Brahms life and creative way. Johannes brahms short biography and interesting facts. The origins of gypsy motifs in the composer's music

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), German composer.

He was born on May 7, 1833 in Hamburg in the family of a double-bass musician. The boy's talent showed up early. His father took up his studies, then E. Marksen, a famous pianist and composer.

In 1853, Brahms made a concert trip with the Hungarian violinist E. Remenyi, during which he met the Hungarian violinist, composer and teacher I. Joachim and F. Liszt.

In September 1853, a meeting took place with R. Schumann, who enthusiastically welcomed the talent of the young musician on the pages of the New Musical Journal.

In 1862 Brahms moved to Vienna. He directed the Vienna Singing Academy and was invited to the post of conductor in the Society of Friends of Music. Since the mid 70s. 19th century the composer devoted himself entirely to creative activity, traveled a lot, performed as a pianist and conductor.

The works of this period ("German Requiem", 1868, and "Hungarian Dances", 4 notebooks, 1869-1880, for piano four hands) contributed to his European popularity.

After the death of R. Wagner (1883), Brahms was considered indisputably the greatest composer living at that time and was showered with honors and awards.

The period from about 45 to 60 years was the most fruitful for the maestro: he wrote four symphonies, a violin concerto, the Second Piano Concerto, more than 200 solo songs, made over 100 arrangements of folk songs.

Shortly before his death, Brahms completed "Four Strict Melodies" to the words of Holy Scripture.

The last work on which he worked, being already seriously ill, was 11 choral preludes for organ. The cycle closes with a prelude called "I must leave the world."

The first music lessons Brahms was given by his father, later he studied with O. Kossel, whom he always remembered with gratitude. In 1843 Kossel gave his student to E. Marksen. Marxen, whose pedagogy was based on the study of the works of Bach and Beethoven, quickly realized that he was dealing with an extraordinary talent. In 1847, when Mendelssohn died, Marxen told a friend: "One master has left, but another, larger one, is coming to replace him - this is Brahms."

In 1853 Brahms finished his studies and in April of the same year went on a concert tour with his friend, E. Remenyi: Remenyi played the violin, Brahms played the piano. In Hannover they met another famous violinist, J. Joachim. He was struck by the power and fiery temperament of the music that Brahms showed him, and the two young musicians (Joachim was then 22 years old) became close friends. Joachim gave Remenyi and Brahms a letter of introduction to Liszt, and they went to Weimar. The maestro played some of Brahms's compositions from the sheet, and they made such a strong impression on him that he immediately wanted to "rank" Brahms in the advanced direction - the New German School, which was headed by himself and R. Wagner. However, Brahms resisted the charm of Liszt's personality and the brilliance of his playing. Remenyi remained in Weimar, while Brahms continued his wanderings and eventually ended up in Düsseldorf, in the house of R. Schumann.

Schumann and his wife, pianist Clara Schumann-Wick, had already heard about Brahms from Joachim and received the young musician warmly. They were delighted with his writings and became his most staunch adherents. Brahms lived in Düsseldorf for several weeks and went to Leipzig, where Liszt and G. Berlioz attended his concert. By Christmas, Brahms arrived in Hamburg; he left his hometown as an obscure student, and returned as an artist with a name about which the great Schumann's article said: "Here is a musician who is called upon to give the highest and ideal expression to the spirit of our time."

In February 1854, Schumann tried to commit suicide in a nervous fit; he was sent to a hospital, where he dragged out his days until his death (in July 1856). Brahms hurried to the aid of the Schumann family and, during a period of difficult trials, took care of his wife and seven children. He soon fell in love with Clara Schumann. Clara and Brahms, by mutual agreement, never talked about love. But a deep mutual affection remained, and throughout her long life, Clara remained Brahms's closest friend.

In the autumn months of 1857-1859, Brahms served as court musician at the small princely court in Detmold, and spent the summer seasons of 1858 and 1859 in Göttingen. There he met Agathe von Siebold, a singer, the daughter of a university professor; Brahms was seriously infatuated with her, but hastened to retreat when it came to marriage. All subsequent cordial hobbies of Brahms were of a fleeting nature. He died a bachelor.

The Brahms family still lived in Hamburg, and he constantly traveled there, and in 1858 he rented a separate apartment for himself. In 1858-1862 he successfully led an amateur women's choir: he really liked this occupation, and he composed several songs for the choir. However, Brahms dreamed of being the conductor of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1862, the former leader of the orchestra died, but the place went not to Brahms, but to J. Stockhausen. After that, the composer decided to move to Vienna.

By 1862, the luxurious colorful style of Brahms' early piano sonatas gave way to a more calm, strict, classical style, which manifested itself in one of his best works - Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel. Brahms moved further and further away from the ideals of the New German School, and his rejection of Liszt culminated in 1860, when Brahms and Joachim published a very sharp manifesto in tone, which, in particular, said that the compositions of the followers of the New German School "contradict the very spirit of music."

The first concerts in Vienna were met with critics not too friendly, but the Viennese willingly listened to Brahms the pianist, and he soon won universal sympathy. The rest was a matter of time. He no longer challenged his colleagues, his reputation was finally established after the resounding success of the German Requiem, performed on April 10, 1868 in the Bremen Cathedral. Since then, the most notable milestones in Brahms' biography have been the premieres of his major works, such as the First Symphony in C minor (1876), the Fourth Symphony in E minor (1885), the quintet for clarinet and strings (1891).

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The post about Johannes Brahms will briefly tell a lot of useful information about the biography of the German composer.

Johannes Brahms short biography

Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg on May 7, 1833 in the family of a double bassist. The boy showed talent very early. He was engaged in by his father, and after the famous composer and pianist E. Marksen.

Brahms in 1853, together with E. Remenyi (a Hungarian violinist), made a concert tour, as a result of which he met the composer, teacher and violinist Liszt and Joachim. In the same year, he met Schumann, who, in the New Musical Journal, called Brahms a talented young musician.

In 1862 he moved to Vienna and began directing the Vienna Academy of Singing. Later he was invited to the post of conductor in the Society of Friends of Music. Starting from the 70s of the XIX century, the composer devoted himself entirely to creativity, performed as a conductor and pianist, traveled a lot. During this time, Brahms wrote "German Requiem", "Hungarian Dances".

After the death of the composer Wagner in 1883, Johannes Brahms became the greatest composer of his time, who was showered with awards and honors. From 45 to 60 years old, the maestro wrote 4 symphonies, the Second Piano Concerto, a violin concerto, more than 200 solo songs, made 100 arrangements of folk songs, and graduated from the Four Strict Melodies.

Johannes Brahms was ill for a long time. At the end of his life, he worked on his last work - 11 chorale preludes for organ. The last cycle was called "I must leave the world." He died on April 3, 1897.

Johannes Brahms interesting facts

• The German composer loved to clean his shoes. He assured that at the moment the most beautiful melodies are born in his head.
• Brahms' parents are rather strange, but at the same time happy husband and wife. At the time of the marriage, the composer's father was 24 years old, but his mother Henrique Christian Nissen was 40 years old. She suffered from a lameness, as one leg was slightly shorter than the other and had a very painful appearance. Despite this, Johannes' parents were happy people. They lived together for 40 years in harmony and love until their death.
• Favorite toy of the little composer - tin soldiers. As a child, he spent hours building a tin army. When he became an adult, the childhood hobby did not outgrow. Brahms continued to play soldiers.
• Another passion of Brahms is reading. BUT he read quite a lot. This was his recreation, entertainment and need.
• He liked to spend summer at resorts, not only improving his health, but also being inspired to write new works. BUT loved to spend the winter in Vienna, giving concerts as a conductor or performer.
• At the age of 57, the composer decided to retire from his creative career.

German composer and pianist

short biography

Johannes Brahms(German Johannes Brahms; May 7, 1833, Hamburg - April 3, 1897, Vienna) - German composer and pianist, one of the main representatives of the romantic period.

Johannes Brahms was born on May 7, 1833 in the Hamburg quarter of Schlütershof, in the family of the double bassist of the city theater - Jacob Brahms. The composer's family occupied a tiny apartment, consisting of a room with a kitchen and a tiny bedroom. Shortly after the birth of their son, the parents moved to Ultrichstrasse.

The first music lessons were given to Johannes by his father, who instilled in him the skills to play various stringed and wind instruments. After that, the boy studied piano and composition theory with Otto Kossel (German: Otto Friedrich Willibald Cossel).

At the age of ten, Brahms was already performing at prestigious concerts, where he played the piano part, which gave him the opportunity to tour America. Kossel managed to dissuade Johannes' parents from this idea and convince them that it was better for the boy to continue his studies with the teacher and composer Eduard Marksen, in Altona. Marxen, whose pedagogy was based on the study of the works of Bach and Beethoven, quickly realized that he was dealing with an extraordinary talent. In 1847, when Mendelssohn died, Marxen told a friend: One master left, but another, larger one, is replacing him - this is Brahms».

At the age of fourteen, in 1847, Johannes graduated from a private real school and made his first public appearance as a pianist with a recital.

In April 1853, Brahms went on tour with the Hungarian violinist E. Remenyi.

In Hannover they met another famous violinist, Josef Joachim. He was struck by the power and fiery temperament of the music that Brahms showed him, and the two young musicians (Joachim was then 22 years old) became close friends.

Joachim gave Remenyi and Brahms a letter of introduction to Liszt, and they went to Weimar. The maestro played some of Brahms' compositions from the sheet, and they made such a strong impression on him that he immediately wanted to "rank" Brahms in the advanced direction - the New German School, which was headed by himself and R. Wagner. However, Brahms resisted the charm of Liszt's personality and the brilliance of his playing.

On September 30, 1853, on the recommendation of Joachim, Brahms met Robert Schumann, for whose high talent he had a special reverence. Schumann and his wife, pianist Clara Schumann-Wick, had already heard about Brahms from Joachim and received the young musician warmly. They were delighted with his writings and became his most staunch adherents. Schumann spoke highly of Brahms in a critical article in his New Musical Gazette.

Brahms lived in Düsseldorf for several weeks and went to Leipzig, where Liszt and G. Berlioz attended his concert. By Christmas, Brahms arrived in Hamburg; he left his hometown as an obscure student, and returned as an artist with a name about which the great Schumann's article said: "Here is a musician who is called upon to give the highest and ideal expression to the spirit of our time."

Brahms had a tender liking for Clara Schumann, who was 13 years older. During Robert's illness, he sent love letters to his wife, but he did not dare to propose to her when she was widowed.

Brahms' first work is the fis-moll Sonata (op. 2) in 1852. Later, the sonata C-dur (op. 1) was written. Only 3 sonatas. There is also a scherzo for piano, piano pieces and songs published in Leipzig in 1854.

Constantly changing his place of residence in Germany and Switzerland, Brahms wrote a number of works in the field of piano and chamber music.

During the autumn months of 1857-1859, Brahms served as court musician at the small princely court in Detmold.

In 1858 he rented an apartment for himself in Hamburg, where his family still lived. From 1858 to 1862 he led an amateur women's choir, although he dreamed of being the conductor of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

The summer seasons of 1858 and 1859 Brahms spent in Göttingen. There he met a singer, the daughter of a university professor, Agatha von Siebold, whom he became seriously interested in. However, as soon as the conversation turned to marriage, he retreated. Subsequently, all Brahms' heartfelt hobbies were fleeting.

In 1862, the former head of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra died, but his place goes not to Brahms, but to J. Stockhausen. The composer settled in Vienna, where he became a bandmaster at the Singing Academy, and in 1872-1874 he conducted concerts of the Society of Music Lovers (Vienna Philharmonic). Later, Brahms devoted most of his activity to composition. The very first visit to Vienna in 1862 brought him recognition.

In 1868, the premiere of the German Requiem took place in the Bremen Cathedral, which was a resounding success. It was followed by equally successful premieres of new major works - the First Symphony in C minor (in 1876), the Fourth Symphony in E minor (in 1885), the quintet for clarinet and strings (in 1891).

In January 1871, Johannes received news from his stepmother that his father was seriously ill. In early February 1872 he arrived in Hamburg, the next day his father died. The son was very upset by the death of his father.

In the autumn of 1872, Brahms became artistic director of the Society of Music Lovers in Vienna. However, this work weighed on him, and he survived only three seasons.

With the advent of success, Brahms could afford to travel a lot. He visits Switzerland, Italy, but the Austrian resort of Ischl becomes his favorite vacation spot.

Having become a famous composer, Brahms repeatedly evaluated the works of young talents. When one author brought him a song to the words of Schiller, Brahms said: “Wonderful! I again became convinced that Schiller's poem is immortal.

Leaving the German resort where he was undergoing treatment, the doctor asked: “Are you satisfied with everything? Maybe something is missing?”, Brahms replied: “Thank you, I take all the diseases that I brought back.”

Being very short-sighted, he preferred not to use glasses, joking: "But a lot of bad things escape my field of vision."

Towards the end of his life, Brahms became unsociable, and when the organizers of one secular reception decided to please him by suggesting that those whom he did not want to see be deleted from the list of guests, he crossed himself out.

In the last years of his life, Brahms was ill a lot, but did not stop working. During these years, he completes the cycle of German folk songs.

Johannes Brahms died on the morning of April 3, 1897 in Vienna, where he was buried in the Central Cemetery (German: Zentralfriedhof).

Creation

Brahms did not write a single opera, but he worked in almost all other genres.

Brahms wrote more than 80 works, such as: single and polyphonic songs, a serenade for orchestra, variations on a Haydnian theme for orchestra, two sextets for string instruments, two piano concertos, several sonatas for one piano, for piano with violin, with cello , clarinet and viola, piano trios, quartets and quintets, variations and various pieces for piano, cantata "Rinaldo" for tenor solo, male choir and orchestra, rhapsody (on an excerpt from Goethe's "Harzreise im Winter") for solo viola, male choir and orchestra, "German Requiem" for solo, choir and orchestra, "Triumphlied" (on the occasion of the Franco-Prussian War), for choir and orchestra; "Schicksalslied", for choir and orchestra; violin concerto, concerto for violin and cello, two overtures: tragic and academic.

But his symphonies brought Brahms special fame. Already in his early works, Brahms showed originality and independence. Through hard work, Brahms developed his own style. About his works, according to their general impression, it cannot be said that Brahms was influenced by any of the composers who preceded him. The most outstanding music, in which the creative power of Brahms had an especially bright and original effect, is his "German Requiem".

Memory

• A crater on Mercury is named after Brahms.

Reviews

• In the article "New Ways", in October 1853, Robert Schumann wrote: “I knew ... and hoped that He was coming, the one who was called to become the ideal spokesman of the times, the one whose skill does not sprout from the ground with timid sprouts, but immediately blooms with lush flowers. And he appeared, a youth of light, at whose cradle the Graces and Heroes stood. His name is Johannes Brahms".
• Louis Ehlert, one of the most influential Berlin critics, wrote: “Brahms' music is devoid of a clear profile, it can only be seen from the front. She lacks the energetic features that solidify her expression unconditionally."
• In general, P.I. Tchaikovsky constantly had a negative attitude towards the work of Brahms. If we sum up in one paragraph all the essential things that Tchaikovsky wrote about the music of Brahms in the period from 1872 to 1888, then this can be basically generalized to the following statements (diary entries and printed criticism): “This is one of the ordinary composers with whom the German school is so rich; he writes smoothly, deftly, cleanly, but without the slightest glimpse of original talent ... a mediocre, full of pretensions, devoid of creativity. His music is not warmed by true feeling, there is no poetry in it, but on the other hand there is a huge claim to depth ... He has very little melodic ingenuity; musical thought never gets to the point... It angers me that this arrogant mediocrity is recognized as a genius... Brahms, as a musical personality, is simply antipathetic to me..
• Carl Dahlhaus: “Brahms was not an imitator of either Beethoven or Schumann. And his conservatism can be considered aesthetically legitimate, since speaking of Brahms, traditions are not accepted without destroying the other side, its essence.

List of compositions

Piano creativity

• Pieces, Op. 76, 118, 119
• Three Intermezzos, Op. 117
• Three Sonatas, Op. 1, 2, 5
• Scherzo in E Flat Minor, Op. 4
• Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79
• Variations on a Theme by R. Schumann, Op. nine
• Variations and Fugue on a Theme by G. F. Handel, Op. 24
• Variations on a theme by Paganini, Op. 35 (1863)
• Variations on a Hungarian Song, Op. 21
• 4 ballads, Op. 10
• Pieces (Fantasy), Op. 116
• Love songs - waltzes, new love songs - waltzes, four notebooks of Hungarian dances for piano four hands

Compositions for organ

• 11 Choral Preludes op.122
• Two preludes and fugues

Chamber compositions

• 1. Three sonatas for violin and piano
• 2. Two sonatas for cello and piano
• 3. Two sonatas for clarinet (alto) and piano
• 4. Three piano trios
• 5. Trio for piano, violin and horn
• 6. Trio for piano, clarinet (viola) and cello
• 7. Three piano quartets
• 8. Three string quartets
• 9. Two string quintets
• 10. Piano quintet
• 11. Quintet for clarinet and strings
• 12. Two string sextets

Concerts

• 1. Two piano concertos
• 2. Violin Concerto
• 3. Double concerto for violin and cello

for orchestra

• 1. Four symphonies (No. 1 in c-moll op. 68; No. 2 in D-dur op. 73; No. 3 in F-dur op. 90; No. 4 in e-moll op. 98).
• 2. Two serenades
• 3. Variations on a theme by J. Haydn
• 4. Academic and Tragic Overtures
• 5. Three Hungarian Dances (author's orchestration of dances No. 1, 3 and 10; orchestration of other dances was carried out by other authors, including Antonin Dvorak, Hans Gal, Pavel Yuon, etc.)

Compositions for the choir. Chamber vocal lyrics

• German Requiem
• Song of Destiny, Song of Triumph
• Romances and songs for voice and piano (about 200 in total, including "Four Strict Melodies")
• Vocal ensembles for voice and piano - 60 vocal quartets, 20 duets
• Cantata "Rinaldo" for tenor, choir and orchestra (to text by J. W. Goethe)
• Cantata "Song of the Parks" for choir and orchestra (on a text by Goethe)
• Rhapsody for viola, choir and orchestra (on a text by Goethe)
• About 60 mixed choirs
• Marian songs (Marienlieder), for choir
• Motets for choir (on biblical texts in German translations; 7 in total)
• Canons for choir
• Arrangements of folk songs (including 49 German folk songs, over 100 in total)

Recordings of works by Brahms

A complete set of Brahms symphonies was recorded by conductors Claudio Abbado, Herman Abendroth, Nikolaus Arnoncourt, Vladimir Ashkenazy, John Barbirolli, Daniel Barenboim, Eduard van Beinum, Carl Böhm, Leonard Bernstein, Adrian Boult, Semyon Bychkov, Bruno Walter, Gunther Wand, Felix Weingartner, John Eliot Gardiner, Jascha Gorenstein, Carlo Maria Giulini (at least 2 sets), Christoph von Donagni, Antal Dorati, Colin Davis, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Sanderling, Jap van Zveden, Otmar Zuytner, Eliahu Inbal, Eugen Jochum, Herbert von Karajan (not less than 3 sets), Rudolf Kempe, Istvan Kertesz, Otto Klemperer, Kirill Kondrashin, Rafael Kubelik, Gustav Kuhn, Sergei Koussevitzky, James Levine, Erich Leinsdorf, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Charles Mackerras, Neville Marriner, Willem Mengelberg, Zubin Meta, Evgeny Mravinsky, Ricardo Muti, Roger Norrington, Seiji Ozawa, Eugene Ormandy, Witold Rovitsky, Simon Rattle, Evgeny Svetlanov, Leif Segerstam, George Sell, Leopold Stokowski, Arturo Toscanini, Vladimir Fed oseev, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Bernard Haitink, Günther Herbig, Sergiu Celibidache, Ricardo Chaily (at least 2 sets), Gerald Schwartz, Hans Schmidt-Issershtedt, Georg Solti, Horst Stein, Christoph Eschenbach, Marek Janowski, Maris Jansons, Neeme Jarvi and others .

Johannes Brahms was born on May 7, 1833 in the Hamburg quarter of Schlütershof, in the family of the double bassist of the city theater - Jacob Brahms. The composer's family occupied a tiny apartment, consisting of a room with a kitchen and a tiny bedroom. Shortly after the birth of their son, the parents moved to Ultrichstrasse.

The first music lessons were given to Johannes by his father, who instilled in him the skills to play various stringed and wind instruments. After that, the boy studied piano and composition theory with Otto Kossel (German: Otto Friedrich Willibald Cossel).

At the age of ten, Brahms was already performing at prestigious concerts, where he played the piano part, which gave him the opportunity to tour America. Kossel managed to dissuade Johannes' parents from this idea and convince them that it was better for the boy to continue his studies with the teacher and composer Eduard Marksen, in Altona. Marxen, whose pedagogy was based on the study of the works of Bach and Beethoven, quickly realized that he was dealing with an extraordinary talent. In 1847, when Mendelssohn died, Marxen told a friend: "One master has left, but another, larger one, is replacing him - this is Brahms."

At the age of fourteen, in 1847, Johannes graduated from a private real school and made his first public appearance as a pianist with a recital.

In April 1853, Brahms went on tour with the Hungarian violinist E. Remenyi.

In Hannover they met another famous violinist, Josef Joachim. He was struck by the power and fiery temperament of the music that Brahms showed him, and the two young musicians (Joachim was then 22 years old) became close friends.

Joachim gave Remenyi and Brahms a letter of introduction to Liszt, and they went to Weimar. The maestro played some of Brahms' compositions from the sheet, and they made such a strong impression on him that he immediately wanted to "rank" Brahms in the advanced direction - the New German School, which was headed by himself and R. Wagner. However, Brahms resisted the charm of Liszt's personality and the brilliance of his playing.

On September 30, 1853, on the recommendation of Joachim, Brahms met Robert Schumann, for whose high talent he had a special reverence. Schumann and his wife, pianist Clara Schumann-Wick, had already heard about Brahms from Joachim and received the young musician warmly. They were delighted with his writings and became his most staunch adherents. Schumann spoke highly of Brahms in a critical article in his New Musical Gazette.

Brahms lived in Düsseldorf for several weeks and went to Leipzig, where Liszt and G. Berlioz attended his concert. By Christmas, Brahms arrived in Hamburg; he left his hometown as an obscure student, and returned as an artist with a name about which the great Schumann's article said: "Here is a musician who is called upon to give the highest and ideal expression to the spirit of our time."

Brahms had a tender liking for Clara Schumann, who was 13 years older. During Robert's illness, he sent love letters to his wife, but he did not dare to propose to her when she was widowed.

Brahms' first work is the fis-moll Sonata (op. 2) in 1852. Later, the sonata C-dur (op. 1) was written. Only 3 sonatas. There is also a scherzo for piano, piano pieces and songs published in Leipzig in 1854.

Constantly changing his place of residence in Germany and Switzerland, Brahms wrote a number of works in the field of piano and chamber music.

During the autumn months of 1857-1859, Brahms served as court musician at the small princely court in Detmold.

In 1858 he rented an apartment for himself in Hamburg, where his family still lived. From 1858 to 1862 he directed an amateur women's choir, although he dreams of a position as a conductor of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

The summer seasons of 1858 and 1859 are spent in Göttingen. There he met a singer, the daughter of a university professor, Agatha von Siebold, whom he became seriously interested in. However, as soon as the conversation turned to marriage, he retreated. Subsequently, all Brahms' heartfelt passions were fleeting.

In 1862, the former head of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra dies, but his place goes not to Brahms, but to J. Stockhausen. After that, the composer moved to Vienna, where he became a bandmaster at the Singakademie, and from 1872-1874 he conducted the well-known concerts of the Musikfreunde society. Later, Brahms devoted most of his activity to composition. The very first visit to Vienna in 1862 brought recognition to Brahms.

In 1868, the premiere of the German Requiem took place in the Bremen Cathedral, which was a resounding success. This was followed by equally successful premieres of new major works of the First Symphony in C minor (in 1876), the Fourth Symphony in E minor (in 1885), the quintet for clarinet and strings (in 1891).

In January 1871, Johannes received news from his stepmother that his father was seriously ill. In early February 1872 he arrived in Hamburg, the next day his father died. The son was very upset by the death of his father.

In the autumn of 1872, Brahms began to work as artistic director of the "Society of Friends of Music" in Vienna. However, this work weighed on him and he survived only three seasons.

With the advent of success, Brahms could afford to travel a lot. He visits Switzerland, Italy, but the Austrian resort of Ischl becomes his favorite vacation spot.

Having become a famous composer, Brahms repeatedly evaluated the works of young talents. When one author brought him a song to the words of Schiller, Brahms said: “Wonderful! I again became convinced that Schiller's poem is immortal.

Leaving the German resort where he was undergoing treatment, the doctor asked: “Are you satisfied with everything? Maybe something is missing?”, Brahms replied: “Thank you, I take all the diseases that I brought back.”

Being very short-sighted, he preferred not to use glasses, joking: "But a lot of bad things escape my field of vision."

Towards the end of his life, Brahms became unsociable, and when the organizers of one secular reception decided to please him by suggesting that those whom he did not want to see be deleted from the list of guests, he crossed himself out.

In the last years of his life, Brahms was ill a lot, but did not stop working. During these years, he completes the cycle of German folk songs.

Johannes Brahms died on the morning of April 3, 1897 in Vienna, where he was buried in the Central Cemetery (German: Zentralfriedhof).

Creation

Brahms did not write a single opera, but he worked in almost all other genres.

Brahms wrote more than 80 works, such as: single and polyphonic songs, a serenade for orchestra, variations on a Haydnian theme for orchestra, two sextets for string instruments, two piano concertos, several sonatas for one piano, for piano with violin, with cello , clarinet and viola, piano trios, quartets and quintets, variations and various pieces for piano, cantata "Rinaldo" for tenor solo, male choir and orchestra, rhapsody (on an excerpt from Goethe's "Harzreise im Winter") for solo viola, male choir and orchestra, "German Requiem" for solo, choir and orchestra, "Triumphlied" (on the occasion of the Franco-Prussian War), for choir and orchestra; "Schicksalslied", for choir and orchestra; violin concerto, concerto for violin and cello, two overtures: tragic and academic.

But his symphonies brought Brahms special fame. Already in his early works, Brahms showed originality and independence. Through hard work, Brahms developed his own style. About his works, according to their general impression, it cannot be said that Brahms was influenced by any of the composers who preceded him. The most outstanding music, in which the creative power of Brahms had an especially bright and original effect, is his "German Requiem".

Memory

A crater on Mercury is named after Brahms.

Reviews

• In the article “New Ways”, in October 1853, Robert Schumann wrote: “I knew ... and hoped that He was coming, the one who was called to become an ideal spokesman for the times, one whose skill does not sprout from the ground with timid sprouts, but immediately blooms luxuriantly. color. And he appeared, a youth of light, at whose cradle the Graces and Heroes stood. His name is Johannes Brahms."
• Karl Dahlhaus: “Brahms was not an imitator of either Beethoven or Schumann. And his conservatism can be considered aesthetically legitimate, since speaking of Brahms, traditions are not accepted without destroying the other side, its essence.

List of compositions

Piano creativity

• Intermezzo in E flat major
• Capriccio in B minor, op. 76 No 2
• Three sonatas
• Intermezzo
• Rhapsody
• Variations on a Theme by R. Schumann
• Variations and fugue on a theme by G. F. Handel
• Variations on a theme by Paganini (1863)
• ballads
• capriccio
• fantasies
• Love songs - waltzes, new love songs - waltzes, four notebooks of Hungarian dances for piano four hands

Compositions for organ

• 11 Choral Preludes op.122
• Two preludes and fugues

Chamber compositions

• Three sonatas for violin and piano
• Two sonatas for cello and piano
• Two sonatas for clarinet (viola) and piano
• Three piano trios
• Trio for piano, violin and horn
• Trio for piano, clarinet (viola) and cello
• Three piano quartets
• Three string quartets
• Two string quintets
• piano quintet
• Quintet for clarinet and strings
• Two string sextets

Concerts

• Two Piano Concertos
• Violin Concerto
• Double concerto for violin and cello

for orchestra

• Four symphonies (No. 1 in c-moll op. 68; No. 2 in D-dur op. 73; No. 3 in F-dur op. 90; No. 4 in e-moll op. 98)
• two serenades
• Variations on a Theme by J. Haydn
• Academic and Tragic Overtures
• Three Hungarian Dances (author's orchestration of dances No. 1, 3 and 10; orchestration of other dances was carried out by other authors, including Antonin Dvorak, Hans Gal, Pavel Yuon, etc.)

Vocal and choral compositions

• German Requiem
• Song of Destiny, Song of Triumph
• Cantata Rinaldo, Rhapsody, Song of the Parks - to texts by J. W. Goethe
• Over a hundred arrangements of folk songs (including 49 German folk songs)
• About sixty mixed choirs, seven songs of Mary (1859), seven motets
• Vocal ensembles for voice and piano - 60 vocal quartets, 20 duets, about 200 romances and songs
• Four strict tunes
• Canons for a capella choir

Recordings of works by Brahms

A complete set of Brahms symphonies was recorded by conductors Claudio Abbado, Herman Abendroth, Nikolaus Arnoncourt, Vladimir Ashkenazy, John Barbirolli, Daniel Barenboim, Eduard van Beinum, Carl Böhm, Leonard Bernstein, Adrian Boult, Semyon Bychkov, Bruno Walter, Gunther Wand, Felix Weingartner, John Eliot Gardiner, Jascha Gorenstein, Carlo Maria Giulini, Christoph von Donagni, Antal Dorati, Colin Davis, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Sanderling, Jap van Zweden, Otmar Zuytner, Eliahu Inbal, Eugen Jochum, Herbert von Karajan, Rudolf Kempe, Istvan Kertesz, Otto Klemperer, Kirill Kondrashin, Rafael Kubelik, Gustav Kuhn, Sergei Koussevitzky, James Levine, Erich Leinsdorf, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Charles Mackerras, Neville Marriner, Willem Mengelberg, Zubin Mehta, Evgeny Mravinsky, Ricardo Muti, Roger Norrington, Seiji Ozawa, Eugene Ormandy, Witold Rovitsky, Simon Rattle, Evgeny Svetlanov, Leif Segerstam, George Sell, Leopold Stokowski, Arturo Toscanini, Vladimir Fedoseev, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bernard Haitink, G Junter Herbig, Sergiu Celibidache, Ricardo Chailly, Gerald Schwarz, Hans Schmidt-Issershtedt, Georg Solti, Horst Stein, Christoph Eschenbach, Marek Janowski, Maris Jansons, Neeme Järvi and others.

Recordings of individual symphonies were also made by Karel Ancherl (No. 1-3), Yuri Bashmet (No. 3), Thomas Beecham (No. 2), Herbert Bloomstedt (No. 4), Hans Vonk (No. 2, 4), Guido Cantelli (No. 1, 3), Jansug Kakhidze (No. 1), Carlos Klaiber (No. 2, 4), Hans Knappertsbusch (No. 2-4), Rene Leibovitz (No. 4), Igor Markevich (No. 1, 4), Pierre Monteux (No. 3) , Charles Munsch (No. 1, 2, 4), Vaclav Neumann (No. 2), Jan Willem van Otterlo (No. 1), André Previn (No. 4), Fritz Reiner (No. 3, 4), Victor de Sabata (No. 4 ), Klaus Tennstedt (No. 1, 3), Willy Ferrero (No. 4), Ivan Fischer (No. 1), Ferenc Frichai (No. 2), Daniel Harding (No. 3, 4), Hermann Scherchen (No. 1, 3), Karl Schuricht (No. 1, 2, 4), Karl Eliasberg (No. 3) and others.

Recordings of the violin concerto were made by violinists Joshua Bell, Ida Handel, Gidon Kremer, Yehudi Menuhin, Anna-Sophie Mutter, David Oistrakh, Itzhak Perlman, Jozsef Szigeti, Vladimir Spivakov, Isaac Stern, Christian Ferrat, Jascha Heifetz, Henrik Schering.