Books by Johannes Brahms

Brahms composed his first volume of choral-watzes in August of 1869 to poetry taken from Polydora, an 1855 collection of German folk-poems and love-songs assembled by George Friedrich Daumer (1800-1875). Rather than the usual accompaniment for piano solo, Brahms elected to provide one for piano duet. The first performance was given in Heidelberg on November 4, 1869 and issued later that year as his Op.52. The conductor Ernst Rudorff persuaded Brahms to orchestrate the accompaniment for 8 of the 18 selections (plus another subsequently included in his Op.65 set) for a concert given at Berlin's Hochschule on March 19, 1870. Offered here is a new edition and orchestration of the entire Op.52 by Richard W. Sargeant Jr. Brahms' own orchestration is retained for the eight selections he prepared for the 1870 concert while the remaining ten have been orchestrated by Sargeant using the same forces employed by the composer. The large conductor score and orchestral parts are now also available from Serenissima Music.

In the wake of the positive reception of Brahms's first set of Liebeslieder-Walzer after their 1869 premire, the conductor Ernst Rudorff persuaded the composer to orchestrate the accompaniment for 8 of the 18 selections (plus a ninth piece subsequently included in the Op.65 set) for a concert given at Berlin's Hochschule on March 19, 1870. Offered here is a newly researched and superbly engraved edition by Richard W. Sargeant, Jr.

Following the success of his first volume of choral-watzes of 1869, Brahms set another 14 songs to the same poetry from Polydora, the 1855 collection of German folk-poems and love-songs assembled by George Friedrich Daumer (1800-1875) plus a conclusion set to a poem of Goethe - "Zum Schluss". Composed from 1869 through 1874, the second volume also features numbers for solo voices placed between the 4-voiced settings. The first complete performance was given in Karlsruhe on May 8, 1875. The conductor Ernst Rudorff persuaded Brahms to orchestrate the accompaniment for No.9 (in an early version) for a concert given at Berlin's Hochschule on March 19, 1870. Offered here is a new orchestration by Richard W. Sargeant, Jr. Brahms' own orchestration is retained for his early version of the ninth song, while the final version of No.9 and the remainder have been newly orchestrated with the same forces employed by the composer.

Sargeant's unique orchestration of Brahms' popular set of sixteen waltzes is a welcome addition to the symphonic repertoire. Brahms composed the original piano duet version in 1865 and arranged them for piano solo the same year. He later arranged five for 2 pianos which were published posthumously. Sargeant's orchestration, though employing a Brahms-size orchestra, is more contemporary in orchestrational style but remains entirely performable by any reasonably practiced non-professional ensemble. The matching full score and orchestra parts are also available from Serenissima Music.

Brahms composed the piece in 1881, in memory of his deceased friend Anselm Feuerbach. Nanie (Song of Lamentation) is not about simple despair or mere complaint. Even in such dark moments, Schiller's romanticism is expressed as a yearning for the unattainable. The work opens with "Auch das Schone muss sterben!" (Even Beauty must die), and the tension between the veracity of the message and the yearning of the human spirit for the timelessness of temporality and the eternal recurrence of beauty can be sensed in the sheer beauty of Brahm's music. Unabridged digitally enhanced reprint of the composer's own vocal score that was issued by Breitkopf and Hartel in the early 20th century. Matches the widely available reprint orchestral parts offered by E.F. Kalmus (A1344) and Luck's Music Library (02672). IMSLP page Wikipedia

The Norton Critical Score of Brahm's Fourth Symphony is the latest volume in this highly-regarded series, in which an authoritative score--here the first edition as corrected by the composer--is combined with illuminating essays and documents for an in-depth study of the work.

Published to mark the centenary of Brahms's death in 1897, this is a comprehensive English language collection of Brahms's letters. It contains over 550 letters, including more than a dozen previously unpublished in any language. The letters are woven together with an extended biographical narrative, and span the entire life of the composer.

This English-language collection of Brahms's letters contains over 550 letters, including more than a dozen previously unpublished in any language. The letters are woven together with an extended biographical narrative, and span the entire life of the composer.