Klarinet Archive - Posting 000189.txt from 2007/06

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Brahms Quintet harmony question
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:30:28 -0400


I've run into something (else) that puzzles me in the Adagio of the Brahms
Quintet, Op. 115.

At bar II-70 (9 bars before E in Simrock, Breitkopf and International
editions), second violin, last two double-stops in the measure, there's a
conflict between the full score and the playing parts in the 1892 first
edition published by Simrock. In the full score, the top note in the
double stop is a and the lower note is accidental g-natural, following an
accidental g- sharp earlier in the bar. However, the Simrock playing part
for second violin has the accidental g-sharp early in the bar but not the
accidental g-natural for the final two double-stops, and therefore those
g's remain sharped. The clarinet in A (in clarinet key of D minor) has
b-flat there, i.e. orchestral g-natural. The other instruments add
c-natural and e-flat to the ensemble chord.

I also looked at the 1949 International edition and the 1989 Breitkopf
edition (re-edited "principally from" the 1927 Breitkopf edition). Both
agree with the Simrock playing part in omitting the second violin's
accidental natural on the g at the end of bar II-70. The only place I've
seen that accidental natural is in the Simrock 1892 full score.

Brahms modulates the key in this bar and the next. Either g or g-sharp
would work there as a passing tone. I've tried the chord progression on
the piano both ways and they both sound good to me, but then I'm not
Brahms. Brahms uses minor seconds as passing tones all the time and,
although I don't recall another specific instance of a simultaneous mash of
two minor seconds (here, g, g-sharp and a), it hadn't surprised me. It's
just that pesky g-natural in the full score making me wonder, because
otherwise there are not many disagreements between the full score and the
parts. Has anyone seen the autograph score? Does the Henle score say
anything about this bar? Any authoritative word on whether Brahms really
wants the 2nd violin to play g or g-sharp?

Lelia Loban

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