Johannes Brahms, 1833-1897. Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 56a. Completed 1873, first performance November 2, 1873, in Vienna. Scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, tympani, triangle, and strings. (Op. 56b is an arrangement of the same work for two pianos.)
Johannes Brahms, although one of the great composers of all time, often suffered from doubt and uncertainty regarding his own talents. Nowhere is this more evident than in his reluctance to compete with Beethoven by composing symphonies. Even non-symphonic orchestral works came only hesitantly. Two serenades appeared while he was in his twenties, and during the same period, having given up on a symphony, he converted part of the attempt into the monumental First Piano Concerto. The incomparable German Requiem, which took 11 years to reach completion in 1868, showed that he was fully capable of handling the complexity of a large ensemble, yet even then he seemed reluctant to try his hand at purely orchestral literature.
It has been speculated that it was around 1870 when Brahms came across the Chorale St. Antoni, then attributed to Haydn (subsequent research has cast doubt on Haydn's authorship). He was sufficiently captivated to copy the theme into his own notebook, and three years later he began work on a set of variations. It is unclear whether he originally planned the two-piano or the orchestral version; the style of the piano writing indicates the former, while a letter written in September of 1873 implies the latter. In any case, he first revealed them to his good friend Clara Schumann in the piano form, and presented the other version to his publisher less than two months later. The premiere was a great success, and the work quickly became a staple in the repertoire.
Some analysts have theorized that the Haydn Variations were written as a sort of exercise prior to producing a symphony, an opinion somewhat supported by the appearance of the First Symphony only three years later. But this seems a limited view, for Brahms was very fond of the variation form, and the complexity and perfection of the work, together with its dual-piano genesis, suggest that it had always been intended to stand on its own. In any case, exercise or not, the work is masterful, providing unending enjoyment whether for the daily concertgoer or the deeply analytical musicologist.
© 1997, Geoff Kuenning
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