Edition Eulenburg No. 657 BRAHMS TRAGISCHE OUVERTÜRE TRAGIC OVERTURE for Orchestra Op. 81 Eulenburg JOHANNES BRAHMS TRAGISCHE OUVERTÜRE TRAGIC OVERTURE for Orchestra Op. 81 Edited by/Herausgegeben von Richard Clarke Ernst Eulenburg Ltd London Mainz Madrid New York Paris Prague Tokyo Toronto Zürich · · · · · · · · CONTENTS Preface . III Vorwort . V Tragische Ouvertüre . 1 © 2020 Ernst Eulenburg & Co GmbH, Mainz for Europe excluding the British Isles Ernst Eulenburg Ltd, London for all other countries All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher: Ernst Eulenburg Ltd 48 Great Marlborough Street London W1F 7BB PREFACE Brahms’s tally of orchestral works includes prompted by outward events in his life, seeing not only four symphonies, the two serenades a close connection between the Tragic Overture Opp. 11 and 16 and the Haydn Variations Op. 56a and plans for a production of Parts One and but also two overtures, the Academic Festival Two of Goethe’s at the Burgtheater in Vi - Faust Overture Op. 80 and the Tragic Overture Op. 81. enna in 1876, plans that were drawn up by the Both these last-named works were written at director of the theatre, Franz Dingelstedt, but Bad Ischl in the Salzkammergut during the which in the event came to nothing. Brahms summer of 1880. Although we know little was to have written the incidental music for the about Brahms’s compositional activities during production. Kalbeck believed that the Tragic these months, it is clear from a letter of 28 Au - Overture was part of this incidental music: gust 1880 that the Tragic Overture was written ‘The suggestion that the Tragic Overture was after the Academic Festival Overture, for we once a Overture or that it was intended Faust read here that ‘The “Academic” tempted me to become one is too tempting to be dismissed into writing a second overture that I can de - out of hand.’ 4 None the less, there is no evidence, scribe only as “Dramatic” – but I don’t much whether compositional or verbal, to support care for this title. Previously it was my music this suggestion. Not even the subsequent dis - that I didn’t much care for, but now it’s the titles covery of a sketch containing bars 120–84 of the as well – is this ultimately vanity on my part?’ 1 Tragic Overture in draft form can be adduced in Brahms’s uncertainty with regard to the work’s favour of Kalbeck’s claim, for it dates not from title resurfaces a month later, when he wrote to the 1870s but from the 1860s and was intended his friend Bernhard Scholz, who was active as in all likelihood for a movement of a symphony a conductor in Breslau: ‘You can also include that the composer then abandoned. 5 in the programme a “dramatic” or “tragic” over - In short, Brahms’s reason for writing his ture or an “overture to a tragedy”. As you can Tragic Overture must have sprung from internal, see, I can’t find a title on this occasion either; rather than external, factors. In the first place can you help?’ 2 But Brahms must have decided there was his tendency to approach his work on the definitive title at some point during the ‘from two directions’ 6 – here it is sufficient to autumn of 1880, for it was as his ‘Tragic Over - recall his two serenades, his first two sym - ture’ that his Op. 81 was published. phonies and his two later clarinet sonatas Op. The Academic Festival Overture owes its 120. Secondly, there is what Christian Martin existence to external circumstances, namely, Schmidt has called the ‘two expressive faces’ the University of Breslau’s decision to confer of Brahms as a composer, 7 with pairs of works an honorary doctorate on Brahms, but the com - expressing the extremes of jocularity and sad - poser’s first major biographer, Max Kalbeck, 3 ness. Brahms himself said of his two overtures argued that the Tragic Overture, too, was that ‘One of them weeps, the other one laughs’, 8 1 Otto Gottlieb-Billroth, 4 Kalbeck, (note 3), iii.258. (Berlin and ViennBai,l l1r9o3th5 )u, 3n0d3 ;B sreaeh amlsso im Brief - 5 See Karl GJoehirainngesr, Brahms wechsel Johannes (Kassel, 197Jo4h),a 2n7n2e–s 3B; rtarahnms.s :H S. eBin. W Lebineenr uand Brahms an,d t rTanhse.o adnodr eBdi.l lHroatnhs: BLeatrtkearns (fNroomrm aa nM, uOskicla -l BScehrnaaffredn Miall as (London, hFormienad, 1sh9i5p 7), 96. 1963), 257. Brahms: His Life and Work 2 Letter to Bernhard Scholz, 17 Sept. 1880, quoted in 6 See Christian Martin Schmidt, , ed. Deutsche Brahms- (Stuttgart, 1994R)e, c8l0a. ms Musikführer GJoehsaenllnscehs aBftr,a 1h6m vso Blsr.i e(Bfweerclihns, e1l 907–22), iii.229. 7 JSochamnindet,s Brahms (note 6), 80. 3 Max Kalbeck, , 4 vols., 2nd edn (Berlin, 8 See BrahmJso’hsa lentnters tBo rCaahrml Rs einecke, 7 Oct. 1880, quoted 1912), iii.255–J8o. hannes Brahms in (note 2), iii.143. Brahms Briefwechsel IV and on 6 September 1880 he informed his pub - Royal College of Music in Berlin, a rehearsal lisher that ‘On this occasion I was unable to intended above all to identify errors in the deny my melancholy temperament the satisfac - handwritten parts that were later used at the tion of writing an overture to a tragedy!’ 9 first performance in Vienna. The Tragic Overture received its first per - At its Viennese première, the Tragic Over - formance in Vienna on 26 December 1880 under ture encountered a certain amount of reserve the direction of Hans Richter. Brahms prepared on the audience’s part, a reserve that may well the ground for the performance in two different have been due to its emotionally austere serious- ways. On 13 September 1880 he played the ness and often resigned tone that prevented it work with Clara Schumann in a transcription from becoming instantly accessible. But in the for piano duet prepared by the composer him - course of its reception history, the work’s other self. Clara, who was celebrating her birthday, qualities have emerged, notably the beauty of afterwards wrote in her diary: ‘Terrible weather, its second subject and the instrumental colour but in spite of the rain the day turned out to be of the transition from the first to the second thoroughly enjoyable, if rather too much of a subject-groups, a passage suggestive of a scene strain on me, not least because I spent the from nature. These are qualities that create the morning with Johannes rehearsing his splendid effect of a musical smile in the midst of all the new overtures [Opp. 80 and 81] before playing tears and that have increasingly reconciled lis - through them again in the evening.’ 10 And in teners to the overture’s basically tragic tenor. early December 1880 Brahms persuaded his close friend Joseph Joachim to play through Klaus Döge the Tragic Overture with the orchestra of the Translation: Stewart Spencer 19 Letter from Brahms to Karl Simrock, 6 Sept. 1880, quoted in (note 2), x.155. 10 Quoted by BrBaehrmthso Bld riLefiwtzemcahnsenl, Clara Schuma,3nn: voElisn . (KLüenipstzliegr,le1b9e2n0.) ,N iaiic.4h 1T3a; gtreabnüsc. hGerran ceu nEd . HBardieofwen as , 2 vols. (London and LeCiplzairga , S1c9h1u3m), aini.n3:5 A5.n Artist’s Life VORWORT Johannes Brahms’ Orchesterschaffen weist sammenhang mit jener von Franz Dingelstedt, neben den vier Symphonien, den beiden Sere - dem Di rektor des Wiener Burgtheaters, 1876 naden op. 11 und op. 16 sowie den Haydn-Va - geplanten (aber nie zustande gekommenen) riationen op. 56a auch zwei Ouvertüren auf: Aufführung von Goethes und , zu der Faust I II Die op. 80 und die Johannes Brahms die Schauspielmusik zu Akademische Festouvertüre op. 81. Beide entstanden komponieren hatte. Das Opus 81 betrachtet er Tragische Ouvertüre im Sommer 1880 in Bad Ischl im Salzkammer - dabei als einen Teil dieser Schauspielmusik: gut. Zwar ist Genaueres über die damalige „Die Vermutung, daß die ‚Tragische Ouvertüre‘ kompositorische Arbeit an den Ouvertüren nicht einmal eine Faust- Ouvertüre war oder werden bekannt, Brahms’ Brief vom 28. August 1880 sollte, liegt zu nahe, um sich ohne weiteres von zufolge aber muss die der Hand weisen zu lassen.“ 4 Doch gibt es für Tragische Ouvertüre nach der entstanden sein. Denn diese Vermutung weder kompositorische noch Akademischen in den Zeilen heißt es: „Die ‚Akademische’ hat verbale Belege. Und auch jenes später aufge - mich noch zu einer zweiten Ouvertüre verführt, fundene Skizzenblatt, das entwurfartig die die ich nur eine ‚Dramatische’ zu nennen weiß Takte 120–184 der ent - Tragischen Ouvertüre – was mir wieder nicht gefällt. Früher gefiel hält 5, ist kein Argument für Kalbeck: Denn es mir bloß meine Musik nicht, jetzt auch die Titel stammt nicht aus den 1870er, sondern aus den nicht, das ist am Ende Eitelkeit – ?“ 1 Die dabei 1860er Jahren und scheint höchstwahrschein - auftretende Unsicherheit hinsichtlich des Werk- lich für einen damals nicht weiter ausgeführten Titels erscheint nochmals einen Monat später, Symphoniesatz gedacht gewesen zu sein. als Brahms an Bernhard Scholz, einen befreun - Der Anstoß zum Opus 81 dürfte demnach deten Dirigenten in Breslau, schrieb: „Du kannst weniger ein äußerer als ein innerer gewesen nämlich […] noch eine ‚dramatische‘ oder sein. Zu denken ist dabei zum einen an Brahms ‚tragische‘ oder ‚Trauerspiel-Ouvertüre’ aufs Neigung (man erinnere sich nur an die beiden Programm setzen. Du siehst, auch diesmal kann Serenaden, an die ersten zwei Sinfonien oder ich keinen Titel finden; kannst Du helfen?“ 2 Im an die späteren Klarinettensonaten op. 120), sich Laufe des Herbstes 1880 allerdings dürfte einer neuen kompositorischen Arbeit jeweils Brahms’ Entscheidung für den endgültigen Tite l „von zwei Seiten zu nähern“ 6; und zu denken „Tragische Ouvertüre“, mit dem das Opus 81 ist dabei zum anderen an das, wie Schmidt es auch gedruckt wurde, gefallen sein.