Johannes Brahms Music

Johannes Brahms, whilst being one of the �Great� composers cannot honestly be said to have added much to classical music itself, in a technical sense, except for his wonderful compositions.



Whilst Bach and Handel tried to move their music on to new heights, Hayden and Mozart developed the symphony and the concerto, and whilst Beethoven experimented with new forms such as the �Choral� symphony, Brahms was content to work on these, and other previous and perhaps conservative forms, to compose his music. He was technically very good at following the guidelines set by his musical education and his conducting experiences.



This though does not in any way detract from the music he did write, which is still played and enjoyed around the world. Despite the lack of proliferation of Brahms� music the real reason behind this is that he was a real perfectionist, with low self-esteem.



Unlike Bach, who would write concertos in a week and sonatas overnight, or Mozart, who wrote a prodigious quantity in his short life, Brahms sometimes took years to perfect his compositions. He had studied Bach, Mozart, Beethoven (technically, probably his musical mentor) and many other composers, and was certain in his own mind that he could not live up to his own expectations.



However, having composed from the age of 11, and with copious study of music theory, Counterpoint and other composers music, whilst at the same time conducting choirs and orchestras actually playing other people�s music, he finally succeeded, with his major choral work �Ein deutsches Requiem�, in obtaining critical acclaim from his contemporaries and the general public in 1868. It had taken him years to write.



His music was always popular in England though, and he was even offered a doctorate at Cambridge University, which he refused as he thought that it may detract from his musical stature in the rest of Europe!



In general Brahms was one of the last of the Romantic era of composers of classical music, preferring the more �normal� forms of his predecessors to the vast Wagnerian spectaculars or the perhaps more �free-form� type of music that Liszt was composing. Both of these worthies developed new techniques and styles of music, many of which became popular at the time, but some much later.



Brahms did, though, write very beautiful music. His violin concerto in D minor, written in 1878 for his friend Joachim the violinist, is still one of the most popular violin concertos played today for audience and soloist�s alike, although it is generally agreed that it lacks something for the true virtuoso.



By contrast however his piano concertos show the virtuosity that perhaps the violin concerto lacks, and are similarly well known today as �Great� works. He also wrote many solo piano pieces and around 200 songs to be accompanied by the piano, generally known as �Lieder� music, of which his friend Schumann, and the admired Schubert were acknowledged masters.



Although his first symphony took 14 years to write, his next three several years later were completed in much less time. Shades of Beethoven, along with Brahms� own melodies are noticeable in all four, whilst the classic symphony form is adhered to as well.



In the days before electronic music Brahms� music was often played at home, and his solo piano works as well as his songs became great favourites.



His popularity in chamber music and more intimate solo and duet pieces, as well as his greater orchestral works ensure that Johannes Brahms will remain one of the Great composers of the classical and romantic era.