osthumous one in C minor)--the one in B flat minor--is an impressive
work. There is a certain rugged power in the opening movement, and the
Scherzo is passionate, and its Trio tender. The picturesque March owes
much of its effect to its colouring and contrasts; while the
extraordinary Finale sounds weird and uncanny. In the hands of a great
interpreter the music makes a powerful appeal; yet as a sonata it is
not really great. It lacks organic development, unity. The Sonata in B
minor, though attractive to pianists, is an inferior work. The first
movement, with exception of its melodious second theme, is dry, and
the Finale belongs to the _bravoura_ order of piece. The Scherzo is
light and graceful. The slow movement is the most poetical of the
four, though spun out at too great length. The real Chopin is to be
found in his nocturnes, mazurkas, and ballads, not in his sonatas.

Among modern sonatas, the three by Brahms (C, Op. 1; F sharp minor,
Op. 2; and F minor, Op. 5) claim special notice. With the exception of
the Liszt Sonata in B minor, which, whatever its musical value, at
least opens up "new paths" in the matter of form, the Brahms sonatas
are the only ones since Schumann which distinctly demand detailed
notice. The composer followed ordinary Beethoven lines; with exception
of the Intermezzo of the 3rd Sonata, the number and order of movement
resemble those of many a Beethoven sonata; while there is enlargement,
not change in the matter of form. Brahms studied the special means by
which his great predecessor, in some instances, sought to accentuate
the unity between various sections of a sonata; he steeped his soul in
the romantic music of Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, and Schumann, and,
in addition, trained his intellect to grasp the mysteries of
counterpoint, and to perceive the freer modern uses to which it was
put by the classical masters. Brahms' early acquaintance with Liszt
opened up to him, too, the resources of modern technique. And thus,
possessing individuality of his own, in addition to these inheritances
and acquirements, Brahms wrote sonatas, which, though in the main on
old lines, are no mere imitations, pale reflexes of his predecessors.

The 1st Sonata, in C (Op. 1), has for its opening theme one which has
been said to resemble the opening theme of Beethoven's Op. 106. It
will be well to look on this picture (Beethoven)--

[Music illustration]

and on this (Brahms)--

[Music illustration]