Johannes Brahms - Clarinet Trio in A minor op. 114

 

Johannes Brahms

 

(7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897)

 

Clarinet Trio in a-minor, Op. 114

 

The Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114 is one of four chamber works composed by Johannes Brahms featuring the clarinet as a primary instrument. It was written in the summer of 1891 for the clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, and is considered by scholars as part of a rebirth for the composer who in

1890 declared his String Quintet in G Major to be his final work.

 

브람스는 클라리넷이 들어가는 실내악을 모두 4곡 남기고 있다. 그 중에서 이 클라리넷 3중주곡은 가장 먼저 작곡된 곡으로 색채감이 밝은 것이 곡의 특징이다. 이 곡은 그가 1891년 3월 마이닝겐 궁정을 방문했을 때 거기서 뛰어난 클라리넷 주자인 ‘뮐펠트(1856-1907)’를 알게 되었는데, 그의 클라리넷 연주를 들은 브람스는 그를 위해 클라리넷 실내악곡을 쓰기로 마음먹고 첫 곡으로 이 곡을 쓴 것이다. 이 삼중주 곡은 대위법을 풍부하게 사용하면서 주제는 거의 펼침화음으로 하여 기억하기 쉽다. 마치 악기끼리 사랑에 빠져 있는 것처럼 클라리넷과 첼로의 융합은 환상이며, 바로 이 부분이 브람스의 뛰어난 작곡능력을 보여주는 부분이다. 초연은 1891년 11월 24일 마이닝겐 궁전에서 있었으며, 공개적인 초연은 그보다 조금 후인 12월 12일 베를린에서 브람스의 피아노, 뮐펠트의 클라리넷, 하우스만의 첼로로 연주되었다. 출판은 1892년 짐로크社에서 있었는데, 출판된 악보에는 클라리넷 대신 비올라로 연주해도 좋다고 브람스가 적고 있다.

General

The work calls for clarinet, piano, and cello, and is one of the very few in that genre to have entered the standard repertoire.

It was written for Clarinet in A, which can also be substituted by viola.

[비올라 연주자가 각 악장마다 바뀌어서 나오는 특이한 연주 방식]

 

 

 

The overall mood of the piece is somber but includes both romantic and introspective qualities. Music historians and scholars have admitted that the trio is "not among the most interesting of his compositions"^[1] The work incorporates a considerable amount of arpeggio patterns in its theme, complimented by conversation like passages in the upper register of the cello.^[1] Perhaps due to this lack of interesting material, Op. 114 has been overshadowed by another one of Brahms' chamber works written for Mühlfeld- the Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115.

However, it is very clear in the music that Brahms absolutely adored the playing of Richard Mühlfeld, and that this adoration made its way into the trio. Eusebius Mandyczewski, a scholar and friend of Brahms, wrote of the trio that "It is as though the instruments were in love with each other."^[2]

History

On his fifty-eighth birthday, Brahms was busy writing his will to his publisher, initially providing for his siblings and stepmother, and secondly for his landlord and faithful landlady, Celestine “Mandy” Truxa. Shortly afterwards, when visiting the Ducal Court in March 1891, he was deeply fascinated by the beautiful playing of the clarinetist, Richard Mühlfeld. The serious mood of his later compositions was made appropriate by the tone of the instrument. To emphasize how much he loved his performance, Brahms called Mühlfeld his Fräulein Klarinette, or “his dear nightingale.” Following his performance, Brahms wrote the score of the Clarinet Trio and sent it to his beloved landlady. In addition, a historical painter, Adolf Menzel was in the audience during the first performance of Brahms’ Op. 114 on December 12th, 1891, with Robert Hausmann on cello and Brahms on piano. Menzel was so moved that he made a sketch of Mühlfeld as some sort of Greek god, saying to Brahms, “We often think of you here, and often enough, comparing notes, we confess our suspicions that on a certain night the Muse itself appeared in person for the purpose of executing a certain woodwind part. on this page I have tried to capture the sublime vision.”^[3]The following month they had a triumph with the public premiere in Berlin.

Analysis

I. Allegro (sonata form, A minor, ends in A major) 제1악장은 소나타 형식으로 첼로가 연주하는 펼침화음 풍의 제1주제로 시작한다. 이어 클라리넷이 이어받아 두 대의 악기가 부드러운 움직임 속에 발전해 나간다. 클라리넷이 주제를 취하면, 첼로가 그것을 카논풍으로 따르고, 또 조바꿈이 이어져 악상의 변화는 화려하게 이어지고 여기에 피아노가 응답풍으로 주제의 단편을 다룬다. 이들 악기의 대화는 편안하고 여유가 느껴지는 악장이다. 

The first movement is in loose sonata form, meaning that the structure of the movement wavers from the traditional sonata layout. Brahms writes this movement with the A clarinet's range in mind, and he manages to span the entire range of the instrument, reaching as low as a C-sharp, a note that is not achievable on the standard B-flat clarinet.^[4] along with this extended range, Brahms also uses long, extended melodies using interplay between the cello and clarinet to support the clarinet's large, sonorous range. Later in the movement, Brahms uses fragmented rhythm, many arpeggios, and pedal points; In doing so, Brahms reveals his novice at writing for clarinet in a chamber setting, but also strives at achieving continuous and clear writing for this unique set of instruments.^[5] one particularly unusual aspect of the movement is that the exposition section, which has modulated to E minor, ends with a plagal half-cadence (I-IV).^[6]

II. Adagio (modified sonata form, no development, D major) 제2악장은 아다지오로 론도형식이다. 먼저 클라리넷이 부드러운 주제를 제시하면 첼로가 받는다. 이렇게 클라리넷과 첼로가 활약하는 사이에 새로운 선율이 나타나고, 이것을 피아노와 첼로가 급하게 진행한다. 이렇게 두 개의 선율은 전개풍으로 다루어지면서 정점을 향해 나간다. 후반에는 클라리넷과 첼로가 주제의 단편을 연주하면서 조용히 끝난다.

The second movement is written with the clarinet playing in the clarino register and chalumeau with minimal leaps in the exposition, but later Brahms turns to his favored leaps and arpeggiation in order to transition to a new theme. Many consider this a weak method of composition, but it is also noted that Brahms does this to accentuate the capabilities of the clarinet.^[7] Similar to the first movement, the cello and clarinet have intermingled parts, with the piano mimicking this interplay throughout. Many also criticize this style because it lacks a certain depth that many other trio groups have, but supporters of Brahms favor this method of writing because the clarinet and cello voices interact so well and their contrapuntal interaction is less superficial than most would believe, giving the piece a certain texture that is not achieved by any other type of chamber ensemble.^[8] Brahms uses interesting harmonic and rhythmic modulations in the latter half of this movement, and, combined with the already-askew format of the movement, creates a very unique work and places a certain dignity on the Piano, Clarinet, and Cello trio that was a stark and refreshing interest for this time period.^[9]

III. Andantino grazioso - Trio (ternary/minuet form, A major)

3악장은 두 개의 트리오를 가진 론도 형식에 가깝다. 먼저 클라리넷이 우아하게 주제를 연주하면 첼로가 가세하여 아름다운 대위법으로 진행된다. 이 주제를 피아노가 여유 있게 연주하면서 주제부를 마친다. 이어지는 두 개의 트리오는 제1트리오가 피아노의 화음 반주에 클라리넷과 첼로가 대화풍으로 연주하고 이어지는 후반의 제2트리오는 클라리넷이 경쾌하게 8분음표로 시작하면 첼로가 이것을 받아서 피아노와 함께 조용히 노래하다가 마친다. 이 악장은 춤을 연상시킬 만큼 미뉴엣과 왈츠풍의 요소들이 고루 들어 있는 악장이다.

 

This movement of the trio receives the most criticism of all of the four movements. Brahms writes for the clarinet in a folk/waltz style that gives it an enthusiastic, cheery tune. The harmonies shift abruptly or in a linear motion at times to support the folk-like melody given by the clarinet and cello: one reason this movement is considered structurally unstable.^[10] Another reason this piece is considered weak is because the writing for the clarinet and cello are intertwined in a way such that they rely on one another: when the cello is playing may be in a spot where the clarinet has to breathe, or, contrarily, the clarinet may play when the cello must change their bowing or adjust their position.^[11] Many believe that Brahms experimenting with this trio format (in reference to this movement, particularly) shows that even a noted composer like Johannes Brahms struggles to write successfully for the timbre emitted from the combination of these three instruments.

IV. Allegro (sonata form, A minor). 소나타 형식의 4악장은 브람스 특유의 리듬을 바꿔 변화를 주고 있는 것이 특징이다. 먼저 첼로로 제1주제를 시작하고, 클라리넷이 이것을 반복하면서 경과부로 들어간다. 다시 또 첼로가 감정을 넣어 연주를 시작하면 클라리넷이 이것을 받아 서로 주고받는다. 이어지는 소나타 형식을 세 악기들은 서로 주고받으면서 경쾌하게 전곡을 마감한다. 마지막 4악장은 짧지만 브람스의 실내악에서 흔히 나타나는 헝가리풍 색채가 들어 있어, 묘한 흥취가 있는 악장이다

In this movement, Brahms varies his harmonic modulation drastically, yet manages to include his signature F-A-F (Frei Aber Froh) chord progression.^[12] This movement harnesses and controls the eccentricities of the Trio, and shows how Johannes Brahms still, even after retirement, is able to finagle his magnificent writing into a chamber ensemble that has little precedent. Brahms plays with rhythm in this movement more than the other movements, using syncopation between the clarinet and cello to transfer to the fourth theme of the movement.^[13] He uses canons between the three instruments and combines this with syncopation, especially at the end of the movement, which is definitely an audience pleaser.

 

[우리말 자료 출처: cafe.daum.net/music7694/8P8I/944   베토벤 하우스 ]