2
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 42:
Line 42: + +
Added trivia piece regarding biographical difficulties and Brahms' childhood
Reviewing the first performance of Symphony No. 1, critic Eduard Hanslick suggested that Brahms had relied rather too heavily on Beethoven, and that the regal string melody of the fourth movement was strikingly similar to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" . Conductor Hans von Bülow agreed with Hanslick's assessment, and memorably tagged the piece "Beethoven's Tenth"<ref> http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/brahms_sym1.html </ref>.
Reviewing the first performance of Symphony No. 1, critic Eduard Hanslick suggested that Brahms had relied rather too heavily on Beethoven, and that the regal string melody of the fourth movement was strikingly similar to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" . Conductor Hans von Bülow agreed with Hanslick's assessment, and memorably tagged the piece "Beethoven's Tenth"<ref> http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/brahms_sym1.html </ref>.
Brahms is perhaps the major 19th-century composer we know the least about. This was born out of his consciousness regarding his legacy: Towards the end of his life he burned most of his letters, as well as every composition he deemed "unworthy". For this reason, a number of points about Brahms' life is shrouded in mystery, the most infamous being the conditions of his teenage jobs. Although their social status is contended, it is well known that Johannes' father was a spendthrift. It has been claimed that Brahms had to help increase the family income by working as a brothel pianist <ref>http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/CourseDescLong2.aspx?cid=757</ref> (something that would explain his inability to commit himself to women later in life), but it has never been finally confirmed. The stories and anecdotes regarding Brahms' childhood are often contradictory, so it is unlikely that we will ever know for certain which version is correct. <ref>http://www.jstor.org/stable/1555190</ref>
== See also ==
== See also ==