The Hungarian Dances (German: Ungarische Tänze) by Johannes Brahms (WoO 1) are a collection of 21 dance pieces inspired mostly by Hungarian music. Brahms finished them in 1879. Each dance lasts between about one minute and five minutes. These pieces are some of Brahms's most well-known works and helped him earn money. The dances can be played by many different types of instruments and groups. Brahms first wrote them for two pianists playing together and later adapted the first ten dances for a single pianist.
Background
Brahms' Hungarian Dances should be understood within the background of interest in folk music. Haydn and Boccherini often used gypsy music in their works, but during Brahms' time, Franz Liszt influenced him through his Hungarian Rhapsodies. In 1850, Brahms met the Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi and helped him perform in several concerts. This experience introduced Brahms to "gypsy-style" music, such as the csárdás, which later became the basis for his most successful and popular compositions: the two sets of Hungarian Dances (published in 1869 and 1880).
Only numbers 11, 14, and 16 were completely created by Brahms. The more famous Hungarian Dances include Nos. 1 and 5. Dance No. 5 was based on the csárdás "Bártfai emlék" (Memories of Bártfa) by Hungarian composer Béla Kéler, which Brahms incorrectly believed was a traditional folk song. A note in the Ludwig-Masters edition of a modern orchestration of Hungarian Dance No. 1 states: "The material for this dance is believed to have come from the Divine Csárdás (ca. 1850) by Hungarian composer and conductor Miska Borzó."
List
Book 1. (published in 1869)
1. in G minor: Allegro molto
2. in D minor (orchestrated by Hallén, 1882): Allegro non assai – Vivace
3. in F major: Allegretto
4. in F minor (F-sharp minor in Juon's 1933 orchestration): Poco sostenuto – Vivace
5. in F-sharp minor (G minor in Parlow's 1876 orchestration): Allegro – Vivace
Book 2. (published in 1869)
2. in D-flat major (D major in Parlow's 1876 orchestration): Vivace
3. in A major (F major in Brahms's solo piano arrangement): Allegretto – Vivo
4. in A minor: Presto
5. in E minor: Allegro ma non troppo
6. in E major (F major for orchestra): Presto
Book 3. (published in 1880; Parlow's orchestrations of these six were made in 1885 without any change of key)
2. in D minor: Poco andante
3. in D minor: Presto
4. in D major: Andantino grazioso – Vivace
5. in D minor: Un poco andante
6. in B-flat major: Allegretto grazioso
7. in F minor: Con moto – F major: Presto
Book 4. (published in 1880; Dvořák's orchestrations of these five were made in October and November of the same year without any change of key)
2. in F-sharp minor: Andantino – Vivace
3. in D major: Molto vivace
4. in B minor: Allegretto
5. in E minor: Poco allegretto – Vivace
6. in E minor: Vivace – E major: Più presto
Arrangements and influences
Johannes Brahms arranged orchestral versions of Hungarian Dances Numbers 1, 3, and 10. Other composers arranged the remaining dances. These composers include Antonín Dvořák (Numbers 17 through 21), Andreas Hallén (Numbers 2, 4, and 7), Paul Juon (Number 4), Martin Schmeling (1864–1943) (Numbers 5 through 7), Hans Gál (Numbers 8 and 9), Albert Parlow (Numbers 5 and 6 in 1876 and Numbers 11 through 16 in 1885), and Robert Schollum (Numbers 4, 8, and 9). More recently, Iván Fischer arranged the complete set for orchestra.
Brahms himself arranged the first ten dances for solo piano. The remaining dances (Numbers 11 through 21) were arranged for solo piano by Theodor Kirchner. Numbers 11 through 16 were also arranged for simplified piano by Robert Keller.
The Hungarian Dances have also been arranged for violin and piano. These include arrangements by Paul Klengel (Numbers 1 through 3, 5 through 8, 13, 17, 19 through 21) and Fritz Kreisler (Number 17).
Hungarian Dance No. 4 in F♯ minor was used by composer John Morris as the main theme in his score for Mel Brooks’ comedy film The Twelve Chairs (1970), set in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. This included the film’s instrumental score and a song titled Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst, with lyrics by Mel Brooks, both based on the Johannes Brahms composition.
Recordings
The earliest known recording of any movement from the Hungarian Dances was a shortened piano version of Hungarian Dance No. 1, recorded in 1889 by Johannes Brahms himself. This recording was made by Theo Wangemann, who worked with Thomas Edison. Before the music begins, the following words are heard:
- Theo Wangemann: "Dezember 1889."
- Johannes Brahms: "Im Haus von Herrn Doktor Fellinger bei Herrn Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms." (Translation: "In the house of Dr. Fellinger with Dr. Brahms, Johannes Brahms.")
Joseph Joachim, a close friend of Brahms, and an unnamed pianist recorded their own versions of Hungarian Dances Nos. 1 and 2.
Leopold Stokowski’s first recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra were of Hungarian Dances Nos. 5 and 6. These were recorded in 1917 by the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey.
The Boston Pops Orchestra, led by conductor Arthur Fiedler, recorded Hungarian Dances Nos. 5 and 6 in Symphony Hall, Boston. Hungarian Dance No. 5 was recorded on June 25, 1950, and released by RCA Victor as catalog number 10-3254B (in the US) and by EMI on the His Master’s Voice label as catalog number B 10631. Hungarian Dance No. 6 was recorded on June 16, 1950, and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 10-3244B (in the US) and by EMI as catalog number B 10631. These recordings were on 78 rpm discs. Albert Parlow arranged the pieces.
Julius Katchen and Jean-Pierre Marty recorded all the Hungarian Dances in the 1960s as part of Katchen’s complete recording of Brahms’s piano works. Aloys and Alfons Kontarsky recorded the dances in 1976 for Deutsche Grammophon, originally released on LP catalog number 2530 710. The French pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque recorded the complete set in 1981 for Philips, with catalog number 4164592.
Hungarian Dances Nos. 17, 19, and 21 were recorded in 1966 by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra for their album Orchestral Fireworks, released in the UK on the Music For Pleasure label.
The first complete orchestral versions of the Hungarian Dances were recorded in 1956 by Mario Rossi conducting the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. These were released on Vanguard Records. Robert Schollum created the orchestrations for Nos. 4, 8, and 9 for this recording.
The dances were recorded again in 1967 by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt conducting the NDR Radio Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg and released in the US on Vanguard. The first digital recording was made in 1982 by Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic for Deutsche Grammophon, released on LP as 410 615-1 and on CD as 410 615-2.
Another digital recording was made in 1988 by István Bogár and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra for Naxos, released on CD as 8.550110. This recording received a Rosette award from The Penguin Guide, which described it as "sheer delight from beginning to end… an outright winner among the available versions."
A complete orchestral version was recorded in 1998 by Iván Fischer conducting the Budapest Festival Orchestra for Philips Records, released as CD 289 462 589-2.