Joseph Joachim and the Genesis of Brahms's Violin Concerto

Abstract

N surveying the nineteenth-century violin concerto, one can distinguish three types-those written by virtuosos primarily for their own use, those dedicated by a composer to a performer, and those few that were specifically composed for a particular interpreter. The socalled virtuoso concerto has often been treated with condescension; yet, the best among them-by Spohr, Paganini, Ernst, Vieuxtemps, and Wieniawski-have contributed significantly to the idiomatic development of the violin. Composers who dedicated their works to a prominent performer usually did so in friendship, admiration, or anticipation of a first performance. The great violinists of the nineteenth century-Joachim, Sarasate, Ysaye, Auer, Brodskyreceived many such dedications from Schumann, Dvoi'k, Bruch, Franck, Lalo, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens. But only a few compositions were written in such close collaboration and consultation between composer and performer that personal idiosyncrasies of the instrumentalist were reflected in the emerging work. One can think of Beethoven writing his Violin Concerto for Franz Clement (Concerto par Clemenza pour Clement...) who was famous for his facility in the upper regions of the violin, or adapting his Violin Sonata, Opus 96, to Pierre Rode's style of playing.' Men-