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Ruminations on Brahms's Chamber MusicAuthor(s): Robert PascallReviewed work(s):Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 116, No. 1590 (Aug., 1975), pp. 697-699Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/960030 .
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8/20/2019 Ruminations on Brahms's Chamber Music
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Ruminationsn
Brahms s
hamber
usic
Robert ascall
It is too
simple
view
o
maintain hat
Brahms,
n
the atter alfof the ast
century,pheld
lone the
genre
f chambermusic
as a stillvital mode of
expression.
hambermusicwas
part
f hisenviron-
ment;
he was
surrounded
y
chamber
musicians,
amateurnd
professional,
nd
by
esser
omposers
enthusiasticallyriting
hamber orks.
t
is
merely
the various oncerns f the
other
reat
Germanic
composers
hat
end o
give
him
he
ppearance
f
isolation;
nd
possibly
rahms elthimself mis-
sionary
or
hamber
music
n the
arly
1860s,
hat
period
which
immediately
ollows his ill-fated
manifestol
nd
whichs
so rich
n
chamber orks.
If hedid, hen ismission asnottheresultfa
Pauline
onversion;
e had been nvolved
n
cham-
ber
music
rom is earliest
ears.
He
played
ham-
bermusic
n
a
private
ubscription
oncert
rranged
by
his father
n
1843;
the
programme
ncluded
Beethoven s
p.16
and
one
of Mozart s
piano
quartets.2
e
also
wrote hambermusic
early
n
his career.
n 1851 wo of his chamber orks
were
played
t a
private
oncert;3
hese,
duo for ello
and
piano
and a
piano trio,
are
probably
ost,
along
with
ther
arly
hamber orks f whichwe
knowfrom chumann s
writingsespecially
eue
Bahnen).His
early
interest
n
chamber music
remainedwithhim,and performancend com-
position
n the
genre
ormed central eature f
his life. t was as
a chambermusic
player
nd
composer
hat
he introduced
imself
n
Vienna n
1862 with
the
piano quartets
pp.25-6;
and he
played
n the
first
erformances
f
his
astchamber
works,
he
wo larinetonatas.
It
might
e
thought
hat
n what
by
context
proved
o be a traditional
edium rahms
would
be
at
his
most traditional.
hat view
cannot be
convincinglyupported.
n
fact,
n
some chamber
pieces
e showed
wellhis
peculiar
rand
f
modern-
ity:
n
the
melody
t the
opening
f the
G
major
string
extet,
n
the
harmonic
uanceof the
third
movementf the C minor tring uartet,n the
formal
riginalities
f the third
movement
f the
C
major
piano
trio
or the
second
of
the
F
major
string
uintet.
Besides
being
a
vehicle
for
newness,
hamber
music was also
a vehiclefor
autobiography
or
Brahms. ome of
the
musical
material
n
this
n-
timate
genre
flowed, uitably
nough,
fromhis
circleof intimates.
he
first
movement
f the
C
minor
iano
quartet
nd the
econd
f
theG
minor
piano
quartet
ontain
lara
themes;4
he
G
major
sextet
irstmovement
s
his farewell
o
Agathe;
he
A
minor
tring
uartet
irst
ovementses
Joachim s
motto;
nd his
song
correlations
n
the
A
major
1M.
Kalbeck:
Johannes
Brahms,
i
(Berlin, 3/1912),
404f
2F.
May:
The
Life of
Johannes Brahms
(London,
1905), i,
59
3J. A. Fuller-Maitland: Brahms
(London,
2/1911),
4
4E. Sams: Brahms
and
his
Clara
Themes , MT,
cxii
(1971),
432
violin
onata
derive,
s Kalbeckhas
shown,5
rom
his admirationor Hermine
piess.
The
chamber
music s
also
autobiographical
n
a
deeper
ense:
we
may properly
ee
in
it much
bout
Brahms s
relation
o his
predecessors,
is centralmusical
concerns,
nd
his
development
s
a
composer.
Brahms uiltmost
bviously
ot on thework
f
Mendelssohn
nd
Schumann-though
here are
many
nstances here is
music
s
redolent f those
composers
pirit-but
n that of Beethoven
nd
Schubert.
t
is
possible
o view
his musicas
an
integration
f the
Haydn-Beethoven
radition
f
dynamic
rgument
nd dramatic
ower
withthe
Mozart-Schubertraditionf relaxedyricismnd
serene
beauty.
Brahms seems
a more
sensuous
composer
hanBeethoven
oth
n mattersftexture
and
melody,
nd
a
more
dynamically
ymphonic
composer
han
Schubert;
he
ethos
s
more
tren-
uous,
more
rotestant,
orenorth
erman.
Is
it
possible
o
justify
uch
generalizations
n
particular
xamples? p.18,
heB
flat
tring
extet,
one
of
Brahms s
most
relaxedchamber
works,
offers
n instructive
omparison
with Schubert s
last
piano
sonata.
The works
begin
withmelodic
material imilar
n matters
f contour
nd
type
f
motion,
nd the chubert
irst ovement
ouldwell
have lain behind Brahms s inspiration.Yet
Schubert s
work
has
regular
hrase-lengths,
ith
definite
adences;
Brahms s
re more
omplicated.
The tonal chemes
or he
first
ubject
n theworks
are
similar,
nd
both use
mediant
elationships;
but
there s a
telling
ifference.
chubert s
irst
subject
s
in
ternary orm,
with
he
middle s
a
varied ersion f the
pening
n
theflat ubmediant
major:
formally
static
oncept
or sonata-form
opening.
rahms s
irst
ubject,
n
theother
and,
combines
his mediant
modulation
to
the
flat
mediant
major,
f
anything
less
relaxed
ey
han
Schubert s)
ith
binary
cheme
ncluding
evelop-
ment and
progressive
hematicism;
he
shape
is
A + A + developmentfA + B, where is a
return
o
the tonic
but with
a
new tune.
The
Brahmsmovement
s
basically
more
ymphonic.
Op.34,
he
pianoquintet,
as
features
n common
withBeethoven sSerioso
Quartet p.95,
specially
in
the last
movement.
oth finales
have
slow
introductions,
ollowed
y
extended
inary
main
sections
which ead
into
faster,
engthy
odas;
the
introduction
f the
Beethoven
movement
ncludes
shapes
which
re
germinal
or rahms s
ntroduction.
Beethoven s
main
Allegrettomelody
s
however
intense
nd
short-breathed,
ith
motivic
ragments
separated y
rests
nd
emphasized
y
immediate
repetition.
rahms
lso
wrote motivic
melody,
but with onger, ninterruptedhrases;his, s the
performing
nstructions
onfirm,
s
more
ranquillo
than
eethoven s
gitato,
nd
basically
more
yrical.
5M.
Kalbeck:
op
cit,
iv
(Berlin, 2/1915),
15ff
697
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Two of Brahms s hief
tylistic
oncerns
n
his
work n he
onata-symphony
radition
of
which he
chamber
music
forms he
most substantial
art)
may
be seen
n
terms
f
complication
f
form
nd
resourcefulnessf texture.
n common
with ate
Classical
and
early
Romantic
omposers,
e
had
ambitionsfor the
greater
unification
f
multi-
movementtructures.ressuresor uchunification
occur
n mostmulti-movement
orks
y
Brahms,
and manifest
hemselves
n
thematic
uotation
across
movements
as
in
the
third
nd fourth
movementsf the horn
rio,
r
the
first,
hird
nd
fourthmovements
f
the
larinet
uintet),
hematic
metamorphosisas
in
thefirst
nd third
movements
of
the
piano
quintet
nd the
E
minor
ello
onata),
or motivic imilarities
as
in all movements
f
the
C
minor
tring
uartet,
rtheG
major
iolin
onata).
Sometimeshere eems
specially
trong
hematic
relationship
etweenfirst nd
last movements:
examples
retheC minor
tringuartet,
heC
major
piano
trio nd
theclarinet
rio
where
he
themes
of the ast movement aybe seenas parodies f
concomitantnes
n
thefirst
movement).
Complications
f
Classical
orm
ake
lace
within
movements
s well
s across
hem.
rahms s om-
plex
treatmentf sonata form as been
fully
is-
cussed
elsewhere;6
t
must suffice
ere
to draw
attentiono
one of
themain
nd consistent
eatures
of
this reatment-whatrbantschitsch
alled
the
6V.
Urbantschitsch:
Die
Sonatenform
bei
Brahms
(diss.,
U. of
Vienna, 1925);
A.
Mitschka:
Der Sonatensatz
in den Werken
von
Johannes rahms
diss.,
U. of
Mainz,
1961);
R.
Pascall:
Formal
Principles
in the Music
of
Brahms
(diss.,
U.
of
Oxford,
1972)
combinationf sonata
nd
variation
orms.ome-
times
rahms
sed smallvariation
ets s
subjects
within
onata
forms
as
in the first
movements
f
theC
minor
iano
quartet
nd
the
F
minor
larinet
sonata);
buthere am
referring
athero
the
trong
motivic
ohesion
f otherwise
ontrasted aterial.
This is moreobvious
n
some cases than
others;
a particularlyood example s thefirstmovement
of theC minor
iano
trio,
where ll the
xposition
material s contained
n
bar 1. Such
motifs re
generally
ore
omplex
nd
distinctivehan
hose
found n
Beethoven
y
Reti.
This
concentration
f
material,memorably
escribed
y Spitta,7
must
surely
e
one of thefeaturesf
Brahms swork
hat
appealed
to
Schoenberg.
rahms s a
handler
f
sonata form
may
be seen as
standing
midway
between he
arly
lassical
omposersbasing
heir
form
rimarily
n tonal
power)
and
Schoenberg
(basing
his
primarily
n
motivic
nd
thematic
rhetoric).
he
onal
nd
motivic
lements
f
Brahms s
sonata forms
re
co-equal,
nd indeed
re
mani-
festationsne of the ther. e used onataform or
thefirstmovements
f all but
one
of
his
chamber
works
the
horn
rio)
nd for
he ast
movementsf
all but
eight.
ometimes
t s
used
n
middle
move-
ments oo
as
in
the
D
minor
iolin
onata nd the
third
movement
f
the larinet
uintet),
nd t s
of
course
resent
n
a
miniatureorm
n
most
ections
of scherzo-and-trio
ype
movements.
The
contrast-based
orms f
ternary
nd
rondo
also
received
omplex
treatment rom
Brahms.
7 Sein Streben
eht
auf
Concentrirung
nd
untrennbar
estes
Zusammenfugen
it ll den
Mitteln,
welche
der
Tonkunst ls
solcher
igen
ind
P.
Spitta:
Zur
Musik,Berlin,
892,
17)
Greater
ondon
Council
Royal
Festival
Hall
*
Queen
Elizabeth
Hall
*
Purcell
Room
Director: ohn enison BE
South
Bank
Summer
usic
and
MasterClasses
presented
y
heGreater ondonCouncil n
artistic
ollaboration
ith
NevilleMarriner
3-17 August 975
Academy
f St
Martin-in-the-Fields
Apollo
Society
*
JanetBaker
*
Dalton Baldwin
*
William ennett
Neil
Black
*
Alfred
rendel
Michael
Chapman
Gervase
e
Peyer
Richard oode
*
Lynn
Harrell Carmel aine
*
The
King s ingers
Michael aird
*
Jaime
aredo
Neville
Marriner
Tess
Miller Jack
Rothstein Gerard
ouzay
*
Tokyo
tring
uartet
JohnWilbraham Wilbrahamrass oloists Festival
ingers
SOUTH
BANK
SUMMER MUSIC
The chambermusic
f
Brahms eatures
predominantly
n
this
year s
estival.
Among
heworks
elected
re
the
arely-
performed
onata n
D
for ello nd
piano
(which
s the
omposer s
wn
ranscription
f
the
Violin onata
n
G),
thewell-known
Clarinet
rio,
he
A
minor
tring uartet,
he
F
minor iano
Quintet
nd theG
major
extet.
TALKING
POINT
August
4-9 and 11-16
Speakers
nclude ir Michael
ippett,
eville
Marriner,
ervase e
Peyer
nd
Humphrey
urton
ALFRED BRENDEL
MASTER CLASSES
Each afternoonrom
ugust
1-15
Alfred rendel
will
give
series f fiveMaster
Classes
for
ix
young
rofessional
ianists
n
the
Queen
Elizabeth all.
The
repertory
ill
onsist
f
solo
and/or
concerto orks
yHaydn,
Mozart,
eethoven
and
Schubert.
embers
fthe
general ublic
will
be
able to attend
he lasses
s observers.
Tickets vailable
rom
oyal
Festival all
Box
Office. eaflet
ith ull
rogramme
details vailable
rom
oyal
Festival
all
698
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Having
decided
upon-and,
as it
were,
set
up-a
contrastform
based on
the
uxtaposition
of
distinct
sections,
Brahms could often
proceed
to
modify
he
contrast n a numberof
ways
which ed to a more
dynamic
and
symphonic
formal
conception.
There
is a
large
variety
of
ways
in
which he
brought
contrasted sections closer
togetherthematically;
the ternary orms of the second movements f the
clarinet
quintet
nd the
F
minor
clarinet
onata
are
compelling
examples, showing
the main theme
of
the middle
section
evolved
from
that
of
the main
section. Brahms also modified the basic contrast
pattern by varying recurring
ections,
both the-
matically
and
tonally,
thus
weakening
the central
contrast
by placing
contrast
elsewhere;
examples
include
the second
movements
of the
B
flat
string
quartet
and the
C minor
piano
trio
(variations
of
texture)
nd the second
movements
f the
A minor
and B flat
string quartets
and the
F
major
cello
sonata
(variations
of
tonality).Ternary
and
rondo
forms
may
further e
complicated by
the use of
substantialbridgepassagesor codas-giving ternary
forms
binary
r
rondo
bias,
and
expanding
rondo
forms-and
by
the use of discrete sections con-
taining
contrast within themselves.
Brahms used
many types
of
rondo
form:
ABABA
(the
first
movement
of
the
horn
trio,
the second
movements
of
the
F
major string quintet
and
the
A
major
violin
sonata),
ABACA
(the
thirdmovements
f
the
G
major
violin sonata and the clarinet
trio),
ABACBA
(the
fourthmovements
of
the G
minor
piano
quartet
and the
F
minor clarinet
onata)
and
ABACABA
(the
last movements
f the
B
flat
tring
sextet
nd the
A
major
violin
sonata).
Just s forms
were
a matter
or
omplication
with
Brahms,
so too were textures: his restlessness
towards,
nd
sensitivity
o,
sound
compelled
him
to
vary
his instrumentation.Unlike
the
Classical
masters,
who based their hamber
output
around a
nucleus
of one
or
two central
groupings,
Brahms
had no
such
central
genre.
The instruments
re not
simply
outward
show,
or
merely
vehicle
for
pre-
senting
ideas:
they
have an intimate
relationship
with the
deas-they helpgenerate
hem,
hey hape
them
and colour them. And Brahms
always
used
the textural
possibilities
of his
instrumentation o
articulate
and enhance
his musical
argument,
as
one
may
see
from
uch movements
s
the
first
f the
B flatstring extet and the second of the A major
piano quartet
and the
F
major
string uintet.
If
it is
helpful
o divideBrahms screative
ife nto
periods,
that is best done not
by
considerations
f
genre,
form
r
harmony
though
there re
certainly
changes
in
each)
but
by
considerations
of
melody
and
itstreatment.
rue,
the
arly
period
s dominated
by
piano
music,
and
the
late
period
by
clarinet
nd
keyboard music, leaving
in the
rich
middle
period
the
large
choral
works and the
symphonies;
but
that
is
surely
fortuitous
though
it
is
significant
that
he
was
unable to
compose
fifth
nd sixth
symphonies
in
his late
years).
Urbantschitsch s
attempt8
o
divide
off
eriods
ccording
o Brahms s
treatment f sonata form s unconvincing, argely
because
those
characteristically arly
works the
piano
sonatas
all
show,
as
do
such
works
as the
8V.
Urbantschitsch:
op
cit, chaps.
4-7,
22
first
wo
string
quartets,
those
features which
he
ascribed
chiefly
to late sonata
forms.
Brahms s
forms
changed
during
his
life,
but the
differences
are not differences
n
kind;
he
was
always
an
intricate ormal
hinker,
s the
early
works ndicate.
His
harmony
also
developed;
there
is a
typically
early,
Mendelssohnian
chromaticismwhich
seems
to be less used after1860,and his interestingefin-
itions of
tonalityby
the
avoidance
of the
tonictend
to be
in
middle-period
works;
but his
love of
dia-
tonic discords was
with
him
throughout
his life
(as
opp.
1/ii,78/i
and
119/ishow).
These
changes
of
genre,
form
nd
harmony
re
not
characteristic
enough
to
define
periods.
It
may
be
that we are not
discussing periods,
in
the Beethovenian
sense,
but ratherthe
phases
that
very
human
being
nd
artistmust
pass
through.
The
years
before
Brahms
moved to
Vienna
show
diverse
influences,readily accepted,
and
diverse
spiritual
onditions.This is
the
period
of the
search,
ripe
but
receptive;
hewas enthusiastic nd
strenuous,
and his pieces are in consequence somewhat bom-
bastic.
The
years
from
about
1862
to 1887
are the
open,
rich
years
of
consolidation,
his musical
personality
ound;
he
worked because he
liked to.
The final
years
are
those of
reflection
nd
economy;
he had to
compose,
for
he
could
not
stop.
These
phases,
really
no
more
than the
artistic
quivalents
of
youth, maturity
nd
old
age,
centre
around,
first,
is
meeting
with the Schumanns and
its
pro-
found
impact
on his
art and his
life;
second,
the
fame
of the
Requiem;
and
third,
he
retrospection
of his late
years
of
reworking,ssembling
nd
finish-
ing
(he
said that
op.111
would
be his
last
work9).
Those events
are central
to
the
three
phases: they
embody selfconsciousness,
stablishment nd con-
templation.
If
those
phases
are
apparent
n
any
aspect
of his
work,
t is
in
his
melody
and its treatment.n the
early
period,
his themes
omparatively
ack
distinc-
tion;
the
methods of
development
do
not seem to
penetrate
deeply
into the
themes;
and theme and
developments
are
somewhat
separate.
From the
second
string
sextet
onwards,
the themes have a
new
suavity
nd
economy
and
an
altogether reater
distinction;
evelopmental
echniques
become more
meaningful;
and the
separation
of theme
and
development
ecomes
less clear
(the opening
of
the
C major piano trio s a telling xample).As Brahms s
life
progressed,
more
and
more notes have
more
and
more
significance,
ntil
in
the last
period
we
may
speak
of a melodic
density
different
n
kind
from
those of earlier
periods.
The
continual
intensity
f
melodic
beauty
becomes
overwhelming,
nd such
movements s
the
first
f
the second clarinet onata
show
a
fusionof melodic
presentation
nd
develop-
ment
unrivalled
n
Brahms
and
elsewhere.
9M. Kalbeck:
op cit,
iv,
216
Chambermusic
by
Brahms s a central
eature f
this
year s
South
Bank Summer
Music,
August
3-17,
devised
by
Neville
Marriner.
The Music
Publishers Association
and
Photographic
Service
(Music
Reproductions)
Ltd have devised a scheme for
repro-
ducing
out of
print, copyright
material with the
publisher s
approval.
Details from Edward
Shipley,
62
Hatton
Garden,
London ECIN 8LR.
699
