Johannes Brahms - String Sextet, No. 2, Op. 36 (1865)

Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 - 3 April 1897) was a German composer and pianist of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria. His reputation and status as a composer are such that he is sometimes grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as one of the "Three Bs" of music, a comment originally made by the nineteenth-century conductor Hans von Bülow.
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String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36 (1864-65)
1. Allegro non troppo (0:00)
2. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso (16:17)
3. Poco Adagio (23:52)
4. Poco Allegro (33:49)
Members of the VIENNA OCTET
Anton Fietz, 1st violin
Wilhelm Hübner, 2nd violin
Günther Breitenbach, 1st viola
Josef Staar, 2nd viola
Ferenc Mihaly, 1st cello
Adalbert Skocic, 2nd cello
rec. 1972
Description by John Palmer [-]
After Brahms' successful Sextet No. 1 in B flat Major, Op. 18 was published in 1862, he embarked on a second in September 1864, which was completed the following May. It was published in 1866, and the first performance in Austria followed on February 3, 1867, in Vienna. Quieter and more reflective than the first sextet, the second did not achieve the immediate success enjoyed by its predecessor. During the composition of the Second Sextet, Brahms kept the work to himself. Brahms' relationship with Agathe von Siebold, a singer in Göttingen for whom he had composed the Lieder, Op. 14 and Op. 19, had reached a point of such intensity that both she and her friends assumed an engagement was imminent. Brahms was intent on continuing to see Siebold, although he did not wish to "wear fetters," as he put it in a letter to her. Siebold broke off the relationship, leaving Brahms despondent. The Sextet, Op. 36, is really dedicated to her. Three times near the end of the first-movement exposition the first and second violins, together, spell "Agathe" by playing the pitches A-G-A-D-H-E ("H" is the German designation for B natural). After the composition of the Sextet, Brahms noted to a friend, "Here I have freed myself from my last love."
The themes of all four movements are related. The first opens with a rising fifth that proceeds up a half step, only to leap up another fifth. The theme of the Adagio third movement follows the same pattern except the leaps are fourths separated by a whole step. The tremolo opening of the fourth movement includes leaps of fourths and fifths and movement by whole steps, while these same intervals permeate the ensuing thematic material. Leaps of fourths and fifths are buried in the accompaniment of the Scherzo, while the Trio theme features the original pattern in the opposite direction.
From the beginning, the ambivalent main theme of the Allegro ma non troppo first movement shifts between G major and E flat major, a repeated G - F sharp tremolo in the first viola providing the only anchor in the nebulous first 30 measures. The tremolo permeates the entire development section of the lengthy movement, the coda of which presents the main theme fully in G major, without the E flat inflections.
Instead of placing a slow movement second, Brahms follows the Allegro with a somewhat gloomy, minor mode Scherzo in 2/4 meter. A jocular central section, shifting to the major and a 3/4 meter, provides a foil to the mood of the Scherzo. The pensive Adagio, a set of five variations with a coda, contains some of the most dense contrapuntal layering of the sextet. The stormy finale is a combination of rondo and sonata forms. The opening six measures reappear several times on different harmonies, dominating the texture of the movement.
First Performance:
1866-10-11 in Boston, Concert of the Mendelssohn Quintet Club.
William Schultze, Karl Hamm, Thomas Ryan, Eduard Heindl, Rudolph Hennig, Alexander Heindl
1866-11-20 in Zürich, Erste Quartett Soiree des Orchestervereins, Großer Saal des Kasinos.
Friedrich Hegar, Nordmann, Kahl, Geisser, Spiegel, and Kriebel

[@kodygoad9711]

Wow. I’d not heard this before. That opening was so lovely and unexpected.

[@isha9300]

very famous chamber piece

[@cadd9572]

@@isha9300 lol no need to be sassy

[@isha9300]

@@cadd9572 i wasn't ? it's an actual famously played chamber piece

[@petermerelis]

the final resolution of the poco adagio against that cello pedal point has to be one of the most satisfying moments in all of music

[@mr-wx3lv]

I'm seeing a lot about this piece recently on KZbin and other platforms. It must be it's time to shine so to speak. It's pretty gorgeous really. And voted by many as the most representative piece by Brahms.

[@rowanjones1435]

This is such a fun piece to play. I played first violin in a sextet with some friends from school, and it came together so well. Kudos to the uploader for the score it is very helpful!

[@masoncianfrani-shin7290]

Smoothest transition to recap at 10:53

[@tamerlano]

That opening is gorgeous...almost a look forward to Debussy.

[@cadd9572]

Debussy? I mean it’s a slightly unusual opening but I don’t hear Debussy at all

[@classicallpvault8251]

Please stop already. Debussy never reached Brahms' level of mastering musical forms. Debussy had a very original and influential melodic and harmonic language but was nowhere near the composer Brahms ended up being. Does he have any better entertainment music than the Hungarian Dances? Nope. Does he have a symphony? No. A piano or violin concerto? No. Brahms wrote 4 symphonies, 3 excellent piano sonatas, 4 concertos and a ton of structurally over-arching sonata-based chamber music. Debussy tended to write works consisting of separate tunes and thematic development and larger forms were not exactly his strength. Brahms was on a similar level of originality of harmony and melody while being a master at taking a wee bit of thematic material to make a large scale work from, which Debussy wasn't nearly as good at.

[@user-cs4ls1xi5u]

Первая часть, в особенности начало звучит таинственно,завораживающие. Звуки скрипки и виолончели уносят тебя в параллельную реальност,вселённую.

[@Silviola824]

Performed this piece recently (2nd viola). It was amazing, exactly what I love and expect out of a chamber piece. Just wish 2nd viola had a little more to do in some spots :)

[@christophedevos3760]

Very beautiful, well-crafted, and like very often, the musical piece outlasted the relationship. Thanks for sharing.

[@Cubeinthesky]

Great upload, great music

[@steveegallo3384]

Great to re-hear this Masterpiece......Spellbinding!

[@dmytrotsvyntarnyi799]

The most beautiful thing I've ever played as for now (1st viola)

[@musc.984]

32:12-33:08 is some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard, the way the tension is built up and then released in this magnificent passage evokes so much emotion from the listener, what a wonderful genius masterpiece this is

[@laurenalacroix5114]

music appreciation, Michigan!

[@Nilmand]

Outstanding music

[@robert-skibelo]

Great performance.

[@notaire2]

Wunderschöne und gut phrasierte Interpretation dieses spätromantischen und perfekt komponierten Sextetts in verschiedenen Tempi mit seidigen Tönen beider Violinen, milden Tönen beider Bratschen und tiefen Tönen beider Violoncelli. Der dritte Satz klingt besonders schön und echt bezaubernd. Im Kontrast klingt der letzte Satz echt lebhaft und auch dynamisch. Die intime und perfekt entsprechende Miteinanderwirkung zwischen den sechs Virtuosen ist wahrhaft ergreifend. Wunderbar und atemberaubend zugleich!

[@jameslee2943]

Great recording, thanks for posting! Is it available on CD/download anywhere?

[@jacobsumner3694]

LOL I was just getting really into this piece the other week. Read my mine with this upload xD

[@theodorosvakontios1873]

What an unusual piece

[@rubeng9092]

Brahms

[@gezaradai2958]

Boring.

[@petermerelis]

I feel sorry for you

[@Maximilian2808]

poor boy

[@Radiatoron88]

When getting to know classical music, in my experience, anyway, it sometimes takes time to become familiar with a piece. But after you do--and it might take a few listenings or more--you might find that you love a given piece more than you could have imagined. Give the last movement of this quartet a few listenings if you can. While doing chores or washing dishes, whatever, just so that you can get to know it as comfortably as possible. I really love this last movement, so much that I've yet to really get to know the rest of the quartet. Anyway, wishing you more joy in music.