Hungarian Dance No. 5 (Brahms)

Description

Brahms earned more income from his Hungarian Dances than any other compositions of his. The set of 21 lively dance tunes based mostly on Hungarian themes was completed in 1869. Hungarian Dance No. 5, originally in F# minor for piano, but later orchestrated by the composer and transposed to G minor,was based on the Hungarian folk dance tune Bártfai emlék (“Memories of Bártfa”) by Hungarian composer Béla Kéler. Brahms mistakenly thought the piece was a traditional folk song. The Hungarian Dances may have had a significant influence on ragtime music.

This arrangement stays in the familiar orchestra key, and is a complete arrangement of the piece. Students get experience with dynamics and staccato, poco ritaradando/a tempo, syncopation and accents.

Key: G minor

Mood: lively, spirited

Pedagogy: dynamics, syncopation, accents, staccato