12 Hungarian Dances Arranged For Violin And Piano Woo 1 Nos 1 3 5 8 13 17 19 21

Among the early works of Johannes Brahms are the neo-baroque Sarabande and Gavotte. These dances have not been properly recognised as constituting a distinct Brahms' work before now, but manuscript evidence and their performance history indicate that Brahms thought of them as such in the mid-1850s. He later suppressed the dances, using them instead as a thematic quarry for three chamber music masterpieces. This book gives an account of the compositional and performance history, stylistic features and re-uses of the dances, setting these in the wider context of Brahms' developing creative concerns and trajectory.

Originally written for piano four hands in 1879, this set of 21 lively dance tunes, mostly on Hungarian themes, are among Johannes Brahms' most popular works today, and they were the most profitable for him in his own lifetime also. In 1850, Brahms was introduced to gypsy-style" music through Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi, including the csárdás "Bártfai emlék" (Memories of Bártfa) by Hungarian composer Béla Kéler, which became the basis for Hungarian Dance No. 5. Arranged for many different instruments and ensembles over the years, this edition for wind ensemble by Graham Sheen orders the song as follows: 11, 3, 16, then5. Instrumentation: 3(3dPicc).2.2+BCl.2+CtrBsn: 4.0.0.0."