Obscure Music Monday: Ohe's 5 Songs

Adele aus der Ohe (1861-1937) was a German pianist and composer whose works have sadly disappeared from common performance. As a pianist, her virtuosic performances led to her being held in high regard (and demand). While her involvement is much less talked about than other aspects of the trip, she joined her friend Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky on his trip to the United States for the opening of Carnegie Hall, where she was the soloist in his Piano Concerto No. 1.

Ohe immigrated to the United States, which is where much of her compositional output occurred. As can be expected, most of her work was for the piano, with a mixture of solo piano works and accompanied vocal works comprising most of the catalog. Many of her vocal works featured text by American poet Richard Watson Gilder, which is the case with the 5 Songs, Op. 5 that we look at today.

The five songs all feature texts by Gilder:
Rose-dark the solemn sunset
After Sorrow's Night
Cradle Song
I Care Not if the Skies Are White
Winds to the Silent Morn

Ohe shows off her skills in bringing these texts to life musically, from the pulsating opening of Rose-dark to the calming lullaby melody of Cradle Song. In After Sorrow's Night (shown above), the vocal part even delightfully mimics the bird that is mentioned in the poetry.

In 1906, Ohe returned to Germany, and unfortunately her compositional output ceased at that time. Fortunately, we have beautiful works such as these songs from her short-lived compositional career.