Johannes Brahms composed the twenty-one Hungarian Dances (woo 1) for piano four hands as a sort of homage to Gypsy music. The themes and the spirit of the dances owe much to Brahms’ relationships with the Hungarian violinists Ede Reményi and Joseph Joachim. The first set of dances (Books 1 and 2) were published in 1869. Dance No. 17 appeared in the second set of dances, published in 1880. The slow and haunting opening lines of Dance No. 17 are culled directly from the improvisational laments of Hungarian Gypsy music.
This arrangement for four guitars attempts to follow the voicing and range of Brahms’ original setting, while complementing the particular sonorities of the guitar quartet. Fingering suggestions are intended to maintain Brahms’ original ornaments and articulations.
About the Arranger
Matthew Cochran is an active guitarist, arranger, and educator. He is a founding member of the Tantalus Quartet, whose performances have been called “crisp, solid and sensitive” by John Martin of Guitart International. He currently directs the pre-college guitar program at Palmer Trinity School in Miami. Cochran holds a Doctorate in Guitar Performance from Florida State University, and M.M and B.M. degrees in Guitar Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.
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