In 1848, 14-year-old teenager Johannes Brahms gave his first recital on the piano. The audience was delighted with the young pianist. This is how the birth of the composer, a person with a creative soul, a representative of musical romanticism, took place.
Childhood
The future famous composer happened to be born into a poor family of double bass player Jacob Brahms and housekeeper Christian Nissen. To the credit of the parents, it should be noted that they never tried to suppress the creative inclinations in children. The father, being a musician himself, tried to instill in his son a love of music, helped him become a strong-willed person and was Johannes' first music teacher. At the age of seven, young Brahms was sent to study the pianist Otto Kossel. Gradually, the boy begins to take part in public concerts and becomes known to the public. The second teacher Eduard Marksen saw in him a little genius. Alas, the young musician had to play in port bars and taverns, which affected his health.
Brahms' creativity
After the first successful solo concert, Brahms realized that he wanted to create himself, and not only perform works of the greats. Already in 1853 he wrote his first sonata. It was followed by piano songs, piano scherzo, small pieces. Undoubtedly, the collection "Hungarian Dances" is one of his most popular works. Here he processed original folk motives and transcribed them for playing the piano and violin. The famous "Lullaby" was created in 1868 and initially had no verbal accompaniment. Later, one of Brahms's acquaintances wanted to hum to this tune to her newborn child, and especially for her, Brahms composed the song "Good evening, good night." One of the most heartfelt works of the composer "Symphony No. 3". A bright beginning, gradually acquires dramatic shades and passes into the mournful notes of the finale. This piece combines romantic and classical traditions. The symphony is dedicated to Brahms' friend Hans von Bülow.
On the personal life of Brahms
During his life, the great composer never got a wife and children, despite a large number of heartfelt affections. The love of his life was Clara Schumann, a talented pianist and composer, who performed many of his works in the future. Clara was 13 years older than Brahms and was a married woman. But besides all this, she inspired Brahms to create many compositions, including his Fourth Symphony. Among the acquaintances of Johannes Brahms, one can especially highlight the friendship with composers - Robert Schumann (husband of Clara Schumann) and Franz Liszt. They were fascinated by the bold and bright motives in the composer's work, and Schumann even noted the work of Brahms in his newspaper.
Last years
In recent years, Brahms has become very withdrawn, fenced off from the outside world, refused to fulfill his public duties. His character deteriorated greatly, in fact, Brahms became a recluse. He died in Vienna at the age of 63. The famous composer passed away on April 3, 1897. What remains is his work, his unique works in the spirit of romanticism, which the modern public continues to enjoy. Until now, his compositions are recognizable, performed and known all over the world.
