Brahms spent the summer of 1886 at Hofstetten bei Brienz on Lake Thun in Switzerland. Invigorated by the company of friends and the young German contralto Hermine Spies, he produced three of his most beloved chamber work in rapid succession—the F major Cello Sonata, the Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, and the Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major. This latter work, the shortest yet most demanding of Brahms’s three sonatas for the instrument, is a radiant work with a joyful mood that is never dimmed throughout, reflecting the good spirits of the composer during his vacation. Like the previous G major sonata composed nearly a decade earlier, the A major Sonata is predominantly lyrical and draws some of its material from contemporary Lieder. As with his other sonatas, Brahms also officially titled the work “Sonata for Piano and Violin” instead of “Sonata for Violin and Piano.” Brahms’s choice of word order hearkens back to the traditions of Mozart and Beethoven and emphasizes that the piano and violin are equal collaborators, instead of the dominance of a soloist implied by the latter. Interestingly, the sonata is sometimes referred to as the “Meistersinger” Sonata because of the similarity between the first three notes of the first movement and those of “Walther’s Prize Song” from Richard Wagner’s Der Meistersinger. Though Brahms and Wagner were painted as musical rivals, the war between them was largely fought by their supporters and both men admired the other’s music.
Marked with the somewhat unusual indication of Allegro amabile, meaning fast and loveable, the first movement is relaxed and lyrical, beaming with good cheer. The piano takes the initial lead in setting out the movement’s material. The second subject is developed out of a motif taken from the lied Wie Melodien zieht es mir, a song where the poet compares melodies to the scent of flowers. For the sonata’s middle movement, Brahms achieves the semblance of a larger four-movement structure by combining the roles of Adagio and Scherzo in contrasting sections. The opening Andante tranquillo in F major is contrasted against a D minor Vivace. Each is heard twice before the Andante returns for a third time to evenly round out the movement’s form. However, it is the Vivace that has the final say. Finally, a relaxed and graceful Rondo serves as the sonata’s finale. Joseph DuBose
Brahms' mastery of string chamber music was hard-won. Successive works were re-written, transposed and even destroyed in an unrelenting quest for technical and formal perfection. A single Scherzo for violin and piano is all that has survived from some 70 string chamber works which Brahms deemed fit only to be burned. But this intense - even obsessive - self-criticism meant that in the works he did publish, Brahms moves with a mastery so perfect as to seem effortless.
The sonata no. 2 from 1886 is a reflection of the composer's vacation in the sunny, peaceful mountain resort of Thun, Switzerland, with impressions of the idyllic Swiss countryside. The mood is predominantly lyrical, with a flexibility of expression which puts one immediately in mind of the Violin Concerto and Second Symphony from the same period.
From the outset of the sonata, the piano phrases are short and neatly balanced, though the brief echo in the violin suggests a lyrical flowering to come. The middle movement combines two types of movement into one: a gentle and rather gracious Andante tranquillo alternates with a dancing Vivace in a rhythmic variation, with the violin providing a pizzicato counterpoint.
The directness of lyric expression is just as prevalent in the finale as in the first movement. Here it begins as a rondo, though one in which the returns are so varied as to create a sense of continuity rather than contrast. A brief closing figure in the first motive prompts the second theme, which is supported by atmospheric writing for the piano and represents a new feature of Brahms's handling of the medium. Berent Korfker
Classical Music | Violin Music
Johannes Brahms
Violin sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 Play
Recorded on 05/30/2006, uploaded on 01/19/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Brahms spent the summer of 1886 at Hofstetten bei Brienz on Lake Thun in Switzerland. Invigorated by the company of friends and the young German contralto Hermine Spies, he produced three of his most beloved chamber work in rapid succession—the F major Cello Sonata, the Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, and the Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major. This latter work, the shortest yet most demanding of Brahms’s three sonatas for the instrument, is a radiant work with a joyful mood that is never dimmed throughout, reflecting the good spirits of the composer during his vacation. Like the previous G major sonata composed nearly a decade earlier, the A major Sonata is predominantly lyrical and draws some of its material from contemporary Lieder. As with his other sonatas, Brahms also officially titled the work “Sonata for Piano and Violin” instead of “Sonata for Violin and Piano.” Brahms’s choice of word order hearkens back to the traditions of Mozart and Beethoven and emphasizes that the piano and violin are equal collaborators, instead of the dominance of a soloist implied by the latter. Interestingly, the sonata is sometimes referred to as the “Meistersinger” Sonata because of the similarity between the first three notes of the first movement and those of “Walther’s Prize Song” from Richard Wagner’s Der Meistersinger. Though Brahms and Wagner were painted as musical rivals, the war between them was largely fought by their supporters and both men admired the other’s music.
Marked with the somewhat unusual indication of Allegro amabile, meaning fast and loveable, the first movement is relaxed and lyrical, beaming with good cheer. The piano takes the initial lead in setting out the movement’s material. The second subject is developed out of a motif taken from the lied Wie Melodien zieht es mir, a song where the poet compares melodies to the scent of flowers. For the sonata’s middle movement, Brahms achieves the semblance of a larger four-movement structure by combining the roles of Adagio and Scherzo in contrasting sections. The opening Andante tranquillo in F major is contrasted against a D minor Vivace. Each is heard twice before the Andante returns for a third time to evenly round out the movement’s form. However, it is the Vivace that has the final say. Finally, a relaxed and graceful Rondo serves as the sonata’s finale. Joseph DuBose
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Sonata No.2 in A Major, Op.100 Johannes Brahms
Allegro amabile
Andante tranquillo - Vivace
Allegretto grazioso (quasi Andante)
Brahms' mastery of string chamber music was hard-won. Successive works were re-written, transposed and even destroyed in an unrelenting quest for technical and formal perfection. A single Scherzo for violin and piano is all that has survived from some 70 string chamber works which Brahms deemed fit only to be burned. But this intense - even obsessive - self-criticism meant that in the works he did publish, Brahms moves with a mastery so perfect as to seem effortless.
The sonata no. 2 from 1886 is a reflection of the composer's vacation in the sunny, peaceful mountain resort of Thun, Switzerland, with impressions of the idyllic Swiss countryside. The mood is predominantly lyrical, with a flexibility of expression which puts one immediately in mind of the Violin Concerto and Second Symphony from the same period.
From the outset of the sonata, the piano phrases are short and neatly balanced, though the brief echo in the violin suggests a lyrical flowering to come. The middle movement combines two types of movement into one: a gentle and rather gracious Andante tranquillo alternates with a dancing Vivace in a rhythmic variation, with the violin providing a pizzicato counterpoint.
The directness of lyric expression is just as prevalent in the finale as in the first movement. Here it begins as a rondo, though one in which the returns are so varied as to create a sense of continuity rather than contrast. A brief closing figure in the first motive prompts the second theme, which is supported by atmospheric writing for the piano and represents a new feature of Brahms's handling of the medium. Berent Korfker
More music by Johannes Brahms
Capriccio in d minor, Op 116, No. 7, from Seven Fantasies
Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Intermezzo in E Major, Op. 116, No. 4, from Seven Fantasies
Schicksalslied, Op. 54
Capriccio in c-sharp minor, from Eight piano pieces, Op. 76
Intermezzo in e minor, Op. 116, No. 5, from Seven Fantasies
Intermezzo in b minor, Op. 119, No. 1
Klavierstücke op. 118 - VI. Intermezzo
Piano Sonata N° 3 in F minor Op 5 (Mvt 1)
Intermezzo in A Major, from Eight piano pieces, Op. 76
Performances by same musician(s)
Sonata in A Major, K. 526
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