Born:
May 7, 1833; his parents were Johann Jakob Brahms, a musician, and Johanna Henrika Christiane Nissen, a seamstress. They had three children, Johannes was the middle child.
Birthplace:
Hamburg, Germany
Died:
April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria due to liver cancer.
Also Known As:
The composer, conductor and music critic, Hans von Bülow, used the phrase "The Three B's" to describe three of the world's greatest composers, namely Brahms, Beethoven and Bach. Brahms was a pianist, composer, conductor and teacher. He became musical director at the German court of Lippe-Detmold from 1857 to 1859. He then became director of the Vienna Singakademie from 1863 to 1864. In 1872, he became musical director of the Society of the Friends of Music.
Type of Compositions:
Influence:
When Brahms was 7 years old, he began taking piano lessons under Otto Friedrich Willibald Cossel. He would continue his studies under Eduard Marxen, from whom he received instruction on theory and composition. His other influences came from reading materials, works of other composers and from his travels. Brahms admired the works of Schubert and Beethoven.
Musical Friends:
He went on tour with the violinist Eduard Reményi in 1853; it was then when he met and became good friends with violinist Joseph Joachim. Brahms also met and became friends with other notable composers such as Liszt, Robert and Clara Schumann. It has been mentioned that Brahms fell in love with Clara and he died barely a year after Clara's death.
Notable Works:
His compositions include: "Symphony No. 1 Op. 68 (c Minor)," "Symphony No. 2 Op. 73 (D Major)," "German Requiem," "Variations on the St. Antony Chorale," "Handel Variations," "Piano Concerto No. 1 (d Minor)," "Violin Concerto Op. 77 (D Major)," "Violin Sonata No. 1 Op. 78 (G Major)," "Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 83 (B-Flat Major)," "Symphony No. 3 Op. 90 (F Major)," "Symphony No. 4 Op. 98 (e Minor)," "Violin Sonata No. 2 Op. 100 (A Major)" and the "Hungarian Dances."
Interesting Facts:
Brahms was a voracious reader; his collection of books are now stored at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. Brahms never married. He wrote his "Eleven Chorale Preludes" for the organ while he was ill. He is buried at the Central Cemetery in Vienna, where he was laid to rest next to Beethoven and Schubert.
Music Sample:
Listen to Symphony No.1 in C minor from Essentials of Music