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How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place — Un réquiem alemán (Brahms)

Johannes Brahms

Score

Read it and listen to it right here. It can't be downloaded — to sing it with your choir, use it in Cantico.

History

How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place — Un réquiem alemán (Brahms)

This is the fourth movement of “Ein deutsches Requiem” (A German Requiem), op. 45, by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), on Psalm 84. Unlike a liturgical requiem, Brahms chose texts from Luther's Bible. The work was completed in 1868.

About the piece

A movement of consolation on the psalm “How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord”. This edition, 180 measures in 3/4, carries the four choir voices and the orchestral parts.

How to prepare it

This is an advanced work: the sopranos reach D4–A♭5 (an augmented eleventh), and each voice line is long and expressive. Before rehearsing with orchestra, work the choir with piano, learning the entrances and shared breaths well. Mind the diction: the text here is sung in English, and the blend of the voices matters as much as the tuning.

When to use it

Ideal for concerts and for celebrations of consolation such as funerals, or as a communion piece on a special occasion.