Composer

:

Johannes Brahms

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Part Song

Compose Date

:

1868

Average_duration

:

4:47

Johannes Brahms composed "Ein kleiner hübscher Vogel nahm" (A little pretty bird took) as the sixth song in his Opus 52 collection of six songs for voice and piano. The collection was composed in 1869 and premiered in Vienna on November 22, 1870. The song is set to a poem by Georg Friedrich Daumer, which tells the story of a little bird that takes a piece of the speaker's heart and flies away with it. The speaker is left feeling incomplete and longing for the return of the bird. The song is in the key of E-flat major and is marked "Andante con moto" (moderately slow with motion). It is composed in a simple A-B-A form, with the A section featuring a lilting melody that mimics the flight of the bird. The B section is more introspective, with the speaker lamenting the loss of their heart. The final A section returns to the melody of the bird's flight, but with a sense of longing and sadness. Brahms' setting of the poem is characterized by his use of chromaticism and unexpected harmonic shifts, which add to the emotional depth of the piece. The piano accompaniment is also notable for its delicate trills and arpeggios, which create a sense of fluttering wings. Overall, "Ein kleiner hübscher Vogel nahm" is a poignant and evocative song that showcases Brahms' skill as a composer of lieder.

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