Fourth Hungarian Dance by Iohannes Brahms We are back to the Hungarian Gypsies;
the famous Hungarian Dances by Iohannes Brahms are based on their tunes. Brahms
was familiar with Gypsy music through Gypsy violinist Eduard Remenyi, whom he
accompanied in his youth. Later, when Brahms published “Hungarian Dances”,
Remenyi accused him of plagiarism, claiming that Brahms stole his melodies.
Yet, the melodies were neither Remenyis’ nor Brahams’: they were almost all
folk songs. But Remenyi’s resentment is quite understandable: of all Brahms’
compositions, the Hungarian Dances were the most profitable!
* * *
This story is just a tidbit from Alexander's "Songs of Exiles" concert program. To hear the full story, together with Alexander's virtuoso performance, come see him at his next concert! To buy this track, or the full CD of the music from "Songs of Exiles", follow the link on the left. You may also
listen to a sample of this song on Amazon.com or iTunes Previous
piece Go
back to CD "Songs of Exiles" Next piece
|