Chapter 4: Brahms

Ken Shifrin: The Alto Trombone in the Orchestra: 1800-2000

The German repertoire normally calls for one each of alto, tenor and bass trombone... a tradition which lasted until Wagner.¹ (Alan Lumsden)

The Brahms Requiem is... a piece which works extremely well on the alto trombone.² (Donald Appert)

Brahms... used three trombones (none of which was an alto)... The trio of trombones, two tenors and a bass, was a combination which [was] eventually standardized during the period of Brahms and Chaikovsky.³ (John Drew)

The large bore [tenor] does beyond doubt tend to a more solid tone... For such works as the symphonies of Brahms... wide-bored instruments [are] those for which the parts were originally conceived.⁴ (Philip Bate)

Johannes Brahms... used the three clefs in [his] scores and in most instances did not intend the alto to play the parts. Most composers made a special note or indication in the score if they required the alto trombone to play the first part.⁵ (Mark Hartman)

The use of large-bore tenors, which are virtually tenor trombones built with the bore and bell of an F bass trombone, is post 1850 and began in military bands. It was for large-bore instruments that Brahms wrote, and out of consideration for this, leading English players of the early part of the twentieth century, notably Jesse Stamp and Arthur Falkner [BBC Symphony, first and second trombone respectively], though normally playing narrow-bore trombones, used to change to instruments of wider bore for the performance of works by Brahms, Richard Strauss and the later works of Wagner.⁶ (Anthony Baines)

As can be seen from the quotes above, the alto trombone is rarely associated with Brahms' orchestral works. However, a re-examination of the existing evidence reveals a rather different picture in which the alto features prominently. One of the difficulties in assessing the make-up of Brahms' trombone section is that, in contrast to Bruckner, no original hand-copied parts exist.⁷ Fortunately, the first published editions of his works appeared shortly after the completion of composition – invariably no more than a year later – and Brahms was critically involved in the publication process.

According to Margit McCorkle:

From the start of his career Brahms composed for eventual publication. With this end in view, he put his works through rigorous paces, normally progressing through three distinct stages. He first solicited the reactions of his trusted musical confidants. Then he sought opportunities for test performances... Moreover, he repeatedly insisted to his eager publishers that the release of his works must wait until he had had sufficient opportunity to hear them performed and make his final revisions... From the Violin Concerto on, all trial performances were played from 'printed' string parts (that is, pulled proofs); Simrock was willing to print these, even though Brahms reserved the right to make whatever changes might be necessary once he had heard the compositions... Orchestras testing the work would purchase the performing materials (parts other than those for the strings were still usually hand-written); these would at some point, according to circumstances, be returned either to the composer or the publisher and in due course were replaced with the published parts. When the last concert of a season was over, Brahms would collect the performing materials and revise, correct and refine the full score, based on his experience of conducting and hearing the pieces... Finally, when he was satisfied with the results of these semi-private (or even public) trial performances, he released the revised score, parts and other relevant manuscripts... to the publisher, together with appropriate instructions for editing and engraving.⁸

4:1 Brahms and the Trial Performances of his Orchestral Works

To evaluate his compositions adequately, Brahms would insist on as many test performances as possible ('Für die Herausgabe muss ich eine vollständige gute Aufführung hinter mir haben'⁹) and as many rehearsals as he required ('Das Wichtigste an der Aufführung ist nur: so viel und oft probieren können, wie ich mag'). (See Table 4.1, p. 124 for a list of trial performance of Brahms' large-scale works.)¹¹ After Vienna the piece was tested in performances in Leipzig, Amsterdam, The Hague, Dresden and Düsseldorf before it went to the printer.¹²

Brahms developed a special relationship with the Court Orchestra of Meiningen, which was conducted by his friend Bülow and where his compositions were often tested;¹⁴:

Es war nämlich immer ein heimlich lieber Gedanke, das Ding zuerst in der kleinen Stadt, die einen guten Freund, guten Capellmeister und gutes Orchester, zu hören.¹⁵

With regard to the Requiem, his colleague Joachim recommended that it be tested in Bremen because 'die Mittel wären in Bremen herrlich, die Kirche von wunderbarer Akustik', and, most importantly, 'Fleiss würde dem Dirigenten jedenfalls nich fehlen, er wäre sehr hingenommen von deiner Partitur'.¹⁶ Brahms was concerned not only that the work should be well rehearsed, but also that the musicians should be competent:

Mein Werk ist doch schwer und in Bremen geht man doch bedächtiger zum hohen a hinauf als in Wien... Ich schicke hierbei die Partitur der ersten Sätze, da ich herzlich wünsche und hoffe, Sie lassen das Streichquartett sich beteilen an den Singproben; es wäre sehr schön, wenn die Geiger hernach die Sache kennten. Sind wohl die Stimmen der übrigen Sätze fertig und recht korrekt?¹⁷

Brahms' process for testing his compositions was painstakingly meticulous, and the slow 'deliberate pace with which Brahms' works progressed towards publication'¹⁸ must have severely tried the patience of his publisher Simrock. When Simrock beseeched Brahms to send the manuscript and parts of his First Symphony after the Vienna performance, it having already been performed in Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Munich, Brahms adamantly demanded further trial performances in Leipzig, Cambridge and London.²⁰

An example of Brahms' 'deliberate pace' and attention to detail is demonstrated in his detailed pre-publication plan for the Third Symphony, as described to Simrock:

Nun habe ich aber noch die Grosse Bitte, das Sie mir für Pest neue Bratschen und erste und zweite Violinen abziehen lassen... Am 2ten April ist die Symphonie in Pest. Dann schicke Ihnen Partitur und Stimmen... Von Pest werde ich Ihnen den ganzen Ballast zuschicken. Die Stimmen müssen natürlich nach der Partitur revidiert werden... Das Überklebte in den ersten Quartettstimmen gilt nicht – ich werde es inder Partitur korrigieren.²¹

Brahms' critical involvement in the supervision of the printing of the first editions is typified by the following letter to Simrock. After the penultimate trial performance in Dresden of the Second Symphony, Brahms had the parts sent to Simrock with these instructions:

Ich wollte Ihnen die Stimmen schön korrigieren, sehe aber, dass sie doch, ehe sie zum Stecher gehen, von kundigen Augen besehn werden mussen... lassen Sie mich ja eine Korrektur der Stimmen lesen.²²

During the rehearsals in Düsseldorf for the final test performance, Brahms hurriedly contacted Simrock, who was then in the process of a second printing for this performance, and urged him to desist because more mistakes had been found in the parts and score:²⁴ Yet even after the Düsseldorf concert Brahms requested a small pre-publication printing to allow him to check for more mistakes:²⁶ Brahms' perfectionism is summed up in his statement regarding the printing of the Triumphlied:

Ich muss durchaus die Erlaubnis haben, nachher alles Mögliche in den Platten ändern zu lassen! Das wird nun zwar wahrscheinlich nicht gefährlich sein, aber möglich ist es.²⁷

The 'expert eyes' to which Brahms refers were most assuredly those of Simrock's 'valued house editor',²⁸ Robert Keller, known for his scrupulous attention to detail. As critical and meticulous as Brahms was, he could also rely on Keller's superb proof-reading skills, and he paid tribute:

to Keller's acute eye and systematic expertise as a corrector. [Keller] identified errors of all kinds, comment[ed] on suspected mistakes, and ma[d]e suggestions of his own for improvement... Keller's method of work was to note discrepancies within the score and the parts.²⁹

Pascall adds that it was customary for the parts used in the trial performances 'rather than the score, to be used as engravers' Exemplaren for the printing of the set of parts'.³⁰

Table 4.1

Brahms: Chronology of Orchestral and Large Choral Works³¹

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