resource of the instrument to glorify the spirit of the text, he
is a worthy successor of Schubert, Schumann and Franz. Note
how in this song the passionate glow of the poem is reflected in
the gorgeous modulations and sonority of the pianoforte part.
Especially remarkable is the interlude between the stanzas, with
its wealth of dissonances and waves of flashing color. After this
surely no one can say that Brahms had no feeling for sensuous
effect, at any rate on the pianoforte. Other famous songs of
Brahms which should be familiar to the student are the follow-
ing:Wie Melodien zieht es mir,Feldeinsamkeit,Minnelied,Von
ewiger Liebe,Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer,Sapphische
Ode,Vergebliches Ständchen. An excellent essay on Brahms
as a song composer will be found in the preface to theForty
Songs of Brahmsin the Musician’s Library (The Oliver Ditson
Company).
The foregoing illustrations have made clear, we trust, the in-
spiration and power of Brahms’s varied message. His music,
therefore, must be approached reverently, sympathetically and
with an earnest desire for a better understanding, for Brahms
is veritably a giant.