Liebeslieder waltzes

Liebeslieder waltzes, two groups of songs by Johannes Brahms intended for entertainment at casual social occasions. The first set (Op. 52), consisting of 18 songs, was published in 1869 and the second (Op. 65), called Neues Liebesliederwalzer (“New Love Song Waltzes”) and consisting of 15 songs, in 1874. Both were later revised and republished in new arrangements, in 1874 and 1877 respectively.

Brahms’s Liebeslieder waltzes capitalized upon two musical trends of the 1800s: dances to be played by piano duet (that is, one piano and two players) and vocal pieces on the subject of love. In both cases, the pieces were to be light and unpretentious, designed for the enjoyment of talented amateurs, rather than concert artists. Brahms himself enjoyed this unassuming music and, as the conductor of amateur choirs, he understood both the appeal of such compositions and the limitations within which to work so as to suit his audience.

Both sets of songs later reappeared in editions for piano four-hands with no singers at all, the vocal lines having been redistributed among the layers of the piano parts. The original versions with singers allow parts for soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. This is sometimes interpreted as a mixed quartet and at other times as a full choir in four voice parts.