Johannes Brahms

Sonata for Violin and Piano G major op. 78

Johannes Brahms
The works for one instrument and piano

Johannes Brahms' compositions for one instrument and piano became part of the standard chamber music repertoire soon after they were written. While composing, Brahms had specific musicians in mind as performers and created the final versions in close collaboration with them. When we approach these works today, however, we usually take into account neither the technical and tonal possibilities of the instruments for which Brahms wrote, nor the individual playing practice of the musicians who performed the compositions for the first time - including Brahms himself.

The new Urtext editions

These groundbreaking, scholarly-critical new editions have been edited by a team of musicologists who are also instrumentalists themselves. They offer musicians not only a reliable musical text that takes into account all surviving sources, but also a comprehensive examination of the works: this captures the compositions in their historical context and illuminates what Brahms sought to convey through his notation.

Informative introductions deal with the history of the composition, publication and reception of the works. A section of text, common to all volumes, sheds light on general questions of performance practice on the one hand and on the other on the peculiarities of piano playing in Brahms' environment in the late 19th century. A further passage, specifically designed for each individual volume, deals with stylistic and technical aspects of the violin, viola, cello and clarinet playing of those musicians with whom the composer worked closely.

In addition to a complete list of the respective sources, a description of the editorial approach and a Critical Commentary, each volume contains detailed notes on specific practical performance problems of the individual works.

The violin and viola works are each accompanied by an Urtext part, free of editorial additions. In addition, each edition contains a part with fingerings and bowings. These markings are based on the common practice of Joseph Joachim and his colleagues, whose playing conventions are reflected in the editions by Joachim's pupils Leopold Auer and Ossip Schnirlin as well as by Franz Kneisel from Brahms' circle.

A similar approach was followed for the cello sonatas: They include performance markings by Robert Hausmann, for whom Brahms wrote the F major Sonata, by Hugo Becker, with whom Brahms played this very work, and by Julius Klengel, who also belonged to Brahms's circle.

Bärenreiter's new Brahms cycle evokes two works that had already been forgotten in the early 20th century. These are the Sonatas op. 120 in the magnificent version for violin and piano by Brahms, which the composer originally wrote for clarinet or viola and piano. In this version, Brahms did not simply adapt the violin part, he also made changes to the piano part, which in turn allow interesting conclusions to be drawn about the versions for clarinet or viola and raise questions.