One of the Romantic period’s more celebrated composers, Johannes Brahms, was born on May 7, 1833, in Hamburg, Germany. A son of a musician, Brahms grew up surrounded by music. He began his music career as a pianist, later becoming a composer.
Brahms had high expectations for himself and destroyed any composition he thought wasn’t good enough. He wrote symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and piano music throughout his career.
But there’s more to this man than just being a composer. In this article, you’ll learn 12 of the most interesting facts about Brahms. Read on!
1. He Was a Child Prodigy
Brahms started his musical journey at seven, playing the piano. His family quickly noticed his talent, leading him to study with Otto Cossel.
In 1843, an American agent invited Brahms to tour America after hearing him at a public concert, but he was too young to go. Instead, he studied with Eduard Marxsen in Hamburg.
As an adult, he destroyed most of his early compositions out of embarrassment.
2. He Helped Support His Family
Brahms was born into a poor family. His father was an amateur musician, and his mother, a seamstress. Brahms also had a sister and brother.
As a teenager, Brahms used his musical talent to help support his family by playing the piano in dance halls, brothels, inns, taverns, and along city docks to supplement their income — a fact that early biographers found so shocking they often omitted it from his life story.
3. Became Good Friends with Robert Schumann
Early in his career, Brahms sent his compositions to German composer Robert Schumann for feedback, but Schumann returned them unopened.
When Schumann finally heard Brahms’ compositions, he was so impressed that he wrote an article titled “Neue Bahnen (New Paths)” for the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik. In it, he praised Brahms and claimed he could rival the New German School of Liszt and Wagner.
Brahms was so close to Schumann and his wife Clara that he was considered part of the family. When Schumann died tragically in 1856, Brahms remained close friends with Clara.
4. He was Very Self-Critical
Brahms was highly self-critical and known to destroy compositions that didn’t live up to his expectations.
He spent years writing his first symphony before letting it be performed, believing people expected him to be the next Beethoven.
Timidity and modesty plagued him, and unlike other composers, he wasn’t good at promoting himself.
He called one of his well-known works, the Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra (opus 102), a “piece of folly” in a letter to a close friend in New York.
5. He Was Part of the War of the Romantics
Brahms was caught up in a feud between the New German School and conservative romantic composers like himself.
The New German School wanted to push musical boundaries, encouraging a radical approach to music. The school’s detractors, including Brahms, found the music overly dramatic. Both groups believed they were carrying on Beethoven’s work.
The conservatives held that nobody could surpass Beethoven’s greatness, while the New German School believed his music was the beginning of a new musical age.
6. He Wasn’t Fond of Wagner
The rivalry between Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms was a major conflict in 19th-century classical music. Wagner led the New German School, pushing for new, dramatic approaches to music. On the other hand, Brahms was a traditionalist who valued classical structures and pure music without storytelling.
This disagreement wasn’t just between them but spread to critics, musicians, and the public. Wagner’s followers thought Brahms was too old-fashioned, while Brahms’ supporters found Wagner’s music too dramatic and lacking the disciplined form of traditional music.
7. He Took 20 Years to Finish His First Symphony
Brahms started composing his first symphony (opus 68 in C minor) in 1854, but because of his perfectionism, the public had to wait 22 years to hear it.
The composer wasn’t happy with the symphony until it had undergone serious edits.
Initially, the symphony wasn’t very successful. However, Brahms found an audience for the symphony in Vienna, considered the capital of classical music.
8. Historians Believe He Was in Love with Clara Schumann
Brahms had a close relationship with Clara Schumann, who was 14 years his senior. Although it’s unclear what type of relationship they had, historians believe Brahms was in love with her.
He comforted Clara after her husband Richard’s death. Historians allege the couple destroyed the love letters they had written to each other.
During Brahms’ brief engagement to another woman, he maintained his close relationship with Clara. In the end, Brahms broke off the engagement and never married.
9. His Grief Inspired German Requiem (Opus 45)
Brahms was overwhelmed with grief after his mother’s death, and historians believe his grief inspired him to compose the German Requiem, his longest composition.
The premiere of the composition was a failure, with the timpanist drowning out the other musicians after misreading the dynamics.
However, it went on to become the work that placed Brahms among history’s greatest composers.
10. He Loved the Great Outdoors
Brahms often took long walks in nature when he wasn’t touring for concerts. He’d go to a circus and loved merry-go-rounds.
He enjoyed vacationing in Switzerland and Italy to get away alone and compose away from everyday distractions.
He was a child at heart and took candy with him on his walks to share with the kids in his neighborhood.
11. He Gave Up Composing at 57 years old
By the time he was 57 years old, Brahms was ready to give up composing. He told a friend that he “had achieved enough; here I had before me a carefree old age and could enjoy it in peace.”
Brahms had difficulty keeping his word and produced several masterpieces late in life, including his Clarinet Sonatas, Trio, and Quintet.
12. He Was Buried Alongside Other Great Composers
Brahms died of cancer in 1897 at the age of 63 years old. His last appearance was at the performance of his Symphony no. 4.
His final resting place is in the Vienna Central Cemetery in an area reserved for dignitaries.
Beethoven, Schubert, Johann Strauss, and Arnold Schoenberg are all buried at the same cemetery, which also includes a memorial to Mozart.
Summing Up Our List Of Facts About Brahms
Brahms produced various piano sonatas, over 200 lieders, several string ensembles, and chamber pieces during his long career.
Although he was well-known for his temper, he also had a giving side.
Brahms became one of the three Bs, Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, forever cementing his legacy as one of history’s greatest composers.
