It's not as though he didn't write reams of great music during those 14 years. He just felt he hadn't the right to assemble 90 musicians and several thousand listeners until he had it just right.
I found Brahms hard to get into, but once I got into a single symphony a whole world just opened for me and honestly, if anyone would ask me, he might even be my favourite composer.
@@darionbuck8864 For me it took about a year and a half to really start loving his music. For me I think it was too abstract at first sight, and I probably didn't get the bigger structures either. Nothing you can do but listen to something of him every once in a while till something clicks! For me it all started with the Shicksalslied and the 4th symphony, but it could start with anything of course...
@@jb1980ist I have what I'd call a 'complicated relationship' with them too, but I do love them very much, especially the third I've found to be a continious source of awe and inspiration... Also only really getting into his choral music as of lately to be fair, especially the requiem and the alto-rhapsody.
I’ve spent the past year of my life (in my undergrad) studying Brahms. Specifically his 4 symphonies. I’ve conducted all but the 2nd, and I have fallen in love with his writing. In my graduate degree, I will study orchestral conducting and I will spend the rest of my life studying this beautiful music. Thank you, EJPF
E. J. P. F. Let me wish you the very best in your studies, degrees and career choices. May you be Blessed Happy Healthy and Serene. Kindest regards, Gregg Oreo long Beach Ca Etats Unis Happy days of Celebration to you and your family. Gregg Oreo long Beach Ca Etats Unis
Can you please give me some insight on how you study music? Like what are the nuances that you look for when studying a particular score or a music piece?
Born into a blue-collar family, I was forced to learn the accordion while others played the guitar. I only learned popular songs so my knowledge of orchestral music was practically nil. I took a music theory class in high school in. 1972, but we never really discussed classical music and hardly listened to it. I saw a photo of a young Brahms in my textbook. He had long hair so I thought he might be cool (lol). I went to the record store where I bought lots of rock albums and found Brahm's Symphony #1 in C minor. I didn't really get it, but kept listening. I now agree with assessment of Von Bulow; it's easily on par with Beethoven best work and could have been his "10th." There is so much there! Thanks for this, I enjoyed it!
Clearly, you've not been on the receiving end of the mockery, jokes and so on that I got! Whenever I played accordion (when one was available), I used it for comedy as much as anything...Weird Al, anyone? LOL. My favorite Gary Larson comics (The Far Side) involved music; he was a musician too. He had one that was split into two panels. On top it had someone who had died and angels said, "Welcome to Heaven, here is your harp." On the bottom you can guess what it had, "Welcome to hell, here is your accordion." Not too many hit songs with the accordion... but I conced, it has its place. Two votes? Not exactly overwhelming... haha
That's a great story. Ya I didn't get the first symphony at all. Just 45 minutes of playing notes. Took about 3 listens to hear the long drawn out melodies. Id say its unmatched. The emotion from the first movement at least.
My wife and I both consider the 1st to be the highest attainment in music. And his Violin concerto is #1 in the Violin repertoire. I've yet to figure out his Piano works.
Schoenberg himself orchestrated a Brahms pianoquartet. His admiration went that far. Speaking for myself, Brahms' music was something I needed repeated exposure to before I understood what was going on. So many orchestral masterpieces - and dont forget the chambermusic ! Great video.
This is my favorite composer so it was great to see this video. Thank you Brahms' larger works are great, but where I think he really shines is in his solo and chamber works. The Clarinet Sonatas are masterpieces, as are the Clarinet Trio and Clarinet Quintet. Both cello sonatas, his violin sonatas, all of his late piano solo music--there's just nothing but great pieces in this output. Also, if anyone wants to get this type of content on Brahms in greater depth, Jan Swafford wrote a great biography.
Agreed on each point. Nothing beats his solo and chamber music for me. Especially his late works--ops. 116-119, the clarinet sonatas, the clarinet trio, the clarinet quintet. Academically complex and absolute masterpieces of craft, but you'd never know it by the aching, autumnal beauty.
This channel is just brilliant! Its so good to see someone making an effort to make classical music more understandable and accessible! Gonna have a listen to Brahms' first with all this in mind! Thanks a bunch 😊
Great!!! Took me a while to warm up to Brahms, I didn’t get it at first. Now I can’t get enough. No matter how many times I hear the 1st movement of the 2nd symphony, it never gets old.
It was Brahms who actually closed the door behind and ended Beethoven's era, opening the road for the rest of composers to become who they were in their music. For example, Mahler.
Ironically, Malher inserted voices in his symphonies, which has not been done by any other romantic composer while keeping the appellation of symphony (Berlioz, Mendelsohn, Liszt). Seems that Mahler is "born" from Beethoven and Wagner.
@@richardtessier9436 Ehm, what about Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang" symphony and Liszt's "Faust" Symphony, both with choral movements? No, Mahler wasn't the first since Beethoven to use voices in his Symphonies.
@@hape3862 I always thought that the Faust symphony was a symphonic poem! As for Mendelssohn, I totally stand corrected! Nice to know. In my defense, that would be only two symphonies in the span of almost 100 years...
Words are not adequate to express my appreciation and thanks for the commendable job that this channel is doing for making us understand the vast expanse of the beautiful universe of western classical music. Great job. Carry on. Want more on Brahms , Chopin and also on all the all-time great composers.
Brahms' 1st symphony is the first work by him I ever listened, and I was most thrilled when I first recognized the motivic relation between the opening of the 4th movement and its "triumphal" development. Since then, I fell in love with Brahms' music. This video opens a door to a huge world of exploring and analyzing Brahms from this "interwoven motives" point of view, so thanks a lot!
Yes - Brahm's first sonata is like Beethoven's 7th Sonata or 18th Sonata - a huge work full of dynamism, 4 solid movements, a classic of the form just full of energy. I prefer it to his 2nd and 3rd Sonatas, based on pure 'Listen up!' announcement and self-confidence.
if Brahms wanted to write great melodies he could, I think his most famous and accessible works attest to that. but that's not what he was interested in. a lot of what Brahms was interested in followed in the footsteps of late Schumann, who was experimenting with thematic fragmentation and recombination within the framework of larger forms. the interest in his music mainly lies in the formal and harmonic tension and buildup he generates, rather than any "great theme" he wanted to impress upon his listeners. a performer who tries to mine Brahms for a catchy/attractive melody will miss the mark in his playing as much as a listener who tries to listen to Brahms for the same. Thematic fragmentation being akin to elements. And a composer is a chemist who creates "reactions" by combining things together
I'd like to understand music the way you do. What has been your learning path? Of course listening to music but as much as I listen, I just don't get it.
@@chedagoz7145 it just takes time man. You gotta train the ear and the brain to follow the various melodic and harmonic lines, but it comes in spontaneously after a while (especially if you play an instrument)
@Vox Daze Tchaikovsky and Brahms both were not impressed with each others music. Brahms thought Tchaikovsky was way too emotionally indulgent. Vulgar. He preferred more subtle means of expression. Brahms' music is highly distilled to express subtle combinations of emotion whereas Tchaikovsky had his heart on his sleeve. Both were great composers. Nobody could write melodies like Tchaikovsky. Brahms achieved the sublime through more sophisticated means.
Well, it´s always hard to reduce very complicated structures to a common denominator. I once analyzed a Brahms string quartet for a fellow student and I couldn´t believe how many contrapuntal relations there were. I talked with a professor of mine about this and he added: yes, and now keep in mind that this isn´t only very complex, it also sounds just great!
Brahms music was hard for me to wrap my head around at one point but his Cello Sonata in E minor is a masterpiece and really opened my mind and ears to his compositional style. Truly remarkable composer.
What a fan-tas-tic article! Congratulations for such an insightful essay on such an historical master of Classical Music that was Brahms!... And be sure that I'm eagerly looking forward to your others essays on your Channel "Inside the Score" 👏👏👏
After almost 60 years of classic roc, from the Allman Brothers to ZZ Top. I stumbled on Rachmaninoff and became fascinated with the classics. I just now discovered this offer and you can be certain that I will be listening to your lessons.
One can only imagine how appreciative the musical giants would be of your enthusiasm, commitment, and passion. I may not be a giant, but I am certainly thankful.
Wagner is my favorite composer. His influence is incalculable. But Brahms is an undoubted genius. His harmonic innovation and craft are works of the highest order. His third symphony simply floors me with every listen.
His third is my favorite work of art by anyone in any medium. I've been in love with it for over 60 years. No composer rewards repeated listening like Brahms.
I'm going to hear 1st and 2nd live this weekend! Can't wait. I've played them both, and they're each among my favorite pieces to play (double bass). The writing lays so well in the hand.
My first day at College was having the Bass part for Brahms 4th Symphony in front of me in the student Orchestra rehearsal at 9:00 am. I had never played it or heard it before that day. I fell in love with it and immersed myself in Brahms' Orchestral music, the two Overtures and his Requiem. Wonderful stuff.
I'm pretty much a pleb when it comes to classical music. I know, however, that I love it deeply for some or other reason and your commentary somehow just hits the spot! Thank you!
I always wonder in almost every video about the "battle" between the new german school and the conservatives especially in vienna people seem to ignore the symphonies of Anton Bruckner. He was a devoted Wagner fanboy, sure, but managed to create his very own language and style, adapting the new german school to a form that seemed dead to the likes of Liszt and Wagner, and even lay the groundwork for Mahler and his epicness. Could you maybe do a video or an episode of your podcast about the works of Bruckner?
I find most of his music, especially his orchestral output, academic and pedantic. His chamber music, such as the clarinet quintet and the piano trios are heavenly.
His 1st piano concerto is anything but academic (as the main feature that comes to my mind). But I admit there is something else going on in interpreting his music. That 1st Piano concerto is very often played as a pedantic academic monstrosity by many virtuosi. Thanks to Grimaud, in my case, I could finally connect the dots between the concerto and the turbulent moments in his life depicted in movies and biographies. My fear is that other symphonies that are recorded are suffering the same destiny.
Yes, it took Brahms 20 years to finish his first symphony. What I find even more remarkable is that the following 3 symphonies are arguably even better than the first. The fourth symphony is an absolute masterpiece, equaled only by his second piano concerto...the final conclusion of a man dedicated to music entirely...
I have been an opera singer for 26 year and it is no coincidence that Brahms is my favourite composer, never having written an opera. I enjoyed the video and send thanks from Weimar.
@@Lordran__ Liszt is extremely difficult and challenging music for the beginner but his harmonic experimentation was extraordinary and revolutionary. My favourite compositions of his are the Années de Pèlerinage and his piano sonata.
@@p-y8210 My introduction to the Années was with Alfred Brendel's performance of Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este (I think from 1980 on Decca) and it's still a favourite. Claudio Arrau's is also excellent. Other highly rated interpretations of the Années are by: Lazar Berman (1977, I think), Jeno Jando (Naxos, 1980s), and Jorge Bolet. For modern recordings, I love Stephen Hough. Cedric Tiberghien received rave reviews for his release in February 2019 of a number of Liszt's works but only the third year of the Années was included. I haven't heard Tiberghien so I can't say personally, only that his album was highly rated in the BBC Music Magazine. For me, listening to Liszt, and especially the Années and the Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, is about whoever can best take you in to a meditative state. Liszt was a very spiritual composer and, for me, the two interpreters who can capture Liszt on both the spiritual and meditative levels are Arrau and Brendel. But other listeners will undoubtedly have other views. I hope that helps. Best wishes. Tony
Alright, The geistliches lied is great and his symphonies are amazing too, but the best of Brahms is absolutely his chamber music (especially the quintet Op.34 and the Quartet Op.60). Not to mention his violin concerto.
Didn't that whole trend towards more and more motivic music already begin with Beethoven? I mean his music is full of short motifs being developed and woven together to create amazingly intricate music. Funnily, both Brahms and Wagner did the same thing, so they really are in that way both descendants of Beethoven.
Short motivic music is a characteristic feature of the Classical period. Just listen to a first movement of the Mozart 40th. IMO Brahms has gone much further in this direction. Almost every phrase is linked by some way or another to the previous one. Also Brahms had enormous talent of creating long "romantic" melodies out of these little themes, which made his music both modern and classical
@@xura7CB On the subject of long melodies: wasn’t there a competition of sorts among his contemporaries on who could create the longest Melody and still have it all together? I believe I read this in the biography or other authority works.
anyone who doesn't like brahms doesn't play violin or piano the fantasies op116 is my favorite piano composition of all time the violin concerto is my favorite piece ever written for violin the violin sonatas are among the top 5 ever written without question so much more to discover his music of immense beauty and charm
Love your videos! Would you consider doing one on Scriabin? Whilst he is well known amongst classical music fans he is not so known to the public and, in my view he was a true visionary who must be counted amongst the great founders of modernism in music along with Schoenberg, Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky. (And, just as Brahms and Wagner both lead to Schoenberg, so Scriabin led to other developments by composers who used some of the same scales he did - I.E. Stravinsky and Messiaen using octatonic scales, which Scriabin also did in his later compositions)
His first symphony is one of my favourite pieces of classical music ever. I got to play it when I was still in school. There was a project every summer where amateur musicians could learn and practice a piece of classical music with the help and addition of professional musicians and after a week we would perform it at an open air concert in front of the opera house. The first time I participated we played Brahms' first symphony and I instantly fell in love. Such a great symphony
My favorite instruction from a conductor was that Brahms first symphony has to start as if the music has always been there, and we are only just now noticing it.
Thank you so much for this excellent and well researched series on the major composers, putting their work, lives and creative endeacours in the social, political, artistic and musical context of their times. They have given me a new understanding of many of the pieces which I thought I knew, and brought them to life in an engaging and fascinating way.
Thank you for this. I’ve felt Brahms to be a mystery - I lose the thread so easily, and it really must be my lack of musical education - I can follow Beethoven, Sibelius and Mahler (particularly) without a problem. I will try again, with perhaps some reading to help understand this undoubted master.🙏
It is worth noting that during this period orchestras were getting large, more orchestras were being created, musicianship was improving and…yes…bigger and better venues were being funded and constructed. Beethoven really had to hustle to get his music performed, even in Vienna and the performance quality was probably not up to par with its technical demands. The improved environment for orchestral music may have been due in part to the industrial revolution. Similar paradigm changes took place years later with the advent of recorded music and radio. It is humbling to think that these phenomenal artists probably only heard their symphonic works a mere handful of times. Those of us born into the age of recorded music are unbelievably fortunate.
It really speaks volumes that while I was distracted at the gym listening to this and you described Brahms' approach to symphonies, I genuinely thought for a minute you were describing Wagners approach to opera. Two sides of a similar coin despite their differences
Brahms (1896): "I always find Beethoven's C Minor concerto (the Third Piano Concerto) much smaller and weaker than Mozart's. . . . I realize that Beethoven's new personality and his new vision, which people recognized in his works, made him the greater composer in their minds. But after fifty years, our views need more perspective. One must be able to distinguish between the charm that comes from newness and the value that is intrinsic to a work. I admit that Beethoven's concerto is more modern, but not more significant! I also realize that Beethoven's First Symphony made a strong impression on people. That's the nature of a new vision. But the last three Mozart symphonies are far more significant. . . . Yes, the Rasumovsky quartets, the later symphonies-these inhabit a significant new world, one already hinted at in his Second Symphony. But what is much weaker in Beethoven compared to Mozart, and especially compared to Sebastian Bach, is the use of dissonance. Dissonance, true dissonance as Mozart used it, is not to be found in Beethoven. Look at Idomeneo. Not only is it a marvel, but as Mozart was still quite young and brash when he wrote it, it was a completely new thing. What marvelous dissonance! What harmony! You couldn't commission great music from Beethoven since he created only lesser works on commission-his more conventional pieces, his variations and the like. When Haydn or Mozart wrote on commission, it was the same as their other works."
Richard Tessier Absolutely agree. He’s the most versatile and emotionally complex composer we have. To think what he could’ve done had he lived to just 50 years old makes me so sad. It’s hard to find people who give Mozart his due and appreciate his musical nuances. The reputation of his music in the popular imagination and even among musicians is terribly skewed. He’s not some simple, austere, merely pleasing composer who just wrote pretty melodies. Mozart spans the whole psychological spectrum. Here are some quotes you might like. www.spiritsound.com/music/mozartquotes.html
@@michaelwu7678 I particularly enjoyed these ones : The most tremendous genius raised Mozart above all masters, in all centuries and in all the arts. (Richard Wagner) Before Mozart, all ambition turns to despair. (Charles Gounod) Mozart is the greatest composer of all. Beethoven created his music, but the music of Mozart is of such purity and beauty that one feels he merely found it-that it has always existed as part of the inner beauty of the universe waiting to be revealed. (Albert Einstein) I never heard so much content in so short a period. (Pinchas Zukerman) Thank you
@@historicwine1283 Nope. Consider that Bach had 30 years more of maturity to explore his genius. Even if you make abstraction of this, which is unfair (unfortunately, we can not know which work of Bachs would not have been composed had he died at 35 but we know that most of his cantatas were composed after his 40s...), we could pit one work against the other and Mozart would fare better. Its quite fun to do, by the way. Against the passions, I would put the operas: St-John vs Don Jiovanni St-Matheus vs The Magic Flute And concerning sacred music: For example, the mass in C vs the great mass We can do the same thing with the concertos and keyboard pieces. Mozart never wrote for solo violin nor cello but Bach never wrote a symphony nor a lied! There has never been such a great output of masterpieces in such a short time as with Mozart... One other contender would be Schubert, but he was so young! Who knows what would have been if they all died at 65?
From today's perspective, I wouldn't call it a war, but classical music branching out into two different directions. Each with it's own legitimacy to carry on the legacy of Beethoven. I like music from both branches. My favorite by Brahms is the 1st movement of the 4th symphony. The one that suddenly becomes a tango.
"Brahms had an early fascination with techniques of ancient music." And he did audacious things with them! Composing a passacaglia for the last movement of his 4th symphony is a little like choreographing the final battle scene in "Avengers: Endgame" as a 20 minute Lindy Hop.
Brahms' ability to weave melodic figures into a cohesive whole has always blown my mind. But as someone fascinated by orchestration one of the most remarkable things about his writing is that he constrained himself to the instruments of Beethoven's time as well as the forms. He consistently wrote for natural (valveless) horns and trumpets when valved instruments had been in use for decades, and almost always used paired winds in his symphonies. Meanwhile, his contemporaries were writing for massive orchestras and new instruments like Wagner tuben and saxophones just because they were new and cool. Brahms' symphonies literally could've been played during Beethoven's time. Studying Brahms early in my life taught me that the greatest creativity is only possible with constraint.
Bruh, the universe is weird. I started understanding Brahms like a month ago and then now that I'm quite obsessed with some of his works and trying to learn an intermezzo you post this.
Schumann was actually kind of the fulcrum - both sides could accurately look to him and his music as a launch-point for their positions. His direct heir, philosophically speaking, was actually Joseph Joachim Raff (1822-1882), but few remember him anymore (although his music is starting to make something of a comeback) precisely because his attempt to straddle both philosophies led both sides to repudiate him after his death, and his music fell out of the repertoire. It is noteworthy that Raff and von Bülow were great friends, to the point that Raff dedicated his sole piano concerto to him and it was von Bülow (an acclaimed pianist and conductor as well as music journalist) who gave its first performance.
You need to follow Richard Atkinson! He just did seperate videos on each movement of the first symphony. Each movement gets its own video. Dude puts in the work. He said he plans on doing all 16.
Easy answer to that question! Because his music is gorgeous. And, he is one of few composers with music in my personal top 10 of all time - with the German Requiem.
Hehe, I find it somewhat comforting, at home, or flowing through a familiar celestial realm or something listening to this bit of history being narrated of a war of romantics feel as if I am watching or being immersed into the epic struggles and rivalry of Legend of the Galactic Heroes all over again.
Oh, I have so much to say! More on much of that at another time. First, I prize greatly classical music, especially the symphony, with the full panoply of all the classical instruments and a comprehensive choir. The incomparable mix of the various devices--violins, flutes, French horns, etc.-- brings us is orders of magnitude beyond what any other form can even hope to provide. I very much would like something of an erudite, introductory tour guide through classical music. Your offer looks to be just that. More later.
Very interesting. The 19th century has always been a mysterious hole in my knowledge of classical music; this video has provided some incentive to try and fill that hole.
I've actually never been super interested in classical music. But for a few years I've noticed that when I'm really deep in despair,nothing quite helps like loosing myself listening to piano or violin symphonies... there's quite nothing like it.
the way you explained it was breathtaking. Exhilirating even (now i sound like snagglepuss). Thank you for your series. You will be a great help to people uninitiated in classical music to enter the portals of the gods so to speak. My old boss in the university kept reminding us "idealistic and haughty" professors that "ignaramous students" if they stay ignaramous will be the fault of the teachers and the elders.
This is a good and informative video, I find it strange though that it doesn’t mention Bruckner at all. Brahms was many years the junior of Wagner, his contemporary was Bruckner, who was also a symphonist. Hence he competed with Brahms on Brahms’s turf, moreover, both lived in Vienna. Now even though Bruckner wrote symphonies like Beethoven, the musical language he employed resembled Wagner, at least in some aspects, and Bruckner was a devoted fan of Wagner. The pro-Brahms press in Vienna hated Bruckner for this. Today at Brahms and Bruckner are rightly regarded as two of the greatest symphonists ever, and the ‘war’ of that time seems absurd and misplaced. As if musical greatness could be decided by formal categories. By the way, I indeed found it strange to find Schumann among the conservatives, also Mendelssohn. Both of them really predate the war of the romantics. And as the video rightly notes, Schumann was quite an innovative composer himself, Carneval for example clearly follows a storyline. A conservative was Schumann’s widow, Clara Schumann, who almost physically detested Liszt and disliked Bruckner.
Enjoyed very much. Thanks! I'm less and less a Brahms fan as I grow older. I liked your analysis of the C minor symphony, and I recalled how much I used to admire it. The opening 30 seconds is still incomparable. Much of the rest seems too calculated to me now. My favorite works remain the Handel Variations and Fugue, the piano quintet, and D minor piano concerto, almost a symphony in itself!
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
Brahms taking 14 years to finish his first symphony gives me renewed hope that I might one day finish my own.
20 years*
Tfw Schumann will never hail you as the new Prometheus tho
I agree. That instills faith and hope in myself.
Pretty sure he finished other works during that time, though.
It's not as though he didn't write reams of great music during those 14 years. He just felt he hadn't the right to assemble 90 musicians and several thousand listeners until he had it just right.
Please continue doing this “why listen to” series, really hypes me seeing my personal favorite composers here, and other great musicians as well 💁🏽♂️
Liszt, Chopin, Debussy, Paganini etc. are some great suggestions
@@niccolopaganini1782 not Paganini. Paganini was not a great composer
maybe some lesser known composers like Carlos seixas from the baroque era
@@davidkolodziejczak71 or even household names like Bruckner or Britten but which are perhaps not as huge as ones like Brahms
I found Brahms hard to get into, but once I got into a single symphony a whole world just opened for me and honestly, if anyone would ask me, he might even be my favourite composer.
Just getting into classical music as of a few months. Not huge into Brahams atm.
@@darionbuck8864 For me it took about a year and a half to really start loving his music. For me I think it was too abstract at first sight, and I probably didn't get the bigger structures either. Nothing you can do but listen to something of him every once in a while till something clicks! For me it all started with the Shicksalslied and the 4th symphony, but it could start with anything of course...
I'm still not really in love with his symphonies but LOVE his chamber music and choral music.
@@jb1980ist I have what I'd call a 'complicated relationship' with them too, but I do love them very much, especially the third I've found to be a continious source of awe and inspiration... Also only really getting into his choral music as of lately to be fair, especially the requiem and the alto-rhapsody.
The requiem is one of my favorite comfort pieces. If I'm having a bad day, on it goes.
I’ve spent the past year of my life (in my undergrad) studying Brahms. Specifically his 4 symphonies. I’ve conducted all but the 2nd, and I have fallen in love with his writing. In my graduate degree, I will study orchestral conducting and I will spend the rest of my life studying this beautiful music. Thank you,
EJPF
I hope you know how fortunate you are !
E. J. P. F. Let me wish you the very best in your studies, degrees and career choices. May you be
Blessed
Happy
Healthy and
Serene. Kindest regards, Gregg Oreo long Beach Ca Etats Unis Happy days of Celebration to you and your family. Gregg Oreo long Beach Ca Etats Unis
Can you please give me some insight on how you study music? Like what are the nuances that you look for when studying a particular score or a music piece?
Born into a blue-collar family, I was forced to learn the accordion while others played the guitar. I only learned popular songs so my knowledge of orchestral music was practically nil. I took a music theory class in high school in. 1972, but we never really discussed classical music and hardly listened to it. I saw a photo of a young Brahms in my textbook. He had long hair so I thought he might be cool (lol). I went to the record store where I bought lots of rock albums and found Brahm's Symphony #1 in C minor. I didn't really get it, but kept listening. I now agree with assessment of Von Bulow; it's easily on par with Beethoven best work and could have been his "10th." There is so much there! Thanks for this, I enjoyed it!
I actually think knowing how to play the accordion is cooler than the guitar! :)
Well Louisa, your the first person to ever say so to me! LOL. Thank you! It made my day.
@@ronricherson6685 Playing the accordion is cooler than playing the guitar.... TWO people have now said it.
Clearly, you've not been on the receiving end of the mockery, jokes and so on that I got! Whenever I played accordion (when one was available), I used it for comedy as much as anything...Weird Al, anyone? LOL. My favorite Gary Larson comics (The Far Side) involved music; he was a musician too. He had one that was split into two panels. On top it had someone who had died and angels said, "Welcome to Heaven, here is your harp." On the bottom you can guess what it had, "Welcome to hell, here is your accordion." Not too many hit songs with the accordion... but I conced, it has its place. Two votes? Not exactly overwhelming... haha
That's a great story. Ya I didn't get the first symphony at all. Just 45 minutes of playing notes. Took about 3 listens to hear the long drawn out melodies. Id say its unmatched. The emotion from the first movement at least.
Everytime i hear Brahms 1st Symphony immediately i wanted to cry, it‘s such a beautiful and majestic piece😭❤️
Could be a Pavlov reflex... :-)
There's nothing like it - but it has to be taken slow tempo...
My wife and I both consider the 1st to be the highest attainment in music. And his Violin concerto is #1 in the Violin repertoire. I've yet to figure out his Piano works.
your “why listen to-“ series are more engaging and informative than my lectures at music university were, please keep doing them!
Schoenberg himself orchestrated a Brahms pianoquartet. His admiration went that far. Speaking for myself, Brahms' music was something I needed repeated exposure to before I understood what was going on. So many orchestral masterpieces - and dont forget the chambermusic ! Great video.
I am in awe of Brahms' Requiem. I sang it with my fellow choristers three years ago, and it still resonates after the pandemic. It is a towering work.
Absolutely. One may speculate from where the inspiration came?
This is my favorite composer so it was great to see this video. Thank you
Brahms' larger works are great, but where I think he really shines is in his solo and chamber works. The Clarinet Sonatas are masterpieces, as are the Clarinet Trio and Clarinet Quintet. Both cello sonatas, his violin sonatas, all of his late piano solo music--there's just nothing but great pieces in this output.
Also, if anyone wants to get this type of content on Brahms in greater depth, Jan Swafford wrote a great biography.
Brahms is one of my favorite composers, especially his fantastic body of chamber works.
Agreed on each point. Nothing beats his solo and chamber music for me. Especially his late works--ops. 116-119, the clarinet sonatas, the clarinet trio, the clarinet quintet. Academically complex and absolute masterpieces of craft, but you'd never know it by the aching, autumnal beauty.
@@LeGrandJohnson I echo your sentiments about Op. 116-119 and the clarinet sonatas
You mean Mozart i suppose ? ok.
@@LeGrandJohnson An especially beautiful early chamber piece is the Trio, op. 8. And yes, the clarinet works are very, very wonderful!
@@laurenth7187 Mozart's clarinet works are great, but that doesn't subtract from the beauty of Brahms', does it?
This channel is just brilliant! Its so good to see someone making an effort to make classical music more understandable and accessible! Gonna have a listen to Brahms' first with all this in mind! Thanks a bunch 😊
Dude his violin concerto is absolute fire too! Basically all I've listened from him so far Ive loved
Great!!! Took me a while to warm up to Brahms, I didn’t get it at first. Now I can’t get enough. No matter how many times I hear the 1st movement of the 2nd symphony, it never gets old.
As an opera singer who has been in the business for almost thirty years, it is no coincidence that my favourite composer wrote no opera.
Brahms is such a giant! His music requires you to really listen in to those subtlety’s of phrase and harmony, that’s where his treasures are.
Check out Brahms' violin concerto if you haven't... it's absolutely beautiful from start to finish.
Do you have an opus number? Is it 77?
@@alexanderfiebrandt6732 yes Brahms violin concerto and piano concerto no 1 is a must to check out 😍😭
The dialogue between solo violin and orchestra in the first movement of Brahms' Violin Concerto . . . nothing like it.
I'm stunned by the number of works in Brahms' catalogue. I particularly love his choral music; it's wonderful to sing.
It was Brahms who actually closed the door behind and ended Beethoven's era, opening the road for the rest of composers to become who they were in their music. For example, Mahler.
Closed the door? You find many Beethoven elements in Brahms symphonies and Mahlers for that matter.
Malher was more Wagnerian than Brahmsian.
Ironically, Malher inserted voices in his symphonies, which has not been done by any other romantic composer while keeping the appellation of symphony (Berlioz, Mendelsohn, Liszt). Seems that Mahler is "born" from Beethoven and Wagner.
@@richardtessier9436 Ehm, what about Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang" symphony and Liszt's "Faust" Symphony, both with choral movements? No, Mahler wasn't the first since Beethoven to use voices in his Symphonies.
@@hape3862 I always thought that the Faust symphony was a symphonic poem! As for Mendelssohn, I totally stand corrected! Nice to know. In my defense, that would be only two symphonies in the span of almost 100 years...
Words are not adequate to express my appreciation and thanks for the commendable job that this channel is doing for making us understand the vast expanse of the beautiful universe of western classical music. Great job. Carry on. Want more on Brahms , Chopin and also on all the all-time great composers.
Brahms' 1st symphony is the first work by him I ever listened, and I was most thrilled when I first recognized the motivic relation between the opening of the 4th movement and its "triumphal" development. Since then, I fell in love with Brahms' music. This video opens a door to a huge world of exploring and analyzing Brahms from this "interwoven motives" point of view, so thanks a lot!
Same with me. I could have written this post.
Brahms created so many masterpieces for an incredible variety of performers and forms.
Very possibly the greatest composer of the all.
You are one of the music channels with the highest quality out there, keep up the good work👍👍👍
At age 17, he wrote his first piano sonata.
And it’s a masterpiece.
At 20, he wrote his third piano sonata.
And it’s a masterpiece.
And he never wrote another.
At age 16. Mozart writes his Allelujah, it's a masterpiece.
Yes - Brahm's first sonata is like Beethoven's 7th Sonata or 18th Sonata - a huge work full of dynamism, 4 solid movements, a classic of the form just full of energy. I prefer it to his 2nd and 3rd Sonatas, based on pure 'Listen up!' announcement and self-confidence.
J.D. The first phrase of opening theme sounds like (exactly like?) Andrew Loyld Webber's "Don't cry for me Argentina"!!
@@nelsoncheng4638 Now you know where Lloyd Webber steals his stuff.
if Brahms wanted to write great melodies he could, I think his most famous and accessible works attest to that. but that's not what he was interested in. a lot of what Brahms was interested in followed in the footsteps of late Schumann, who was experimenting with thematic fragmentation and recombination within the framework of larger forms. the interest in his music mainly lies in the formal and harmonic tension and buildup he generates, rather than any "great theme" he wanted to impress upon his listeners. a performer who tries to mine Brahms for a catchy/attractive melody will miss the mark in his playing as much as a listener who tries to listen to Brahms for the same. Thematic fragmentation being akin to elements. And a composer is a chemist who creates "reactions" by combining things together
This is absolute poetry. As a Liszt fan I think I shall have to go back to Brahms with your words in mind and relisten
I'd like to understand music the way you do. What has been your learning path? Of course listening to music but as much as I listen, I just don't get it.
@@chedagoz7145 it just takes time man. You gotta train the ear and the brain to follow the various melodic and harmonic lines, but it comes in spontaneously after a while (especially if you play an instrument)
Samaritan Outstandingly valuable insight . Thank you !
@Vox Daze Tchaikovsky and Brahms both were not impressed with each others music. Brahms thought Tchaikovsky was way too emotionally indulgent. Vulgar. He preferred more subtle means of expression. Brahms' music is highly distilled to express subtle combinations of emotion whereas Tchaikovsky had his heart on his sleeve. Both were great composers. Nobody could write melodies like Tchaikovsky. Brahms achieved the sublime through more sophisticated means.
I adore Brahms and yet I have never heard of the Geistliches lied! Thank you for introducing me to this gorgeous piece!
Well, it´s always hard to reduce very complicated structures to a common denominator. I once analyzed a Brahms string quartet for a fellow student and I couldn´t believe how many contrapuntal relations there were. I talked with a professor of mine about this and he added: yes, and now keep in mind that this isn´t only very complex, it also sounds just great!
You can't forget his trios, quartets, sonotas, and concertos. The quintet in f is one of my favourites.
Brahms music was hard for me to wrap my head around at one point but his Cello Sonata in E minor is a masterpiece and really opened my mind and ears to his compositional style. Truly remarkable composer.
Reminds me of German New Medicine's philosophy: Disease begins in the mind.
Of the making of music there is no end, in all it's forms.
What a fan-tas-tic article! Congratulations for such an insightful essay on such an historical master of Classical Music that was Brahms!... And be sure that I'm eagerly looking forward to your others essays on your Channel "Inside the Score" 👏👏👏
As an Austrian who loves Brahms, I really appreciate this series! Keep it up!
This RUclips video was superbly done, and I greatly appreciate your efforts to educate and elucidate. I have always loved Brahms.
Outstanding introduction of my beloved Johannes Brahms, I highly praise your quality work, bravo and thank you. Please carry on.
The opening measures of Brahms’ 1st, like Bach’s Matthau-Passion, sends glacial shivers down the entire spine of history.
Wow, that was intense. The jedi knights of music.
After almost 60 years of classic roc, from the Allman Brothers to ZZ Top. I stumbled on Rachmaninoff and became fascinated with the classics. I just now discovered this offer and you can be certain that I will be listening to your lessons.
One can only imagine how appreciative the musical giants would be of your enthusiasm, commitment, and passion. I may not be a giant, but I am certainly thankful.
Ya gotta love Brahms. Each symphony written by him is terrific. His 2nd is my favorite, but they're all great.
Just discovering your channel, great video. Thanks very much for this.
Brahms is a Composer that makes you lean far in to his musical world to understand it’s riches.
Wagner is my favorite composer. His influence is incalculable.
But Brahms is an undoubted genius. His harmonic innovation and craft are works of the highest order.
His third symphony simply floors me with every listen.
His third is my favorite work of art by anyone in any medium. I've been in love with it for over 60 years. No composer rewards repeated listening like Brahms.
I'm floored by the 1st mov alone of Brahms' 4th symphony! 😁
Never heard "Geistliches Lied" before. It really is a beautiful piece of music. Thanks
I'm going to hear 1st and 2nd live this weekend! Can't wait. I've played them both, and they're each among my favorite pieces to play (double bass). The writing lays so well in the hand.
The musical education I never had. Thank you.
My first day at College was having the Bass part for Brahms 4th Symphony in front of me in the student Orchestra rehearsal at 9:00 am. I had never played it or heard it before that day. I fell in love with it and immersed myself in Brahms' Orchestral music, the two Overtures and his Requiem. Wonderful stuff.
I'm pretty much a pleb when it comes to classical music. I know, however, that I love it deeply for some or other reason and your commentary somehow just hits the spot! Thank you!
It was his piano music that finally convinced me what a great composer he was.
I LOVE THOSE KIND OF VIDEOS!!!! PLEASE CONTINUNE DOING THEM!!!! THANK YOUUUU
“nobody died” Hans Rott begs to differ.
in fact they all died, this was over 100 years ago
Hans Rott was crazy. promising, but crazy.
If Rott had lived, he might have surpassed even Mahler!
thank you very much . i think you have just saved me from boredom . yes . YOU are utterly compelling ! and you did fill gaps in my little fabric
I have been waiting for this a long time!
Really great to get some understanding into these composers when you are only a low level musician. Thanks ❤
Wagner: "Beethoven ninth is the end of the symphony"
Mahler : "Hold my beer"
Bruckner: "Wait for me too!"
RIGHTTTT
Not related to the video, but of all people, I happened to be reading the wiki page of Aetius earlier today
I'm not sure Wagner ment this as literally as you seem to interpret
@@clavichord I'm not sure Flavius Aetius meant this as literally as you seem to interpret
I always wonder in almost every video about the "battle" between the new german school and the conservatives especially in vienna people seem to ignore the symphonies of Anton Bruckner. He was a devoted Wagner fanboy, sure, but managed to create his very own language and style, adapting the new german school to a form that seemed dead to the likes of Liszt and Wagner, and even lay the groundwork for Mahler and his epicness.
Could you maybe do a video or an episode of your podcast about the works of Bruckner?
I love Bruckner too, but surely he is too much of an oddball and his symphonic works aren't as accessible as that of Mahler
I find most of his music, especially his orchestral output, academic and pedantic. His chamber music, such as the clarinet quintet and the piano trios are heavenly.
His 1st piano concerto is anything but academic (as the main feature that comes to my mind). But I admit there is something else going on in interpreting his music. That 1st Piano concerto is very often played as a pedantic academic monstrosity by many virtuosi. Thanks to Grimaud, in my case, I could finally connect the dots between the concerto and the turbulent moments in his life depicted in movies and biographies. My fear is that other symphonies that are recorded are suffering the same destiny.
Yes, it took Brahms 20 years to finish his first symphony. What I find even more remarkable is that the following 3 symphonies are arguably even better than the first. The fourth symphony is an absolute masterpiece, equaled only by his second piano concerto...the final conclusion of a man dedicated to music entirely...
I have been an opera singer for 26 year and it is no coincidence that Brahms is my favourite composer, never having written an opera. I enjoyed the video and send thanks from Weimar.
Excellent episode!! Thank you!!🌺
The most daring, innovative, creative, astonishing, prolific, amazing genius of all these is, surely, Franz Liszt.
Absolutely. Liszt is my favorite composer right after Beethoven.
@@Lordran__ Liszt is extremely difficult and challenging music for the beginner but his harmonic experimentation was extraordinary and revolutionary. My favourite compositions of his are the Années de Pèlerinage and his piano sonata.
@@tonyanderton3521 I still need to listen to anées can you recommend a recording?
@@p-y8210 My introduction to the Années was with Alfred Brendel's performance of Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este (I think from 1980 on Decca) and it's still a favourite. Claudio Arrau's is also excellent. Other highly rated interpretations of the Années are by: Lazar Berman (1977, I think), Jeno Jando (Naxos, 1980s), and Jorge Bolet. For modern recordings, I love Stephen Hough. Cedric Tiberghien received rave reviews for his release in February 2019 of a number of Liszt's works but only the third year of the Années was included. I haven't heard Tiberghien so I can't say personally, only that his album was highly rated in the BBC Music Magazine.
For me, listening to Liszt, and especially the Années and the Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, is about whoever can best take you in to a meditative state. Liszt was a very spiritual composer and, for me, the two interpreters who can capture Liszt on both the spiritual and meditative levels are Arrau and Brendel. But other listeners will undoubtedly have other views.
I hope that helps. Best wishes. Tony
bravo! Liszt remains, alas, the most undervalued among the greatest composers.
Alright, The geistliches lied is great and his symphonies are amazing too, but the best of Brahms is absolutely his chamber music (especially the quintet Op.34 and the Quartet Op.60).
Not to mention his violin concerto.
You forgot the clarinet quintet, still officially my favorite, as basic a fact as my favorite color is blue ;-)
Didn't that whole trend towards more and more motivic music already begin with Beethoven? I mean his music is full of short motifs being developed and woven together to create amazingly intricate music. Funnily, both Brahms and Wagner did the same thing, so they really are in that way both descendants of Beethoven.
Short motivic music is a characteristic feature of the Classical period. Just listen to a first movement of the Mozart 40th. IMO Brahms has gone much further in this direction. Almost every phrase is linked by some way or another to the previous one. Also Brahms had enormous talent of creating long "romantic" melodies out of these little themes, which made his music both modern and classical
@@xura7CB On the subject of long melodies: wasn’t there a competition of sorts among his contemporaries on who could create the longest Melody and still have it all together? I believe I read this in the biography or other authority works.
anyone who doesn't like brahms doesn't play violin or piano
the fantasies op116 is my favorite piano composition of all time
the violin concerto is my favorite piece ever written for violin
the violin sonatas are among the top 5 ever written without question
so much more to discover his music of immense beauty and charm
Love your videos! Would you consider doing one on Scriabin? Whilst he is well known amongst classical music fans he is not so known to the public and, in my view he was a true visionary who must be counted amongst the great founders of modernism in music along with Schoenberg, Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky. (And, just as Brahms and Wagner both lead to Schoenberg, so Scriabin led to other developments by composers who used some of the same scales he did - I.E. Stravinsky and Messiaen using octatonic scales, which Scriabin also did in his later compositions)
The work that Brahms intended to be his 1st Symphony, actually became the Piano Concerto No. 1.
I love his Klavierkonzert in D-Moll (in english d minor) op 15. It blows me away.
This channel seems fantastic, subscribed and eager to watch more of your videos. Thank you very much!!
His first symphony is one of my favourite pieces of classical music ever. I got to play it when I was still in school. There was a project every summer where amateur musicians could learn and practice a piece of classical music with the help and addition of professional musicians and after a week we would perform it at an open air concert in front of the opera house. The first time I participated we played Brahms' first symphony and I instantly fell in love. Such a great symphony
My favorite instruction from a conductor was that Brahms first symphony has to start as if the music has always been there, and we are only just now noticing it.
Thank you so much for this excellent and well researched series on the major composers, putting their work, lives and creative endeacours in the social, political, artistic and musical context of their times. They have given me a new understanding of many of the pieces which I thought I knew, and brought them to life in an engaging and fascinating way.
Violin concerto of Brahms by Hilary Hahn - golden!
Thank you for this. I’ve felt Brahms to be a mystery - I lose the thread so easily, and it really must be my lack of musical education - I can follow Beethoven, Sibelius and Mahler (particularly) without a problem. I will try again, with perhaps some reading to help understand this undoubted master.🙏
Thank you for doing this series!
I would like to suggest you to make a video about the evolution of Sibelius' symphonies.
Agree.
@Steven Moore Yes! Which is your favorite? Why?
As an amateur violinist in a community orchestra I love playing Brahms symphonies.
It is worth noting that during this period orchestras were getting large, more orchestras were being created, musicianship was improving and…yes…bigger and better venues were being funded and constructed. Beethoven really had to hustle to get his music performed, even in Vienna and the performance quality was probably not up to par with its technical demands.
The improved environment for orchestral music may have been due in part to the industrial revolution.
Similar paradigm changes took place years later with the advent of recorded music and radio.
It is humbling to think that these phenomenal artists probably only heard their symphonic works a mere handful of times. Those of us born into the age of recorded music are unbelievably fortunate.
It really speaks volumes that while I was distracted at the gym listening to this and you described Brahms' approach to symphonies, I genuinely thought for a minute you were describing Wagners approach to opera. Two sides of a similar coin despite their differences
Brahms (1896):
"I always find Beethoven's C Minor concerto (the Third Piano Concerto) much smaller and weaker than Mozart's. . . . I realize that Beethoven's new personality and his new vision, which people recognized in his works, made him the greater composer in their minds. But after fifty years, our views need more perspective. One must be able to distinguish between the charm that comes from newness and the value that is intrinsic to a work. I admit that Beethoven's concerto is more modern, but not more significant!
I also realize that Beethoven's First Symphony made a strong impression on people. That's the nature of a new vision. But the last three Mozart symphonies are far more significant. . . . Yes, the Rasumovsky quartets, the later symphonies-these inhabit a significant new world, one already hinted at in his Second Symphony. But what is much weaker in Beethoven compared to Mozart, and especially compared to Sebastian Bach, is the use of dissonance. Dissonance, true dissonance as Mozart used it, is not to be found in Beethoven. Look at Idomeneo. Not only is it a marvel, but as Mozart was still quite young and brash when he wrote it, it was a completely new thing. What marvelous dissonance! What harmony! You couldn't commission great music from Beethoven since he created only lesser works on commission-his more conventional pieces, his variations and the like. When Haydn or Mozart wrote on commission, it was the same as their other works."
I agree with Brahms there: Mozart was the greatest of them all, even greater than JS Bach who had the fortune of dying an old man.
Richard Tessier Absolutely agree. He’s the most versatile and emotionally complex composer we have. To think what he could’ve done had he lived to just 50 years old makes me so sad.
It’s hard to find people who give Mozart his due and appreciate his musical nuances. The reputation of his music in the popular imagination and even among musicians is terribly skewed. He’s not some simple, austere, merely pleasing composer who just wrote pretty melodies. Mozart spans the whole psychological spectrum.
Here are some quotes you might like.
www.spiritsound.com/music/mozartquotes.html
@@michaelwu7678 I particularly enjoyed these ones :
The most tremendous genius raised Mozart above all masters, in all centuries and in all the arts.
(Richard Wagner)
Before Mozart, all ambition turns to despair.
(Charles Gounod)
Mozart is the greatest composer of all. Beethoven created his music, but the music of Mozart is of such purity and beauty that one feels he merely found it-that it has always existed as part of the inner beauty of the universe waiting to be revealed.
(Albert Einstein)
I never heard so much content in so short a period.
(Pinchas Zukerman)
Thank you
@@richardtessier9436 Ha, Bach decidedly eclipses Mozart.
@@historicwine1283 Nope. Consider that Bach had 30 years more of maturity to explore his genius. Even if you make abstraction of this, which is unfair (unfortunately, we can not know which work of Bachs would not have been composed had he died at 35 but we know that most of his cantatas were composed after his 40s...), we could pit one work against the other and Mozart would fare better. Its quite fun to do, by the way.
Against the passions, I would put the operas:
St-John vs Don Jiovanni
St-Matheus vs The Magic Flute
And concerning sacred music:
For example, the mass in C vs the great mass
We can do the same thing with the concertos and keyboard pieces.
Mozart never wrote for solo violin nor cello but Bach never wrote a symphony nor a lied!
There has never been such a great output of masterpieces in such a short time as with Mozart... One other contender would be Schubert, but he was so young! Who knows what would have been if they all died at 65?
From today's perspective, I wouldn't call it a war, but classical music branching out into two different directions. Each with it's own legitimacy to carry on the legacy of Beethoven. I like music from both branches.
My favorite by Brahms is the 1st movement of the 4th symphony. The one that suddenly becomes a tango.
what a fun, interesting video! I will listen to Brahms now!
"Brahms had an early fascination with techniques of ancient music."
And he did audacious things with them!
Composing a passacaglia for the last movement of his 4th symphony is a little like choreographing the final battle scene in "Avengers: Endgame" as a 20 minute Lindy Hop.
Ive played his first cello sonata before, such a great piece, i highly recommend the du pré recording
Brahms' ability to weave melodic figures into a cohesive whole has always blown my mind. But as someone fascinated by orchestration one of the most remarkable things about his writing is that he constrained himself to the instruments of Beethoven's time as well as the forms. He consistently wrote for natural (valveless) horns and trumpets when valved instruments had been in use for decades, and almost always used paired winds in his symphonies. Meanwhile, his contemporaries were writing for massive orchestras and new instruments like Wagner tuben and saxophones just because they were new and cool. Brahms' symphonies literally could've been played during Beethoven's time. Studying Brahms early in my life taught me that the greatest creativity is only possible with constraint.
I freaking love this channel man
I really appreciate your effor by doing this interesting and helpful videos.
Bruh, the universe is weird. I started understanding Brahms like a month ago and then now that I'm quite obsessed with some of his works and trying to learn an intermezzo you post this.
Me too! I had quite the trouble getting into Brahms but now I love his music. I also play his Intermezzo op.118 no2
@@apug296 Great.
Schumann was actually kind of the fulcrum - both sides could accurately look to him and his music as a launch-point for their positions. His direct heir, philosophically speaking, was actually Joseph Joachim Raff (1822-1882), but few remember him anymore (although his music is starting to make something of a comeback) precisely because his attempt to straddle both philosophies led both sides to repudiate him after his death, and his music fell out of the repertoire. It is noteworthy that Raff and von Bülow were great friends, to the point that Raff dedicated his sole piano concerto to him and it was von Bülow (an acclaimed pianist and conductor as well as music journalist) who gave its first performance.
Can an honest man request an analysis of Brahms' Third Symphony?
Such a beautiful piece. The 3rd movement with the melody in the Cellos is heartbreaking
An honest man needs no analysis of Brahms' Third Symphony.
You need to follow Richard Atkinson! He just did seperate videos on each movement of the first symphony. Each movement gets its own video. Dude puts in the work. He said he plans on doing all 16.
Easy answer to that question! Because his music is gorgeous. And, he is one of few composers with music in my personal top 10 of all time - with the German Requiem.
Wagner: "Beethoven's ninth is the End of the symphony"
Tchaikovsky: ha ha adagio lamentoso go awww
Genius
Exactly. Brahms was right, Wagner was wrong.
But were there really any significant contributions to how symphonies are written between Beethoven and Mahler/Shostakovich?
@@Συναισθησις Bruckner
@@flaviusaetius8358 how even?
Hehe, I find it somewhat comforting, at home, or flowing through a familiar celestial realm or something listening to this bit of history being narrated of a war of romantics feel as if I am watching or being immersed into the epic struggles and rivalry of Legend of the Galactic Heroes all over again.
Best channel on RUclips.
Oh, I have so much to say! More on much of that at another time.
First, I prize greatly classical music, especially the symphony, with the full panoply of all the classical instruments and a comprehensive choir. The incomparable mix of the various devices--violins, flutes, French horns, etc.-- brings us is orders of magnitude beyond what any other form can even hope to provide.
I very much would like something of an erudite, introductory tour guide through classical music. Your offer looks to be just that.
More later.
Tchaikovsky melded right in the middle, composing operas and symphonies :)
great among the greatest!
Very interesting. The 19th century has always been a mysterious hole in my knowledge of classical music; this video has provided some incentive to try and fill that hole.
I've actually never been super interested in classical music. But for a few years I've noticed that when I'm really deep in despair,nothing quite helps like loosing myself listening to piano or violin symphonies... there's quite nothing like it.
Thank you for this. Very informative and interesting.
the way you explained it was breathtaking. Exhilirating even (now i sound like snagglepuss). Thank you for your series. You will be a great help to people uninitiated in classical music to enter the portals of the gods so to speak. My old boss in the university kept reminding us "idealistic and haughty" professors that "ignaramous students" if they stay ignaramous will be the fault of the teachers and the elders.
Excellent insights and impulse for teaching.
This is a good and informative video, I find it strange though that it doesn’t mention Bruckner at all. Brahms was many years the junior of Wagner, his contemporary was Bruckner, who was also a symphonist. Hence he competed with Brahms on Brahms’s turf, moreover, both lived in Vienna.
Now even though Bruckner wrote symphonies like Beethoven, the musical language he employed resembled Wagner, at least in some aspects, and Bruckner was a devoted fan of Wagner. The pro-Brahms press in Vienna hated Bruckner for this.
Today at Brahms and Bruckner are rightly regarded as two of the greatest symphonists ever, and the ‘war’ of that time seems absurd and misplaced. As if musical greatness could be decided by formal categories.
By the way, I indeed found it strange to find Schumann among the conservatives, also Mendelssohn. Both of them really predate the war of the romantics. And as the video rightly notes, Schumann was quite an innovative composer himself, Carneval for example clearly follows a storyline. A conservative was Schumann’s widow, Clara Schumann, who almost physically detested Liszt and disliked Bruckner.
Enjoyed very much. Thanks! I'm less and less a Brahms fan as I grow older. I liked your analysis of the C minor symphony, and I recalled how much I used to admire it. The opening 30 seconds is still incomparable. Much of the rest seems too calculated to me now. My favorite works remain the Handel Variations and Fugue, the piano quintet, and D minor piano concerto, almost a symphony in itself!