Sonatensatz in C minor, WoO 2

Johannes Brahms
If it were necessary for composers to play all of the instruments for which they write, the musical literature would be very scant
indeed. Fortunately, it is not. In the case of Brahms, there is no evidence that he ever played the violin. His understanding of the violin
came about in a very personal, almost hands-on way. When he was only 17, he went on the road as accompanist to the Hungarian
violinist Eduard Remnyi. At the elbow of this brilliant fiddler, young Johannes learned much about the instruments technique and,
as a bonus, came to know and love the Hungarian music Remnyi always included on his programs.
But Brahms debt to Remnyi does not stop there, for it was he who introduced the young composer to Joseph Joachim, who, although
only two years older than Brahms, was, at age 22 when they met, already a famous artist. A friendship developed immediately
between the two musicians, a friendship which, except for a brief period, was deep and abiding.
The personal and musical value of Joachims friendship to Brahms is impossible to measure. It was Joachim who godfathered Brahms
Violin Concerto and whose spirit hovers over Brahms three Violin Sonatas, the Double Concerto, and the Scherzo on tonights
program.
The Scherzo is now something of an orphan, although it was intended to be the second movement of a collaborative sonata, conceived
as a welcoming gift for Joachim in Dsseldorf, with a first movement written by Albert Dietrich, the third and fourth by Robert
Schumann. The recipient was asked to guess the author of each movement, which he did quite easily. [The F.A.E. of the title are the
letters of Joachims maxim, Frei, aber einsam (Free, but lonely), and are used as notes of a motif of the sonata.]
Brahms contribution could hardly be mistaken the composers youthful (age 20) footprints are evident: the taut energy, beginning
with the violins Beethovenesque three-short-and-a-long; the syncopations and cross-rhythms; the intermezzo-like lyricism of a trio
that cant resist brandishing some main section materials for the sake of unity; and a closing grandeur which seems to define the
young eagles (Schumanns appellation) soaring aspirations and his extravagant regard for Joachim.
Orrin Howard

Robert Schumann - Johannes Brahms - Albert Dietrich
The F-A-E Sonata is a collaborative musical work by Robert Schumann, the young Brahms, and Schumann's pupil Albert
Dietrich. It was composed in Dsseldorf in October 1853. It was Schumann's idea as a gift to Joseph Joachim, violinist
friend of the three composers. Joachim's motto was "Frei abereinsam" ("free but lonely"), so all the movements were
based on the notes F-A-E.
Dietrich wrote the 1st part in sonata form. Schumman followed with a romanze for the second. The scherzo was by
Brahms, and Schumman provided the finale. The score was presented to joachim on 28 October at a soire in the
Schumann household, which Bettina von Arnim and her daughter Gisela also attended, and he was challenged to
determine who had composed each movement. Joachim played the work that evening, with Clara Schumann at piano,
identifying each movement's author with ease.
Schumann incorporated his two movements into his Violin Sonata no. 3; Brahms scherzo was published in 1906, ten
years after its composer's death. It is not know if Dietrich made further use of his composition. The complete piece was
first published as such in 1935. The piece has been arranged for cello and piano by Steven Isserlis, the Enligsh cellist and
Schumann aficionado.

Scherzo in C Minor for from "F.A.E Sonata"
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Born May 7, 1833, Hamburg
Died April 3, 1897, Vienna
The brief Scherzo in C Minor was Brahms' contribution to the F-A-E Sonata. Joachim had liked Brahms' scherzo movement enough
that he had it published separately in 1906, nine years after the composer's death. It has become part of the repertory, for while it is a
very early work and Brahms did not choose to publish it, this music already shows a powerful individual style and a firm command of
scherzo form. It is in the expected ABA form. The outer sections are built on a pounding 6/8 meter, sounded first on the violin's open
G string and quickly answered by hammering piano chords. The brief 2/4 trio section, lyric but somber, leads quickly back to the
opening material. Brahms provides a surprise at the close by building a huge cadence on a reminiscence of the trio theme.
This music has appeared under several titles. It is sometimes called Sonatensatz ("Sonata Movement"), a name that apparently
originated with Joachim at the time of its publication in 1906. For his part, Brahms simply marked this powerful music Allegro.