Johannes Brahms, "Scottish" Ballade in D minor, Op. 10, No.1 - version for French horn, double bass and piano (instrumentation by Božo Paradžik)
Johann Jacob Brahms, the father of one of the greatest composers of all time, was a versatile musician who played several instruments. However, the two instruments most closely associated with him throughout his life were the horn and the double bass.
Today is a special day, as it marks exactly 220 years since Johann Jacob Brahms was born. I have chosen this anniversary to share with the world the final result of a project that has occupied me for several years: my instrumentation of Johannes Brahms’s Four Ballades, Op. 10, for horn, double bass, and piano.
With this instrumentation, I have brought together the two principal instruments of the composer’s father (horn and double bass) within a unique chamber ensemble, using music that Johannes Brahms originally composed for solo piano in 1853. I like to imagine that Johann Jacob Brahms would have been delighted to hear his two instruments reunited in his son’s music, as you can hear them today. My instrumentation of the Four Ballades, Op. 10, is dedicated to his memory.
It had also been a long-standing dream of mine to perform and record a project with Radovan Vlatković, widely regarded as one of the world's greatest horn players. The combination of his extraordinary musicality, complete mastery of the instrument, and a sound of exceptional beauty-difficult to describe in words-made him the ideal partner for the premiere recording of these pieces. His artistry, sensitivity, and profound musical insight have brought this project to life in a way I could scarcely have imagined.
I hope that many horn players, double bassists, and pianists will discover and come to love these four remarkable miniatures, and that Brahms’s new “Horn–Double Bass–Piano Trio” will find its place in the chamber music repertoire.
The PDF music has already been published and is available through the online shop on my website: https://www.bozoparadzik.com/shop/shop-noten/146-brahms-op-10-four-ballades-horn-bass-piano.html The first Ballade is preceded by the following indication: “After the Scottish ballad ‘Edward’ in Herder’s Stimmen der Völker (Voices of the Nations).” Brahms was familiar with Herder’s German translation of this old Scottish folk ballad, whose original text reads as follows:
Quhy dois your brand sae drop wi' bluid, Edward, Edward? Quhy dois your brand sae drop wi' bluid? And quhy sae sad gang yee, O?
O, I hae killed my hauke sae guid, Mither, mither: O, I hae killed my hauke sae guid: And I had nae mair bot hee, O.
Your haukis bluid was nevir sae reid, Edward, Edward. Your haukis bluid was nevir sae reid, My deir son I tell thee, O.
O, I hae killed my reid-roan steid, Mither, Mither: O, I hae killed my reid-roan steid, That erst was sae fair and free, O.
Your steid was auld, and ye hae gat mair, Edward, Edward: Your steid was auld, and ye hae gat mair, Sum other dule ye drie, O.
O, I hae killed my fadir deir, Mither, mither: O, I hae killed my fadir deir, Alas! and wae is me, O!
And quhatten penance wul ye drie for that, Edward, Edward? And quhatten penance will ye drie for that? My deir son, now tell me, O.
Ile set my feit in yonder boat, Mither, mither: Ile set my feit in yonder boat, And Ile fare ovir the sea, O.
And quhat wul ye doe wi' your towirs and your ha', Edward, Edward? And quhat wul ye doe wi' your towirs and your ha', That were sae fair to see, O?
Ile let thame stand til they doun fa', Mither, mither: Ile let thame stand til they doun fa', For here nevir mair maun I bee, O.
And quhat wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife, Edward, Edward? And quhat wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife, Quhan ye gang ovir the sea, O?
The warldis room, let thame beg throw life, Mither, mither: The warldis room, let thame beg throw life, For thame nevir mair wul I see, O.
And quhat wul ye leive to your ain mither deir, Edward, Edward? And quhat wul ye leive to your ain mither deir? My deir son, now tell me, O.
The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir, Mither, mither: The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir, Sic counseils ye gave to me, O.