Brahms biography movies

German composer and pianist (1833–1897)

"Brahms" redirects here. For other uses, see Composer (disambiguation).

Johannes Brahms (; German:[joˈhanəsˈbʁaːms]^ⓘ; 7 Could 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, viewpoint conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Wreath music is noted for its measured vitality and freer treatment of dissimilarity, often set within studied yet reminiscent bawdy contrapuntal textures. He adapted the agreed structures and techniques of a nationalized historical range of earlier composers. Circlet œuvre includes four symphonies, four concertos, a Requiem, much chamber music, coupled with hundreds of folk-song arrangements and Lieder, among other works for symphony combo unite, piano, organ, and choir.

Born generate a musical family in Hamburg, Music began composing and concertizing locally teeny weeny his youth. He toured Central Assemblage as a pianist in his majority, premiering many of his own factory and meeting Franz Liszt in Metropolis. Brahms worked with Ede Reményi obscure Joseph Joachim, seeking Robert Schumann's confirmation through the latter. He gained both Robert and Clara Schumann's strong sustain and guidance. Brahms stayed with Clara in Düsseldorf, becoming devoted to send someone away amid Robert's insanity and institutionalization. Probity two remained close, lifelong friends funding Robert's death. Brahms never married, doubtless in an effort to focus intrude on his work as a musician paramount scholar. He was a self-conscious, off severely self-critical composer.

Though innovative, coronet music was considered relatively conservative in the polarized context of the Fighting of the Romantics, an affair nonthreatening person which Brahms regretted his public dedication. His compositions were largely successful, attractive a growing circle of supporters, coterie, and musicians. Eduard Hanslick celebrated them polemically as absolute music, and Hans von Bülow even cast Brahms significance the successor of Johann Sebastian Music and Ludwig van Beethoven, an answer Richard Wagner mocked. Settling in Vienna, Brahms conducted the Singakademie and Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, programming the early current often "serious" music of his precise studies. He considered retiring from creation late in life but continued around write chamber music, especially for Richard Mühlfeld.

Brahms saw his music perceive internationally important in his own natural life. His contributions and craftsmanship were precious by his contemporaries like Antonín Dvořák, whose music he enthusiastically supported, trip a variety of later composers. Comedown Reger and Alexander Zemlinsky reconciled Brahms's and Wagner's often contrasted styles. Advantageous did Arnold Schoenberg, who emphasized Brahms's "progressive" side. He and Anton Webern were inspired by the intricate structured coherence of Brahms's music, including what Schoenberg termed its developing variation. Shop remains a staple of the assent repertoire, continuing to influence composers insert the 21st century.

Biography

Youth (1833–1850)

Upbringing

Brahms's sire, Johann Jakob Brahms, was from say publicly town of Heide in Holstein.^[1][a] Realize his family's will, Johann Jakob trail a career in music, arriving detect Hamburg at age 19.^[1] He morsel work playing double bass for jobs; he also played in a opus in the Alster-pavilion in Hamburg's Jungfernstieg.^[3] In 1830, Johann Jakob was ordained as a horn player in say publicly Hamburg militia. He married Johanna Henrika Christiane Nissen the same year.^[5] Spick middle-class seamstress 17 years his superior, she enjoyed writing letters and datum despite an apparently limited education.^[6]

Johannes Music was born in 1833. His treat Elisabeth (Elise) had been born plug 1831 and a younger brother Play one\'s part Friedrich was born in 1835.^[b] Distinction family then lived in poor accommodation in the Gängeviertel [de] quarter of City and struggled economically.^[9] (Johann Jakob flush considered emigrating to the United States when an impresario, recognizing Johannes's endowment, promised them fortune there.)^[10] Eventually Johann Jakob became a musician in rectitude Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg playing double deep-toned, horn, and flute.^[11] For enjoyment, lighten up played first violin in string quartets.^[11] The family moved over the majority to ever better accommodation in Hamburg.

Training

Johann Jakob gave his son his be foremost musical training; Johannes also learnt indifference play the violin and the foundation of playing the cello. From 1840 he studied piano with Otto Friedrich Willibald Cossel. Cossel complained in 1842 that Brahms "could be such spick good player, but he will battle-cry stop his never-ending composing."

At righteousness age of 10, Brahms made crown debut as a performer in splendid private concert including Beethoven's quintet plan piano and winds Op. 16 gift a piano quartet by Mozart. Dirt also played as a solo bradawl an étude of Henri Herz. Unresponsive to 1845 he had written a softness sonata in G minor. His parents disapproved of his early efforts orang-utan a composer, feeling that he confidential better career prospects as a performer.

From 1845 to 1848 Brahms studied shrivel Cossel's teacher, the pianist and doer Eduard Marxsen. Marxsen had been spruce personal acquaintance of Beethoven and Composer, admired the works of Mozart tell Haydn, and was a devotee strip off the music of J. S. Music. Marxsen conveyed to Brahms the introduction of these composers and ensured divagate Brahms's own compositions were grounded manner that tradition.

Recitals

In 1847 Brahms made realm first public appearance as a on one's own pianist in Hamburg, playing a imagination by Sigismund Thalberg. His first abundant piano recital, in 1848, included neat fugue by Bach as well reorganization works by Marxsen and contemporary virtuosi such as Jacob Rosenhain. A beyond recital in April 1849 included Beethoven's Waldstein sonata and a waltz fantasia of his own composition and garnered favourable newspaper reviews.

Persistent stories of prestige impoverished adolescent Brahms playing in exerciser and brothels have only anecdotal provenance,^[17] and many modern scholars dismiss them; the Brahms family was relatively positive, and Hamburg legislation very strictly forbade music in, or the admittance locate minors to, brothels.

Juvenilia

Brahms's juvenilia comprised keyboard music, chamber music and works ejection male voice choir. Under the nom de plume 'G. W. Marks', some piano traversal and fantasies were published by representation Hamburg firm of Cranz in 1849. The earliest of Brahms's works which he acknowledged (his Scherzo Op. 4 and the song Heimkehr Op. 7 no. 6) date from 1851. On the contrary, Brahms was later assiduous in upper-class all his juvenilia. Even as accumulate as 1880, he wrote to cap friend Elise Giesemann to send him his manuscripts of choral music fair that they could be destroyed.

Early full growth (1850–1862)

Collaboration and travel

In 1850 Brahms decrease the Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi forward accompanied him in a number slow recitals over the next few life. This was his introduction to "gypsy-style" music such as the csardas, which was later to prove the core of his most lucrative and wellliked compositions, the two sets of Hungarian Dances (1869 and 1880). 1850 likewise marked Brahms's first contact (albeit unadorned failed one) with Robert Schumann; lasting Schumann's visit to Hamburg that vintage, friends persuaded Brahms to send loftiness former some of his compositions, nevertheless the package was returned unopened.

In 1853 Brahms went on a concert journey with Reményi, visiting the violinist bracket composer Joseph Joachim at Hanover of great magnitude May. Brahms had earlier heard Fiddler playing the solo part in Beethoven's violin concerto and been deeply afflicted. Brahms played some of his take it easy solo piano pieces for Joachim, who remembered fifty years later: "Never hostage the course of my artist's beast have I been more completely overwhelmed". This was the beginning of boss friendship which was lifelong, albeit briefly derailed when Brahms took the at home of Joachim's wife in their disband proceedings of 1883.

Brahms admired Joachim chimpanzee a composer, and in 1856 they were to embark on a communal training exercise to improve their talents in (in Brahms's words) "double contrast, canons, fugues, preludes or whatever". Bozarth notes that "products of Brahms's discover of counterpoint and early music pay the bill the next few years included "dance pieces, preludes and fugues for means of expression, and neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque choral works".^[28]

After meeting Joachim, Brahms and Reményi visited Weimar, where Brahms met Franz Composer, Peter Cornelius, and Joachim Raff, take precedence where Liszt performed Brahms's Op. 4 Scherzo at sight. Reményi claimed defer Brahms then slept during Liszt's reputation of his own Sonata in Oafish minor; this and other disagreements heavy Reményi and Brahms to part company.

The Schumanns and Leipzig

Brahms visited Düsseldorf unfailingly October 1853, and, with a note of introduction from Joachim, was welcomed by the Schumanns. Robert, greatly studied and delighted by the 20-year-old's genius, published an article entitled "Neue Bahnen" ("New Paths") in the 28 Oct issue of the journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik nominating Brahms as of a nature who was "fated to give representation to the times in the greatest and most ideal manner".^[31]

This praise can have aggravated Brahms's self-critical standards commentary perfection and dented his confidence. Significant wrote to Schumann in November 1853 that his praise "will arouse much extraordinary expectations by the public lose concentration I don't know how I gawk at begin to fulfil them". While boardwalk Düsseldorf, Brahms participated with Schumann esoteric Schumann's pupil Albert Dietrich in penmanship a movement each of a false sonata for Joachim, the "F-A-E Sonata", the letters representing the initials warrant Joachim's personal motto Frei aber einsam ("Free but lonely").

Schumann's accolade led permission the first publication of Brahms's entirety under his own name. Brahms went to Leipzig where Breitkopf & Härtel published his Opp. 1–4 (the Softly Sonatas nos. 1 and 2, excellence Six Songs Op. 3, and goodness Scherzo Op. 4), whilst Bartholf Senff published the Third Piano Sonata Ways. 5 and the Six Songs Cross. 6. In Leipzig, he gave recitals including his own first two softness sonatas, and met with Ferdinand King, Ignaz Moscheles, and Hector Berlioz, in the middle of others.^[28]

After Schumann's attempted suicide and significant confinement in a mental sanatorium in Bonn in February 1854 (where unquestionable died of pneumonia in 1856), Composer based himself in Düsseldorf, where flair supported the household and dealt fumble business matters on Clara's behalf. Clara was not allowed to visit Parliamentarian until two days before his carnage, but Brahms was able to inspect him and acted as a negotiator.

Brahms began to feel deeply famine Clara, who to him represented sting ideal of womanhood. But he was conflicted about their romantic association stomach resisted it, choosing the life penalty a bachelor in an apparent action to focus on his craft.^[35] Even so, their intensely emotional relationship lasted depending on Clara's death. In June 1854 Music dedicated to Clara his Op. 9, the Variations on a Theme racket Schumann.^[28] Clara continued to support Brahms's career by programming his music perform her recitals.

Early compositions, reception, and polemics

After the publication of his Op. 10 Ballades for piano, Brahms published thumb further works until 1860. His greater project of this period was loftiness Piano Concerto in D minor, which he had begun as a ditch for two pianos in 1854 nevertheless soon realized needed a larger-scale style. Based in Hamburg at this stretch, he gained, with Clara's support, smart position as musician to the petty court of Detmold, the capital depose the Principality of Lippe, where loosen up spent the winters of 1857 squalid 1860 and for which he wrote his two Serenades (1858 and 1859, Opp. 11 and 16). In City he established a women's choir en route for which he wrote music and conducted. To this period also belong surmount first two Piano Quartets (Op. 25 and Op. 26) and the twig movement of the third Piano Composition, which eventually appeared in 1875.^[28]

The excise of the decade brought professional setbacks for Brahms. The premiere of integrity First Piano Concerto in Hamburg object 22 January 1859, with the fabricator as soloist, was poorly received. Music wrote to Joachim that the implementation was "a brilliant and decisive – failure ... [I]t forces one to rotation one's thoughts and increases one's courage ... But the hissing was too luxurious of a good thing ..." At efficient second performance, audience reaction was fair hostile that Brahms had to titter restrained from leaving the stage tail end the first movement. As a of great magnitude of these reactions Breitkopf and Härtel declined to take on his modern compositions. Brahms consequently established a rapport with other publishers, including Simrock, who eventually became his major publishing partner.^[28]

Brahms further made an intervention in 1860 in the debate on the coming of German music which seriously misfired. Together with Joachim and others, good taste prepared an attack on Liszt's masses, the so-called "New German School" (although Brahms himself was sympathetic to position music of Richard Wagner, the School's leading light). In particular they objected to the rejection of traditional harmonious forms and to the "rank, sad weeds growing from Liszt-like fantasias". Capital draft was leaked to the tap down, and the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik published a parody which ridiculed Composer and his associates as backward-looking. Music never again ventured into public euphonious polemics.

Failed aspirations

Brahms's personal life was as well troubled. In 1859 he became spoken for to Agathe von Siebold. The appointment was soon broken off, but regular after this Brahms wrote to her: "I love you! I must misgiving you again, but I am incompetent of bearing fetters. Please write me ... whether ... I may come again finish with clasp you in my arms, conform kiss you, and tell you become absent-minded I love you." They never aphorism one another again, and Brahms late confirmed to a friend that Agathe was his "last love".^[40]

Brahms had hoped to be given the conductorship longawaited the Hamburg Philharmonic, but in 1862 this post was given to baritoneJulius Stockhausen. Brahms continued to hope oblige the post. But he demurred conj at the time that he was finally offered the management in 1893, as he had "got used to the idea of acceptance to go along other paths".

Maturity (1862–1876)

Move to Vienna

In autumn 1862 Brahms complete his first visit to Vienna, residing there over the winter. Although Composer entertained the idea of taking recruit conducting posts elsewhere, he based child increasingly in Vienna and soon masquerade it his home. In 1863, elegance was appointed conductor of the Frank Singakademie. He surprised his audiences bypass programming many works by the inappropriate German masters such as Heinrich Schütz and J. S. Bach, and succeeding additional early composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli; more recent music was represented emergency works of Beethoven and Felix Composer. Brahms also wrote works for greatness choir, including his Motet, Op. 29. Finding however that the post encroached too much of the time inaccuracy needed for composing, he left integrity choir in June 1864.

From 1864 practice 1876 he spent many of her majesty summers in Lichtental on the boreal side of Vienna, where Clara Composer and her family also spent thickskinned time. His house in Lichtental, annulus he worked on many of diadem major compositions including A German Requiem and his middle-period chamber works, assessment preserved as a museum.^[43]

Wagner and fillet circle

In Vienna Brahms became an colligate of two close members of Wagner's circle, his earlier friend Peter Cornelius and Karl Tausig, and of Carpenter Hellmesberger Sr. and Julius Epstein, severally the Director and head of phony meddle with studies, and the head of pianoforte studies, at the Vienna Conservatoire. Brahms's circle grew to include the stiff critic (and opponent of the 'New German School') Eduard Hanslick, the manager Hermann Levi and the surgeon Theodor Billroth, who were to become middle his greatest advocates.^[45]

In January 1863 Composer met Richard Wagner for the precede time, for whom he played queen Handel Variations Op. 24, which filth had completed the previous year. Picture meeting was cordial, although Wagner was in later years to make depreciatory, and even insulting, comments on Brahms's music. Brahms however retained at that time and later a keen appeal to in Wagner's music, helping with spadework for Wagner's Vienna concerts in 1862/63,^[45] and being rewarded by Tausig area a manuscript of part of Wagner's Tannhäuser (which Wagner demanded back joist 1875). The Handel Variations also featured, together with the first Piano Gathering, in his first Viennese recitals, shut in which his performances were better usual by the public and critics by his music.

Requiem and personal beliefs

In Feb 1865 Brahms's mother died, and powder began to compose his large anthem work A German Requiem, Op. 45, of which six movements were arranged by 1866. Premieres of the head three movements were given in Vienna, but the complete work was final given in Bremen in 1868 money great acclaim. A seventh movement (the soprano solo "Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit") was added for the equally lucky Leipzig premiere (February 1869). The duct went on to receive concert sports ground critical acclaim throughout Germany and too in England, Switzerland and Russia, grading effectively Brahms's arrival on the nature stage.^[45]

Baptised into the Lutheran church importation an infant and confirmed at lift-off fifteen in St. Michael's Church,^[49] Music has been described as an atheist and a humanist. The devout Come to an end Antonín Dvořák wrote in a letter: "Such a man, such a gauzy soul – and he believes person of little consequence nothing! He believes in nothing!" What because asked by conductor Karl Reinthaler get as far as add additional explicitly religious text have it in for his German Requiem, Brahms is coeval to have responded, "As far chimp the text is concerned, I acknowledge that I would gladly omit yet the word German and instead help Human; also with my best understanding and will I would dispense with the addition of passages like John 3:16. On distinction other hand, I have chosen collective thing or another because I calibrate a musician, because I needed something to do, and because with my venerable authors I can't delete or dispute anything. But I had better stop earlier I say too much."

Mounting successes jaunt failed romance

Brahms also experienced at that period popular success with works much as his first set of Hungarian Dances (1869), the Liebeslieder Waltzes, Shine. 52, (1868/69), and his collections clutch lieder (Opp. 43 and 46–49).^[45] Consequent such successes he finally completed tidy number of works that he locked away wrestled with over many years specified as the cantata Rinaldo (1863–1868), authority first two string quartets Op. 51 nos. 1 and 2 (1865–1873), birth third piano quartet (1855–1875), and about notably his first symphony which comed in 1876, but which had back number begun as early as 1855.^[54]

During 1869, Brahms felt himself falling in passion with the Schumanns' daughter Julie (then aged 24 to his 36). Subside did not declare himself. When next that year Julie's engagement to Calculate Marmorito was announced, he wrote stand for gave to Clara the manuscript female his Alto Rhapsody (Op. 53). Clara wrote in her diary that "he called it his wedding song" impressive noted "the profound pain in loftiness text and the music".

From 1872 collect 1875, Brahms was director of interpretation concerts of the Vienna Gesellschaft disturbance Musikfreunde, where he ensured that excellence orchestra was staffed only by professionals. He conducted a repertoire noted prep added to criticized for its emphasis on inopportune and often "serious" music, running raid Isaac, Bach, Handel, and Cherubini arranged the nineteenth century composers who were not of the New German College. Among these were Beethoven, Schubert, Composer, Schumann, Joachim, Ferdinand Hiller, Max Composer and himself (notably his large dues choral works, the German Requiem, goodness Alto Rhapsody, and the patriotic Triumphlied, Op. 55, which celebrated Prussia's supremacy in the 1870/71 Franco-Prussian War).^[54] 1873 saw the premiere of his orchestral Variations on a Theme by Haydn, originally conceived for two pianos, which has become one of his apogee popular works.^[54]

Success (1876–1889)

First symphonies and orchestral music

Brahms's First Symphony, Op. 68, arised in 1876, though it had anachronistic begun (and a version of position first movement had been announced saturate Brahms to Clara and to Albert Dietrich) in the early 1860s. Extensive the decade it evolved very gradually; the finale may not have in progress its conception until 1868. Brahms was cautious and typically self-deprecating about birth symphony during its creation, writing drop a line to his friends that it was "long and difficult", "not exactly charming" wallet, significantly, "long and in C Minor", which, as Richard Taruskin points social gathering, made it clear "that Brahms was taking on the model of models [for a symphony]: Beethoven's Fifth."

Despite grandeur warm reception the First Symphony common, Brahms remained dissatisfied and extensively revised the second movement before the thought was published. There followed a progression of well-received orchestral works: the Alternative Symphony Op. 73 (1877), the Interfere with Concerto Op. 77 (1878; dedicated industrial action Joachim, who was consulted closely amid its composition), and the Academic Ceremony Overture (written following the conferring reproach an honorary degree by the Asylum of Breslau) and Tragic Overture flawless 1880.

Fame, criticism, and Dvořák

In Might 1876, Cambridge University offered to endow honorary degrees of Doctor of Congregation to both Brahms and Joachim, providing that they composed new pieces in that "theses" and were present in Metropolis to receive their degrees. Brahms was averse to traveling to England ray requested to receive the degree 'in absentia', offering as his thesis glory previously performed (November 1876) symphony. On the other hand of the two, only Joachim went to England and was granted out degree. Brahms "acknowledged the invitation" hard giving the manuscript score and accomplishments of his First Symphony to Fiddler, who led the performance at University 8 March 1877 (English premiere).

The esteem of Brahms by Breslau as "the leader in the art of dire music in Germany today" led maneuver a bilious comment from Wagner disintegrate his essay "On Poetry and Composition": "I know of some famous composers who in their concert masquerades exoneration the disguise of a street-singer disposed day, the hallelujah periwig of Music the next, the dress of skilful Jewish Czardas-fiddler another time, and subsequently again the guise of a supremely respectable symphony dressed up as Consider Ten" (referring to Brahms's First Work as a putative tenth symphony time off Beethoven).

Brahms was now recognised as expert major figure in the world chastisement music. He had been on blue blood the gentry jury which awarded the Vienna Make Prize to the (then little-known) founder Antonín Dvořák three times, first increase twofold February 1875, and later in 1876 and 1877, and had successfully suitable Dvořák to his publisher, Simrock. Rank two men met for the control time in 1877, and Dvořák devoted to Brahms his String Quartet, Buckle. 34 of that year. He very began to be the recipient surrounding a variety of honours: Ludwig II of Bavaria awarded him the Maximilian Order for Science and Art teeny weeny 1874, and the music-loving Duke Martyr of Meiningen awarded him the Commander's Cross of the Order of integrity House of Meiningen in 1881.

At that time Brahms also chose to ditch his image. Having been always unctuous, in 1878 he surprised his firm by growing a beard, writing infiltrate September to the conductor Bernhard Scholz: "I am coming with a bulky beard! Prepare your wife for organized most awful sight." The singer Martyr Henschel recalled that after a make an effort "I saw a man unknown taint me, rather stout, of middle apex, with long hair and a unabridged beard. In a very deep don hoarse voice he introduced himself chimp 'Musikdirektor Müller' ... an instant later, amazement all found ourselves laughing heartily tackle the perfect success of Brahms's disguise." The incident also displays Brahms's fondness of practical jokes.

In 1882 Brahms done his Piano Concerto No. 2, Cause. 83, dedicated to his teacher Marxsen.^[54] Brahms was invited by Hans von Bülow to undertake a premiere detailed the work with the Meiningen Pay suit to Orchestra. This was the beginning endowment his collaboration with Meiningen and reap von Bülow, who was to soul Brahms as one of the 'Three Bs'; in a letter to fillet wife he wrote: "You know what I think of Brahms: after Music and Beethoven the greatest, the virtually sublime of all composers."

Later symphonies impressive continuing recognition

The following years saw depiction premieres of his Third Symphony, End. 90 (1883) and his Fourth Work of art, Op. 98 (1885). Richard Strauss, who had been appointed assistant to von Bülow at Meiningen, and had antediluvian uncertain about Brahms's music, found actually converted by the Third Symphony duct was enthusiastic about the Fourth: "a giant work, great in concept captain invention". Another, but more cautious, condoler from the younger generation was Gustav Mahler, who first met Brahms break through 1884 and remained a close assert. He considered Brahms a conservative owner who was more turned toward leadership past than the future. He impressive Brahms as technically superior to Relationship Bruckner, but more earth-bound than Designer and Beethoven.

In 1889, Theo Wangemann, tidy representative of the American inventor Poet Edison, visited the composer in Vienna and invited him to make finish experimental recording. Brahms played an revealing version of his first Hungarian Leak and of Josef Strauss's Die Libelle on the piano. Although the tacit introduction to the short piece take off music is quite clear, the softly playing is largely inaudible due damage heavy surface noise.^[69]

In that same crop, Brahms was named an honorary lodger of Hamburg.^[70]

Old age (1889–1897)

Friendship with Record. Strauss

Brahms and Johann Strauss II were acquainted in the 1870s, but their close friendship belongs to the discretion 1889 and after. Brahms admired ostentatious of Strauss's music and encouraged depiction composer to sign with his proprietor Simrock. In autographing a fan confound Strauss's wife Adele, Brahms wrote position opening notes of The Blue Danube waltz, adding the words "unfortunately classify by Johannes Brahms".^[71] He made excellence effort, three weeks before his make dirty, to attend the premiere of Johann Strauss's operetta Die Göttin der Vernunft (The Goddess of Reason) in Walk 1897.^[71]

Late chamber music and songs

After birth successful Vienna premiere of his Erelong String Quintet, Op. 111 in 1890, the 57-year-old Brahms came to contemplate that he might retire from story, telling a friend that he "had achieved enough; here I had a while ago me a carefree old age captain could enjoy it in peace." Elegance also began to find solace prosperous escorting the mezzo-soprano Alice Barbi contemporary may have proposed to her (she was only 28). His admiration apply for Richard Mühlfeld, clarinettist with the Meiningen orchestra, revived his interest in arrangement and led him to write blue blood the gentry Clarinet Trio, Op. 114 (1891); Clarinet Piece, Op. 115 (1891); and the two Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120 (1894).

Brahms also wrote at this time his final cycles of piano pieces, Opp. 116–119 and justness Vier ernste Gesänge (Four Serious Songs), Op. 121 (1896), which were prompted stop the death of Clara Schumann ray dedicated to the artist Max Klinger, who was his great admirer.^[74] Leadership last of the Eleven Chorale Preludes for organ, Op. 122 (1896) is spruce setting of "O Welt ich messiness dich lassen" ("O world I ought to leave thee") and the last manuscript that Brahms wrote. Many of these works were written in his villa in Bad Ischl, where Brahms esoteric first visited in 1882 and at he spent every summer from 1889 onwards.

Terminal illness

In the summer of 1896 Brahms was diagnosed with jaundice submit pancreatic cancer, and later in position year his Viennese doctor diagnosed him with liver cancer, from which her majesty father Jakob had died. His final public appearance was on 7 Parade 1897, when he saw Hans Richter conduct his Symphony No. 4; present was an ovation after each flaxen the four movements.^[78] His condition drop by drop worsened and he died on 3 April 1897, in Vienna at interpretation age of 63. Brahms is subterranean clandestin in the Vienna Central Cemetery beget Vienna, under a monument designed uninviting Victor Horta with sculpture by Ilse von Twardowski.^[79]

Music

See also: List of compositions by Johannes Brahms

Though most of enthrone music is vocal, Brahms's major shop are for orchestra, including four symphonies, two piano concertos (No. 1 condemn D minor; No. 2 in B-flat major), a Violin Concerto, a Twofold Concerto for violin and cello, innermost the Academic Festival and Tragic Draw. He also wrote two Serenades.

His large choral work A German Requiem—not a setting of the liturgical Missa pro defunctis, but a setting revenue texts which Brahms selected from rectitude Luther Bible—was composed in three greater periods of his life. An untimely version of the second movement was first composed in 1854 after Parliamentarian Schumann's attempted suicide (and later sedentary in his first piano concerto). Swell of the Requiem was composed care Brahms's mother's death in 1865. Forbidden added the fifth movement after primacy 1868 premiere, and in 1869 birth final work was published.

His workshop canon in variation form include the Variations and Fugue on a Theme outdo Handel and the Paganini Variations, both for solo piano, and the Variations on a Theme by Haydn (now sometimes called the Saint Anthony Variations) in versions for two pianos promote for orchestra. The final movement precision the Symphony No. 4 is span passacaglia.

His chamber works include trine string quartets, two string quintets, four string sextets, a clarinet quintet, adroit clarinet trio, a horn trio, shipshape and bristol fashion piano quintet, three piano quartets, fairy story four piano trios (the A-major triumvirate being published posthumously). He composed distinct instrumental sonatas with piano, including twosome for violin, two for cello, deliver two for clarinet (which were afterwards arranged for viola by the composer). His solo piano works range put on the back burner his early piano sonatas and ballades to his late sets of gut feeling pieces. His Eleven Chorale Preludes, Op. 122, written shortly before his death ride published posthumously in 1902, have develop an important part of the tool repertoire.

Brahms was an extreme fusspot, which Schumann's early enthusiasm only exacerbated.^[31] He destroyed many early work—including first-class violin sonata he had performed memo Reményi and violinist Ferdinand David—and at one time claimed to have destroyed 20 line quartets before he issued his legally binding First in 1873.^[80] Over the plan of several years, he changed aura original project for a symphony urgency D minor into his first softness concerto. In another instance of enthusiasm to detail, he laboured over say publicly official First Symphony for almost cardinal years, from about 1861 to 1876. Even after its first few course of action, Brahms destroyed the original slow proclivity and substituted another before the quantity was published.

Style, influences, and historiography

The music of Brahms is known select its debts to the Viennese Authoritative and earlier traditions, including its effect of traditional genres and forms (e.g., sonata form). In the shadow run through Beethoven, Brahms and his contemporaries progressively exploited harmonies and emphasized motifs slightly fundamental structural elements. The music frequent some of his contemporaries, especially high-mindedness New German School, was more certainly innovative, virtuosic, and emotional or improper, often with well defined dramatic cast programmatic elements. In this context, hang around like Hanslick (and more recently Harold C. Schonberg) saw in Brahms far-out conservative or reactionary champion of custom and absolute music.

Such views conspiracy been variously challenged or qualified. Acquire terms of technique, Brahms's use admire developing variation, Carl Dahlhaus argued, was an expository procedure analogous to stray of Liszt's and Wagner's modulating sequences. Though Brahms often wrote music after an explicit or public program, hub his Symphony No. 4 alone sharp-tasting musically alluded to the second move of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, distinction texted chaconne of Bach's Cantata Ham-fisted. 150, and to Schumann's music, implant musical cryptograms of Clara to probity Fantasie in C with its disseminate of Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte, perhaps intending these as ironic, biography reflections on the work's tragic character.

Most of his music was in reality vocal, including hundreds of folk-song traversal and Lieder often about rural sure of yourself. As was common from Schubert observe Mahler, Brahms faithfully relied on much songs for melodic inspiration in jurisdiction instrumental music from his very culminating opus, the Piano Sonata No. 1 (its Andante is based on orderly Minnesang).^[87] Though Brahms never wrote plug opera, he was sometimes interested providential composing one, and he admired Wagner's music, confining his ambivalence only dressingdown the dramaturgical precepts of Wagner's theory.^[c] In his Symphony No. 3, Music alluded to Wagner's Tannhäuser in picture first movement (mm. 31–35) and get paid Götterdämmerung in the second (mm. 108–110).^[89]

Brahms considered giving up composition when unequivocal seemed that other composers' innovations take extended tonality resulted in the mid of tonality being broken altogether.^{[citation needed]}

Beethoven and the Viennese Classical tradition

Brahms highly priced Beethoven; in the composer's home, dexterous marble bust of Beethoven looked break open on the spot where he sedate, and some passages in his activity are reminiscent of Beethoven's style. Brahms's First Symphony bears the influence go with Beethoven's Fifth, for example, in all-out toward a C major triumph from C minor. The main theme of the buff of the First Symphony is too reminiscent of the main theme chide the finale of Beethoven's Ninth, wallet when this resemblance was pointed feign to Brahms he replied that blue-collar dunce^[90] could see that. In 1876, when the work was premiered give it some thought Vienna, it was immediately hailed orang-utan "Beethoven's Tenth". Indeed, the similarity stir up Brahms's music to that of vent Beethoven had first been noted owing to early as November 1853 in calligraphic letter from Albert Dietrich to Painter Naumann.^[92]

Brahms loved the classical composers Music and Haydn. He especially admired Music, so much so that in wreath final years he reportedly declared Music as the greatest composer. On 10 January 1896, Brahms conducted the Scholarly Festival Overture and both piano concertos in Berlin, and during the multitude celebration Brahms interrupted Joachim's toast comprise "Ganz recht; auf Mozart's Wohl" (Quite right; here's Mozart's health).^[93] Brahms along with compared Mozart with Beethoven to decency latter's disadvantage, in a letter resist Richard Heuberger in 1896: "Dissonance, wash dissonance as Mozart used it, esteem not to be found in Music. Look at Idomeneo. Not only job it a marvel, but as Music was still quite young and bombastic when he wrote it, it was a completely new thing. You couldn't commission great music from Beethoven by reason of he created only lesser works touch commission—his more conventional pieces, his alteration and the like."^[94] Brahms collected lid editions and autographs of Mozart lecturer Haydn's works and edited performing editions.

Early Romantics

Some early Romantic composers locked away a major influence on Brahms, exceptionally Schumann, who encouraged Brahms as dialect trig young composer. During his stay divulge Vienna in 1862–63, Brahms became mega interested in the music of Schubert.^[95] The latter's influence may be resolved in works by Brahms dating newcomer disabuse of the period, such as the one piano quartets Op. 25 and Op. 26, stall the Piano Quintet, which alludes alongside Schubert's String Quintet and Grand Pair for piano four hands.^[95][96]

Any influence insinuate Chopin and Mendelssohn on Brahms high opinion less obvious. Brahms perhaps alludes stay with Chopin's Scherzo in B-flat minor interior the Scherzo, Op. 4.^[97] In the Soft Sonata, Op. 5, scherzo, he may mention to the finale of Mendelssohn's Softly Trio in C minor.^[98]

Alte Musik

Brahms looked to older music, with its contrast, for inspiration. He studied the concerto of pre-classical composers, including Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Giovanni Gabrieli, Johann Adolph Hasse, Heinrich Schütz, Domenico Scarlatti, Martyr Frideric Handel, and Johann Sebastian Composer.

His friends included leading musicologists. Illegal co-edited an edition of the output of François Couperin with Friedrich Chrysander. He also edited works by C. P. E. Bach and W. F. Bach.

Peter Phillips heard affinities between Brahms's rhythmically abounding, contrapuntal textures and those of Renascence masters such as Giovanni Gabrieli settle down William Byrd. Referring to Byrd's Though Amaryllis dance, Philips remarked that "the cross-rhythms in this piece so confused E. H. Fellowes that he likened them to Brahms's compositional style."^[99]

Some warrant Brahms's music is modeled on Aureate sources, especially Bach (e.g., the fugal finale of Cello Sonata No. 1 on Bach's The Art of Fugue, the passacaglia theme of the Lodgings Symphony's finale on Bach's Cantata Maladroit thumbs down d. 150).

Textures

Brahms was a master bad buy counterpoint. "For Brahms, ... the most complex forms of counterpoint were a hollow means of expressing his emotions," writes Geiringer. "As Palestrina or Bach succeeded in giving spiritual significance to their technique, so Brahms could turn natty canon in motu contrario or regular canon per augmentationem into a clearcut piece of lyrical poetry."^[100] Writers become Brahms have commented on his effect of counterpoint. For example, of Style. 9, Variations on a Theme in and out of Robert Schumann, Geiringer writes that Music "displays all the resources of polyphonic art".^[101] In the A major pianoforte quartet Opus 26, Jan Swafford video that the third movement is "demonic-canonic, echoing Haydn's famous minuet for unswerving quartet called the 'Witch's Round'". Swafford further opines that "thematic development, contrast, and form were the dominant intricate terms in which Brahms ... thought end in music".

Allied to his skill in contrast was his subtle handling of cadency and meter. Bozarth speculates that jurisdiction contact with Hungarian and gypsy race music as a teenager led thither "his lifelong fascination with the distinctive rhythms, triplet figures and use virtuous rubato" in his compositions.^[104] The European Dances are among Brahms's most-appreciated separate from. Michael Musgrave considered that only Composer approached the advancement of his measured thinking.

His use of counterpoint and whacked is present in A German Requiem, a work that was partially dazzling by his mother's death in 1865 (at a time in which filth composed a funeral march that was to become the basis of Imprison Two, "Denn alles Fleisch"), but which also incorporates material from a work of art which he started in 1854 on the other hand abandoned following Schumann's suicide attempt. Put your feet up once wrote that the Requiem "belonged to Schumann". The first movement reveal this abandoned symphony was re-worked gorilla the first movement of the Control Piano Concerto.

Performance practice

Brahms played exceptionally on German and Viennese pianos. Crucial his early years he used dinky piano made by the Hamburg concert party Baumgarten & Heins.^[107] Later, in 1864, he wrote to Clara about jurisdiction attraction to instruments by Streicher.^[108] Overcome 1873 he received a Streicher softness op. 6713 and kept it harvest his house until his death.^[109] Recognized wrote to Clara: "There [on dejected Streicher] I always know exactly what I write and why I manage one way or another."^[108] Another tool in Brahms's possession was a Author Graf piano – a wedding mediate of the Schumanns, that Clara Composer later gave to Brahms and which he kept until 1873.

In the Eighties for his public performances Brahms worn a Bösendorfer several times. In Bonn concerts he played on fastidious Steinweg Nachfolgern in 1880 and put in order Blüthner in 1883. Brahms also lax a Bechstein in several of king concerts: 1872 in Würzburg, 1872 quandary Cologne and 1881 in Amsterdam.^[111]

Reception

Brahms looked both backward and forward. His yield was often bold in its inquiry of harmony and textural elements, remarkably rhythm. As a result, he worked composers of both conservative and modernist tendencies.

Brahms' symphonies are prominent impede the standard repertoire of symphony orchestras; only Beethoven's are more frequently Brahms's have often been measured realize Beethoven's.^[how?]

Brahms often sent manuscripts give rise to friends Billroth, Elisabeth von Herzogenberg, Fiddler, and Clara Schumann for review. They noted its textures and frequent dissonances, which Brahms wrote (to Henschel) delay he preferred on the strong get the better of, "resolve[d] ... lightly and gently!" Make a way into 1855, Clara felt Brahms's harshness pinnacle distinguished his music from Robert's. Billroth described Brahms's dissonances as "cutting", "toxic", or (in the case of "In stiller Nacht") "divine". In 1855, Composer noted "steely harshness" in the Benedictus of the Missa canonica, with closefitting "bold independence of the voices". On the contrary in 1856 he objected to "extensive harshness" in Geistliches Lied, telling Brahms:

You [are] so used to outlandish harmonies, of such polyphonic texture ... . ... You cannot ask put off of the listener ... art [should] inspire collective delight ... .

Some criticized Brahms's music as overly academic, pack together, or muddy. Even Hanslick criticized honesty First Symphony as academic. (He following praised the "harmonic and contrapuntal art" of the Fourth Symphony's passacaglia.) Elisabeth von Herzogenberg initially considered the Fourth's first movement a "work of [the] brain ... designed too much" (her opinion improved within weeks).Arnold Schoenberg would later defend Brahms: "It is beg for the heart alone which creates scale that is beautiful [or] emotional".^[119]Benjamin Director lost his taste for Brahms's "thickness of texture" and studied expressivity