‘Treue Liebe’ Op. 7 no. 1 (comp. Nov. 1852, publ. Nov. 1854)

ALTHOUGH ONE MIGHT ASSUME that the nineteen-year-old Brahms became aware of Eduard Ferrand through Schumann and drew on his copy of the poet's 1834 Gedichte for his single setting, the song pre-dates his first meeting with Schumann in Düsseldorf in 1853. In fact, Schumann's source for his sole setting of Ferrand, ‘Ein Gedanke’ (28 February 1840) has not yet been identified. Similarly, although ‘Treue Liebe’ is included in Ferrand's Gedichte, it was not necessarily Brahms's source.3 The volume does not include that many lyrics; Ferrand drew on a large variety of topics and tones, with a tendency towards the contemplative and narrative. Brahms's selection is the first relatively short poem in the collection. Still, many of Ferrand's subjects overlapped with Brahms's: his poetry has a Romantic tinge so familiar to lovers of Eichendorff, namely night and moonlight, with unspecific mountain, valley, forest, heath and seascapes, as seen in this setting. Thanks to the perennial usefulness of Madchenlieder in recitals, this song is still performed.