Notation in Johannes Brahms's sonata scores tells violinists and pianists far more than merely what pitches to play and how long to play them—if read carefully, these scores reveal an immense amount of expression, both of musical and human essences.

Joel Lester's Brahms's Violin Sonatas magnifies key passages from these scores, revealing in clear and accessible language how the composer built his themes and musical narratives and how, ultimately, Brahms's music came to sound Brahmsian. Throu...