LISTENING GUIDES TO THE WORKS OF JOHANNES BRAHMS

by Kelly Dean Hansen, Ph.D., Musicology

Brahms picture

In an ongoing project, I am constructing distinctive real-time listening guides to the works of the German Romantic composer Johannes Brahms.  By nature, the guides are recording-specific, but they can be adapted to any recording of the given works by simply changing the timings.  I am willing to do this for anybody who would like to provide a recording.  Email me if you have any requests for specific guides for works that may not be posted or for guides tailored to alternative recordings.  The most recent additions will be marked as NEW! for at least a week.  The following guides are now available:

Opus 1: Piano Sonata #1 in C Major [December 21, 2005--REVISED March 26, 2010]
Opus 2: Piano Sonata #2 in F-sharp Minor [December 21, 2005--REVISED January 24, 2010]
Opus 3: Six Songs (Gesänge) [December 21, 2005--REVISED December 26, 2012]
Opus 5: Piano Sonata #3 in F Minor [March 4, 2013]
Opus 9: Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann for Solo Piano [June 30, 2010]
Opus 12: Ave Maria for Four-Voice Women’s Chorus and Orchestra or Organ [October 14, 2008]
Opus 13: Begräbnisgesang (Burial Song) for Chorus and Wind Instruments [August 28, 2008]
Opus 14: Eight Songs and Romances (Lieder und Romanzen) [September 6, 2008]
Opus 17: Four Partsongs (Gesänge) for Women’s Chorus with Two Horns and Harp [November 13, 2008]
Opus 18: String Sextet #1 in B-flat Major (includes arrangement of second movement for piano) [November 13, 2008]
Opus 19: Five Songs (Gedichte--Poems) [January 23, 2009]
Opus 20: Three Duets for Soprano and Alto [February 7, 2006--REVISED March 28, 2011]
Opus 21, No. 1: Variations on an Original Theme for Piano [January 31, 2009]
Opus 21, No. 2: Variations on a Hungarian Song for Piano [January 31, 2009]
Opus 22: Marienlieder (Marian Songs) for Mixed Chorus [August 24, 2009]
Opus 24: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of G. F. Handel for Piano [November 23, 2009]
Opus 25: Piano Quartet #1 in G Minor [July 9, 2009]
Opus 26: Piano Quartet #2 in A Major [May 31, 2013] NEW!
Opus 27: Psalm 13 for Three-Voice Women’s Chorus and Organ [October 28, 2009]
Opus 28: Four Duets for Alto and Baritone [August 15, 2009]
Opus 30: Geistliches Lied (Sacred Song) for Mixed Chorus and Organ [October 14, 2008]
Opus 31: Three Quartets for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass [October 24, 2008]
Opus 32: Nine Songs (Lieder und Gesänge) to Texts by Platen and Daumer [September 15, 2009]
Opus 33: Fifteen Romances from L. Tieck's  “Magelone” (Song Cycle) [August 12, 2006--REVISED September 15, 2009]
Opus 35: Variations on a Theme of Paganini (Studies for Piano) [January 9, 2009]
Opus 37: Three Sacred Choruses (Geistliche Chöre) for Four-Voice Women’s Chorus [September 26, 2008]
Opus 39: Sixteen Waltzes for Piano Duet or Piano Solo (All Versions) [November 4, 2008]
Opus 41: Five Partsongs (Lieder) for Four-Voice Men’s Chorus [May 31, 2008]
Opus 42: Three Partsongs (Gesänge) for Six-Voice Mixed Chorus [January 2, 2006--REVISED August 19, 2009]
Opus 43: Four Songs (Gesänge) [June 29, 2006--REVISED January 25, 2010]
Opus 44: Twelve Songs and Romances (Lieder und Romanzen) for Four-Voice Women’s Chorus with (Optional) Piano Accompaniment [June 23, 2012]
Opus 45: Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) to Words of Holy Scripture for Two Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra [December 26, 2008]
Opus 47: Five Songs (Lieder) [June 10, 2009]
Opus 52: Liebeslieder Waltzes for Vocal Quartet and Piano Duet [April 15, 2010]
Opus 53: Rhapsody for Alto, Male Chorus, and Orchestra [September 18, 2009]
Opus 55: Triumphlied (Song of Triumph) from Revelation Chapter 19 for Eight-Voice Chorus, Baritone Soloist, and Orchestra [September 22, 2012]
Opus 57: Eight Songs (Lieder und Gesänge) to Texts by G. F. Daumer [August 28, 2008]
Opus 58: Eight Songs (Lieder und Gesänge) [November 7, 2009]
Opus 59: Eight Songs (Lieder und Gesänge) [February 20, 2009]
Opus 63: Nine Songs (Lieder und Gesänge) [July 15, 2006--REVISED November 7, 2009]
Opus 65: New Liebeslieder Waltzes for Vocal Quartet and Piano Duet [October 24, 2008]
Opus 66: Five Duets for Soprano and Alto [September 15, 2009]
Opus 68: Symphony #1 in C Minor [March 26, 2010]
Opus 69: Nine Songs (Gesänge) [April 3, 2013]
Opus 70: Four Songs (Gesänge) [September 11, 2008]
Opus 73: Symphony #2 in D Major [January 29, 2010]
Opus 74: Two Motets for Mixed Chorus [June 30, 2009]
Opus 75: Four Ballads and Romances (Balladen und Romanzen) for Two Voices and Piano [March 28, 2011]
Opus 76: Eight Piano Pieces (Klavierstücke) [November 26, 2008]
Opus 77: Violin Concerto in D Major [February 9, 2009]
Opus 78: Violin Sonata #1 in G Major [September 1, 2009]
Opus 80: Academic Festival Overture [June 12, 2013] NEW!
Opus 81: Tragic Overture (D Minor) [October 14, 2008]
Opus 84: Five Romances and Songs (Romanzen und Lieder) for One or Two Voices [June 26, 2006]
Opus 85: Six Songs (Lieder) [August 18, 2008]
Opus 86: Six Songs (Lieder) for Low Voice [November 20, 2008]
Opus 88: String Quintet #1 in F Major [July 21, 2009]
Opus 89: Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates) for Six-Voice Chorus and Orchestra [February 26, 2009]
Opus 92: Four Quartets for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass [June 26, 2009]
Opus 93a: Six Songs and Romances (Lieder und Romanzen) for Four-Voice Mixed Chorus [October 14, 2008]
Opus 93b: Tafellied--“Dank der Damen” (“The Ladies’ Toast”), Glee for Six-Voice Mixed Chorus and Piano [June 26, 2009]
Opus 97: Six Songs (Lieder) [September 26, 2008]
Opus 98: Symphony #4 in E Minor [June 17, 2009]
Opus 99: Cello Sonata #2 in F Major [January 26, 2013]
Opus 100: Violin Sonata #2 in A Major [February 9, 2006--REVISED July 11, 2009]
Opus 101: Piano Trio #3 in C Minor [October 2, 2008]
Opus 104: Five Partsongs (Gesänge) for Mixed Chorus [December 28, 2008]
Opus 106: Five Songs (Lieder) [January 10, 2006--REVISED June 5, 2010]
Opus 108: Violin Sonata #3 in D Minor [March 28, 2007--REVISED September 1, 2009]
Opus 110: Three Motets for Four- and Eight-Voice Mixed Chorus [August 19, 2009]
Opus 111: String Quintet #2 in G Major [September 29, 2009]
Opus 117: Three Intermezzi for Piano [April 2, 2011]
Opus 118: Six Piano Pieces (Klavierstücke) [December 28, 2005--REVISED August 3, 2009]
Opus 119: Four Piano Pieces (Klavierstücke) [August 3, 2009]
Opus 120, No. 1: Clarinet (or Viola) Sonata #1 in F Minor [November 23, 2012]
Opus 120, No. 2: Clarinet (or Viola) Sonata #2 in E-flat Major [December 26, 2012]
Opus 121: Four Serious Songs (Vier ernste Gesänge) for Bass Voice and Piano [May 31, 2010]


UPDATE (6/4/13): The guide for the Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 52, has been updated to consider the version for piano duet without voices published as Op. 52a.  I had resisted including this version because I consider it inferior.  But it does have a prominence among arrangements because of the separate opus number with letter, because it was included in the Sämtliche Werke, and because recordings are readily available.  There are very few alterations of any significance from the piano duet parts of the main version with vocal quartet.  The most prominent of these is the embellished repeat of No. 7, Part 2.  I hope that my method of considering this version is unobtrusive, but still useful.  I did not consider it worthy of its own separate outline as with, for example, the viola versions of the Op. 120 sonatas.  At some point in the near future, this update will also be done for the New Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 65.

Score links have been updated and corrected through Op. 55 (and for any guides with higher numbers constructed from 2012 on).  The latest new guide is the A-major Piano Quartet, Op. 26, the composer’s longest instrumental work!  On deck are the Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80, and the First Cello Sonata, Op. 38.

UPDATE (3/4/13): I’ve again moved the updates to the archive page (linked below).  I am regularly posting guides again, but at a slower pace than in 2008 and 2009.  The latest guide to be posted, the F-minor piano sonata (Op. 5), has been long awaited and requested.  I’m happy to finally have it available.  Score links have been updated through Op. 33.  Indications of alternate keys for solo songs are also being added as I fix the score links.  Again, this will be an extended process, as most of my time on the site will be spent creating new guides.  Thanks again for all the messages of support!

ARCHIVED UPDATES AND COMMENTS
NOTE ON MEASURE NUMBERS


All guides copyright 2004-2013 by Kelly Dean Hansen.  Feel free to use them in any way, but please give me credit.