Brahms, Piano Quartet in C minor, opus 60, 1st mvt.

[@Sharpy_Duro]

Thank you for all the videos you've made with this great music. I had videos from this channel on repeat while working on my bachelor thesis in 2012. Ever since then I've gotten to know a lot of classical music. Today this video popped up on my feed. Brings back memories. Great videos. Thanks again.

[@smalin]

If you want to catch up, here's a guide to some of the better (or more interesting) ones: www.musanim.com/KZbinHighlights/

[@chrisguevara]

My nephew is now 3 and a half and still loves your videos. Please continue to post because it is a great way to introduce kids to music. Especially in an age where the video is just as important as the music.

[@SimonGeraedts]

The first minute of this piece is one of the most brillant works of music ever made by man.

[@chrisguevara]

Please keep this up. My 2 year old nephew loves your videos and your music selections. He can literally spend a couple of hours every day listening/watching your videos. I rented him a piano and he toys with it everyday too. He is a music lover, as are you. Thanks and please keep posting!!!

[@smalin]

@CaymenV Eva-Maria Zimmermann, the pianist in this recording, is a professional pianist. She's currently a member of ZOFO, a piano duo. Her husband is also a musician, with the Del Sol String Quartet.

[@smalin]

@OobooChoo Depends what you count. I could sight-read the piano part of this the first time I tried, but it took more than forty years of playing to get to that level. It took eight or ten hours to enter the score into a notation program. It took a few weeks to write the animation software, but I'd been learning programming for twenty years. It took a couple of hours to set up the scripts to do the rendering and edit the movie, and four or five hours (of computer time) to run the rendering.

[@smalin]

@T42nk The plan is to have a plug-in architecture. The base software (host/player) will not be open source, but the specification for plug-ins will be public, and there will be open source sample plug-ins. The main plug-in type will be an animation renderer; each style of animation (like the "bars" and "balls" used in this video) will be the responsibility of a given plug-in.

[@EtienneAbelin]

@hoffela I totally agree. When we recorded this, we couldn't dream that some years later someone like smalin would be able to amplify what we intended in such an incredible way. Thank you smalin for what you do for music.

[@DTevr89]

I really like how you separated strings. Really makes everything stand out.

[@smalin]

@freddiecintron Yes, this was done by splitting the MIDI file into two, one for strings and one for piano, and then rendering them separately.

[@Sim882]

this must be contender for greatest movement ever - why isn't it more famous? Dramatic/tragic but incredibly warm in places.

[@smalin]

Have you listened to all of Brahms' chamber music? (www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=205986)

[@ihtfp2003]

Try the third movement of this piece... :)

[@Randomlygood6701]

smalin It'd be great if you can make a video for Mahler's piano quartet in A minor. This is a beautiful rendition by the way!

[@smalin]

kenrick dennis See "Could you please ..." in the FAQ.

[@MichaelSato1]

This is GREAT - seeing the strings versu the Piano. Wonderful and thank you.

[@DragonflyLessThan3]

Smalin,I love you for making these animations + MIDI's, they're perfect!

[@lilcrabbybabby]

One of your best! I have been watching for a while now...but I'm always so in awe of what you put out that I honestly forget to comment, this is pure awesome. Amazing!

[@smalin]

Yes, opus numbers are the more common way to refer, with a sequence of numbers, to a composer's works. Some composers have sequences that were designed specifically for them (mostly, because they lived before opus numbers were commonly used), such as the BWV numbers for Bach or the K numbers for Scarlatti.

[@rrsolo]

the animated score is such a great idea.

[@smalin]

Myself when I was eight years old (so that I could explain to him how being a musician works and what his strengths and weaknesses were). Other than that, my choice would be to visit one of the composers that got bad medical advice and tell them how to steer clear of one of their life-shortening mistakes.

[@yjalto]

LOVE it. this should be appreciated and more spread wide. brilliant work

[@smalin]

@armandosreis Yes, you could make a case for that. On the other hand, the string sound is more "changing," and the piano sound is more "blocky" (or "chunky"). It's not a completely representative notation. Hopefully I can do better in the future.

[@Alexander-g3c1s]

this visual representation has made me view his piece completely differently and love it

[@matekon2]

It is impossible to dislike this diamant. A lot of intense emotions

[@smalin]

Welcome to the world of Brahms. I would recommend you listen to, among other things, the second and third movements of his piano quartet in C minor (opus 60).

[@Myau76]

A work of a genius

[@chopper84a]

stephen, you have brought alot of pleasure to alot of people. Bravo!

[@SuperSan1992]

dude i think what youre doing here is awesome,thanks for takunthe the time and i hope youve great things coming for you.

[@justYouDaNcE]

You can actually see the music... It's just amazing

[@deadat12]

Depends what you count. I could sight-read the piano part of this the first time I tried, but it took more than forty years of playing to get to that level. It took eight or ten hours to enter the score into a notation program. It took a few weeks to write the animation software, but I'd been learning programming for twenty years. It took a couple of hours to set up the scripts to do the rendering and edit the movie, and four or five hours (of computer time) to run the rendering.

[@8fht9]

This is beginning to look like a great framework to represent texture. If we can add subtleties such letting brightness correlate to dynamics, varying ways the circles work to represent different techniques for the strings, i.e. the circles in another expression for pizzicatos, and using a few more shapes to represent the woodwinds, the brass, the percussions (timpani can be little spots of fireworks or something) with different colors representing different instruments, then it'd be AWESOME.

[@smalin]

@rhcp4565 It depends what you mean by "hear." As you say, truly hearing requires attention; the video can guide your attention to things you wouldn't have paid attention to otherwise. If you read the comments on my videos, you'll see remarks like "I've listened to this piece all my life, but watching your video, I heard things I've never heard before." My videos are used in music classes all over the world for precisely that reason.

[@GovernerOfBurningHam]

My favourite piece of all time

[@Exzeluke]

Thank you, smalin. This is a great combination of bars and circles, and I like the fading of the circles. One of your best, IMO. cheers, exzeluke

[@MrBIGTUNA54]

Easily the best way to show the intense complexity of classical music. Thanks smalin!

[@smalin]

@T42nk After years of doing other things, I'm getting back into "development mode" for my visualization software. I expect this to result in some changes in how my KZbin channel connects to the rest of what I'm doing. The time scale for this is on the order of a year ...

[@smalin]

@TheImpressed Yes, that's the nature of perception: we interpret new things in terms of the experiences we've had in the past. I haven't played any videogames (at least, not in the last twenty-five years), and I've listened to a lot of the music Brahms composed before this (and to the music he was raised on), so my associations, and therefore my experience, is likely very different from yours.

[@tigereyes5]

I LOVE the animated score! Very clever and impressive :)

[@smalin]

@dussekfan To know him is to love him.

[@smalin]

I did; it's on my DVD (hint, hint).

[@smalin]

It's software I wrote myself (not available commercially).

[@charissamarluk]

not only do i adore the music... but the colors and patterns the visual geometry you create ... ***sigh***

[@XArcane]

This is brilliant, truly brilliant; I'm a huge fan of your work. I think it would be an ideal experiment to run the bar notation perpendicular to the animated circles. It could create a truly outstanding effect, and add an extra dimension to your animation.

[@Dreamer00]

I have fallen in love with this piece, I think.

[@rhcp4565]

This is just such great music man.

[@spolariton]

fantastic! brahms was rocking it

[@karlpoppins]

please upload more brahms piano quartets/quintets... just a freaking genius this one!!!

[@bravopotyr8581]

Wow cool! C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb

[@m1290h]

Brahms Violin sonata in G major has to be one of the most amazing repertoire ever written. His Piano quintet, Piano concerto No. 1, and Violin Concerto are also my favourites!!! Hope you enjoy!!

[@smalin]

@TheLordRoman I haven't done the second or fourth movements yet.

[@smalin]

@dayne120 Right.

[@smalin]

@omarchidofine See the "Could you please" item in the FAQ.

[@Waltzeminor]

this piece have some special.i cant explain

[@smalin]

That depends what you mean by "form."

[@Pacopepeim]

Gracias. El efecto es... hipnótico.

[@Nostrum84]

@xxAsteriskxx The size depends on how long that particular note is being played. It bugs me, though. I much rather prefer only the bars by themselves. They make more sense and leave more room for the mind to wander around listening to a masterpiece like this. :)

[@smalin]

@chrisguevara I hope to.

[@smalin]

@Alaron251 Uh, but I made the MIDI file, and I wrote the animation program ... doesn't that count for something?

[@TomDePlonty]

@rhcp4565 There isn't one "true" way of listening. Eyes closed, open while watching performers, following a score, watching this video - they are all different experiences that can clarify various aspects of the music. Since we can listen to the piece more than once, all of these experiences are available to us. As I pianist (who has played this quartet!) I found the video interesting and illuminating.

[@romanitza24]

Why not also the forth? I couldn't find it with animation :D I particularly like the animation for the Capriccio and the Second movement of the quartet, it helps you understand better the music, it gives you a very clear and visual picture of it. Thanks! I love your videos.

[@CrankyB1tsch]

it's like the DNA of the melody :) wonderfull

[@RarewareLover]

Amazing eargasm

[@pedrocapiroca1]

great animation !

[@franielee38]

Ayway you do it, you are a genius! i love it!

[@tiagobrandao6588]

10:43 damn now that's what i call viola power

[@jamaicanpianistcomposer]

IKR RIGHT!!! I agree too many violist tame with the passage.... so FINALLY I live!!!

[@omarchidofine]

haven't you thought about "picturing" Verdi's Requiem? At least the Dies Irae? It would be just MARVELOUS! I hope you read my comment. And again, thanks for this! =)

[@Trunkspowsword]

Hey Mr.Stephen. If you had the ability to turn back time and meet just one composer, who would that be?

[@pola0049]

Your visualization is the best I have ever seebn as it corresponds to a score. What programme do you use for that? With best wishes yours sincerely Dr. Thomas Pola

[@nicholson112358]

1:22. So awesome.

[@smalin]

@AEFic An inside joke might be amusing for insiders, but it's the outsiders who need to get the message. I'm thinking of providing a special interface for my videos that would deal with this problem ... we shall see ...

[@TFreckle]

@smalin I know it might not be possible - but perhaps if you enhanced the software to allow for a curvy-block notation. But I don't know - and it might not look good,

[@AEFic]

@smalin I actually prefer the way you have it now- it's less cumbersome- you can easily see the strings against the piano, and, from a cellist's perspective, I tend to feel that the balls better represent the feel of the bow and fingerboard.

[@PirateBug59]

If I ever start to stereotype someone because of the music I hear them listening to, I'm going to think of this comment. :) You are awesome.

[@athair937]

thank you very much!!

[@Waltzeminor]

infinite sadness. even with a broken heart I feel every key on my chest

[@Dreamer00]

@TheImpressed Personally, it reminds me of rain. First, there's the still before it starts raining, the the sound of the thunder storm rolling in slowly...and then suddenly, the thunder starts and the rain comes pouring down. The weather shifts from thunderstorm to rain shower, and to thunderstorm again, and then slowly dies away. :)

[@smalin]

@felipemp93 From Google/KZbin.

[@MaxPace89]

Epic! All epic! That's a shame you won't do Carmina Burana of Orf. :(

[@T42nk]

@smalin May I have some insight in your plans? Have you considered releasing your software as open source?

[@rhcp4565]

@smalin Wow that is really cool man. And yes I DID like the video--seeing the pitch of the notes via height on the screen was pretty cool, I agree with you. But still, Imo the best way is to just feel the music in your soul and ears. In the words of John Frusciante, "Its like I'm in the 4th dimension; no images; only pure sounds, and vibrations.." Ya know what I mean? Amazing video nonetheless though bro.

[@Seewedward]

a small part from 01:24 like a horror movie's music. Breathtaking!

[@brazilamaral]

@rhcp4565 it helps to understand the musical structure

[@athair937]

Excuse me for asking...but: by opus 60 you mean something like that of BWV in the case of Bach (i ask this because i would be glad to be able to just recall a simple number to, later on, listen to some Brahms music...) Thanks...!

[@nostalgiakarlk.f.7386]

2 big circles at 8:34!

[@accipiterignitus5123]

Maybe too big yeah😅

[@paulfilla1008]

5:06 tremendously exuberant

[@deadat12]

@smalin it does but... it may lag the viewers =/

[@AEFic]

Most rewarding reaction of anyone I've showed this to: My friend P.T., at 1:20... "Fuuuuuuck..."

[@TheFranzSchubert1]

Not a dumb question, it's smart of you to want to learn and brave of you to ask.

[@deadat12]

no one dislike this!!

[@T42nk]

@smalin Maybe you could put a box in every video that links to a tutorial how to make such a video. Maybe build a community that does this kind of visualizations, so that "almost everything" is visualized. I know that it is much work but maybe you can give it some thought, maybe find someone to help you or could do this kind of work for you.

[@MisuMakkusu]

9:41 - 9:48 So ahead of its time.

[@brander18]

Normally i'm listing to 50 cent,T.I. Lil Wayne, Rick Ross. When im studying i really like to listen to brahms. :-)

[@Tayroy]

@MrPiano1994 I think the composer put that in to kind of break the piece up just a little, me having no experience in music theory just guessing though, kind of like going from the first part of a song to the next. also tying up the ending and the beginning which to me sounds nearly the same except with more strings. again just me ,little to no practice in music theory, thinking about the piece and hoping to prove a little of useful input.

[@unashamedaccompanist]

That is because Brahms is in love/close relationship with his friends wife Clara Schumann and his friend (Robert Schumann) was just put in an asylum. He wanted to be true to his friend but still loved Clara. There are also literary references to Goethe's novel 'Werther' and 'Werther' is often a parenthetical or nickname title to this work. It comes back at the end because he is writing in Sonata form and that's what the form dictates.

[@AJMurdoc]

This may be a dumb question, but what would you call the form of this piece?

[@milfshake9173]

can you do Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy?

[@OobooChoo]

so what takes longer, learning the actual piece or making the animation for it? haha

[@felipemp93]

@smalin from who?

[@Grayfox541]

Which are the instruments? Yellow, orange and purple.

[@sebastianrc]

Is there any, more haunting melody than the one at 4:00?

[@AJMurdoc]

Such as sonata, double variation, or canon, for instance.

[@eduardoc4295]

you have the midi of that music ?

[@theletterwynn]

Don't fall in love now!