Almost every major composer of the nineteenth century made a contribution to the choral literature. Some of these works were miniature pieces for unaccompanied choir, similar in character to the art song, whereas others were monumental works for large chorus and orchestra.
A choral tradition developed with the oratorio in the baroque era, carried through the classical era, and continued into the nineteenth century with works such as Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Schumann, in his Scenes from Faust, incorporated the chorus into orchestral works, much as Beethoven had done in his Ninth Symphony. Religiously inspired works based on the mass, the requiem, and the Te Deum of the Catholic church, and using large choral forces, were composed throughout the romantic era, adding to the variety and richness of the choral repertoire.
The epitome of the large-scale romantic choral style was reached by Berlioz in his Te Deum (Praise to God). This work required two choirs of one hundred singers each, six children’s voices, and an orchestra of one hundred fifty members. Berlioz contributed two other monumental choral works involving similar size choirs and orchestra, The Damnation of Faust and his Requiem.
One of the most successful composers of choral music during the nineteenth century was Johannes Brahms. Born in Hamburg in 1833, Brahms received his earliest musical training from his father, who was a double-bass player. As a boy, Brahms began playing piano in local taverns to help supplement his family’s meager income. At the age of twenty he toured Germany as accompanist to the violin virtuoso Ernest Reményi. Through this experience, Brahms was introduced to a number of important performers and composers. Schumann, always willing to advance the careers of promising young composers, wrote an article in his Neue Zeitschrift für Musik praising Brahms.
One of Brahms’s most enduring choral works is Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). Unlike the typical requiem, it does not use the Latin text of the Requiem Mass. Instead, it uses nonliturgical texts in the vernacular taken from the Lutheran Bible. The intent of the work is different, too. The requiem honors the souls of the dead through prayer. Brahms’s work focuses on consoling the living.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
1. Many choral societies developed during the nineteenth century. These were groups of singers who devoted their attention to singing the romantic choral literature. Some even focused on a specific composer and may have commissioned works. Some of these groups are still active after more than one hundred years.
2. The romantic focus on expressiveness can be heard in the variety of types of choral works of this era. Some very simple, unaccompanied texts were set to simple, homophonic accompaniments, which required subtle nuance and delicate control of dynamics and vocal shading. Other works were at the opposite end of the spectrum. These were massive works for large groups that had an amazing power and range of expression to match the large orchestras that accompanied them.
3. As with the art song, the subjects for choral works ran the gamut. Many dealt with aspects of nature, some dealt with love, some with literary connections, and still others were religiously inspired.
FURTHER TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
1. As your students listen to Brahms’s requiem, ask them what they perceive about the relationship of the text to the music. Are the words more import than the music or vice versa?
2. Does Brahms use any word painting?
3. Does the fact that this work has seven movements have any significance?