Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78
At-A-Glance
Length: c. 21 minutes
About this Piece
The Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, known to us as the first, was actually Brahms’ fifth for this combination; his scrupulous judgment of what was fit to represent him caused the composer to suppress many important finished works, including his first four attempts in this medium. Composed from 1878 to 1879, when Brahms was already in his late 40s, the G-major Sonata heralded the mature productions of his later life. This work shows its composer in his most genial mood and is remarkable for an extraordinary predominance of lyrical cantabile playing.
Throughout this work, the violin provides the leading voice. The first movement begins with transparent chords in the piano against which the violin presents the first theme. As the piano part grows thicker, the violin continues to lead the way until the development section provides the work’s only stormy passages.
The Adagio consists of a highly developed A-B-A structure. It is solemn and dramatic, and its themes exhibit great rhythmic freedom. The coda augments the themes from the middle section, providing tremendous depth to the proceedings. Some scholars have pointed out the influence derived from the Adagio of Beethoven’s Op. 96 Sonata.
The work concludes with a flowing rondo in G minor. This movement is the most closely related to Brahms’ two songs that inspired the whole work, “Regenlied” and “Nachklang”. The main theme is derived from the two and provides one of the rare instances when Brahms alluded to specific external influences, though the musical depiction of falling rain would not be obvious without knowing the source: a song in which rain is the main theme. The concluding coda is in G major, and its new rhythmic figuration provides a series of modulations that foreshadow the solemn conclusion of the Third Symphony. —Edgar Colón-Hernández