Friedenslied
I wrote the "Friedenslied" in the summer of 2023 for a concert series in April and May 2024 with my two choirs Main-Taunus-Kammerchor and Mörth Singers. I had been looking for a suitable text for the piece for a few weeks, and finally, through Johannes Brahms' "Schicksalslied", I discovered the poems of Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843), which immediately captivated me. In his poem "Frieden" (Peace) I finally found a text that I wanted to set to music. Since I was learning the "Schicksalslied" at the time, my "Friedenslied" is very much inspired by it.
The "Friedenslied" is divided into four parts, one for each of the four stanzas used from the poem by Hölderlin:
Zu lang, zu lang schon treten die Sterblichen
Sich gern aufs Haupt, und zanken um Herrschaft sich,
Den Nachbar fürchtend, und es hat auf
Eigenem Boden der Mann nicht Segen.
Und unstät wehn und irren, dem Chaos gleich,
Dem gärenden Geschlechte die Wünsche noch
Umher und wild ist und verzagt und kalt von
Sorgen das Leben der Armen immer.
Du aber wandelst ruhig die sichre Bahn,
O Mutter Erd, im Lichte. Dein Frühling blüht,
Melodischwechselnd gehn dir hin die
Wachsenden Zeiten, du Lebensreiche!
Komm du nun, du der heiligen Musen all,
Und der Gestirne Liebling, verjüngender
Ersehnter Friede, komm und gib ein
Bleiben im Leben, ein Herz uns wieder.
In the first verse, the lyrical self complains about people, the "mortals", who never stop fighting each other out of greed for power and wealth. This part is initially set to music in a melancholic and sad way and its timbre is reminiscent of the Sunrise Mass (which was sung in the same concerts before this piece). Then the text is repeated again, but this time with much more despair, caused by all the senseless wars people are fighting.
The second verse describes the "wild" world torn apart by war, in which chaos reigns and people live miserably in poverty. The wildness of this verse is represented by a fast tempo and rhythmic shifts. The theme, initially presented in unison with the choir, is a bit reminiscent of a war song. In the following fugue, the chaos reaches its climax in two loud cries of despair from the choir.
In the midst of the greatest despair, Mother Earth suddenly appears, sung by a mezzo-soprano, who sweeps away the clouds of war like a breath of wind. Behind them, the sun appears, bringing spring with its light and warmth. Full of newfound hope, the choir joins Mother Earth in the singing.
In the last verse, Mother Earth finally summons the peace that everyone longs for. The shimmering string tremoli suggest the working of a magic spell that brings back peace. The magical crackling finally discharges in a warm major chord.
Choir: mezzo soprano, SATB, strings
Length: 17 min
Mezzo soprano: Guenaelle Mörth
Main-Taunus-Kammerchor, Mörth Singers
Main-Taunus-Strings
Conductor: Julian Mörth, 2024