The Piano Sonata No. 2 in F-sharp minor, Op. 2 of Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...

 was written in Hamburg, Germany in 1853, and published the year after. Despite being his second published work, it was actually composed before his first piano sonata

Piano Sonata No. 1 (Brahms)

The Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 1 of Johannes Brahms was written in Hamburg in 1853, and published later that year. Despite being his first published work, he had actually composed his second piano sonata first, but chose this work to be his first opus because he felt that it was of higher...

, but was published later because Brahms recognized the importance of an inaugural publication and felt that the C major sonata was of higher quality. It was sent along with his first sonata to Breitkopf und Härtel with a letter of recommendation from Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....

. Schumann had already praised Brahms enthusiastically, and the sonata shows signs of an effort to impress. It was dedicated to Clara Schumann

Clara Schumann

Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...

.

The sonata is in four movements:

• Allegro non troppo, ma energico (F sharp minor
  F sharp minor
  F-sharp minor is a minor scale based on F-sharp, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. For the harmonic minor, the E is raised to E...
  
  )
• Andante con espressione (B minor
  B minor
  B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....
  
  )
• Scherzo: Allegro -- Poco più moderato (B minor
  B minor
  B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....
  
   - D major
  D major
  D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
  
  )
• Finale: Sostenuto -- Allegro non troppo e rubato -- Molto sostenuto (F sharp minor
  F sharp minor
  F-sharp minor is a minor scale based on F-sharp, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. For the harmonic minor, the E is raised to E...
  
  , ending in the parallel major
  Parallel key
  In music, parallel keys are the major and minor scales that have the same tonic. A major and minor scale sharing the same tonic are said to be in a parallel relationship...
  
  )

The first movement is in the conventional sonata-allegro form. The second movement is a theme and variations based on the German Minnesang "Mir ist leide." Like the theme and variations of the first sonata

Piano Sonata No. 1 (Brahms)

The Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 1 of Johannes Brahms was written in Hamburg in 1853, and published later that year. Despite being his first published work, he had actually composed his second piano sonata first, but chose this work to be his first opus because he felt that it was of higher...

, the variations move from the minor mode to the parallel major. The third movement is a scherzo

Scherzo

A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...

 and trio

Trio

- Musical ensembles and forms :*Trio , three people performing music in some way*Piano trio *String trio *Trio *Clarinet-violin-piano trio...

 whose beginning theme is almost identical to that of the second movement. The finale begins with a brief introduction

Introduction (music)

In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...

 in A major

A major

A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...

, the relative major

Relative key

In music, relative keys are the major and minor scales that have the same key signatures. A major and minor scale sharing the same key signature are said to be in a relative relationship...

 of F sharp minor

F sharp minor

F-sharp minor is a minor scale based on F-sharp, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. For the harmonic minor, the E is raised to E...

. The main subject

Theme (music)

In music, a theme is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.-Characteristics:A theme may be perceivable as a complete musical expression in itself, separate from the work in which it is found . In contrast to an idea or motif, a theme is...

 of the introduction serves as the first theme of this movement, which is in sonata form

Sonata form

Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...

 and contains a repeated exposition. The coda

Coda (music)

Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...

 of the finale, marked pianissimo

Dynamics (music)

In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...

 and to be played with the soft pedal

Soft pedal

The soft pedal is one of the standard pedals on a piano, generally placed leftmost among the pedals. On a grand piano this pedal shifts the whole action including the keyboard slightly to the right, so that hammers which normally strike all three of the strings for a note strike only two of them....

, returns to and expands upon material from the movement's introduction.

External links

• Detailed listening guide using a recording by Martin Jones