Symphony No. 2 (Brahms)
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op 73 is a symphony of Johannes Brahms.
- 4.1 documents
- 4.2 Further Reading
Formation
Brahms began work on the symphony in the summer of 1877 during his summer holiday in Pörtschach. After Brahms had approached very slowly due to the public attitude to succeed Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony of the genus and for his Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op 68 had used almost 15 years, he went on his second contribution in this type of routine to work.
So he completed the composition from September to October of the year in Lichtental and could in December 1877 together with the pianist Ignaz howler a piano arrangement of the symphony for four hands for private performance in Friedrich Ehrbars Piano Salon bring.
While working on the Symphony Brahms used their environment through their character to mislead, by writing, for example, his publisher Fritz Simrock on November 22, 1877: "The new symphony is so melancholy that you can not stand it. I've never seen such a thing Sad, Chubby written, the score must appear with a black border. ".
About the Music
Occupation
Two flutes, two oboes, two clarinet, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, strings
First movement: Allegro non troppo (D Major)
The first set contains a bass motif from the three tones d -cis -d, which was soon followed by the main theme. This motif is varied again and again in the course of the movement, and in this way forms the main subject for the first set and eventually the entire symphony. This technique, which should also be reflected in Brahms ' Symphony No. 3 later, was described by Brahms admirer Arnold Schoenberg called " developing variation ". The principle to put an existing design from a few notes before the actual start of the music, had come already in Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, the "Eroica", for use - in the case of the " Eroica " was the subject of two Tutti strokes - and was later paraphrased by music theorist Hugo Riemann with the term, curtain '.
During the course of the first movement of Brahms' Second Symphony the development of Dreitonmotivs at the end of the main theme is interrupted by a roll of drums and dark brass chords, which, in the opinion of the musicologist Peter Gülke " a brutally disturbing intervention " is tantamount. In a letter to Vincent Lachner, which was published by the musicologist Reinhold Brinkmann in 1989, Brahms commented on this topic:
"I would have to confess that I 'm passing a heavy melancholic person that ... -. Perhaps not so entirely without intention in m [ a ] works on those symphony a small treatise on the great > Why < follows ... They [meaning is the motet Why is light given to weary op 74.1 ] raises the requisite drop shadow on the cheery Symphony and may explain those timpani and trumpets. "
Brahms follows the first movement of the classical sonata form, but differs from the traditional scheme by letting begin the implementation already in the exposition and end only in the recapitulation. In the second subject Brahms quotes a minor variant of his lullaby op 49.4; in the coda, he quotes his song It loves itself so sweetly in the Lenze op 71.1.
Second movement: Adagio non troppo ( B major )
The second set is the only Adagio middle movement in Brahms ' symphonies. He is invested in ternary form and is based on four closely related thematic ideas. The individual parts of the intoned in the cellos and horn raised by the basic motif of the sentence to determine its development. This development is accompanied by minor clouding and a subtle harmony.
Music critic Max Kalbeck raised the question whether " was not originally intended the Adagio of the Second Symphony for the first " was provided as evidence and a similarity of the beginning of the Adagio with the " fate motif" of Brahms' Symphony No. 1 In the same direction had already musicologist Philipp Spitta argues, as he wrote in 1892: " the first two symphonies form the common in Brahms observable imagination opposites and must be regarded as a pair that has grown from one and the same deeply hidden root ". . Although the observed of Kalbeck common in Brahms ' first two symphonies is additionally supported by a side note figure, together with falling fourths that initiates the 2nd Symphony and can be derived from the Allegro finale theme of the Symphony No. 1, there is no evidence that Brahms already had started while working on the first symphony with the second. Further evidence against this assumption that the Adagio was timbres, gestures and processing of the Allegro non troppo picks and therefore probably composed for the second symphony.
Third movement: Allegretto grazioso ( G major )
The Allegretto consists of five parts ( Allegretto - Presto I - Allegretto - Presto II - Allegretto ), with Brahms but varies the traditional scheme of Scherzo - corner parts and tanzartigem midsection. The dance theme of this movement, which is again based on the main theme of the entire symphony and mainly differs from this in a rhythmic sense is varied twice, changing his pace in the Presto.
Max Kalbeck saw the sentence as a suite, when he wrote: " A basic melody ... first appears as menuettartiger Landler ... then a gallop ... and then as sparkling Geschwind Waltz". .
Fourth movement: Allegro con spirito (D Major)
Even the finale of the symphony follows the sonata form, but which is supplemented by rondo -like elements as well as a variation on the theme. Also the main theme of this movement is based on the main theme of the first movement of the symphony and performs a lively, energetic during the final on spirited use of the trumpets at the end of the block, which is a variant of the secondary theme of the final movement.
Effect
The first performance of the symphony, which soon in allusion to Beethoven's 6th Symphony, the Pastoral, as Brahms ' Pastoral was called, took place on December 30, 1877 at the Vienna Musikverein with Hans Richter as conductor instead. About the premiere of Brahms expressed very pleased: " The orchestra here has been practicing with a lust and played and praised me as it has not yet happened to me ," and added even here: "But you have to turn to the score of a black border that they also outwardly shows her melancholy! "
The premiere was one of the greatest successes of the composer. The surgeon Theodor Billroth Brahms wrote to his friend about the work: "This is nothing but blue sky, trickling source, sunshine and cool green shade ";! Music critic Eduard Hanslick wrote on January 3, 1878
" The Second Symphony seems like the sun warming on connoisseurs and laymen [ ... ]. Everywhere it shows new ideas and yet nowhere is the annoying tendency to want to create something new in the sense of unheard. [ ... ] As an invincible proof is as this work that one (though not everyone ) after Beethoven can write symphonies, on top of that in the old forms, the old foundations ... Richard Wagner and his followers go so far known not merely the possibility of new symphonic deeds to deny by Beethoven, but the existence of authorization of pure instrumental music at all. [ ... ] If such nonsensical, merely established for Wagner- Liszt's house needs theory nor a refutation in need, it could be none more brilliant than the long series of Brahms's instrumental works, especially his second symphony ... [ ... ] "