Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
(800) 937-3880
SELL

Lot #612
Johannes Brahms

Brahms sets to music the words of his favorite writer, Goethe

This lot has closed

Estimate: $6000+
Sell a Similar Item?
Share:  

Description

Brahms sets to music the words of his favorite writer, Goethe

Extremely rare AMQS on an off-white 7 x 4.25 card, signed boldly at the bottom in black ink, "Johannes Brahms, Wien, Mai 91." Brahms pens seven bars of brisk music from a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 'Deutscher Parnass,' with Brahms adding the German lyrics below: "Doch was hor ich? Welch ein Schall uberbraust den Wasserfall, sauste heftig durch den Hain?" The translation: 'But what do I hear? What a sound. Are you not overwhelming the waterfall? Rushing through the grove?' In fine condition. Brahms contributed this musical quotation to a spring festival hosted by the 'Freie Buhne Berlin' in May 1891, at which autographs of various artists were to be auctioned. Of all the German literary giants, Brahms appreciated most the poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, long thought the greatest of his generation. In discussing the perfection of Goethe's work, Brahms wrote, 'Schubert's Suleika songs are to me the only instances where the power and beauty of Goethe's words have been enhanced by the music. All other of Goethe's poems seem to me so perfect in themselves that no music can improve them.'

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Fine Autographs and Artifacts
  • Dates: #576 - Ended February 05, 2020





This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for $300.00

*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.