Five Hungarian Dances for violin and guitar by Johannes Brahms
When Johannes Brahms was young, he played the piano at inns and dance halls to pay for his music lessons and to help support his family. Later, he toured as an accompanist, playing piano for a Hungarian violinist. That music--and the gypsy bands Brahms heard later on when he traveled to Hungary-- inspired his Hungarian dances, which were extremely popular with the public. They are probably much different in effect from what they would be when played by a band of traveling gypsies, but they are specially interesting as showing how their effect can be enhanced when transformed into art worthy a great composer.
Gregg Nestor
