Brahms, Piano Quartet, C Minor, 3rd mvt, Andante, opus 60

One of Brahms' most beautiful slow movements, for string trio with piano.

FAQ

Q: Who is playing this piece?
A: Sorry, I don't know. I licensed this recording from Keith Salmon, of Royalty Free Classical Music (dot org).

Q: Who is this Brahms person?
A: You can read about him here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahms

Q: If it's a piano quartet, why do I hear violins?
A: A piece of music for a solo instrument accompanied by a piano is most often called a sonata (violin sonata, flute sonata, etc.), but when a string trio (violin, viola, violoncello) is joined by a piano, it's called a piano quartet. A piece for four pianists is usually referred to as "eight-hand piano music." Go figure.

Q: Something sounds wrong in the second beat of the measure that starts at 5:26.
A: Yes; the violist plays a D-natural on the second beat; it should be a D-sharp.

Q: This is really beautiful; what other pieces are like this?
A: I don't know of another piece that's this beautiful in quite this way, but the other piano trios, quartets and quintets of Schubert, Schumann and Brahms are really good, so that's a good place to start.

Q: Is there a way I could make the bar-graph scores myself?
A: The Music Animation Machine MIDI file player will generate this display; you can get the (Windows) software here:
http://www.musanim.com/player/
There are lots of places on the web where you can get MIDI files; I usually go to the Classical Archives site first:
http://www.classicalarchives.com/

Q: Could you please do a MAM video of _________?
A: First, check my "to do" list:
http://www.musanim.com/all/MAMToDoList.html ...
If the piece isn't listed, read the "Could you please do a MAM video of _________?" item on my main FAQ:
http://www.musanim.com/mam/mamfaq.html#copyright ...
and if you think I'd consider doing it, email me (stephen at musanim dot com).

Q: Can I get a DVD with videos like this?
A: Yes:
http://www.musanim.com/mam/video.html

Q: What do the colors in the bar-graph score mean?
A: The colors indicate: violin, viola, violoncello, piano top staff, piano bottom staff.

Q: Why do the scores move at different speeds?
A: The bar-graph score is graphical, and in it, time translates exactly into horizontal position; conventional notation is symbolic, so there is usually one symbol per note, regardless of whether it's a long or a short note, and the symbols are more or less evenly spaced (for legibility); so, when the notes are faster, the notation needs to move faster to keep up.

Q: Why am I crying?
A: I don't know, but the first time I heard this piece in a concert, I cried too. I also cried the first time I read through it with string players. Something about it.
.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• Brahms
• chamber
• quartet
• piano
• strings
• beautiful

[Montyleeny14]

Why is the score stating the music in C#minor/E major? It says C minor on the video, doesn't it? And all movements are in C minor, so no exception if the score says so in another key, unless it was a deliberate modulation - for which it is unlikely.

[smalin]

@Montyleeny14 The quartet as a whole is in C minor, but this movement is in E major.

[Shanelololol]

@smalin E major is relative to C# minor so it would have the same key signature anyway.

[smalin]

@Shanelololol That's true, but this is C minor (not C# minor). This movement is in a very different tonal area than the rest of the piece.

[alphabet661]

Regarding the key signature - Brahms originally had this in C # minor but changed it to C minor. The E major would be the raised third, a key area exploited starting from very late Hadyn and mid period Beethoven onward.

For those into counterpoint,it is rather amazing the intricacy of it and yet the primary lines still get through.

[Nesie1525]

Too boring for me, still can't get the meaning.

[jeffg2020]

@smalin Yes - it is.

[TAfTfilms]

@Flynamix Either the username is not seriously indicative of their beliefs, or they are cartoonishly pretentious. If they had on a turtle neck when they posted that, it would not surprise me one bit. Not to say turtlenecks are inherently ironic or pretentious.

[somnynightin78]

To imagine such beauty exist then it has to end, is quite disturbing.

[terrybeaton]

I love the pizzicato (spelling?) around 8:00.

[rob062388]

I like this take of the performance more than the one with the other animation style. There are subtle differences between the two performances. This one sounds a little more flowing and weepy, which I prefer. The other seems too quick with certain notes. Am I just too picky? :P I still love this song most out of almost everything on the channel though.

[Flynamix]

@TAfTfilms Right!? The shark contrast between an internal dislike for offspring, and a resolute eye for beauty makes me think of classical irony.

[windowsfuck]

Nice post, nice video, nice explain.. ! (: