Hamburg, May

7, 1833; d. Vienna, Apr. 3, 1897. Son of Johann Jacob (1806-72), contraba ist at Hamburg theatre, he studied with his father and Co el until he was ten, then with Marxsen pianoforte and some theory. He appeared in public in 1849, at a concert of Wachtel’s and at one of his own. Touring through North Germany with Remenyi m 1853 he met Joachim who introduced him to Liszt and Schumann, both of whom greeted him enthusiastically, S. in a famous article Neue Bahnen (New Paths). From 1854-1858 B. was court conductor at Lippe-Detmold, then he returned to Hamburg where he stayed except for occasional concert trips until 1860 when he went to Wmterthur. In 1862 he moved finally to Vienna; he conducted at the Smgakademie for one season and at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde for three, 1872-75; the rest of his life TVR ATTMg with some holiday trips and increasingly rare public appearances was taken up by composition. The early accounts of his playing describe it as fluent and brilliant, but later, perhaps from lack of care, it became incoherent and blurred. Schumann’s enthusiasm for his early pf. pieces was not shared by all, ana there was much discu ion about them and about the first pf. concerto, which B. brought out himself m Leipzig in 1859. The early chamber music, two orchestral serenades (1860), the German Requiem (1865, and with added movements 1868), Variations on a theme by Haydn made his name familiar to audiences, so that his first symphony (not produced until 1876) was awaited with great eagerne . Its appearance caused a renewal of discu ion; B. was accused of imitating Beethoven, and praised for continuing the master’s work. He was also used, with some injustice, to support the cause of absolute music against the ardent Wag nerites. His later orchestral works, A kade misc he and Tragische overtures, the 3 other symphonies, 3 other concertos, later chamber music have placed him beyond question among the great masters. His songs once declared “ unvocal ” are universally recognized as expre ing the soul of the poetry Present discu ion of him is between those who complain of lack of color, of the appreciation of the sensuous qualities of music, a dry formalism and those who exalt the intellectual content, the purity of form, originality of scheme, and technical skill. His admirers find broad and deep emotional feeling, an impersonal pa ion subordinated to a lofty sense of form. To Hadow, Brahms fulfils the desire for “ a composer who while he maintains and develops the harmonic traditions of the Romantic School shall even more devote himself to the restoration and evolution of musical structure, who shall take up the cla ical form where Beethoven left it... and raise it to a fuller organization.” So Huneker calls him “the greatest contrapuntist after Bach, the greatest architect on ist after Beethoven.” 51 BRAMBACH