Two fairy-tale lovers and two singers in a Brahmsian cycle
The romance involving Count Peter of Provence and Princess Magelone of Naples may not be familiar to many early consumers of bedtime stories, but it’s not hard to recognize the traditional narrative elements. These include love at first sight between aristocrats, strokes of sudden bad luck and miraculous reversals, a kindly shepherd, and more.
In the 1860s, when Brahms used this tale as the basis for a set of 15 songs, German audiences may not have needed too much help following the plot.