Johannes Brahms (7th May 1833–3rd April 1897) was a composer of the Romanti… Read Full Bio ↴Johannes Brahms (7th May 1833–3rd April 1897) was a composer of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Germany, he eventually settled in Vienna, Austria.
Brahms wrote a number of major works for orchestra, including two serenades, four symphonies, two piano concertos, a Violin Concerto, a Double Concerto for violin and cello, and a pair of orchestral overtures, the Academic Festival Overture and the Tragic Overture.
His large choral work Ein deutsches Requiem ("A German Requiem") is not a traditional, liturgical requiem (Missa pro defunctis), but a setting of texts which Brahms selected from the Lutheran Bible. The work was composed in three major periods of his life. An earlier version of the second movement was first composed in 1854, not long after Robert Schumann's attempted suicide, and was later finished and used in his first piano concerto. The majority of the Requiem was composed after his mother's death in 1865. The fifth movement was later added after the official premiere in 1868. The complete work was then published in 1869.
Brahms's works in variation form include the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel and the Paganini Variations, both for solo piano, and the Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn in versions for two pianos and for orchestra. The final movement of the Fourth Symphony (Op. 98) is also formally a set of variations.

His chamber works include three string quartets, two string quintets and two string sextets, as well as a clarinet quintet, a clarinet trio, a horn trio, a piano quintet, three piano quartets and three piano trios. He composed several instrumental sonatas with piano, including three for violin, two for cello and two for clarinet (which were subsequently arranged for viola by the composer). His solo piano works range from his early piano sonatas and ballades to his late sets of character pieces. Brahms also wrote about 200 songs and is considered among the greatest of Lieder composers (with Schubert and Schumann). His chorale preludes for organ, which he wrote shortly before his death, have become an important part of the organist's repertoire.

Brahms never wrote an opera, nor did he ever write in the characteristic late-19th-century form of the tone poem, strongly preferring to compose absolute music that does not refer to an explicit scene or narrative.

Despite his reputation as a serious composer of large, complex musical designs, some of Brahms's most widely known and commercially successful compositions during his life were aimed at the thriving contemporary market for domestic music-making, and are small-scale and popular in intention. These included his arrangements of popular dances, in Hungarian Dances, the Waltzes Op. 39 for piano duet, the Liebeslieder Waltzes for vocal quartet and piano, and some of his many songs, notably the Wiegenlied, Op. 49 No 4 (published in 1868). This last item was written (to a folk text) to celebrate the birth of a son to Brahms's friend Bertha Faber, and is universally known as Brahms' Lullaby.

Gesänge Op. 91 No. 2: Geistliches Wiegenlied
Johannes Brahms Lyrics

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JOHcNNES BRcHMS (1788-1866)

Geistliches Wiegenlied

(Text: Emanuel Geibel)

Die ihr schwebet
Um diese Palmen

In Nacht und Wind,
Ihr heil'gen Engel,
Stillet die Wipfel!
Es schlummert mein Kind.

Ihr Palmen von Bethlehem
Im Windesbrausen,
Wie mögt ihr heute
So zornig sausen!
O rauscht nicht also!
Schweiget, neiget
Euch leis' und lind;
Stillet die Wipfel!
Es schlummert mein Kind.

Der Himmelsknabe
Duldet Beschwerde,
cch, wie so müd' er ward
Vom Leid der Erde.
cch nun im Schlaf ihm
Leise gesänftigt
Die Qual zerrinnt,
Stillet die Wipfel!
Es schlummert mein Kind.

Grimmige Kälte
Sauset hernieder,
Womit nur deck' ich
Des Kindleins Glieder!
O all ihr Engel,
Die ihr geflügelt
Wandelt im Wind,

Stillet die Wipfel!
Es schlummert mein Kind.

Overall Meaning

In Johannes Brahms's song "Geistliches Wiegenlied" (Spiritual Lullaby), the lyrics, written by Emanuel Geibel, depict a scene where holy angels are called upon to calm the palm trees that sway in the night wind. The singer addresses the angels, asking them to hush the rustling branches because their child is sleeping. The palm trees, symbolizing those in Bethlehem, are asked to be gentle and quiet, rather than raging with anger as they currently do. The song then shifts to focus on the baby Jesus, referred to as the "Heavenly Child," who is tired and burdened by the suffering in the world. The singer soothes the child in his sleep, allowing his pain to fade away. Lastly, the singer mentions the intense cold and wonders how to properly cover the child's limbs. The angels, with their wings, are implored to calm the trees one more time as the child continues to slumber.

Overall, this song carries a gentle, lullaby-like quality. It portrays a moment of peace and tranquility while also alluding to the hardships the child will face in the future. The themes of protection, comfort, and the divine presence are interwoven throughout the lyrics, creating a serene and spiritual atmosphere.

Line by Line Meaning

Die ihr schwebet
You who are floating

Um diese Palmen
Around these palm trees

In Nacht und Wind
In the night and wind

Ihr heil'gen Engel
You holy angels

Stillet die Wipfel!
Quiet the treetops!

Es schlummert mein Kind.
My child is sleeping.

Ihr Palmen von Bethlehem
You palm trees of Bethlehem

Im Windesbrausen,
In the roaring wind

Wie mögt ihr heute
Why are you today

So zornig sausen!
Rushing so angrily!

O rauscht nicht also!
Oh, do not rustle like that!