The composer Robert Schumann saw genius in Johannes Brahms even at the early age of twenty. According to Schumann, Brahms was already a great composer, "like Minerva sprung fully armored from the head of Zeus". However, what was obvious to Schumann was not yet clear to others. Both Robert and his wife Clara Schumann took an active interest in Brahms. They made introductions for Brahms and encouraged his work. When Robert Schumann was overtaken with mental illness in 1854 and finally died two years later, Brahms lost a mentor, a colleague and a friend.
Perhaps Brahms was thinking of Robert when he wrote Clara Schumann in 1855, discussing an idea that he had for a composition. It would touch on the themes of mortality and the fragility of life, yet it would also speak about hope in the midst of grief. Historically, a requiem was a mass given for the dead. Brahms took the musical form and transformed it into a piece that emphasized the comfort of the living. Unlike traditional requiems, he rejected the Latin liturgy and set texts drawn directly from Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible. Starting with “blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4) and ending with “blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” (Rev 14:13), Brahms’ work is a witness to a reality that transcends death and human suffering.
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ reveal to us that reality. The empty tomb gives us the assurance that we will not be left in the grave. Our tears will turn to joy. Ironically, the most explicit references to the resurrection were not in Brahms’ original. The sixth movement which includes Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” was added later. Some say Brahms added this movement in response to his mother’s death. I wonder if it was because he realized that his witness was incomplete without the context of resurrection.
The season of Lent gives us the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and anticipate the triumph of the resurrection. This is not merely an intellectual exercise, but also an emotional and spiritual one as well. In the past few years, many in our congregation have dealt with the reality of loss. There is real pain and sorrow. My prayer is that we make space to acknowledge our grief but place it in the context of Christ’s resurrection.
This year we will journey through Lent with Brahms’ Requiem. We will be exploring the Scriptures that he used in our sermons and prayers. We will be studying the themes in our Sunday Small Group at 9am. We will hear our choir sing selections throughout Lent, and then join the choirs of the Overbrook Presbyterian Church and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church for a full presentation of the Requiem on March 25th at APC. Join us as we find our comfort in the context of Christ’s resurrection.
Grace & Peace,
James Hodsden
