SIXTEEN WALTZES FOR PIANO DUET OR PIANO SOLO, OP. 39
Recordings: Duet: Silke-Thora
Matthies & Christian Köhn [Naxos 8.553139]
Solo: Martin Jones [NI 1788]
Easy Piano: Idil Beret [Naxos
8.553426]
Two Pianos: Martha Argerich
& Alexandre Rabinovitch [Teldec 4509-92257-2]
Published
1867. Two-piano versions published posthumously, 1897.
Dedicated to Dr. Eduard Hanslick.
By 1867, all of Brahms’s large-scale piano works, the
sonatas and variation sets, had been composed. In the realm of
solo piano composition, he then confined himself to sets of shorter
works. The set of sixteen waltzes, some of which contain melodies
that are among Brahms’s most well-known, was among the first of these
sets (the Scherzo, Op. 4 is associated with the sonatas, and the
Ballades, Op. 10 are also early, falling between the sonatas and
variation sets). The set is also Brahms’s homage to his newly
adopted home of Vienna. The dedicatee, Eduard Hanslick, was a
quintessential Viennese, and he rather famously noted the glorious
incongruity of the “serious” North German Brahms composing a set of
short piano waltzes. They are not in the large-scale sectional
mold of the Chopin piano waltzes or the orchestral examples of Johann
Strauss. Instead, all sixteen are in simple binary form. In
all except Nos. 3, 10, 13, and 16, the second part is longer (usually
twice as long) as the first part and includes a varied return of that
first part. Only in Nos. 14-16 is there any variation in the
repeats of either part (Part 2 in No. 15, Part 1 in No. 16, and Part 1
in the duet versions of No. 14). The waltzes exist in more
versions than any other of Brahms’s works. Originally composed
for piano duet (one piano, four hands), Brahms released a solo version
by popular demand. At the same time, he released a second solo
version, simplified for amateur players in a nod to the pieces’ great
popularity (they are still popular with intermediate piano
students). He contemplated a fourth version for two pianos, four
hands, but his publisher declined. He did arrange five of them
(Nos. 1, 2, 11, 14, and 15) for two pianos, but these excellent
versions were only released posthumously. All versions use the
opus number 39. For various reasons, the keys of the last four
waltzes are a half-step lower in the more “difficult” solo version (and
in the two-piano versions of Nos. 14 and 15) than in the duet or
simplified solo versions. The key of No. 6 is also lowered a
half-step in the easy solo version (only) because the original key is
difficult to read.
In the guides below, the original duet version (one piano, four hands)
is used as a base for analysis and description. Primo refers to the higher part, secondo to the lower.
Each
other version of the respective waltz follows with differences outlined
(between duet and solo versions, then between solo and easy piano
versions). The two-piano versions of the five waltzes for which
they were composed also use the one-piano duet version as a base.
The recording of the main solo version combines Nos. 1-8 and Nos. 9-16
on one track. The recording of the easy piano version, which is
the only one of which I am aware, contains a glitch where the first
part of No. 9 is on the same track as No. 8. Since all are in
binary form and in 3/4 time, form and meter are not noted for each
waltz. If a tempo marking for a waltz is indicated, it is
given. Otherwise, the “Tempo giusto” of No. 1 can be presumed.
ONLINE
SCORE FROM IMSLP (First Edition from Brahms-Institut
Lübeck--All four versions: Duet, Solo, Easy piano, and
Two-Piano. Note that in the duet version, each primo page follows its
corresponding secondo page.)
ONLINE
SCORES FROM IMSLP (from Breitkopf &
Härtel Sämtliche Werke):
Duet
Version (Each primo page
follows its corresponding secondo
page. Inserted heading mislabels opus number as 49.)
Solo
Version
Easy
Piano Version
The Two-Piano Version does not appear in the Sämtliche Werke.
No. 1 in B MAJOR. Tempo giusto.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The primo
plays the joyous and
boisterous
waltz theme in octaves, beginning with a rocket-like upbeat. It
features leaps of a sixth and fourth as well as downward-arching
running passages. The secondo keeps the waltz rhythm
grounded
with a solid bass and punctuating chords. An unexpected turn to a
minor key (D-sharp minor) comes at the end of the phrase.
0:08 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:16 [m. 9]--Part 2. The primo
quietly and secretively
develops
the downward-arching running passages in a contrasting phrase. It
begins back in the home key of B, then turns to E major for its second,
higher sequence over a large swell in volume. The secondo
provides the rhythmic interest and ambiguity. It establishes a
cross-rhythm by grouping three two-beat units inside of two 3/4 bars
(each two-beat “unit” consists of a left-hand bass note and a
right-hand chord). The long held notes in the left hand of the
primo work against the cross-rhythm, or “hemiola.”
0:23 [m. 17]--The opening
material returns triumphantly at a higher
level, in the continuing key of E major. While still doubled
between the primo hands, it is now more fully harmonized, with
added
chords and notes below the melody. The secondo returns to
unambiguous 3/4 meter and its solid bass with chords. As in Part
1, there is a key change toward the end of this phrase, but this time
it wonderfully settles back on the home key of B.
0:31 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
0:16, with an added upbeat.
0:39 [m. 17]--Reprise of
climactic return of opening from 0:23.
0:50--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
NOTE: In this recording, Nos. 1-8 are grouped on a single track, as are
Nos. 9-16.
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. This
particular waltz retains most of the
duet material in the solo version. The octaves from the primo,
which were split between the hands, are not only largely retained in
the solo right-hand part, but even add some additional harmonies on the
first beats of bars. This is to help compensate for the left
hand. When transferring the secondo part, it must omit
the chord
on the first beat (which was played against a bass octave), as the hand
leaps up to a single chord on the second beat of each bar.
0:10 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:17 [m. 9]--Part 2. In
the secretive contrasting phrase,
practically everything from the duet version is retained. The
right hand manages to play the arching running figures along with the
long held notes underneath them. The left hand retains the
cross-rhythm octaves and chords, making treacherous leaps.
0:25 [m. 17]--The return of the
opening must strip away some of the
thicker chords from the primo when transferring it to one
hand.
Considering that the primo was doubled in octaves between the
hands,
not very many notes must be removed at all. The left hand
continues its treacherous leaps, which really do seem to be
compensating for the missing hand. The right hand octaves
continue to the end.
0:32 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
0:17.
0:40 [m. 17]--Reprise of
climactic return of opening from 0:25.
One final left hand echo after the cadence is added to help fill in the
harmony. This “after-beat” was not included in the duet version.
0:50--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. Most
of the octaves are removed from the
right hand, so it is only playing the melody without the doubling in
octaves. A few strategic octaves are retained. In the left
hand, the lower octaves (except the first and last) are removed from
the bass notes to make the leaps to the chords more secure. The
harmony is generally much thinner.
0:07 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:14 [m. 9]--Part 2. Even
in this version, most of the
contrasting phrase is retained. The cross-rhythms are preserved
in the left hand, but the chords are sometimes voiced differently to
make the leaps easier. The right hand retains the long notes
below the running figures.
0:21 [m. 17]--The return of the
opening music again strips away many of
the octaves from the melody and the bass, making the leaps
easier. The harmony is filled out where it conveniently can
be.
0:28 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
0:14.
0:35 [m. 17]--Reprise of
climactic return of opening from 0:21.
The “after-beat” from the regular solo version is also included here,
although the final chord is thinner.
0:44--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
TWO PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
range of two pianists each having entire
keyboards to themselves greatly expands the possibilities of the duet
texture. The upbeat in the piano part playing the melody (Piano
1) is expanded to three octaves of doubling. The right hand plays
the octaves alone and the left hand adds rolled chords that are not
present in any other version. The second piano (Piano 2), can
greatly expand on the punctuating chords, playing them higher on the
keyboard and, because of the added rolled chords in Piano 1, on beats 2
and 3 instead of beats 1 and 2. The left-hand octaves in the
secondo are retained in Piano 2.
0:08 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:16 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
contrasting phrase is greatly fleshed
out. The cross-rhythms in Piano 2 add low octaves to the bass
notes and have thicker punctuating chords. Piano 2 even adds a
new descending broken-chord line at the end of each sequence. In
Piano 1, the long notes below the running figures are also expanded to
octaves, and a rising sequence in thirds is added to the left hand in
response to Piano 2’s new broken-chord line.
0:23 [m. 17]--The return of the
opening exploit’s the possibilities of
both keyboards. The right hand of Piano 1 plays the octaves to
the end, with chords, some of the rolled, added to the left hand, as in
Part 1. Again, the punctuating chords in Piano 2, played by the
right hand, are much more full than in the one-piano duet version, and
they again help to fill all the beats with chords.
0:32 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
0:16, with an added upbeat.
0:40 [m. 17]--Reprise of
climactic return of opening from 0:23.
The “after-beat” in the solo versions is not heard here, in common with
the main one-piano duet version.
0:52--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
No. 2 in E MAJOR.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
main rhythm of this waltz remains in
force throughout. The main voice and its harmonization, played in
the primo, consists of a dotted rhythm (long-short), followed
by
another note on the third beat of each bar. Often, this third
note is the same as the second (short) note. The accompanying
voice, played in the secondo, adds repeated chords under the
first long
note of each primo bar, coming together with the primo
on the third
beat. The left hand of the secondo plays a bass in open
two-note
harmonies. The waltz is marked dolce,
and is quite delicate,
despite its steady flow. The first part ends with rising pitches
and a half-close, the secondo continuing its rhythm after the
cadence.
0:13 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. The end of the first statement
merges beautifully with the repeat’s initial upbeat.
0:24 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
contrasting phrase preserves the
pervasive main rhythm after the upbeat leading in from Part 1. It
moves to minor keys, first the minor variant of the home key, which is
E minor, then the closely related B minor. The left hand of the
secondo reduces the bass line to single notes, sometimes more
active
and also broken with rests. The right hand accompanying rhythm is
preserved until the sixth bar, which has a three-chord descent in
straight rhythm. In the last two bars of the phrase, the right
hand of the primo is left alone on a rising octave to
transition back
to the main melody.
0:38 [m. 17]--In a very
satisfying return, the opening melody is stated
exactly as at the opening for five bars. On the sixth, it strives
higher to reach a complete cadence in E. Before the cadence, the
right hand of the primo breaks the main rhythm to emphasize the
final
upward leap. The right hand of the secondo again breaks
its
accompanying rhythm for a straight three-chord descent.
0:50 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of the minor-key
contrasting phrase from 0:24. The secondo begins its
accompanying
rhythm right after the previous cadence.
1:04 [m. 17]--Reprise of the
returning opening melody and its
high-reaching cadence from 0:38. Full close with a final echoing
after-beat chord in the secondo.
1:22--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
0:51 [m. 1]--Part 1. Most
of the primo is directly
transferred to
the right hand, including the lower voice from its left hand, except
for some minor voicing alterations. The left hand also has most
of the secondo material, but the two-note bass harmonies are
rolled to
make the jump up to the punctuating accompanying rhythm more
manageable. Some of the thicker chords at the end of the section
in the duet must be thinned.
1:06 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. As in the duet, the merge into the
upbeat is highly effective.
1:20 [m. 9]--Part 2.
Again, most of the primo is
transferred to
the right hand in the contrasting phrase, but since the duet texture in
both hands is thicker, more of the lower doublings are cut. The
left hand has almost all of the secondo material, including the
three-chord descent. Five of the lowest bass notes are raised an octave.
1:35 [m. 17]--The return of the
opening still retains most of the duet
material except for a few voicing changes and, at the end, the omission
of some of the lowest primo notes in the right hand. The
left
hand, however, replaces the three-chord descent with a large leap from
a bass octave to two higher chords. The transitional chord to the
repeat is also thinner.
1:50 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of the contrasting phrase
from 1:20. The left hand begins its accompanying rhythm right
after the previous cadence.
2:05 [m. 17]--Reprise of the
returning opening melody and its cadence
from 1:35. The echoing after-beat chord is retained.
2:23--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
most important variation is the omission
of the low two-note rolled harmonies in the left hand in favor of
single notes an octave higher to avoid the large jumps to the
accompanying rhythm. The right hand is also much thinner,
strategically removing both inner chord notes and lower octaves.
0:13 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:25 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
texture of the right hand is again
greatly thinned in the contrasting phrase, but the left hand actually
retains most of the material. For the three-chord descent, only
the essential harmony is retained and the top voice of the descent is
transferred to the right hand.
0:38 [m. 17]--As at the
opening, the return thins out the right hand
and moves the two-note rolled harmonies up to an octave to single bass
notes. At the end, the leaping octaves in the right hand are
changed to one octave split between the hands. The large left
hand leap that replaces the three-chord descent is made easier by
removing the lower octave from the first bass note.
0:51 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of the contrasting phrase
from 0:25. The accompanying rhythm begins right after the cadence.
1:05 [m. 17]--Reprise of the
returning opening melody and its cadence
from 0:38. The echoing after-beat chord is still present.
1:21--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
TWO PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
additional piano allows both the main
rhythm and the accompanying rhythm to be greatly fleshed out from the
one-piano duet version. In Piano 1, the main rhythm is doubled in
the piano’s middle range by the left hand, and the accompanying rhythm
is brought up to the treble register in Piano 2. The left hand of
Piano 2 adds doubling chords to much of the accompanying rhythm.
0:16 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated,
with an especially rich transition into
the upbeat.
0:31 [m. 9]--Part 2. At
the beginning of the transitional phrase,
Piano 1 is the same as the primo, but at the end, a higher
octave is
added to the last upward-reaching bars, including the two-bar
transitional rising octaves. Piano 2 is more adventurous, greatly
fleshing out the secondo and utilizing the higher register
unavailable
to that part in the single-piano duet version. The three-chord
descent is presented in its most lush form, reaching quite high in
Piano 2.
0:46 [m. 17]--The return of the
opening is the same as the opening
itself until its higher reaching full close. Again, Piano 1 makes
use of the bass register for the main rhythm and Piano 2 uses the
treble register for the accompanying rhythm. The three-chord
descent again reaches high in Piano 2.
1:02 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of the contrasting phrase
from 0:31. The accompanying rhythm in Piano 2 begins right after
the cadence.
1:18 [m. 17]--Reprise of the
returning opening melody and its cadence
from 0:46. The echoing after-beat chord at the end is thicker
than in any other version, the higher register being available in Piano
2.
1:39--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
No. 3 in G-SHARP MINOR.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
waltz has a quiet, melancholy flavor,
with a languid “long-short-short-short” figure dominating the primo
part. The line is doubled above in octaves. The secondo
breaks its rhythm into bass octaves on the first beats of bars, and
right-hand chords on the other two. The eight-bar phrase moves
toward its related major key (B).
0:12 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:23 [m. 9]--Part 2. The secondo
continues with the same
pattern,
with the bass octaves reaching quite low in the second half of the
phrase and being added to third beats in all but the second and fourth
bars. In the primo, the right hand plays alone in the
first
half. The left hand takes over the melody halfway through as the
waltz strongly turns back to minor, with the right hand adding high
decorative counterpoint before the wistful cadence. The primo
counterpoint line leads into the repeat.
0:36 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Final cadence cuts off the
counterpoint before the lead-in.
0:53--END OF WALTZ [16 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
2:24 [m. 1]--Part 1.
There are two major differences from the
duet version. First, the left hand, which takes most of the
secondo part, only plays single bass notes on the first beats
instead
of octaves. Second, the right hand, taking over the primo,
does
not double its line in the high octave.
2:39 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
2:51 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
right hand is the same as the duet primo
in the first half. In the second half, the right hand plays both
the melody and the (slightly altered) high counterpoint, effectively
duplicating both hands of the primo. The left hand still
only has
single bass notes, but must combine these with chords when they are on
third beats. The counterpoint again leads to the repeat.
3:06 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. The last chord is actually fuller
than in the duet version.
3:25--END OF WALTZ [16 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. Some
chords and leaps are slightly
simplified.
0:12 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:23 [m. 9]--Part 2.
Again, chords are simplified or are
indicated to be rolled to accommodate smaller hands. The
counterpoint in the second half is completely omitted, with only minor
harmonies added to the end of the melody to compensate.
0:36 [m. 9]--Part 2 repeated.
0:52--END OF WALTZ [16 mm.]
No. 4 in E MINOR. Poco sostenuto.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
waltz is marked forte and
appassionato. It has the
character of the composer’s Hungarian
Dances. Some flexibility of rhythm is appropriate. A turn
figure on an upbeat begins things in the primo. The two
hands
harmonize, mostly in sixths. Two more of the turn figures are
heard on upbeats. The secondo plays bass notes and
octaves in the
left hand, punctuating offbeat chords in the right. The music
intensifies toward the end of the phrase as it moves to B minor.
The turn figure leads to the repeat.
0:11 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. The turn figure is retained to lead
to Part 2.
0:22 [m. 9]--Part 2. In a
contrasting phrase, the primo
begins
playing octaves in the left hand. These are passed to the right
hand while the left hand starts to harmonize. In the second half
of the phrase, the left hand takes the leading role with the right hand
adding high syncopated responses. The secondo begins by
playing
octaves, some of them displaced, between the hands. In the second
half, the left hand plays low octaves while the right hand joins the
primo left hand in the leading role. The second half
intensifies
greatly for the return.
0:32 [m.17]--Varied return of
the opening phrase. Both hands of
the primo now play harmonized sixths at the climactic
return. The
phrase is altered, intensified, and lengthened by two bars. It
remains in E minor. The secondo right hand chords become
more
numerous, and they play on downbeats in the last four bars. The
upbeat turn figure leads to the repeat.
0:46 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
0:22.
0:56 [m. 17]--Reprise of
returning altered and intensified phrase from
0:32. Emphatic closing.
1:13--END OF WALTZ [26 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
3:26 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
harmonies from the primo must
now be
taken by the right hand alone. The combining of the bass notes
and the punctuating chords from the secondo leads to some wide
leaps
and rolled tenths in the left hand.
3:38 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
3:48 [m. 9]--Part 2. For
the contrasting phrase, the octaves and
harmonies from the primo are combined and slightly simplified
in the
right hand. The octaves in the secondo are played by the
left
hand. The syncopated responses in the second half of the duet
version are omitted here. Brahms compensates by adding heavy
accents to the melody notes in the right hand.
3:57 [m. 17]--In the varied
return, most of the primo minus
some octave
doubling in the harmonized sixths, is transferred to the right
hand. The left hand is given a workout to compensate for the
missing hands, making wide leaps and rolling all the thick chords in
the second half of the phrase.
4:09 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
3:48.
4:20 [m. 17]--Reprise of varied
opening phrase from 3:57.
4:35--END OF WALTZ [26 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The right
hand is mostly unaltered. The left
hand is greatly simplified. The low bass notes are brought up an
octave to avoid the wide leaps. The octave and tenth doublings in
some bas notes are dispensed with. The punctuating chords are
greatly reduced in thickness.
0:10 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:20 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
“difficult” solo version simplifies much
from the duet version already in the contrasting phrase, and in the
easy version, other than some minor phrasings and accentuations, both
hands are largely unchanged. In the second half, Brahms does
reduce the octaves in the left hand to single notes, but he gives the
player the option of adding the lower octave.
0:28 [m. 17]--For the varied
return, many of the sixths in the right
hand are reduced to single notes. Some octaves and harmonies in
the intensifying second half are also dispensed with. The left
hand bass notes are brought up an octave and the huge chords are
greatly thinned out. Most are not rolled. The higher bass
notes help the wide leaps to be avoided.
0:40 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
0:20.
0:48 [m. 17]--Reprise of varied
opening phrase from 0:28.
1:02--END OF WALTZ [26 mm.]
No. 5 in E MAJOR.
Note: This waltz uses the same musical material as the vocal quartet
“Der Gang zum Liebchen,” Op. 31, No. 3, which is in E-flat major, a
half-step lower.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
waltz is marked dolce (sweetly).
The very gentle melody begins with an upbeat and features a dotted
(long-short) rhythm at the beginning of each two-bar unit. It is
initially buried in an inner voice, played by the left hand of the
primo. The right hand plays repeated octave B’s.
After two
bars, the melody climbs to the top and the octaves begin to move as an
inner voice, with the hands now doubled an octave apart. This
alternation repeats twice more in two-bar units, with the melody moving
again to the lower, then the upper voice. The secondo
plays a
very flowing accompaniment, including chords after the beats in the
last four bars, with a steady, solid bass. The section moves to B
major at the end.
0:16 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:32 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
contrasting phrase moves to F-sharp
minor, then quickly back to E, still using the rich harmonies and inner
voices. The dotted rhythms pass between them and obscure which
voice is the “melody.” Accented, resolving “sigh” figures
abound. The secondo continues its flowing accompaniment.
After
four bars, the next phrase is an exact repetition of the first half of
Part 1 in the primo, but with a new sustained pedal-point bass
held
from the first four bars (on the “dominant” note B) in the secondo.
0:47 [m. 17]--The closing
passage of Part 2, only six bars long, feels
like a long phrase extension, beginning with a strong key change to A
major over mild accents. The main melody is slightly varied and
heard in that key, again passing from an inner to an outer voice, the
hands doubled an octave apart. The final two bars wrench the
music suddenly back home to E in a harmonized descending line.
The top voice ends on the third of the chord, not the keynote, giving
the close a sense of wistful timelessness. The flowing
accompaniment in the secondo becomes even more active and the
low bass
chords somewhat heavier.
1:01 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Restatement of contrasting phrase
and return of opening from 0:32.
1:17 [m. 17]--Restatement of
the six-bar closing passage moving to A
major and back from 0:47.
1:35--END OF WALTZ [22 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
4:36 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
octave doubling in the initial primo
B’s, as well as the complete doubling between the hands in the rest of
the primo, is omitted, and the right hand covers everything in
one
octave (including some lower octaves in the second half). The top
voice is an octave lower than in the duet version throughout. The
inner voice and the passing of the melody between the top and the
middle is retained. The secondo is completely
altered. The
flowing accompaniment is replaced by a slower left-hand chord
accompaniment.
4:52 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
5:08 [m. 9]--Part 2. In
the first four contrasting bars, the
entire primo is able to be retained in the right hand.
The return
of the opening adds a lower (not a higher) octave on the repeated B’s
that was not there in Part 1. The left hand continues to replace
the flowing secondo with harmonies that move more closely with
the
right hand. The return of the opening also adds two low B’s to
emphasize the sustained pedal point.
5:24 [m. 17]--The six-bar
closing passage reduces the left hand to the
heavy bass chords at the beginning, played an octave higher than in the
duet version. The right hand adds extra octave notes to the
harmony (simulating the complete doubling in the duet version) as it
moves to A major and back. The top voice is again an octave lower
than in the duet version.
5:37 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Restatement of contrasting phrase
and return of opening from 5:08.
5:52 [m. 17]--Restatement of
the six-bar closing passage moving to A
major and back from 5:24.
6:09--END OF WALTZ [22 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]-- The harmonies in
the left hand are somewhat simplified,
including the omission of a top line that doubled the melody in the
third and fourth bars. A lower octave doubling of the top voice
in the last four bars is removed. The bass notes in the last two
bars are an octave higher.
0:12 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:24 [m. 9]--Part 2. In
the first contrasting bars, the inner
voice is transferred from the right hand to an octave lower in the left
hand, whose pedal bass (low B’s) is moved up an octave. The
return of the opening dispenses with the lower octave Bs in both
hands. The pedal point is retained at a higher level.
0:37 [m. 17]--The six-bar
closing passage makes the left hand chords
less heavy by removing their top voice. One low bass note in the
penultimate bar is raised an octave. The extra octave notes are
removed from the right hand in the motion to A major.
0:49 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Restatement of contrasting phrase
and return of opening from 0:24.
1:04 [m. 17]--Restatement of
the six-bar closing passage moving to A
major and back from 0:37.
1:18--END OF WALTZ [22 mm.]
No. 6 in C-SHARP MAJOR (C MAJOR in easy piano version).
Vivace.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
key of C-sharp major, with its many
black keys, is conducive to the rapid, light skittering of this waltz,
made easier when played mostly on black keys. There are two
four-bar phrases, each of which uses the same rhythmic structure.
For the first two bars, the secondo imposes cross-rhythms,
implying
three 2/4 bars on top of the 3/4 rhythm. The primo, with
its
single voice split between the hands, fits into this pattern. The
third and fourth bars revert to clear 3/4 in both parts, with two
voices in the primo and a more regular grouping of bass and
chords in
the secondo. There is a sense of breathless anxiety.
0:06 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. At the end, as in the first
statement, it turns to the related A-sharp minor.
0:12 [m. 9]--Part 2. For
the contrasting phrase, the melodic
interest, a low, intense murmuring with many repeated notes, moves down
to the secondo. The primo takes an accompanying
role with
punctuating chords. The 3/4 meter is clear. The secondo
retains short, detached bass notes in the left hand. The phrase
is extended for four bars as the murmuring line moves up to the primo,
reaching ever higher, and the secondo gradually drops
out. The
phrase moves to E major, an only obliquely related key.
0:22 [m. 21]--The opening
material returns in a rather abrupt
re-establishment of the home key. The first phrase is the same as
in Part 1. The second phrase changes course, turning briefly to
the home minor key on C-sharp. It still retains the implied 2/4
for its first two bars. The second phrase is extended by six bars
to move back to major. These new bars add arch-like lines and
rolled chords to the primo to emphasize the closing. A
reiteration of the last gesture serves as a transition to the repeat.
0:33 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
0:12.
0:42 [m. 21]--Reprise of
opening material and extension from
0:22. The transition is replaced by a thumping and emphatic low
octave C-sharp in the secondo.
0:56--END OF WALTZ [34 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
6:10 [m. 1]--Part 1. Most
of the material is retained, even
most of the low bass notes from the secondo, which necessitate
treacherous jumps in the left hand at this rapid speed. The
cross-rhythms are also preserved. The right hand must omit many
of the original octaves for the skittering main line from the primo,
but the second voice in the last two bars of each phrase is retained.
6:16 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
6:23 [m. 9]--Part 2. In a
major change of texture and voicing
from the duet version, the murmuring melody of the contrasting phrase
is played by the right hand. The left hand has not only the
original bass notes of the secondo but also extremely wide
jumps to
chords preserving some of the harmony of the primo. It
crosses
over the right hand to play these. All of the murmuring line is
retained, including the rapid rise up the keyboard from the transition
to the primo in the duet. Here, the right hand plays it
throughout.
6:32 [m. 21]--The opening
returns, and the first phrase is the same as
in Part 1. As in the duet, the second phrase turns to minor and
is extended. The large leaps in the left hand, the removal of the
octaves of the right, and the retaining of the second voice at the end
of each phrase, are all still present. The extension removes
three rolled chords that the right hand cannot play with the arch-like
lines. The transition, played mostly by the primo in the
duet
version, is split between the hands.
6:43 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
6:23.
6:53 [m. 21]--Reprise of
opening material and extension from
6:32. The transition is replaced by the emphatic low octave
C-sharp in the left hand.
7:08--END OF WALTZ [34 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
This is the only waltz whose key is specifically changed for the easy
piano version. It is the most simplified of all the waltzes in
this version.
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. In
addition to removing the octaves, the
contour of the skittering main line is altered in several places to
minimize jumps. The key change removes the many sharps, which are
difficult for beginning pianists to read, replacing them with the white
keys of C major. The other simplifications compensate for the
loss of the more secure grip of the black keys. The second voice
at the end of each phrase is only implied. The left hand bass
notes are moved up an octave to avoid the large jumps, and the
punctuating chords are simplified. The cross-rhythms are
preserved. The related key at the end is A minor rather than
A-sharp minor due to the basic key change.
0:06 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:13 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
contrasting phrase is greatly
altered. The murmuring melody is moved up an octave to avoid the
hand crossing from the left hand. The left hand is simplified in
two ways--the bass notes are moved up an octave and the punctuating
chords are moved down. This reduces the jumps by almost two
octaves and, in addition to the higher melody, eliminates the hand
crossing. The extension is altered somewhat since the rise up the
keyboard does not have as far to go. The new key at the end is
E-flat major rather than E major.
0:23 [m. 21]--The opening
returns, and again, the first phrase is the
same as in Part 1. The altered second phrase makes a detour to
the home minor key on C. The second voice is heard more clearly
at the end of the second phrase. The extension adds rolled chords
to the left hand for ease of execution.
0:34 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting phrase from
0:13.
0:44 [m. 21]--Reprise of
opening material and extension from
0:23. The emphatic low C at the end has its lower octave from the
main solo and duet versions removed.
0:58--END OF WALTZ [34 mm.]
No. 7 in C-SHARP MINOR. Poco più Andante
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. This
waltz is slower and contains somewhat
more content than the previous waltzes. While Part 2 is greatly
extended, Part 1 is of normal length. The melody has the
character of a minor-key lullaby with several dotted (long-short)
rhythms. The primo plays it in octaves, reaching higher
and
higher. The secondo plays a rocking octave bass that
reaches low
as the primo reaches high. Two descending chords in the
right
hand are heard on the off-beats of each bar. Smooth transition
into the repeat.
0:17 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. The last bar is altered to change
keys and lead into Part 2.
0:34 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
lullaby continues in major keys, E major
then B major. The melody in the primo is now harmonized
in
thirds. The same pattern of rocking octaves and off-beat chords
continues in the secondo. The rocking bass octaves remain
at the
same level, creating a “pedal point.”
0:45 [m. 15]--The lullaby moves
back through another minor key and its
related major key, F-sharp minor and A major. For the last half
of this six-bar phrase, the bass abandons the rocking pattern and moves
slowly upward, sliding toward the new key of A.
0:58 [m. 21]--Transitional
phrase striving upward and reaching toward
the main key of C-sharp. The volume steadily builds. The
secondo resumes its prevailing pattern. The climax arrives
with
extended notes and a slow cross rhythm with a chord held across a bar
line. This implies a single 3/2 bar across two notated 3/4
bars. In this implied 3/2 bar, the secondo bass slides
upward. Another chord held across a bar line merges into a gentle
descending arpeggio leading back into the home key and the waltz rhythm.
1:16 [m. 29]--At the arrival
point, the opening melody of Part 1 is
reprised, but surprisingly, it is not in C-sharp major, not
minor. The result is an incredibly satisfying, warm, and rich
six-bar conclusion. The melody is passed from the primo
right
hand to the left, where the last rising gesture is stated three times
with high right-hand octaves before the highly anticipated cadence is
interrupted by the repeat of Part 2. The secondo retains
its
rocking octaves and off-beat chords (which move “out” instead of down
in the last three bars) throughout.
1:30 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of phrase in E major and B
major harmonized in thirds from 0:34.
1:42 [m. 15]--Reprise of
movement through F-sharp minor and A major
from 0:45.
1:55 [m. 21]--Reprise of
transitional phrase and climax with implied
3/2 bar from 0:58.
2:13 [m. 29]--Reprise of
arrival point and major-key version of Part 1
from 1:16. This time the cadence is not interrupted.
2:31 [m. 35]--The long-delayed
final arrival is confirmed gently but
decisively by two long C-sharp major chords. The waltz, which
began as a minor-key lullaby, ends soothingly in major.
2:41--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
7:09 [m. 1]--Part 1.
While the left hand must abandon the rocking
octaves, playing only a low bass note or octave in each bar and leaping
to the off-beat descending chords, the right hand actually expands on
the primo, adding some harmonization in thirds to the lullaby
melody.
7:24 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated
with altered last bar leading into Part 2.
7:40 [m. 9]--Part 2.
Movement through the major keys of E and
B. The right hand continues to duplicate both hands of the primo
in their entirety and even adding to them. The left hand
continues its previous pattern, but halfway through this phrase
switches to the rocking octaves and plays only one off-beat chord.
7:50 [m. 15]--Motion through
F-sharp minor to A major. The right
hand continues to duplicate the primo, and the left hand
returns to the
leaps between bass notes and chords, replicating the sliding bass at
the end of the phrase while still leaping to the notes played by the
secondo right hand.
8:01 [m. 21]--Transitional
phrase moving to C-sharp. As the music
approaches the climax and the implied 3/2 bar, the right hand must
abandon some of the now thicker primo part, but the left hand
more than
makes up for this with its wide leaps between low bass octaves and
thick chords, including a dramatic rolled chord right after the
climactic high chords. Arpeggio leading back to home key and
waltz rhythm.
8:17 [m. 29]--Arrival point
with major-key reprise of Part 1
material. The right hand manages the entire passage down of the
melody, omitting only the highest level of the bell-like sounds at the
end. The left hand returns to its usual pattern of bass notes
leaping to a pair of off-beat chords. Interrupted cadence as Part
2 is repeated.
8:30 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of phrase in E major and B
major from 7:40.
8:41 [m. 15]--Reprise of
movement through F-sharp minor and A major
from 7:50.
8:52 [m. 21]--Reprise of
transitional phrase and climax with implied
3/2 bar from 8:01.
9:08 [m. 29]--Reprise of
arrival point and major-key version of Part 1
from 8:17. No interrupted cadence.
9:23 [m. 35]--Two long C-sharp
major chords confirming the delayed
cadence. These are significantly thinner than in the duet version.
9:29--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
right hand removes some of the lower
octaves, but also some of the added harmony. The bass notes of
the left hand are moved up an octave and any octave doublings removed
0:11 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated
with altered last bar leading into Part 2.
0:23 [m. 9]--Part 2.
Movement through E and B major. The
lower octave is removed from the right hand chords, and the left hand
simplifies the descending off-beat chords as well as eliminating the
octaves at the end of the phrase.
0:31 [m. 15]--Motion through
F-sharp minor to A major. The right
hand continues its previous pattern. The left-hand bass notes
move briefly to a lower octave to emphasize the sliding motion.
The required leaps, though not as wide as in the “main” solo version,
are unusual for the “easy” version.
0:40 [m. 21]--Transitional
phrase. The motion to the climax is
simplified as little as possible, the right hand almost retaining its
original form. The left hand, however, moves the bass notes two
octaves higher at the implied 3/2 bar so that there will not need to be
huge leaps to the chords vital to the harmony, as there are in the
“main” solo version. The rolled chord is retained. The
transitional arpeggio is reduced to a one octave.
0:53 [m. 29]--Arrival point
with major-key reprise of Part 1
material. This gentle closing is nearly unaltered except for the
bass notes being moved up an octave, and even the last of these is
lowered to the original pitch to preserve the effect of the interrupted
(and later fulfilled) cadence.
1:03 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of phrase in E major and B
major from 0:23.
1:13 [m. 15]--Reprise of
movement through F-sharp minor and A major
from 0:31.
1:23 [m. 21]--Reprise of
transitional phrase with implied 3/2 bar from
0:40.
1:36 [m. 29]--Reprise of
arrival point and major-key version of Part 1
from 0:53. No interrupted cadence.
1:48 [m. 35]--Two long C-sharp
major chords. They eliminate the
lowest octave C-sharp from the chords in the “main” solo version.
1:54--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
No. 8 in B-FLAT MAJOR.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
three-note upbeat with a leaping octave
is characteristic. The waltz is quite lively, with a persistent
dotted-rhythm pattern similar to that of #2, but much lighter and with
more leaping up and down. This is doubled between the hands in
the primo. The secondo establishes a steady waltz
rhythm with low
bass notes and off-beat chords, as in #7. The patterns down and
up are reiterated somewhat. There is a strong motion to F major
at the end, colored with an important dissonance (D-flat). This
motion is also reiterated, stretching the phrase to an unexpected
twelve bars.
0:12 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:24 [m. 13]--Part 2. The
same three-note upbeat leads to a
contrasting phrase in the key of D-flat major (a key the previous
dissonance at the end of Part 1 implied). This key, in relation
to the main key of B-flat, has an almost otherworldly feel. The
patterns continue in both parts. This phrase is a more standard
eight bars long, and turns away from D-flat in the last bar.
Here, a melody note is held over a bar line.
0:32 [m. 21]--The final phrase
continues the patterns in both parts
and, at ten bars, finds a medium between the lengths of the other two
phrases. Beginning with another note held over a bar line, it
returns to the home key of B-flat major via E-flat major The
final patterns settle very quietly onto a satisfying cadence. The
steady, persistent pattern in the secondo leads to the repeat.
0:42 [m. 13]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of phrase in D-flat major
from 0:24.
0:50 [m. 21]--Reprise of final
phrase and motion back to B-flat from
0:32. The secondo finally closes with a low B-flat after
the
cadence, having been moving perpetually in its pattern from the waltz’s
beginning.
1:05--END OF WALTZ [30 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
9:30 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
music is marked sotto voce,
which does
not appear in the duet version. After the upbeat, the right hand
includes the harmonies of the primo and only cuts off the
lowest
doubling of the harmonization from the original left hand. The
secondo is simplified quite considerably in the left hand to
preserve
stamina as well as the character of perpetual motion in the
pattern. Rests are added to the second beat of each bar, and
there is only one off-beat chord in each, on the third beat.
Three of these toward the end are rolled for emphasis.
9:45 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
10:00 [m. 13]--Part 2.
The same basic pattern continues for the
contrasting phrase in D-flat. The left hand rolls another chord
at the point where the melody is held over a bar line in preparation
for the final phrase.
10:10 [m. 21]--The patterns
continue for the final phrase returning to
B-flat major. Two more rolled chords follow the second note held
over a bar line in the right hand. Another is heard right before
the final patterns before the cadence. Although the left hand is
substantially simplified from the secondo, it still retains its
forward-driving character and propels the music into the repeat.
10:23 [m. 13]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of phrase in D-flat major
from 10:00.
10:34 [m. 21]--Reprise of final
phrase and motion back to B-flat from
10:10. The secondo ends its perpetual motion with a final
low
B-flat, as in the duet version.
10:50--END OF WALTZ [30 mm.]
(End of Track)
EASY PIANO VERSION
NOTE: The first part of No. 9 is on the same track as No. 8 (CD
production error)
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
top melody of the right hand is brought
down an octave and the texture is reduced generally to two notes, a
harmonized melody with no octave doubling. The left hand is not
simplified as much (having already simplified the secondo a
great
deal), and even includes some bass notes in the lower octave. The
chords on the third beats are sometimes brought a bit lower, especially
if the bass notes are lower, and the rolled chords at the end are
omitted.
0:14 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:30 [m. 13]--Part 2. The
pattern with the lower melody is
continued for the contrasting phrase in D-flat. The left hand
continues to play some bass notes in the lower octave, but the chords
are still simplified and the rolled chord at the end is absent.
The melody note at the end is still held over the bar line.
0:40 [m. 21]--In the final
phrase returning to B-flat, the bass notes
remain in the higher octave. The melody continues at the lower
pitch after the second note held over a bar line. One rolled
chord before the final patterns at the cadence is retained. The
left hand leads into the repeat.
0:53 [m. 13]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of phrase in D-flat major
from 0:30.
1:04 [m. 21]--Reprise of final
phrase and motion back to B-flat from
0:40. The final B-flat is the same as in both other versions.
1:20--END OF WALTZ [30 mm.]
No. 9 in D MINOR.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
entire waltz is built from downward
leaps from weak beats to strong beats. It therefore logically
begins with an upbeat. In part 1, the primo right hand
plays
these descending leaps, whose distances are as small as a fourth and as
large as a narrow (diminished) seventh. The left hand only joins
at the very end of the part for the brief motion to and half-close in G
minor. The secondo establishes a pattern of a bass note
on the
first beat of each bar, a right-hand chord on the second, and a rest on
the third. This pattern is slightly broken at the cadence.
The character is quite melancholy and expressive.
0:14 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:29 [m. 9]--Part 2. The primo
now plays the downward
leaps in
octaves split between the hands, and they reach much higher. This
first contrasting phrase moves to a major key, E-flat, then back home
to D minor. The secondo continues its pattern in the
first half
of the phrase, then adds a second bass note, an octave above the first,
on the third beat of each bar, the octaves being separated by
right-hand chords. There is a slight intensification at the end
of the phrase as it moves back to D minor.
0:42 [m. 17]--A sudden return
to a very quiet level begins the last
phrase (which is not a return to the Part 1 material, but is entirely
new). The left hand of the primo now echoes the right
with the
leaps two octaves lower, the two hands dovetailing each other. In
the right hand, an octave is added below the first “leaping” note, and
in the left, a harmony (a sixth) is added either above or below the
imitating note. The exact imitation is broken in the second half
of the phrase, where unstable harmonies lead to a very weak
half-close. The secondo resumes its Part 1 pattern,
without the
third-beat notes until the penultimate bar.
0:57 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of first contrasting phrase
with its intensification from 0:29.
1:11 [m. 17]--Reprise of
closing phrase from 0:42. This time, the
second half is altered, both to preserve the imitation and to change
the harmonies for a more stable close. It is still a half-close,
and this waltz does not reach a full conclusion on a D minor
chord. It merges quite naturally into the next waltz (No. 10).
1:31--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
NOTE: In this recording, Nos. 9-16 are grouped on a single track, as
were Nos. 1-8.
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The primo
is transferred exactly to
the
right hand, which is natural since almost all of the primo in
this part
was only played by one hand. The secondo is also exactly
replicated in the left hand, with the second-beat chord approached by
leap rather than played by the right hand. In the last bar before
the cadence, two low octave doublings are removed.
0:17 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:32 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
upper octave heard in the primo
is not
retained, and the right hand continues to play in the single
octave. The left hand also does not duplicate the upper octave
bass note on the third beat of each measure heard in the secondo.
The first two second-beat chords are slightly more spread out than in
the duet secondo. Motion to E-flat major and back to D
minor with
slight intensification.
0:46 [m. 17]--In the quiet
final phrase, the imitative echoes heard in
the primo left hand are split between the right and left
hands.
The right hand and left hand add these echoes to their duplication of
the remainder of the primo and secondo parts. In
these “echoes,”
the octaves and sixth harmonies are removed. The left hand must
remove a couple of lower notes from the secondo chords and bass
octaves
to accommodate the bottom notes of the “echoes.” The exact
imitation is still broken in the second half, but the “echoes” are
rewritten there to be somewhat more narrow. Unstable harmonies
lead to a half-close.
1:02 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of first contrasting phrase
with its intensification from 0:32.
1:16 [m. 17]--Reprise of
closing phrase from 0:46. The
alteration in the second half remains close to the duet version, with
some of the highest primo notes removed from the right hand and
some of
the lowest secondo notes removed from the left. The final
chord
in a full D-minor close is avoided.
1:36--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
NOTE: The first part of the waltz is on the same track as #8.
1:21 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
right hand is unchanged. The left
hand is simplified, with the low bass notes raised an octave and some
of the second-beat chords simplified to accommodate this.
1:31 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
1:42 [m. 9]--(Continues onto
the next track after 1:44). Part
2. In this contrasting phrase, the right hand remains unaltered,
and the left hand continues with the higher bass notes and thinner
second-beat chords. Motion to E-flat major and back to D minor
with slight intensification.
0:08 [m. 17]--In the final
phrase, not much is changed, as the
imitative “echoes” must be retained. Two low bass notes are
raised an octave and a couple of chords under the “echoes” are thinned
out. Unstable harmonies lead to a half-close.
0:20 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of first contrasting phrase
with its intensification.
0:28 [m. 17]--Reprise of
closing phrase. The alteration in the
second half again simply thins out the left hand somewhat. Full
close in D minor is avoided.
0:44--END OF WALTZ [24 mm.]
No. 10 in G MAJOR.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
harmony begins on D, the “dominant” of
the home key of G, not settling on G until the end of the phrase.
This helps to transition from the half-close in D minor at the end of
No. 9, and only a very small break between these two waltzes should
exist in performance. The primo plays a scherzo-like
running line
in thirds split between the hands. The second half of the phrase
has arching arpeggios with light, detached notes in the left
hand. The secondo establishes a waltz rhythm with bass
notes and
off-beat chords, the second half adding a lower octave leap on the
third beats.
0:06 [m. 9]--Part 1 repeated
(written out). The last arpeggio in
the primo is somewhat arrested to lead into Part 2.
0:12 [m. 17]--Part 2.
Return to the running thirds in the primo,
with some fourths at the beginning and sixths at the cadence.
They move from B major to B minor back to G major for a decorated
incomplete close. The secondo left hand plays octaves on
first
and third beats in the first half with right hand chords on the second
beats. The second half returns to the opening pattern.
0:18 [m. 25]--Part 2 repeated
(written out). The final cadence is
altered so that it is complete.
0:26--END OF WALTZ [32 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
1:37 [m. 1]--The entirety of
the primo is transferred to the
right
hand, which makes the execution (particularly the thirds) quite
difficult at the quick tempo usually taken. The left hand retains
all of the secondo except for the lower octave leaps in the
second half.
1:44 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. It is not written out. Slight
arresting of motion in the last arpeggio to lead into Part 2.
1:51 [m. 9]--Part 2. All
of the primo is retained in the
right
hand and all of the secondo is retained in the left except for
one
reduction of a second-beat octave to a fourth in the fourth bar.
The right hand adds a rolled chord to the incomplete close.
1:58 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. It is not written out. Change
to a complete close.
2:08--END OF WALTZ [16 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--The low bass notes
of the left hand on the first beats are
raised an octave. In the second half, the accompanying notes are
removed from the right hand and partially transferred to the left,
which can handle them because of the higher bass notes.
0:06 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. Arresting of motion, as in the
other versions.
0:13 [m. 9]--Part 2. The
lower octaves are removed from the left
hand. This allows the left hand to assist the right with the
somewhat difficult sixths at the cadence. The rolled chord is
removed from the incomplete close.
0:21 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. Complete close.
0:30--END OF WALTZ [16 mm.]
No. 11 in B MINOR.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. As
with No. 4 and No. 14, this waltz has the
distinct flavor of the composer’s Hungarian Dances. Part 1 is, at
16 measures, the longest opening section in the set. The most
distinctive element is the opening grace note in the primo,
which is
heard every two bars. The first two phrases are played in
harmony, usually thirds, between the hands. The second phrase is
set higher than the first and moves to the key of F-sharp minor.
The remaining two phrases have a more static left hand against a
generally descending right hand. The secondo establishes
the
waltz rhythm with low downbeat bass notes or octaves and groups of two
off-beat, often repeated chords. The bass notes march steadily
downward in the second half. Part 1 ends with a full F-sharp
minor cadence.
0:13 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:27 [m. 17]--Part 2. The
contrasting passage is only eight
bars. It begins with the opening grace-note gesture, turns to
major, then spins itself out with a winding phrase over a slight
crescendo that leads back home to B. The primo left hand
moves
down chromatically, by half-steps. The bass notes of the secondo
play an alternating octave on F-sharp, creating an anticipatory “pedal
point.”
0:35 [m. 25]--With a dramatic
rolled chord in both parts, the material
of Part 1 returns, not in B minor, but in B major, where the waltz will
end. The second phrase seems to want to change keys again, to
C-sharp minor, but the last two phrases, which move very steadily
downward and hold notes across bar lines, firmly establish the home
major key, and Part 2 ends very gently and sweetly.
0:49 [m. 17]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting passage
with pedal point and crescendo from 0:27.
0:57 [m. 25]--Reprise of
major-key return with notes held across bar
lines and gentle closing from 0:35.
1:17--END OF WALTZ [40 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
2:09 [m. 1]--Part 1. In
the first two phrases, the right hand
duplicates the primo exactly, playing the many thirds with one
hand. In the second half, the harmony and voicing is slightly
thinned and re-arranged. The left hand removes some octaves from
the downbeat bass notes of the secondo, lower ones in the first
phrase
and upper octaves in the third and fourth phrases.
2:29 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
2:49 [m. 17]--Part 2.
Again, the primo is duplicated
exactly in
the right hand for the contrasting passage. In the left hand, the
F-sharp “pedal point” is played only on the higher bass note instead of
an alternating octave. The off-beat chords in the second phrase
are rolled, which was not the case in the duet version.
2:58 [m. 25]--In the major-key
return, the right hand continues to
duplicate the primo exactly until the end. The left hand
nearly
plays all of the secondo, including the initial rolled
chord. Low
octaves are removed from the first phrase, and the final off-beat chord
is repeated to lead into the reprise of Part 2, which was not the case
in the duet version. Gentle, sweet closing with notes held across
bar lines.
3:17 [m. 17]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting passage
with pedal point and crescendo from 2:49.
3:26 [m. 25]--Reprise of
major-key return with notes held across bar
lines and gentle closing from 2:58.
3:49--END OF WALTZ [40 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1.
Other than the very minor alteration of the
lower harmonies being removed from the grace notes and thinner
harmonies during the cadence, the right hand is unaltered. The
left hand moves the bass notes up an octave in the last three phrases
and also thins the harmonies at the cadence.
0:16 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:33 [m. 17]--Part 2. In
the contrasting passage, lower harmonies
are removed from grace notes, but the right hand is otherwise
unaltered. The left hand raises the F-sharp “pedal” point up an
octave in the second phrase. This brings it up an octave from the
duet version’s higher octave
in the alternation. The off-beat
chords in this second phrase are not rolled, and they are somewhat
simplified.
0:40 [m. 25]--In the major-key
return, the opening rolled chord is
removed from the left hand and made less wide (and less awkward) in the
right. The right hand proceeds unaltered except for the removals
of grace-note harmonies until the final cadence, where lower harmonies
are removed. The left hand begins without altering very much, but
at the end of the first half and through the second half, the bass
notes are moved up an octave. The off-beat chords are also
simplified in the second half, and the final chord is not repeated
(following the duet version instead of the “main” solo version).
The notes held across bar lines through the gentle closing are retained.
0:56 [m. 17]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting passage
with pedal point and crescendo from 0:33.
1:04 [m. 25]--Reprise of
major-key return with notes held across bar
lines and gentle closing from 0:40.
1:23--END OF WALTZ [40 mm.]
TWO PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1.
Brahms probably chose this waltz for a
two-piano version because there are relatively few alterations between
the duet, solo, and easy piano versions. The major opportunity
here is allowing both hands to play the entire primo part an
octave
apart, which is done by placing a lower-octave doubling of all melody
and harmony notes in the left hand of Piano 1. The opening grace
note is replaced by a sweeping upward run. Piano 2 largely
replicates the secondo, but lower octaves are added to the
second
phrase which are not present in any other version. Some off-beat
chords are thicker.
0:15 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:31 [m. 17]--Part 2. In
the contrasting passage, Piano 1
abandons the exact lower-octave doubling in the left hand, leaving out
the opening grace-note measures in the first phrase. In the
winding crescendo of the second phrase, the harmonies are thickened and
the top voice is raised an octave. Piano 2 retains the
alternating octave “pedal point” from the secondo, but also
changes a
few off-beat chords to voice them slightly higher in the second
phrase. The second phrase also adds yet a third, higher octave to
the pedal-point alteration, placing it on the third beats of these last
four bars.
0:38 [m. 25]--For the major-key
return, the opening rolled chord is
very thick. The lower-octave doubling for the entire melody and
harmony returns to Piano 1 for the first two phrases. In the
second half (the last two phrases), a higher octave doubling is added
to the gentle descending line with notes held across bar lines, and is
retained until the end. The left hand of Piano 1 plays,
surprisingly, the bass, with upper-octave doubling, of not the primo,
but the secondo. Piano 2 plays, in its right hand, the original
left
hand of the primo, wonderfully doubled in an upper octave and
adding a
descending broken chord to the cadence. The left hand of Piano 2
plays the off-beat harmonies heard in the right hand of the secondo,
but matches their rhythm to that of the descending melody, making them
sound richer. Here, Brahms fully exploits the range of two
complete keyboards.
0:53 [m. 17]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting passage
with pedal point and crescendo from 0:31.
1:01 [m. 25]--Reprise of
major-key return with notes held across bar
lines, gentle closing, and full exploitation of two complete keyboards
from 0:38.
1:21--END OF WALTZ [40 mm.]
No. 12 in E MAJOR.
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. This
waltz is extremely expressive and
warm. The main melody is based on harmonized descending and
ascending two-note figures beginning on upbeats. These are spun
into a melody that reaches steadily upward, propelled by the
upbeats. In the primo, after the first six bars, as the
music
moves to B major and gradually swells in volume, a downward turning
figure begins in the left hand and is imitated up a fourth in the
right. This sequence is repeated a step higher, the lower voice
moving to the middle. The upper voice harmonizes the turn figure,
up yet another fourth, before the very high closing. The secondo
plays three rising octave E’s for each of the first four bars, then
takes over the two-note figures in octaves for the remainder. The
lead-in to the repeat (or to Part 2) descends and is passed between the
primo left hand and the secondo right hand. Part 1
is 12 bars,
two phrases of four and eight bars.
0:23 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. The lead-in suddenly moves to the
minor key.
0:45 [m. 13]--Part 2. The
contrasting passage consists of two
very subdued phrases. In the first, the two-note figures are
heard in a repeated sequence in E minor, with the secondo
playing the
three octave E’s. The second phrase makes an extremely surprising
and exquisite motion to F major, a key that is not closely related but
is only a half-step higher. The secondo octaves move down
to
C’s. The top voice of the two-note figures does not move and is
held over the bar line, leaving the motion to the lower harmonies until
a three-note descent ends the phrase.
1:01 [m. 21]--The final 12-bar
passage is similar to Part 1 in
structure, but the harmonies are completely different. The first
four-bar phrase slips back into E major with the harmonized two-note
figures, the secondo octaves moving down still one more step,
to
B’s. The final eight-bar phrase initially seems to change keys
again, to A major, only turning back to E at the very end. The
turn figure is passed from left hand to right a fourth higher, as
before, but its continuation does not repeat the pattern.
Instead, the turn figure stays in the top voice, moving up a fourth
before one more statement a step higher moves to the middle
voice. The high, warm, rich, and full closing occurs over a
joyous crescendo. The secondo again takes the two-note
figures in
octaves at the same point before harmonizing in the final cadence.
1:25 [m. 13]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of subdued contrasting
passage in E minor and F major from 0:45.
1:41 [m. 21]--Reprise of final
passage similar to Part 1 and ending
with a joyous cadence from 1:01.
2:08--END OF WALTZ [32 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
3:50 [m. 1]--Part 1. This
waltz contains the most exact
duplications between solo and duet versions. The entire primo
part is transferred to the right hand and the entire secondo
part is
transferred to the left, neither with any alterations. This
requires the right hand to voice the chords and the moving parts
carefully, while the left hand must cover a very wide range for the
three rising octave E’s in each of the first four bars.
4:17 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. The lead-in moves to the minor key.
4:43 [m. 13]--Part 2. In
the subdued contrasting passage in E
minor and F major, the right and left hands continue to transfer the
entire primo and secondo parts with no changes.
5:01 [m. 21]--For the final
passage similar in structure to Part 1, the
right hand again transfers the entire primo part with no
changes.
The left hand continues to duplicate the secondo’s octaves
until the
final cadence, where the harmony is thinned out, as the original cannot
be played with one hand.
5:29 [m. 13]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of subdued contrasting
passage in E minor and F major from 4:43.
5:48 [m. 21]--Reprise of final
passage similar to Part 1 and ending
with a joyous cadence from 5:01.
6:17--END OF WALTZ [32 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1.
Virtually nothing is changed in the right
hand other than one lower held note being split into two repeated
notes. This makes the transfers from duet to solo to easy piano
essentially intact. In the left hand, the lowest octave E is
removed in the first four bars, and the upper two are played on the
first two beats, with a rest on the third beat. The remainder of
the left hand with the two-note figures in octaves is unaltered.
The pianist in the recording plays at an unusually quick speed.
0:14 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:30 [m. 13]--Part 2. The right
hand is unaltered in the subdued
contrasting phrase in E minor and F major, and the left hand continues
to remove the lowest octave from the groups of three, leaving a rest on
the third beats of the bars.
0:42 [m. 21]--In the final
passage, the right hand remains mostly
unchanged. Three notes in the lowest voice at the beginning of
the second (longer) phrase are removed. These are transferred to
the left hand, which removes its lowest octave from the first two of
the two-note figures. Before this spot, the lowest of the three
octave B’s is removed in the first phrase. After this spot, the
two-note octave figures are unaltered, as are the harmonies at the end.
0:57 [m. 13]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of subdued contrasting
passage in E minor and F major from 0:30.
1:09 [m. 21]--Reprise of final
passage similar to Part 1 and ending
with a joyous cadence from 0:42.
1:24--END OF WALTZ [32 mm.]
No. 13 in C MAJOR (B MAJOR in solo version).
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1.
There are two four-bar phrases, each
containing a pair of two-bar units. The first of these units
consists of two forceful, decorated, upward sweeping gestures in both
parts. The second unit closes the phrase with emphatic, detached
chords and octaves, the secondo moving twice as slowly as the primo
and
containing low, punctuating octaves in its left hand. The second
phrase moves higher than the first after the initial forceful upward
gesture, closing in G major with an ornamented cadence.
0:11 [m. 9]--Part 1
repeated. In the duet version, the repeat is
written out.
0:21 [m. 17]--Part 2. Two
more four-bar phrases with similar
structures to Part 1. The first moves down from G major to E-flat
major. The second continues the downward harmonic pattern, moving
from E-flat to the home key of C major, but the music is set in a
higher register, closing with an emphatic cadence. At the end of
the first phrase, as the music moves to E-flat, the secondo
bass has a
distinctive three-note downward leaping descent.
0:32 [m. 25]--Part 2
repeated. In the duet version, the repeat is
written out.
0:44--END OF WALTZ [32 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
6:18 [m. 1]--Part 1.
Brahms sets the last four waltzes in keys a
half-step lower than in the duet versions, beginning with this
one. The keys of the solo versions are somewhat more
“difficult.” His reasoning is unclear, but B major is more
closely related to the E major of No. 12 than is C major. The
sweeping gestures actually sound more fully harmonized than in the duet
version. The right hand removes three harmonies from the
emphatic, detached octaves in the first phrase. The left hand
leaps between lower octaves and the detached chords, rolling one of
them at each cadence. The closing key is F-sharp major.
6:28 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated,
marked with repeat signs. The
repeat is not written out a second time.
6:37 [m. 9]--Part 2. As
in the duet version, the two phrases are
very similar to those of Part 1. The three-note downward leaping
descent heard at the end of the first phrase is removed, as the left
hand plays the chords that are in the secondo right hand at
that
point. At the end of the second phrase, the left hand has wide
leaps and rolled chords. The first phrase moves to D major, the
second back to B major.
6:47 [m. 9]--Part 2
repeated. It is not written out, and instead
uses repeat signs, as usual.
6:57--END OF WALTZ [16 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--The easy piano
version is set in the C-major key of the
duet version. Other than key, the major changes are the
re-arranging and thinning of some harmonies, including the second
rolled chord, and the transposing upward of the four lowest bass
octaves.
0:09 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated,
marked with repeat signs and not written
out.
0:19 [m. 9]--Part 2.
Again, the harmonies are thinned and
re-arranged. The three lowest bass octaves are transposed
upward. Most of the changes are to minimize the large leaps in
the left hand. One rolled chord is retained at the cadence.
0:28 [m. 9]--Part 2 repeated,
marked with repeat signs and not written
out.
0:39--END OF WALTZ [16 mm.]
No. 14 in A MINOR (Duet and Easy Piano Versions) /
G-SHARP MINOR (Solo and Two-Piano Versions)
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. With
its driving rhythm, grace notes, and
strong emphasis of the second beat of the bar, the piece seems less a
waltz than a Hungarian czárdás.
There are three
four-bar phrases moving down in key from A minor to G minor to F
major. The primo is harmonized in thirds and sixths
between the
hands in the first phrase. A third voice joins the harmony for
the second and third phrases. The secondo establishes the
driving
rhythm with an arch-like bass pattern and off-beat repeated notes that
only slowly change every three or two bars. The third phrase
emphasizes the second beat with very prominent primo rests
there.
0:11 [m. 13]--Part 1
varied. Brahms varies the first part by
placing the full harmony in both hands and doubling the entire texture
up an octave. For the first phrase, both hands play the third and
sixth harmony. For the second, the left hand takes the lower two
notes and the right hand plays an octave doubling above of the top
note. In the third phrase, the hands are again exactly doubled at
the octave, with the expense of most notes from the lowest previous
voice being left out. The secondo is unchanged in the
varied
repeat.
0:22 [m. 25]--Part 2. The
contrasting section also consists of
three four-bar phrases. The first begins with a return to A minor
with the same czárdás
character. The music quickly
moves to the surprising key of D-flat. The second phrase hovers
on that key in short groups that build tension. The third phrase
moves back to A minor over a huge crescendo, culminating in a large
arching scale in triplet rhythm that is doubled in octaves and leads
back to the return of the main material. The primo plays
in a
two-voice harmony throughout, and the secondo continues its
pattern of
a wide arching bass and off-beat repeated notes. These off-beat
notes change to chords with a static bass in the second phrase.
The secondo is somewhat arrested with punching chords and rests
at the
climax.
0:34 [m. 37]--Return of the
opening material. It is the same as
the varied repeat from 0:11 until the end of the second phrase, where a
very artful alteration leads the music from G minor back up to the home
key of A minor rather than down to F major. The third phrase is
fully and richly harmonized as it approaches its strong and
unapologetically minor-key close. The secondo retains its
essential character throughout.
0:45 [m. 25]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting section
from 0:22.
0:57 [m. 37]--Reprise of varied
opening material and fully harmonized
conclusion from 0:34.
1:12--END OF WALTZ [48 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
6:58 [m. 1]--Part 1. As
in No. 13, the key is a half-step lower,
giving the waltz a somewhat more ominous color than the duet version
since G-sharp minor has a “darker” character than does A minor.
The right hand retains all of the two-note harmonies of the first
phrase and most of the three-voice harmony from the second and third
phrases. The left hand is very different from the secondo,
reducing the material of necessity. The arching bass and
thumping, slowly-changing repeated notes are combined in a detached and
extremely wide-ranging line with treacherous leaps that are difficult
to execute at this fast tempo. The second and third phrases move
to F-sharp minor and E major.
7:12 [m. 1]--Part 1
repeated. The solo version is simply marked
with repeat signs and is not varied by the upper octave doubling used
in the duet version.
7:26 [m. 13]--Part 2. In
the contrasting section, the right hand
again replicates most of the primo’s harmonies and the left
hand
continues its wide-ranging line with treacherous leaps. In the
second phrase, this line is supplanted by more static, oscillating
chords. The motion at the end of the first phrase is to C
major. In the third phrase, at the approach to the climax, the
left hand begins to play heavily accented octaves. The climax is
a particularly artful change from the duet version. The right
hand cannot really execute the octave doubling on the huge arching
scale in triplet rhythm, so compensating for this, it instead plays a
much faster, almost non-metered scale without doubling that reaches
down an octave lower than the top line in the duet version. The
left hand plays a huge rolled chord at the climax.
7:40 [m. 25]--For the return of
the opening material, the first phrase
moves up to a higher octave. The second phrase moves back down,
however, differing from the duet version and reflecting the solo
version‘s lack of a varied Part 1 repeat. The alteration at the
end is similar to the duet version, with the full harmonization of the
last phrase and strong minor-key ending. The left hand again
plays its wide-ranging, treacherous line, adding accented octaves in
the last phrase, with a rolled octave and chord in the last bar.
7:54 [m. 13]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting section
from 7:26.
8:08 [m. 25]--Reprise of varied
opening material and fully harmonized
conclusion from 7:40.
8:27--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
easy piano version is set in the
“easier” key of the duet version, A minor. The right hand uses
the two-note harmonies of the first phrase, but unlike the main solo
version, abandons the three-voice harmony from the second and third
phrases, reducing it to the most essential two voices. The left
hand is greatly simplified, with more repeated notes and a far less
wide-ranging line. If the main solo version preserves the bass
pattern of the duet version, the easy version preserves more of the
thumping repeated notes.
0:14 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated
without variation.
0:28 [m. 13]--Part 2. Up
until the climax, the right hand is the
same as the “main” solo version in the contrasting section. The
left hand retains the simplified line with more repeated notes and a
narrower range. The static, oscillating chords in the second
phrase are almost the same, with some leaps down to bass notes
omitted. Approaching the climax, the heavily accented notes are
only in the upper octave. The climax is more complex than the
duet version, but simpler than the “main” solo version. There is
no doubling, and the triplet rhythm is replaced by faster notes, but
they are slower than in the “main” version and more metered. The
motion is to the same low note, but since the scale gets to the bottom
later, it only moves halfway back up, which means that the return of
the opening must begin in the lower octave. The left hand chord
at the climax is much thinner, and the octave that precedes it is
higher.
0:43 [m. 25]--The return of the
opening material is very similar to
Part 1 and remains in the lower octave throughout. The alteration
at the end has much thinner harmonies. The accented left-hand
notes in the third phrase are also higher, without octave doubling, and
there is no rolled chord or octave in the last bar.
0:57 [m. 13]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting section
from 0:28.
1:12 [m. 25]--Reprise of varied
opening material and harmonized
conclusion from 0:43.
1:31--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
TWO PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
two-piano version combines elements of
all three other versions and adds still more. The key is the more
“difficult” G-sharp minor of the main solo version. The right
hand of Piano 1 plays essentially the same part as in the right hand of
the main solo version. The left hand of Piano 1, however, plays
not the treacherous wide-ranging line, but one almost directly lifted
from the easy piano version
with the emphasis on repeated notes.
Piano 2 compensates for this by playing the full arching bass from the
duet secondo in its left hand. The right hand of Piano 2
is a
completely new element, using repeated notes in a manner similar to the
left hand of Piano 1, but in a high treble register.
0:10 [m. 13]--Part 1
varied. The right hand of Piano 1 moves to
the higher octave, similar to the right hand of the primo in
the duet’s
varied repeat. The left hand of Piano 1 now plays the arching
bass, taking over from Piano 2. The right hand of Piano 2 plays
rich a rich harmonization of the main material an octave lower than the
right hand of Piano 1. It is similar to the left hand of the
secondo, but adds more harmonies and voices. The left hand
of
Piano 2 takes over the thumping repeated-note line from Piano 1.
0:21 [m. 25]--Part 2. In
the contrasting section, Piano 1 plays
what is essentially an expanded version of the music from the primo
of
the duet version and the right hand of the solo versions. The two
voices are expanded to four or even five in some spots, through
doubling in the first phrase and harmonies in contrary motion
thereafter. Piano 2 essentially plays the secondo from
the duet
version here, with some chords being expanded, particularly in the
second phrase and at the climax, where they can reach into the treble
range without interfering with the huge run, which is not true in any
other version. Approaching the climax, Piano 1 plays thicker
chords than those of the primo from the duet version. The
climax
itself is grander than in any other version. The scale is
replaced by a mixture of steps and skips, and it reaches down into the
bass of Piano 1, something not possible in the other versions. It
arches all the way up to its origin point.
0:34 [m. 37]--The return of the
opening material rearranges things yet
again. Piano 1 is very similar to the duet primo here,
but even
more doubling is added since Piano 1 can avail itself of the middle
range. There are five voices in the first phrase and six in the
second. The alteration at the end is very richly
harmonized. Piano 2 is similar to the secondo, but
instead of the
right hand playing merely off-beat repeated notes, they are thumped
through the entire bar, often doubled with higher octaves. In the
final phrase with the alteration, the right hand moves to off-beat
chords, as in the secondo, but they are much more full and
reach into
the treble register of the piano.
0:46 [m. 25]--Part 2
repeated. Reprise of contrasting section
from 0:21.
0:59 [m. 37]--Reprise of varied
opening and fully harmonized conclusion
from 0:34. The last bar is altered, replacing the final downward
motion in dotted rhythm with a large chord utilizing the full range of
both pianos. This is the only version in which the ending is
changed for the repeat.
1:15--END OF WALTZ [48 mm.]
No. 15 in A MAJOR (Duet and Easy Piano Versions) /
A-FLAT MAJOR (Solo and Two-Piano Versions)
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
melody of this most famous waltz is
presented by the primo in harmony. The basic rhythm is a
long
note followed by three short ones. The long note typically leaps
down to two repeated shorter notes. The third short note will be
an upward leap, usually back to the first long note or a close
neighbor. There are also bars in “straight” rhythm, often with a
distinctive decoration. The melody of Part 1 ends on a
half-close. The secondo establishes the waltz rhythm with
low
bass notes on the downbeats and chords (often inversions of the same
chord) on second and third beats. The first four bars have a
“pedal point” bass note on A. The second half is more active,
with bass octaves on both the first and third beats.
0:17 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:32 [m. 9]--Part 2. A
different lead-in from the one moving to
the repeat takes us to the brief six-bar contrasting phrase. This
phrase intensifies, moving steadily upward, and using the basic rhythm
except for the last bar, which settles into the reprise. The
secondo retains its basic pattern, but the low bass notes on the
first
and third beats now leap up an octave between them.
0:46 [m. 15]--The reprise of
the opening material is the same as Part 1
except for the last two bars, which are changed to create an extremely
satisfying full cadence in the home key.
1:03 [m. 23]--Varied repeat of
Part 2. The contrasting phrase
from 0:32 [m. 9] is written out, but unchanged except for a slight
alteration of the lead-in.
1:18 [m. 29]--The final return
of the opening material is given an
extremely effective alteration. The harmony and melody retain
their character, but the basic rhythm is replaced by flowing triplets
that soar upward in sonorous sixths. These triplets propel the
melody an octave higher, where the full cadence in A major ends the
waltz. The secondo is unchanged from 0:46 [m. 15].
1:46--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
SOLO VERSION
8:28 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
key of A-flat major lends the waltz a
somewhat “warmer” character than the A major of the duet version,
perhaps a bit less bright. Other than the key change, virtually
all of the highly harmonized primo is transferred to the right
hand. The secondo is somewhat altered in the left
hand. The
off-beat chords are rolled and actually more full than in the duet
version. The pedal A (now A-flat) in the first four bars
alternates between higher and lower octaves. The lower octaves
must be removed from the bass notes in the second half. The
rolled chords incorporate the bass notes on the third beats of bars.
8:44 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
9:00 [m. 9]--Part 2. In
the contrasting phrase, the entirety of
the richly harmonized primo continues to be played by the right
hand,
which must grasp wide chords with as many as five notes. The left
hand also retains most of the secondo, and only half of the
lower
octaves are removed from the bass notes. The leaping octaves are
obscured, however. The off-beat chords are not rolled in this
phrase.
9:13 [m. 15]--The return of the
opening is the same as Part 1 until the
last two bars. Some of the harmonies at the cadence are very
slightly different from the duet version.
9:28 [m. 23]--Part 2
varied. Except for the lead-in, the
contrasting phrase from 9:00 [m. 9] is written out, but unaltered.
9:40 [m. 29]--In the varied
return of the opening, the left hand is
very slightly altered from 9:13 [m. 15], unlike the secondo in
the duet
version. The chords are mostly no longer rolled, and some top
notes are removed to accommodate the lower reaches of the right
hand. The right hand alone takes the flowing sixths in triplet
rhythm, which is quite awkward in comparison to the primo,
where they
were split between the hands. This necessitates the removal of
some of the lower harmony in the two punctuating “straight” bars (the
fourth and seventh bars of the phrase) which were played by the primo
left hand under the high reaches of the triplets. The melody
still reaches an octave higher than before, as in the duet version.
9:58--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
key is the A major of the duet
version. The harmonies are thinner in both the right and left
hands. Both play only two simultaneous notes throughout, whereas
in the “main” solo version, both hands often played three-note
chords. All of the bass notes are raised an octave except for the
first and third, which had been played as high alternations in the solo
version. Despite being only two notes, most of the left hand
chords are still rolled.
0:14 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:27 [m. 9]--Part 2. In
the contrasting phrase, the harmonies are
again simplified in both hands. The right hand is restricted to
three-note chords (with one four-note chord) where the solo version had
often required right-hand chords with as many as five notes. The
left hand chords are restricted mostly to two notes with three
three-note chords in the penultimate and final measures. All of
the lower octaves are removed instead of only half.
0:39 [m. 15]--The return of the
opening is the same as Part 1 until the
last two bars. The full cadence is created as in the other
versions, but the right-hand chords are still restricted to two notes,
even the final chord, and the bass notes are still raised an octave.
0:52 [m. 23]--Part 2
varied. Other than the left hand of the
lead-in, which is lower and harmonized differently, the contrasting
phrase from 0:27 [m. 9] is written out, but unaltered.
1:04 [m. 29]--In the varied
return of the opening, Brahms allows the
left hand to reclaim some of what was lost from the main solo
version. Some lower bass notes not heard in Part 1 or at 0:39 [m.
15] are played, and three-note chords with lower bottom notes are heard
in the third and fourth bars from the end. The right hand greatly
simplifies the awkward sixths of the flowing triplet rhythm, reducing
them to fourths, thirds, or single notes. The sixths are played
in the first “straight” bar (the fourth of the phrase), which had full
chords in the solo version, and the penultimate bar (the other
“straight” bar) remains simplified from its presentation in the “main”
solo version. The melody still reaches an octave higher than
before.
1:25--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
TWO PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
key is A-flat major, as in the main solo
version. Brahms essentially redistributes material and adds new
elements, as in the other two-piano versions. The right hand of
Piano 1 is the same as the right hand of the solo version. The
left hand of Piano 1 plays the downbeat bass, with the full lower
octaves heard in the duet version. After the first four bars, the
bass is also played on third beats. Piano 2 takes the off-beat
chords, which are now spread across both hands and reach into the
piano’s treble register, something not possible in the other
versions. They are rolled, and contain six, five, or even seven
notes.
0:18 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated.
0:35 [m. 9]--Part 2. In
the contrasting phrase, the right hand of
Piano 1 continues to play the right hand part from the solo
version. The left hand of Piano 1 plays the bass notes on the
first and third beats, as in the duet version. The leaping octave
is retained. Piano 2 continues to play chords with six or seven
notes split between the hands and often rolled, reaching even higher
into the piano’s treble register.
0:50 [m. 15]--The return of the
opening is the same as Part 1 except
for the cadence in the last two bars. The basic pattern is
retained there, with the right hand of Piano 1 playing the same part as
the right hand of the solo version.
1:07 [m. 23]--Part 2
varied. The contrasting phrase from 0:35 [m.
9] is written out, but unaltered, other than a slightly different
lead-in with the voicing of the Piano 2 chords.
1:24 [m. 29]--Piano 1 now
emulates the duet version instead of the solo
version. The flowing triplet sixths in the varied return of the
opening are now split between the hands, and the bars in “straight”
rhythm are given full harmony in the left hand. Piano 2 must now
take the bass notes in its left hand, including the lower octave.
The left hand leaps to participate in the off-beat chords, which are
mostly rolled and still reach into the treble register, but now contain
no more than five notes. The right hand alone takes the chords in
the last four bars, where the left hand also plays bass notes on the
third beats.
1:55--END OF WALTZ [36 mm.]
END OF TWO PIANO SET
No. 16 in D
MINOR (C-SHARP MINOR in solo version).
DUET VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1.
There are two main melodies in
counterpoint. Both are melancholy, and the whole waltz is a kind
of “valse triste,” a strangely subdued note on which to end the
set. The first melody is more active and conjunct, moving
entirely in steps. It is heard in octaves from the primo.
The second melody is played by the right hand of the secondo.
It
has fewer short notes and contains several wide leaps. Both
melodies feature dotted rhythms (long notes followed by shorter ones),
the more active one following the long note with three equal short ones
(like the similar main rhythm of #15). The melodies come together
rhythmically at the end as the first part moves toward the related
major key of F. The left hand of the secondo plays
supporting,
wide-ranging broken chords with very detached notes throughout the
waltz.
0:17 [m. 9]--Varied repeat of
Part 1. For the only time in the
waltzes, Brahms uses invertible
counterpoint, the process of placing
two melodies against each other and then reversing their top-to-bottom
placement in a second statement. The melody with longer notes and
more jumps now moves to the primo and makes a play for
prominence,
being played not in two, but in three octaves and reaching much
higher. The melody with shorter notes and no leaps moves to the
right hand of the secondo. The melodies are thus reversed
in
their placement. The detached broken-chord accompaniment in the
secondo left hand is unchanged.
0:32 [m. 17]--In the second
part, the two melodies come closer together
by adopting aspects of each other. The melody with shorter notes
moves back to the primo, but adds about four skips to its
otherwise
entirely stepwise motion. Again, it is doubled in octaves.
The slower melody with more leaps moves back to the right hand of the
secondo in only one octave, but it also includes the three short
notes
following one long note (in two places) that were typical of the other
melody. Part 2 moves gradually from F major back to D minor, and
the slower, leaping melody is given more harmony at the end. The
left hand of the secondo plays the detached, wide-ranging
broken chords
to the end.
0:50 [m. 17]--Part 2 repeated
without inverting the melodies.
Slowing as the final cadence is approached.
1:26 (including run-off time)--END OF
WALTZ [24 mm.]
END OF DUET SET
SOLO VERSION
9:59 [m. 1]--Part 1. In
keeping with the keys of the previous
waltzes in this version, the waltz is a half-step lower, in C-sharp
minor, creating a connection to No. 7 in that key, which is somewhat
similar, if less overtly tragic, in character. The melodies are
placed as in the duet version, but the right hand plays both of them,
so the upper octave of the faster melody is eliminated. The left
hand duplicates the secondo left hand. The music moves to
the
related major key of E.
10:17 [m. 9]--Varied repeat of
Part 1. The parts are inverted, as
in the duet version, but the right hand now only plays the skipping,
slower melody--in octaves, preserving the prominence of the duet
version at this point, but removing the highest of the three
octaves. The faster, stepwise melody is played by the left hand,
which must abandon the detached and constant broken chords, supporting
the faster melody with rolled chords on the first and third beats of
each bar.
10:32 [m. 17]--The faster
melody returns to the right hand, but it is
now in octaves, as in the duet version. The slower, leaping
melody moves back to the left hand, which continues the pattern of
rolled chords on the first and third beats to support the melody, as it
had with the faster melody in the varied repeat of Part 1. The
rhythm must be altered, however, specifically in those spots with three
short notes following one long note, which are now two long notes
followed by two shorter notes. Some aspects of the detached
broken chords return, such as occasional harmonies under the second
beat of the bar. Motion from E major back to C-sharp minor.
10:50 [m. 17]--Part 2 repeated
without inverting the melodies.
Slowing as the final cadence is approached.
11:27 (including run-off time)--END OF
WALTZ [24 mm.]
END OF SOLO SET
EASY PIANO VERSION
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The
key is the D minor of the duet
version. The main other alteration from the solo version is in
the left hand, where the detached broken chords are re-arranged to
change direction more often and avoid the lowest notes. This also
facilitates the simplification of the right hand, which still mostly
plays both melodies, but passes the lowest notes of the leaping, slower
melody to the left hand. The left hand can play these notes with
its simplified, generally higher detached broken chord line.
0:14 [m. 9]--Varied repeat of
Part 1. The right hand only plays
the slower, leaping melody in one octave, cutting the lower one.
The left hand retains the rolled chord support of the faster, stepwise
melody, with some minor simplifications toward the end.
0:27 [m. 17]--Part 2. In
a very artful simplification, both
melodies are played by the right hand with the upper octave cut from
the faster, stepwise melody. The left hand now plays the
detached, wide-ranging broken chords, generally up an octave from those
in the duet version, but preserving most of the large leaps. The
easy piano version thus preserves most elements from both other
versions through selective re-arranging and deployment, and is
therefore perhaps the finest of these simplifications.
0:40 [m. 17]--Part 2 repeated
without inverting the melodies.
Slowing as the final cadence is approached.
1:10 (including run-off time)--END OF
WALTZ [24 mm.]
END OF EASY PIANO SET
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