One of the leading musicians of the Romantic period, Brahms was a German composer and pianist.  He spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, leading the musical scene there.  The German Requiem, where this piece comes from, was Brahms's largest choral work, and was premiered in 1868.  It is not a setting of the liturgical Missa, but a setting of texts that Brahms had selected from the Lutheran Bible.  It focuses on the living, while a Requiem Mass in Roman Catholic liturgy begins with prayers for the dead.  The text for this piece, the fourth movement of the Requiem, is based on Psalm 84.  The C flutes interplay their lines, while alto flute creates the additional harmony with the harp accompaniment.

Arranged by Monty & Phyllis Adams