Brahms, Johannes : 16 Walzer Op.39
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Author : Wada, Mayuko
Last Updated: July 1, 2007
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Author : Wada, Mayuko
Disappointed by the lack of recognition in his hometown of Hamburg, Brahms moved to Vienna in 1862. This collection of 16 waltzes, Op. 39, was composed in January 1865, during his third year in Vienna. Brahms initially composed these waltzes for piano four-hands. Almost concurrently, he arranged them for solo piano, and even wrote simpler versions for children. Later, he also made arrangements for two pianos.
The solo piano versions were dedicated to the music critic Eduard Hanslick. Upon receiving the collection, Hanslick expressed his surprise, stating, "The serious and taciturn Brahms, that disciple of Schumann, a North German Protestant, a man as unworldly as Schumann, has written waltzes."
At that time in Vienna, Johann Strauss was known as the "Waltz King" and was at the height of his popularity. Due to the prosperity of the Strauss family, waltzes were considered purely recreational music, meant for dancing. It was in this context that Brahms, who was regarded as a proponent of absolute music, composed these domestic and lighthearted waltzes.
Compared to Strauss's waltzes, Brahms's waltzes are smaller-scale miniatures. Characteristically, they are simple and possess a flavor closer to the Ländler, the predecessor of the waltz. Inspired by the composition of these waltzes, Brahms went on to compose many other works with waltz rhythms, such as the "Liebeslieder Waltzes" and "Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes" with vocal quartet, and lullabies with waltz rhythms.
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