Intermezzo in A Minor op. 76 no. 7 was written in 1878 by Johannes Brahms.
Brahms was a composer and pianist of the Romantic era of western art music. (You can read more about western art music in my article here.) He was born in Germany in 1833, and died in Vienna in 1897.
An intermezzo is a short composition, usually written for a solo instrument. Brahms wrote several Intermezzi and many more works for solo piano. His compositions also include symphonies – four part pieces written for an orchestra; Overtures – orchestral pieces written as a prelude to a major, dramatic work; sonatas (pieces divided into three or four movements and written for solo instruments or small ensembles) for piano, clarinet, violin and cello; and chamber music – music written for a small group of instruments as opposed to a full orchestra.
This Intermezzo is understated yet heartfelt in it’s description of sorrow, with haunting refrains and rich voicing of harmonies. The melancholy character of this piece is not melodramatic in it’s depiction, instead it is conveyed with subtlety, grace and dignity. After a solemn chordal introduction, slurs and rests give shape to the lyrical right hand melodies which elegantly intertwine with fragments of melodic interest in the bass line. At the end the introductory chordal passage is repeated, creating the feel of a poignant last act.
This video of Brahms’ Intermezzo in A Minor was recorded in May 2017. I hope you have enjoyed it and found it useful if you are currently learning to play this piece. There are many more free resources on my website to help you learn to play the piano, just have a look around and explore my articles, tutorials and videos that I have linked to throughout other pages and from the main navigation menu.
Watch more of my videos of music from the Romantic era: Schumann Romances No.1 and No.2, or Schumann Fantasy Dance. You may also like my recording of Chopin Nocturne in F minor or
Chopin Prelude in E Minor No. 4.For a different style of music you could listen to some of my recordings of Baroque or Classical music.
I have composed my own Intermezzo here: Intermezzo in B♭ – Improvisation in B♭ Mixolydian & G Aeolian, With E♭ Lydian
You can listen to another one of my own compositions (improvised) here:
You might be interested to learn about how improvisation is a skill that can help you improve your classical piano playing and understand music better – I’ve written a blog post exploring the link between freedom and structure in music. It traces how improvisation deepens expression and interpretation — and why learning to create your own sounds can transform the way you play written pieces. Read the full article → Improvisation at the Piano: Finding Freedom Through Sound