Johannes Brahms Overview

Why, in the name of all that's decent and civil, would Tchaikovsky have remarked in his diary that Brahms was a "scoundrel" and "a giftless bastard"? What could summon such a fork-tongued comment about the great German composer? For one, Johannes... [more]

Why, in the name of all that's decent and civil, would Tchaikovsky have remarked in his diary that Brahms was a "scoundrel" and "a giftless bastard"? What could summon such a fork-tongued comment about the great German composer? For one, Johannes Brahms was extremely voluble in his own blunt opinions; he criticized Liszt for being excessive and he signed a manifesto against "music of the future." But equally hard on himself, burning his work when he didn't like it, he was less of a giftless bastard than a grouchy perfectionist. As a young musician, Brahms was determined to attain a respectable post, for as a teenager he'd experienced the humiliation of peddling his music in the notoriously seedy St. Pauli district of Hamburg. It was during this time in Hamburg that he began exploring musical precedents; most notably, he devoured the works of Schubert. While his contemporaries were experimenting (Liszt with symphonic poems and Richard Wagner with harmony), Brahms focused on the great and masterful compositions of the past. He soon met prominent members of the musical circles of Germany. By the time he crossed paths with composer Robert Schumann, Brahms already had a whole repertory of songs, scherzos, and sonatas; he was known as one of the hardest working musicians (and womanizers) in Europe. It was Schumann, in an article about Brahms, who defined the young composer as the "coming genius" of German music. It would take quite a while, however, for the composer to hit a comfortable stride with his public. As his reputation as pianist and composer slowly grew throughout Europe, Brahms began composing larger works such as his humanist masterpiece "German Requiem." The requiem was conceived as an extension of Brahms' mourning; it laments the deaths of his mother and friend and advocate Schumann. Some years after his success with the "German Requiem," the composer received the prestigious post he had always wished to attain; Brahms was appointed conductor of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. Brahms had invested a great deal of time studying the works of his predecessors, which proved invaluable when it came time for him to compose his symphonies. Guided by Schubert and Beethoven's symphonies, Brahms was especially meticulous with his compositions. The composer's "First Symphony" emulates the passionate "Storm and Stress" style of Beethoven, moving gradually from darkness to light like Beethoven's own work. Brahms remained so true to the classical form that his "First Symphony" has been referred to (perhaps snidely) as "Beethoven's Tenth." The later years of Brahms' life produced his most interesting music, such as the complex and tightly constructed "Fourth Symphony." This essential figure of the Romantic period was at once a conservator of traditional forms and a musical progressive. He was full of contradictions: reportedly in love with Schumann's wife, Brahms still mourned his friend's death in dramatic fashion, dedicating a full requiem to Schumann. He was obsessed with serious classical composition, but is equally celebrated for his wonderfully folksy "Hungarian Dances." Some remembered him as a great egotist who was solely concerned with his own needs, while others insisted he was exceptionally giving to family and friends. "Giftless bastard" might not be an appropriate epitaph for the German composer, but Brahms certainly left behind a bunch of small conundrums, along with giant musical victories. [show less]