June 27, 2016.Four Klavierstücke, op. 119 by Brahms.Below is an article by Joseph DuBose about the last set Johannes Brahms ever wrote for piano solo.We illustrate it with performances by Alon Goldstein and Matthew Graybil.♫
The 4 Klavierstücke, op. 119 is the last of Brahms’s compositions for his own instrument. While it is true that the 51 Übungen were published later, these exercises were nevertheless compiled over several years from works already written. In the wake of the E-flat minor Intermezzo that closed the op. 118, the current collection opens with two similarly introspective minor key intermezzi. The first, in B minor, passes by with resigned melancholy and a cool detachment that aptly follows such a heart-wrenching expression of emotion. The following E minor Intermezzo, on the other hand, builds out of a nervous energy, and by its conclusion begins to turn towards a brighter mood. The C major Intermezzo that follows abounds with rhythmic energy, and quite fittingly sets the stage from the robust and dynamic E-flat major Rhapsodie. An appropriate end for Brahms’s solo piano music, the Rhapsodie abounds with the virile energy of the early Rhapsodies while also looking back at times to the op. 10 Ballades.
The B minor Intermezzo (here) makes the most direct use of the descending thirds motif since the Caprice in D minor that opened op. 116. Whereas in the Caprice the thirds were used to great effect both melodically and contrapuntally, the effect here is entirely harmonic. As the thirds descend, the tones overlap resulting in beautiful, impressionistic chords of the ninth and eleventh that place the music in a twilit area between the keys of B minor and D major. Atop these luscious harmonies, a melancholy tune more suggestive of D major until its final cadence, floats across the hazy harmonic landscape. While this principal melody comes to a close on a definitive half cadence in B minor, a firm assertion of the tonic is avoided by the immediate appearance of a secondary theme unmistakably in the key of D major. This new theme struggles to give voice to the inner turmoil of the piece, as it builds fervently over chromatically rising harmonies into a forte that inevitably melts away over dominant seventh chords obscured by two chromatic lines moving in contrary motion. The melody starts again, though now altered, and builds more quickly into a more fulfilling climax on the dominant, reinforced by rippling triplets in the bass. A moment of resignation is then reached as the music begins to die away with poignant sighs that fall from the upper register into the bass. Like a fog rolling in, obscuring everything within its reach, the descending thirds return in a four measure transition that brings about a slightly embellished reprise of the opening. A brief coda, built on the plaintive sighs heard earlier, begins to reaffirm the D major tonality. However, just prior to the expected cadence it gives way to a final chain of thirds that spans across all the tones of a thirteenth chord before resolving into a final B minor chord (continue reading here).
The following Intermezzo in E minor (here) begins with a nervous dactylic rhythm and a characteristic, hesitant syncopation that appears every few measures. Hidden within the chordal texture, however, is a melodic motif that becomes the central idea of the piece. This melodic idea is then developed by means of variation across a rather lengthy discourse in ternary form. The first “variation” slows the stammering rhythm of the accompaniment to triplets, while the melody is embellished by the addition of a lower counterpoint. A deft modulation into F minor brings about the next variation which features alternating chords between the two hands, while the melody maintains its position at the top of the texture. The F minor tonality, however, is but a momentary foreboding moment, and with equal ease Brahms returns to E minor after only two measures. In the last variation before the conclusion of the first section, the melody begins to take a more definitive form as the dactylic rhythm is finally stripped away. The central episode continues to vary and develop the melody, now presenting it as a graceful and charming waltz tune in E major. At its conclusion, it becomes fixated on the first three notes of the tune, repeating them until leading into an only slightly modified reprise of the opening section. Brahms comes to the same conclusion as before, but then closes the Intermezzo in E major with a faint echo of the waltz.
Adopting a far different tone than the two preceding pieces is the sprightly Intermezzo in C major (here). The entire piece is based around the four-note motif repeated throughout the opening measures. Spinning around the dominant, the motif forms the beginning of a blithe and cheery melody that once again is presented to the listener in the middle of the texture. After climbing up to the tonic, it slips with ease into the key of the dominant, then A major, and back again into C major for a near literal repetition. During the brief development section that follows, Brahms makes clever use of the principal motif and a semitone oscillation extracted from the final measures of melody to pass through several keys very quickly—first, A major, then F-sharp minor and D-flat major. The chain of descending thirds then appears, suggesting the key of F minor, and begins to move the music back towards the tonic. When the principal motif returns in C major, Brahms presents it in an augmented form, temporarily establishing a 3/4 meter against the prevailing 6/8. The entire melody, however, is not given, but instead breaks into a skittish passage of repeated notes and quickly descending arpeggios. As if imbued with a newfound energy, the music builds into a forte climax over a dominant pedal. Yet, just as playfully, it evaporates away in two measures of sweeping arpeggios that lead into jittery repeated chords that give a final transformation of the motif.
Brahms’s output for solo piano then comes to close with doughty Rhapsodie in E-flat major (here), embracing every ounce of the heroism so embodied by the key. Brahms described to Clara Schumann as “rough, crude, brutal.” However, he also once described to her his serene and ebullient Second Symphony as repeated F minor chords, played first fortissimo then pianissimo, so one may wonder how serious these epithets were in the face of the Rhapsodie’s unabashed gallantry. It opens with a virile tune given in full-voiced chords over a sturdy octave bass. Separating the phrases of this melody is a stepwise descending motif, pitted against an obstinate pedal tone, which quickly adds a point of dissonance to the music, as well as becoming a key element as it progresses. It also with ease morphs into the familiar chain of descending thirds. As the first theme comes to a close, mysterious chords announce a powerful second theme in C minor that hearkens back to the earlier Ballades. Proceeding with an impatient energy, it comes to an almost abrupt end as the mysterious chords that presaged it return to serve as the transition to the third theme of the piece. In A-flat major, this new theme shamelessly indulges in a mock salon style with harped chords and fleeting grace notes. However, it soon passes back into a reprise of the C minor idea, which now must regain its previous energy before building to a powerful half cadence in C major. Following two accented chords, Brahms jocosely presents the listener with a dramatically altered form of the first theme, now in C major and given in staccato, pianissimo chords. The humor, however, soon is replaced by the original gallantry with the descending scales and chains of thirds bringing about at length a final reprise of the first theme in its original form. The reprise, however, is brief. As the coda begins, Brahms curiously turns towards the minor mode, and begins to develop the theme again with a renewed outburst of spirited vigor. With incessant triplets, the piece works itself into its final climatic outburst, coming to a terse ending in the minor.
Four Klavierstücke, op. 119 by Brahms, 2016
June 27, 2016. Four Klavierstücke, op. 119 by Brahms. Below is an article by Joseph DuBose about the last set Johannes Brahms ever wrote for piano solo. We illustrate it with performances by Alon Goldstein and Matthew Graybil. ♫
The 4 Klavierstücke, op. 119 is the last of Brahms’s compositions for his own instrument. While it is true that the 51 Übungen were published later
, these exercises were nevertheless compiled over several years from works already written. In the wake of the E-flat minor Intermezzo that closed the op. 118, the current collection opens with two similarly introspective minor key intermezzi. The first, in B minor, passes by with resigned melancholy and a cool detachment that aptly follows such a heart-wrenching expression of emotion. The following E minor Intermezzo, on the other hand, builds out of a nervous energy, and by its conclusion begins to turn towards a brighter mood. The C major Intermezzo that follows abounds with rhythmic energy, and quite fittingly sets the stage from the robust and dynamic E-flat major Rhapsodie. An appropriate end for Brahms’s solo piano music, the Rhapsodie abounds with the virile energy of the early Rhapsodies while also looking back at times to the op. 10 Ballades.
The B minor Intermezzo (here) makes the most direct use of the descending thirds motif since the Caprice in D minor that opened op. 116. Whereas in the Caprice the thirds were used to great effect both melodically and contrapuntally, the effect here is entirely harmonic. As the thirds descend, the tones overlap resulting in beautiful, impressionistic chords of the ninth and eleventh that place the music in a twilit area between the keys of B minor and D major. Atop these luscious harmonies, a melancholy tune more suggestive of D major until its final cadence, floats across the hazy harmonic landscape. While this principal melody comes to a close on a definitive half cadence in B minor, a firm assertion of the tonic is avoided by the immediate appearance of a secondary theme unmistakably in the key of D major. This new theme struggles to give voice to the inner turmoil of the piece, as it builds fervently over chromatically rising harmonies into a forte that inevitably melts away over dominant seventh chords obscured by two chromatic lines moving in contrary motion. The melody starts again, though now altered, and builds more quickly into a more fulfilling climax on the dominant, reinforced by rippling triplets in the bass. A moment of resignation is then reached as the music begins to die away with poignant sighs that fall from the upper register into the bass. Like a fog rolling in, obscuring everything within its reach, the descending thirds return in a four measure transition that brings about a slightly embellished reprise of the opening. A brief coda, built on the plaintive sighs heard earlier, begins to reaffirm the D major tonality. However, just prior to the expected cadence it gives way to a final chain of thirds that spans across all the tones of a thirteenth chord before resolving into a final B minor chord (continue reading here).
The following Intermezzo in E minor (here) begins with a nervous dactylic rhythm and a characteristic, hesitant syncopation that appears every few measures. Hidden within the chordal texture, however, is a melodic motif that becomes the central idea of the piece. This melodic idea is then developed by means of variation across a rather lengthy discourse in ternary form. The first “variation” slows the stammering rhythm of the accompaniment to triplets, while the melody is embellished by the addition of a lower counterpoint. A deft modulation into F minor brings about the next variation which features alternating chords between the two hands, while the melody maintains its position at the top of the texture. The F minor tonality, however, is but a momentary foreboding moment, and with equal ease Brahms returns to E minor after only two measures. In the last variation before the conclusion of the first section, the melody begins to take a more definitive form as the dactylic rhythm is finally stripped away. The central episode continues to vary and develop the melody, now presenting it as a graceful and charming waltz tune in E major. At its conclusion, it becomes fixated on the first three notes of the tune, repeating them until leading into an only slightly modified reprise of the opening section. Brahms comes to the same conclusion as before, but then closes the Intermezzo in E major with a faint echo of the waltz.
Adopting a far different tone than the two preceding pieces is the sprightly Intermezzo in C major (here). The entire piece is based around the four-note motif repeated throughout the opening measures. Spinning around the dominant, the motif forms the beginning of a blithe and cheery melody that once again is presented to the listener in the middle of the texture. After climbing up to the tonic, it slips with ease into the key of the dominant, then A major, and back again into C major for a near literal repetition. During the brief development section that follows, Brahms makes clever use of the principal motif and a semitone oscillation extracted from the final measures of melody to pass through several keys very quickly—first, A major, then F-sharp minor and D-flat major. The chain of descending thirds then appears, suggesting the key of F minor, and begins to move the music back towards the tonic. When the principal motif returns in C major, Brahms presents it in an augmented form, temporarily establishing a 3/4 meter against the prevailing 6/8. The entire melody, however, is not given, but instead breaks into a skittish passage of repeated notes and quickly descending arpeggios. As if imbued with a newfound energy, the music builds into a forte climax over a dominant pedal. Yet, just as playfully, it evaporates away in two measures of sweeping arpeggios that lead into jittery repeated chords that give a final transformation of the motif.
Brahms’s output for solo piano then comes to close with doughty Rhapsodie in E-flat major (here), embracing every ounce of the heroism so embodied by the key. Brahms described to Clara Schumann as “rough, crude, brutal.” However, he also once described to her his serene and ebullient Second Symphony as repeated F minor chords, played first fortissimo then pianissimo, so one may wonder how serious these epithets were in the face of the Rhapsodie’s unabashed gallantry. It opens with a virile tune given in full-voiced chords over a sturdy octave bass. Separating the phrases of this melody is a stepwise descending motif, pitted against an obstinate pedal tone, which quickly adds a point of dissonance to the music, as well as becoming a key element as it progresses. It also with ease morphs into the familiar chain of descending thirds. As the first theme comes to a close, mysterious chords announce a powerful second theme in C minor that hearkens back to the earlier Ballades. Proceeding with an impatient energy, it comes to an almost abrupt end as the mysterious chords that presaged it return to serve as the transition to the third theme of the piece. In A-flat major, this new theme shamelessly indulges in a mock salon style with harped chords and fleeting grace notes. However, it soon passes back into a reprise of the C minor idea, which now must regain its previous energy before building to a powerful half cadence in C major. Following two accented chords, Brahms jocosely presents the listener with a dramatically altered form of the first theme, now in C major and given in staccato, pianissimo chords. The humor, however, soon is replaced by the original gallantry with the descending scales and chains of thirds bringing about at length a final reprise of the first theme in its original form. The reprise, however, is brief. As the coda begins, Brahms curiously turns towards the minor mode, and begins to develop the theme again with a renewed outburst of spirited vigor. With incessant triplets, the piece works itself into its final climatic outburst, coming to a terse ending in the minor.