Hungarian Dances (Brahms)

For the "Hungarian folkloric dances", see Hungarian dance.

The Hungarian Dances (German: Ungarische Tänze) by Johannes Brahms (WoO 1), are a set of 21 lively dance tunes based on Hungarian themes. They vary from about a minute to four minutes in length. They are among Brahms' most popular works, and were certainly the most profitable for him. Each dance has been arranged for a plethora of instruments and ensembles. Brahms originally wrote the version for piano 4 hands and later arranged the first 10 dances for solo piano. He wrote orchestra arrangements for No. 1, No. 3 and No. 10. Other composers, including Antonín Dvořák, orchestrated the other dances. The most famous Hungarian Dance is No. 5 in F-sharp minor (g minor in the orchestral version).

List of Hungarian Dances

• No. 1 in G minor
• No. 2 in D minor
• No. 3 in F major
• No. 4 in F minor (F sharp minor for orchestra)
• No. 5 in F sharp minor (G minor for orchestra)
• No. 6 in D flat major (D major for orchestra)
• No. 7 in F major
• No. 8 in A minor
• No. 9 in E minor
• No. 10 in E major (F major for orchestra)
• No. 11 in D minor
• No. 12 in D minor
• No. 13 in D major
• No. 14 in D minor
• No. 15 in B flat major
• No. 16 in F minor
• No. 17 in F sharp minor
• No. 18 in D major
• No. 19 in B minor
• No. 20 in E minor
• No. 21 in E minor

The Hungarian Dances bear many resemblances to, and may have influenced, the similarly profitable and popular Slavonic Dances of Antonín Dvořák.

The Hungarian Dances in popular culture

• Hungarian Dance no. 5 in G minor is used to a comedic effect in the Charlie Chaplin movie The Great Dictator in a scene where Chaplin, as a barber, attempts to shave a customer to the rhythm of the song when it comes on the radio.

• Hungarian Dance no. 5 in G Minor is a playable song in the American version of the video game Donkey Konga.

• A contemporary a cappella rendition of Hungarian Dances no. 5 in G Minor can be heard during the "Tire and Ice" track in Crash Tag Team Racing.

• Hungarian Dance no. 7 in F Major can be heard in The Sims 2: Nightlife as a song in the Classic genre of music.

• A horn line from Hungarian Dance no. 5 in G Minor can be heard in Streetlight Manifesto's song "If and When We Rise Again".

• Hungarian Dance no. 5 in G Minor is used in O2Jam remastered and named as Brahms (O2 Version).

• Orchestral recordings of Hungarian Dance no. 1 in G Minor, Hungarian Dance no. 3 in F Major and Hungarian Dance no. 16 in F Minor is used in Civilization IV to represent the Classical era.

• in Tom Clancy's splinter cell when in the CIA HQ some guards are listing to Hungarian Dance no.5 in G Minor from a boom-box.

See also

• Panna Czinka, Márk Rózsavölgyi
• Hungarian Rhapsodies (Franz Liszt)
• Ede Reményi
• Simrock