Johannes Brahms

This dance is in the first of the four books that house the 21 works comprising Brahms' Hungarian Dances for piano, four-hands. Unlike Bartók, Kodály, Vaughan Williams, and other later composers devoted to exposing the riches of folk music, Brahms was less interested in accurately presenting the native elements of the folk idiom. Instead, he used its sonic flavors and character to mix with his own unique style to yield a sort of colorful hybrid. Thus, as in this D minor Hungarian Dance, one hears a good measure of folk-ish character, but molded into a recognizably Brahmsian product. The work opens with a vigorous, rhythmic theme of Hungarian flavor that, upon each appearance, gradually loses its initial momentum and turns slower and more ponderous. The middle section is comprised of a theme that again exhibits a certain Eastern European exoticism, but also, ironically, divulges a noticeable resemblance to the popular beginner's piano piece Chopsticks. But Brahms makes the music here go at a frantic pace and infuses it with much color. The work closes after a re-appearance of the main material. This D minor Hungarian Dance typically has a duration of three minutes.