Brahms, Johannes << yoh HAH nuhs >> (1833-1897), was one of the greatest composers of the late 1800’s. Brahms’s most important works include four symphonies, two piano concertos, one violin concerto, a requiem, chamber music, piano music, and solo songs with piano accompaniment. His music reflects many traits of the Romantic movement while it is organized into elements of classical order (see Romanticism).
His life.
Brahms was born on May 7, 1833, in Hamburg, Germany. He studied piano as a child and showed great talent. He soon began to compose and arrange music. He gave his first solo piano recital in 1848.
Brahms performed with other musicians in many recitals. Among these musicians were the prominent violinists Eduard Remenyi and Joseph Joachim. Through Joachim, Brahms met the composers Franz Liszt and Robert Schumann. He developed a good relationship with Schumann and Schumann’s wife, Clara, who was herself a piano virtuoso and composer. Brahms’s compositional style was greatly influenced by that of Robert Schumann.
From 1857 to 1859, Brahms worked from time to time at the small court of Detmold as a pianist, composer, and conductor of the court choir. He spent the rest of his time in Hamburg. In Hamburg, he founded a women’s chorus, for which he composed and arranged a number of works. He moved to Vienna in 1862. In 1863, Brahms became director of the Vienna Singakademie, a choral organization. He held the directorship for one year. Brahms often left Vienna on concert tours as a solo pianist or as an accompanist to other prominent performers. He performed in most of the countries of Europe, and he became well known throughout the continent.
In 1872, Brahms became the director of the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society for the Friends of Music). He left the position in 1875 to devote more time to composing. During the following years, Brahms was productive as a composer. He continued to give many recitals.
Loading the player...Classical Romantic music by Johannes Brahms
Beginning in 1881, Brahms used the fine orchestra at the court of Meiningen to try out his new compositions. As his fame grew, he continued to perform frequently as a pianist and as a guest conductor. In 1890, Brahms decided to stop composing, and he discarded several incomplete works. But in 1891, after hearing and meeting the clarinet virtuoso Richard Muhlfeld, he quickly composed two major works featuring the clarinet. Brahms died on April 3, 1897.
His music.
Brahms composed in most of the forms of music that were common in his time. These included piano music, instrumental chamber music, orchestral music, concertos, songs, and choral works. Brahms composed no ballets, masses, or operas.
Loading the player...Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms
Brahms created many works for solo piano, including ballads, capriccios, fantasias, intermezzos, scherzos, sonatas, and variations. His Variations and a Fugue on a Theme by Handel (1861) is one of his masterpieces for solo piano. He also wrote works for two pianos.
Brahms’s chamber music includes several sonatas for piano and another instrument, as well as trios, quartets, quintets, and sextets. He also composed 11 chorale preludes for organ.
The composer’s orchestral music includes two serenades (both 1860) and four symphonies (1876, 1877, 1883, and 1885). His Variations on a Theme by Haydn (1873) is one of his most appealing and expertly crafted works. The Tragic Overture (1880) and the Academic Festival Overture (1881) are two important shorter orchestral works.
Loading the player...Academic Festival Overture
Brahms’s concertos were significant additions to the concerto repertoire of the late 1800’s. They include the first (1859) and second (1881) piano concertos, the Violin Concerto (1879), and the Double Concerto (1887) for violin and cello.
The vocal works of Brahms include more than 200 songs and many duets and quartets. Especially popular are the two sets of Liebeslieder (love songs) quartets. Brahms’s numerous unaccompanied choral works include motets, part songs (songs for several voices), and arrangements of folk songs. Significant choral works with accompaniment include A German Requiem (1869) for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, and orchestra; and the Alto Rhapsody (1870) for solo contralto, male chorus, and orchestra.
Brahms had a very personal and unique musical style. He used traditional musical forms in innovative ways. He filled his music with fresh melodies and harmonies. His melodies were often intensely lyrical.
Brahms’s musical style reflects his interest in the music of earlier times. He collected a large library of music and theoretical writing of the 1700’s and earlier. Brahms was in frequent contact with prominent music historians. He also collaborated with Clara Schumann and others to prepare an edition of the music of Robert Schumann.
