Brahms-Schoenberg- Clavier Quartett

It happened to me quite recently to perform in our orchestra this rather interesting piece. It is Brahms' Clavier Quartet orchestrated by Schoenberg. As melodies , structure, and in fact all the backbone of the piece are left unaltered, there is a great difference coming from the orchestration. And here comes the interesting thing. You listen to Brahms music but colored by feelings and spirituality of XX century's composer. We shall not receive this impression of wide calmness,so inherent even to most dramatic works of Brahms. A lot of trombones and brass in the orchestration, very heavy, and overall- the anxiety of a man lived through the Second War which gives the piece somehow tragic nuance lacking in the original. It's Brahms looked through glass of different colour. So it was for me something new to hear and experience- the co-work of two genial composers and how the original changes in the eyes of the later one.

I've often wondered about Schoenberg's affinity for Brahms; such completely different sensibilites! Compare their piano concertos, for

Interesting. I have never wondered about the affinity

this is very nice post. for me, this piece also showed what Schoenberg could do, and had done with his own string quartets too.

and when Pierre Boulez started his conducting of Debussy, that helped music for me in a similar manner. they both brought romantic music from the 19th into the 20th century i think?

Don't wonder too much. Schoenberg openly cited Brahms as one of his major influences as well as Wagner and Mahler. Personally I see the two as very close on many things, particular Schoenberg's neo-classical phase from which the Piano Concerto dates. However direct comparisons between Brahms Piano Concertos and the Schoenberg op36 are all but meaningless. The Brahms can only really be seen in the context of the 19th century and the Schoenberg only really in the light of his dodecaphy and European neoclassicism.

The two composers are very close because of their ability to use purely musical forms as opposed to hybred musical forms that flowered during 1920/30s Europe. Look at Schoenberg's orchestration of the Brahms op25 Piano Quartet for really good examples of how Schoenberg derived his part writing for much of his orchestral serial works. The principals he started there hold good as they do in his teaching books like Style and Idea and Theory of Harmony, both essential reading to an understanding of Schoenberg.

...which late-19th-century optimism would certainly not have been! Remember that Schoenberg was 68 years old

but not in early Schoenberg. Someone can clearly see this affinity, say, in his first quartets. I would say there is more natural transition between the late Brahms and early Schoenberg than between early Schoenberg and his later works. Early quartets vs Pierro.

humm, humm hum humm, hum hum hum hi humm....

second string quartet. wanna hear pierrot?

but seriously ... what about the new data which indicates that english spelling contibutes to english dyslexia? that complications of the way we've come to spell our words is not transparent for some? and, could it not be that the complications of modern music are simply not hearable for these afflicted people? people who probably can't always understand movie dialog, for instance, much less Martinau? and, since there's no real remedial for these folks, why not allow them special status and their own special attitude? i'm fully liberal; why not allow them to have an all- out disc burning?

(bring the cheetos)

No indeed? Try Gurrelieder, part I (Tove's last song alive), where there indeed bursts forth a nice little melody (later used in the orchestral transition to the Song of the Wood-Dove) that almost feels like a Swan-song in more ways than one.

or beginning of Verklarte Nacht

Hmm. Well, I'll try it. (I am no hater of Schoenberg, by the way. I quite adore the Septet and Pierrot and any number of other pieces, despite the fact that they have no melodies worth talking about.)