Ballades, Op. 10 (Brahms)
Encyclopedia
The Ballades, Op. 10, constituted some of the finest examples of lyrical piano
music written by Johannes Brahms
during his youth. They were dated 1854 and dedicated to his friend Julius Otto Grimm
. Their composition coincided with the beginning of the composer's lifelong affection for Clara Schumann
, the wife of the famous composer
who was helping Brahms launch his career.
The ballade
s are arranged in two pairs of two, the members of each pair being in parallel key
s. The first ballade was inspired by a Scottish
poem "Edward
" found in a collection Stimmen der Völker in ihren Liedern compiled by Johann Gottfried Herder
. It is also one of the best examples of Brahms's bard
ic or Ossian
ic style; its open fifths, octaves, and simple triadic harmonies are supposed to evoke the sense of a mythological past.
It is also worth noting that the tonal centers of each ballade convey an interconnectedness between the four pieces: the first three each include the key signature
of the ballade that follows it somewhere as a tonal center, and the fourth ends in the key signature of D major/B minor despite cadencing in B major. Brahms returned to the wordless ballade form in writing the third of the Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118
. His opus 75 duets are also ballades, including a setting of the poem "Edward"—the same that inspired Op. 10, no 1.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
music written by Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
during his youth. They were dated 1854 and dedicated to his friend Julius Otto Grimm
Julius Otto Grimm
Julius Otto Grimm was a composer, conductor and musician of Westphalia...
. Their composition coincided with the beginning of the composer's lifelong affection for Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
, the wife of the famous composer
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
who was helping Brahms launch his career.
The ballade
Ballade (musical form)
A ballade refers to a one-movement musical piece with lyrical and dramatic narrative qualities.- Medieval ballades :The term ballade was used to describe one type of musical setting of French poetry common in the 14th and 15th centuries...
s are arranged in two pairs of two, the members of each pair being in parallel key
Parallel key
In music, parallel keys are the major and minor scales that have the same tonic. A major and minor scale sharing the same tonic are said to be in a parallel relationship...
s. The first ballade was inspired by a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
poem "Edward
Edward (ballad)
Edward is a traditional murder ballad existing in several variants. In English its versions were collected by Francis James Child as Child ballad number 13.-Synopsis:...
" found in a collection Stimmen der Völker in ihren Liedern compiled by Johann Gottfried Herder
Johann Gottfried Herder
Johann Gottfried von Herder was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the periods of Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, and Weimar Classicism.-Biography:...
. It is also one of the best examples of Brahms's bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
ic or Ossian
Ossian
Ossian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
ic style; its open fifths, octaves, and simple triadic harmonies are supposed to evoke the sense of a mythological past.
- No. 1 in D minor. Andante
- No. 2 in D major. Andante
- No. 3 in B minor. Intermezzo. Allegro
- No. 4 in B major. Andante con moto
It is also worth noting that the tonal centers of each ballade convey an interconnectedness between the four pieces: the first three each include the key signature
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
of the ballade that follows it somewhere as a tonal center, and the fourth ends in the key signature of D major/B minor despite cadencing in B major. Brahms returned to the wordless ballade form in writing the third of the Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118
Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118 (Brahms)
The Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118, are some of the most beloved items that the composer Johannes Brahms wrote for the solo instrument. Completed in 1893 and dedicated to Clara Schumann, the collection was the second to last composition to be published during Brahms' lifetime. It was also his...
. His opus 75 duets are also ballades, including a setting of the poem "Edward"—the same that inspired Op. 10, no 1.