Edouard Reményi and Johannes Brahms: A Lifelong Influence Reconsidered

Edouard Reményi was one of the first important influences in Johannes Brahms’s life and compositional career. Yet, beyond a single biography, much of what is commonly believed about Reményi is based on information provided by the Brahms literature. By reexamining the accounts of Reményi in the Brahms literature, and comparing them with Mary Kelley and George Upton’s biography of Reményi and Robert Eshbach’s excellent research, the timeline of Reményi’s life and work can be clarified. Analysis of a set of three pieces for violin and piano demonstrates Reményi’s work as a composer and illustrates the style of Hungarian music that Brahms may have been exposed to during their time together—the type of music that would inform Brahms’s compositions in the future. Finally, examining the rumors of plagiarism surrounding Brahms’s first book of Hungarian Dances shows clear disparity in treatment between Reményi’s claims and those of other composers. Supporting evidence for Reményi’s statements has largely been ignored, but notably includes a letter from Brahms and a manuscript from the collection of Franz Liszt, dated 1853, that contains the melodies for the dances in question. This leads to important questions regarding the prejudices present in the early Brahms biographies that more recent scholars have been unwilling to address. Reményi’s statements identifying Nos. 3 and 7 of the Hungarian Dances as derivative of his own work can no longer be dismissed. In addition, his compositions reflect a deep understanding of the style hongrois, and can help inform future scholarship in this area.