Johannes Brahms
Six Pieces
Op. 118
About Johannes Brahms's Six Pieces
Of Brahms’s late collections of piano music, this is perhaps the one arranged most efficiently to work as a set.
Indeed, the introductory character and ambiguous harmony of the first piece makes it almost impossible to play on its own.
The second piece is one of Brahms’s most beloved creations, a deeply lyrical and moving nocturne.
As with all Brahms’s piano pieces from the 1890s, these masterful miniatures are full of the motivic density and complexity so typical of his later style.
The pieces were sent as a gift to Clara Schumann immediately upon their completion. Brahms biographer Jan Swafford has surmised:
“he may have composed the pieces to try and keep Clara Schumann going in body and soul. Since she could only play a few minutes at a time now, and because she loved these miniatures so deeply, maybe they did keep her alive.”
| Preview | Title | Key | Year | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1. Intermezzo | A Minor | 1893 | 8+ |
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2. Intermezzo | A Major | 1893 | 8+ |
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3. Ballade | G Minor | 1893 | 8+ |
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4. Intermezzo | F Minor | 1893 | 8+ |
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5. Romance | F Major | 1893 | 8+ |
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6. Intermezzo | E-flat Minor | 1893 | 8+ |
Forum posts about the Six Pieces by Johannes Brahms
What should i learn next? by hxzerrr
Hi everybody! I’m new to this forum. I’m a quite advanced piano studend. I need to start a new repertoire for this summer, any suggestio...
Brahms – Intermezzo in E flat minor (Opus 118 no. 6) by rosejaune177
I recently learnt the well-known Intermezzo in A major (Op. 118 no. 2). I'm now considering no. 6. It doesn't seem to be as widely...
Schumann or Brahms? by kos91
Good evening, I have to choose a work for an exam (bachelor degree). Since Schumann's works (which I like very much) are quite huge ov...
Brahms opus 118 Intermezzo in A: small hands big chord! by divonnais
I am learning this beautiful piece. I have a problem with the chord in bars 34, 36 and repeated later as I cannot make the tenth in the LH. ...
Can I play just a couple pieces in a series? by tjinaz
I want to learn just the first two pieces of the six Op 118 pieces by Brahms. Is that okay? If I'm performing, and I just play two pie...
116, 117, 118, or 119? by cloches_de_geneve
I'd like to learn one of these late Brahms cycles, perhaps also to put them on concert programs later on. Anyone who has learned them a...
Brahms opus 118 by andantemolto
I would like to know the views of pianists who have mastered all of Brahms pieces OP.118 Any tips would be good, to make a good performance ...
Brahms op. 117-119 are the greatest piano pieces ever written by elevateme_returns
Does anybody agree with me?...
idil biret and brahms by pianistimo
i happened to hear idol biret play the entire op. 118 of brahms and was stunned. i didn't know that much about her? berfore - but...
best brahms recordings by earthward
I'm looking for a good interpretation of Brahms Op. 118. I have one by Idel Biret but i'm not satisfied with it. Any suggestions...