Brahms, Johannes

the hitherto lost manuscript of the complete song, here with the title "Wiegenlied für Klein u. Groß frei nach H[einrich] H[eine] u. Jul[ius] St[ockhausen]", and with some textual differences from the published scores

notated in black ink on three three-stave systems per page, with a few divergences from the published text at the start of the second verse ("Das knospet u. quillt mit Duften der Lust", rather than "Das knospet und quillt und duftet und blüht"), and again at the start of the third verse ("Es reitet ein Reiter den Fluß", rather than "Ein Reiter reitet den Fluss"), the rhythms of the vocal line also slightly different and here marked "Animato", a few phrase markings lacking,



4 pages, small oblong 4to (c.16 x 23cm), 12-stave laid paper, watermarked ("...E Co."), untrimmed, "Easter Monday" [2 April] 1877, slight browning to edges, 2 light vertical folds 

Julius Stockhausen (1826-1906), the celebrated singer and friend of Brahms. The most valuable manuscripts from Stockhausen's estate were dispersed at auction after his death.

Julia Wirth (née Stockhausen), Julius Stockhausen. Der Sänger des deutschen Liedes (Frankfurt, 1927), p.418; McCorkle, p.303.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
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THIS MANUSCRIPT IS A BRAHMS DISCOVERY, HITHERTO PRESUMED LOST, known only from a description in 1927. The autographs of all five songs from op.71 are lost as is the contemporary copy used for the first edition (Stichvorlage). This is evidently a presentation manuscript for the Brahms's lifelong friend Julius Stockhausen (1826-1906), who in 1868 had sung the baritone solo part in the German Requiem, the first largely complete performance conducted by Brahms. He was the first singer to perform complete song cycles by Schubert (including Die schöne Müllerin in 1856) and by Schumann (Dichterliebe in 1861, accompanied by Brahms). The premiere of this song was given by Louise Dustmann in Vienna on 8 April 1878.  As with the manuscript of 'Geistliches Wiegenlied' op.91 no.2 sent to Joachim in 1864, this one too is written on small paper, and possibly sent to the dedicatee in Berlin by post (see sale in these rooms, 26 October 2017, lot 11). Otherwise, autograph manuscripts of complete songs by Brahms are rare at auction.

Some of the words differ in the autograph from the published scores. Brahms notes in the title inscription that his words diverge from Heine's poem, describing it as "frei nach H.H u. Jul.St" (Stockhausen also composed a song to this text). The poem comes from Heine's Neue Gedichte--Romanzen (1839), no.13 ('Frühling'). In the second verse, Heine's opening line originally read "Das knospet und quillt und duftet und blüht", which is the version used by Simrock for the first edition of Brahms's song, no.1 in Fünf Gesänge op.71 (July/August 1877). However, in this manuscript, Brahms's reading is much closer, although not identical, to Heine's revision, "Das knospet und quillt, mit duftender Lust". McCorkle notes that Brahms owned a copy of the Sämtliche Werke (1861-1863), containing the revised text, but avers that he nevertheless used Heine's 1839 original.  However, the appearance of this lost autograph proves this not to be the case.