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The Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120, Nos. 1 and 2, are a pair of works written for clarinet
Clarinet Sonatas
and piano by the Romantic composer Johannes Brahms. They were written in 1894
and are dedicated to the clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld. The sonatas stem from a by Johannes Brahms
period late in Brahms's life where he “discovered” the beauty of the sound and tonal
colour of the clarinet.[1] The form of the clarinet sonata was largely undeveloped
until after the completion of these sonatas, after which the combination of clarinet
and piano was more readily used in composers’ new works.[2] These were the last
chamber pieces Brahms wrote before his death and are considered two of the great
masterpieces in the clarinet repertoire. Brahms also produced a frequently performed
transcription of these works forviola with alterations to better suit the instrument.
Contents
Background
Sonata No. 1 in F minor
Structure
I. Allegro appassionato The composer
II. Andante un poco Adagio Catalogue Op. 120, Nos. 1, 2
III. Allegretto grazioso
Composed 1894
IV. Vivace
Arrangements and transcriptions Dedication Richard Mühlfeld
Background
By 1890, Brahms vowed to retire from composing, but his promise was short lived. In January 1891 he made a trip to Meiningen for
an arts festival and was captivated by performances of Carl Maria von Weber's Clarinet Concerto No. 1 and the Mozart Clarinet
Quintet. The solo clarinetist was Richard Mühlfeld, and Brahms began a fond friendship with the man whom he so admired. The
beautiful tone of “Fräulein Klarinette”[3] (as Brahms would nickname Mühlfeld) inspired him to begin composing again less than a
year after he retired.[4] The fruits of their friendship were four remarkable additions to the still modest clarinet repertoire of that time,
including the trio in A minor for clarinet, cello and piano Op 114 (1891), the B minor quintet for clarinet and strings, Op. 115 (1891),
and two clarinet sonatas. In July 1894, at his Bad Ischl retreat, Brahms completed the sonatas. He wrote to Mühlfeld on August 26,
inviting him to Bad Ischl, to perform them, stating cryptically that "it would be splendid if you brought your B ♭ clarinet." As
Muhlfeld had other commitments that summer, he delayed responding, but went to Vienna in September to meet Brahms and to
acquaint himself with the two sonatas. They were first performed (by Brahms and Mühlfeld) privately for Duke Georg and his family
in September of that year.[5] Brahms and Mühlfeld then performed them for Clara Schumann in November 1894, before their public
premieres on January 7, 1895. Brahms’ experience in writing his Clarinet Quintet three years earlier led him to compose the sonatas
for clarinet and piano because he preferred the sound over that of clarinet with strings.[6] The keys of the sonatas—F minor and E♭
major—correspond to the keys of the two clarinet concertos which W
eber composed more than eighty years earlier
.
Sonata No. 1 in F minor
Structure
Sonata No. 1 consists of the following movements:
I. Allegro appassionato
F minor, in 3
4 time
The development begins by expanding on ideas heard in the introduction and transition. The piano plays with staggered hand
entrances and joins the clarinet in recalling the second bar of the introduction. The music makes a false movement towards A♭ major,
instead landing on E major. The introduction material takes over and winds down to pp. A subito forte evokes the second theme
combined with staggered entrances from both piano hands and clarinet. The second theme is finally presented and leads to the
recapitulation.
The introduction is restated forte in the key of C ♯ minor. Brahms brings the key back around to F minor and the first theme,
transition, and second theme are heard again. Tonally, this section does not stray far from F although the music goes through major
and minor sections. A final statement of the first theme leads into the coda, marked Sostenuto ed espressivo. The coda is slower in
tempo and based on material from the introduction. The movement ends quietly in F major
.
A♭ major, in 2
4 time
The A melody returns in the piano in the “wrong” key of E major, moves to C major, and finally back to the A♭ major. The A section
is then restated in its entirety with a more active piano accompaniment. A short interlude of sixteenth notes in the piano alludes to the
B section and a final iteration of the melody ends the movement.
A♭ major, in 3
4 time
The third movement is also in ternary form. The A section consists of an eight bar melody played by the clarinet, and then traded off
to the piano with the clarinet lending supporting lines. A forte repeated section inverts the melody and the second ending leads to the
B section.
The piano takes up a descending line syncopated between the two hands while the clarinet adds a low supporting line confined within
the space of a minor third. Another repeated section lets the clarinet play the descending melody. After the repeat, the melody from
the A section returns and ends the movement.
IV. Vivace
Notes
1. Swafford 1997, p. 572
2. Musgrave 1985, p. 251
3. Musgrave 1985, p. 247
4. Lawson 1998, p. 32
5. Lawson 1998, p. 40
6. Musgrave 1985, p. 255–256
7. "Johannes Brahms – Luciano Berio Opus 120 No. 1"(http://www.lucianoberio.org/en/node/138). Centro Studi
Luciano Berio. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
References
Swafford, Jan (1997), Johannes Brahms: A biography, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN 0-679-42261-7
Musgrave, Michael (1985),The Music of Brahms, Oxford: Clarendon Press,ISBN 0-19-816401-7
Lawson, Colin (1998), "Brahms: Clarinet Quintet", Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
ISBN 0-521-58831-6
External links
Clarinet Sonata No.1, Clarinet Sonata No.2: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project(IMSLP)
Performance of Clarinet Sonata No. 1by Richard Stoltzman (clarinet) and David Deveau (piano) from the Isabella
Stewart Gardner Museumin MP3 format
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