Brahms's Violin Sonatas: Style, Structure, Performance

Notation in Johannes Brahms''s sonata scores tells violinists and pianists far more than merely what pitches to play and how long to play them - if read carefully, these scores reveal an immense amount of expression, both of musical and human essence... Read more

Notation in Johannes Brahms''s sonata scores tells violinists and pianists far more than merely what pitches to play and how long to play them - if read carefully, these scores reveal an immense amount of expression, both of musical and human essences. Joel Lester''s Brahms''s Violin Sonatasmagnifies key passages from these scores, revealing in clear and accessible language how the composer built his themes and musical narratives and how, ultimately, Brahms''s music came to sound Brahmsian. Through close readings and annotated musical examples, Brahms''s Violin Sonatas guidespractitioners to read scores with care and to develop their own informed interpretation of the pieces, eschewing the notion of a single "correct" interpretation of the historical score. By exploring not only the sonatas'' musical elements, but also their relationship to important events in thecomposer''s life, Lester shows how subtle components can communicate the gestures, moods, personalities, and emotions that make Brahms''s music so compelling. A companion volume to the author''s award-winning 1999 study Bach''s Works for Solo Violin: Style, Structure, and Performance (OUP), Brahms''sViolin Sonatas is a clear and practical guide to understanding and performing Brahms''s music in the present. Less