This Scherzo formed the third movement of a sonata written jointly by Robert Schumann, Albert Dietrich and Brahms as a surprise for their friend Joseph Joachim when he visited Düsseldorf in October 1853. The three-note motto F–A–E (‘Frei aber einsam’ – ‘Free but lonely’) was associated with Joachim and is used in all the movements of what Schumann called ‘the FAE Sonata surprise’. Dietrich wrote the first movement, Schumann and second and fourth, and Brahms the third. Joachim played it through for the first time – with Clara Schumann at the piano – on 28 October 1853 and, as they played the work, he had to guess the composer of each movement. This Allegro by a very young Brahms already has hints of the mature musician to come. It was only published posthumously, but as one critic wrote when it was issued by Brahms-Gesellschaft in 1906, ‘it shows a few characteristic traits of the master [and] people will be interested to take note of it.’ 

Nigel Simeone 2024