ranging from 11 minutes 45 seconds to 16 minutes 10 seconds.

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Soloist: Dame Janet Baker

John Alldis Choir

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Sir Adrian Boult

Duration: 11:45

Soloist: Brigitte Fassbaender

Prague Philharmonic Chorus

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli

Duration: 14:28

Soloist: Kathleen Ferrier

London Philharmonic Orchestra and Male Choir

Conductor: Clemens Krauss

Duration: 15:53

Performance Date: December 1947

Soloist: Ann Hallenberg

Collegium Vocale Gent

Orchestre des Champs-Elysées

Conductor: Philippe Herreweghe

Duration 11:15

Soloist: Marilyn Horne

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Conductor: Robert Shaw

Duration: 14:01

Soloist: Christa Ludwig

Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus

Conductor: Otto Klemperer

Duration 12:27

Soloist: Christa Ludwig

Wiener Singverein

Wiener Philharmoniker

Conductor: Karl Böhm

Duration 16:10

Soloist: Marian Anderson

Philadelphia Orchestra

Conductor: Eugene Ormandy

Duration: 13:10

Soloist: Stephanie Blythe

Ensemble a sei voci

Ensemble Orchestral de Paris

Conductor: John Nelson

Duration: 12:14

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Soloist: Aafje Heynis

Royal Male Choir, "Apollo"

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Conductor: Eduard Van Beinum

Duration: 12:43

Performance Date: February, 1958

Soloist: Marjana Lipovšek

Ernst Senff Chor

Berliner Philharmoniker

Conductor: Claudio Abbado

Duration: 13:04

Soloist: Nathalie Stutzmann

Monteverdi Choir

Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner

Duration: 12:57

Performance Date: November 2007

Soloist: Dunja Vejzovic

Houston Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach

Duration: 13:55

Soloist: Kathleen Ferrier

Men of the Oslo Philharmonic Chorus

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Erik Tuxen

Duration: 13:10

Performance Date: 14 October 1949

Soloist: Mildred Miller

The Occidental College Chorus

Columbia Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Bruno Walter

Duration: 12:25

Performance Date: 11 January 1961

Soloist: Dame Janet Baker

BBC's Men's Chorus

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Sir Adrian Boult

Duration: 13:51

Performance Date: 1968

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References

West, Ewan: Notes to EMI CD CDM 7 69650 2
Stone, John: Notes to HMV CD 5 68014 2

External links

Alto Rhapsody: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Detailed listening guide using a recording conducted by Claudio Abbado

[1] George S. Bozarth, Brahms Studies

[2] Michael Musgrave, The Cambridge Companion to Brahms

[3] translations differ on whether ‘auf deinem Psalter’ means ‘on your psaltery’ (an old instrument like a small harp) or ‘in your psalter’ (‘in your book of psalms’).

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Johannes Brahms
List of compositions
Orchestral works	Academic Festival Overture Serenades Symphony No. 1 in C minor Symphony No. 2 in D major Symphony No. 3 in F major Symphony No. 4 in E minor Tragic Overture Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Concertante	Double Concerto Piano Concerto No. 1 Piano Concerto No. 2 Violin Concerto
Vocal works with orchestra	A German Requiem Alto Rhapsody Gesang der Parzen Nänie Rinaldo Schicksalslied Triumphlied
Chamber music	Cello Sonata No. 1 Cello Sonata No. 2 Clarinet Quintet Clarinet Sonatas Clarinet Trio Horn Trio Piano Quartet No. 1 Piano Quartet No. 2 Piano Quartet No. 3 Piano Quintet Piano Trio No. 1 Piano Trio No. 2 Piano Trio No. 3 String Quartet No. 3 String Quintet No. 1 String Quintet No. 2 String Sextet No. 1 String Sextet No. 2 Two String Quartets, Op. 51 Violin Sonata No. 1 Violin Sonata No. 2 Violin Sonata No. 3
Piano works	Ballades, Op. 10 Fantasies, Op. 116 Four Pieces for Piano, Op. 119 Hungarian Dances Piano Sonata No. 1 Piano Sonata No. 2 Piano Sonata No. 3 Rhapsodies, Op. 79 Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118 Sixteen Waltzes, Op. 39 Three Intermezzi for piano, Op. 117 Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Variations on a Theme of Paganini
Other compositions	Eleven Chorale Preludes Fest- und Gedenksprüche Fünf Gesänge, Op. 104 Fünf Lieder, Op. 105 Geistliches Lied Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 52 Neue Liebeslieder Two Motets, Op. 74 Two Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano, Op. 91 Vier ernste Gesänge "Wiegenlied (Lullaby)", Op. 49, no. 4 Zigeunerlieder
Collaborations	F-A-E Sonata
Named for Brahms	1818 Brahms Brahms (crater) Brahms Inlet
Related articles	Brahms House (Baden-Baden) Brahms Museum (Hamburg) Brahms Museum, Mürzzuschlag Brahms guitar Brahms-Institut Brahms-Preis German Romanticism International Johannes Brahms Competition Musical cryptogram Three Bs Op. 120, No. 1 (Berio)
Category Audio