Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Nationality:
German
Born: May 7, 1833, Hamburg Died: April 3, 1897, Vienna (age 63)
String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36, "Agathe"
(for 2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos)
| 13:40 | I. | Allegro non troppo | |
| 7:37 | II. | Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso | |
| 9:18 | III. | Poco adagio | |
| 8:41 | IV. | Poco allegro |
Duration: 40 minutes (approximately)
Composed:
1864-1865 (age 30-32)
Premiere:
October 11, 1866. Boston. Concert of the Mendelssohn Quintet Club
Published:
1866, April. Bonn: N. Simrock (age 32-33)
Note: According to Brahms' biographer Karl Geiringer, it conceals a reference to the first name of Agathe von Siebold (with whom he was infatuated at the time) in the first movement, bars 162–168, with the notes a-g-a-h-e.
9 recordings,
30 videos
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14:40
Music@Menlo
I. Allegro non troppo
7:37
Music@Menlo
II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso
8:41
Music@Menlo
III. Poco adagio
9:08
Music@Menlo
IV. Poco allegro
14:08
Renaud Capuçon, et. al.
I. Allegro non troppo
7:19
Renaud Capuçon, et. al.
II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso
8:55
Renaud Capuçon, et. al.
III. Poco adagio
9:12
Renaud Capuçon, et. al.
IV. Poco allegro
14:09
Nash Ensemble
I. Allegro non troppo
7:03
Nash Ensemble
II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso
8:54
Nash Ensemble
III. Poco adagio
8:12
Nash Ensemble
IV. Poco allegro
16:28
Marlboro Recording Society
I. Allegro non troppo
8:30
Marlboro Recording Society
II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso
12:11
Marlboro Recording Society
III. Poco adagio
8:41
Marlboro Recording Society
IV. Poco allegro
14:13
Quatuor Sine Nomine, et. al.
I. Allegro non troppo
7:30
Quatuor Sine Nomine, et. al.
II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso
9:15
Quatuor Sine Nomine, et. al.
III. Poco adagio
8:42
Quatuor Sine Nomine, et. al.
IV. Poco allegro
49:02
La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest 2007
11:05
Carmignola, et. al.
I. Allegro non troppo
8:08
Carmignola, et. al.
II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso
9:39
Carmignola, et. al.
III. Poco adagio
9:01
Carmignola, et. al.
IV. Poco allegro
67:59
Berlin Philharmonic Octet (complete)
12:12
Berlin Philharmonic Octet
I. Allegro non troppo
6:21
Berlin Philharmonic Octet
II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo - Presto giocoso
8:13
Berlin Philharmonic Octet
III. Poco adagio
7:02
Berlin Philharmonic Octet
IV. Poco allegro
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protégé
Nationality:
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Fritz Steinbach (1855-1916)
friend
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Born: June 17, 1855, Grünsfeld Died: August 13, 1916, Munich (age 61)
Hermann Goetz (1840-1876)
friend
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Richard von Perger (1854-1911)
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Woldemar Bargiel (1828-1897)
colleague
Nationality:
German
Born: October 3, 1828, Berlin Died: February 23, 1897, Berlin (age 68)
glossary
- adagio [It]—slow tempo, often implying a lyrical, poignant character
- allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
- chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
- giocoso, giocando, con gioco, giojoso—humorous, jocose, merry joking
- opus [L], opera[pl], Op., Opp, WoO, Op. posth—work, as in a work of art. For unique identification, publishers/composers often assign an "opus number", abbreviated as "Op." (e.g. Op. 1). A range of works by opus number, uses the plural "opp." (e.g. "Opp. 1-3"). A single opus number may refer to a collection of works (e.g. a set of quartets) giving rise to designations like "Op. 1, No. 4". For misc. works without opus numbers, "WoO" is often used (e.g."Without Opus"). Posthumously assigned numbers may use "Op. posth". Opus numbers may not precisely reflect chronology (publication vs. composition), can be erroneous, sparse or duplicative. Thus, the works of some historically important composers may use separate catalog numbers (e.g. Bach, Haydn, Schubert). See wiki
- poco, un poco, poco a poco—a little bit, e.g. "andante un poco moto" is andante with a little more motion than typical. "poco a poco" means a little bit at a time, gradually.
- presto—very fast, more so than allegro.
- scherzo—lively, brisk, typically in a triple meter; usually a three-part form with central, contrasting trio
- sextet, sextour [F], sestetto [I]—six. Ensemble (or work) for six players.
- string sextet—ensemble / composition typically for 2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos
- tema con variazioni, con variazioni, Tema e variazioni, theme and variations, Thema mit Variationen [G], Thème varié [F]—a common movement form featuring an initial theme followed by a series of variations on that theme, each of which adjusts any number of parameters to achieve variety, e.g. tempo, rhythm, key, instrumentation, etc.A challenge to the composers ingenuity and a delight for the listener
- troppo [I], non troppo, trop [F]—too, too much. non troppo means "not too much". e.g. "Allegro ma non troppo" means fast, but not too much