Making An Unknown Choral-Orchestral Work Accessible: Performing Choruses From Brahms' Cantata Rinaldo

Abstract

Of Brahms' choral output, a few works seem to be studied, performed, recorded more or, in general, more popular than others. Brahms' cantata Rinaldo, composed between 1863 and 1868, is a relatively unknown and neglected work worthy of study and performance.For the cantata Rinaldo, Brahms chose a poem by Goethe that is derived from Torquato Tasso's epic poem Gerusalemme Liberata (Jerusalem Delivered), which recounts the mystical tale of the Crusader Knight Rinaldo (a solo tenor) who is persuaded by his crew (the men's chorus) to leave the enchantress Armida and return to war. In this study, I will demonstrate that Brahms' cantata Rinaldo, a work unfamiliar to many American choral conductors, includes two well-crafted choruses that can be extracted from the cantata as independent movements, and used as repertory for men's choirs. In order to accomplish this, I will focus on the origination and comparison of Torquato Tasso's tale and Goethe's own adaptation of the story. I will also examine Brahms' early life, his acquirement of Goethe's text, and provide an in-depth look at two of the choruses from the cantata: "Zuruck nur!" and "Auf dem Meere."Since these movements have not been published as independent choral octavos, an important and primary component of my project will be to create a new edition of these movements. The source material I used to create the editions is Brahms' original manuscript scores of Rinaldo. Additionally, a complete translation of Rinaldo, an IPA pronunciation guide for the edition, and a complete transcription of an interview with Maestro Helmuth Rilling concerning Rinaldo are included in the appendices of this document.