Thematic and tonal imagery in Brahms's Ballade in D Minor, Op. 10, No. 1

American Music Teacher, Dec, 2004 by llen Rennie Flint

EDWARD (1)

   1 "Why dois your brand sae drap wi'
      bluid,
        Edward, Edward?

   Why dois your brand sae drap wi' bluid?
      And why 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."

   2 "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 frie, O."

   3 "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 mee, O!"

   4 "And whatten penance wul ye drie for
      that,
        Edward, Edward?
   And whatten penance wul ye drie for
      that?
      My deir son, now tell me, O."
   "Ile set my felt in yonder boat,
        Mither, mither,
   Ile set my feit in yonder boat
      And lie fare ovir the sea, O."

   5 "And what wul ye doe wi' your towirs
      and your ha',
        Edward, Edward,
   And what wul ye doe wi' your towirs
      and your ha.'
      That were sae fair to see, O?"
   "Ile let thame stand tul they doun fa',
        Mither, mither,
   Ile let thame stand tul they doun fa',
      For here nevir mair maun I bee, O."

   6 "And what wul ye leive to your bairns
      and your wife,
        Edward, Edward?
   And what wul ye leive to your bairns
      and your wife,
      When ye gang ovir the sea, O?"
   "The warldis room, late them beg thrae
      life,
        Mither, mither,
   The warldis room, late them beg thrae
      life,
      For thame nevir mair wul I see, O."

   7 "And what wul ye leive to your ain
      mither deir,
        Edward, Edward?
   And what 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."

   EDWARD (2)

   1 "Why does your sword so drip with
      blood,
        Edward, Edward?
   Why does your sword so drip with
      blood?
      And why are ye so sad, O?"
   "O, I have killed my hawk so good,
        Mother, Mother,
   O, I have killed my hawk so good,
      And I had no other but he, O."

   2 "Your hawk's blood was never so red,
        Edward, Edward,
   Your hawk's blood was never so red,
      My dear son, I tell thee, O."
   "O, I have killed my red-roan steed,
        Mother, Mother,
   O, I have killed my red-roan steed,
      That was so fair and free, O."

   3 "Your steed was old, and ye've got
      more,
        Edward, Edward,
   Your steed was old, and ye've got
      more,
      Some other grief ye bear, O."
   "O, I have killed my father dear,
        Mother, Mother,
   O, I have killed my father dear,
      Alas, and woe is me, O."

   4 "And what penance will ye pay for
      that,
        Edward, Edward?
   And what penance will ye pay for that?
      My dear son now tell me, O."
   "I'll set my feet in yonder boat,
        Mother, Mother,
   I'll set my feet in yonder boat,
      And I'll sail o'er the sea, O."

5 "And what will ye do with your towers
      and your hall,
        Edward, Edward,
   And what will ye do with your towers
      and your hall,
      That were so fair to see, O?"
   "I'11 let them stand till they fall down,
        Mother, Mother,
   I'll let them stand till they fall down,
      For here never more I'll be, O"

   6 "And what will ye leave to your
      children and your wife,
        Edward, Edward?
   And what will ye leave to your children
      and your wife?
      When ye sail o'er the sea, O?"
   "The whole wide world, let them beg
      through life,
        Mother, Mother,
   The whole wide world, let them beg
      through life,
      For them never more will I see, O."

7 "And what will ye leave to your own
      Mother dear,
        Edward, Edward?
      And what will ye leave to your own
      Mother dear?
      My dear son, now tell me, 0."
   "The curse of Hell from me shall ye bear,
        Mother, Mother,
   The curse of Hell from me shall ye bear,
      Since counsel ye gave to me, O."

One rarely associates the term "programmatic music" with the compositions of Johannes Brahms. Early in his career, however, Brahms wrote the short and intensely compelling Ballade in D Minor, Op. 10, No. 1, which he subtitled "Edward." I first encountered this musical jewel some twenty-five years ago in my undergraduate piano literature class. My classmates and I met twice weekly in the cramped studio of Carl Pfeiffer, a brilliant pianist and inspiring teacher, who led us with painstaking detail through all the standard piano repertoire, pointing out stylistic, technical and pedagogical features of each piece discussed. As he worked his way through the copious repertoire of Brahms, Pfeiffer turned to the last page of the so-called "Edward" ballade and sternly told us to take careful note of the articulation and dynamics of the eighth-note triplet pattern in the final measures of the piece. "Never," he said, "use pedal here, and play it as quietly as you can, with just a light staccato. It should sound like blood dripping." Then, he moved to the piano and demonstrated: "See, it should sound like this--drip, drip; drip, drip." After a few giggles from the members of the class, Pfeiffer continued with the second ballade of the Opus 10 set.