The Artful Counterpoint in Brahms’ Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2 | EP 3

Johannes Brahms’ Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118 No. 2 is one of his most exquisitely written piano works of late Romanticism, written during a period of profound personal introspection. Composed in 1893, this piece highlights Brahms' exceptional skill in blending lyrical beauty with intricate musical structure. The intermezzo stands out for its delicate use of counterpoint, where multiple melodic lines weave together seamlessly. In this video, I explore the masterful interplay between melody and harmony, showing how Brahms creates the composition from a single motive: a descending second followed by an ascending third.

Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction and welcome
00:02:40 Performance and first segmenting of the piece
00:14:37 Section A1 + A1' (with four open phrases)
00:44:39 Section A2 (modulating phrases and standing on the dominant)
01:01:58 Section A1 (culmination and modal contrapuntal development)
01:11:35 Section A2 (on tonic with perfect cadence)
01:18:19 Overview of recapitulation A' (melodic and harmonic variations)
01:20:16 Middle section B1 (Brahms' most beautiful melodic counterpoint)
01:38:56 Middle section B1' (Melodic extension and invertible counterpoint)
01:45:13 Core of the piece B2 (Most distant place and enharmonic chords)
01:58:31 Closing thoughts

I would like to build a community of people interested in music composition and analysis so please feel free to introduce yourself to other viewers by telling a bit about your musical background and interests.

© Copyright 2024, Bohdan Syroyid. All rights reserved.

[MikeMoroneyNZ]

Folk musician and songwriter, Dunedin, New Zealand. That was a most insightful analysis. Thank you.

[iamdistressed]

I just want to say thank you for this video, especially since I'm learning to play this piece right now. You've highlighted lots of stuff that I haven't noticed, and will incorporate into my playing. I know a little bit if music theory from a class I took, and it was a blast to 1. See music theory in practice and 2. Understand (almost all of) what you pointed out. Kudos to your performance and lecture!! 😁😁👍

[ishagshafeeg]

Quite informative and well explained. Thank you

[logicking]

I think A4 is a response to A3, so it should still be A3. The real A4 starts after calando where the dolce happens with the inverted motive in the soprano. I love your videos!

[Zinx]

Incredible video! It is difficult to find analysis of this quality on YouTube.

[samtchen]

The first version i heard was an arrangement of Jazz and Fusionbassplayer Jeff Berlin, it is more emphatic and quicker than the typical classical slow "morningrise" versions . I am suprised that it works both ways . Thanks !

[barbmiller]

This is fabulous, one of my all time favorite pieces. I am trying to follow and scribe along. Would it be possible for you to provide a pdf of the finished analysis?

[oldliterature]

Thank you! Very interesting and informative.

[adlibitum]

Thank you for the comprehensive analysis.

By the way, the first part of the inversion of the main theme can be found already in bar 11.

1:42:12 and 1:42:43
Why do you play D#?

I wish you all the best.
Retired piano teacher from Germany.

[eltonwild]

Would you do Rachmaninoff and Scriabin works in the future?

[barbmiller]

Could you explain about the last chord of the first line. Could you call it a iiiflat5? If it is dominant of IV, wouldn't there need to be an A?. I am thoroughly enjoying this study, feeling like i am back in college!

[davedesigning]

Thank you for this video!! i haven't seen it yet, but I've been orchestrating Brahms and info like this is a big help. Brahms's counterpoint is why his music is so easy to orchestrate.

Part of the orchestration is interpreting voices. When I hear some other orchestrations, I think they misunderstand the counterpoint, phrasing, and voicings. (Sometimes they will mistake what note is for what part. For example, a certain note they might interpret as tenor, when it is really alto.) And I know I have made this mistake at times also.

[WalyB]

this is great been looking for an in depth analysis of this piece for years.

PS The piano is mirrored low notes are high, which is quite difficult.

[kencory]

There is only one perfect piece of music. This is it.

[widekeys]

Thank you for producing these detailed videos!
Since you asked about your viewers interests in your videos and the musical background:
I am interested in your detailed analysis of both local development and at the same time broader structural development concerning the melodic material but also the harmonic. In the Debussy video I also quite liked the historical and stylistic context of the composer that you pointed out. I think the focus on piano suits this detailed analysis but I am also interested in other groups of instruments up to the whole orchestra where also orchestration is of concern. However I am unsure if your detailed style would suit pieces of higher complexity.
Since you talked about having students compose music for assignments, I would love seeing an analysis of those where you compare the students work to works of similar style, if it applies.

As for my musical background, i am just listening and playing music as a hobby. I do admire the logic and creativity that composers put into their work. From time to time I fiddle around with my own ideas. Videos like yours give key insights into understanding and ultimately composing music.

[ethancooper]

Seems like some of these videos are really picking up steam. I’m an engineer in New York interested in composition purely for hobby, but hopefully I can’t make my way through this long video to learn some about this piece.

I love romantic music and have spent much of my life attempting to decipher the compositional methods behind the semi-abstract and brilliantly complex harmonies of German romantic composers like Schumann, Brahms, and Wagner. No such luck as of yet!

I’d love to see these videos be shorter if possible. Obviously the complexities of the work are more important than a time stamp, but I struggle to see myself making it through 2-3 hour videos without getting sidetracked or clicking off.

[Whatismusic]

Hey, I noticed a mistake in your title, you wrote "the artful counterpoint in..." when it should be "the awful counterpoint in..."

[TheKiJuliop]

Suggestion : As someone who is discovering your channel with this video, the introduction is way too long, I almost quit before the analysis started. Also to catch you audience better you should start with a extract of the piece played by a master pianist, just for the pleasure to hear it, and also see the potential and the relevance of watching this video.