Johannes Brahms was born on May 7, 1833 in
Hamburg, Germany as son of Johann Jakob Brahms and Christiane Nissen. He was a famous German composer.
Biography and Career :
Johannes Brahms studied the piano and cello. He began composing when he was very young but destroyed later a big part of that work.
Johannes Brahms had the premiere of "Piano Concerto No. 1" in 1859 and "Piano Concerto No. 2" in 1881.
Johannes Brahms went on a tour as accompanist to the Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi in April-May 1853 and met Joseph Joachim,
Franz Liszt, Peter Cornelius and Joachim Raff.
Joachim had given Johannes Brahms a letter of introduction
to
Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms went to
Düsseldorf on September 30. He was welcomed into the Schumann family, especially with Clara, Schumann's wife. Of course his love was platonic.
In 1856 Johannes Brahms spent his time in Hamburg, where he formed and conducted a ladies' choir, and in the principality of Detmold, where he was court music-teacher and conductor.
Johannes Brahms visited
Vienna for the first time in 1862 and stayed there for a winter.
Between 1872-1875 Johannes Brahms was Director of the concerts of the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde.
Johannes Brahms traveled a lot, for business (concert tours) and pleasure to Italy.
Before Johannes Brahms passed away he composed many great works as clarinet quintet Op.115 in 1891, clarinet trio Op.114 in 1891 and the two clarinet sonatas Op. 120 in 1894.
He also wrote several cycles of piano pieces, Opp.116-119 and the Four Serious Songs ("Vier ernste Gesänge") Op. 121 in 1896.
In 1896 Johannes Brahms suffered of cancer and passed away on April, 3 1897 and was buried in Zentralfriedhof in Vienna.
Trivia :
- He began to compose quite early in life.
- He refused an Honorary Doctorate of Music from University of Cambridge in 1877.
- Johannes Brahms is considered "a romantic spirit controlled by a classic intellect".
- In 1863 he was appointed conductor of the Vienna Singakademie.
Quotes :
- "A symphony is no joke."
- "Composers in the old days used to keep strictly to the base of the theme, as their real subject. Beethoven varies the melody, harmony and rhythms so beautifully."
- "I sometimes ponder on variation form and it seems to me it ought to be more restrained, purer."
Important Works :
- 1869 WoO 1 "Hungarian Dances" (1869)
- WoO 7 "Chorale Prelude and Fugue" on "O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid" for organ
- WoO 8 "Fugue in A-flat minor" for organ
- WoO 9 "Prelude and Fugue in A minor" for organ
- WoO 10 "Prelude and Fugue in G minor" for organ
- 122 Opus Number Works
- "First Piano Concerto"
- "Second Piano Concerto"
- "Violin Concerto"
- "Double Concerto" for violin and cello
- "Tragic Overture"
- "Ein deutsches Requiem" ("A German Requiem")
- "Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel"
- "Paganini Variations" for solo piano
- "Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn" for orchestra
- "Hungarian Dances"
- "Liebeslieder Waltzes"
- "Wiegenlied"
- "Brahms's Lullaby".
Johannes Brahms Image : brahms.unh.edu
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