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141:, who was working on a Haydn biography at the time, showed Brahms a transcription he had made of a piece attributed to Haydn titled "Divertimento No. 1". The second movement bore the heading "St. Anthony Chorale", and it is this movement which provides the theme on which the variations are based. Brahms's statement of the theme varies in small but significant ways from the original, principally with regard to instrumentation.
123:. Brahms titled his own composition accordingly, crediting Haydn for the theme. However, music publishers in the early nineteenth century often attached the names of famous composers to works by unknown or lesser-known composers, to make the pieces more saleable. Subsequent research has concluded that the wind piece Brahms used as a source does not fit Haydn's style. The wind ensemble piece remains without clear attribution.
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The theme begins with a repeated ten-measure passage which itself consists of two intriguing five-measure phrases, a quirk that is likely to have caught Brahms's attention. Almost without exception, the eight variations follow the phrasal structure of the theme and, though less strictly, the harmonic
148:, but this has not been definitively established. A further question is whether the composer of the divertimento actually wrote the "St. Anthony Chorale" or simply quoted an older theme taken from an unknown source. To date, no other mention of a "St. Anthony Chorale" has been found.
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The finale is a magnificent theme and variations on a ground bass, five measures in length, derived from the principal theme. Its culmination, a restatement of the chorale, is a moment of such transcendence that the usually austere Brahms permits himself the use of a
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A detailed survey of the controversy can be found in
Douglas Yeo's 2004 edition of the "Haydn" piece (ISMN M-57015-175-1). In 1870, Brahms's friend Carl Ferdinand Pohl, the librarian of the
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It is often said to be the first independent set of variations for orchestra in the history of music, although there is at least one earlier piece in the same form,
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The sections are named and tempo markings given as follows. Where the tempo markings of the two versions differ, the one for Op. 56b is shown in parentheses.
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a passage that really is by Haydn. In measures 463–464, the violas and cellos echo the cello line from measure 148 of the second movement of the latter's
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structure as well. Each has a distinctive character, several calling to mind the forms and techniques of earlier eras, with some displaying a mastery of
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396:(see below for link credits). This fragmentary allusion may be the music's sole link to music known with certainty to be by Haydn.
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for the Apr 9-11, 2009 Kennedy Center performances featuring Kurt Masur, conducting the U.S. National
Symphony Orchestra
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major based on a "Chorale St Antoni", eight variations, and a finale. The work was published in two versions: for two
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As a result, Brahms's piece is sometimes referred to today, in recordings and concert programs, as the
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composition. When Brahms discovered it, the wind ensemble piece carried an attribution to the composer
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Brahms composed the work on a theme entitled "Chorale St. Antoni", which Brahms found in a
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The first performance of the orchestral version was given on 2 November 1873 by the
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For the work by Carl Czerny sometimes called "Variations on a Theme by Haydn", see
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McCorkle, Donald M., p. 5 in the Norton Scores edition of the
Variations (
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form. The reader may compare the two passages by following these links:
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Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, theme and variations I, II and III
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The main theme was used in the 23 minute title track from the 1974 LP
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Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, variation VIII and finale
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Version for two pianos. Performed by Neal and Nancy O'Doan.
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Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, variations V and VI
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Variations on "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" (Czerny)
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The piece usually takes about 18 minutes to perform.
75:, written first but designated Op. 56b; and for
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Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, variation VII
208:, and the normal string section of first and second
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Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, variation IV
519:List of variations on a theme by another composer
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633:of Brahms's Variations has been posted by the
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1302:Orchestral compositions by Johannes Brahms
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602:Hamburger Concerto, Release group by Focus
1235:International Johannes Brahms Competition
1041:Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel
625:International Music Score Library Project
372:Just before the end of the piece, in the
37:Variationen ĂĽber ein Thema von Jos. Haydn
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1337:Piano compositions by Johannes Brahms
1133:"Wiegenlied (Lullaby)", Op. 49, no. 4
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621:Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn
132:Variations on the St. Anthony Chorale
28:Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn
1120:Two Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano
635:William and Gayle Cook Music Library
1327:Composer tributes (classical music)
1035:Three Intermezzi for piano, Op. 117
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639:Indiana University School of Music
343:Problems playing these files? See
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1025:Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118
84:Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
65:. It consists of a theme in B
45:, is a work in the form of a
1322:Compositions in B-flat major
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1312:Compositions for two pianos
1210:Brahms Museum, MĂĽrzzuschlag
954:Two String Quartets, Op. 51
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408:Theme. Chorale St. Antoni.
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139:Vienna Philharmonic Society
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730:Symphony No. 2 in D major
725:Symphony No. 1 in C minor
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95:Twenty-six Variations on
57:in the summer of 1873 at
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42:Saint Anthony Variations
1205:Brahms Museum (Hamburg)
1071:Fest- und GedenksprĂĽche
1065:Eleven Chorale Preludes
1030:Sixteen Waltzes, Op. 39
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39:), now also called the
376:of the finale, Brahms
357:seldom encountered in
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128:St. Anthony Variations
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86:under Brahms's baton.
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578:Yeo, Douglas (2013).
241:
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1101:Liebeslieder Waltzes
939:String Quintet No. 2
934:String Quintet No. 1
929:String Quartet No. 3
776:Piano Concerto No. 2
771:Piano Concerto No. 1
701:List of compositions
505:by Dutch rock group
97:'La folia di Spagna'
1127:Vier ernste Gesänge
969:Violin Sonata No. 3
964:Violin Sonata No. 2
959:Violin Sonata No. 1
949:String Sextet No. 2
944:String Sextet No. 1
904:Piano Quartet No. 3
899:Piano Quartet No. 2
894:Piano Quartet No. 1
104:Origin of the theme
1240:Musical cryptogram
1230:German Romanticism
1115:Two Motets, Op. 74
1058:Other compositions
1020:Rhapsodies, Op. 79
1015:Piano Sonata No. 3
1010:Piano Sonata No. 2
1005:Piano Sonata No. 1
990:Fantasies, Op. 116
869:Cello Sonata No. 2
864:Cello Sonata No. 1
653:on June 13, 2011.
645:Rodda, Richard E.
502:Hamburger Concerto
243:
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1317:1873 compositions
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1109:Neue Liebeslieder
819:Gesang der Parzen
478:Presto non troppo
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100:written in 1815.
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1193:Related articles
1167:Named for Brahms
1094:Geistliches Lied
1000:Hungarian Dances
985:Ballades, Op. 10
924:Piano Trio No. 3
919:Piano Trio No. 2
914:Piano Trio No. 1
879:Clarinet Sonatas
874:Clarinet Quintet
807:
800:A German Requiem
708:Orchestral works
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649:. Archived from
623:: Scores at the
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444:Andante con moto
420:Andante con moto
416:Poco piĂą animato
382:"Clock" Symphony
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1184:Brahms Inlet
1157:F-A-E Sonata
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584:. Retrieved
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355:counterpoint
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121:Joseph Haydn
114:
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1174:1818 Brahms
1086:FĂĽnf Lieder
978:Piano works
847:Triumphlied
790:Vocal works
759:Concertante
607:MusicBrainz
586:November 9,
482:Poco presto
459:Poco presto
1307:Variations
1296:Categories
564:2024-02-04
427:PiĂą vivace
345:media help
51:variations
1088:, Op. 105
1080:, Op. 104
889:Horn Trio
720:Serenades
559:imslp.org
386:variation
170:clarinets
77:orchestra
1271:Category
1245:Three Bs
1122:, Op. 91
1103:, Op. 52
513:See also
487:Finale.
472:Grazioso
438:Con moto
400:Sections
367:triangle
206:triangle
198:trumpets
193:♭
190:, 2 in B
187:♭
174:bassoons
68:♭
1253:(Berio)
833:Rinaldo
637:at the
489:Andante
448:Andante
410:Andante
210:violins
202:timpani
184:(2 in E
158:piccolo
63:Bavaria
59:Tutzing
540:
466:Vivace
455:Vivace
431:Vivace
390:Brahms
378:quotes
218:cellos
214:violas
162:flutes
73:pianos
33:German
1281:Audio
826:Nänie
631:score
525:Notes
507:Focus
394:Haydn
196:), 2
182:horns
166:oboes
47:theme
629:The
588:2013
538:ISBN
374:coda
231:Form
220:and
180:, 4
172:, 2
168:, 2
164:, 2
160:, 2
49:and
25:The
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130:or
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61:in
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31:(
22:.
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