# The Scherzo from Brahms early Sextet op. 18



## Wandering (Feb 27, 2012)

Actually I believe both of Brahms sextets were composed very early on in his career. The scherzo movement of the first sextet op. 18 really struck a cord with me. I'd bought this on a budget EMI reissue with Yehudi Menuhin. The scherzo is really the definition of upbeat music. Anytime you might find yourself in a funk, just listen to this little number. Even though the main melodic idea is devised of simple rythmic phrases the developments of it is absolutely amazing. I might investigate further to see procisely how young Brahms was when he had written this work.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I was just listening to that last night. Brahms was 27 when he wrote it. Daniel Gregory Mason in The Chamber Music of Brahms writes of the first sextet, "In it we see him definitely taking a step from childhood to manhood, a step difficult for all, by many never taken, so fully achieved as he finally achieved it by very few."


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I also love this work. The middle two movements have strong Hungarian flavour, esp. in terms of rhythm. No wonder, since Joseph Joachim, the violinst who was a lifelong friend of Brahms, was himself Hungarian, and Brahms consulted him on the string writing in this and many other works. The second sextet is good to, but I find it more complex and kind of more contrapuntal, more 'Baroque.'


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## RxCello (Sep 7, 2012)

The B flat major sextet! One of my absolute favorites since I was a kid -- er, well, old enough to appreciate classical music even a little bit. Saw/heard it at [email protected] last summer, and it was fantastic. The second movement theme and variations always sound fresh and beautiful, never hackneyed. Oh, and not that I think I'm smarter than Brahms or anything, but how I wish he had given the second viola a C on the penultimate chord, instead of a D!


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## Thomasjack (Sep 19, 2012)

The middle two movements have strong Hungarian flavour, esp. in terms of rhythm. No wonder, since Joseph Joachim, the violinst who was a lifelong friend of Brahms, was himself Hungarian, and Brahms consulted him on the string writing in this and many other works.


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## Quartetfore (May 19, 2010)

There is an interesting transcription for Piano Trio of both Sextets done by Theodore Kirchner a friend of Brahms. They retain the Romantic feeling of the music while reducing the complexity of the works.


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