"In both pieces, there is more of the young, heaven-storming Johannes than in the other later works of the mature man."
Published in 1880, they are dedicated to Elizabeth von Herzogenberg:
"Can you suggest a better titles than Rhapsody?" wrote Brahms "You cannot suggest a better dedication - that is, if you will allow me to put your dear and honoured name on this trash."
Although neither are rhapsodies like those by Liszt, and although they are indeed rhapsodical, there is little of the extempore or those other free-weilding elements considered characteristic of a rhapsody:
"The clearly defined form of both pieces seems somewhat at variance with one's conception of a rhapsody." responded Elizabeth.
The Rhapsody in B minor has a scherzo-trio-scherzo form. It is a powerful piece of writing, meritorious and robust with an unflagging rhythmic drive, the impetus for which is a dotted quarter note and triplet motif. Long melodic lines in the right hand against shorter respiratory motifs in the left impel us toward a more relaxed mood at bar 16 - fp - where staccato quavers and a portamento touch in the left hand - Falstaffian - lend a puckish charm. Care should be taken not to over-pedal these breathless measures. A short trio, of only nine bars in length begins at bar 30. It is lyrical in nature and not without apprehension - perhaps even a certain foreboding, for soon there will sound four fortissimo Bb chords, left hand ascending, artlessly yet sturdy, to usher in a broadened out first subject of intensified tone before reaching an impassioned climax at bar 60 made up of three octave scale passages. What Elizabeth von Herzogenberg calls "five fateful bars" introduce the second trio after a repetition of the first idea:
"It was a strange surprise to find that glorious triplet part which originally formed the introduction to the trio, exalted to a soitary appearnce in the coda. The five fateful bars before the trio suffice so perfectly, and one revels all the more in the close, which must have come to you at a particularly inspired moment."
The fermata should be afforded a generous length, thus allowing for the change of key to B major in the second trio, molto dolce espressivo. There follows this a recapitulation of the opening theme in all its austerity, a reiteration to the full of the first part until the coda, which is built on the second part over a tonic pedal is reached at bar 217. It is the contrasting sections of this work that make it a rhapsody - mixed emotions and ominous forebodings, coupled with a Grieg-like lyricism and a certain stillness. Given that, it has never attracted our populace of pianists quite so passionately as its partner, the Rhapsody in G minor which is a far more rapturous and unrestrained statement. Its subject, a mere four bars repeated a third higher, is of generous scope and intensely declamatory.
For me, the tie that binds this rhapsody to the first, is the 5 bar motif which follows, leading to the somewhat resolute and steadfast chord of A major at bar 13. A languid but certainly not loose melody follows, almost oriental in flavour, and this is then followed by twelve bars of a subdued but nonetheless robust brooding, again of a character in keeping with the austere soldierly-like stride of the first Rhapsody in B minor. Here, the music passes through various keys before arriving at a section, sotto voce, wherein the melody, taken from out the original subject, is pronounced in octaves, the dynamics ranging from ppp to a climactic ff at bar 79.
There is little stylistically to differentiate between any rhapsody or ballade by Brahms. His rhapsodies are not rhapsodies like Liszt's, nor do his ballades display anything of the unfolding narratives of Chopin's. I note here rather curiously that there is not one rhapsody in Chopin's ouvre. Perhaps the Fantasie in F minor comes close to being one. I cannot even begin to imagine what a rhapsody by Chopin would sound like. It has been suggested that this rhapsody by Brahms could in fact go by the title Ballade-Rhapsody, so close does it seem to the telling of some fantastic tale. Suffice to say, it remains to this day one of Brahms's most popular and satisfying works - an irresistible show-piece of our pianoforte literature.
PHILLIP WILCHER
February 2003
(Article published by Music Teacher Magazine)
