Besiana Stefa
HUM: 100 Living with the Arts
Instructor George Health

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms was a German Composer, Pianist and conductor of the 19th century or the Romantic period. Brahms joints the structure of classical music with the new feeling of romantic music. The music he wrote has stood the test of time and has been a true testament to his unusual talent. Brahms was often very critical of his own work because he felt that he could not stand up to the standards set by great composers before him. He “wanted the story of his music to be the story of his life. He did his best to live the same way, struggling relentlessly to escape the consequences of life and love” (Swafford XXI). Brahms was born into a poor family on May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany. As a young child, Brahms’ life was inspired by music. When he was only six years old, he created his own system of musical notation and was said to have perfect pitch (Swafford 18). Brahms’ father wanted him to play many instruments, but he was really only interested in the piano. His birth place being Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he eventually became the leader of the powerful musical era in Europe. Brahms finally learned so much appreciation and influence that the nineteenth-century performer Hans von Bulow, honored Johannes Brahms by associating him with ‘Johann Sebastian Bach’ and ‘Ludwig van Beethoven’ as one of