Composer

:

Siegfried Reda

Genre

:

Keyboard

Compose Date

:

1938

Average_duration

:

15:54

Movement_count

:

3

Movement ....

'O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid' is a choral work composed by Siegfried Reda, a German composer, organist, and musicologist. The piece was composed in 1951 and premiered in the same year in Berlin. It is a four-movement work that is characterized by its somber and melancholic tone. The first movement, 'O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid', is a setting of a poem by the German poet Friedrich Rückert. The music is slow and mournful, with the choir singing in unison for much of the movement. The harmonies are simple and tonal, with occasional dissonances adding to the sense of sadness and despair. The second movement, 'Ich bin ein Gast auf Erden', is a setting of a poem by the German poet Paul Gerhardt. The music is more upbeat than the first movement, but still retains a sense of melancholy. The choir sings in four-part harmony, with the melody passing between the different sections. The harmonies are again simple and tonal, with occasional dissonances adding to the sense of tension and unease. The third movement, 'O Tod, wie bitter bist du', is a setting of a poem by the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The music is slow and mournful, with the choir singing in four-part harmony. The harmonies are more complex than in the previous movements, with chromaticism and modulations adding to the sense of sadness and despair. The final movement, 'O selig, wer in Jesu stirbt', is a setting of a hymn by the German poet Johann Franck. The music is more upbeat than the previous movements, with the choir singing in four-part harmony. The harmonies are again simple and tonal, with occasional dissonances adding to the sense of tension and unease. The movement ends with a sense of hope and redemption, as the choir sings of the joys of heaven. Overall, 'O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid' is a powerful and moving work that explores themes of sadness, despair, and redemption. The music is characterized by its simple harmonies, somber tone, and occasional dissonances, which combine to create a sense of tension and unease. The work is a testament to Reda's skill as a composer and his ability to convey complex emotions through music.

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