Nänie

Poem#

Schiller’s lament is not for a specific person but the death of the abstract “beautiful” (“Das Schöne”). Schiller mentions three episodes from Greek mythology, but again mostly without names, assuming that the reader with knowledge will make the connections. The first episode refers to Orpheus who tries to rescue Eurydice from the underworld, the second refers to Aphrodite’s mourning of her lover Adonis, the third refers to the failed effort of Thetis to save her son Achilles from death.

Setting by Brahms#

Brahms began his composition in spring 1880 as a response to the death of his friend, the painter Anselm Feuerbach. He chose the text referring to the frequent motifs from Greek mythology in the painter’s work. Brahms completed the composition in the summer of 1881 and dedicated it to Henriette Feuerbach, the painter’s stepmother. Written about a decade after Ein deutsches Requiem, it shows a similar approach of consolation of those who mourn a death.

Other compositions#

Hermann Goetz also set the text to music in 1874 as Nenie, Op. 10.

External links#

• “Auch das Schöne muß sterben!”, text and various translations, lieder.net
• Nänie, free scores at the Brahms Institut
• , University of Memphis Chamber Orchestra and University Singers, April 2011