Stepping Onto the Floor for Brahms's Hungarian Dance No 5
The Best Moments
Hungarian Dance No. 5 in F-sharp minor, WoO 1, No. 5
Hello, I am Johannes Brahms, and I would love to share the best moments of my Hungarian Dance No 5 with you. You will hear how those sudden changes in speed and mood give the dance its lively character and make every return of the main tune feel fresh. If you want to recognize our music the moment it starts playing, visit our interactive music trainer where the other composers here and I will gladly help you practice.
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No Time for Polite Introductions
I start Hungarian Dance No 5 by skipping the polite small talk and jumping straight into a fierce, dark tune that marches in from the very first beat. I originally arranged this opening for four hands at one piano from a csárdás by Béla Kéler, pulling the pace back and forth like two dance partners who cannot agree on who is leading.
Catching Your Breath at Full Speed
I throw open the curtains in the middle section and trade the brooding mood for a bright, sunny melody that sprints ahead. Just when the two pianists are flying along together, I make the music suddenly stretch out and hesitate, like a storyteller pausing right before the best part of a joke.
Leaving Before the applause Stops
I bring back that fiery opening tune to close Hungarian Dance No 5, because a melody that good deserves a second round before everyone goes home. After one last round of sudden stops and quick sprints, I end the piece with three sharp chords that shut the door before anyone has time to ask for an encore.
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I hope you had fun walking through the best moments of Hungarian Dance No 5 with me. Even in a short piece like this, those sudden shifts in pace are only part of the story, and there is plenty more about Hungarian Dance No 5 to discover, from my early tours with the violinist Ede Reményi to the evening I first played these dances with Clara Schumann. If you are curious to hear the rest of that tale, just click on the links on this page to keep exploring Hungarian Dance No 5 with me.
Recording: Arthur Nikisch, Public domain