Schicksalslied, Op. 54

Composer: BRAHMS, Johannes
  • Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) is a work for choir and orchestra written between 1868–71, setting text by Friedrich Hölderlin.
  • The piece is organized into three sections (without breaks):
    1. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll (slowly and longingly)
    2. Allegro
    3. Adagio1
  • While on holiday in 1868 and staying at the home of a friend, Brahms came across a book of Friedrich Hölderlin’s poetry. Particularly captivated by one titled “Hyperion’s Song of Fate,” the composer soon began sketching what would become Schicksalslied.
  • While composing the work, Brahms struggled with out to end it – stay true to Hölderlin’s stark text and end in darkness, or bring about a sense of resolve by returning to the devine music from the beginning (Brahms chose the latter).2
  • Read an English translation of “Hyperion’s Song of Fate” here.

Sources

  1. “Schicksalslied, Op.54 (Brahms, Johannes),” IMSLP, accessed February 11, 2025, https://imslp.org/wiki/Schicksalslied,_Op.54_(Brahms,_Johannes).
  2. Steven Ledbetter, “Schicksalslied (“Song of Destiny”), Opus 54,” Boston Symphony Orchestra, accessed February 11, 2025, https://www.bso.org/works/brahms-schicksalslied.

Cut IDs

25567