Brahms and the German Spirit (review)

Abstract

Brahms and German Spirit. By Daniel Beller-McKenna. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004. [xi, 243 p. ISBN 0-674-01318-2. $49.95.] Illustrations, music examples, index, notes. Daniel Beller-McKenna has set out to correct what he sees as deficiency in Brahms scholarship of post-World War II period, namely failure to acknowledge composer's patriotism-his Germanness-because of fear that his reputation and reception of his music might be tainted with Nazi-style nationalism; thus universalistic assessments of his compositions are strategy (p. 4) to separate him from German culture. Beller-McKenna's approach is to situate Brahms's life and work in context of German romantic and cultural nationalism, and to emphasize role played by folk music and religion in this larger context. In introduction, Beller-McKenna not only explains his reasons for writing book, but deals with concept of the Volk as source of German culture-high and low, but one in which our modern perception might be blurred by distinct brand of volkisch nationalism that emerged from new racist theories and ideologies during late nineteenth (p. 11). He illustrates Brahms's romanticized view of Volk and his use of old materials in an analysis of Geistliches Wiegenlied, op. 91 no. 2, which couples old tune Josef, lieber Josef mein with Emanuel Geibel's translation of Spanish poem (also set by Hugo Wolf), demonstrating that for Brahms the archaic and volkisch cannot be separated from religious (p. 29). In chapter 2, Religion, Language, and Luther's Brahms is described as a typical product of post-Romantic secularization of German culture (p. 31), who strongly identified with [the] secularized and cultural brand of Lutheranism (p. 32). Beller-McKenna summarizes earlier nineteenth-century historiography of German language, and relationship between language and Luther's translation of Bible. He describes Brahms's own copy of Bible, in which he made copious annotations, suggesting that details of sacred texts composer later set may have been influenced by details of this edition, and continues with detailed account of notebook into which Brahms copied number of Biblical texts, portions of which he later set in opp. 74 no. 1, 109, 110, no. 1, and 121. Beller-McKenna concludes that for Brahms, all of these texts bound up with (p. 64); in particular he emphasizes those that refer to house as metaphor for Solomon's temple, which is in turn metaphor for nation. This chapter is valuable for its wealth of primary information; readers will find plenty of food for thought, even if they might not accept author's conclusions. The third chapter is centered on Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45, first on texts and music that emphasize themes of comfort and nostalgia usually associated with work. However, Beller-McKenna argues that it also to small group of Brahms's sacred works that access major vein of religiously inspired political thinking of day: apocalyptic anticipation of new German Reich (p. 77). His analysis of sixth movement concludes that the C major fugue . . . marks apocalyptic moment in [the work]. It belongs neither to earthbound time nor to divine eternity; it is pure state of transition between two (p. 93). But Brahms is expressing not Christian apocalypse but rather deep sense of arrival that was part of German national spirit in years leading up to 1871 (p. 94). In this discussion in particular, notwithstanding historical apparatus and perceptive musical analyses, author seems to be reaching for new-and ultimately unconvincing-explanation for work. The Triumphlied, op. 55 has had an unfortunate history: begun in 1870 at outbreak of Franco-Prussian War, and enthusiastically performed in Germany after victory of 1871, its fate in twentieth century was understandably that it be ignored, if not suppressed. …