| Johannes Brahms was one of the major contributors toward the development of piano music in the nineteenth century. His compositional style, though evolving from classical tradition, displayed innovative ideas both musically and pianistically. Following the footsteps of other masters of piano music, such as Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, and Chopin, Brahms composed didactic works—five published etudes and a collection of technical exercises titled 51 Übungen für das Pianoforte ( 51 Exercises for the Piano). While the etudes were created for his own entertainment, 51 Exercises was meant to be a substantial pedagogical work. For the lack of other significant documentation of his pianistic technique, 51 Exercises became a primary source of understanding Brahms' pianism and his methods of achieving technical perfection. This document presents an analytical study of Brahms' 51 Exercises, focusing on the formal and harmonic structure of individual exercises, with comments on their training purposes. In addition, chapters on the biographic information of Brahms as a pianist and teacher, and applications of 51 Exercises in Brahms' other piano music are provided. |
