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Johannes Brahms' choir and orchestra piece "Gesang der Parzen" (Song of the Fates) premieres in Basel

Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates), Op. 89, is a piece for mixed choir and orchestra by Johannes Brahms. The work uses a text from Goethe's Iphigenie auf Tauris (which had earlier been set for...

Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates), Op. 89, is a piece for mixed choir and orchestra by Johannes Brahms.

The work uses a text from Goethe's Iphigenie auf Tauris (which had earlier been set for four voices by Johann Friedrich Reichardt). Written in one movement, the piece was composed in 1882, premiered in Basel on 10 December of the same year, and published in 1883.

It is written for six-part choir (altos and basses divided into two) and an orchestra comprising two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, two B♭ clarinets, two bassoons, double bassoon, two French horns in D, two French horns in F, two trumpets, alto, tenor and bass trombones, tuba, timpani and strings.

The piece is not often performed but has been recorded several times and has had its fans: Anton Webern admired a...

Historical Significance

Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates), Op.

Key People

Johannes Brahms

composer and pianist

German composer and pianist

–

Events Before

  1. Ridden by outstanding English jockey Fred Archer, Iroquois wins the Epsom Derby to become the first American-owned and b

    Ridden by outstanding English jockey Fred Archer, Iroquois wins the Epsom Derby to become the first American-owned and bred horse to win a European classic race

  2. Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull surrenders to US federal troops at Fort Buford in the Territory of Montana [1] [2]

    Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian agency police accompanied by U.S.

  3. Cleopatra's Needle, a 3,500-year-old Ancient Egyptian obelisk, is erected in Central Park, New York [1]

    Cleopatra's Needle, a 3,500-year-old Ancient Egyptian obelisk, is erected in Central Park, New York [1]

  4. Union of Baptists Communities forms in Foxholl

    Union of Baptists Communities forms in Foxholl

  5. Battle at Laing's Neck Natal: Boers beat superior powered British

    Battle at Laing's Neck Natal: Boers beat superior powered British

Events After

  1. The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jers

    The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey

  2. Bob Rogers is acknowledged as the first American pro sports trainer when he is hired by the NY Athletic Club

    Bob Rogers is acknowledged as the first American pro sports trainer when he is hired by the NY Athletic Club

  3. US Senator Albert B. Fall (21) weds Emma Garland Morgan in Clarksville, Texas

    US Senator Albert B. Fall (21) weds Emma Garland Morgan in Clarksville, Texas

  4. Brooklyn Bridge is opened by President Chester A. Arthur and NY Governor Grover Cleveland

    Brooklyn Bridge is opened by President Chester A. Arthur and NY Governor Grover Cleveland

  5. Krakatoa volcano, located west of Java in Indonesia, erupts with a force of 200 megatons of TNT, killing approximately 3

    Krakatoa volcano, located west of Java in Indonesia, erupts with a force of 200 megatons of TNT, killing approximately 36,000 people

More from the 1880s

The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic kno

The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge" [1]

The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jers

The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey

American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in

American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until his death in 1916

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 10, 1882?
Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates), Op. 89, is a piece for mixed choir and orchestra by Johannes Brahms. The work uses a text from Goethe's Iphigenie auf Tauris (which had earlier been set for four voices by Johann Friedrich Reichardt).
Why is Johannes Brahms' choir and orchestra piece "Gesang der Parzen" (Song of the F... significant?
Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates), Op.
Who was involved in Johannes Brahms' choir and orchestra piece "Gesang der Parzen" (Song of the F...?
Key figures include Johannes Brahms (composer and pianist).

Explore More

December 10 in HistoryYear 1882