Johannes Brahms

Keeper of the Flame

Born: May 7, 1833

Died: April 3, 1897

But for an antique, Brahms has amazing fortitude...the main part of his collection has endured as part of the archive, and continues to find public favor. In the 1960's Brahms was nudging Beethoven as the most popular symphonic composer. His four symphonies, two piano concertos, Violin Concerto and the Double Concerto are basic repertory, as are the "Haydn Variations" and the "Academic Festival Overture". Many other sonatas, quintets, quartets, variations, rhapsodies, intermezzi and caprices are to his credit.

He did very little romanticizing and rewriting. He was well versed in baroque counterpoint and wrote the energetic, daring fugue concluding the "Handel Variations", and only an individualist like Brahms could prevent it from becoming a copy of an old code. He loved Bach above all...of the Chaconne he wrote to Clara Schumann: "On a system for a small instrument, a man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and the most tremendous emotions. If I could imagine that I could have accomplished such a thing, could have conceived it within myself, I know surely that the excitement and the shock would have driven me insane." And then to Eusebius Mandyczewski he wrote: "When the new Handel edition comes out and is sent to me, I put in in my library and say, 'As soon as I have time I will look it over.' But when a new Bach edition appears, I let everything else go." He knew the classic period well, and used the counterpoint, varation, and sonata form. He had a strong feeling for German folksong but not nationalist music. Brahms wrote pure music, although he could be as lyric as any romantic composer. His music could be complicated and difficult, but not showy.

Brahms was a steadfast man and composer, sharp, vulnerable, pessimistic, crotchety, and he created anxiety; he also had a benevolent side...if he had a fascination with another composer, he would do all he could to help him. Unfortunately, he had interest in very few other composers. He loved Johann Strauss best. He had little respect for Bruckner, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, or Richard Strauss. He willingly spoke his mind, and was brutally honest...sometimes brutally comtemptuous. Beneath the curt outer layer of the man lay a golden inside, although that did not make it any easier for his friends to get close to him.

He was a good-looking young man, short and slight of build with blonde hair, deep blue eyes and a high-pitched voice. As he grew older he grew larger and had a large beard to match. He smoked cigars and was considered very sloppy...his clothing was old and sagging, patched and too short. He often carried his hat, rather than wearing it on his head. He lived simply, eating at cheap restaurants, rather than the elegant ones that he could afford. What he spent his money on were original music manuscripts including Mozart's G minor Symphony. He owned the autographed score of Wagner's "Tannhauser" which was a gift, although later it was learned that it was not Wagner's to give away, and with the greatest of polite elegance, he asked for it back, and gave Brahms "Das Rheingold" instead.

At the age of twenty Brahms had written several pieces, none of which was going to help him achieve greatness. However, he was also a very accomplished pianist, and in 1853 he toured with Eduard Remenyi as an accompanist. Remenyi was a Hungarian violist who played "a la tzigane" [as a gypsy]. It was on this tour that Brahms met Joseph Joachim, one of his life-long friends. Joachim was a famous violinist who was in the Liszt circle, and who took Brahms to Weimar with him. Brahms brought his music, but was apprehensive and could not play. Liszt, who was the greatest sight reader ever, took the manuscripts to the piano and played the E flat minor Scherzo and part of the C major Sonata and Brahms was very impressed with him as a pianist, no matter what he thought of him as a composer.

Another attraction was between Brahms and Schumann. A note in Schumann's diary September 30, 1853: "Brahms to met me (a genius)." Schumann was so taken by Brahms that he wrote an article about him in the "Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik" calling him a young eagle, and indicating that he would probably come to greatness one day. The bond between Schumann and Brahms was so tight that Schumann insisted that Brahms move into their home; Brahms was by Clara Schumann's side when Robert Schumann tried to commit suicide, and again after he died in 1856. Brahms ended up falling in love with Clara and it is said that their relationship was more than platonic, but could Clara give herself to Brahms? She wore her mourning clothing from then on...not to say that she and Brahms weren't close, but she couldn't give herself fully to another man.

The D minor Concerto was met with poor reviews at first, and not until the 1950s did it become one of the most popular of all concertos. Clara Schumann (piano) and Joseph Joachim (violin) played Brahms' music, and Julius Stockhausen (baritone) started to sing his lieder, giving his music more exposure. In 1862 Brahms visited Vienna, and then returned the next year and never left, making it his home for the rest of his life. He had wanted to be conductor of the Hamburg Philharmonic, but was turned down, which bothered him for the rest of his life! On his arrival in Vienna he became conductor of the Academy of Singing for two years, then focused on composing. The "German Requiem" is the work that made Brahms famous, having been performed in Dresden in 1868 with one section missing. The complete work was performed the next year in Leipzig. Following this event, he stopped touring as a pianist and conducted concerts of the Gasellschaft der Musikfreunde. He wrote all forms except symphony and opera, as opera did not interest him...symphony was a whole other matter, and in 1876 he wrote Symphony No. 1 which he had been working on for years. He told a friend, "Composing a symphony is no laughing matter...You have no idea of how it feels to hear behind you the tramp of a giant like Beethoven." And surely the musical crowd of Europe immediately put the C minor Symphony against Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" theme in the Ninth Symphony.

There are three periods to Brahms' creative life, including the struggle for form, where his music was big and serious, but which did not have a nice flow, and was considered by his admirers blundering and gawky. The second period is more confident and effervescent or agitated, including eight short pieces of Op. 76 and all the subsequent piano works being short. There is variety, and harmonic refinement as well as allure. The early works are too serious, but the middle is more calm and sentimental. Finally, the third creative period Brahms had was one of a delicate, intimate nature. Works like the D minor Violin Sonate, the Clarinet Quintet, the intermezzi for piano and the last work which was a set of eleven corale preludes for organ, are peaceful and dispassionate and considered exceptional works. Brahms' music represented an authentic and austere musician who wanted to bring the best sounds to his audiences in the best ways possible.

Clara Schumann died in 1896 which was devastating to Brahms, who wrote the aristocratic and lamenting "Vier ernste Gesange". Then almost immediately another devastation: Brahms developed liver cancer, which is what his father had died from. Heinrich von Herzogenberg wrote, "It is tragic that a forceful personality like Brahms is condemned to observe with a clear mind every phase of the destruction of his body...Brahms flat on his back!" Brahms, who had never actually been sick in his life, pulled himself out of his bed on March 7, 1897 to hear Hans Richter conduct the Fourth Symphony and died on April 3, 1897. He is remembered for his works, and we sing our children to sleep with his Lullaby (Guten Abend, gute Nacht, Op. 49, No. 4. Published in 1868).