BRAHMS The Classical Protagonist An informance by The Saint - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Grappling with BRAHMS The Classical Protagonist An informance by The Saint Michael Trio and friends

I find Brahms’ music is turgid and graceless . Igor Stravinsky I play through Brahms’ music every few years to remind myself how bad it is—and usually find it was worse than I remembered. Benjamin Bri3en

I played over the music of that scoundrel Brahms. Such a gi>less [rascal]! It annoys me that this self- iniCated mediocrity is hailed as a genius. Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Brahms is the composer par excellence who, free from any provincialism or naConal dialect, writes for the whole world and for all Cme. He is a giant, lo>y and unapproachable. Edward Elgar

The Three B’s

THREE WAYS TO THINK ABOUT THIS 1. There’s no accounCng for taste. 2. Brahms as a pessimist. 3. Brahms as a complex person who had a lot to say (and express).

Johannes Brahms 1833-1897

Hamburg

Hamburg shipyards

Hamburg docks

Johannes Brahms 1833-1897

Dusseldorf, 1870

The Schumann residence, Dusseldorf

Robert Schumann Clara Wieck Schumann

Johannes Brahms 1833-1897

BRAHMS’ OUTPUT 4 symphonies 4 symphonic variaCons 4 concertos 1 requiem 3 string quartets 2 string quintets 2 string sextets 3 piano quartets 1 piano quintet 4 piano trios 3 violin sonatas 2 cello sonatas 2 clarinet sonatas 1 clarinet quintet, 1 clarinet trio 1 horn trio Piano sonatas, ballades, rhapsodies, intermezzi Chorale preludes for organ 200 songs for voice (lieder)

The last photo Vienna, 1897

Brahms, shortly aHer his death Vienna, 1897

Brahms’ Grave Vienna

Johannes Brahms 1833-1897

Clara Wieck Schumann 1819-1896

THE MUSIC ROOM Schumann residence Dusseldorf

Your le\ers are like kisses. I wish I could write to you as tenderly as I love you. You are infinitely dearer to me than I can say. If things go on as they are I shall have someCme to set you under glass or have you set in gold. Brahms, to Clara Schumann 1856

The sonata form

THE SONATA FORM First Theme Second Theme Development RecapitulaCon Coda

Without cra>smanship, inspiraCon is a mere reed shaken in the wind. Johannes Brahms 1833-1897

Musical archeology project at Stanford De-noising the Edison cylinders h\ps://ccrma.stanford.edu/~brg/brahms2.html

It is not hard to compose. What is fabulously difficult is to leave the superfluous notes under the table. Johannes Brahms 1833-1897