Johannes Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer op. 52 and Hector Berlioz' "Hungarian march" from La damnation de Faust

Abstract

Johannes Brahms, known for his love of serious music and archaic forms, was
indelibly influenced by residence in lively Vienna. During his Vienna years he composed
some of his most "popular" works, both in terms of style and reception, among these the
Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52. These masterful "love song waltzes" are settings of folk
poems from Georg Daumer' s Polydora. Brahms skill in songwriting lies in his subtlety.
Not bound to overt text painting, the composer uses rhythmic and textural clues along
with characteristically rich harmonic language to musically reflect the love, longing, and
loss found in Daumer' s candid, simple poems.
Berlioz' technique in composing the riveting "Hungarian March" is equally
effective. The formal structure of this work comes as an organic result of the
development and combination of specific motives. Five in all, the manipulation of these
motives within a framework of growing harmonic excitement, thickening texture, and
escalating dynamic scheme make it easy to understand why this piece-which the
composer claims to have written in one night-has become an orchestral tour de force.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Richard Rossi (Supervisor)