Brahms - Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny, Op. 54) - SATB

Brahms recounted that early that morning he had found Hölderlin's poems in the bookcase and had been deeply moved by the Song of Destiny . Later, as we sat resting by the sea, we soon spotted Brahms in the distance, sitting alone on the beach, writing. These were the first sketches of the Song of Destiny , which was published quite soon afterward. (Albert Dietrich, Summer 1869)

Hermann Levi, a conductor and friend of Brahms, prepared a piano reduction of the work in 1871 before its publication. Brahms revised it after receiving it, aiming for a symphonic-sounding piano part that reflected the monumental scale of the work.