The secret lullabies of Brahms

[@calebhu6383]

I find Brahms' affinity with lullabies to be fascinating. Does anybody have any insight into why he used lullaby motifs so often in his music?

[@chickennoob7478]

Citing from piano angelicus, She argued that Schumann often used the descending scales motif as this is a secret language for “Clara”, and the motif can be found in a lot of Schumann’s pieces too (One of my most memorable one is Widmung in the lyrics Du meine Vonn, O Du mein smertz) As Brahms had a crush on Clara Schumann, it will be natural for Brahms to borrow the Clara motif to his pieces, especially considering op. 118 no. 2 is written for Clara and played at her funeral.

[@turtle945]

The Clara theme usually starts with C-Bflat-Aflat (or C B A in the Schumann's piano concerto) to represent Clara. However, Brahm's lullaby theme always has an ascending fourth preceding the descending note pattern. Why is this? Well, Wiegenlied was a secret love song to Brahm's other crush, Bertha Faber. If you look at the notes to Wiegenlied and op 117 no. 1, this lullaby theme starts with B flat - E flat ( B - Es in german) which are the first two letters of Bertha. So perhaps we should start calling this the "Bertha" theme 😉

[@calebhu6383]

@@turtle945 whoa

[@chickennoob7478]

@@turtle945 An astute theory. Yet I do have a counterargument: Schumann already uses a lot of the configuration with an ascending 4th/6th (Like Kinderscenen) and I believe that your theory does not support this phenomenon. So it is possible that Brahms borrowed that particular variant. Schumann’s Clara motif can be extended, reduced, inverted, or even adding ascending leaps.

[@chickennoob7478]

Yet, maybe Brahms are so genius that he played on the Clara motif and secretly altering it into the meaning of Bertha, so your argument is an interesting matter to be studied by music historians

[@turtle945]

Brahms was a professional napper

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

True just ask Liszt

[@egetuncay7580]

HOW CAN YOU SLEEP WHILE LISZT PLAYS YOU HIS GREAT PIANO SONATA IN B MINOR

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

@@egetuncay7580 people interpret that anecdote to mean that Brahms was so uninterested in the sonata and held it in such low regard as to fall asleep out of boredom during the composer's own rendition. Whilst that's isn't a totally unfair view, given Brahms' position on Liszt and his circle, I reckon Brahms was just a sleepy guy and was particularly sleepy that day. We've all fallen asleep during the first half of a concert after a long day's work, running on 4 hours sleep.

[@turtle945]

@@egetuncay7580 Everyone probably fell asleep to classical music back in the day if they played it the way wim winters claims.

[@calebhu6383]

​@@sebastian-benedictflore Well he had just travelled quite far by carriage-at least that was Brahms' excuse.

[@felix.h_]

Lars Vogt's rendition of op. 118 no 2 is so wonderful, thank you for paying respect to him.❤

[@jerryli9002]

ever since i watched this video the motif keeps on appearing everywhere when i listen to brahms - like the slow movements of his second cello sonata and first symphony

[@micheasz2552]

7:45 its also worth noting, that Brahms uses almost the same motif in the beginning of his song ,,Immer leiser wird Mein Schlummer" - ,,My sleep grows ever quieter". Also very lullaby-like!

[@gigogrom216]

Good to see another Brahms's fan here! Amazing work

[@DrBeroSP]

The Lullaby Motif was a rich vein that Brahms mined for many gems. In additiion to the ones you featured, another one of my favorites is the melody of the Trio of the Scherzo movement of the Piano Trio No. 1.

[@barcarolleenjoyer]

Correction - at 5:52 the piece is op 118 no 5, not op 118 no 1. Great work! I didnt know such a connection existed between Schumann and Brahms until i watched this video.

[@calebhu6383]

Right, I realized after. It's correct in the description

[@RiccardoFaggi]

Extremely interesting analysis of some works by the great Brahms! Good job!👏🏻

[@afifi21]

I also noticed the main theme of Clarinet Trio's first mvt. contains the descending 'five-note motif' (1:24) in the minor key. The other later pieces which use this motif are mostly in minor, such as op. 118 no. 2, op. 119 no. 1, and op. 120 no. 1. However, op. 117 no. 1 and op. 118 no. 5 are in major, so maybe it wasn't all gloomy for Brahms in his later years. Thanks for the great vid!

[@ralphiesal]

he also used this in one of his choral works, O Schone Nacht. Basses sing that motif in their second time appearing.

[@Dichweed]

Nicely put together.

[@johnphillips5993]

One thing I’m surprised you didn’t mention is how this Lullaby motif actually resembles the descending 5-note Clara motif Schumann uses all the time, which you can actually see in the Schumann Album Leaf op.99/5. The B flat at the end of the lullaby motif is followed by an A flat, finishing the 5 note descension. Another thing I realized is that the motif in “Einsame Blumen” (Solitary Flowers) from Schumann’s Waldszenen kind of resembles the Lullaby theme and the Clara theme. This number is probably the second most devastating major key work ever written outside of Brahms op.117/1

[@christophersims7426]

You missed two great uses of the second lullaby in Op. 76 (very underrated, imo): at the climax of the first phrase in no.6, and in a stark minor key setting in no. 7.

[@calebhu6383]

Yes, good catches. I'm sure there are many more that aren't listed either. Just goes to show how much that motif was ingrained into Brahms' mind.

[@antoineroche2073]

Yes ! By the way for the n°7 I also see a clear reference to Chopin's nocturne in F minor op 55 n°1.

[@andrearossi22]

Great video, very well done!

[@marcboschmanzano1642]

I have played the Intermezzo Op. 118 no. 2. When I was seeing the video I wondered if it would appear, and, actually, it was mentonied on it, at the last minute. I remember the major part has this Brahms motive, but the minor one I was surpressed that it is also overused in it.

[@barcarolleenjoyer]

Also i think this motif appears in op 119 no 4 - in bars 4-6, note the middle voice that spells (Bb-Eb-D-C-Bb)

[@edgarreitz7067]

The beauty in Brahms lullaby lies in the accompaignement, which is actually another song! Thats where you find the real text too!

[@pulsar2049]

Glad I wasn't only the on that thinks Brahm's waltz sounds similar to his lullaby.

[@en-blanc-et-noir]

good boy... interesting video :D

[@mylifeiscello]

Very interesting! By the way, you can also see this motif in Schumann's Blumenstück op.19, exactly in the beginning

[@krabcanon]

1:45 Bunte Blätter actually just means "random pages", but the translation to "colorful leaves" is also permissible because both words have double meanings in German. There's a reasonable probability that it's supposed to be a humorous word play on both of those meanings, considering that Schumann's original working title was "Chaff" (Spreu). As correctly stated, the work consists of short pieces that were discarded, and Schumann intended to communicate this fact in a pretty nonchalant way, with a hint of sarcasm.

[@calebhu6383]

Thanks, good info.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

7:45 the theme in Schumann Ghost variations? Not sure but the Schumann one sounds like a lullaby itself, if not in the same musical sense.

[@matthewnell]

Brahms Influencer 🤩

[@franzliszt3195]

Hey, this Brahms syn 2 inverted -- it's fantastic. Where can I hear the full version?

[@franzliszt3195]

I hear it later in the movement. Too bad he didn't stay in the minor key more. Everything sounds better in the minor key. As Stalin said to the Moscow philharmic conductor, ' perhaps you could play more minor key pieces'. To which the conductnr immediately said, ' good idea!'

[@sasha_sokol]

Last movement of Mahler 3!? Considering how the first movement's opening also references Brahms...

[@penpow]

A little correction - it's op. 118/5 not op.118/1 that shares the lullaby-esque motif

[@user-uv3ux3jm3g]

Maravillosa melodia

[@anhducduong0105]

Lullaby, lullaby everywhere in Brahm's music 😅

[@paolomartinelli3119]

Op. 56a - Finale.

[@soratonin]

no wonder I find Brahms to be so snoozeworthy (this is a joke, I had a huge headache while at a performance of his fourth symphony and fell asleep)