History AwesomeMusic / JohannesBrahms

*** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaHjfTjpt9E Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel]] are enshrined alongside Bach's Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's Diabelli Variations as one of the finest sets of variations for solo piano. Brahms starts with the theme from the Aria con Variazioni from Music/GeorgeFredericHandel's Harpsichord Suite in B-flat major and sculpts 25 variations and a fugue that embody several years of intense study of Baroque contrapuntal and melodic techniques (as well as forms such as the musette, siciliana, and canon) and permutes the theme in ways that focus sometimes on virtuosity, sometimes on light and shade, but all without losing sight of the original melody.

Creator/JohannesBrahms was named alongside Bach and Beethoven by the German conductor Hans von Bülow as one of "the three Bs", three composers who helped to define western classical music whose names happened to begin with B. It's not hard to see why von Bülow felt Brahms was worthy to be ranked alongside Bach and Beethoven:

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckuUq7im8H4 Symphony No.4 in E minor]] has plenty of awesome moments, from the first movement's falling thirds motif, the solemn horn call that opens the slow second movement, and the third movement defying the convention that scherzo movements had to involve a central trio instead of simply exploring the possibilities of one set of themes.[[note]] Music/{{Yes}} fans will recognise the third movement as the source of Music/RickWakeman's solo track "Cans and Brahms" on ''Fragile''.[[/note]] It is also the only true scherzo movement in his symphonies, the other third movements being more akin to intermezzi. The final movement is also a great deal of awesome; Brahms has the whole powerful and tragic thing firing on all cylinders — and unlike most symphonies in a minor key (including his first symphony in C minor), he doesn't shift into the major mode for the ending. It is also a rare example of a passacaglia finale in the symphonic literature.

* Brahms' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C_U7eUbVd8 violin concerto]] is one of the greatest of the late Romantic era, framing an impossibly gorgeous slow movement (led by an extended oboe solo) with an epic-length first movement and a lively, dance-like finale.

** Brahms waited until quite late in life to try his hand at violin sonatas, and created three gems. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxpEa6U2ccI No.1 in G major]] offers one of the composer's loveliest slow movements and a finale that moves from minor key anguish to major key serenity. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4n9kUbzmGY No.2 in A major]] gives the pianist and violinist equal shares of the spotlight; the second movement fusion of slow movement and scherzo is a masterstroke. And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAo4x2fyBBc No.3 in D minor]] continues to give plenty of shining moments to both performers; the first movement moves from torment to tranquility, but after a songlike slow movement and troubled scherzo, the storm clouds return and remain firmly in place throughout the finale.

* Brahms' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS6b8JKzUeo violin concerto]] is one of the greatest of the late Romantic era, framing an impossibly gorgeous slow movement (led by an extended oboe solo) with an epic-length first movement and a lively, dance-like finale.

** Brahms waited until quite late in life to try his hand at violin sonatas, and created three gems. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxpEa6U2ccI No.1 in G major]] offers one of the composer's loveliest slow movements and a finale that moves from minor key anguish to major key serenity. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4n9kUbzmGY No.2 in A major]] gives the pianist and violinist equal shares of the spotlight; the second movement fusion of slow movement and scherzo is a masterstroke. And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAo4x2fyBBc No.3 in D minor]] continues to give plenty of shining moments to both performers; the first movement moves from torment to tranquility, but after a songlike slow movement and troubled scherzo, the stormclouds return and remain firmly in place throughout the finale.

* One of the greatest pieces of choral music ever written, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJelOS-fjrY Ein deutsches Requiem]]''. As opposed to the usual Latin Requiem text, he used quotations of the Luther Bible, starting with the Gospel of Matthew: "Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Those that sow with tears shall reap with joy". Just beautiful enough to be a TearJerker all by itself.

** Paradoxically, despite being considered one of the most (and often ''the'' most) technically difficult piano concerti in the standard repertoire, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4YqWXmF9Dg No.2 in B-flat major]] is more low-key, and the piano plays a decidedly supporting role for large stretches, but it is packed with moments of outstanding beauty, and it takes a lot of technical acrobatics and emotional sensitivity[[note]] The most common performance instructions in the score for both piano and orchestra in this terrifying "warhorse" of the concerto repertoire? "Dolce" (sweetly), "leggiero" (lightly), "espressivo" (expressively), and "tranquillo" (calmly). Now try playing sweetly, lightly, expressively, or calmly while both hands have to scamper across two octaves or more, sometimes in opposite directions, in a single beat...[[/note]] to pull off a successful performance. As with the earlier concerto, the first movement is a sweeping musical journey on its own, and includes some of the loveliest melodies Brahms ever composed; the procession of glorious music continues through the ferocious scherzo, the idyllic cello solo-led slow movement, and the jaunty (if lightweight) finale. It's a rare example of a four-movement concerto, most others from the Classical and Romantic eras being three movements.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckuUq7im8H4 Symphony No.4 in E minor]] has plenty of awesome moments, from the first movement's falling thirds motif, the solemn horn call that opens the slow second movement, and the third movement defying the convention that scherzo movements had to involve a central trio instead of simply exploring the possibilities of one set of themes.[[note]] Music/{{Yes}} fans will recognise the third movement as the source of Rick Wakeman's solo track "Cans and Brahms" on ''Fragile''.[[/note]] It is also the only true scherzo movement in his symphonies, the other third movements being more akin to intermezzi. The final movement is also a great deal of awesome; Brahms has the whole powerful and tragic thing firing on all cylinders — and unlike most symphonies in a minor key (including his first symphony in C minor), he doesn't shift into the major mode for the ending. It is also a rare example of a passacaglia finale in the symphonic literature.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckuUq7im8H4 Symphony No.4 in E minor]] has plenty of awesome moments, from the first movement's falling thirds motif, the solemn horn call that opens the slow second movement, and the third movement defying the convention that scherzo movements had to involve a central trio instead of simply exploring the possibilities of one set of themes.[[note]] Music/{{Yes}} fans will recognise the third movement as the source of Rick Wakeman's solo track "Cans and Brahms" on ''Fragile''.[[/note]] It is also the only true scherzo movement in his symphonies, the other third movements being more akin to intermezzi. The final movement is also a great deal of awesome; Brahms has the whole powerful and tragic thing firing on all cylinders — and unlike most symphonies in a minor key (including his first symphony in C minor), he doesn't shift into the major mode for the ending. It is also a unique example of a passacaglia finale in the symphonic literature.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckuUq7im8H4 Symphony No.4 in E minor]] has plenty of awesome moments, from the first movement's falling thirds motif, the solemn horn call that opens the slow second movement, and the third movement defying the convention that scherzo movements had to involve a central trio instead of simply exploring the possibilities of one set of themes.[[note]] Music/{{Yes}} fans will recognise the third movement as the source of Rick Wakeman's solo track "Cans and Brahms" on ''Fragile''.[[/note]] The final movement is also a great deal of awesome; Brahms has the whole powerful and tragic thing firing on all cylinders — and unlike most symphonies in a minor key (including his first symphony in C minor), he doesn't shift into the major mode for the ending.

** Paradoxically, despite being considered one of the most (and often ''the'' most) technically difficult piano concerti in the standard repertoire, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4YqWXmF9Dg No.2 in B-flat major]] is more low-key, and the piano plays a decidedly supporting role for large stretches, but it is packed with moments of outstanding beauty, and it takes a lot of technical acrobatics and emotional sensitivity[[note]] The most common performance instructions in the score for both piano and orchestra in this terrifying "warhorse" of the concerto repertoire? "Dolce" (sweetly), "leggiero" (lightly), "espressivo" (expressively), and "tranquillo" (calmly). Now try playing sweetly, lightly, expressively, or calmly while both hands have to scamper across two octaves or more, sometimes in opposite directions, in a single beat...[[/note]] to pull off a successful performance. As with the earlier concerto, the first movement is a sweeping musical journey on its own, and includes some of the loveliest melodies Brahms ever composed; the procession of glorious music continues through the ferocious scherzo, the idyllic cello solo-led slow movement, and the jaunty (if lightweight) finale.

** It took Brahms somewhere between fourteen and twenty-one years to go from the first sketches to the first performance of his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGRqIGOAPcE Symphony No.1 in C minor]]. It was worth the wait; Hans von Bülow sometimes referred to the symphony as "Beethoven's Tenth", deeming it the first worthy successor to the symphonic tradition Beethoven had established half a century earlier. Indeed, part of the reason for the symphony's long gestation was because Brahms wanted to compose a symphony worthy of Beethoven, and it follows a similar "tragedy to triumph" journey to Beethoven's fifth and ninth symphonies.[[note]] Although Brahms viewed some of the more explicit comparisons between his symphony and Beethoven's two minor key symphonies as tantamount to accusations of plagiarism.[[/note]] With this work, Brahms single-handedly revived the symphony as a musical work, which had previously been viewed as somewhat passe.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1vYHT43a4 Symphony No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, in contrast to the lengthy development period of Symphony No.1. Despite being the only one in which all four movements are in major keys, it hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM Symphony No.3 in F major]] was composed just a few years later. Brahms deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of his most intensely emotional pieces.

Music/JohannesBrahms was named alongside Bach and Beethoven by the German conductor Hans von Bülow as one of "the three Bs", three composers who helped to define western classical music whose names happened to begin with B. It's not hard to see why von Bülow felt Brahms was worthy to be ranked alongside Bach and Beethoven:

** Once Brahms got the hang of writing a symphony, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1vYHT43a4 No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM No.3 in F major]] followed a few years later. Both are masterfully assembled and packed end-to-end with gorgeous melodies; No.2, despite being the only one in which all four movements are in major keys, hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent, while No.3 deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of Brahms' most intensely emotional pieces.

** Once Brahms got the hang of writing a symphony, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1vYHT43a4 No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM No.3 in F major]] followed a few years later. Both are masterfully assembled and packed end-to-end with gorgeous melodies; Symphony No.2, despite being the only one in which all four movements are in major keys, hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent, while Symphony No.3 deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of Brahms' most intensely emotional pieces.

** Once Brahms got the hang of writing a symphony, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1vYHT43a4 No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM No.3 in F major]] followed a few years later. Both are masterfully assembled and packed end to end with gorgeous melodies; Symphony No.2, despite being the only one in which all four movements are in major keys, hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent, while Symphony No.3 deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of Brahms' most intensely emotional pieces.

** Once Brahms got the hang of writing a symphony, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1vYHT43a4 No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM No.3 in F major]] followed a few years later. Both are masterfully assembled and packed end to end with gorgeous melodies; No.2, despite being the only Brahms symphony in which all four movements are in major keys, hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent, while No.3 deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of Brahms' most intensely emotional pieces.

** It took Brahms somewhere between fourteen and twenty-one years to go from the first sketches to the first performance of his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGRqIGOAPcE Symphony No.1 in C minor]]. It was worth the wait; Hans von Bülow sometimes referred to the symphony as "Beethoven's Tenth", deeming it the first worthy successor to the symphonic tradition Beethoven had established half a century earlier. Indeed, part of the reason for the symphony's long gestation was because Brahms wanted to compose a symphony worthy of Beethoven, and it follows a similar "tragedy to triumph" journey to Beethoven's fifth and ninth symphonies.[[note]] However, Brahms viewed some of the more explicit comparisons between his symphony and Beethoven's two minor key symphonies as tantamount to accusations of plagiarism.[[/note]] With this work, Brahms single-handedly revived the symphony as a musical work, which had previously been viewed as somewhat passe.
** Once he got the hang of writing a symphony, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1vYHT43a4 No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM No.3 in F major]] followed a few years later. Both are masterfully assembled and packed end to end with gorgeous melodies; No.2, despite being the only Brahms symphony to have every movement in a major key, hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent, while No.3 deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of Brahms' most intensely emotional pieces.

** Once he got the hang of writing a symphony, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1vYHT43a4 No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM No.3 in F major]] followed a few years later. Both are masterfully assembled and packed end to end with gorgeous melodies; No.2, despite being the only Brahms symphony in which all four movements are in major keys, hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent, while No.3 deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of Brahms' most intensely emotional pieces.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckuUq7im8H4 Symphony No.4 in E minor]] has plenty of awesome moments, from the first movement's falling thirds motif to the solemn horn call that opens the slow second movement to the third movement's defiance of the convention that scherzo movements had to involve a central trio instead of simply exploring the possibilities of one set of themes.[[note]] Music/{{Yes}} fans will recognise the third movement as the source of Rick Wakeman's solo track "Cans and Brahms" on ''Fragile''.[[/note]] The final movement is also a great deal of awesome. He's got the whole powerful and tragic thing running on all four cylinders - and unlike most symphonies in a minor key (including his first symphony in C minor), he doesn't shift into the major mode for the ending.

** It took Brahms somewhere between fourteen and twenty-one years to go from the first sketches to the first performance of his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGRqIGOAPcE Symphony No.1 in C minor]]. It was worth the wait; Hans von Bülow sometimes referred to the symphony as "Beethoven's Tenth", deeming it the first worthy successor to the symphonic tradition Beethoven had established half a century earlier. Indeed, part of the reason for the symphony's long gestation was because Brahms wanted to compose a symphony worthy of Beethoven, and it follows a similar "tragedy to triumph" journey to Beethoven's fifth and ninth symphonies.[[note]] Although Brahms viewed some of the more explicit comparisons between his symphony and Beethoven's two minor key symphonies as tantamount to accusations of plagiarism.[[/note]] With this work, Brahms single-handedly revived the symphony as a musical work, which had previously been viewed as somewhat passe.
** Once Brahms got the hang of writing a symphony, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI1vYHT43a4 No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM No.3 in F major]] followed a few years later. Both are masterfully assembled and packed end to end with gorgeous melodies; No.2, despite being the only Brahms symphony in which all four movements are in major keys, hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent, while No.3 deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of Brahms' most intensely emotional pieces.
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asQca995uxs final movement]] of Symphony No.4 in E minor is a great deal of awesome. He's got the whole powerful and tragic thing running on all four cylinders - and unlike most symphonies in minor keys (including his own C minor symphony), he doesn't shift into the major mode for the ending. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P2AzhECVJ8 first]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo_UVzFQ7DE three]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cqv8PRsZRw movements]] have plenty of awesome moments of their own, from the first movement's falling thirds motif to the solemn horn call that opens the slow second movement to the third movement's defiance of the convention that scherzo movements had to involve a central trio instead of simply exploring the possibilities of one set of themes.[[note]] Music/{{Yes}} fans will recognise the third movement as the source of Rick Wakeman's solo track "Cans and Brahms" on ''Fragile''.[[/note]]

German conductor Hans von Bülow named Music/JohannesBrahms alongside Bach and Beethoven as one of "the three Bs", three composers who helped to define western classical music whose names happened to begin with B. It's easy to see why he felt Brahms was worthy to be ranked alongside Bach and Beethoven:

German conductor Hans von Bülow named Music/JohannesBrahms alongside Bach and Beethoven as one of "the three Bs", three composers who helped to define western classical music whose names happened to begin with B. It's not hard to see why von Bülow felt Brahms was worthy to be ranked alongside Bach and Beethoven:

Music/JohannesBrahms was named alongside Bach and Beethoven by the German conductor Hans von Bülow as one of "the three Bs", three composers who helped to define western classical music whose names happened to begin with B. It's not hard to see why von Bülow felt Brahms was worthy to be ranked alongside Bach and Beethoven:

** Once Brahms got the hang of writing a symphony, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGeY14HEleY No.2 in D major]] took just a single summer to compose, and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0MqnAoEJM No.3 in F major]] followed a few years later. Both are masterfully assembled and packed end to end with gorgeous melodies; No.2, despite being the only Brahms symphony in which all four movements are in major keys, hides an inner sadness that makes it especially potent, while No.3 deftly weaves between major and minor modes throughout the first and last movements (settling into major just in time for the coda in both), and the plaintive third movement is one of Brahms' most intensely emotional pieces.
** The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asQca995uxs final movement]] of Symphony No.4 in E minor is a great deal of awesome. He's got the whole powerful and tragic thing running on all four cylinders - and unlike most symphonies in minor keys (including his own C minor symphony), he doesn't shift into the major mode for the ending. The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P2AzhECVJ8 first]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo_UVzFQ7DE three]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cqv8PRsZRw movements]] have plenty of awesome moments of their own.[[note]] Music/{{Yes}} fans will recognise the third movement as the source of Rick Wakeman's solo track "Cans and Brahms" on ''Fragile''.[[/note]]

* Brahms' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k98aL7YxPgk violin concerto]] is one of the greatest of the late Romantic era, framing an impossibly gorgeous slow movement (led by an extended oboe solo) with an epic-length first movement and a lively, dance-like finale.
* One of the greatest pieces of choral music ever written, ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGP7cBXpXqA Ein deutsches Requiem]]''. As opposed to the usual Latin Requiem text, he used quotations of the Luther Bible, starting with the Gospel of Matthew: "Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Those that sow with tears shall reap with joy". Just beautiful enough to be a TearJerker all by itself.

** Add a viola to the violin, cello, and piano, and you get three outstanding piano quartets. The most famous is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVw2iXj31Cg No.1 in G minor,]] which boasts a gypsy-inspired "alla zingarese" rondo finale. The highly Schubertian [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMQamKZkDvc No.2 in A major]] is Brahms' longest chamber work, taking nearly 50 minutes to perform and packed end to end with charming melodies. And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XIdjS_TYbk No.3 in C minor]] is the most concise and tightly constructed of the three; the ingenious first movement that blends sonata allegro with theme and variations is a standout.

** Like the symphony, the string quartet struggled for much of the 19th century as composers wondered what could possibly be done with the form that Beethoven hadn't already done. Brahms laboured long and hard over [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5knEDDSMAUQ Quartet No.1 in C minor]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbQ5KK3c-Ss Quartet No.2 in A minor,]] but the wait was worth it; No.1 boasts almost orchestral dimensions in its outer movements and a more intimate atmosphere for the affable slow movement and haunted scherzo, while No.2 is an altogether more lyrical affair. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebWj6l_b4Do Quartet No.3 in B-flat major]] is the lightest of the three, and is particularly striking for giving extended time in the spotlight to the viola in its third movement (despite being dedicated to cellist Theodor Wilhelm Engelmann; Brahms wryly suggested that Engelmann might want to change instruments!).
** But throw in a second viola, and you get two of the greatest string quintets by any composer since Schubert. Brahms was rightly proud of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk3j_cu6d1g Quintet No.1 in F major,]] which moves from a pastoral first movement to a second movement based on dance movement fragments he had composed years earlier to a finale bursting with vivacity. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye2pDTJNm6U Quintet No.2 in G major]] was planned as a swan song before Brahms' retirement; the Hungarian-influenced finale would have been a brilliant final gesture for any composer.