An analysis of INTERMEZZO in A MAJOR, Op. 118, No.

2, by Brahms

By Nadav Ben-ozer

The Intermezzo in A Major is part of the 6-piece Sechs Klavierstücke Op. 118 that was published

in 1893. It was one of Brahms’ last compositions for piano and among his last compositions in

general. This is the third of four series of short pieces for the piano (Op. 116 – Op. 119. Many

scholars believe that this collection, along with the later one Op. 119, were composed for Clara

Schuman, as he sent her a copy upon completing them, hoping to inspire her. It is also believed

that Op. 118 was a Clara’s favorite, as she played pieces from it for the composer on their last

meeting in September of 1895. The Intermezzo in A Major is the most popular and performed

piece of this collection.

The piece is written in the classical form of A – B – A’, and is generally lyrical, delicate

and emotional in character. One might even sense an overall feeling of longing and pain

throughout the piece. Even though the melody usually gives a sense of tonality, it is hard to say

that there are not moments of tonal ambiguity along the way. Tonal chords are often placed on

weak beats or in unstable inversions, and full cadences in the tonic key are quite hard to find.

The strong emphasis on sub-dominant harmonies also helps with breaking the familiar tonic-

dominant progressions throughout the piece. A good example are the first 2 bars of the piece,

in which instead of stating the tonic clearly, the harmony stays on the IV degree, and goes to a

cadence only in the 3rd bar. Furthermore, the composer tends to masterfully joggle between

parallel major and minor keys, both in the melody and in the harmony, and the use of
secondary chords and pedal points is common. In the macro level, one of the most noticeable

devices that comes into use is the relative and parallel key relationships between the different

sections. Other than using the dominant key of E in the A section as we might expect, Brahms

modulates to the relative key of F# minor for the B section, then to the parallel key of F# major.

This device definitely compliments the frequent mode mixture, both in the melody and in the

harmony, throughout the entire piece, and contributes in creating an atmosphere of reflection

and yearning. Diminished chords are used in the piece not only as a dominant function (e.g. m.

11, m.55) but also as transitional common-tone diminished chords that help enrich the

harmony and smoothen the tonal clearity (m. 17, 94).

The A section is combined of a a-b-a’-b’ form. The first sentence of theme 1a is a clear

statement on the tonic, and is then repeated (m. 5) with a different ending, and this time going

to the dominant key area. After a repetition of the whole theme (m. 9-16), we move to a new

theme (m. 17), based around the dominant but still not giving a clear tonality felling. As the

melody is slowly reaching up in little picks and later on ascending in a chromatic manner (m. 25)

till reaching the very pick at m. 30, the lower voices are drawing a rich progression, derived by a

colorful chromatic voice leading. As we move through the lower 6th, the lower 2nd (who evolves

into a short appearance of a secondary German chord on m. 22), and non-chord-tone pedal

notes (notice the efficient use of syncopation against the melody on bars 30-34)), the music is

gaining more uncertainty, drama and intensity, which are also supported by a couple of

cresendi. After reaching the very pick of A5 (m. 30) and going back to the key of A, the next

transitional material feels like a discharge of the tension. It is interesting to see the

reappearance of the small motive (m1) as we reach m. 29, and then the echo of its first
fragment in the bass in the following bars (30-34). One might give a feeling of a far cry, longing

for love, or an answered shout echoes in space. The melody of this subsection forms a shape of

descending line, going from A4 to A3, once in major and once in the natural minor- another

example of mode mixture that is so characteristic in the piece. Notice how the end of the

second descending line (3rd beat of m. 34) is interlaced with the beginning of the next

subsection and helps getting a smooth transition between periods.

The first motive M1 is appearing again in a slight variation (starts with an inversion of

the melody and in a higher register) on bar 34. On bar 38 the first sentence of theme 2a is

repeated, this time in the key of A and with a more stable harmonic progression. It ends with a

little codetta (m. 46) that features fragment m1 from the first theme and gives a sense of

closure. Judging by the harmonic material and the dynamics, the second appearance of theme

2a (m. 38) seems like a reflection or an echo of the first one, with a much more delicate and

quiet feeling.

The B section starts on bar 49, and features a series of repeated periods in the form of

a-a-b-a’, or 3a-3a-3b-3a’ as indicated on the score. It moves between the relative F# minor, it’s

parallel F# major and back, and features harmonic richness and a charming exchange of roles

between the soprano and the alto voices (themes 3a and 3a’). The soprano part in the first

subsection descends linearly from F#5 (m. 49) to C#4 (m. 56), as Brahms occasionally decorates

the main line with 4-note figures in eight-notes. Notice the interesting use of the first motive of

the section (m3), as it repeats in a canonic manner in the inner voice, only on a different beat

and with the first two notes played as quarter-notes (m. 49). This idea of canonic repetition

appears again in subsection 3a’ as the inner voice takes the lead, and in the middle subsection
as well (the soprano melody is repeated in the top voice of the left hand 2 beats later- m. 57).

The middle theme of the section (3b) is played in a chorale texture and pianissimo dynamic,

and ends with a fermata. It is almost as if it has a sacred character to it. It starts with a similar

motif in the top voice, this time in major, and features a use of hemiola, as the melody gives a

feeling of a 4/4 meter.

We then return to the A section on bar 76, only this time with slight abbreviations. On

bar 78, after the familiar leap from B4 to A5, the music starts descending instead of going back

to A4, and gets a chromatic twist. The repetition of the first theme is also shorter- 8 measures

instead of 16. The rest of the reprise stays almost identical to the first A section all the way to

the end.

Another interesting fact, that with no doubt helps shaping the unique character of the

intermezzo, is that all of the themes, without exception, starts on a pickup, either on or off beat

3. This rhythmic device is not only used for a purpose of metric displacement and in order to

blur the bar line, but it also creates a feeling of forward motion, and adds to the overall

emotions of expectation and longing that arouses in the music. The first clear appearance of

such metric modulation occurs between bars 16 and 24, as it sounds like the down beat has

been shifted to the 3rd beat. This metric modulation is also repeated in the reprise (m. 85-90).

Overall, we can see a strong symmetry in the piece, both in a large-scale and in a small-

scale. The form of the piece, A – B – A, is almost perfect, with only slight changes in the reprise.

This binary form is also present within the sections, e.g. the B section’s form of a – b – a’

(whereas the first subsection is repeated). Another moment worth mentioning is the

enharmonic spelling that occurs in the middle subsection of the B section, m. 59-60. We have a
ii-V-I cadence to the 3rd degree (A# minor), but the first two chords are spelled with flats

instead of sharps. Why does Brahms choose to do so? One might suggest that he is visually

directing us to the home key of A, where the chord F is the lowered VI degree. If we look more

closely, we can spot this chord in the A section (m. 20), and so the enharmonic spelling might

be used to connects between these two moments.