Johannes Brahms (pronounced [joːˈhanəs ˈbʁaːms]) (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of the Romantic period. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1833 ( MDCCCXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Romantic Music is a Musicological term referring to a particular period theory compositional practice and canon in European music history from about 1815 to 1910 He was born in Hamburg and in his later years he settled in Vienna, Austria. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich

Contents 1 Life 1.1 Early years 1.2 Meeting Joachim and Liszt 1.3 Brahms and Schumann 1.4 Detmold and Hamburg 1.5 Years of popularity 1.6 Later years 2 Music of Brahms 2.1 Works 2.2 Style and influences 2.3 Influence 3 Personality 4 Further reading 5 References 6 Media 7 External links

Life

Early years

Brahms's father, Johann Jakob Brahms, came to Hamburg from Schleswig-Holstein, seeking a career as a town musician. is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is He was proficient on several instruments, but found employment mostly playing the horn and double bass. The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. He married Johanna Henrika Christiane Nissen, a seamstress, who was seventeen years older than he was. Initially, they lived near the city docks, in the Gängeviertel quarter of Hamburg, for six months before moving to a small house on the Dammtorwall, located on the northern perimeter of Hamburg in the Inner Alster.

Johann Jakob gave his son his first musical training. He studied piano from the age of seven with Otto Friedrich Willibald Cossel. Brahms showed early promise (his younger brother Fritz also became a pianist) and helped to supplement the rather meager family income by playing the piano in restaurants and theaters, as well as by teaching. It is a long-told tale that Brahms was forced in his early teens to play the piano in bars that doubled as brothels; recently Brahms scholar Kurt Hoffman has suggested that this legend is false. Since Brahms himself clearly originated the story, however, some have questioned Hoffman's theory. ^[1][2]

For a time, Brahms also learned the cello, although his progress was cut short when his teacher absconded with Brahms' instrument. After his early piano lessons with Otto Cossel, Brahms studied piano with Eduard Marxsen, who had studied in Vienna with Ignaz Seyfried (a pupil of Mozart) and Carl von Bocklet (a close friend of Schubert). Eduard Marxsen ( 23 July 1806 - 18 November 1887) was a German pianist, Composer and teacher Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. The young Brahms gave a few public concerts in Hamburg, but did not become well known as a pianist until he made a concert tour at the age of nineteen. In later life, he frequently took part in the performance of his own works, whether as soloist, accompanist, or participant in chamber music. He was the soloist at the premieres of both his Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1859 and his Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1881. Johannes Brahms composed his Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor ( Op Piano Concerto No 2 in B-flat major Op 83 by Johannes Brahms is separated by a gap of 22 years from his first piano concerto. He conducted choirs from his early teens, and became a proficient choral and orchestral conductor.

Meeting Joachim and Liszt

He began to compose quite early in life, but later destroyed most copies of his first works; for instance, Louise Japha, a fellow-pupil of Marxsen, reported a piano sonata that Brahms had played or improvised at the age of 11. His compositions did not receive public acclaim until he went on a concert tour as accompanist to the Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi in April and May of 1853. Eduard Remenyi, Reményi Ede, born Eduard Hoffmann ( January 17, 1828, Miskolc, Hungary – May 15, 1898 On this tour he met Joseph Joachim at Hanover, and went on to the Court of Weimar where he met Franz Liszt, Peter Cornelius, and Joachim Raff. Joseph Joachim (June 28 1831 &ndash August 15 1907 (ˈjoʊɑːxɪːm was a Hungarian Violinist, conductor, Composer and teacher Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen Weimar (ˈvaɪmaʁ is a City in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of Thuringia (Thüringen north of the Thüringer Wald, Carl August Peter Cornelius ( 24 December 1824 &ndash 26 October 1874) was a German Composer, Writer Joseph Joachim Raff ( May 27, 1822 - June 24 or June 25, 1882) was a Swiss Composer, Teacher and According to several witnesses of Brahms' meeting with Liszt (at which Liszt performed Brahms' Scherzo, Op. A scherzo (plural scherzi) is a piece of Music or a movement in a certain style that forms part of a larger piece such as a Symphony. 4 at sight), Reményi was offended by Brahms' failure to praise Liszt's Sonata in B minor wholeheartedly (Brahms supposedly fell asleep during a performance of the recently composed work), and they parted company shortly afterwards. The Piano Sonata in B minor (Klaviersonate h-Moll S178, is a musical composition for solo Piano by Franz Liszt.

Brahms and Schumann

Joachim had given Brahms a letter of introduction to Robert Schumann, and after a walking tour in the Rhineland Brahms took the train to Düsseldorf, and was welcomed into the Schumann family on arrival there. Robert Schumann, sometimes given as Robert Alexander Schumann (June 8 1810 &ndash July 29 1856 was a German Composer, Aesthete and influential Music critic The Rhineland ( Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Schumann, amazed by the 20 year-old's talent, published an article entitled "Neue Bahnen" (New Paths) in the October 28, 1853 issue of the journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik alerting the public to the young man who he claimed was "destined to give ideal expression to the times. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1853 ( MDCCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (English - New Journal of Music was a music magazine published in Leipzig, founded by Robert Schumann. "^[3] This pronouncement was received with some scepticism outside Schumann's immediate circle, and may have increased Brahms' naturally self-critical need to perfect his works and technique. While he was in Düsseldorf, Brahms participated with Schumann and Albert Dietrich in writing a sonata for Joachim; this is known as the F-A-E Sonata. Albert Hermann Dietrich ( 28 August 1829 – 20 November 1908) was a German Composer and conductor, remembered He became very attached to Schumann's wife, the composer and pianist Clara, fourteen years his senior, with whom he would carry on a lifelong, emotionally passionate, but probably platonic, relationship. Clara Josephine Wieck Schumann (September 13 1819 &ndash May 20 1896 was a German musician one of the most distinguished Pianists of the Romantic era, as Brahms never married, despite strong feelings for several women and despite entering into an engagement, soon broken off, with Agathe von Siebold in Göttingen in 1859. Göttingen ( ˈgœtɪŋən, Low German: Chöttingen is a College town in Lower Saxony, Germany. After Schumann's attempted suicide and subsequent confinement in a mental sanatorium near Bonn in February 1854, Brahms was the main intercessor between Clara and her husband, and found himself virtually head of the household. Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Detmold and Hamburg

After Schumann's death at the sanatorium in 1856, Brahms divided his time between Hamburg, where he formed and conducted a ladies' choir, and the principality of Detmold, where he was court music-teacher and conductor. Detmold (ˈdɛtmɔlt is a City in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74000 He first visited Vienna in 1862, staying there over the winter, and in 1863 was appointed conductor of the Vienna Singakademie. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Though he resigned the position the following year and entertained the idea of taking up conducting posts elsewhere, he based himself increasingly in Vienna and soon made his home there. From 1872 to 1875 he was director of the concerts of the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde; afterwards he accepted no formal position. The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien (in English: Society of Music Friends) was founded in 1812 by Joseph von Sonnleithner, general secretary of the He declined an honorary doctorate of music from University of Cambridge in 1877, but accepted one from the University of Breslau in 1879, and composed the Academic Festival Overture as a gesture of appreciation. The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the Wrocław (Breslau Vratislav Vratislavia or Wratislavia Yiddish: ברעסלוי) is the chief City of the historical region of Lower Silesia Johannes Brahms 's Academic Festival Overture ( Akademische Festouvertüre) Op .

He had been composing steadily throughout the 1850s and 60s, but his music had evoked divided critical responses and the Piano Concerto No. 1 had been badly received in some of its early performances. His works were labelled old-fashioned by the 'New German School' whose principal figures included Liszt and Richard Wagner. Brahms in fact admired some of Wagner's music and admired Liszt as a great pianist, but the conflict between the two schools, known as the War of the Romantics, soon embroiled all of musical Europe. The War of the Romantics is a term used by music historians to describe the aesthetic schism among prominent musicians in the second half of the 19th century In the Brahms camp were his close friends: Clara Schumann, the influential music critic Eduard Hanslick and the leading Viennese surgeon Theodor Billroth. Eduard Hanslick ( September 11, 1825 – August 6, 1904) was a Bohemian Austrian writer on music Christian Albert Theodor Billroth ( 26 April 1829 at Bergen auf Rügen in the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1860 Brahms attempted to organize a public protest against some of the wilder excesses of their music. His manifesto, which was published prematurely with only three supporting signatures, was a failure and he never engaged in public polemics again.

Years of popularity

It was the premiere of Ein deutsches Requiem, his largest choral work, in Bremen in 1868 that confirmed Brahms' European reputation and led many to accept that he had fulfilled Schumann's prophecy. Bremen (ˈbʁeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name Stadtgemeinde Bremen / City Municipality of Bremen This may have given him the confidence finally to complete a number of works that he had wrestled with over many years, such as the cantata Rinaldo, his first string quartet, third piano quartet, and most notably his first symphony. Rinaldo, a cantata for tenor solo four-part male chorus and orchestra was begun by Johannes Brahms in 1863 as an entry for a choral competition announced in Aachen This appeared in 1876, though it had been begun (and a version of the first movement seen by some of his friends) in the early 1860s. The other three symphonies then followed in 1877, 1883, and 1885. From 1881 he was able to try out his new orchestral works with the court orchestra of the Duke of Meiningen, whose conductor was Hans von Bülow. Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the Southern part of the state of Thuringia and the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow (January 8 1830 &ndash February 12 1894

Brahms frequently traveled, for both business (concert tours) and pleasure. From 1878 onwards he often visited Italy in the springtime, and usually sought out a pleasant rural location in which to compose during the summer. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest He was a great walker and especially enjoyed spending time in the open air, where he felt that he could think more clearly.

In 1889, one Theo Wangemann, a representative of American inventor Thomas Edison visited the composer in Vienna and invited him to make an experimental recording. He played an abbreviated version of his first Hungarian dance on the piano. The recording was later issued on an LP of early piano performances (compiled by Gregor Benko); while the spoken introduction to the short piece of music is quite clear, the piano playing is largely inaudible due to heavy surface noise. Gregor Benko (born August 4 1944 Cleveland Ohio is an American writer lecturer record producer and collector-historian whose primary focus is classical piano performance documented Nevertheless, this remains the earliest recording made by a major composer. Analysts and scholars remain divided, however, as to whether the voice that introduces the piece is that of Wangemann or of Brahms. ^[4]

Later years

In 1890, the 57 year-old Brahms resolved to give up composing. However, as it turned out, he was unable to abide by his decision, and in the years before his death he produced a number of acknowledged masterpieces. His admiration for Richard Mühlfeld, clarinetist with the Meiningen orchestra, moved him to compose the Clarinet Trio Op. Richard Mühlfeld ( February 28 1856 &ndash June 1 1907) was a German clarinettist who inspired Johannes Brahms and 114, Clarinet Quintet Op. Johannes Brahms 's Clarinet Quintet in B minor Op 115 was written in 1891 for the Clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld. 115 (1891), and the two Clarinet Sonatas Op. The Clarinet Sonatas Nos 1 and 2 Op 120 by Johannes Brahms were written in 1894 for the Clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, after Brahms had been captivated 120 (1894). He also wrote several cycles of piano pieces, Opp. 116-119, the Four Serious Songs (Vier ernste Gesänge), Op. 121 (1896), and the Eleven Chorale Preludes for organ, Op. 122 (1896).

While completing the Op. 121 songs, Brahms developed cancer (sources differ on whether this was of the liver or pancreas). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC also called hepatoma) is a primary malignancy (cancer of the Liver. Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the Pancreas. Each year about 37680 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with this condition and 34290 His condition gradually worsened and he died on April 3, 1897. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Brahms is buried in the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna. The Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery is situated in the district of Simmering, Simmeringer Hauptstraße 230–244 Vienna 1110 Austria, and is the

Music of Brahms

Works

See also: List of compositions by Johannes Brahms

Brahms wrote a number of major works for orchestra, including two serenades, four symphonies, two piano concertos (No. 1 in D minor; No. 2 in B flat major), a Violin Concerto, a Double Concerto for violin and cello, and two orchestral overtures, the Academic Festival Overture and the Tragic Overture. The following is a list of compositions by the composer Johannes Brahms. This article is about the musical form See Serenade (disambiguation for other meanings A symphony is a Musical composition, often extended and usually for Orchestra. A piano concerto is a work written for Piano and Orchestra.See also Harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano Johannes Brahms composed his Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor ( Op Piano Concerto No 2 in B-flat major Op 83 by Johannes Brahms is separated by a gap of 22 years from his first piano concerto. Johannes Brahms wrote his Violin Concerto in D major Op 77 in 1878 for his friend the violinist Joseph Joachim, who was the dedicatee The Double Concerto in A minor (Op 102 by Johannes Brahms is a Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. Johannes Brahms 's Academic Festival Overture ( Akademische Festouvertüre) Op The Tragic Overture (German Tragische Ouverture) op 81 is a Concert overture for Orchestra written by Johannes Brahms

His large choral work Ein deutsches Requiem ("A German Requiem") is not a setting of the liturgical Missa pro defunctis, but a setting of texts which Brahms selected from the Lutheran Bible. The Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534 The work was composed in three major periods of his life. An early version of the second movement was first composed in 1854, not long after Robert Schumann's attempted suicide, and this was later used in his first piano concerto. Robert Schumann, sometimes given as Robert Alexander Schumann (June 8 1810 &ndash July 29 1856 was a German Composer, Aesthete and influential Music critic The majority of the Requiem was composed after his mother's death in 1865. The fifth movement was added after the official premiere in 1868, and the work was published in 1869.

Brahms' works in variation form include the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel and the Paganini Variations, both for solo piano, and the Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn in versions for two pianos and for orchestra. Variation form Variation form include Ground bass, Passacaglia, Chaconne, and theme and variations The Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op 24 is a work for solo Piano written by Johannes Brahms in 1861 a set of twenty-five variations and The Variations on a Theme of Paganini are a set of Theme and variations for solo Piano, written by Johannes Brahms (Op The Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, consisting of a theme in B-flat major eight variations and a finale was composed in the summer of 1873 by The final movement of the Fourth Symphony (Op. The Symphony No 4 in E minor Op 98 by Johannes Brahms is the last of his symphonies. 98) is formally a passacaglia. A passacaglia is a short usually slow and often grave musical work in any metre

His chamber works include three string quartets, two string quintets and two string sextets, a clarinet quintet, a clarinet trio, a horn trio, a piano quintet, three piano quartets and four piano trios (the fourth being "opus posthumous"). Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber He composed several instrumental sonatas with piano, including three for violin, two for cello and two for clarinet (which were subsequently arranged for viola by the composer). The viola is a bowed String instrument. It is the middle voice of the Violin family, His solo piano works range from his early piano sonatas and ballades to his late sets of character pieces. The Baroque keyboard sonata In the Baroque era the use of the term "sonata" generally referred to either the Sonata da chiesa ( Church sonata A ballade (French for "ballad' pronounced bah-LAHD refers to a one-movement musical piece with lyrical and dramatic narrative qualities Brahms was a significant Lieder composer, who wrote over 200 songs. de Lied (plural de Lieder) (liːt plural) is a German word meaning literally " Song " among English speakers however the word His chorale preludes for organ op. In music a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a Chorale tune as its basis The organ (from Greek όργανον – organon "organ instrument tool" is a Keyboard instrument of one or more divisions each 122, which he wrote shortly before his death, have become an important part of the organist's repertoire.

Brahms strongly preferred writing absolute music that does not refer to an explicit scene or narrative, and he never wrote an opera or a symphonic poem. Absolute music (sometimes abstract music) is a term used to describe musicthat is not explicitly "about" anything non-representational ornon-objective Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of Orchestral Music in one movement in which some extramusical program provides a narrative or illustrative element

Despite his reputation as a serious composer of large, complex musical structures, some of Brahms' most widely known and most commercially successful compositions during his life were aimed at the thriving contemporary market for domestic music-making, and are small-scale and popular in intention. These included his sets of popular dances, the Hungarian Dances, the Waltzes Op. For the "Hungarian folkloric dances" see Hungarian dance. 39 for piano duet, the Liebeslieder Waltzes for vocal quartet and piano, and some of his many songs, notably the Wiegenlied, Op. 49 No. 4 (published in 1868). This last item was written (to a folk text) to celebrate the birth of a son to Brahms' friend Bertha Faber, and is universally known as Brahms' Lullaby. Brahms' Lullaby is the common name for a number of children's lullabies with similar Lyrics and the same Melody, the original of which was Johannes

Style and influences

Brahms maintained a Classical sense of form and order in his works – in contrast to the opulence of the music of many of his contemporaries. Thus many admirers (though not necessarily Brahms himself) saw him as the champion of traditional forms and "pure music," as opposed to the New German embrace of program music.

Brahms venerated Beethoven: in the composer's home, a marble bust of Beethoven looked down on the spot where he composed, and some passages in his works are reminiscent of Beethoven's style. Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. The main theme of the finale of Brahms's First Symphony is reminiscent of the main theme of the finale of Beethoven's Ninth: when this resemblance was pointed out to Brahms, he replied that any ass – jeder Esel – could see that. The Symphony No 1 in C minor Op 68 is a Symphony written by Johannes Brahms. The Symphony No 9 in D minor Op 125 "Choral" is the last complete Symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Ein deutsches Requiem was partially inspired by his mother's death in 1865, but also incorporates material from a Symphony he started in 1854, but abandoned following Schumann's suicide attempt. He once wrote that the Requiem "belonged to Schumann". The first movement of this abandoned Symphony was re-worked as the first movement of the First Piano Concerto. Johannes Brahms composed his Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor ( Op

Brahms also loved the Classical composers Mozart and Haydn. He collected first editions and autographs of their works, and edited performing editions. He also studied the music of pre-classical composers, including Giovanni Gabrieli, Johann Adolph Hasse, Heinrich Schütz and especially Johann Sebastian Bach. Giovanni Gabrieli (c 1554/1557 &ndash August 12 1612 was an Italian Composer and organist. Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised in Bergedorf, near Hamburg, on 25 March 1699 &ndash died in Venice on 16 December Heinrich Schütz (October 8 ( JC) 1585 Köstritz - November 6 1672 Dresden) was a German Composer and organist, generally regarded WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" His friends included leading musicologists, and with Friedrich Chrysander he edited an edition of the works of François Couperin. Karl Franz Friedrich Chrysander ( July 8, 1826 - September 3, 1901) was a German music historian and critic, whose François Couperin (fʀɑ̃swa kuˈpʀɛ̃ (November 10 1668 &ndash September 11 1733 was a French Baroque composer organist and harpsichordist He looked to older music for inspiration in the arts of strict counterpoint; the themes of some of his works are modelled on Baroque sources, such as Bach's The Art of Fugue in the fugal finale of Cello Sonata No. In Music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and Rhythm, and interdependent in Harmony Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. The Art of Fugue or The Art of the Fugue (original German Die Kunst der Fuge) BWV 1080 is an incomplete masterpiece 1, or the same composer's Cantata No. 150 in the passacaglia theme of the Fourth Symphony's finale. The Symphony No 4 in E minor Op 98 by Johannes Brahms is the last of his symphonies.

The early Romantic composers also had a major influence on Brahms, particularly Schumann who encouraged Brahms as a young composer. Brahms often met Robert and Clara Schumann. Clara Josephine Wieck Schumann (September 13 1819 &ndash May 20 1896 was a German musician one of the most distinguished Pianists of the Romantic era, as During his stay in Vienna in 1862-3, Brahms became particularly interested in the music of Franz Schubert. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. ^[5] The latter's influence may be identified in works by Brahms dating from the period, such as the two piano quartets Op. 25 & Op. 26, and the Piano Quintet which alludes to Schubert's String Quintet and Grand Duo for piano four hands. The Piano Quintet in F minor, opus 34 by Johannes Brahms was completed during the summer of 1869. The String Quintet in C major, D 956 op posth 163 is a piece of Chamber music written by Franz Schubert. The Sonata in C major by Franz Schubert, D 812 ( Op. posth 140 for Piano four-hands (two players at one piano is one of Schubert’s most ^[6][5] There is less evidence for influence of Chopin and Mendelssohn on Brahms, although occasionally one can find in his works what seems to be an allusion to one of their works (for example, Brahms' Scherzo Op. Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3 1809 &ndash November 4 1847 was a German Composer 4 alludes to Chopin's Scherzo in B-flat minor;^[7] the scherzo movement in Brahms' piano sonata in F minor, Op. 5 alludes to the finale of Mendelssohn's piano trio in C minor^[8]). The Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor Op 5 of Johannes Brahms was written in 1853.

Brahms considered giving up composition when it seemed that other composers' innovations in extended tonality would result in the rule of tonality being broken altogether. Tonality is a system of Music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic. Although Wagner became fiercely critical of Brahms as the latter grew in stature and popularity, he was enthusiastically receptive of the early Variations on a Theme by Handel; Brahms himself, according to many sources (Swafford, 1999), deeply admired Wagner's music, confining his ambivalence only to the dramaturgical precepts of Wagner's theory.

Brahms wrote settings for piano and voice of 144 German folk songs, and many of his lieder reflect folk themes or depict scenes of rural life. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous His Hungarian dances were among his most profitable compositions. For the "Hungarian folkloric dances" see Hungarian dance.

Although Brahms' religious views are not clear, one of his greatest influences was the Bible. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin He read especially Luther's translation. His "Requiem" employs biblical texts to convey a humanist message, and focus on the living rather than the dead. Author Walter Niemann declared, "The fact that Brahms began his creative activity with the German folk song and closed with the Bible reveals. . . the true religious creed of this great man of the people. " Others see Brahms as more of a cultural Lutheran who embraced the cultural aspects of his upbringing but may or may not have adopted the religious beliefs. ^[9]

Writing in The New Oxford Companion to Music, Denis Arnold concludes, '. The Oxford Companion to Music is a popular music reference book in the series of Oxford Companions produced by the Oxford University Press Denis Midgley Arnold, CBE ( 15 December 1926 -1986 was a British Musicologist. . . his appeal to musicians lies in the quality of his craftsmanship. His wider appeal surely lies in the essential conflict between the depth of emotion so often evident yet hidden behind his natural reserve. . . . '

Influence

Brahms point of view looked both backward and forward; his output was often bold in its harmony and expression, prompting Arnold Schoenberg to write an essay "Brahms the Progressive" in 1933, which paved the way for a re-evaluation of Brahms's reputation in the 20th century. Arnold Schoenberg ( pronounced ˈʃøːnbɛrk (13 September 1874 &ndash 13 July 1951 was an Austrian and later American Composer, associated with Schoenberg went so far as to orchestrate one of Brahms's piano quartets. Brahms offered substantial encouragement to Schoenberg's teacher Alexander Zemlinsky, and was apparently impressed by two movements of Schoenberg's early Quartet in D major which Zemlinsky showed him. Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky ( October 14, 1871 – March 15, 1942) was an Austrian Composer The Austrian Composer Arnold Schoenberg published four String quartets, distributed over his lifetime

Brahms was honoured by the German Hall of Fame, the Walhalla temple. The Walhalla Hall of Fame and Honor is a neo-classical Hall of fame located on the Danube River 10 km east of Regensburg, in Bavaria On 14 September 2000 he was introduced there as 126th "rühmlich ausgezeichneter Teutscher" and 13th composer among them, by a bust of sculptor Milan Knobloch. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ^[10]

Personality

Like Beethoven, Brahms was fond of nature and often went walking in the woods around Vienna. He often brought penny candy with him to hand out to children. To adults Brahms was often brusque and sarcastic, and he sometimes alienated other people. His pupil Gustav Jenner wrote, "Brahms has acquired, not without reason, the reputation for being a grump, even though few could also be as lovable as he. Gustav Uwe Jenner, ( 3 December, 1865 - 29 August, 1920) was a German composer conductor and musical scholar whose chief claim to ^[11]" He also had predictable habits which were noted by the Viennese press such as his daily visit to his favourite "Red Hedgehog" tavern in Vienna and the press also particularly took into account his style of walking with his hands firmly behind his back complete with a caricature of him in this pose walking alongside a red hedgehog. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Those who remained his friends were very loyal to him, however, and he reciprocated with equal loyalty and generosity.

Brahms was a lifelong friend with Johann Strauss II though they were very different as composers. Johann Strauss II (also known as Johann Strauss the Younger, Johann Strauss Jr Johann Strauss II (also known as Johann Strauss the Younger, Johann Strauss Jr Brahms even struggled to get to the Theater an der Wien in Vienna for the premiere of Strauss' operetta Die Göttin der Vernunft in 1897 before his death. The Theater an der Wien (The Theatre on the Wien River is a Theatre in Vienna. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Perhaps the greatest tribute that Brahms could pay to Strauss was his remark that he would have given anything to have written The Blue Danube waltz. The Blue Danube is the common English title of An der schönen blauen Donau op The waltz is a ballroom and folk Dance in time, performed primarily in Closed position. An anecdote dating around the time Brahms became acquainted with Strauss is that when Strauss' wife Adele asked Brahms to autograph her fan, he wrote a few notes from the "Blue Danube" waltz, and then cheekily inscribed the words "Alas, not by Brahms!"

Starting in the 1860s, when his works sold widely, Brahms was financially quite successful. He preferred a modest life style, however, living in a simple three-room apartment with a housekeeper. He gave away much of his money to relatives, and anonymously helped support a number of young musicians.

Brahms was an extreme perfectionist. He destroyed many early works - including a Violin Sonata he performed with Reményi and violinist Ferdinand David - and once claimed to have destroyed 20 string quartets before he issued his official First in 1873. Ferdinand David (January 20 1810 in Hamburg – July 19 1873 in Klosters) was a German Virtuoso Violinist and Composer Over the course of several years, he changed an original project for a Symphony in D minor into a piano concerto, his first. This list of symphonies by key is a list of famous symphonies sorted by key. In another instance of devotion to detail, he labored over the official First Symphony for almost fifteen years, from about 1861 to 1876. Even after its first few performances, Brahms destroyed the original slow movement and substituted another before the score was published. (A conjectural restoration of the original slow movement has been published by Robert Pascall. ) Another factor that contributed to Brahms' perfectionism was that Schumann had announced early on that Brahms was to become the next great composer like Beethoven, a prediction that Brahms was determined to live up to. Robert Schumann, sometimes given as Robert Alexander Schumann (June 8 1810 &ndash July 29 1856 was a German Composer, Aesthete and influential Music critic This prediction hardly added to the composer's self-confidence, and may have contributed to the delay in producing the First Symphony. However, Clara Schumann noted before that Brahms' First Symphony was a product that was not reflective of Brahms' real nature. Clara Josephine Wieck Schumann (September 13 1819 &ndash May 20 1896 was a German musician one of the most distinguished Pianists of the Romantic era, as She felt that the final exuberant movement was "too brilliant," as she was encouraged by the dark and tempestuous opening movement she had seen in an early draft. However, she recanted in accepting the Second Symphony, which has often been seen in modern times as one of his sunniest works. Other contemporaries, however, found the first movement especially dark, and Reinhold Brinkmann, in a study of Symphony No. Reinhold Brinkmann (born August 21 1934) is a German musicologist 2 in relation to 19th century ideas of melancholy, has published a revealing letter from Brahms to the composer and conductor Vinzenz Lachner in which Brahms confesses to the melancholic side of his nature and comments on specific features of the movement that reflect this. Vinzenz Lachner (born 18 July 1811 in Rain am Lech; died 22 January 1893 in Karlsruhe) was a significant German composer

Further reading

• Johannes Brahms: Life and Letters, ISBN 0-19-816234-0 by Brahms himself, edited by Styra Avins, translated by Josef Eisinger (1998). A biography by way of comprehensive footnotes to a comprehensive collection of Brahms' letters (some translated into English for the first time). Elucidates some previously contentious matters, such as Brahms' reasons for declining the Cambridge invitation.
• Brahms, His Life and Work, by Karl Geiringer, photographs by Irene Geiringer (1987, ISBN 0-306-80223-6). A biog and discussion of his musical output, supplemented by and cross-referenced with the body of correspondence sent to Brahms.

• Charles Rosen discusses a number of Brahms's imitations of Beethoven in Chapter 9 of his Critical Entertainments: Music Old and New (2000; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, ISBN 0-674-17730-4). Charles Rosen (born May 5 1927 is an American Pianist and music theorist.
• Brahms by Malcolm MacDonald is a biography and also discussion of virtually everything Brahms composed, along with chapters examining his position in Romantic music, his devotion to Early Music, and his influence on later composers. Malcolm MacDonald (also known by the alias Calum MacDonald) is a British author mainly writing about music (Dent 'Master Musicians' series, 1990; 2nd edition Oxford, 2001, ISBN 0-19-816484-X
• Johannes Brahms: A Biography, by Jan Swafford. Jan Swafford (born 1946) is an American Composer and author who teaches composition, theory, and Musicology at the A comprehensive (752 pages) look at the life and works of Brahms. (1999; Vintage, ISBN 0-679-74582-3)
• Late Idyll: The Second Symphony of Johannes Brahms, by Reinhold Brinkmann, translated by Peter Palmer. An analysis of Symphony No. 2 and meditation of its position in Brahms' career and in relation to 19th century ideas of melancholy. (1995, Harvard, ISBN 0-674-51175-1)

References

Media

External links

• "What's late about late Brahms?": an article in the TLS by Peter Williams, November 7 2007
• The Voice of Brahms and Brahms at the Piano. Information about the recording made by Thomas Edison in 1889 of Brahms playing part of his Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minor.
• Johannes Brahms: list of works from w3. rz-berlin. mpg. de/cmp/
• Program notes on Brahms's First Symphony by Michael Steinberg
• Orchestral arrangement of Intermezzo from Six Piano Pieces Op 118 No 2.(also link to Opus 118 no 4)
• Photo of Brahms as a young man in 1853
• Johannes Brahms in the German National Library catalogue

Sheet music

• Brahms's Complete Piano WorksFree Public Domain Scores in PDF
• www.kreusch-sheet-music.net Brahms' piano works
• www.schubertline.co.uk Schubertline (digital) edition of Brahms' songs
• Brahms was listed in the International Music Score Library Project
• Johannes Brahms free scores in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Works by Johannes Brahms at Project Gutenberg
• Free scores by Johannes_Brahms in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)

Recordings

• Johannes Brahms - Violin Sonatas MP3 Creative Commons Recording
• Kunst der Fuge: Johannes Brahms - MIDI files Daily limit of 5 files. The German National Library ( Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, abbreviated DNB) was established in 1990 during the German reunification by merging the Deutsche The International Music Score Library Project ( IMSLP) is a project for the creation of a virtual library of Public domain music scores, based on the The Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL is a Sheet music archive which focuses on choral and vocal Music in the Public domain. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works The Werner Icking Music Archive, often abbreviated WIMA, is a web archive of Public domain Sheet music.
• Brahms cylinder recordings, from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara Library. The Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project is a free digital collection maintained by the University of California Santa Barbara Libraries with streaming and downloadable The University of California Santa Barbara ( UCSB) is a selective research-oriented public university located on the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara County California
• Works by Brahms performed on virtual organs
• Performances of works by Johannes Brahms in MIDI and MP3 formats at Logos Virtual Library

Persondata
NAME	Brahms, Johannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Composer, Conductor, Pianist
DATE OF BIRTH	May 7, 1833(1833-05-07)
PLACE OF BIRTH	Hamburg, Germany
DATE OF DEATH	April 3, 1897
PLACE OF DEATH	Vienna, Austria

A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures A pianist (/'piənɪst/ is a Musician who plays the Piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces play with an ensemble or Orchestra Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1833 ( MDCCCXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich

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