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:an austere, high-minded musician dedicated to the purity of the classical style. His veneration for the past and his mastery of the architecture of absolute music brought him closer to the spirit of Beethoven than any of his contemporaries.<ref>Machlis, Joseph (1970), ''The Enjoyment of Music,'' 3rd edition, W. W. Norton</ref>

:an austere, high-minded musician dedicated to the purity of the classical style. His veneration for the past and his mastery of the architecture of absolute music brought him closer to the spirit of Beethoven than any of his contemporaries.<ref>Machlis, Joseph (1970), ''The Enjoyment of Music,'' 3rd edition, W. W. Norton</ref>

He studied the piano from the age of 7 and composition from 13. From an early age he absorbed the popular and folk idioms – often in a [[Hungary|Hungarian]] style - as an arranger for his father’s light orchestra in Frankfurt. When he was 20 he met the Hungarians Liszt and [[Joachim]]. Joachim and Brahms were to become lifelong friends. This was to surface in his 21 Hungarian Dances, and the scherzo movements of various other works.<ref>The last movement of the Piano Quartet is a perfect example</ref> He also met Robert and Clara Schumann who became his friends and mentors. His relationship with Clara was one of early infatuation maturing to a profound reverence and mutual friendship that lasted the rest of their lives.  

Brahms was a child prodigy who grew up playing the piano in saloons and brothels of [[Hamburg]], often paid in drinks. He began studying composition at age 13. From an early age he absorbed the popular and folk idioms – often in a [[Hungary|Hungarian]] style - as an arranger for his father’s light orchestra in Frankfurt. When he was 20 he met the Hungarians Liszt and [[Joachim]]. Joachim and Brahms were to become lifelong friends. This was to surface in his 21 Hungarian Dances, and the scherzo movements of various other works.<ref>The last movement of the Piano Quartet is a perfect example</ref> He also met Robert and Clara Schumann who became his friends and mentors. His relationship with Clara was one of early infatuation maturing to a profound reverence and mutual friendship that lasted the rest of their lives.  

As a pianist he was prodigious enough to be have been offered a concert tour of America before his teens;<ref>Musgrave, A Brahms Reader, Yale University Press</ref> but in spite of this, and the urging of his family, he set his sights on composition. He struggled to gain recognition in this until the publication of his ''[[A German Requiem]]'' in 1869; a work recognised as one of the masterworks of its genre. He had recently moved to [[Vienna]], the capital of the Hapsburg Empire, and hub of cultural life. It suited him, and the works written in the next few years were to bring him fame and financial security. When he died in 1897 he was given a state procession with thousands walking behind his coffin.

In an age that counted many virtuoso pianists such as Liszt and Clara Schumann - herself a prodigy pianist - Brahms also was one of the greatest of his age. He was offered a concert tour of America before his teens;<ref>Musgrave, A Brahms Reader, Yale University Press</ref> but in spite of this, and the urging of his family, he set his sights on composition. He struggled to gain recognition in this until the publication of his ''[[A German Requiem]]'' in 1869; a work recognised as one of the masterworks of its genre. He had recently moved to [[Vienna]], the capital of the Hapsburg Empire, and hub of cultural life. It suited him, and the works written in the next few years were to bring him fame and financial security. When he died in 1897 he was given a state procession with thousands walking behind his coffin.

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==Works==