Schicksalslied

The Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), Op. 54, is an orchestrally accompanied choral setting of a poem written by Friedrich Hölderlin and is one of several major choral works written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms began the work in the summer of 1868 at Wilhelmshaven, but it was not completed until May 1871. The delay in completion was largely due to Brahms’s indecision as to how the piece should conclude. Hesitant to make a decision, he began work on the "Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53," which was completed in 1869 and first performed in 1870.

Schicksalslied is largely considered to be Brahms’s greatest choral work with the exception of Ein deutsches Requiem. In fact, Josef Sittard argues in his book on Brahms, “Had Brahms never written anything but this one work, it would alone have sufficed to rank him with the best masters.” The premiere performance of Schicksalslied was given on 18 October 1871 in Karlsruhe, under the direction of Hermann Levi. One of the shortest of Brahms’s major choral works, a typical performance lasts around 15 to 16 minutes.