God, Oneness and Brahms
Grace Notes: of Music and Spirit
God, Oneness and Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 2 Op. 87 in C major
I’ve loved the music of Johannes Brahms since age three. (Yes, I WAS asked and my preference duly noted!) In my 20’s I resonated with the pain, agitation and deep, loving sweetness in his chamber works. I still appreciate this beautiful, harmonically rich music, but there is a lot less fluid in my well of pain so it doesn’t have the emotional impact it once did. Still I will remain forever grateful because Brahms’ music reawakened in me the understanding that God Is.
It was the Piano Trio No. 2 Op. 87 in C major. The bittersweet 2nd movement eloquently states the problem—life feels difficult—sometimes in a gentle, hypnotic, heavy way, sometimes dramatically:
2nd movement, Andante con moto
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Now listen to the 3rd movement, Scherzo Presto. Notice the theme that starts about a minute and a half in:
3rd movement, Scherzo Presto
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In that music I heard and understood the pain that Johannes Brahms surely also felt, knew it to be my own and knew we were the same—connected—one. Even though I was still in pain, listening to Brahms I no longer felt completely alone. I felt both the pain AND hope as this is profoundly optimistic music in the end (check out the 4th movement finale below). At that time I did not believe in God or anything remotely “spiritual”—but, thanks to this music, I began to believe in Oneness because I experienced it. And that tiny seed of truth brought me all the way here.
4th movement, Allegro giocoso
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Can’t write about this beautiful piece without including a link to all of it. Enjoy!
1st movement, Allegro con moto
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Take heart, Beloveds, for the Great Love which Created All That Is speaks to us constantly from within and without. Let us have ears to hear.
Love and Light,
Mira Carroll
P.S. Many thanks and blessings to Elena Bashkirova, piano, Maxim Vengerov, violin and Boris Pergamenschikow, cello, for sharing their beautiful rendition of Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 2 Op 87. Awesome playing! Thanks also to the Monte Piano Trio and the Fournier Trio for providing the first and last movements. And thank you, Johannes, for allowing Spirit to speak through you in the universal language of music.
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Bonus Brahms – Piano Trio No. 1!
Good to the last drop. . .
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BTW, the word “scherzo” means joke in Italian. Perhaps on a soul level Brahms was appreciating the absurdities of life and that it is, after all, just a very fast dream. ❤ ❤ ❤
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