Sie scheide

Von Leide
Auf immer,
Und nimmer
Entschwinde die liebliche, selige, himmlische Lust!

English Translation

0:00 [m. 1]--A four-bar piano introduction with an upbeat introduces a three-note
figure that skips up and steps down. It will become prominent throughout the song.
The mood is fervent and hymn-like, with a chromatic color-note twinge on the top
note of the third figure. The last figure moves straight down in longer notes.
The initial meter is 4/4. The key of E-flat was also that of the first song, one
of several elements that will here bring closure and unity to the entire cycle.
0:14 [m. 5]--Stanza 1 (A). The first line is set to a slowly upward and downward
leaping line. The music of the introduction is repeated underneath the vocal line
in the piano. The second line has shorter note values, and the piano accompaniment
becomes more active and syncopated after the restatement of the introduction under
the first line. The word “manche” is repeated.
0:40 [m. 13]--At the last word of the second line, the meter subtly changes to 3/4.
A descending three-note arpeggio in dotted rhythm is heard in octaves from the
piano
bass while the right hand plays repeated triplet chords. The voice echoes the bass
arpeggio as it begins the third line. The bass arpeggio is heard one more time at
a lower level after the vocal line begins. The fourth line is set to a forward-
striving
rising line, with the piano adding an echoing melody over its constant triplet
chords.
The line is repeated (including an “extra” repetition of “immer bleibt”) as the
music descends to a warm cadence. At the cadence, the bass repeats the three-note
arpeggio as the right hand states the opening three-note figure again leading into
the next section.
1:03 [m. 23]--Stanza 2 (B). The piano figuration from the end of stanza 1
continues,
with the three-note leaping bass arpeggios in the left hand and the triplet chords
in the right. The stanza begins with a dramatic and striking modulation over a
series
of minor-key harmonies. The vocal line steadily rises toward a dissonant climax
in the rather remote B minor at the third line, which speaks of “storm and death.”
Beginning with a syncopation, the fourth line suddenly becomes quiet and is set
to a very sweet and tender line in a rich B major. The triplets in the right hand
shift from repeated block chords to more gentle arpeggios. At the cadence, an
interlude
utilizing the bass arpeggios modulates back home to E-flat major.
1:37 [m. 36]--Stanza 3 (A’). The music of stanza 1 is repeated. The first two
lines
are now in the prevailing 3/4 rather than the opening 4/4. Surprisingly, this
change
does not affect the music as much as expected. The piano introduction, with a
shorter
first note on each three-note group, is still heard under the first line, and the
syncopated music is still heard under the second. The vocal line simply shortens
the length of some notes (usually the last ones in the measures). Line 3 and most
of line 4 are set to the same music as in stanza 1. The repetition of line 4 also
begins the same, stating the words “öffnet sich” twice. From that point, as
“weite”
is repeated, the line expands and reaches higher to a loud, dramatic half cadence
instead of down to the soft and warm full cadence of stanza 1. The tension-filled
last chord of the piano is marked with a fermata (hold).
2:28 [m. 54]--Stanza 4 (C). The tension is resolved by the arrival of the new
“Lebhaft”
tempo and the quick 2/2 (cut time) meter. The short lines of the stanza lend
themselves
well to a breathless setting. The first three lines are an ingenious
transformation
of the piano introduction with its three-note figures. The piano plays in a
swinging
triplet rhythm. It interjects a dramatic outburst after these lines, coming to
another
tension-filled fermata. The music remains in the home key of E-flat.
2:38 [m. 61]--Lines 4-10 are set to even more breathless music. The vocal line
sweeps
generally downward in each measure, usually turning up on the last note. The piano
accompaniment also uses similar figures, but they are twice as fast as the vocal
ones. Line 10 finally strives upward to another held chord on A-flat major, the
voice reaching its highest note of the song (A-flat) as it resolves upward.
2:54 [m. 74]--Lines 11-15 resume the quick motion, but the vocal line moves in
longer
notes beginning with the chromatic descending line 13 (“auf immer”) . The
direction
of the fast piano figures is reversed. The notes become even longer at line 14
(“und
nimmer”). The piano begins to play long upward arpeggios at the first “nimmer.”
The line “und nimmer” is stated twice in long notes before a third statement
introduces
the first word of line 15 (“entschwinde”) in faster notes. The piano introduces
a fast syncopated rhythm under this line, the right hand playing mostly in double
notes (usually sixths). “Und nimmer entschwinde” is repeated again (the fourth
statement
of line 14) before line 15 is finally completed, all over the new syncopated piano
figures. Two piano-only measures lead to an expanded restatement of “die
himmlische
Lust.” There are many “color” notes throughout this passage.
3:18 [m. 96]--Lines 11-15 are stated again in their entirety with no internal
repetition,
the syncopated figures in the piano being replaced by the pattern heard in lines
4-10, with the left hand playing in a slower triplet rhythm. The rhythm of the
vocal
line matches that of the first statement of lines 11-12 (which is the same as that
of lines 1-3). Under the longer line 15, the hands reverse material, and the fast
figures that are now in the left hand reverse direction. The voice again reaches
its highest note (A-flat) on the word “Lust,” but it leaps down and the music comes
to one last tense fermata on a half cadence.
3:35 [m. 105]--A”. The final section sets the first line of stanza 1 followed by
lines 11-12 and 14-15 of stanza 4. It resolves the tension of the last fermata by
returning to the long-absent opening 4/4 meter and the slower tempo. The setting
matches the first two lines of stanza 1 (the 4/4 section) up until the last measure
of that passage. To this music is set line 1 of stanza 1 (after which there is a
pause) and lines 11, 12, and 14 of stanza 4.
4:02 [m. 112]--The final statement of the last line is to new music that continues
the character of the first part of stanza 1. The cadence of the last measure from
that section is avoided. The word “entschwinde” moves the pattern of “und nimmer”
(which matched the first “manche” in stanza 1) up a step. The words “liebliche
selige”
introduce downward-sweeping arpeggios over the continuing piano syncopation.
“Selige”
once more reaches the highest A-flat, and is the final climax of the song. There
is a pause after this word. “Himmlische Lust” is finally set to another slowly
downward-sweeping
arpeggio. As it is heard, the descending three-note bass arpeggio from the
beginning
of the 3/4 section at 0:40 [m. 13] is heard, again over the triplet chords. The
notes happen to match the last vocal arpeggio This reminiscence only lasts a
measure
and Brahms instructs a very fast quieting for the final sighing cadence.

It turns out that this last descending arpeggio setting “himmlische Lust” nearly
exactly matches the opening vocal gesture of the first song of the cycle, “Keinen
hat es noch gereut.” By extension, the three-note dotted-rhythm bass arpeggio
first
heard at 0:40 [m. 13] is also derived from that gesture. Thus by a very simple
reference
Brahms brings the long, diverse cycle full circle. The gesture is a sort of
“heroic”
motto.
4:37--END OF SONG [116 mm.]
END OF CYCLE

Notes:
There is confusion over a certain passage of No. 3. In the passage at 4:26 [m.
71],
the first two lines of stanza 6 (here marked D), Brahms originally created a
different
setting (line 3 was the same). He had a rising scale line that echoed the piano
bass. He later changed it to the down-up C-minor arpeggio described in the guide.
Late in his life, he asked the publisher to change the passage back to the
original
rising scale, calling the revision “a great idiocy.” Many editions retained the
revision (including the first complete edition reprinted by Dover) and that is what
Fischer-Dieskau recorded, so that is what is described in the guide.

There is similar confusion in a passage of No. 4. It involves the third line of

stanza 4 (which begins at 2:15 [m. 38]), here marked C. Fischer-Dieskau sings the
original setting, which consists of an upward leap beginning on the second beat of
the measure, matching the analogous passage of stanza 6 at 2:58 [m. 59]. The first
complete edition has a different setting for this line that leaps down and begins
on the first beat of the measure. This is apparently another revision that was
rejected
by Brahms in favor of the original setting, which in this case is what this
recording
presents.

BRAHMS LISTENING GUIDES HOME

PIANO QUINTET in F MINOR, OP. 34

Recording: Amadeus Quartet (Norbert Brainin, 1st Violin; Siegmund Nissel, 2nd
violin;
Peter Schidlof, viola; Martin Lovett, cello) with Christoph Eschenbach, Piano [DG
419 875-2]
Published 1865. Dedicated to Her Royal Highness Princess Anna of Hessen.

A supreme masterpiece, the Piano Quintet stands as a culmination and synthesis of

Brahms’s compositional path in the early years and the first maturity. It stands
at the junction between Hamburg and Vienna, looking back as well as forward. Like
the First Piano Concerto (and perhaps later the First Symphony), it had a difficult
gestation. Brahms wrote the first version in 1862 as a string quintet with two
cellos
(the combination Schubert used for his great quintet, which is one of many
spiritual
inspirations for the piece). It became apparent to Joseph Joachim, Clara Schumann,
and others that the material outstripped the medium of strings alone. Accordingly,
it was reworked into a Sonata for Two Pianos, but this was most likely intended as
an intermediate step (the string quintet version does not survive and was probably
destroyed by Brahms). Eventually, the original idea was combined with the second
arrangement to form the final and most successful version as a Piano Quintet. The
combination of piano and string quartet as a medium was new, Schumann having
contributed
the first great example. Brahms had recently written the two piano quartets (an
older medium going back to Mozart), and these works of epic scope provided good
preparation.
But unlike those two pieces, the Quintet reaches back to the early music for its
roots, with a spiritual cousin in the Third Piano Sonata, which shares its key.
It also looks forward to no less a masterpiece than the First Symphony, for which
the highly original form of the finale is a clear precursor. The piece combines
a Beethoven-like impetus with a Schubert-like expansiveness in all four movements.
The complementary opposition between the virtuoso piano part and the full string
quartet provided ample room for the great range of expression. The mood is one of
heroic tragedy, and unlike the earlier piano sonata or the later symphony, there
is no triumphant major-key ending. The quintet is pervaded by an exploration of
the half-step, or minor second, something that becomes explicit at the end of the
scherzo movement. The key of C-sharp minor is used for the second theme of the
first
movement, a half-step away from where it would be expected. This key also appears
at the crucial moment of the finale’s coda. It reflects the similar prominence of
D-flat major in the Third Piano Sonata. The first movement has a broad and
powerful
scope, with an unforgettably effective opening page. Its structure and outlines
are clear-cut, and its inexorable dramatic trajectory sets the tone for the work
as a whole. The slow movement is more modest, especially in comparison with those
of the two piano quartets. Its principal gesture is both memorable and full of
potential,
which Brahms exploits in a gloriously beautiful ending. The scherzo movement is
truly remarkable. Eschewing the leisurely and expansive examples from the piano
quartets, Brahms turns again to the more demonic and passionate type from the piano
sonatas and the B-major Trio. It is the crowning achievement of this model, with
three distinct elements that each undergo a full development and apotheosis,
including
an extended fugal passage on the second. Somehow, the disparate elements and
shifting
meters come together in a brilliant, breathtaking conclusion. The final crushing
half-step is bold and brash, but also a nod to a similar gesture at the end of
Schubert’s
string quintet. The trio section grows from one of the three main elements,
briefly
emphasizing heroic nobility in the midst of the dramatic intensity. The finale,
with an entirely original form, is the most forward-looking movement. A
mysterious,
complex slow introduction precedes another tragic-heroic movement. The conflation
of development and recapitulation, already seen in rudimentary form in pieces such
as the finale of the A-major Piano Quartet, would find its grandest expression in
the First Symphony. The enormous coda in a faster tempo and different meter looks
back again to the Third Piano Sonata. It is remarkable both for its opening in an
unexpected key and for its “false” ending a full hundred measures before the actual
close.
IMSLP WORK PAGE
ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (First Edition from Brahms-Institut Lübeck)
ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (First Edition [monochrome] from Russian State Library--
includes
string parts in the order cello, second violin, viola, first violin)
ONLINE SCORE FROM IMSLP (From Breitkopf & Härtel Sämtliche Werke)

1st Movement: Allegro non troppo (Sonata-Allegro form). F MINOR, 4/4 time.
EXPOSITION
0:00 [m. 1]--Theme 1. The piano, with hands two octaves apart, the first violin,
and the cello play the distinctive main idea in unison. It is an ominous winding
figure that begins with an upbeat and then a short-long rhythm. Downward-arching
arpeggios follow, emphasizing half-step motion. As the two string instruments
reach
the last such gesture, the piano holds the chord they outline on the unresolved
preparatory
“dominant” harmony. Brahms then indicates a fermata, or hold, creating suspense
before the onslaught that follows.
0:16 [m. 5]--The piano suddenly breaks into a series of passionate arpeggios in
octaves,
with the hands an octave apart, punctuated by string chords that again emphasize
half-step motion. The arpeggios have the same shape as the ominous first idea.
After two short one-measure interjections, a longer one follows, with the strings
almost violently underscoring the forceful piano motion. This continues for three
measures, and then the strings hold a multiple-stop chord while the piano, still
in octaves, rushes upward in a dramatic, sweeping arpeggio.
0:30 [m. 12]--The strings now continue with the same passionate intensity on a new
version of the main idea. All four of them are in unison. The piano, meanwhile,
plays heavy, slower descending arpeggios, still in octaves. The downward arpeggios
of the strings deviate from the initial piano statement, and the long-short rhythm
is more pervasive. After four measures, the piano right hand inserts a rapid
upward
arpeggio as the strings continue with their last two downward gestures on a
repeated,
accented half-step descent.
0:41 [m. 17]--The piano right hand repeats its rapid upward arpeggio, and then both
hands erupt into another passionate outburst. The right hand plays intense
downward
half-steps and whole steps in octaves while the left hand plays rapidly arching
arpeggios
that cascade downward. As the piano lands on the downbeat, the two violins insert
their own interjections of the dramatic arpeggios. After two measures, the violins
begin to play the arpeggios in alternation. The viola briefly joins the second
violin,
but quickly drops out. The piano, meanwhile, begins to play heavy chords on strong
beats after descents from upbeats.
0:48 [m. 20]--The left hand begins to play descending triplets in octaves against
the heavy right-hand chords and the violin arpeggios. The cello joins the left
hand
on the bass octave triplets at the end, and the viola joins to support the chords.
A huge cadence gesture in all instruments ends the main theme complex.
0:54 [m. 23]--Transition. The transition has its own melody, but it is derived
from
elements of Theme 1. The first violin leads a yearning, expressive melody with a
prominent dotted (long-short) rhythm as well as half-step motion. The second
violin
adds a smooth counterpoint, while the piano and viola, in alternation, add
extremely
expressive, almost sighing octave leaps with downward resolutions. These figures
are in triplet rhythm. The piano left hand adds solid bass notes on the strong
beats.

1:04 [m. 27]--The melody briefly passes to the viola, and both violins take the
sighing
triplet leaps. After two measures, the melody returns to the first violin, and
both
second violin and viola move to the triplet leaps. At this point, the piano
abandons
these leaps and turns to urgent repeated chords on the triplet rhythm in groups of
three or six. The cello enters to support the piano bass. The intensity begins
to build. An inflection of the melody is used to propel the key toward C-sharp
minor,
where Theme 2 will be set. A huge buildup and increase of activity leads directly
into the marching motion of Theme 2. The piano bass begins the oscillating triplet
motion that will underpin this theme, rapidly diminishing in a two-bar bridge.
1:21 [m. 35]--Theme 2. The oscillating triplet motion in the piano bass—in which
three-note figures move up a half-step on the middle note—dominates the second
theme.
The first note of each figure is supported by a low “pedal bass” C-sharp. The
melody
itself begins with a jerky figure in the piano right hand and upper strings. It
continues with an upward-reaching line in which the upper strings harmonize and
shadow
the piano right hand (C-sharp minor).
1:30 [m. 39]--The viola and cello present a new expressive phrase sotto voce. It
uses a triplet figure and half-steps, and bears a resemblance to the transition
melody.
Under this, both hands of the piano move to the oscillation, playing in octaves.
Breaking from the oscillation, the piano follows the cello/viola phrase with an
upward arpeggio in octaves that turns to major as the strings play soft held
chords.
This sequence, the viola/cello phrase and then the piano arpeggio, is restated a
half-step higher, turning briefly to D major.
1:48 [m. 47]--The first part of the theme, with the jerky melody and upward-
reaching
line, is expanded. Shifting instantly back to C-sharp minor, the piano bass
oscillation
restarts. The theme itself is initially played by second violin and viola in
unison.
The piano right hand adds descending chords. The expansion comes after the third
measure, where the rising line presses upward even more. The second violin
continues,
but the first violin takes over from the viola for the higher unison line. The
bass’s
anchor on C-sharp drops down to B.
1:57 [m. 51]--The piano right hand takes over the rising line from the violins,
stretching
it out even more and briefly touching on A major/minor. The bass, meanwhile, moves
from the oscillation to broken octaves without a persistent “pedal” note, and the
cello enters with plucked notes supporting that bass. The violins move to the
background,
and the piano rounds off the rising line with a soaring melody that slowly descends
to a cadence in C-sharp minor. This soaring line and cadence are echoed by the
viola,
which enters after a brief absence.
2:10 [m. 57]--The viola returns to the expressive phrase with the triplet figure,
altering it slightly by approaching the triplet from below. The cello offers
support
in longer notes. Under it, the piano returns to material from Theme 1, a variant
of the “passionate arpeggios,” passed from left to the right hand. These are
transformed
into a quiet, skittering accompaniment that hints at the major key even while the
viola uses poignant chromatic notes. After two measures, the piano turns back to
the soaring cadence line, now in major, with the right hand imitating the left.
The two violins add pulsating triplets beginning off the beat.
2:19 [m. 61]--The cello repeats the preceding viola line with the long supporting
notes, now harmonized, in the violins. The piano arpeggios follow the same
pattern,
but are now on the harmony of A minor/major instead of C-sharp. The violins then
take the soaring cadence line, the second following the first, but it is changed
to incorporate two soaring gestures. The piano right hand plays the pulsing
triplets
while the left hand adds a solid bass. The key moves from A back to C-sharp, now
more clearly major.
2:28 [m. 65]--The violins, the second and then the first, play a variant of the
expressive
phrase with the triplet figure in C-sharp major. The rapid arpeggios, with
accompanying
rising lines, take over in the piano. While this passage begins dolce e leggiero,
it quickly becomes agitated, rising in volume. The first violin then breaks into
an extremely heartfelt version of the soaring cadence line while the cello enters
to continue the variant of the phrase with the triplet figure. The piano arpeggios
in the right hand become wider and more intense, while the left hand supports them
with chords and some doubling of the cello. The soaring line is stated twice,
extended
the second time into a beautiful cadence with aching chromatic notes.
2:47 [m. 74]--Closing section. With C-sharp major firmly established, Brahms uses
the cadence to change the notation to the more convenient D-flat major. This also
allows him to return to the four-flat key signature of the home key. The cadence
is followed by a quick downward slide to the “dominant” note in piano octaves. The
piano then holds long notes. The strings follow with arching arpeggios, then a
new,
somewhat martial dotted rhythm. The piano echoes the marching dotted rhythm in
descending
lines, coming to a full cadence.
2:56 [m. 78]--The previous pattern is given again, but now the quick downward piano
slide leads to the more unstable “leading tone” instead of the “dominant.” The
string
arpeggios soar higher in the violins and lower in the cello. The martial dotted
rhythm is expanded. The first string statement emphasizes the preparatory
“dominant”
harmony. The descending piano echo comes to a cadence, but a less convincing one.
The strings add an extra second echo to make it more conclusive.
3:07 [m. 83]--The descending dotted rhythms of the “echo” are straightened out into
groups of three descending harmonized three-note patterns. These obscure the bar
line, with the third pattern of each group beginning on an eighth-note upbeat. The
first such group is in the piano, with the right hand harmonized in thirds and the
left playing wide upward arpeggios. The strings, without the viola (which was also
largely absent from the preceding arching arpeggios and dotted rhythms), overlap
and follow at a higher level, the cello playing the wide bass arpeggios. The
intensity
builds over these piano and string groups. Finally, in a third overlapping group,
the strings (without viola) join the piano, building over rich, chromatic harmony.

3:15 [m. 86]--The descending patterns suddenly double the lengths of their notes,
restoring the sense of meter. The first lengthened three-chord pattern immediately
follows the last, richly harmonized faster group. The viola joins the harmonies
here. The second pattern is separated from the first by a rest on the downbeat.
The intensity begins to wane with this second longer pattern, and all instruments
except the first violin play long-short chords instead of the three-note descent.
The two patterns are repeated an octave lower in the strings with less active
piano
harmonies, and the volume continues to diminish. Both patterns begin after a
downbeat
rest. This leads to a full close in D-flat major with two quiet weak-beat pulses.

3:26 [m. 91a]-- First ending. The five-measure first ending continues the off-beat
pulses. The first of these is simply a third repetition of the closing D-flat
harmony
in the strings, but the piano adds an ominous rising line in octaves against it.
This already suggests the home key of F minor. Another group of three off-beat
pulses follows in the strings, still on D-flat, but without the first violin.
Overlapping
the last pulse is another piano line in octaves, a third higher than the first one.
A third group of three pulses again lacks the first violin, and the cello drops
a half-step, creating an F-minor harmony. Again, the ominous piano line coincides
with the third pulse and is a third higher, the hands now two octaves apart (as in
the opening main idea) and joined by the first violin. Its second note (now joined
by the cello) takes the place of the upbeat leading into the main idea, and the
repeat
leads into its downbeat.
EXPOSITION REPEATED
3:39 [m. 1]--First unison statement of main idea ending in the fermata.
3:52 [m. 5]--Passionate piano arpeggios and violent string chords, as at 0:16.
4:06 [m. 12]--Unison string version of main theme with heavy piano arpeggios, as
at 0:30.
4:18 [m. 17]--Passionate outburst with stepwise piano descents and alternating
string
arpeggios, as at 0:41.
4:24 [m. 20]--Descending bass octave triplets, continuing string arpeggios, and
cadence
gesture, as at 0:48.
4:31 [m. 23]--Transition. Yearning violin melody and expressive octave leaps in
triplet rhythm, as at 0:54.
4:40 [m. 27]--Viola statement of melody, buildup, and motion to C-sharp minor with
bridge, as at 1:04.
4:58 [m. 35]--Theme 2. Oscillating bass triplets under jerky melody and upward-
reaching
line, as at 1:21.
5:07 [m. 39]--Expressive phrase with triplet rhythm moving to major, then
repetition
in D, as at 1:30.
5:24 [m. 47]--Expansion of theme with longer rising line and bass motion down from
pedal, as at 1:48.
5:33 [m. 51]--Continuation of rising line, plucked cello notes, and soaring arch
to cadence, as at 1:57.
5:46 [m. 57]--Viola statement of expressive phrase, Theme 1 material, and arching
cadence, as at 2:10.
5:55 [m. 61]--Cello repetition of expressive phrase in A, then expanded violin
cadence
in major, as at 2:19.
6:04 [m. 65]--Violin variant of expressive phrase over piano arpeggios, then
buildup
to cadence, as at 2:28.
6:24 [m. 74]--Closing section. Downward slides, arching arpeggios, and martial
dotted
rhythms, as at 2:47.
6:33 [m. 78]--Repetition of pattern with expansion of dotted rhythms, as at 2:56.

6:44 [m. 83]--Three-note groups in straight rhythm, obscuring bar lines and
building
in intensity, as at 3:07.
6:51 [m. 86]--Longer three-chord patterns settling down to close in D-flat major,
as at 3:15
7:04 [m. 91b]--Second ending. The material is similar to the first ending, but the
rising piano octave patterns begin a third higher than before, initially suggesting
A-flat minor instead of F minor. The second and third of these piano lines begin
on the same notes where the previous ones ended (instead of a third higher). The
third group of string pulses has a new bass on B-natural, creating a highly
dissonant
“diminished” chord. The piano reinforces the bass here, which it did not do in the
first ending. The third piano line is only one octave apart, and is only in the
right hand without violin. It leads into the development section, which begins in
C minor (on that key’s “dominant” harmony).
DEVELOPMENT
7:15 [m. 96]--The first violin begins a hushed, lamenting version of the main theme
in C minor, accompanied by smooth harmonies in the piano’s middle range. The low
bass notes are reinforced by the plucked cello. After soaring to a high G, the
violin
(now doubled an octave lower by the second) holds it as the piano chords continue.
The cello, taking the bow, plays two low three-note descents that create a
continuous
downward line and move the key a half-step lower, to B minor.
7:33 [m. 104]--The two violins again play the lamenting version of the main theme,
now in B minor, doubled in octaves. The viola adds harmony to this statement. The
piano accompaniment is barer here, until the viola leaves its harmonies. The piano
then begins to play a descent with doubled thirds in both hands, the right hand
moving
to the treble range. Instead of soaring to a high F-sharp, as expected, the
violins
leap down to a lower one. The cello, which has entered late with plucked notes,
again plays the three-note descent, now doubled an octave higher by the viola.
7:47 [m. 110]--The expected second three-note descent from the viola and cello
follows,
but not before the piano begins to elaborate on its motion in thirds. After the
second low string descent, the piano continues this elaboration (and adding sixths
of fourths as well as thirds). Then there are more low string descents, and they
now shift upward instead of continually moving down. They alternate with the piano
figures. The violins, meanwhile, add soft, punctuating harmonies on the weak
beats.
The key of this atmospheric passage is B-flat minor. After four alternations
between
piano harmonies and low string descents, the piano expands its harmonies and soars
high. The strings join it in a long, drawn-out cadence in B-flat minor.
8:15 [m. 122]--Very gently, all the instruments begin a pattern of upbeats moving
toward downbeats. The left hand and right hand of the piano alternate, as do the
viola and cello. The motion of these patterns is mostly either “dominant-to-tonic”
or half-steps. The violins participate in these figures, but it becomes
immediately
clear that the violin motion is the disguised onset of a new, melancholy harmonized
melody. The piano and lower strings continue the upbeat-downbeat motion. The
passage
begins in B-flat minor, touches on B-flat major, and then moves to D-flat major
(“relative”
to B-flat minor). The violins play three similar phrases of the new melody. The
right hand figures echo the melody’s upbeat-downbeat gestures.
8:28 [m. 128]--As the melody reaches the end of its third phrase, the music builds
in intensity and volume. The melancholy phrases are abandoned. The piano
introduces
an anguished chromatic half-step on the upbeat-downbeat figures, and then it begins
to imitate the first violin more precisely, including more such piercing half-
steps.
The second violin, meanwhile, moves to intense tremolos. The lower strings and
piano bass continue their established patterns. Brahms begins to notate D-flat as
C-sharp, and it makes a “dominant” motion to F-sharp as a climax is approached.
At the climax, the upbeat-downbeat figures completely take over, and the patterns
are similar to those at 0:41 and 4:18 [m. 17].
8:38 [m. 133]--The climax erupts into powerful chords in all instruments that work
their way downward and move the music back to B-flat minor, the predominant key of
the development section thus far. These chords suddenly emerge into material from
Theme 2. The piano bass and cello, then the right hand and first violin, play that
theme’s jerky opening gesture as the second violin and viola establish the
characteristic
oscillating triplet motion. The music rapidly diminishes, and the second violin
is left alone for a one-measure bridge.
8:46 [m. 137]--The second violin maintains the oscillating half-step motion. The
piano begins a mysterious variant of Theme 2 in B-flat minor with the hands in
alternation
and moving in opposite directions. The viola adds long notes. The soaring line
typical of Theme 2 is harmonized in both hands, mostly in thirds, with the hands
still going in opposite directions. There are dissonant chromatic notes forming
“diminished” harmonies. At the end of the phrase, these, along with plucked
descending
octaves in the cello and first violin, move the music up a half-step to B minor,
reversing the tonal pattern from the beginning of the development. The entire
Theme
2 variant is then repeated a half-step higher.
9:02 [m. 145]--With a sudden surge in C minor (another half-step higher), the
opening
figure of Theme 2 takes over and the second violin stops its oscillation. The
strings
come together in unison, leading the piano. The strings play the characteristic
figures with motion up and back down, with the piano moving in the opposite
direction.
The piano figures are also harmonized. This continues for two measures, after
which
the strings split from their unison playing. The upper four, along with the piano
right hand, begin to play breathless long-short rhythms. The piano bass plays
wide,
very low octaves, doubled by the cello on most of the higher notes of these
octaves.
There is then a huge crescendo and buildup on these patterns.
9:12 [m. 150]--Suddenly, a full statement of the first phrase from Theme 2 as heard
at 1:21 and 4:58 [m. 35] is played in C minor, a half-step below its original
presentation.
Here, the violins join the motion of the piano right hand in the main presentation
of the “jerky” melody and upward rising line. The viola and cello join the piano
bass on the oscillating triplets, lending them even more weight. This is the
climax
of the development section, and in its last measure, it begins to dissipate and
diminish
in preparation for the re-transition.
9:20 [m. 154]--Re-transition. Now hushed, the Theme 2 material is presented in
imitation
between the piano left hand, the first violin, and the piano right hand. The viola
and second violin tentatively add the half-step triplet figures and the cello
begins
a pulsing “pedal point” on C, the “dominant” note of the home key. The first
phrase
of imitation turns toward B-flat minor and major, but with the cello holding to the
pulsing C. The second phrase of imitation shifts up a step and moves back
definitively
to C minor, then C major. A third phrase begins, following the sequence, beginning
on C major. Where the key shift would be expected, the piano suddenly moves to
dissonant
“diminished” harmonies and chromatic motion, sliding into F major/minor for the
disguised
and subtle arrival of Theme 1 for the recapitulation.
RECAPITULATION
9:32 [m. 160]--The entry of Theme 1 in F minor is hidden by the continuing
chromatic
piano harmonies, which gradually move downward. The cello “pedal point” continues.
The theme itself sneaks in on the second violin and viola, but only the first
gesture
of it. The chromatic, mysterious piano harmonies continue their descent. The
cello
passes the pulsing C “pedal point” to the viola. The second violin drops out. The
cello then takes the continuation of Theme 1, which stalls, adding chromatic major-
key
inflections and syncopation. Abandoning the effort, the cello joins the viola back
on the pulsing C. The piano harmonies suddenly lurch upward with half-step motion
at the top. The volume rapidly builds, and these short upward gestures lead into
the passionate arpeggios and the more conventional continuation.
9:44 [m. 166]--The passionate piano arpeggios and violent string chords erupt in
an exhilarating way from their new lead-in material. Except for this new upbeat,
they follow as at 0:16 and 3:52 [m. 5].
9:58 [m. 173]--The unison string version of Theme 1 with the heavy piano arpeggios
follows, as at 0:30 and 4:06 [m. 12].
10:09 [m. 178]--The passionate outburst with stepwise piano descents and
alternating
string arpeggios follows as at 0:41 and 4:18 [m. 17]. The cello is now added to
the heavier downbeat arrivals to reinforce the harmony and add weight.