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Theses and Dissertations

Summer 2015

Brahms' Trio in A minor, Op. 114: a transcription

and edition for double bass, clarinet, and piano
Patricia Aparecida da Silva
University of Iowa

Copyright © 2015 Patricia Aparecida da Silva

This dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5851

Recommended Citation
Silva, Patricia Aparecida da. "Brahms' Trio in A minor, Op. 114: a transcription and edition for double bass, clarinet, and piano." DMA
(Doctor of Musical Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, 2015.
https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.k1njy7wg

Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd

Part of the Music Commons

 BRAHMS’S TRIO IN A MINOR, OP. 114:
A TRANSCRIPTION AND EDITION FOR DOUBLE BASS, CLARINET, AND PIANO

by
Patricia Aparecida da Silva

An essay submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the Doctor of
Musical Arts degree
in the Graduate College of
The University of Iowa

August 2015

Essay Supervisor: Professor Volkan Orhon

 Copyright by

PATRICIA APARECIDA DA SILVA

2015

All Rights Reserved

 Graduate College
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

_______________________

D.M.A ESSAY
_______________

This is to certify that the D.M.A essay of

Patricia Aparecida da Silva

has been approved by the Examining Committee

for the essay requirement for the Doctor of Musical Arts
degree at the August 2015 graduation.

Essay Committee:
____________________________________________________
Volkan Orhon, Essay Supervisor

____________________________________________________
Marian Wilson Kimber

____________________________________________________
Anthony Arnone

____________________________________________________
Scott Conklin

____________________________________________________
William LaRue Jones
To my mother, Eunilia Silva

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Professor Volkan

Orhon, whose selfless time and care were sometimes all that kept me going. His continuous sup-

port, patience, motivation, enthusiasm, knowledge, guidance, and especially his confidence in

me was helpful in all of my research and in writing this essay. I could not have imagined a better

advisor and mentor in my doctoral studies.

Besides my advisor, I would like to thank the rest of my essay committee: Dr. Marian

Wilson Kimber, Dr. Scott Conklin, Dr. William Jones, and Professor Anthony Arnone for their

encouragement and insightful comments.

Special thanks goes to Romeu Rabelo for his tireless effort and helpful advice in the crea-

tion of this edition, and to Professor Benjamin Coelho for his unconditional support throughout

my studies.

To all my friends, thank you for your understanding and encouragement in my many mo-

ments of crisis. Your friendship makes my life a wonderful experience. I cannot list all the names

here, but you are always in my mind.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my family, especially my mother Eunilia Silva,

for their endless love, support, and encouragement. Thank you for giving me the strength to

chase my dreams.

iii
 PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Chamber music is a major area of neglect in the study of the double bass, and the instru-

ment has also suffered from a scarcity of chamber music literature written by major composers.

As bassists focus predominantly on solo and orchestral repertoire, the purpose of this study is to

enrich the double bass literature and increase awareness of chamber music as a tool for bassists

to develop as artists by providing a transcription of Johannes Brahms’s Trio in A minor, Op.114

for double bass, clarinet, and piano. The transcription adds to the literature for double bass from

the Romantic era, giving players the chance to work on their technical and musical skills in a

chamber music setting. In addition, performance of this transcription will enhance double bass-

ists’ understanding of the style of one of the most important nineteenth-century composers.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi

INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………1

CHAPTER

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSCRIPTIONS FOR THE DOUBLE

BASS………. .................................................................................................. 3

II. OVERVIEW OF DOUBLE BASS CHAMBER MUSIC LITERATURE...... 8

Chamber Music Composed for Double Bass................................................... 8

Chamber Music by Major Composers Transcribed for Bass......................... 11

III. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE TRIO IN A MINOR, OP. 114

FOR CLARINET, CELLO, AND PIANO BY JOHANNES
BRAHMS…. ................................................................................................. 13

IV. PROCESS OF TRANSCRIPTION ............................................................... 17

Octave Displacement ..................................................................................... 19

Deletions……… ............................................................................................ 21
Bow Articulation ........................................................................................... 24
Fingering Suggestions .................................................................................. 27
Performance Considerations .......................................................................... 30

V. TRIO IN A MINOR, OP. 114 FOR DOUBLE BASS, CLARINET, AND

PIANO, TRANSCRIBED AND EDITED BY PATRICIA SILVA……….. 32

Conclusion. .................................................................................................... 88

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 89

v
 LIST OF FIGURES

1. Adagio, m.7 ................................................................................................................... 19

2. Adagio, mm. 33-35 ....................................................................................................... 20

3. Andantino Grazioso, mm. 104-105 ............................................................................... 20

4. Andantino Grazioso, mm. 165-167 ............................................................................... 20

5. Allegro, mm. 125-130 ................................................................................................... 21

6. Andantino Grazioso, mm. 1-12 ..................................................................................... 22

7. Andantino Grazioso, mm. 27-32 .................................................................................. 22

8. Andantino Grazioso, mm. 114-117 ............................................................................... 23

9. Andantino Grazioso, mm. 148-157 ............................................................................... 23

10. Allegro, mm. 34-37 .................................................................................................... 24

11. Allegro, mm. 131-141 ................................................................................................. 24

12. Allegro, mm. 185- 189 ............................................................................................... 25

13. Allegro, mm. 217-224 ................................................................................................. 25

14. Adagio, mm. 4-7 ......................................................................................................... 26

15. Allegro, mm. 38-45 ..................................................................................................... 26

16. Allegro, mm. 86-91 ..................................................................................................... 27

17. Allegro, mm. 109-113 ................................................................................................. 27

18. Allegro, mm. 122-125 ................................................................................................. 28

19. Allegro, mm. 220-224 ................................................................................................. 28

20. Adagio, mm. 13-14 ..................................................................................................... 29

21. Adagio, mm. 22-23 ..................................................................................................... 29

22. Allegro, mm. 7-9 ........................................................................................................ 30

vi
 1

INTRODUCTION

When double bassists program concerts, they find that major composers from the nine-

teenth century seldom included the double bass in their chamber pieces. In contrast, the orchestral

bass repertoire of the Romantic period includes some of the greatest lines written for the double

bass. Double bassists cannot help but wonder why these composers rarely included the double bass

in small chamber music settings. This is particularly the case of German composer Johannes

Brahms, whose orchestral bass parts are “some of the most gratifying to play on account of their

foundational richness,”1 though he did not feature the bass in his chamber music.

After playing a transcription of Brahms’s Cello Sonata No.1 on my second doctoral recital,2

I was deeply moved by its beauty and promised myself that I would perform another composition

by him in another recital. However, I was faced with a distinct lack of repertoire, so I decided to

resolve this problem and create my own transcription. Prof. Elizabeth Oakes, coordinator of the

University of Iowa String Quartet Residency Program, suggested the Trio in A minor for cello,

clarinet, and piano, Op. 114 to me. Upon listening to the piece, I came to the conclusion that the

Trio was exactly what I was looking for: a piece in which all instruments are treated equally and

featured in both solo and supportive roles.

After working on the transcription and discussing its possibilities with Professor Volkan

Orhon, I performed movements of the piece with some of my colleagues in masterclasses for ac-

claimed cellist Matt Haimovitz and the Linden Quartet, who gave me positive feedback. After

1
Double Bassist Joel Quarrington, www.joelquarrington.com, accessed 12 June 2015.
2
Johannes Brahms, Sonata No.1 in E Minor for String Bass and Piano, Op.38, trans. and ed.
Thomas Martin (New York: International Music, 2012).
 2

more revisions, my colleagues and I performed the final version of the Trio during my last doctoral

recital at the University of Iowa.

This situation is a clear example that transcriptions help double bassists to create balance

in recital programs, expand their literature, and develop the solo and chamber music repertoire the

instrument deserves. Through this study, I hope to inspire other players to transcribe nineteenth-

century chamber music pieces for the double bass.

Chapter I of this essay illustrates the importance of transcriptions for the double bass while

chapter II provides an overview of double bass chamber music literature including transcriptions.

In chapter III, information is provided about the background of Brahms’s Trio in A minor, Op.114.

Finally, chapter IV includes an in-depth description of the transcription process, and Chapter V

contains a performance edition of the piece for clarinet, double bass, and piano.
 3

CHAPTER I

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSCRIPTIONS FOR THE DOUBLE BASS

The double bass repertoire can be divided into three categories: works by composers who

had a particular interest in the bass, such as Reinhold Gliere, Paul Hindemith, and Nino Rota;

works composed by virtuoso double bassists, such as Domenico Dragonetti, Giovanni Bottesini,

and Serge Koussevitzky; and transcriptions. Transcriptions constitute a large portion of the double

bass literature and have had an important role in its development. Many bassists, such as Stuart

Sankey and Lucas Drew, feel it is necessary for double bassists to play a large number of tran-

scriptions in order to extend the repertoire. Through transcriptions, double bassists are able to per-

form works from historical periods that have no or very few pieces for the double bass. Transcrip-

tions also function as means of enhancing technical and musical training.

The double bass did not receive much attention as a solo instrument in concerts until the

nineteenth century. Esther Singleton clearly explained the typical attitude towards the double bass

in her 1917 book, The Orchestra and its Instruments:

We seldom hear a solo from the double-bass; for composers do not encourage
him. His voice in spite of his huge size lacks substance. We cannot imagine
the double-bass whispering a tender love-song, or indulging in any sweet sen-
timent. It is essentially an orchestral instrument. Its heavy notes are for the
good of the community. They help make a fine, firm background for the mel-
odies and harmonies of the more delicate instrument.3

Nonetheless, through the public performance of transcriptions by virtuoso performers in the

nineteenth century, the full capabilities of the double bass as a solo and chamber music instrument

3
Esther Singleton, The Orchestra and its Instruments (New York: The Symphony Society of
New York, 1917), 68.
 4

were recognized. Transcriptions became fashionable due to virtuoso bassists such as Domenico

Dragonetti (1763-1840), Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889), and Serge Koussevitzky (1874-1951),

who traveled and performed worldwide. The need for variety was an essential motivation behind

the transcription of well-known and worthwhile works written for other instruments in order to

enhance recital programs for double bass.

By transcribing Beethoven’s Cello Sonata, Op.5, No. 2, the well-known Italian virtuoso

Domenico Dragonetti helped to change the role of double bass in Ludwig van Beethoven’s orches-

tral works. According to Alexander Wheelock Thayer, Dragonetti’s playing of transcriptions in-

fluenced Beethoven in his orchestral compositions for the double bass:

In the spring of 1799, Dragonetti met with Beethoven in Vienna. Beethoven

had been told that his new friend could execute music upon his huge instru-
ment and one morning, when Dragonetti called at his room, Beethoven ex-
pressed the desire to hear a sonata. The contrabass was sent for, and the So-
nata, no.2, of Op.5 was selected. Beethoven played his part, with his eyes
immovably fixed upon his companion, and, in the finale, where the arpeggios
occur, was so delighted and excited that at the close he sprang up and threw
his arms around both player and instrument. The unlucky contrabassists of
orchestras had frequent occasions during the next few years to know that this
new revelation of the powers and possibilities of their instrument to Beetho-
ven was not forgotten.4

There are several instances of innovative writing in Beethoven’s symphonic works, which

makes the study of his music particularly noteworthy for bassists. In the last movement of the

Ninth symphony, for example, basses and cellos introduce both the recitative section and the “Ode

to Joy” theme. There is even a contrapuntal setting of the latter theme early in the movement during

4
Alexander Wheelock Thayer, Thayer’s Life of Beethoven, rev. and edited by Elliot Forbes
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1967), 208.
 5

which the basses play a countermelody against the “Ode to Joy” theme in the cellos and violas.

The composition of such independent bass lines were unusual at the time.

Another virtuoso Italian double bassist, Giovanni Bottesini, was primarily an opera con-

ductor, but it was common for him to perform transcriptions of arias on the double bass between

acts. The transcriptions of arias as well as the performance of quartets in which he played the cello

part and his original compositions established him as one of the most accomplished double bassists

of all time. His repertoire of transcriptions included Serenade du Barbier de Seville, Finale de la

Somnanbula, and Air d’il Trovatore based on arias from the operas by Gioachino Rossini, Vin-

cenzo Bellini, and Giuseppe Verdi. These performances made Bottesini so famous that he was

nicknamed the “Paganini of the double bass.”

In the twentieth century, Serge Koussevitzky was mostly known for his long tenure as

music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949, but he was also a virtuoso

double bassist and composer. He wrote comparatively little for the bass, so his recital programs

consisted largely of transcriptions including the Cello Sonata by Johann Strauss, Kol Nidrei by

Max Bruch, Wolfgang Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto and many Baroque works.

Stuart Sankey and Lucas Drew both contributed substantially to the double bass repertoire

through transcriptions. The opinion of a highly esteemed bassist and teacher such as Stuart Sankey,

who taught at the Juilliard School, Indiana University, and the University of Michigan provides

popularity of transcribed masterworks, if not authoritative justification. Sankey has stated:

Since the double bassist cannot draw upon a standard body of literature to
compare with that of violinists or cellists, he must therefore utilize existing
compositions which are more profitable, in the musical sense, as well as ap-
pealing to the ear. Certainly there is more to be learned from the music of
 6

Bach, Handel, and Schubert than that of Vanhal, Schwabe, Sperger or Drag-
onetti. I feel that bassists must create a new body of bass literature predicated
on the works of the masters.5

Several of the transcribed masterworks for bass surpass the technical and musical level of

much of the literature originally written for the instrument, and transcriptions are one of the best

vehicles with which to showcase a bassist’s virtuosity in performance.

Since there is a lack of solo bass repertoire before the nineteenth century, the use of tran-

scriptions helps to create a diverse and balanced recital program. For example, most double bass

recital programs of college students contain one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites. The

transcription of this work is so popular that it is a requirement for international double bass com-

petitions, such as that of the Solo Division of the International Society of Bassists. Thus, the double

bass repertoire has been enriched by transcriptions of music from earlier periods originally written

for other instruments.

Transcriptions are also used to overcome the shortage of repertoire for beginners with

specific technical obstacles, which creates pedagogical challenges. Etudes have long been regarded

as an important aspect of study even though they are not primarily for public performance. The

purpose of an etude is to present a technical problem or challenge in the context of a musical

setting. Although there are etude books for double bass, including Franz Simandl’s Thirty Etudes,

Edouard Nanny’s Dix Etudes Caprices, Josef Hrabe’s Eighty-Six Etudes for String Bass, and Se-

bastian Lee’s Twelve Studies, double bassists also rely on transcriptions from violin etude books

5
Samuel Applebaum and Henry Roth, “Stuart Sankey,” The Way They Play, 14 vols. (Neptune
City, NJ: Paganini Publications, 1978), vol. 6, 82.
 7

such as Rodolphe Kreutzer’s Forty Two Etudes to achieve technical facility and dexterity. Kreut-

zer’s Forty-Two Etudes have come to occupy an important role in the study of various instruments,

as well as “a central position in violin pedagogy.”6

Unlike other stringed instruments such as the violin or cello, the double bass must rely on

transcriptions to provide repertoire from before the twentieth century for players. Historically these

transcribed works helped the double bass develop the solo repertoire it deserves, created balance

in recital programs, expanded its overall literature, and enriched teaching resources, providing in-

structors with a variety of material for training their students.

6
Walter Kolneder, The Amadeus Book of the Violin: Construction, History, and Music (Portland,
Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1998), 359.
 8

CHAPTER II

OVERVIEW OF DOUBLE BASS CHAMBER MUSIC LITERATURE

Chamber Music Composed for Double Bass

The double bass had no distinct place in the history of string chamber music since it was

largely omitted. During the Baroque and Renaissance periods, works could often be played on any

variety of instruments. The instrumentation of trio sonatas was often flexible or unspecified, and

the scoring of modern editions of this repertoire can be misleading. In The Baroque Double Bass

Violone,7 Alfred Planyavsky points out that most editions of Arcangelo Corelli’s works, for exam-

ple, are edited for cello although the original score calls for “due violini e violone.” Planyavsky

cites a review of a 1998 complete edition of the sonatas by Herbert Seifert,8 which says:

The most important question for the performance of these works, which in-
strument Corelli meant with the term violone, is overlooked. For Chrysander,
in fact the first complete editions of these works it was for the violoncello.
There are those today as well who will support this point of view, although
there is enough evidence to support the conclusion that the instrument in-
tended was a member of the gamba family that could reach into the contra
octave.

In all scorings the bass part was called basso; this term carried no specific implication of

scoring for violone,9 viola da gamba, cello, or even a low-pitched wind instrument such as the

bassoon. Both the cello and a Viennese five string double bass, whose lowest pitch was normally

7
Alfred Planyavsky, The Baroque Double Bass Violone, trans. James Barkett (Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow, 1998), 91.
8
Herbert Seifert, “Review of Arcangello Corelli Gesamtausgabe,” in The Baroque Double Bass
Violone, trans. James Barkett (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1998), 100.
9
In modern terminology, the violone is the direct ancestor of the double bass.
 9

F ', were common bass instruments in a variety of ensembles. When the scoring was not specified,

a determination can be made only on the basis of independent documentary evidence or stylistic

features. A criteria for the latter is the presence or absence of pitches lower than notated F in

significant or exposed contexts. On this basis, many works can be assigned a particular scoring

and others reinterpreted.

During the Baroque period, the primary task of a violone player was to provide fundamen-

tal notes, essential rhythmic pulse and punctuation in a music ensemble.10 This meant giving extra

weight to changes of harmony, eliminating passing notes, or playing a simplified version of the

part that clarified the harmony when appropriate.11 There was no part specifically written for the

violone, so it was expected that the performer knew when to play and when to stay in the back-

ground by following general bass indications.12

In the first half of the eighteenth century, the double bass was still considered an essential

part of chamber ensembles often doubling the cello, as in Joseph Haydn’s and Wolfgang Amadeus

Mozart’s divertimentos.13 However, composers began to prefer the new galant style, with thinner

textures and clearly defined melody and bass. Starting with the early string quartets of Joseph

Haydn, who greatly influenced the modern form of the string quartet, the cello became the most

common bass instrument in chamber music. The development and dominance of the string quartet

led to the double bass’s near exclusion from chamber music. However, several player-composers

contributed repertoire to the classical literature that helped establish the double bass as a suitable

10
Paul Brun, A New History of the Double Bass (Villeneuve D’Ascq: Paul Brun Productions,
2000), 69.
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid., 70.
13
Ibid., 102.
 10

solo and chamber instrument. Double bass chamber music developed independently from the

string quartet repertoire, and composers such as Johann Sperger (1750-1812), Franz Anton Hoff-

meister (1754-1812), and Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846) wrote several concertos, duos, trios,

and other larger chamber works that included the instrument.

Although there was a scarcity of double bass chamber music literature during the nine-

teenth-century, four of the best-known string chamber pieces that include double bass were written

by major composers during this time: Franz Schubert’s Trout Quintet, Op. 114, and Octet in F

major, Op. 166, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20, and Antonín Dvořák’s

String Quintet, Op. 77. In these works the function of the double bass is mainly supportive, per-

forming the bass line while the cello (or other instrument) is free to take over the melodic material.

This is often the case in chamber music involving bass: it allows the other instruments to become

freer and more soloistic.

From the twentieth century onward, a renewed interest in the double bass has expressed

itself in extensive solo, chamber music, and more melodic orchestral bass writing. Collaboration

between bassists and composers has become a frequent occurrence, expanding the repertoire. The

writing has become much more idiomatic for the instrument. The bass has not only been featured

as the “foundation” of an ensemble but has been given prominent solo lines in works such as Sergei

Prokofiev's Quintet in G minor, Op. 39,14 which was also scored for oboe, clarinet, violin, and

viola; Darius Milhaud’s Les Reves de Jacob15 scored for oboe, violin, viola, cello, and double bass;

14
Sergei Prokofiev, Quintet for Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Double Bass, Op. 39 (London:
Boosey & Hawkes, 1927).
15
Darius Milhaud, Les Reves de Jacob pour Hautbois, Violon, Alto, Cello, et Contrebasse (Paris:
Alphonse Leduc, 1954).
 11

and Erwin Schulhoff’s Concertino for flute, viola, and double bass.16 In spite of this progress,

transcriptions officially become a staple of double bassists’ chamber music repertoire during this

time.

Although the double bass’s chamber music literature is currently larger than in the past, it

can be argued that studying and performing chamber music works from the nineteenth century that

can feature the solo capabilities of the double bass should be included in a comprehensive perfor-

mance curriculum. For that matter, transcriptions are still a very important tool for bassists to have

access to canonic nineteenth-century music repertoire.

Chamber Music by Major Composers Transcribed for Bass

Although the double bass is included in some of the most popular works of chamber music

of Beethoven and Schubert, it plays a relatively subordinate role in these works, and plays no role

at all in the rest of the best-known chamber music repertoire from the nineteenth century. Histori-

cally, the double bass is not a chamber music instrument. There are no standard chamber music

ensembles that contain double bass equivalent to the string quartet, the piano trio, or the woodwind

quintet. For these reasons, double bassists must look at transcriptions as a door to the nineteenth-

century repertoire, as arrangements and transcriptions of chamber music masterpieces provide

double bassists with the opportunity to perform great works.

Duo sonatas are some of the works most often performed by bassists as they involve two

performers who have equal roles. In the context of a sonata, the double bass can show its own solo

voice while collaborating with another instrument in a chamber music setting. Some of the most

16
Erwin Schulhoff, Concertino per Flauto, Viola e Contrabasso (Wien: Universal Edition,
1967).
 12

famous transcriptions for double bass and piano in this category are those of Cesar Franck’s Violin

Sonata in A major,17 Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No.5,18 Brahms’s Cello Sonata No.1 in E minor,19

Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata,20 and Grieg’s Sonata in A Minor for Cello.21

In his Comprehensive Catalog of Music, Books, Recordings, and Videos for the Double

Bass, Murray Grodner lists several trios, quartets, quintets, and sextets transcribed for bass but few

pieces by nineteenth-century major composers. In an effort to give bass players a chance to play

many of the these works, Dr. Anthony Scelba has made several highly acclaimed transcriptions,

including those of Schubert’s Quintet in C, Op.163, Brahms’ Sextet No.1, Op.18, and No.2, Op.36,

and Dvořák’s Sextet in A major, Op. 48 (with the second cello part arranged for bass).22 The

addition of chamber music produced by major nineteenth century composers to the double bass

literature could potentially put the double bass on a more even footing with that of the violin, viola,

and cello repertoire.

17
Cesar Franck, Sonata in A Major for String Bass and Piano, ed. Stuart Sankey (New York: In-
ternational Music, 1991).
18
Ludwig Van Beethoven, Sonata No.5 in D Major for String Bass and Piano, Op. 102, No.2, ed.
Mark Bernat (New York: International Music, 2003).
19
Johannes Brahms, Sonata No.1 in E Minor for String Bass and Piano, Op.38, trans. and ed.
Thomas Martin (New York: International Music, 2012).
20
Franz Schubert, Sonata in A Minor for String Bass and Piano: Arpeggione, ed. Stuart Sankey
(New York: International Music, 1963).
21
Edvard Grieg, Sonata in A Minor for String Bass and Piano, Op.36. ed. Stuart Sankey (New
York: International Music, 1994).
22
Chamber Music with Bass, www.editionsilvertrust.com/chamber-music-with-bass.htm, ac-
cessed February 18, 2015.
 13

CHAPTER III

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE TRIO IN A MINOR, OP. 114, FOR CLARINET,

CELLO, AND PIANO BY JOHANNES BRAHMS

Johannes Brahms’s output includes compositions for symphony orchestra, piano, voice,

and choir. However, to Brahms’s contemporaries, his true strength as a composer lay in the cham-

ber style.23 His chamber works reflect his respect for traditional forms, such as sonata form and

the standard of four-movement compositions, while including progressive content in the treatment

of harmonies, themes, and melodies of the time.

According to Margaret Notley, Brahms’s chamber music can be divided into three stylistic

periods: those works completed respectively in 1860-1865, 1873-1875, and 1879-1894.24 The

chamber music works including the clarinet were composed in his last period, a time when Brahms

was contemplating the possibility of concluding his activities as a composer. In fact, in a letter

after visiting Brahms at Ischl in May of 1890, his friend Theodor Billroth reported: “He rejected

the idea that he is composing or will ever compose anything.”25 The particular inspiration for the

composition of the clarinet works was Brahms’s delight in the clarinet playing of Richard Mühlfeld

of the Meiningen Orchestra, whom he considered the greatest player on any wind instrument.26

23
Margaret Notley, “Discourse and Allusion: The Chamber Music of Brahms,” in Nineteenth-cen-
tury Chamber Music, ed. Stephen Hefling (New York: Routledge, 2004), 242.
24
Ibid., 243.
25
Quoted in Daniel Gregory, The Chamber Music of Brahms (New York: Macmillan Company,
1933), 219.
26
Ibid., 220.
 14

In March of 1891, Brahms heard Mühlfeld perform in a chamber recital and was com-

pletely moved by his artistry. The clarinetist played pieces from his extensive repertoire (including

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet and Carl Maria Von Weber’s concertos), and

Brahms queried him closely on the nature of the instrument.27 Mühlfeld’s extraordinary mastery

of the clarinet was the direct incentive for the composition of four works: the Trio in A minor for

piano, clarinet, and cello, Op.114; the Quintet for clarinet, two violins, viola, and cello, Op. 115;

and later the two Sonatas for clarinet and piano, Op.120.

Brahms’s composition of the Trio in A minor, Op.114, proceeded faster than what was

normal for him, as in July 1891 he had already started the Quintet. Brahms had told his close

friend, the composer and archivist Eusebius Mandyczewski, that the Quintet was “much bigger”

than the Trio, which “was not so much a comment on the number of players involved — though

there may be some of that implied in it — but a reference to overall scale, for the Trio is about only

two-thirds of the length of the Quintet.”28 Since both works were brought out at the same time and

the Quintet is a larger work, the Trio’s reputation has suffered by comparison.29 However, Brahms

did put some of his finest work into the Trio.30

Upon receiving the manuscript, Mandyczewski described it as “the twin to a much greater

folly” (i.e., the Quintet). He quickly caught the mood of the Trio and wrote back that “it is as

27
George Bozarth, “Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Cello in A Minor, Opus 114,” in The Compleat
Brahms: A Guide to the Musical Works of Johannes Brahms, ed. Leon Botstein (New York: W.W.Nor-
ton, 1999), 114.
28
Robert Pascall, Brahms Beyond Mastery (Surrey: Ashgate, 2013), 58.
29
Donald Francis Tovey, The Classics of Music, ed. Michael Tilmouth (New York: Oxford Uni-
versity Press, 2001), 80.
30
Ibid.
 15

though the instruments were in love with each other.”31 On Brahms’s instruction, he had the parts

copied by William Kupfer, including a direct transcription of the clarinet part for the viola.

The public premiere of the Trio in A minor was given in Berlin on December 12th, 1891

with Johannes Brahms on the piano, Mühlfeld on the clarinet, and Robert Hausmann on the cello.

Hausmann was the cello instructor at the Royal Hochschule in Berlin and a member of Joseph

Joachim’s string quartet. He played several other premieres of Brahms’s works as well, including

that of the second Cello Sonata, Op.99, which was written for him in 1886, and the Double Con-

certo in 1887.32

One of the members of the extremely enthusiastic audience was the painter Adolf Menzel.

Mühlfeld’s playing so completely captivated Menzel that he sketched the clarinetist as a Greek

god.33 He sent the drawing to Brahms with the words, “We confess our suspicions that on a certain

night the Muse itself appeared in person (disguised in the evening dress of the Meiningen Court)

for the purpose of executing a certain woodwind part. On this page I have tried to capture the

sublime vision.”34

The Trio was not acclaimed as highly, likely due to the fact it was premiered only five days

after the popular Quintet: “On the whole, this work is less lofty in conception, but its general

characteristics are similar and the themes are for the most part melodious and winning. The Finale,

31
Karl Geiringer, Brahms: His Life and Work, transl. H.B. Weiner and B. Miall (London: Allen
& Unwin, 1948), 293.
32
Linda MacGregor, “Hausmann, Robert,” in Grove Music Online, www.oxfordmusiconline.com,
accessed 3 May 2015.
33
Jan Swafford, Johannes Brahms: A Biography (New York City: Knopf Doubleday, 2012), 604.
34
Ibid.
 16

however is more bright and vivacious than any movement in the Quintet.”35 German music critic

Eduard Hanslick also expressed his opinion about the trio in his 1891 review and favored the third

movement:

The first movement of Brahms’s Trio begins in idyllic calm, but soon inten-
sifies toward a more agitated, even passionate mood. The entire course of the
movement abounds in delicate, ingenious melodic turns; only the coiling and
uncoiling scales in the development section do not seem to me a natural out-
growth of the whole, and make more the impression of a “dead-lock.” The
elegiac melody of the Adagio is shared largely by the violoncello and clarinet,
whose deep chalumeau tones cast a romantic twilight over the whole. The
jewel of the work is the third movement, a sweet, songlike outpouring of
melody, cheerfully serene in character. The movement is so immediately in-
gratiating — popularizing in the noblest sense of the word — and in a manner
rarely encountered in Brahms’s music. After this brief but refreshing gem,
the Finale seems more a product of studied calculation than of joy in creativ-
ity.

In April 1892, violinist Joseph Joachim, who played the viola version after the second

public performance of the Trio, wrote to Brahms stating that he was very pleased with the piece

and liked it “even better than the first time.”36

Besides enhancing double bassists’ understanding of the style of one of the most important

nineteenth-century composers, the transcription of the cello part of the Trio creates an unique com-

position for bassists to perform a nineteenth-century chamber music piece which treats the bass as

an equal partner to the clarinet and piano, as opposed to the common supportive role the instrument

is given. The transcription procedures will be discussed in the following chapter.

35
The Musical Times 33 (May 1892): 277.
36
Florence May, The Life of Johannes Brahms (London: E. Arnold, 1905), 250.
 17

CHAPTER IV

PROCESS OF TRANSCRIPTION

For the creation of this transcription, it was important that the scores used as reference be

the ones that are mostly unchanged from the original manuscript. While there are several editions

of the Trio in A minor, use of a published Urtext edition avoids the insertion of changes made by

an editor. With that in mind, the 2012 Barenheiter edition was used as a source for this study.37

Other references include Georg Schumann’s edition published by Peters38 and the first published

version of the Trio by Simrock.39 The Peters edition was used as the main source for the clarinet

and piano parts because it is an edition that is easily accessible worldwide.

In order to preserve the musical intentions of the composer, the melodic line of the cello

was retained as much as possible. The transcription involved slight melodic adjustments, octave

displacements, deletions, editing of bowings, and fingerings. The clarinet and piano parts remained

unchanged. It seemed undesirable to appropriate a well-known chamber music composition, which

pianists and clarinetists have already mastered, and displace it to a different key solely for the

double bassist’s benefit.

The next most important factor, and one with a potentially greater impact on the result, was

the choice between orchestral and solo tuning. Solo tuning would mean abandoning the relation-

ship of the open strings to the structure of the composition and their similarity with the instrument

37
Johannes Brahms, Trio fur Klarinette, Violoncello und Klavier, Op.114, ed. Christopher Hog-
wood (Kassel: Bärenreiter Urtext, 2012).
38
Johannes Brahms, Trio fur Klavier, Violine und Violoncello -Oder Viola Oder Waldhorn Oder
Klarinette, ed. Georg Schumann (Leipzig: Edition Peters, 1928).
39
Johannes Brahms, Trio fur Pianoforte, Klarinette und Violoncello, Op.114 (Berlin: Simrock:
1892).
 18

for which the piece was intended in order to gain few technical advantages, mostly in the form of

reduced shifting. This edition of the Trio is in the key of G minor using solo tuning, therefore

sounding in A minor. The decision to change the key of the double bass part is based on the per-

forming advantages it provides: use of lower positions, less shifting, and the correlation of the top

A string of the double bass with the top A string of the cello. In addition, solo tuning enhances the

projection and brilliance of the double bass, therefore generating closer sonority to the cello timbre.

The range of the cello in this piece (C2- E5) falls perfectly in the double bass range, allowing

this transcription to be at pitch. However, there are a few exceptions in which octave displacement

was used instead. Most double basses are not designed to be solo instruments and have finger-

boards which do not include some of the higher notes used in this transcription, such as the D5.

Alternative solutions for these problems include playing some phrases an octave lower or using a

high register playing technique by pulling the string aside past the length of the fingerboard.

Because double bass strings are heavier and longer than cello strings, more energy is re-

quired to set them in motion. These characteristics, combined with a shorter bow, require that

double bassists employ more bow strokes than cellists to produce a similar amount of sound. Con-

sequently, some bowings have been adjusted in order to match dynamics in the double bass part.

Another factor that influenced bowing decisions was fingerings, which involved more string cross-

ing and position changes than the original part. These changes generally required simultaneous

adjustment in bowing direction to keep a clean and accurate coordination between both hands.

Fingerings and bowings in the double bass part are suggestions of the author, and should be treated

as such. Individual performers who can achieve a better musical result by diverting from these

markings are encouraged to do so.

 19

The following section is a detailed comparison between the cello part from the Peters edi-

tion and the double bass transcription presented in this study with clear musical examples.

Octave Displacement

Two examples of octave displacement can be found in the second movement: mm. 7 and

33-35. In measure 7 the low D on beat 3 is an open string on the cello, enabling the player to keep

his left hand in the high register of the instrument to play the remaining part of the phrase. The

same would be untrue for double bassists. Without having an open C string, shifting to the low C

would be an extremely large leap in a short period of time. In order to avoid this, the low C was

transposed an octave higher (Figure 1). The same situation occurs in mm. 33-35 (Figure 2).

Figure 1: Adagio, measure 7

 20

Figure 2: Adagio, mm. 33-35

There are also two examples of suggested ossia octave displacement in the third movement:

measure 104 and mm. 165-167. Here the cello has groups of slurred eight notes in legato style.

While it is possible to play these notes in the upper register of the bass, the legato sound is better

achieved in the lower octave because it involves less shifting (Figure 3 and 4).

Figure 3: Andantino Grazioso, mm. 104-105

Figure 4: Andantino Grazioso, mm.165-167

 21

Deletions

The transcription process required that some notes be deleted in order to make the part

idiomatic for the double bass. If a passage with double stops included notes out of range or ex-

tremely awkward fingerings, then notes were adjusted. Rearrangements were necessary to suit the

sonority of the double bass while still respecting the harmony of the piece. An example of this

situation can be found in mm. 125-130 of the first movement (Figure 5). The double stops are

located on sixth position of the cello. In contrast, this passage lies in the extremely high register of

the double bass, and performers must make a great effort to overcome not only the technical prob-

lems but also restrictions of the instrument, such as a big upper bout, while learning challenging

passages like this one. This excerpt is not unplayable on the bass; however, most teachers would

agree that some students might become injured by trying too hard to learn to play such an unidio-

matic passage. In order to make the passage more playable, this edition gives the player the option

to play only the top line.

Figure 5: Allegro, mm. 125-130

Another example of note deletion appears in the beginning of the third movement. In this

passage, the cello plays three-note chords that do not occur on the bass because of its size and
 22

tuning. The solution presented here is to play only two notes while still retaining the original chord

progression (Figure 6). The same can be observed in mm. 27-32 (Figure 7).

Figure 6: Andantino Grazioso, mm. 1-12

Figure 7: Andantino Grazioso, mm. 27-32

The transcription of mm. 114-117 and 148-157 of the third movement is treated somewhat

differently from the previous examples. Keeping the melodic line was the main priority in this

passage so the double bass can focus on the top line of the double stops and omit the bottom notes

(Figures 8 and 9).

 23

Figure 8: Andantino Grazioso, mm. 114-117

Figure 9: Andantino Grazioso, mm. 148-157

 24

Bow Articulation

As previously mentioned, most of the bowings from the Peters edition were retained, but

necessary changes to favor projection were made when needed, mostly applying more bow

changes than the original part. Some of the most significant examples of bowing alterations in

order to match the cello dynamics can be found in mm. 34-37 (Figure 10), 185-189 (Figure 11),

and 217-224 (Figure 12) of the first movement; mm. 4-7 (Figure 13) of the second movement; and

mm. 38-45 (Figure 14) of the fourth movement.

Figure 10: Allegro, mm. 34-37

Figure 11: Allegro, mm. 185-189

 25

Figure 12: Allegro, mm. 217-224

Figure 13: Adagio, mm. 4-7

 26

Figure 14: Allegro, mm. 38-45

In order to match the dynamics intended by Brahms, the bowing was altered in mm. 86-91

of the first movement (Figure 15). Players can naturally apply more weight to the string when they

are playing near the frog than the tip, due to the right hand proximity to the bow’s contact point

with the string. Therefore notes that begin quietly and crescendo are ideally performed up bow,

allowing weight on the string to increase naturally. The forte passage that follows can then be

played with down bows, which are ideally used in strong beats within musical phrases.

Figure 15: Allegro, mm. 86-91

 27

Fingering Suggestions

The creation of this transcription resulted in some excerpts that could be technically chal-

lenging for bassists due to the required fingerings. This section presents some fingering sugges-

tions which intend to make difficult passages easier. Fingering choices followed three basic prin-

ciples: musical phrasing, ease of execution, and homogeneity of the sound produced. Since shifting

is a constant requirement in this piece, finding the most convenient fingering is key to its successful

performance. For example, in mm. 109-113 of the first movement (Figure 16), shifting can be

minimized by playing notes across the strings instead of descending on the G-string. The same

procedure can be observed in mm. 185-189 and 122-125 (Figures 11 and 17).

Figure 16: Allegro, mm. 109-113

Figure 17: Allegro, mm. 122-125

Another section in the same movement that combines string crossing with fast shifting can

be found in mm. 220-224 (Figure 18). Here the arpeggios need to be performed quickly with great

agility. Special attention should be given to beats 3 and 4 of measure 221, where keeping the thumb
 28

anchored on the D-string can make the passage more playable. The final note of the last measure

of the first movement was altered to a G (sounding A) because it is the tonic of the passage, there-

fore enhancing the feeling of resolution. While it is impossible for the cello to play the note A

below the written C#, it fits in the double bass range. This alteration does not change the original

chord because the piano part contains the C#, which is the mediant degree of the scale.

Figure 18: Allegro, mm. 220-224

An example of reduced shifting can be observed in mm. 13-14 of the second movement.

Here the bassist should stay in the same position to maintain the legato characteristic of the passage

(Figure 19). In order to maintain smoothness between notes, the author also recommends playing

the pizzicato passage in mm. 22-23 with minimal shifting (Figure 20).

Figure 19: Adagio, mm. 13-14

 29

Figure 20: Adagio, mm. 22-23

One of the main issues in the fourth movement is passages with rapid sequence of sixteenth

notes. The author suggests using finger patterns 3 1 + and 2 1 +, placing most of the shifts on the

beat. These finger patterns form a solid left-hand position without any unnecessary finger exten-

sions, enabling the player to shift in “blocks,” reducing intonation problems (Figure 21). A passage

in which the author recommends shifting before the beat occurs in mm. 185-194 (Figure 22) be-

cause it contains an ascending sequence of sixteenths that ends in the extremely high register of

the double bass. Shifting on the last sixteenth before each beat has many advantages in this case:

it reduces the occurrence of any abrupt movement in the left hand, and gives the performer a chance

to prepare the following note of the sequence, which is on the beat. In addition, the fingering

pattern remains consistent from the beginning to the end of the passage.

Figure 21: Allegro, mm. 7-9

 30

Figure 22: Allegro, mm. 185-194

Performance Considerations

Since this transcription is in the same register of the cello, it requires the double bassist to

play in the higher positions of the instrument most of the time. When performing this transcription,

the double bassist needs to be aware of the techniques that have to be applied in order to obtain

the best tonal transparency. The contact point should be readjusted as the musical lines ascend,

requiring that the bow be moved closer to the bridge. Because the vibrating string length is much

shorter in higher positions, it can only tolerate a lower pressure. It is also suggested that faster bow

speed is applied, giving the strings a chance to respond accordingly.

Perhaps the issue of balance is the greatest difficulty when performing this transcription. The

double bassist must project fullness of tone in all registers. Due to the fact that the sound of the

double bass is less brilliant than the cello, the author recommends that the performance of this

piece is given with the piano lid closed. If the lid is kept open, the piano must drop at least one

dynamic level whenever the double bass has prominent lines in the low register. This minimizes

the possible imbalances and provides the double bassist with a better chance to be heard over the

texture.
 31

The viability of this transcription was tested in performance before it was set in its final

form.40

40
The Trio in A Minor, Op. 114 was performed by the author in her final doctoral recital at the
University of Iowa, on May 13, 2013.
 32

CHAPTER V

TRIO IN A MINOR, OP.114 FOR DOUBLE BASS, CLARINET, AND PIANO

By

JOHANNES BRAHMS

Transcription and Edition by Patricia Silva

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 88

CONCLUSION

A large portion of double bass literature consists of transcriptions through which double

bassists are able to create a diverse and balanced recital program and overcome a shortage of tech-

nical repertoire. Transcriptions allow players to engage with the repertoire the double bass de-

serves, in acquiring more pieces to perform, including works from periods and genres that have no

or very few pieces for the instrument. This is particularly the case of Romantic chamber music, a

genre in which there is a scarcity of double bass literature. As there is a lack of works by major

composers that include the double bass, arrangements and transcriptions of chamber music provide

double bassists with the opportunity to perform great works.

Brahms’s Trio in A minor, Op.114 is unlike most of the chamber music written for double

bass at the time. The style of the piece allows each performer to be treated equally. Since there is

a shortage of nineteenth-century double bass chamber music literature that features the instrument

in both solo and supportive roles, the transcription of the cello part of the Trio to the double bass

included in this study is my contribution to the genre.

It is my hope that this study of transcriptions together with my own transcription of the

cello part of the Trio in A minor, Op.114 inspire bassists to transcribe other compositions and

enrich double bass chamber music literature.

 89

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