Max Derrickson

Johannes Brahms  (b May 7, 1833, at Hamburg, Germany; d April 13, 1897, in Vienna)

Hungarian Dances No.1, 3 and 10

Gypsy music was a continual source of joy and creative inspiration for Brahms, who had encountered their musical traditions from the Hungarian refugees in the Vienna of his early days.  The Hungarian Dances are two sets of 10 pieces, each of which is based on gypsy tunes.  These were written in 1869, a year after the premiere of the German Requiem, and although initially scored for piano four-hands (the most popular medium for at-home music making), in 1873 Brahms orchestrated Dances Nos. 1, 3 and 10.

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