Violinist Joseph Joachim and mezzo-soprano Amalie Schneeweiss were both important musical partners and friends of Brahms. When the couple had a son, named Johannes in honor of Brahms, the composer wrote an enchanted cradle song (“Geistliches Wiegenlied,” Sacred Lullaby) for his namesake, which Amalie could sing with Joseph playing the viola, Brahms’ favorite string instrument.

Unfortunately, the marriage became troubled by Joachim’s paranoid delusions about an affair he imagined Amalie had. Hoping to bring them together, Brahms reworked the lullaby and wrote a new song, “Gestillte Sehnsucht” (Stilled Longing). Blissfully domestic as the song was, it failed to repair the rift, and when Brahms testified on Amalie’s side in the subsequent divorce proceedings brought by Joseph, the violinist extended the broken relationship to include Brahms as well.