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Brahms' music expresses all
the rich warmth and expressiveness of the Romantic Period. You won't find
as many beautiful melodies in Brahms' music as in Mozart or Chopin. However,
Brahms' music has such lush harmony and beauty that you will enjoy listening
to it. Once Brahms autographed a fan for the wife of Johann Strauss. He
wrote the melody of The Blue Danube, followed by "Unfortunately
not by Johannes Brahms."
Brahms was another - guess what -
musical child prodigy! His family lived in poverty in a crowded
tenement on the waterfront of Hamburg, Germany. His father
recognized his talent and gave him early training. Little Johannes
learned so quickly that he was soon earning some badly needed coins
by playing in taverns along the waterfront. Little Johannes hated
school, and he often went to bed hungry. However, he loved music. He
made up little melodies and wrote them on paper with a kind of
musical notation that he had created. In the Romantic Period, composers
did not find jobs with the church or court. They had to perform,
or sell their compositions, or teach (or move in with friends).
Fortunately, life was kinder to Johannes as he became older and
established his reputation as a composer. Liszt praised him, and
Robert and Clara Schumann recognized his genius. The Schumanns were
lifelong friends with Brahms and helped his music to become known
and published.
Unlike Beethoven, Brahms became
rich from the sales of his compositions. More importantly, he was
beloved and acclaimed. |
