This unusual juxtaposition of songs offers two very different aspects of Brahms' personality. The first two quartets are typically serious late Brahms in their autumnal tone and melancholy longing. The other four are gypsy songs drawn from the same set of folk songs as the Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103, and are as light hearted and ingenuous as the quartets of that collection. Perhaps in this combination of extremes, Brahms offers a moral lesson: too serious and introspective an outlook may lead to loneliness, longing, and regret. Life is short and uncertain, so perhaps it is best to embrace life with less ambition and a more modest pleasure. 1 "Sehnsucht" (Desire) depicts the result of thwarted desire with its tightly wrought and powerful counterpoint. 2 "Nächtens" (In the Night) examines the fear of death, and the illusive sense of peace it should bring. 3 "Vier Zigeunerlieder" (Four Gypsy Songs). These songs are really a continuation of the same exact kind of settings found in the earlier set of Zigeunerlieder. They are simple, direct, lively and folk-like in their charm. Musically and emotionally they are the antithesis of the first two quartets of this Opus.

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