Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (Ein deutsches Requiem)

J. BrahmsOp. 45, mvt 4

Key

Eb

Time

3/4

Tempo

♩=92

AO focus

AO3

Form

Fourth movement of 'Ein deutsches Requiem' (A German Requiem). Brahms set Lutheran Bible texts (in German, not Latin) to comfort the bereaved rather than depict Last Judgment. This movement is the central pastoral, on Psalm 84: 'How lovely are thy dwellings'.

Teaching points

• Pastoral 3/4 — gentle waltz-like pulse, far from typical Requiem dread
• Soprano-led texture — voices enter on a long arching melody; the inner parts harmonise quietly
• AO3: Brahms's Lutheran Requiem vs Latin Mass — discuss the theological choice and its musical consequences
• AO1: the movement most often performed standalone by school and amateur choirs