The Dual Characteristics Of Classic And Romantic Style In Brahms' Short Late Piano Pieces

Johannes Brahms(1833—1897)was among the greatest masters of the romantic period. His compositional style is generally considered to be classically grounded. In his music the romantic impulse is restrained by a reverence for the forms of the past. This blend of romantic feeling and classical spirit is exemplified in such works as his late short twenty pieces(op.116—119). They are among the most valuable of the Romantic character pieces. One can develop a better understanding of the composer's intentions by examining the formal structure, harmony, texture and rhythm and by a careful observation of Brahms's detailed scoring of articulation marks, pedal indications, tempo markings, dynamics, and other expressive markings. Through above analysis, this study provides some constructive suggestions of the ways of realization.