Description
Op. 39 is a set of sixteen short waltzes Brahms wrote in 1865, and this is No. 15. The set was composed for piano duet and, after its success, the composer himself prepared two solo versions, one harder and one simplified. It is also a north German composer's answer, having settled in Vienna, to the dances of that city.
In A-flat major and triple time, this is the simplest and best known of the sixteen. An eight-bar melody repeats, clouds over briefly in the middle and returns; the whole is finished in a little over a minute. There are no ornaments and no modulating devices — only melody and chords.
It is rated intermediate because the technical demands are light. The task is to sing a melody made of double notes and to hold the weight of the waltz. Three even beats produce no waltz, while a hammered downbeat makes it coarse. Bass notes light, chords lighter still. Bring the top voice of the melody one level forward and the piece is done.
Sixteen waltzes Brahms composed in 1865 and dedicated to Hanslick, combining Viennese waltz elegance with his own characteristic depth.
Browse all songs in 16 Waltzes Op.39 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Johannes Brahms was a composer born in Hamburg who rose to prominence after being championed by Robert and Clara Schumann, later settling in Vienna. He fused classical formal rigor with Romantic expressiveness across symphonies and chamber music, and in his later years wrote many introspective piano miniatures. This site includes the Intermezzo, Op. 118, No. 2, and two waltzes from Op. 39.
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