Description

"Songs today have gone so far astray that one cannot cling too closely to one's ideal," Brahms once wrote to Clara Schumann, "and that ideal is the folk song." Songs were among the first and last works of the composer, who possessed a special gift for achieving harmony between musical form and poetic text. The great master of German Lieder wrote more than 200 songs, many of which are among the best loved and most often performed in the repertoire.
This compilation of songs for high voice presents 40 of Brahms's most popular vocal works, including "Ruhe, Süssliebchen," "Wiegenlied" ("Cradle Song"), "Die Mainacht," "Meine Liebe ist grün," and "Wie Melodien zieht es mir." An outstanding collection for study as well as performance, it features lyrics in both German and English.
As Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians observes, "Melody was one of the strongest of his gifts, and it is found in particular profusion in the songs...these songs are a source of endless delight."