Clarinet Sonatas (Brahms)

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

Sonata No. 2 in E♭ major Performed 7 January 1895:

Notes Vienna
References Movements four · three
External links

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 first movement is in sonata form. It begins with a solo

piano introduction in three parallel octaves, outlining a
recurring motif throughout the movement. The clarinet then
enters with the slurred first theme. The piano takes over the
theme, with the clarinet playing more of an embellishing
role. It was normal in clarinet music before the sonatas for
Piano introduction to the first movement.
the soloist to play mostly, if not always, the melody.
Brahms did not reduce the scope of the piano part to
accommodate for the clarinet, but created a more equal and harmonious relationship between soloist and accompanist.[6] The quiet
transition between the two themes is in D♭ major and features staggered entrances between the hands of the piano. The second theme
introduces dotted rhythms and is marked marcato, contrasting with the first theme. It passes through many key areas quickly before
finally resting on C minor.

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
.

II. Andante un poco Adagio

A♭ major, in 2
4 time

The second movement is in ternary form. The clarinet

introduces a simple descending theme decorated with turns.
The piano writing is sparse in the first theme area. This A
section is repeated twice, once ending on a half cadence
and the other with a perfect authentic cadence on the home
key of A♭ major.

The B section is characterized by faster rhythmic and

harmonic motion. The piano plays sixteenth notes outlining
The descending theme in the clarinet at the opening of the
the harmonies while the clarinet continues playing a slurred
second movement.
melody. The harmony descends in an imitation of the A section melody through the keys D♭ major, C♭ major, and A major. The
clarinet gets a chance to play the sixteenth notes that the piano had before the modulation to E major
.

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.

III. Allegretto grazioso

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

F major, alla breve ( )

The fourth movement is in an altered rondo form that can be

described as A–B–A′–C–B′–A″. The movement begins with three
accented Fs in a piano introduction serving as a sort of call to
identify the first theme. The A theme is marked leggero in the
clarinet and is mostly eighth notes in stepwise motion. The
contrasting B theme is made up of quarter note triplets and is more
slurred and leisurely. After a bombastic return to A′, the quiet C Introduction to the last movement of the sonata.
theme is played in the piano and then handed off to the clarinet. The
clarinet then plays the “call” from the introduction while the piano
states the B theme again. Finally, the final A″ section ends with a coda and the sonata is finished in F major
.

Arrangements and transcriptions

Luciano Berio is known to have orchestrated and reworked the whole sonata for orchestra in 1986. The resulting
.[7]
composition was entitled asOp. 120, No. 1, as a clear reference to the original work's catalogue number

Sonata No. 2 in E♭ major

Sonata No. 2 is in three movements.

I. Allegro amabile, in E♭ major, in 4

4 time
II. Allegro appassionato, in E♭ minor, in 3
4 time
III. Andante con moto — Allegro, in E♭ major, in 6
8 time

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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