# Why I am Obsessed with Brahms



## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

To explain why I am so obsessed with Brahms, I need to go into his life story.

Johannes Brahms was born on 7th May 1833 in Hamburg to Johann Jakob Brahms and Johanna Henrika Christiane Nissen. There was an older sister Elisabeth and a younger brother Fritz. (Funny, how he had an "Imaginary Composer" called Kriesler and brother called Fritz! Violinist and Composer Fritz Kriesler was born some years later).

Brahms received his early musical training from his father then from 1840. He was playing the piano at seven years of age. When he became a teenager, it was thought he earned money by playing in local inns and brothels etc to help with his parents finances, and that when he was thirteen he earned a living by playing at theatres and taverns frequented by prostitutes. But we don't know for sure.


In 1850, he met Hungarian Violinist Ede Remenyi and accompanied him to many of his recitals and he was inspired to compose the two sets of "Hungarian Dances" through him. They both fell out when visiting Weimar where Liszt performed his opus 4 Scherzo that night. Brahms met Liszt, Peter Cornelius and Joachim Raff there. During Liszts performance of Sonata in B Minor, he was accused by Remenyi of falling asleep amongst other arguments. There ends a beautiful friendship. 

Also, through Remenyi, Brahms met Joseph Joachim. An unknown composer who was already a violinist at twenty-one years of age. They immediately became friends.

Another friend was Robert Schumann. Brahms first contacted him in 1850 when he visited Hamburg. He was persuaded to send him some of compositions but they were returned.

In 1853. Brahms tried again with Robert Schumann, this time with a letter of introduction from Joachim. It worked! He was welcomed by Robert and his wife Clara. (Wondered whether they remembered the compositions).

In 1854, Schumann fell ill and was moved to an asylum. Because they had such a close friendship, Brahms helped his wife Clara with her household affairs. It was thought it was then that Brahms fell in love with her but don't know whether she felt the same way. There were letters written between them which gave some evidence and there are also different opinions on whether there were anything behind "closed doors". That we will never know. After Schumanns death in 1856, although they remained friends, Brahms didn't feel the same way about Clara.

After the "Shumanngate", Brahms made his first visit to Vienna and enjoyed success there. He was director of a Choral Group, principal conductor of the "Society of friends of Music" and directed the "Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra" for three seasons.

He never married, but had a few non-serious relationships. An affair with "Agathe von Siebold" was one but he withdrew from. Maybe Brahms was still in love with Clara, but he was known to fall in love easily. He remained in Vienna but travelled around Europe in summer and also did concert tours. In later years, he lived a comfortable but simple life in a basic apartment.

On 20th May 1896, Clara Schumann passed away after suffering health problems for several years and Brahms who had a liver condition, gave his last performance in March 1897 in Vienna. He died a month later on April 3rd 1897.

Like anything with history, there are a lot of "could have beens" and "thought to have beens" although the letters that were written between them gave some evidence.

Well, this interesting composer Brahms fascinated me and the story that interests me the most was the involvement with the Schumanns's.


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