The heavy weighting toward the vocal in Max Bruch's work fi nds its most notable expression in the oratorio form. However the composer also wrote...

The heavy weighting toward the vocal in Max Bruch's work fi nds its most notable expression in the oratorio form. However the composer also wrote a number of unaccompanied works. These choral compositions demonstrate Bruch's masterly vocal writing particularly well. His choral sound is characterized by simple, folksong-like melodic lines and uncomplicated harmony which is intentionally held in rein. It was Bruch's dream to become Mendelssohn's successor in choral composition, but his unaccompanied choral works are evidence of another ideal - that of the folksong. In contrast to the specifi cally heroic style of the large oratorios, the unaccompanied works are marked by calm inwardness.