50 minutes of Brahms' greatest melodies

Brahms is not generally known as a great melodist. In fact, many of you might not have guessed that Brahms had enough great melodies to fill a 50 minute video. But as shown in the video, this is not the case! Brahms has plenty of great melodies; they just might be hidden a bit better than others.

Brahms draws from his Germanic influences of Schumann, Beethoven, and Bach—where someone like Chopin drew from opera, Brahms was inspired by German church music, chorales and Volkslied. As a result, his melodic writing is understated, and his melodies are often incomplete or not particularly interesting without the underlying harmonies. Even so, Brahms has penned a number of earworms, such as the 3rd movement of the 3rd Symphony, the 2nd movement of the 2nd Clarinet Sonata, the Intermezzo in A, etc. And the melodies that are don't immediately catch the ear often open up to marvelous harmonic invention and/or gorgeous counterpoint.

Brahms’ melodies fall into two categories. In minor keys, they tend to be autumnal, wistful, elegiac:
0:00 Symphony No.3, Op.90
1:59 Symphony No.4, Op.98
2:52 Hungarian Dance No.1, WoO 1
3:34 Hungarian Dance No.4, WoO 1
4:26 Cello Sonata No.1, Op.38
5:53 Clarinet Sonata No.2, Op.120 No.2
6:51 Klavierstücke, Op.76 No.2
8:18 Intermezzi, Op.117 No.2
9:32 String Sextet No.1, Op.18
10:59 Horn Trio, Op.40

In major keys, there is serenity, purity, and hope. Occasionally he dips his toes into sentimentality, and it's wonderful.
12:05 Piano Trio No.1, Op.8
17:11 Klavierstücke, Op.118 No.3
18:11 Klavierstücke, Op.118 No.2
20:26 Violin Sonata No.2, Op.100
21:27 Piano Concerto No.1, Op.15
23:34 Piano Sonata No.3, Op.5
24:26 String Quartet No.2, Op.51 No.2
25:59 Symphony No.1, Op.68
27:08 Fantasien, Op.116 No.3
28:14 In stiller Nacht, WoO 34 No.8
29:31 Ballades, Op.10 No.4
31:15 Klavierstücke, Op.119 No.2
32:20 Cello Sonata No.1, Op.38
33:45 Violin Concerto, Op.77
34:58 Fantasien, Op.116 No.2
36:14 Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op.35 Book II
37:22 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op.9
40:11 Piano Concerto No.2, Op.83
41:36 Violin Sonata No.1, Op.78
42:40 String Quintet No.2, Op.111
43:44 Violin Sonata No.3, Op.108
45:54 Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56b
47:17 Clarinet Sonata No.1, Op.120 No.1