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diff --git a/40644-8.txt b/40644-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 63042c0..0000000 --- a/40644-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13618 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Life of Johannes Brahms (Vol 2 of 2), by Florence May - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Life of Johannes Brahms (Vol 2 of 2) - -Author: Florence May - -Release Date: September 27, 2012 [EBook #40644] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF JOHANNES BRAHMS *** - - - - -Produced by Linda Cantoni, Veronika Redfern, Bryan Ness -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian -Libraries) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: J. Brahms] - - - - - THE LIFE - OF - JOHANNES BRAHMS - - BY - FLORENCE MAY - - IN TWO VOLUMES - VOL. II. - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS_ - - LONDON - EDWARD ARNOLD - 41 & 43 MADDOX STREET, BOND STREET, W. - 1905 - - (_All rights reserved_) - - - - - CONTENTS OF VOL. II. - - - CHAPTER XII - 1862-1864 - PAGE - Vienna--Musical societies--Leading musicians--The Prater--Brahms' - appearance at a Hellmesberger Quartet concert--Brahms' first - concert in Vienna--Conductorship of Hamburg Philharmonic--First - Serenade at Gesellschaft concert--Brahms' second concert--Richard - Wagner--Second Serenade at Vienna Philharmonic concert--Return - to Hamburg--Brahms elected conductor of Vienna - Singakademie--Return to Vienna--Singakademie concerts under - Brahms 1 - - - CHAPTER XIII - 1864-1867 - - Frau Schumann in Baden-Baden--Circle of friends there--Hermann - Levi--Madame Pauline Viardot-Garcia--The Landgräfin of - Hesse and the Pianoforte Quintet--Concert-journey--The Horn - Trio--Frau Caroline Schnack--Last visit to Detmold--First - Sonata for Pianoforte and Violoncello--The German Requiem--Brahms - at Zürich--Billroth--Brahms and Joachim on a concert-tour - in Switzerland--Hans v. Bülow--Reinthaler 27 - - - CHAPTER XIV - 1867-1869 - - Brahms' holiday journey with his father and Gänsbacher--Austrian - concert-tour with Joachim--The German Requiem--Performance - of the first three choruses in Vienna--Tour with Stockhausen in - North Germany and Denmark--Performance of the German - Requiem in Bremen Cathedral--Brahms settles finally in Vienna--Brahms - and Stockhausen give concerts in Vienna and Budapest 57 - - - CHAPTER XV - 1869-1872 - - Brahms and Opera--Professor Heinrich Bulthaupt--The - Liebeslieder--First performance--The Rhapsody (Goethe's 'Harzreise') - performed privately at Carlsruhe--First public performance at - Jena--Geheimrath Gille--The 'Song of Triumph'--Performance of - first chorus at Bremen--Bernhard Scholz--The 'Song of Destiny'--First - performance--Death of Johann Jakob Brahms--First - performance of completed 'Triumphlied' at Carlsruhe--Summary - of Brahms' work as a composer since 1862 89 - - - CHAPTER XVI - 1872-1876 - - Publication of the 'Triumphlied' with a dedication to the German - Emperor William I.--Brahms conducts the 'Gesellschaft - concerts'--Schumann Festival at Bonn--Professor and Frau - Engelmann--String Quartets--First performances--Anselm Feuerbach - in Vienna--Variations for Orchestra--First performances--'Triumphlied' - at Cologne, Basle, and Zürich--Resignation of - appointment as 'artistic director' to the Gesellschaft--Third - Pianoforte Quartet 115 - - - CHAPTER XVII - 1876-1878 - - Tour in Holland--Third String Quartet--C minor Symphony--First - performances--Varying impressions created by the work in - Vienna and Leipzig--Brahms and Widmann at Mannheim--Second - Symphony--Vienna and Leipzig differ as to its merits 145 - - - CHAPTER XVIII - 1878-1881 - - Hamburg Philharmonic Jubilee Festival--Violin Concerto; first - performance by Joachim--Pianoforte Pieces, Op. 76--Sonata for - Pianoforte and Violin--First performances--Brahms at - Crefeld--Rhapsodies for Pianoforte--Heuberger's studies with - Brahms--Second Schumann Festival at Bonn--Brahms' two - Overtures--Breslau honorary degree 169 - - - CHAPTER XIX - 1881-1885 - - Second Pianoforte Concerto--First visit to the ducal castle of - Meiningen--'Nänie'--Frau Henriette Feuerbach--Hans von - Bülow in Leipzig--Brahms' Vienna friends--Dr. and Frau - Fellinger--Pianoforte Trio in C major--First String - Quintet--The 'Parzenlied'--Third Symphony 193 - - - CHAPTER XX - 1885-1888 - - Vienna Tonkünstlerverein--Fourth Symphony--Hugo Wolf--Brahms - at Thun--Three new works of chamber music--First performances - of the second Violoncello Sonata by Brahms and Hausmann--Frau - Celestine Truxa--Double Concerto--Marxsen's death--Eugen - d'Albert--The Gipsy Songs--Conrat's translations from the - Hungarian--Brahms and Jenner--The 'Zum rothen Igel'--Ehrbar's - Brahms'-birthday asparagus luncheons--Third Sonata - for Pianoforte and Violin 214 - - - CHAPTER XXI - 1889-1895 - - Hamburg honorary citizenship--Christmas at Dr. Fellinger's--Second - String Quintet--Mühlfeld--Clarinet Quintet and Trio--Last - journey to Italy--Sixtieth birthday--Pianoforte Pieces--Billroth's - death--Brahms' collection of German Folk-songs--Life at - Ischl--Clarinet Sonatas--Frau Schumann, Brahms, and Joachim - together for the last time 239 - - - CHAPTER XXII - 1895-1897 - - The Meiningen Festival--Visit to Frau Schumann--Festival at - Zürich--Brahms in Berlin--The 'Four Serious Songs'--Geheimrath - Engelmann's visit to Ischl--Frau Schumann's death--Brahms' - illness--He goes to Carlsbad--The Joachim Quartet in Vienna--Brahms' - last Christmas--Brahms and Joachim together for the - last time--The Vienna Philharmonic concert of March 7--Last - visits to old friends--Brahms' death 267 - - - CHRONOLOGICAL CATALOGUE OF WORKS 293 - - WORKS EDITED BY BRAHMS 299 - - ARRANGED CATALOGUE OF WORKS 300 - - INDEX 303 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - BRAHMS AT ISCHL _Frontispiece_ - - BRAHMS AT THE AGE OF FORTY _To face page_ 122 - - BRAHMS' LODGINGS AT ISCHL " 202 - - BRAHMS' LODGINGS NEAR THUN " 230 - - SILHOUETTE BY DR. BÖHLER " 260 - - BRAHMS AT DR. FELLINGER'S " 276 - - - - - THE LIFE OF JOHANNES BRAHMS - - - - - CHAPTER XII - 1862-1864 - - Vienna--Musical societies--Leading musicians--The Prater--Brahms' - appearance at a Hellmesberger Quartet concert--Brahms' first - concert in Vienna--Conductorship of the Hamburg Philharmonic--First - Serenade at Gesellschaft concert--Brahms' second concert--Richard - Wagner--Second Serenade at Vienna Philharmonic concert--Return - to Hamburg--Brahms elected conductor of the Vienna - Singakademie--Return to Vienna--Singakademie concerts under Brahms. - - -It would be interesting, on accompanying Johannes Brahms in imagination -on his first visit to Vienna--a visit that was to lead to results -scarcely less important to his career than those of the first -concert-journey through the provincial towns of Hanover undertaken nine -years and a half previously--to describe the gradual change which had -taken place in the musical life of the imperial city since the times -when it had counted Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in turn among its -inhabitants. It would, however, lead too far from the purpose of this -narrative to follow the course by which the art of music, from being a -luxury to be enjoyed chiefly by the rich--and in Vienna, perhaps, -especially amongst the great capitals of Europe--had been opened to the -cultivation of the masses of citizens. Suffice it to say that in the -autumn of 1862 the conditions of musical activity in the Austrian -capital were essentially the same as we know them in 1905. - -The Court Opera, the home of which was the Kärthnerthor Theater, was -conducted by Otto Dessoff, who had been a distinguished pupil of the -Leipzig Conservatoire, and had succeeded the celebrated capellmeister, -Carl Anton Eckert, on his resignation of the post in 1860. In intimate -though not official connection with the opera were the Philharmonic -concerts given in the same building. These, started in 1849 by the -orchestral musicians of the opera as their own undertaking, had, after a -period of varying fortune, entered upon a flourishing phase of -existence. They were conducted by Dessoff in virtue of his position as -capellmeister of the opera, and though his rather cold style at first -prevented his winning Austrian sympathy, he by-and-by succeeded in -making good his footing by his musicianship and thoroughness, and by the -perfect finish of rendering that was attained by the orchestra under his -direction. - -The annual orchestral concerts given by the great Gesellschaft der -Musikfreunde (Society of Music-lovers), founded in 1813, took place in -the Redoubtensaal, and, though given under the Society's own 'artistic -director,' had, during the eight or nine years preceding the appointment -of Johann Herbeck to this post (1859), been dependent on the services of -the opera orchestra. Herbeck, feeling the inconveniences of such an -arrangement, determined to form an orchestra of his own, and, whilst -successfully carrying out his project, sought to make amends for the -first inevitable lack of complete finish in his performances by -cultivating a liberal spirit in the choice of programmes, and -introducing from time to time unfamiliar works by the best modern -classical composers. From this period the Gesellschaft and the -Philharmonic concerts came more or less to represent severally the -liberal and the conservative spirit of classical art, though it must be -added that Dessoff cherished the wish to educate his audience to wider -powers of appreciation, and sometimes included the name of Schumann in -the Philharmonic programmes, which, before his advent, had been closed -to works of more modern tendency than those of Mendelssohn. - -Parallel with these two institutions for the performance of instrumental -music were two choral societies, both supplied by amateurs. The -Singverein, a branch of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, which in 1862 -was, like the orchestra, under Herbeck's direction, occupied itself with -every kind of classical choral music in turn, and, occasionally giving -concerts independently, often joined forces in public performance with -the orchestra. The Singakademie, founded in 1858 by a circle of -amateurs, made a special point of early church music, and of _a capella_ -singing, but usually devoted one of its three or four annual concerts to -the performance of an oratorio or other great work, when, of course, the -services of an orchestra were engaged. Under the direction of its first -conductor, F. Stegmayer, the Singakademie gave the first performance in -Vienna of portions of Schumann's 'Faust' (January 6, 1861) and of Bach's -'Matthew Passion' (April 15, 1862). - -Occupying a position in Vienna at the very top of his profession, partly -in virtue of the musical prestige attaching to his family name, but -mainly as the result of his personal gifts and attainments, was the -violinist Josef Hellmesberger, director and professor of the -conservatoire (itself another branch of the great Gesellschaft der -Musikfreunde), concertmeister of the opera, and therefore also of the -Philharmonic concerts, late artistic director of the Gesellschaft -(1851-1859), leader of the only resident and justly celebrated string -quartet party called by his name, and accomplished virtuoso. -Hellmesberger's playing lacked broadness of tone, but was distinguished -by grace, poetic sentiment, and a facile instinct for his composer's -intention. He possessed a good knowledge of the orchestra, and was a -fair pianist. - -Of other musicians resident in the Austrian capital in 1862 are to be -mentioned the great contrapuntist Sechter, nearly approaching the end of -his career, who, in his position of professor of composition at the -conservatoire, had in his time taught several of the younger men next to -be referred to; Nottebohm, professor of counterpoint at the -conservatoire, known to the world by his writings on music, especially -those on Beethoven's sketch-books; Rudolph Bibl, organist of the -cathedral, and later, of the imperial chapel; Julius Epstein, professor -of the pianoforte at the conservatoire, distinguished pianist and -widely-reputed teacher, and esteemed, not only on account of his -professional standing, but also by reason of his kindness to all persons -having any sort of claim on his courtesy. - -The composer Carl Goldmark, who has since attained European reputation -with his opera 'The Queen of Sheba,' had been almost entirely resident -in Vienna since his sixteenth year, and now at thirty was rising to -fame. Peter Cornelius, composer of the comic opera 'The Barber of -Bagdad,' and already mentioned in our narrative as a disciple of Weimar, -was living at this time in the Austrian capital. Anton Brückner was -favourably esteemed by some of the first resident musicians, though he -had not yet been called there. Carl Tausig, one of the greatest of -pianoforte virtuosi, whose sympathies were much with the New-Germans, -settled in Vienna for a few years from 1861, and gave occasional -concerts there which were but partially successful. - -Of writers and critics, Edward Hanslick, Carl Ferdinand Pohl, and Selmar -Bagge, all believers in the art of tradition and in its modern -development as represented by the name of Schumann, were in the flower -of their activity. Bagge's name is interesting in the history of Brahms' -career on account of the sympathetic and detailed reviews of the -composer's works which appeared from time to time in the _Deutsche -Musikzeitung_, a paper founded by him in 1860. It became defunct at the -close of 1863, when Bagge left Vienna to take up the editorship of the -_Allgemeine Musikzeitung_, which he retained for two years. Very able -articles were published in this periodical of Brahms' works as they -appeared, some of them written by Bagge himself, and others by Hermann -Deiters, a musical scholar and critic of exceptional insight and power -of happy expression. Bagge remained just long enough in Vienna to -witness the interest aroused by Brahms' first appearances there, to -which, very likely, the remembrance of the articles of the _Deutsche -Musikzeitung_ gave additional stimulus. - -Of publishers, the name of C. A. Spina should be gratefully remembered -as that of the man to whom the world is indebted for the publication of -many great and long-neglected works of Schubert. A large number of the -master's half-forgotten manuscripts--those of the Octet, the C major -Quartet, the B flat and B minor Symphonies amongst them--were found by -Spina when he took over the business of his predecessors, the firm of -Diabelli, and were gradually placed by him in the possession of the -world. - -On his arrival in Vienna, Brahms put up at the Hôtel Kronprinz in the -Leopoldstadt, moving soon afterwards into a room at 39, Novaragasse, of -the same inexpensive quarter, then called the Jägerzeil. Several of his -old friends were fortunately at hand. Grädener had given up his position -in Hamburg the preceding year to try his fortune in Vienna; Frau -Passy-Cornet, whose name calls the concert of 1848 to remembrance, was -now a professor of singing at the Vienna Conservatoire; and, a very few -weeks after Brahms' arrival, Arthur Faber, lately married to Fräulein -Bertha Porubszky, brought his bride to their home in the imperial city. -His house was, of course, open to Johannes, who spent many, and -especially Sunday, evenings with these friends. Amongst the most -treasured memories of their early wedded life are those of performances -of his compositions, played as he could play when quietly at ease with a -few sympathetic friends for all audience. - -From the first he felt at home in Vienna. The good-natured, easy-going -Austrian people attracted him, and he at once conceived an affection for -the Prater, in the immediate vicinity of which his hotel was situated. -This great park of the Kaiserstadt contains, indeed, attractions to suit -every variety of taste. There is the Hauptallée, with its broad drive -and shady walks, its open-air cafés and music of military bands, which -play waltzes and various dance movements as they are played in no other -city. There is the Würstelprater, the playground of children and other -simple folk, where, in the fine-weather season, a continual fair goes -on with shows and games and entertainments of every kind likely to -attract the patronage of the multitude, and where in the Hungarian -restaurant, the 'Czarda,' real gipsy music played by a real gipsy band -may daily be heard. There is the wild portion, bounded on one side by -the Danube canal and stretching for some little distance beyond the -town, where the solitary walker may fancy himself in a forest far from -human habitation. Brahms, on this occasion of his first visit to Vienna, -particularly attached himself to the Würstelprater, for which he ever -after retained his partiality. The motley life to be seen there amused -and interested him. He came to be a frequent listener at the 'Czarda,' -and it is whispered that the spirit of fun has occasionally prompted -him, when at the height of his fame, to prevail upon a party of friends -to take a turn in his company on the curvetting horses of one or other -of the 'carrousels' which are amongst the most popular attractions of -this part of the grounds. - -One of Brahms' first visits was to Julius Epstein. He did not send in -his name, and, as the professor was engaged with someone else at the -moment, was not admitted. A second call was successful. 'My name is -Johannes Brahms,' he said as he entered; and his simple manner at once -attracted Epstein, who was well acquainted with his published works. An -opportunity was arranged without delay for his introduction to some of -the leading musicians of the city. - - 'Brahms in 1862 played the Quartets in G minor and A major with the - members of the Hellmesberger Quartet (Hellmesberger, Dobyhal and - Röver) at my house in the Schulerstrasse, in the first place,' - writes Professor Epstein to the author. 'We were all delighted and - carried away. The works were shortly afterwards played in public by - Brahms with the same colleagues.' - -The G minor Quartet was, in fact, included in the list of works -announced by Hellmesberger for the ensuing season, and the immediate -interest awakened in musical circles by the arrival of the composer is -even more strikingly testified by the fact that on October 14, only -five weeks after his departure from Hamburg, the name of the orchestral -Serenade in D major appeared in the forecast of the Gesellschaft season -published in the _Blätter für Theater, Künst und Musik_. - -On Sunday evening, November 16, Brahms made his first appearance before -his new public at Hellmesberger's Quartet concert, which took place, as -usual, in the Vereinsaal (the concert-room of the Gesellschaft der -Musikfreunde) before an audience that crowded every part of the house in -anticipation of the début in Vienna of 'Schumann's young prophet.' The -first and last numbers of the programme of three works were severally -Mendelssohn's String Quartet in E flat and Beethoven's in C sharp minor, -Op. 131, Brahms' G minor Pianoforte Quartet occupying the place of -honour between them. If we were to judge of the result by the press -reviews of the day, which were either unfavourable or reserved, it would -be impossible to chronicle a success, and yet that the work was -essentially successful is established by the fact that the composer -received overtures after the concert from more than one Vienna -publisher, which, however, he declined. He had certainly made his mark -in his own characteristic way even before the 16th. A private circle of -admirers began to form round him, and he was sufficiently encouraged to -venture on a concert of his own, which took place in the Vereinsaal on -November 29. - -On this occasion the Pianoforte Quartet in A major headed the programme, -the composer being assisted in its performance by the three members of -the Hellmesberger party with whom he had already appeared. The remaining -instrumental numbers were pianoforte solos, the concert-giver's Handel -Variations and Fugue, Bach's F major Toccata for organ, and Schumann's C -major Fantasia, Op. 17. - -As regards the general audience, the concert was an unmistakable -success. The room was fairly filled, and enough money taken to cover -expenses. This, however, by the way. The circumstance most worthy of -record is that artist and public found themselves _en rapport_. The -performer had the infallible instinct of having with him the sympathy of -his hearers, and played his best, giving out what was really in him as -he had probably never been able to do before his indifferent or -sceptical audiences in Germany. A friendly reception was accorded to the -quartet, which was followed with close attention. Enthusiasm could -scarcely have been looked for on a first hearing of so original a work. -The variations and fugue, however, called forth a storm of applause that -was renewed after the performance of Schumann's fantasia, the divine -last movement of which was given with ideal insight and noble -inspiration. The press notices, though respectful, were disappointing in -regard to Brahms the composer. - - 'The quartet by no means pleased us, and we are glad that the - unfavourable impression it created was obliterated by the - variations which followed....' Hanslick wrote (_die Presse_). - 'Brahms' talent has hitherto been displayed at its best in - variation form, which requires, above all, facility in inventing - figures, and unity of mood.... The unsatisfactory features of his - creative style are more apparent in the quartet. The first subject - has not enough significance. The composer chooses themes rather - with a view to their capacity for contrapuntal treatment than on - account of their intrinsic merit, and those of the quartet sound - dry and flat.... The quartet and others of the composer's works - remind us of Schumann's last period; the early works of his first - period; but none of Brahms' yet known compositions can take their - place beside those of Schumann's ripe middle period.' - -As a pianist, Brahms was mentioned in the papers in more decided terms -of appreciation. Bagge says: - - 'We have to bestow high praise not only on the enormous technical - acquirement, but also on a performance instinct with musical - genius, on a treatment of the instrument as fascinating as it was - original.' - -The playing of Bach's organ toccata is especially mentioned in terms of -high admiration; the touch employed for the passages written for the -pedals 'gave the pianoforte the effect of an organ.' The performance of -each number was musical through and through, and although 'he has not -the unfailing certainty nor the outward brilliancy of the virtuoso, he -reaches and fascinates his audience by other means.' - -The delightful natural letter to his parents, published by Reimann, -written after the concert, shows the pleasure derived by Brahms from -feeling his audience in sympathy with him: - - 'DEAR PARENTS, - - 'I was very happy yesterday, my concert went quite excellently, - much better than I had hoped. - - 'After the quartet had been sympathetically received, I had great - success as a player. Every number was greatly applauded, I think - there was real enthusiasm in the room. - - 'Now I could very well give concerts, but I do not wish to do so, - for it takes up too much time so that I can do nothing else.... - - 'I played as freely as though I were sitting at home with friends; - one is certainly influenced quite differently by the public than by - ours. - - 'You should have seen the attention and seen and heard the - applause.... I am very glad I gave the concert. You are probably - rid of your guests again now and will be able to find a moment of - time to write to me? - - 'Tell the contents of this letter to Herr Marxsen and say also that - Börsendorfer[1] will not be able to send a piano before the New - Year as so many are required for concerts. Shall I see about - another for him? I await orders.... - - 'I think my serenade will be given next Monday. - - 'I should have liked to introduce some of my vocal things in my - concert yesterday, but it gave me a terrible amount of running - about and unpleasantness and that is one of my reasons for wishing - to be quiet now.[2] - - 'Did you sit together on Wednesday over the egg-punch? Write to me - about it and anything else.[3] - - 'The publishers here, especially Spina and Levi, have been pressing - me for things since the quartet, but much pleases me better in - North Germany and particularly the publishers, and I would rather - go without the two or three extra Louis-d'ors that these would - perhaps pay. - - 'Does Avé often go to see you? Has he told you anything particular - about Stockhausen? - - 'How about the photograph of the girls' quartet? Am I not to have - it? N.B. Every time I write I forget to ask about Fritz.... Is he - very industrious? He ought to make up his mind to give Trio - concerts in Hamburg next winter. I would help him in every way.... - - 'Write soon and have love - 'from your - 'JOHANNES. - - 'Hearty greetings to Herr Marxsen, and do not forget about - Börsendorfer.'[4] - -The two Pianoforte Quartets were despatched to Simrock, and were -published by the firm early in 1863--the first one in G minor, being -dedicated to Baron Reinhard von Dalwigk, Court Intendant to the -Grand-Duke of Oldenburg, a really musical amateur and a warm supporter -of Brahms; and the second, in A major, to Frau Dr. Elisabeth Rösing of -Hamm, in whose house it was written. - -The tone of the above extracts tells how lovingly the composer's -thoughts turned to his home at the moment he was feeling conscious of a -real success; and the question about Stockhausen may be taken as an -indication of the clinging wistfulness with which he was bringing -himself to resign the hope of being able to settle near his family as -conductor of the Philharmonic--a position he would at the time have been -proud to accept. The decision of the committee was now almost a foregone -conclusion, though it was not formally arrived at till the following -year. What it was may be told in the following extract from a letter -written to Avé Lallement on January 31, 1863, by Joachim, whose -influence with the committee had been energetically exerted in favour of -his Johannes: - - '... What can I say further about your plan with Stockhausen? You - know how highly I esteem his talent, and he is certainly the best - musician among the singers, but how anyone, having to choose the - director of a concert institution between him and Johannes, can - decide for the former, I, with my limited musical understanding, - cannot comprehend! It is precisely as a man upon whom one can rely - that I regard Johannes so highly, with his gifts and his will! - There is nothing he cannot undertake, and, with his earnestness, - overcome! You know that as well as I, and if all of you in the - committee and orchestra had met him with confidence and affection - (as you, his friend, always do in private) instead of with doubt - and airs of protection, it would have removed the asperity from his - nature; whereas it must constantly make him more bitter, with his - touching, almost childlike patriotism for Hamburg, to see himself - put second. I dare not dwell on the thought, it would make me too - unhappy, that his narrow compatriots have deprived themselves of - the means of making him more contented and gentle, and happier in - the exercise of his genius. I should like to give the committee a - moral cudgelling (and a bodily one too!) for having left you in the - lurch with your plan. The slight to Johannes will not be forgotten - in the history of art! But basta!'[5] - -To the advertisement of the Hamburg Philharmonic programme of March 6, -1863, the words were added, 'Herr Julius Stockhausen has kindly -undertaken to conduct the second and third numbers'; and a fortnight -later Stockhausen's appointment as capellmeister to the society for the -following season, 1863-64, was announced. - -Meanwhile Johannes in Vienna may still, in the beginning of November, -1862, have clung to hope in view of the forthcoming performance of his -serenade at the Gesellschaft concert of the 14th under Herbeck. The -reception of the work proved, in fact, as favourable as might reasonably -have been expected. It was listened to with respect by public and -critics, and some of its parts, notably the first minuet, were greeted -with manifestations of decided approval. - -'The serenade, a fine, interesting, and intellectual work, deserved -warmer acknowledgment,' wrote Speidel in the _Wiener Zeitung_. -Hanslick, in the _Presse_, pronounced it one of the most charming of -modern orchestral compositions, but took exception to the first subject -of the opening movement, as he had objected to that of the A major -Quartet, as being workable rather than original or significant. - - 'The first minuet seems to us the pearl of the work and perhaps the - prettiest movement as yet written by Brahms. The instrumental - colouring and the grace of the melody give it the characteristic of - night music, and it is full of moonlight and the scent of lilac.' - -A remarkable review--remarkable from its admirable appreciation of -Brahms' creative personality--was despatched to Leipzig by the Vienna -correspondent of the _Neue Zeitschrift_, who signs himself 'S.,' and -appeared in the Vienna résumé contained in the paper's issue of March -23: - - 'As regards Brahms' serenade which has been favourably received, - albeit in my opinion too severely criticised, only thus much; it is - one of the most charming examples, not only of the class of - composition from which it has sprung, but of all that has followed - Beethoven up to the comprehensive conquests, as to contents and - form, of the rising New Germany. - - 'It is fresh and rich in themes of which nearly every one is - pervaded by a rare grace, and a brightness of tone becoming every - day more unusual. The score convincingly exhibits, moreover, one of - the most prominent sides of Brahms' musical individuality. I would - call this a power of refashioning, in the best spirit of the - present day, the contrapuntal forms of canon and fugue and of their - degenerate and inferior representatives. Brahms succeeds in this, - as in the majority of his works, in reconsecrating and carrying on - the spiritual treasure inherited from Bach, Beethoven and Schumann, - in the light of modernity. This fundamental characteristic is still - more striking in a second great work of the composer, for the - hearing of which opportunity is promised. I will therefore go on to - remark on the orchestral colouring of the serenade, which, without - being exaggerated, is, throughout, fresh and significant of - youthful power. I should find it very difficult to express a - preference for either of the six movements, whilst to speak of - either of the several parts of this, in its way, masterly whole as - inferior in excellence to others, appears to me utterly impossible. - The _vox populi_, however, with which the principal journals here - coincide on this occasion, has pronounced in favour of the first - minuet and scherzo and the certainly wonderfully tender slow - movement.' - -Brahms appeared on December 20 at Frau Passy-Cornet's concert in the -Vereinsaal, playing Beethoven's E flat Sonata for pianoforte and violin -with Hellmesberger, and some Schumann solos (Romance and Novelette), -and, in spite of his frequently avowed distaste for public appearances, -gave a second concert on January 6, 1863, in order to bring forward some -of his songs. On this occasion he played Bach's Chromatic Fantasia, -Beethoven's C minor Variations, his own Sonata in F minor Op. 5, and -Schumann's Sonata in the same key Op. 14, with omission of the scherzo. - - 'Brahms' playing,' wrote the Vienna correspondent of the _Signale_, - 'is always attractive and convincing. His rendering of Bach's - Chromatic Fantasia and of Beethoven's Variations was of the highest - interest.... After repeated recalls Brahms treated his audience to - another piece, a four-hand march by Schubert arranged for two - hands. The delightful freshness of this composition gave no little - pleasure.' - -Frau Wilt, one of the first resident singers, performed several of the -concert-giver's songs, amongst them being 'Treue Liebe' (Op. 7, No. 1), -'Parole' (Op. 7, No. 2), and 'Liebestreue' ('O versenk,' Op. 3, No. 1). - - 'This new experience was most agreeable and welcome to the whole - public. All these songs breathe a fine sensibility, and are full of - truth to life and nature.' - -This second concert, indeed, stamped Brahms' visit to Vienna with the -seal of decisive and permanent success--a success not immediately wide -or popular, but which marked the beginning of a new epoch in the musical -life of the city. Though he could not stoop to the attempt to dazzle his -public by phenomenal feats of virtuosity, the grace, tenderness, and -truth of his musical nature appealed to his southern audience, whilst -the significance of his genius dawned on the perception of one or two -discerning musicians. In a word, he had found a public which partially -understood him; and a performance of the second serenade was announced -for one of the Philharmonic concerts. - -Before the opening of the New Year, musical attention in Vienna was -turned to Richard Wagner, who conducted three concerts devoted to -selections from his own compositions, and was received and discussed -with the extremes of enthusiasm and disapproval that usually attended -his appearances and the early productions of his works. - - 'One evening,' writes Hanslick many years later,[6] 'when we - listened to Brahms' sextet after attending a concert of excerpts - from Wagner's "Tristan" in the afternoon, it was as though we were - suddenly transported to a world of pure beauty.[7] ... The general - impression made in public by the two men was almost as different as - that of their music. Brahms approached the conductor's desk with - almost awkward modesty; he responded reluctantly and doubtfully to - the most stormy calls and could not disappear again quickly - enough.' - -The attraction felt by Hanslick for Brahms' art increased with each -opportunity of becoming acquainted with it. He secured his services as -pianist at a lecture on Beethoven--one of a series--given by him in -January, when Johannes, whose pianistic répertoire was almost -inexhaustible, performed the thirty-three Variations on a waltz by -Diabelli. - -Wagner remained at Penzing, a suburb of Vienna, until the spring, and -Brahms, who was on cordial terms with Tausig and Cornelius, paid him a -visit in Tausig's company. He was much pleased by Wagner's reception of -him, and spoke heartily of the pleasure he had found in his society. -There was no future personal intercourse between the two composers, who -were too widely separated by disposition, tastes, and artistic faith to -grow into intimacy, though it should never be forgotten that Brahms -felt, from first to last, immense respect for Wagner's gifts and -achievement. - -One of our composer's engrossing occupations during his nearly eight -months' stay in Vienna was the study of Schubert's manuscripts, which -Spina was delighted to show him, generously allowing him to copy from -them for his own pleasure as he felt inclined. Shortly before his return -home he sent some of the treasures thus obtained for Dietrich's perusal. - - '... It occurs to me that I can send you my Marienlieder and - Variations for four hands which arrived lately, and I enclose with - them some extracts from an Easter cantata of Schubert's which I - copied from the manuscript. They are not specially selected - portions of Lazarus. By no means; I merely wrote the beginning and - end of the first part. The music is as fine throughout; Simon's - aria--oh, if I could send you the whole, you would be enchanted - with such loveliness!...' - -He decides to send in the same parcel, for Albert's inspection, the -string quintet which he had taken to Vienna to get quite to his liking. - -The second Serenade was announced for the Philharmonic concert of March -8 as the opening number of the programme, to be followed by Joachim's -Hungarian Concerto, with Laub as solo violinist, and this by a new -symphony by M. Kässmeyer--an astonishingly progressive list, which was -due to Dessoff's influence and was approvingly remarked upon by Hanslick -in his review of the 11th of the month. Meanwhile difficulties presented -themselves.[8] The discontent of the members of the orchestra was -apparent during the first rehearsals of Brahms' work; complaints were -heard of the great difficulty of performing many of the passages, and at -the general rehearsal open mutiny broke out. The first clarinettist -suddenly rose, and, in the name of the body of instrumentalists, -declared their refusal to perform the composition. Dessoff, white with -agitation, instantly replied by laying down his bâton and announcing his -resignation of the post of conductor; Hellmesberger, as concertmeister, -followed suit, and the first flutist, Franz Doppler, a celebrated -performer, joined them. This decided matters. The malcontents gave way, -the rehearsal proceeded, and the performance on the 8th was so greatly -appreciated by the public that R. Hirsch, who made his début as Brahms' -critic in the _Wiener Zeitung_ in connexion with the occasion, and who -for many years systematically (and perhaps conscientiously) decried his -works, could find nothing worse to say than that the serenade would find -many friends amongst those able to content themselves with modest gifts. - - 'Brahms should be on his guard against excess of things. The - exorbitant applause raised by his friends had the effect of - procuring him very loud hisses from other parties.' - - 'If either of the younger composers has the right not to be - ignored, it is Brahms,' wrote Hanslick. 'He has shown himself, in - each of his lately-performed works, as an independent, original - individuality, a finely-organized, true, musical nature, as an - artist ripening towards mastership by means of unwearied, conscious - endeavour. His A major Serenade is the younger, tender sister of - the one in D lately produced by the Gesellschaft and is conceived - in the same peaceful, dreamy garden mood.... The work had an - extremely favourable reception. The hearty applause became - proportionately greater at the close as the modest composer made - himself ever smaller in his seat in the gallery.' - -Hanslick pronounced the Hungarian Concerto - - 'a tone-poem full of mind and spirit, of energy and tenderness. One - might almost regret Joachim's achievements as a virtuoso, which - must be the only cause that his powers are so seldom concentrated - on the composition of a great work.' - -The music season was now coming to a close, but the many attractions of -Vienna--and not least among them its beautiful neighbourhood, with which -Brahms' frequent long walks with Nottebohm, Faber, Epstein, and others -gradually made him familiar--inclined him to stay on for some weeks -longer; and it was not until the spring had well set in that he set out -for Hanover _en route_ for Hamburg, carrying with him many new -possessions as mementoes of his visit, engravings of some of his -favourite pictures in the Belvedere Gallery,[9] and the entire -collection of the then published works of Schubert, presented to him by -Spina, being the principal. He had a particular reason for wishing to -pass a day or two with his friend. He was to be introduced to Fräulein -Amalie Weiss, to whom Joachim had lately become engaged. This lady had -entered into a three years' engagement as first contralto on the stage -of the Hanover court opera in the spring of 1862, and it was not long -before her gifts attracted the enthusiastic interest of the celebrated -court concertmeister of the same capital. The two artists were betrothed -in February, 1863, and the birthday of the Queen of Hanover, April 14, -was celebrated by a festival performance of Gluck's 'Orpheus,' -conducted, by Her Majesty's express desire, by Joachim, in which -Fräulein Weiss appeared with brilliant success in the title-rôle. -Brahms, on his arrival a little later on, was a delighted witness of a -repetition of the opera. Frau Amalie Joachim, who retired from the stage -on her marriage (June, 1863), gradually acquired a very great reputation -as a concert-singer, and was a much-admired interpreter of Brahms' -songs. - -Brahms returned to Hamburg on May 5, and, after passing his thirtieth -birthday with his family, took a lodging at Blankenese, on the Elbe, -where an unexpected meeting with some of the former members of his -Ladies' Choir agreeably reminded him of the charming society that had -now quite fallen through, having served its purpose in the composer's -course of self-training. Various plans for work and recreation for the -summer and autumn months were under consideration, but were to be set -aside. Before the month was out, Brahms received a convincing proof of -the impression his visit had made in Vienna by getting a call to return -there. The post of conductor to the Singakademie had fallen vacant by -the death of Stegmayer, and, at the general meeting of the society in -the course of May, Brahms was elected successor to the post. There was a -severe competition between two sections of the members, a large and -influential party, led by Prince Constantin Czartoriska, being strongly -in favour of the election of Franz Krenn, an excellent musician of the -old school, who belonged to Vienna as choir-master of the parish church -of St. Michael, and professor of composition at the conservatoire, and -who had conducted one of the Singakademie concerts during Stegmayer's -illness. It happened, however, that amongst those members of the -committee who desired that the practices and performances of the society -should be placed under the direction of a young, resolute, and energetic -musician, were several gentlemen belonging to the circle of enthusiastic -admirers of Brahms' art which had sprung into existence almost -simultaneously with his first appearance in Vienna, and had increased -with each opportunity that had offered itself there for the hearing of -his music. Amongst them were Dr. Scholz, a surgeon; Herr Adolf Schultz, -a merchant; and Herr Franz Flatz, an insurance official of Vienna; and -at their head Dr. Josef Gänsbacher, son of the distinguished musician -and church composer Johann Gänsbacher, the pupil of Vogler and -Albrechtsberger, acquaintance of Haydn and Beethoven, friend of Weber -and Meyerbeer, and capellmeister of the cathedral from 1823 until his -death in 1844. - -Dr. Josef Gänsbacher, whose name has become known in the musical world -of many countries by its appearance on the title-page of Brahms' first -sonata for pianoforte and violoncello, was, in 1863, a young doctor of -jurisprudence and advocate's draughtsman. Later on he adopted music as a -profession, and became a valued teacher of singing, professor at the -conservatoire, and violoncellist. He was one of Brahms' earliest and -truest friends in Vienna, and became a devotee of his art even before -making his personal acquaintance. He had considerable influence with the -members of the Singakademie, and representatives of both sections of the -committee called on him at his bureau to solicit his help, Prince -Czartoriska presenting himself in person in Krenn's favour. Gänsbacher's -sympathies, however, were all the other way; and, being selected by his -party to make a speech at the general meeting in Brahms' interest, he -used such forcible arguments as to bring over several of Krenn's -supporters and to win the election for his own side by a majority of -one. - -It was in every way characteristic of our composer that he could not at -once decide either to accept or reject the offer of the appointment, and -was only at length brought to a resolution by a telegraphic request for -his final answer. - - 'The resolve to give away one's freedom for the first time is - exceptional,' he wrote to the committee, 'but anything coming from - Vienna sounds doubly pleasant to a musician and whatever may call - him thither is doubly attractive.'[10] - -Something of what it cost Brahms to send his affirmative decision may be -perceived in a letter to Hanslick, which indicates, also, the quick -advance of friendship between the two men: - - 'DEAR FRIEND, - - 'You will wonder that most glad and grateful reply has not arrived - sooner to yours and many other kind letters received by me. I seem - to myself as one who has been praised beyond desert, and should - like to creep into hiding for awhile. I resolved, on receipt of the - telegraphic despatch ... to be content with such a flattering - summons and not to tempt the gods further ... and since nothing - more is in question than whether I have the courage to say "yes," - it shall be so. Had I refused, my reasons would not have been - understood by the academy or by you Viennese generally....' - -These occurrences put an end to the various holiday projects which -Brahms had been considering. 'I cannot make up my mind to deprive my -parents of any of our short time together,' he wrote in answer to -Dietrich's pressing invitation, and remained quietly near and at -Hamburg. He began at once to occupy himself with plans for his -programmes, and begged Dietrich's advice 'as a very experienced and -learned court-conductor' on matters connected with his new duties. 'I -feel enormously diffident,' he says, 'about trying my talent for these -things in Vienna.' - -Allowing himself but three days _en route_ for a visit to beautiful -Lichtenthal, a suburb of Baden-Baden, where Frau Schumann had purchased -a house the previous year on giving up her residence in Berlin, Brahms -was back again in Vienna by the last week of August, and soon engaged -with characteristic earnestness in work connected with his new -appointment. His scheme for the weekly practices of the Singakademie -season included works by Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and -masters of the earlier period whose music was a speciality of the -society. The first concert of the season 1863-64, given on November 15 -under his direction, presented the following programme: - - 1. Bach: Cantata, 'Ich hatte viel Bekümmerniss.' - (First time in Vienna.) - - 2. Beethoven: 'Opferlied.' - - 3. H. Isaak (late - 15th cent.): Three German Folk-songs-- - _a._ 'Innsbruck ich muss dich lassen.' - _b._ 'Es ist ein Schnitter heisst der Tod.' - _c._ 'Ich fahr dahin wenn es muss seyn.' - - 4. Schumann: 'Requiem für Mignon.' (First time in Vienna.) - -The co-operating artists were Frau Wilt and Frau Ferrari; Herr Danzer, -Herr Dalfy, and Herr Organist Bibl. No doubt could be felt at the close -of the performances of Brahms' gifts as a conductor. - - 'The concert was not only excellent in itself, but was, with - exception of the first performance in Vienna of Bach's "Matthew - Passion," by far the most noteworthy achievement in the record of - the Singakademie, and gave us the opportunity of recognising - Brahms' rare talent as a conductor.' - -Bach's cantata was rendered 'with splendid colouring and spiritual -insight'; the three delightful Volkslieder 'opened all hearts.' These -were received with such stormy applause that a fourth, not less -acceptable, was added. Considerable surprise seems to have been -excited, not by the conductor's inspired conception of the works -performed, but by the precision and clearness of his beat, which, -remarks one critic, - - 'could hardly have been expected of an artist who has shown - himself, in his creations and performances, so essentially a - romanticist and dreamer.' - -These last words sound strange as coming from a writer in Vienna who may -be supposed to have gained some knowledge of the serenades, the B flat -sextet, and the two pianoforte quartets, and they are quoted, not -because of their aptness, but as illustrating a difficulty which the -composer's individuality, reflected in his works as in a mirror, caused -for many a long year to some of his less competent, even though -friendly, critics--the difficulty of knowing how to classify him. From -an early period his determination was strong to bring the womanly -tenderness and dreamy romance that were in him under the complete -control of his energetic will, to give supreme dominance in art, as in -life, to understanding rather than to emotion, to possess and be master -of his powers; but, during the earlier years of his activity, the subtle -poetic charm dwelling within his works made itself felt by many -sympathetic listeners who could not immediately follow their -closely-woven texture, and who were puzzled by his independent -treatment--at times almost amounting to a re-creation--of traditional -form. Hence, he has not seldom been spoken of as essentially a -romanticist long since his position as the representative descendant of -Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven was recognised by those most competent to -judge. - -Meanwhile his art was gradually spreading through Europe. On November 10 -the first serenade was given at Zürich under Fichtelberger, the -conductor of the subscription concerts. The work deserved a warmer -reception than was accorded it, in the opinion of the _Neuer Zürcher -Zeitung_, whose critic recognised in Brahms a composer, not only of -profound knowledge, but of inborn genius. He did not commit himself to -pronouncement as to whether the composer's creative power would be of -sufficient force to discover really 'new paths,' or would prove better -qualified for making further developments within the already conquered -domain of musical art, but thought the serenade pointed to the latter -probability. - -The B flat Sextet was performed at a concert given in Hamburg in -November by Rosé and Stockhausen, whose friendship with Brahms had not -been allowed to suffer by the action of the Philharmonic committee. The -composition was given in Vienna at the Hellmesberger concert of December -27, when it awakened extraordinary interest and sympathy. In the -Austrian capital, as elsewhere, it was the first of the composer's -important works to become popular. - -Christmas Eve was passed with the Fabers, Brahms being, as ever, the -most cordial, happy, childlike guest. He continued, during the first -years of his subsequent residence in Vienna, to spend the festival with -these friends, who took pains to invite his favourite companions to meet -him. Nottebohm was always of the party. Amongst his presents one -Christmas for the gift-making ceremony at home in Hamburg, was a -sewing-machine for his sister, who had expressed a wish for such a -possession as a help in her employment. After the lapse of a few -seasons, however, Brahms for a great many years habitually declined all -invitations for Christmas Eve, only breaking his rule by occasionally -spending it with Frau Schumann. Within the last decade of his life he -again changed his custom, and passed the evening regularly in the happy -home circle of some friends to whom the reader will be introduced in a -later chapter. - -The second and third concerts of the Singakademie took place on January -6 and March 20, with the subjoined programmes: - - PROGRAMME OF JANUARY 6. - - 1. Mendelssohn: Eight-part Motet. - - 2. Joh. Eccard (1553-1611): 'The Christian's Easter - Day Song of Triumph' - (double chorus). - - 3. Heinrich Schütz (1583-1672): 'Saul's Conversion' - (triple chorus). - - 4. Giov. Gabrielli (1557-1613): 'Benedictus' (double - chorus). - - 5. Giov. Rovetta (1643-1668): 'Salve Regina.' - - 6. Beethoven: 'Elegischer Gesang' (chorus - with string accompaniment). - 7. Three German Folk-songs. - - 8. J. S. Bach: Motet, 'Liebster Gott wann - werd' ich sterben.' - - PROGRAMME OF MARCH 20. - - J. S. Bach: Christmas Oratorio. (First performance in Vienna.) - - With the assistance of the Imperial and Royal Court-Opera Orchestra. - -They do not seem to have been so successful as the first. The public -found the programme of January 6 monotonous. Hirsch, in his notice of -the concert in the _Wiener Zeitung_, goes so far as to speak of -'shipwreck,' while Hanslick himself owns that the performance of the -earlier numbers had the 'character of an improvisation or a practice -rather than a concert production.' The three German folk-songs (the two -last harmonized by Brahms) were so warmly received that the conductor's -Minnelied, 'Der Holdseliger' was given in addition. The success of the -Bach cantata was injured by a contretemps. The Börsendorfer piano, sent -in the absence of an organ, was too high in pitch and therefore -unavailable. - -The concert of March 20, at which the Christmas Oratorio was given, -seems to have been rather overshadowed by the performance of Bach's 'St. -John's Passion' by the Gesellschaft forces at a somewhat earlier date. - -The satisfaction and confidence extended to the conductor by the -Akademie remained undiminished, however, by the falling-off in the -success of the second and third public performances, and were expressed -at the close of the subscription season by the arrangement of an extra -concert devoted to Brahms' compositions. The instrumental numbers on -this occasion were the B flat Sextet, played by the Hellmesberger party, -and a Sonata for two pianofortes--in reality the arrangement in this -form of the manuscript string quintet with two violoncelli, to which -reference has already been made. Tausig, a great admirer of Brahms' -genius, who took the Paganini Variations under his especial care later -on, was the composer's colleague in the performance, for which, -therefore, every advantage was secured; but Brahms had not yet, as it -seemed, found the right medium for the expression of his thoughts. The -sonata fell flat, making no impression on the audience. There were -several vocal numbers, and amongst them was the charming 'Wechsellied -zum Tanze,' No. 1 of the three Quartets for solo voices, Op. 31, which -stand in an anticipatory relation to the 'Liebeslieder.' They show -Brahms in his graceful, playful, genial mood. The 'Wechsellied' is in -dance measure, and has two alternative melodies severally adapted to the -character of Goethe's verses--the first in E flat, allotted to the -contralto and bass, the 'indifferent' pair; the second in A flat, to the -soprano and tenor, the 'tender' pair. Brahms has delightfully expressed -the difference of mood animating the two couples, and, by the simple -device of writing the first of the two little duets in imitation, the -bass following the contralto at a bar's distance, has suggested a tone -of bright enjoyment which contrasts effectively with the romantic spirit -of the lovers' song. The four voices combine towards the close of the -composition, which comes to an end in the key of the lover's melody. - - ALTERNATIVE DANCE SONG BY GOETHE. - - THE INDIFFERENT PAIR. - - Come, fairest maid, come with me to the dancing; - Dancing belongs to our festival day. - Though not my sweetheart, yet that may soon follow, - Follows it never, then let us still dance. - Come, fairest maid, come with me to the dancing; - Dancing belongs to our festival day. - - THE TENDER PAIR. - - Loved one, without thee what were there in pleasure? - Sweet one, without thee what joy in the dance? - If not my sweetheart, what care I for dancing? - Art thou it ever, then life is a feast. - Loved one, without thee what were there in pleasure? - Sweet one, without thee what joy in the dance? - - THE INDIFFERENT PAIR. - - Let them go loving and let us go dancing! - Languishing love careth not for the dance. - Circle we gaily amid the gay couples, - Wander the others in forest's dim shade. - Let them go loving and let us go dancing, - Languishing love careth not for the dance. - - THE TENDER PAIR. - - Let them go twirling and let us go wander! - Wand'ring of lovers is heaven's own dance. - Cupid is near, and he hears them deriding, - Certain and swift he will have his revenge. - Let them go twirling and let us go wander, - Wand'ring of lovers is heaven's own dance. - -No. 2 of the same opus--'Neckereien' (Raillery), the text of which is a -Moorish folk-song, is full of graceful fun. In this the tenors and -basses alternate with the sopranos and contraltos; the youths court the -girls, who will rather be transformed into little doves, little fishes, -little hares, than have anything to do with them. The suitors, on the -other hand, hint that such changes may be of small avail against little -guns, little nets, little dogs. - -No. 3, also set to a national text, this time Bohemian, is a charming -four-part song, with a graceful accompaniment in waltz rhythm, and is -developed from the melody used by Brahms in No. 5 of his set of waltzes -for pianoforte. These quartets were composed at Detmold. - -On May 10 the annual foundation concert of the Singakademie took -place--as usual, before a private audience. The programme will be -perused with interest by English-speaking readers: - - 1. Schumann: First and second movements from - 'Requiem für Mignon.' - - 2. Haydn: Duet for Soprano and Tenor. - - 3. Schumann: Stücke im Volkston for Violoncello - and Pianoforte. - - 4. John Bennet (1599): Madrigal (for chorus). - - 5. John Morley (1595): Dance Song (for chorus). - - 6. Schumann: Two Duets from the 'Spanisches - Liederspiel.' - - 7. Brahms: Two Songs for Soprano. - - 8. Schumann: Fifth and sixth movements from the - 'Requiem für Mignon.' - -The fourth and fifth numbers of the programme were no doubt selected by -Brahms from a collection of early English madrigals, edited by J. J. -Maier of Munich. - -Our composer's appointment as conductor of the Singakademie lapsed at -the end of the season. By the rules of the society, election took place -triennially, and Stegmayer's death had left only a year to run. Brahms' -re-election was a matter of course, and was accepted by him, though not -without doubt and hesitation; but his resolution failed him later on, -and before the end of the summer he sent his resignation to the -committee. - -In the course of the year, Spina of Vienna (Cranz of Hamburg) published -a setting of the 13th Psalm for three-part women's Chorus, with -accompaniment for organ or pianoforte; and four Duets for Contralto and -Baritone, dedicated to Frau Amalie Joachim. Breitkopf and Härtel issued -two Motets for five-part mixed Chorus _a capella_ (the first set to a -verse of a church hymn by Paul Speratus, 1484-1551; the second to words -from the 51st Psalm); a Sacred Song by Paul Fleming, 1609-1640 (set for -two-part mixed Chorus, and written in double canon); and the three -Quartets for Solo voices to which we have already referred as Op. 31. - -Rieter-Biedermann published a set of nine Songs (Op. 32), No. 9 of which -is the exquisite 'Wie bist du meine Königin,' one of the most fragrant -love-songs ever composed; and a set of German Folk-songs, without opus -number, dedicated to the Vienna Singakademie. - -An Organ Fugue in A flat minor was published as a supplement to No. 29 -of the _Allgemeine Musikzeitung_, edited, as the reader may remember, by -Selmar Bagge. - -[1] Head of the celebrated Vienna firm of pianoforte-makers. - -[2] The _Deutsche Musikzeitung_ of November 29, the very day of the -concert, announces vocal duets and choruses by Brahms as part of the -programme. The review of the concert in the same paper concludes: 'Frau -Passy-Cornet and Herr Fürchtgott assisted the concert-giver, whose -programme was altered, by performing songs and ballads.' - -[3] Egg-punch was a birthday institution in the family. The Wednesday in -question was probably the birthday of Brahms' mother. - -[4] Reimann's 'Johannes Brahms.' Published in facsimile opposite p. 28. - -[5] Moser's 'Joseph Joachim,' p. 177. - -[6] 'Aus meinem Leben.' - -[7] Probably a private performance. Hellmesberger's published programmes -give the first concert performance of the work by his quartet party as -on December 27, 1863. - -[8] 'Brahms Erinnerungen,' by Franz Fribberg (_Berliner Tagblatt_, -December 18, 1898). - -N.B.--Fribberg was a member of the Philharmonic orchestra of Vienna at -the period in question. - -[9] The collection is now in the Imperial Gallery on the Burg Ring. - -[10] This and the extract immediately following are from some letters -first published by Hanslick in the _Neue Freie Presse_ of July 1, 1897, -and republished in _Am Ende des Jahrhunderts_ ('Der Modernen Oper,' Part -VIII.): 'Johannes Brahms.' - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - 1864-1867 - - Frau Schumann in Baden-Baden--Circle of friends there--Hermann - Levi--Madame Pauline Viardot-Garcia--The Landgräfin of Hesse and - the Pianoforte Quintet--Death of Frau Brahms--Concert-journey--The - Horn Trio--Frau Caroline Schnack--Last visit to Detmold--First - Sonata for Pianoforte and Violoncello--The German Requiem--Brahms - at Zürich--Billroth--Brahms and Joachim on a concert-tour in - Switzerland--Hans von Bülow--Reinthaler. - - -In the year 1864, or possibly at the end of 1863, the domestic troubles -that had arisen from Jakob Brahms' early marriage with a delicate woman -nearly twenty years his senior came to a crisis which Johannes, loving -both father and mother with tender devotion, could no longer bear. By -his wish the ill-assorted couple separated. Jakob had long since become -fairly prosperous in a small way, holding a recognised position as a -double-bass player amongst the orchestral musicians of Hamburg, and had -even been appointed a member of the Philharmonic band since -Stockhausen's election as the society's conductor. He now found quarters -for himself in the Grosser Bleichen; the home in the Fuhlentwiethe was -given up. Fritz, who, in spite of his want of energy, was doing well as -a teacher, took lodgings in Theaterstrasse, and Frau Brahms and Elise -removed to comfortable rooms in the Lange Reihe, Johannes, poor as he -was, taking upon himself the sole responsibility of their maintenance. -The time was still distant, in spite of the composer's steadily-growing -fame, when his circumstances were to become prosperous. Had money-making -been one of his immediate objects, he could certainly have attained it -with little difficulty; but his aims were wholly ideal, and directly -included pecuniary profit only so far as this was necessary for his own -decent maintenance and for the exercise of ungrudging generosity to his -family. His income, derived from the sale of his copyrights and from his -public activity as a pianist--for he practically gave up teaching on -going to Vienna--sufficed for these ends; he had learned from early -youth to find happiness in the realities of life, and to treat as -superfluities as many things as possible. The cultivation of happiness -he viewed, not only as a part of wisdom, but as a duty. 'Let us, so far -as we may, retain a fresh, happy interest in life, which we have at any -rate to live' was not with him a mere phrase to be offered for the -benefit of a friend in trouble, but one of the abiding principles by -which he shaped his own daily existence. - -No year would have been possible to Brahms without sight of his parents -and he stayed near them for part of the summer, his first visit after -embracing father and mother being, as usual, to Marxsen. Further plans -were not difficult to arrange, and chief among them was that of a long -visit to Baden-Baden. 'Johannes took us by surprise on July 30' is Frau -Schumann's entry, in her diary, of his arrival. He stayed on for the -remainder of the season, residing in a charming villa close to the -grounds of the Kurhaus, which was placed at his disposal by Rubinstein, -who had taken it for the summer, but left in August. - -Frau Schumann's residence at Baden-Baden brought in its train results -which are of much interest in the history of Brahms' career. The -not-distant capital of the duchy of Baden, Carlsruhe, was to become, in -the course of the next few years, an important centre for the -cultivation of his art. It seems convenient, therefore, to mention at -once the names of a few members of a group of friends belonging to Frau -Schumann's circle who resided or stayed frequently in the neighbourhood, -and with whom Brahms became more or less intimate. - -Jakob Rosenhain (born 1813), a composer now forgotten, but esteemed in -his day, and recognised both by Schumann and Mendelssohn, lived at -Baden-Baden, and was sometimes to be met at Frau Schumann's house. His -name heads the programme of Johannes' first public concert of 1848. The -painter Anselm Feuerbach (1829-1880), a little-known and disappointed -man in 1864, whose art has attained great posthumous celebrity, came -annually with his mother to pass a few weeks there. The name of Frau -Henriette Feuerbach appears on the title-page of Brahms' work 'Nänie,' -which was composed soon after the premature death of her son. With the -mention of Feuerbach must be associated that of Julius Allgeyer, -introduced to our readers in an early chapter as a student of -copperplate engraving at Düsseldorf, and now settled in Carlsruhe as a -high-art photographer. Allgeyer had a genius for friendship. He was -extraordinarily attached to Feuerbach, of whose art he made himself the -apostle; but though his four years' residence in Rome (1856-1860) in -close intercourse with the painter caused an interruption of his -personal intimacy with Brahms, the two men remained in occasional -correspondence, and held each other in cordial esteem. Now the old -friendship was renewed, and it was not long before Brahms came to occupy -a place in the engraver's affections second only to that of Feuerbach. -The thought that he had known and loved both musician and painter -through the period of their dawning fame was, in after-years, a source -of satisfaction and pride to Allgeyer, whose name has become well known -in Germany as that of Feuerbach's biographer. - -In the middle of the sixties Carlsruhe, under the encouragement of its -reigning Grand-Duke Frederick, occupied an exceptionally brilliant -position amongst the smaller European centres of dramatic and musical -art, to which it had been raised by the talents and devotion of Edward -Devrient, the eminent stage-director of its court theatre, whose name -may be familiar to some English readers as that of one of Mendelssohn's -intimate friends. A man of wide general culture, the author of the -standard work on its subject--'The History of German Dramatic -Art'--playwright, singer, actor, possessed of an intimate knowledge of -the best traditions of the German stage in the wide sense that includes -opera, which had been derived from thirty years of professional -association with the court theatres of Berlin and Dresden, Devrient was -an ideal man for his post. His own sympathies remained faithful to the -classical school of opera upon which his taste had been formed, but he -did not allow his devotion to Gluck and Mozart and his interest in the -revival of works of an early period to narrow the sphere of his -activity. Taking a broad view of the duties of his position, he -recognised the claim to hearing of the New-German school, and several of -Wagner's musical dramas had been performed in the Carlsruhe court -theatre by his permission, if not on his initiative, before his -resignation of his post soon after the celebration of his artistic -jubilee in April, 1869. - -Not the least of his services to music was his choice of a successor to -the post of court capellmeister at Carlsruhe, which fell vacant on the -resignation of Joseph Strauss (not of the celebrated Vienna family) -early in 1864. By recommending Hermann Levi (1839-1900) for the -appointment, famous after the middle of the seventies amongst the famous -Wagner conductors, and director of the first performances of 'Parsifal' -(July-August, 1882), and by the generosity with which he permitted the -youthful musician to profit by the fruits of his own ripe experience, he -contributed in no small degree towards perfecting the technical -education of an artist whose name will be remembered in musical history -as amongst those of the great in his chosen branch of activity. - -A gifted pupil of the Leipzig Conservatoire, Levi resolved, at an early -age, to aim at achieving distinction as a conductor, and, on entering -the service of the Grand-Duke of Baden in his twenty-sixth year, he had -already laid the foundation of his future celebrity in successive posts -at Saarbrück, Mannheim, and Rotterdam. He had a large and enthusiastic -nature which caused him to reject the formal and stereotyped in art and -to sympathize with what seemed to him genuinely progressive, and, -becoming early in his career a great admirer of Schumann's music, he -passed easily to a recognition of the genius of Brahms, with whom he -had a slight acquaintance before settling at Carlsruhe. - -The singer Hauser, the violoncellist Lindner, the hornist Segisser, the -authoress Fräulein Anna Ettlinger--all resident in Carlsruhe--the -learned Oberschulrath Gustav Wendt, called there in 1867, whose rooms -were the scene of many distinguished gatherings, are to be included in -our list; and of particular interest is the name of the violoncellist -Bernhard Cossmann, of Weimar celebrity, who settled at Baden-Baden in -1870. Brahms was a willing and heartily welcome visitor at his house, -and took part there in performances of his E minor Violoncello Sonata, -and, with the hornist Steinbrügger, of the Horn Trio. - -A noteworthy and picturesque figure, familiar in the artist circle, was -that of Tourgenieff, who visited Baden-Baden annually from early in the -sixties until the opening of the seventies. In conclusion is to be added -the name of Pauline Viardot-Garcia, who settled at Baden in 1863, -building a spacious villa in the Lichtenthaler Allée for her summer -residence, which contained a gallery of fine paintings, chiefly of the -Spanish and Netherlands schools. Amongst her possessions was Mozart's -autograph score of 'Don Giovanni,' which she kept enshrined in a -valuable casket. Madame Viardot was a musician in a very comprehensive -sense of the word. Her triumphs on the operatic stage belong to the -history of musico-dramatic art; she had been a pupil of Liszt on the -pianoforte, had studied counterpoint and composition, and composed a -good deal. Several of her operettas, for which Tourgenieff furnished the -text-books, were performed privately by her pupils and children in her -miniature theatre in Baden-Baden, where she was accustomed to entertain -many of the celebrities of the time. One was given in German translation -by Richard Pohl, as 'Der letzte Zauberer,' on the Court stages of -Carlsruhe and Weimar. At the request of some of her girl pupils, Brahms -composed a short choral serenade for her birthday one summer subsequent -to our present date, and conducted its performance by the young ladies, -outside her house, at an early hour of the morning. This pleasant -incident of the seventies recalls that of the forties, when the youthful -Johannes consented to fill the offices of composer and conductor at -Winsen on the occasion of Rector Köhler's birthday. - -Brahms was presented by Frau Schumann, in the course of this his first -lengthened stay at Baden-Baden, to the Princess Anna, Landgräfin of -Hesse on an occasion when the two artists performed his sonata for two -pianofortes privately before Her Royal Highness. The work, which, as we -have seen, had failed to win public sympathy when performed in a Vienna -concert-room, made its mark on this occasion. It appealed strongly to -the royal listener, who, at the close of the last movement, warmly -expressed to the composer her sense of its beauty. Brahms, gratified and -pleased at the Princess's unreserved appreciation, called on her the -following day, and begged permission, which was readily granted, to -dedicate the work to her; and on its publication the following year in -its final form--a quintet for pianoforte and strings--Her Royal -Highness's name appeared on the title-page. The Princess acknowledged -the compliment of the dedication by presenting Brahms with one of her -treasures--the autograph score of Mozart's G minor Symphony. It passed -after his death, as part of his library, into the possession of the -Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna. - -An interesting reference to the dedication and the time is in the -possession of the present Landgraf of Hesse, whose musical talent was -recognised and encouraged by Brahms twenty years later, and is contained -in a letter of thanks written by the master in 1892 on the dedication to -him of a fantasia for pianoforte published that year by the Prince: - - 'YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS MOST GRACIOUS HERR LANDGRAF! - - 'Whilst I venture to express to Your Royal Highness my most - respectful and hearty thanks for the dedication of the fantasia, - very many and very pleasant recollections occur to me. - - 'The high and agreeable distinction, as which I regard the - dedication, reminds me of the similar pleasure I experienced when - I was permitted to inscribe my quintet to your highly-honoured - mother, the Frau Landgräfin. That was in beautiful Baden-Baden, and - it would be too tempting to go on chatting about the unforgettable - music-hours and pleasant days; but much else crowds upon the - memory: Meiningen, Frankfurt, Vienna, Baden, etc. I think that by - my mere mention of these names Y.R.H. will know what a valued - memorial your work and its dedication, by which I am so much - honoured, will be to me of many pleasant times. - - 'With my hearty thanks for the valuable present, I unite the wish - that our glorious art may bring to Y.R.H. many more hours as happy - as those were of which this fantasia gives such convincing testimony. - - 'Your Royal Highness's deeply obliged - 'JOHANNES BRAHMS. - - 'VIENNA, _Jan. 1892_.' - -On September 12 Frau Joachim's first child was born, and there was no -doubt as to what he should be called. Johannes must, of course, be -godfather, and give his name to Joachim's boy. Brahms was not present at -the christening, but he sent to the parents as his congratulatory gift -the manuscript of the little song published long afterwards as No. 2 of -Op. 91, the 'Geistliches Wiegenlied,' or, as it is called in the -published translated title, 'The Virgin's Cradle Song.' The words are -imitated by Geibel from a text of Lope de Vega, 'Die ihr schwebt um -diese Palmen' (Ye who o'er these palms are hov'ring). The music, -composed for contralto, viola, and pianoforte, is founded upon the -melody of an old song,[11] which, given in Brahms' composition to the -viola, serves as the basis for the contrapuntal treatment of the voice -and pianoforte parts. - -Brahms left Baden-Baden on October 10, and, returning to Vienna, passed -the next few weeks in quiet pursuit of his ordinary avocations, happy at -knowing himself in complete possession of his time, yet perhaps not -without an occasional passing regret at the thought of the pleasure he -had derived the previous season, as conductor of the Singakademie, from -his association with choir and orchestra. The change he had advised in -the family arrangements at Hamburg was not greatly to prolong for his -mother the peaceful old age he had desired to secure for her. Frau -Brahms had taken her last farewell of her dearly-loved son when he -quitted Hamburg in the summer. Her health, which had for some time been -growing weaker, continued to fail, and on February 2, 1865, she quietly -breathed her last. - -Johannes, who took the next train to Hamburg after receiving his -sister's summons, arrived soon after all was over, and turned -immediately towards his mother's bed-chamber. He had once before passed -through a great sorrow, but in Schumann's case death had come in the -guise of a friend. This was another kind of bereavement, and the loss of -the dear, simply-loving old mother wrung his heart. 'Do not go in yet, -Hannes,' said Elise, trying to prevent him, and, indeed, as he passed on -into the room the sudden complete realization of the mother's tenderness -gone from his life broke down his self-command on the instant. He knelt -down by the quiet bed and sobbed aloud in uncontrollable grief. When he -had somewhat collected himself he presently went out. Solitude, however, -often welcome to him, was not what he wanted to-day, nor over-much -sympathy, but affection--and affection of a kind that perhaps may have -seemed to him something akin to the assured, unreasoning mother's love. -He turned into kind Frau Cossel's and asked her to let him have a child. -His own little goddaughter Johanna was most willingly at his service as -a companion, and as soon as she was ready the pair walked away together -hand in hand back to Elise, the little girl somewhat awed by the -situation and the changed demeanour of the friend whom she was -accustomed to regard as the merriest of her companions, but glad to be -in his society on any terms. Leaving his godchild with Elise, Johannes -almost immediately went out again, and returned after a while with his -father, whom he drew with him into the adjoining room, accidentally -leaving the door of communication a little open. The scene of the -death-chamber was thus made visible to the frightened Johanna from her -position in the parlour, and imprinted itself indelibly on her brain. -She watched it spellbound, and was not too young a child to be -penetrated and touched by what she saw. - -The two men stood together by the bedside for a few seconds without -stirring. Then Johannes, putting his hand on his father's arm, gently -guided it towards the motionless figure, and, placing the husband's hand -over that of the dead wife, kept both covered with his own in a last -reconciliation. Kind friends came to the funeral, and true sympathy was -at hand, but Johannes shrank in his grief from hearing the expression of -condolence. 'I have no mother now: I must marry,' he said miserably when -the service was over. Stockhausen and his wife insisted that he and -Elise should dine quietly with them that day, and there is little doubt -that Brahms was helped by the affectionate consideration shown on all -sides, and was quietly grateful for it. He returned to his work in a few -days, but the responsibility for the maintenance of Elise, who, having -strongly felt the mother's side of the family difficulties, shrank from -the idea of rejoining her father, remained entirely his. - -The two first books of the 'Magelone Romances,' dedicated to -Stockhausen, and the Pianoforte Quintet were published by -Rieter-Biedermann early in the year. The version of the quintet as a -Sonata for two Pianofortes was issued by the same house in 1872. - -The Quintet in F minor, Op. 34, is unquestionably one of the greatest -works of chamber music for pianoforte and strings ever written. Some -distinguished writers go so far as to give it the first place amongst -the composer's works of its class; and if regard be had to the -largeness of its proportions, the stormy grandeur and the deep pathos of -its ideas, its extraordinary wealth of thematic material, and the -astonishing power with which this is handled, it must be admitted that -there is something to be said in support of such a view. To the author -it certainly appears impossible to select one of Brahms' works of this -period and this class for preference as compared with the others. All -are so great as, so to say, to defy future competition. They seem as -unapproachable and secure on their own lines as the immortal '48' -themselves in another category. The imaginative power which surges -through the first movement of the quintet recalls the daring of the -youthful Johannes, and is guided now by a master-hand. This movement -dominates the whole work. Its contrasted tones of passionate splendour -and scarcely less passionate mystery are reflected in the rich pathos of -the 'andante un poco adagio,' in the weird fitfulness of the scherzo -with its heart-gripping trio, and in the doubtful tranquillity of the -finale, bursting in the coda into a rushing impetuosity which carries -the movement to a triumphant conclusion. Few of Brahms' compositions -contain more striking illustrations than this one of his power of -fertilizing his themes and bringing new, out of previous, material, a -power which gives to his works a coherence and solidity hardly equalled -save in the compositions of Bach himself, and which has a certain -artistic analogy with the secret force that governs all natural organic -development. - -The summer of this year was again spent near Frau Schumann. Brahms took -lodgings--two small rooms well provided with windows--in Frau Becker's -house, which was situated a little apart from the village of Lichtenthal -in an idyllic spot amongst the hills. His plan of life, essentially the -same wherever he fixed his summer residence, was to rise with the dawn, -and, after making himself an early cup of coffee, to enjoy the fresh -delights of early morning by going for a long walk in the surrounding -forest. He then returned to work in his rooms until the time arrived -for his mid-day dinner, taken usually in the garden of the 'Golden -Lion'; for in these days he only dined occasionally, when accompanied by -a friend, at the somewhat more expensive 'Bear.' By four o'clock he was -generally in Frau Schumann's balcony for afternoon coffee and to pass an -hour with her in music, conversation, or walking. More often than not he -returned to supper at half-past seven, when his place was laid at table, -as a matter of course, at Frau Schumann's right hand. - -All the circumstances of his surroundings were favourable to his -creative activity, which was unceasing, and the profound emotional -experience that had recently moved and enriched his spirit had already -caused in him the stirrings of the impulse that was to grow and -gradually to dominate him until it had become embodied in a work which, -had it been the only child of his genius known to the world, would have -sufficed to immortalize his name. - -Before Brahms' departure from Lichtenthal a communication from Hamburg -added to his feelings of tenderness and regret the shadow of a grave -family apprehension. - -Having accepted engagements in Switzerland and Germany for the -ante-Christmas concert-season, he remained on till the end of October in -his quarters at Frau Becker's, and here, about a week before the -commencement of his _tournée_, he received the news that his father had -resolved to marry again, and had become engaged to a widow. The -intelligence, such as it was, came direct from Jakob, but it contained -no particulars whatever to soften the anxiety it aroused, no mention -being made in it even of the name of the intended wife, and it threw the -son into a state of the strongest agitation, in which the tender pang -for the dear old mother may very possibly not have been the -predominating element. Who could the wife-elect be? Would she make Jakob -happy? Could the marriage state be happy except under the rarest -combination of circumstances? Were there children of the widow's first -marriage to be provided for? if so, by whom? Jakob's means could bear no -additional burden. And yet, the dear, homely, uncultured father, often -enough a butt for the wit of the younger musicians standing by his side -in the Philharmonic orchestra; this musician without musical endowment, -who loved his music and his instruments, as Johannes sometimes declared, -if such affection were to be measured by proof given, better even than -he himself loved his art; who had persevered doggedly through long years -of privation and struggle in his endeavours to attain to some small -place in the world of art, and had won it, his father--and it needs no -prophet to realize the pathos of this thought to the loving heart of the -great composer--did he not deserve happiness if happiness should follow -the step? Johannes was that day capable of but two resolutions on the -subject: first, that his father should be made happy if anything he -could say or do could help to make him so, and, secondly, that as soon -as his engagements should permit, he would go to Hamburg and judge for -himself of the wisdom of Jakob's choice. - -The first of Brahms' concert undertakings for the autumn was fulfilled -on November 3 in the hall of the Museum, Carlsruhe, where he performed -his Pianoforte Concerto at the first subscription concert of the season, -accompanied by the grand-ducal orchestra under Levi. The work was -received, for the first time, with every sign of approval. 'The people -had the surprising kindness to be quite satisfied, to call for me, -praise me, and all the rest of it,' he wrote to Dietrich. - -Two of the vocal quartets, Op. 31, were included in the programme, and -Brahms played some unaccompanied Schumann solos in the second part of -the concert. - -On the 6th of the month two new 'Magelone Romances' were sung for the -first time in public by Krause, at a concert given in the same hall by -Frau Schumann and Joachim; and before Brahms left Carlsruhe the first -private performance took place of the newly-completed Trio in E flat for -pianoforte, violin, and horn, a composition which has now long occupied -a peculiar place in the affection of genuine lovers of his music on -account of the tone of pure beauty that pervades it--beauty of sound, -of mood, and idea. The noble simplicity of its themes and the -spontaneous character which distinguishes their development hold the -attention even of the unfamiliar listener from beginning to end of this -inspired work, and the great musicianship of the composer has wrought it -to a flawless example of its kind, in which no weak spot can be detected -by deliberate examination. The adagio has the character of a lament, and -can hardly be matched as an expression of profound sadness excepting by -a few others of Brahms' and some of Beethoven's slow movements. The work -was a favourite with the composer, and it is of interest to know from -his own lips that its inception was due to an inspiration that came to -him in the course of one of his walks near Lichtenthal. A year or two -later than our present date, as he was ascending one of his beloved -pine-clad hills in Dietrich's company, he showed his friend the exact -spot where the opening theme of the first movement had occurred to him, -saying: 'I was walking along one morning, and as I came to this spot the -sun shone out and the subject immediately suggested itself.'[12] - -From Carlsruhe Brahms proceeded to Switzerland, where he appeared at -Basle, Zürich, and Winterthur. At Zürich he conducted his D major -Serenade, given there two years previously under Fichtelberger, and -performed the solo of Schumann's Pianoforte Concerto, and Bach's -Chromatic Fantasia; and at Winterthur he gave a chamber music soirée in -combination with his friend Theodor Kirchner and the young violinist F. -Hegar. Of this Widmann, who saw and heard Brahms for the first time on -the occasion, has given some account in his 'Recollections.' - - 'There was,' he writes, 'a something in his countenance which - suggested the certainty of victory, the beaming cheerfulness of a - poet happy in the exercise of his art.' - -Returning to Germany, Brahms appeared next at Mannheim, and, on December -12, conducted his D major Serenade and played Beethoven's E flat -Concerto at the fifth Gürzenich subscription concert of the season at -Cologne. He had but little success on this occasion either as pianist or -composer. The serenade was criticised as being too lengthy and its -themes as too 'naïve' for his elaborate treatment of them. A different -reception was accorded him at a soirée of chamber music held at the -conservatoire, when he performed with Hiller his Duet Variations, Op. -23, and with von Königslow and his colleagues the G minor Pianoforte -Quartet. Both works were received with acclamation, and the composer -achieved a success worthy of his position in the world of art. Before -leaving Cologne Brahms played at a meeting of the Musikverein to a -private audience of the members, most of them professors and students of -the conservatoire. Amongst the pieces chosen by him for performance on -this occasion were Bach's great Organ Prelude and Fugue in A minor. - -And now the anxious son found opportunity to hurry with beating heart to -Hamburg to see his father and to make the acquaintance of his -stepmother-elect. To find, also, every probability that Jakob had chosen -wisely, and that his contemplated change of life bade fair to ensure a -happy and peaceful close to a career that had been full of hardship and -uncertainty. - -Frau Caroline Schnack, a handsome widow who had already been twice a -wife, was just turned forty-one, and therefore more than seventeen years -the junior of her proposed third husband. She had an only child, her son -Fritz, born of her second marriage, now a lad of about thirteen. Capable -and managing, she kept an excellent public dining-room for single men -not far from the musicians' 'Börse,' described in an early chapter of -our narrative, and had a regular _clientèle_ amongst the members of the -Stadt Theater orchestra. Since the time when Johannes had thought it -advisable for his parents to separate, Jakob had been one of her daily -customers, and her good cooking and substantial capacity had gradually -opened for her the way to his affection. Johannes, on his interview with -Frau Schnack, was at once favourably impressed by her personality and -gave his consent to the engagement, only insisting that full time for -consideration on both sides should be allowed before the taking of the -irrevocable step of marriage; and after a day or two in Hamburg he set -out with a greatly relieved mind for Detmold, where he had arranged with -Bargheer to spend the Christmas week and to reappear as composer and -pianist on the scenes of his former activity. - -The visit passed off most happily. The great composer, to whom, with -some disappointment, much success and fame had come since his last -sojourn in the little capital six years previously, was merry according -to his wont when in the midst of familiar associates. Such changes as -had taken place in the circle were for the better. Bargheer was married, -Carl von Meysenbug engaged. The reunions of the former bachelor friends -were enlivened by the presence of ladies--charming young married women -and pretty girls--and Brahms was ready to abandon himself to any amount -of fun, his almost extravagant buoyancy of spirits being no doubt -assisted by the reaction from his late tension of mind in regard to his -father's affairs. These social occasions were but the interludes between -more serious pleasures. Every day there was music at the palace, the -castle, or one or more of the private musical houses. Brahms conducted -his A major Serenade and played Beethoven's E flat Concerto at an -orchestral concert, and took part in a soirée at the palace, where, -amongst other things, he performed the Kreutzer Sonata with Bargheer -before the well-remembered sympathetic court circle. The visit, which -was the last paid by him to Detmold, formed a fitting close to his -association with Prince Leopold's court, to whose memory, and especially -to that of the various members of the princely family, must ever attach -the artistic distinction of their early recognition of the composer's -genius and their appreciation of his personality. - -Brahms' next destination was Oldenburg, where he arrived in time to -celebrate the New Year's festival of 1866 with the Dietrichs. He played -his own Concerto and an unpublished composition of Schubert at the -subscription concert of January 5, and at the chamber music soirée of -the 10th contributed some Bach solos to the programme and took part with -Dietrich in a performance of Schumann's Variations in B flat, and with -Engel and Westermann in the first public performance of his own Horn -Trio, which created a deep impression. It is important to add here that -Westermann used the natural horn on the occasion by the particular -desire of Brahms, who now and always insisted to the hornists of his -acquaintance on the impossibility of securing a poetical interpretation -of his work with the ventil horn. - - 'If the performer is not obliged by the stopped notes to play - softly the piano and violin are not obliged to adapt themselves to - him, and the tone is rough from the beginning.'[13] - -The appearances at Oldenburg closed the _tournée_. Gratified as our -musician declared himself to be with the results of his journey, which, -if it had not brought him a series of triumphs, had at least -demonstrated the fact that his works were gradually making their way -through the musical circles of Europe, it was not, as we know, part -either of his inclination or his aim to prolong his occasional artistic -travels. He chafed at the restriction to personal freedom resulting from -fixed engagements, and at the disturbance of mind inseparable from -hurried journeys from place to place, and this year he had more than -ordinary reason for desiring to be settled again to the quiet -concentration of thought essential to all art-creation worthy to be so -called. After a second and longer stay in Hamburg that confirmed the -satisfaction with which he had lately contemplated the idea of his -father's approaching marriage, he returned to Carlsruhe to pass the rest -of the winter in Allgeyer's house in Langenstrasse, now known as -Kaiserstrasse. - -The first quarter of the year 1866 witnessed the publication of a long -list of works. By Rieter-Biedermann, the two sets of extraordinarily -difficult and brilliant Paganini Variations for Pianoforte, which, when -in the hands of a competent executant, are found to be full of original -and striking effects, even if they be inferior in musical value to the -composer's other achievements in this form[14]; the three Sacred -Choruses, Op. 37, for unaccompanied women's voices, and mentioned in our -first volume in connection with the Ladies' Choir. By Simrock, the -second String Sextet in G major, worthy sister to its companion work, -though it has not obtained quite so wide a popularity, and the Sonata in -E minor, dedicated to Dr. Josef Gänsbacher. The Horn Trio was issued by -the same house quite at the end of the year.[15] - -The Sonata in E minor for pianoforte and violoncello, the earliest of -Brahms' seven published duet sonatas for pianoforte and another -instrument, all of which are characteristic examples of certain sides of -his genius, is a valuable number in the comparatively short list of -works of its class for the violoncello. The first movement is of -graceful, expressive, delicately melodious character, rising at one -point of the development section towards passion, but returning -immediately to the dainty, dreaming mood by which the composer so often -subdues his hearers to the spell of his imagination. The 'allegretto -quasi menuetto' which follows is an exquisite example of a species of -movement in the making of which Brahms stands unrivalled. It fascinates -with irresistible certainty by its ethereal, playful, poetic fancy, to -which the touch of seriousness in the trio offers just sufficient, not -too pronounced, contrast. The finale is written _con amore_ in the form -of a free fugue, which, full of spirit and energy throughout its course, -rattles to its close in a lively coda. Care should be taken not to -exaggerate the pace of this movement in performance. If taken too -quickly, the violoncello passages lose their due effect. - -On his return to Carlsruhe, Brahms settled down to the actual writing of -the German Requiem, with which he was occupied during the succeeding -months, and it was one of Allgeyer's favourite recollections in later -years that a portion of the inspired work had been put on paper under -his roof. - -It is well known that Brahms' nearest friends accepted the composition -as his memorial of his mother. 'We all think he wrote it in her memory, -though he has never expressly said so,' Frau Schumann told the author -some years later. 'Never has a nobler monument been raised by filial -love,' said Joachim, referring to the German Requiem in the course of -his address at the Brahms Memorial Festival held at Meiningen in -October, 1899; and we may at least say with certainty that the work, -which must be regarded as the crowning point of much of the composer's -previous activity, is, on the whole, a memorial of the emotions by which -he was stirred during the period that immediately succeeded his mother's -death, apart from the question of whether or not he had planned it at an -earlier time. It is, however, a circumstance of great interest that the -strains he had conceived in his grief for the tragedy of Schumann's -illness recurred to him as appropriate for the solemn mourning -march--one of the most vivid and extraordinary of his inspirations--of -the Requiem,[16] and we cannot be wrong in assuming that the remembrance -of his beloved friend was with him as he worked. Perhaps we may venture -to think that two of the strongest affections and griefs of Brahms' -life, associated with strangely contrasted objects--Schumann, the great -genius and master, Johanna, the simple old mother--live together in this -exalted music. There is no warrant for the statement of anything more -precise as to the composer's intention excepting with regard to the -fifth number, the soprano solo with chorus, which was added some time -after the completion of the other movements. Of this it may be said -definitely, as will presently appear, that whilst Brahms was engaged in -writing it the thought of his mother was present in a special sense to -his memory. - -Jakob's marriage with Frau Schnack took place in March, rather more than -a year after the death of his first wife. Johannes sent a substantial -sum of money as a wedding present, and his great contentment in the -anticipation of his father's happiness was a constant and favourite -theme in his talks with Allgeyer, always an interested and sympathetic -listener. - -Frau Caroline's business was given up, and the newly-married pair -settled into a comfortable flat on the fourth floor of No. 5, -Anscharplatz, at the corner of Valentin's Camp, a respectable business -quarter of Hamburg, where there was sufficient accommodation to allow -Frau Caroline to turn her housekeeping talents to account by taking two -or three men boarders. A large airy room, 'the corner room,' was -reserved for Johannes, who was ultimately responsible for the rent of -the flat, and to it were transferred his books, bookcase, and other -belongings, from the apartments that had been his mother's in the Lange -Reihe, whilst Elise arranged to live near an aunt in another quarter of -the city. A photograph of Johannes, taken by Allgeyer, was sent to Jakob -a few weeks after the wedding as a permanent souvenir of his son's -felicitations on the occasion. It is still in existence, and is now in -the possession of Herr Fritz Schnack, 'the second Fritz,' as Johannes -caressingly called his quasi stepbrother. - -Persuaded by Theodor Kirchner, who was at this time resident in Zürich, -to spend the summer near him, Brahms, arriving in the middle of April, -found a lodging in a small house on the Zürichberg which commanded a -splendid prospect of lake and mountain. Here every facility was -abundantly at hand for his enjoyment. Dividing his time, from a very -early hour of the morning until noon, between musing in the open air and -work in his room, he was usually to be met about twelve o'clock in the -museum, which became a place of rendezvous for his friends. After the -early dinner, always taken out of doors in fine weather, and a more or -less prolonged sitting over newspapers, or in chat with acquaintance, in -the open air, he would drop in at a friend's house, generally -Kirchner's, pass an hour or two in informal sociability, and often make -music with some of the resident musicians. It was at Kirchner's that he -became acquainted with the celebrated Swiss writer and poet, Gottfried -Keller, and with the distinguished Zürich professor of surgery, Dr. -Theodor Billroth, who was some four years our composer's senior, and -who, called subsequently to Vienna, became one of Brahms' most familiar -friends. Billroth's love for music was second only to his devotion to -his own great vocation. He had studied the violin under Eschmann, played -at a weekly trio meeting at his house in Plattenstrasse, Zürich, and was -sufficiently proficient to take part on the viola with professional -musicians in private performances of Beethoven's quartets and Brahms' -sextets. He could play the piano well, was a good sight-reader, and -acted occasionally as musical critic to one of the Zürich papers. - - 'Brahms arrived here a few days ago,' he writes on the 22nd of - April to his friend, Professor Lübke of Stuttgart. 'This morning he - and Kirchner played some of Liszt's symphonic poems on two - pianofortes. Horrible music!... We purged ourselves with Brahms' - new sextet that has just come out. Brahms and Kirchner played it as - a duet.'[17] - -The composer became intimate, also, at the house of Herr and Frau -Wesendonck, who had been Wagner's great friends during his residence at -Zürich, and could not hear enough about the composer of the -'Meistersinger,' of whom the Wesendoncks possessed inexhaustible -personal recollections and several valuable souvenirs. Amongst these was -the master's autograph score of the 'Rheingold,' an object that was -regarded by Brahms with a respect almost amounting to veneration. - -Traits of habit and character similar to those with which the reader is -familiar, and which recall the period of the Detmold visits, are -described in Steiner's 'Recollections,' by Capellmeister F. Hegar,[18] -who was the inseparable associate of Brahms and Kirchner: - - '... We were no less impressed by his extraordinarily sound health. - He could venture upon anything. How often has he passed the night - on the sofa of my bachelor's quarters when he was disinclined to - climb the Zürichberg in the late hours of evening. Once indeed, - when an older friend less hardy than himself claimed my - hospitality, he lay down underneath my grand piano, and declared - next morning that he had slept splendidly.' - -Hegar mentions that Brahms' musical memory and unusually rapid power of -apprehension excited the astonished admiration of the Zürich musicians. - - 'When we played him our compositions for the first time, he would - afterwards sit down and repeat long portions note for note from - memory, pointing out the weak places.' - -One or two reminiscences of the summer are to be found in the volume of -Billroth's letters from which quotation has already been made. Amongst -them is the description of a music-party at his house, at which Brahms -was present to hear a performance of his lately-published Sextet in G -major. The consciousness of the composer's presence so unnerved Billroth -that he was obliged to ask Eschmann, who was amongst the listeners, to -relieve him of his part of second viola. - - 'I have learnt never to play before a composer,' he wrote a few - days afterwards, 'unless his work has been well rehearsed. As I was - quite familiar with the composition, I could imagine the vexation - Brahms must have felt, although he put the matter aside in the - kindest way. Kirchner, Brahms and Hegar had been up late together - the night before and were tired. Everything contributed to make the - evening dull.' - -Of the sextet he says: 'I think it wonderfully fine; so clear, so -simple, so masterly.' - -Brahms remained in Switzerland until the middle of August, and, arriving -on the 17th of this month to stay for a few weeks at his old lodgings in -Lichtenthal, surprised Frau Schumann by appearing before her for the -first time with a beard. He did not at this period persevere very long -in wearing the appendage, which changed his appearance in an unusual -degree, but he adopted it a second time, and, as it proved, permanently, -about fourteen years later. - -The composer had worked steadily on at the German Requiem during the -months of his residence in Zürich, and that he now completed it in -Lichtenthal--save and excepting only the fifth number--is to be inferred -from the inscription on the manuscript score--'Baden-Baden im Sommer, -1866'--now in possession of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde at Vienna. -Great additional interest is given to this date by a short entry made by -Frau Schumann in her diary early in September, which is, without doubt, -the earliest written note upon the now famous work. - - 'Johannes has been playing me some magnificent movements out of a - Requiem of his own and a string quartet in C minor. The Requiem - delighted me even more, however. It is full of tender and again - daring thoughts. I cannot feel clear as to how it will sound, but - in myself it sounds glorious.'[19] - -The extract has a double interest, as furnishing a new illustration of -Brahms' caution with regard to publication, and especially in the case -of works which constituted for him a new artistic departure. The String -Quartet in C minor was not published until 1873, seven years from our -present date. - -About the middle of September Joachim appeared in Lichtenthal, and after -a few days' stay there carried Brahms away with him. He had become a man -at large through the political events of the year, by which the kingdom -of Hanover became part of Prussia, having felt it impossible to accept -the offer made him to retain his appointment after the deposition of -King George, and was able to follow his inclination as to his -arrangements for the autumn and winter season. These included tours in -Switzerland and France, and it was ultimately arranged between the -friends that Johannes should combine with him in some of his Swiss -concerts. - -Brahms spent most of the intervening time in Hamburg, and was so happy -in his comfortable corner room in the Anscharplatz that he began -seriously to entertain the idea of settling down again under his -father's roof. Frau Caroline managed the household with careful but -judicious thrift, and there was peace and contentment in the home. In -his own way Jakob was as regular in his habits as his son. Every morning -he went to the 'Börse' to inquire for work, and was generally successful -in obtaining small engagements, often to act as substitute in the -theatre orchestras. His position as bassist at the Stadt Theater had -come to an end in the course of the fifties, owing to changes in the -management, but he continued a member of the Philharmonic orchestra -until a year before his death. He was proud and fond of Frau Caroline, -always came home as soon as his work was done to enjoy the good plain -fare which she had ready for him, and was perfectly happy as he sat in -the kitchen with his pipe and a large cup of thin coffee, watching her -movements. Once a week he amused himself by walking in the Jews' quarter -of the city and inspecting the cheap second-hand wares with which the -vendors sought to tempt his custom. His weakness for bargains was -sometimes a source of embarrassment to his wife, in spite of her -firmness in limiting his loose pocket-money to the sum of a few pence. -Now he would send home to her a quantity of wardrobe hooks, another time -many pounds'-weight of honey. 'Goodness, Brahms! what are we to do with -it?' she would despairingly inquire. 'Yes, Lina, but I couldn't let it -stand at the price,' he would answer. Johannes used to lecture his -father on his weakness for spending money, telling him how careful he -himself was obliged to be, and could be seriously vexed if he found that -Jakob had been really extravagant or thoughtless. This, however, -occurred but seldom. - -A letter to Dietrich from the Anscharplatz mentions the Requiem, and -evidently answers an inquiry from Albert as to the long-delayed Symphony -in C minor of which we heard in the summer of 1862. - - 'DEAR DIETRICH! - - 'Before the summer is over you shall be reminded of me by a short - greeting.... - - 'Unfortunately I cannot wait upon you with a symphony, but it would - be a joy to have you here for a day, to play you my so-called - German Requiem. - - 'I have been till now living in Switzerland, in Zürich. I shall - stay here a little and think of going then to Vienna....'[20] - -The concert-journey with Joachim was very successful, and afforded -Brahms quite unexpected evidence of the progress his music was making in -Switzerland. This country was, in fact, one of the earliest in which his -art met with general appreciation, and much of the credit of its -acceptance there must be ascribed to the efforts of Theodor Kirchner, -who, as the reader may remember, was one of the most gifted musicians of -the Schumann circle, and who seized every opportunity that offered from -the beginning of Brahms' career, to spread the understanding of his -compositions. Kirchner filled an organist's post at Winterthur for -nearly ten years before his removal to Zürich in 1862, and, whilst -developing an active musical life in the little town, made his influence -felt far beyond its limits. - -The tour opened on October 24 in Schaffhausen, and included Winterthur, -Basle, and finally Mühlhausen in Alsace. An interesting incident of the -visit to Mühlhausen was the renewal of friendly relations, after ten -years of estrangement, between Joachim and von Bülow, who was resident -during the season 1866-67 at Basle, and gave Trio concerts there with -Abel and Kahnt. No communication took place between the former Weimar -intimates during the week passed by Brahms and Joachim at Basle, but -Bülow's affectionate nature was strongly stirred by seeing his old -friend again on the concert-platform and hearing his public -performances, which he describes as 'ideal perfection.' The sequel may -be told in the words of his letter to Raff, dated Basle, November 22. - - 'And now, a great piece of news. On Sunday the 10th I travelled to - Mühlhausen for the Brahms-Joachim concert, and the relation of - friendship between Joachim and me was renewed on French soil after - ten years' interruption. This will lead to no results of a positive - nature, but a stone has been taken from my heart, and from his also - as he has assured your sister-in-law. For my sake Joachim returned - to Basle for a few hours and then took the night train to - Paris.'[21] - -Some years were yet to elapse before Bülow could pretend to any -cordiality of feeling towards the art of Brahms. In another letter of -1866 we read: - - 'I respect and admire him, but--at a distance. The Pianoforte - Quintet seems to me the most interesting of his large - compositions.... Kiel is much more sympathetic to me.'[21] - -He prevailed upon himself, indeed, to play the Horn Trio at his Basle -Trio concert of March 26, 1867, when his colleagues were Abel and Hans -Richter, who commenced his artist's career as a hornist, and was at this -time living in Switzerland in the enjoyment of Wagner's intimacy; and he -included Joachim's Variations for viola and pianoforte in the same -programme; but as late as 1870 he wrote to Raff: - - 'What do the Br.'s matter to me? Brahms, Brahmüller, Bruch, etc. - Don't mention them again! Who knows whether a Riehl may not turn up - in 1950 to beplutarch them as maestrinelli? The only one who - interests me is Braff!' - -The fact that von Bülow's critical faculty was subject to the disturbing -influence of his capacity for warm friendship cannot lessen the -admiration inspired by his talents and his generous nature. His severe -animadversions on Brahms' works, together with his practical neglect of -them up to a period when his opinion as to their merits had become very -much a matter of indifference, may be pardoned by the lovers of our -master's art, who remember that they were, for the most part, the -outcome of his deep personal affection for Liszt, Wagner, and Joachim, -and of his long-continued intimate association with the leaders and -prominent disciples of the New-German school. - -Brahms returned to Vienna, after about a year and a half of absence, -immediately after his friend's departure from Mühlhausen, and spent the -winter quietly at work in his room on the fourth story of No. 6, -Poststrasse. The earliest event of any importance to his career that -marks the opening months of the year 1867 is the first public -performance of the Sextet in G major, which was given at the -Hellmesberger concert of February 3. The reader will by this time hardly -be surprised to learn that the work was received without enthusiasm. - - 'The composer was certainly called for and applauded,' says - Schelle, Hanslick's successor in the _Presse_, and a loyal though - unbiassed supporter of Brahms, 'but it was with a certain reserve. - One felt distinctly that the public was not carried away by the - work, but desired to do justice to so admirable an achievement.... - Brahms may be called a virtuoso in the modern development of the - quartet style, ... but only that can reach the heart which proceeds - from the heart, and the sextet comes from the hand and the head, - whilst the warm pulsations of the heart are to be felt only at - intervals.' - -So Bach's works were once spoken of, so Beethoven's in their day. So, it -may almost be said, must be criticised all musical creative achievement -that adequately expresses an original individuality. The composer of -genius has to go through a long apprenticeship before he acquires a -language of his own really capable of conveying his thoughts to the -world. By the time he is master of it, he has, by the nature of things, -placed himself outside the immediate comprehension of all but a few -specially qualified listeners, and must be willing to wait for his -reward until some of those to whom he speaks have had time to follow him -a certain distance along his appointed path, and opportunity to become -familiarized with his manner of utterance. Brahms was content to wait, -and he waited almost with equanimity of spirit, never losing faith in -the future, though he had something more pronounced to encounter than -indifference. Hirsch, of the _Wiener Zeitung_, wrote apropos of the -sextet: - - 'We are always seized with a kind of oppression when the new John - in the wilderness, Herr Johannes Brahms, announces himself. This - prophet, proclaimed by Robert Schumann in his darkening hours, who, - for the rest, has his energetic admirers in Vienna--we mention this - in our position, from pure love of truth--makes us quite - disconsolate with his impalpable, dizzy tone-vexations that have - neither body nor soul and can only be products of the most - desperate effort. Such manifest, glaring, artificiality is quite - peculiar to this gentleman. How many drops of perspiration may - adhere to these note-heads?' - -On the 25th of this same month of February, the earlier B flat Sextet, -by this time almost popular in more than one Continental city, and long -known in New York through Mason's concerts, was performed for the first -time in England at the Monday Popular Concerts, St. James's Hall, -London, by Joachim, Louis Ries, Henry Blagrove, Zerbini, Paque, and -Piatti. The director, S. Arthur Chappell, printed a notice in the -programme-books to the effect that he introduced the work by Joachim's -desire. It made no impression, and the composer was not again heard at -the Popular Concerts for five years. - -If the recognition of Brahms' exact claims as a composer, even by his -Austrian public, long remained dubious, his qualities as a pianist -seldom failed to evoke unmistakable signs of their warm approval. With -the arrival of March he prevailed upon himself this year to announce -concerts in Vienna, Graz, Klagenfurth, and Pesth, and the success of -his performances was unequivocal, in spite of the approach of spring and -the unusual warmth of the season. - - 'At last a pianist who entirely takes hold of one,' exclaims - Schelle, writing of the first concert; 'one only needs to hear his - first few chords to be convinced that Herr Brahms is a player of - quite extraordinary stamp. The musical critic of the _Wiener - Zeitung_ writes that Herr Brahms was cordially received by his - "party." We may remark that Brahms was received, not by a "party," - but by the entire very numerous public, with applause such as is - seldom heard in Vienna concert-rooms. If, however, the audience of - the evening is to be described as the "party" of the distinguished - artist, it must be said that his party consists of the cultivated - experts of musical Vienna.' - -The instrumental numbers of the programme were Beethoven's Fantasia, Op. -77; Bach's G major Fantasia; Brahms' Scherzo; Schumann's Etudes -Symphoniques; Brahms' Paganini Variations. The concert-giver played as -an additional piece his own arrangement for the pianoforte of the fugue -from Beethoven's String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3, - - 'which,' says Schelle, 'claims almost more admiration even than his - performance, for it is a most faithful reflection of the entire - score which we meet unchanged in the effective costume.' - -At the second concert in Vienna, which took place on April 7, after -Brahms' return from the provinces, the programme included Bach's F major -Toccata; Beethoven's Sonata, Op. 109; Brahms' Handel Variations and -Fugue; Schumann's Fantasia in C, Op. 17; and short pieces by Scarlatti -and Schubert. As an additional piece, an arrangement of a movement from -Schubert's Octet was conceded. Vocal numbers were included in both -programmes. - -Brahms himself mentions the concerts in a letter to Dietrich. - - 'The result was so good in every respect,' he writes, 'that I must - call myself doubly an ass for not having secured it earlier and - taken the opportunity to get rid of my Requiem.' - -He let the work lie for several months longer, however, without coming -to any decision about it. On July 30 he again wrote to Dietrich: - - '... In all haste: I start to-morrow with my father on a little - tour through Upper Austria. I do not know when I shall be back. - Keep the accompanying Requiem until I write to you. Don't let it go - out of your hands and write to me very seriously by-and-by what you - think of it. - - 'An _offer_ from Bremen would be very acceptable to me. - - 'It would have to be combined with a concert engagement. In short - _Reinthaler_ must probably be sufficiently pleased with the thing - to do something for it. - - 'For the rest, I am inclined to let such matters quietly alone, for - I do not intend to worry myself about them. - - 'I am ready for anything from Christmas onwards. Joachim and I - probably gave concerts here before.' - -There is a trace of nervous anxiety in this letter which leaves little -doubt that Brahms had within him the consciousness that in the German -Requiem he had transcended all his previous achievements, and that he -was even unusually anxious to ensure a favourable opportunity for the -hearing of his new work. Until now it had been submitted to none of his -companions, save, perhaps, Joachim, and it is evident that he did not -easily bring himself to the resolution of sending it away even for -Dietrich's sympathetic inspection, and that, whilst he hoped, he -somewhat dreaded to hear the result of a communication with Reinthaler. -We must postpone for awhile our account of the fortunes of the -manuscript in order to follow our musician on his holiday journey, on -which he no doubt started with a mind sufficiently relieved by the mere -fact of his decision to be able to await with composure the next issues -of fate. - -Herr königlich Musikdirektor Carl Martin Reinthaler (born 1822), -municipal music-director of Bremen and organist of the cathedral, to -whom the manuscript is meanwhile to be submitted, was a distinguished -musician and the composer of numerous works in very varied forms, vocal -and instrumental. His oratorio 'Jepthah' was performed in London in -1856 under John Hullah's direction; several of his operas--'Käthchen von -Heilbronn,' 'Edda,' etc.--composed later in his career, were given with -success in Bremen, Hanover, and other towns; and his 'Bismarck Hymn' won -the prize in a competition adjudged at Dortmund. By his talent and -earnestness in his position as conductor of the orchestral concerts at -Bremen, he did much to raise the standard of musical taste in the city. - -[11] 'Josef lieber, Josef mein, - hilf mir wieg'n mein Kindlein fein. - Gott der wird dein Lohner sein - in Himmelreich der Jungfrau Sohn, Maria.' - - (Joseph dearest, Joseph mine, - Help me rock the babe divine. - Heaven's blessing shall be thine - In th' kingdom of the Virgin's Son, Mariè.) - -[12] Personally communicated to the author by Herr Hofcapellmeister -Dietrich. - -[13] From a letter published by Richard Heuberger (_Beilage zur Allg. -Musikzeitung_, 1899, No. 260). - -[14] Brahms, by giving to the variations the second title of Studies for -the Pianoforte, has sufficiently indicated the intention with which he -placed them before the world. - -[15] The date of the publication of the Horn Trio is given in Simrock's -Thematic Catalogue as 1868. - -[16] See p. 167, vol. i. - -[17] 'Briefe von Theodor Billroth' (sixth enlarged edition). - -[18] 'Neujahrsblatt der Allgemeinen Musikgesellschaft in Zürich,' 1898. - -[19] The author is indebted for this and a few other extracts from Frau -Schumann's diary to the kindness of Fräulein Marie Schumann. - -[20] The date assigned to this letter in Dietrich's 'Recollections' is -one amongst several similar mistakes that occur in the volume. They are -to be explained by the circumstances that Brahms rarely put dates to his -letters, and that those in question were supplied from memory. - -[21] 'Briefe u. Schriften von Hans von Bülow.' Published by Marie von -Bülow. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - 1867-1869 - - Brahms' holiday journey with his father and Gänsbacher--Austrian - concert-tour with Joachim--The German Requiem--Performance of the - first three choruses in Vienna--Tour with Stockhausen in North - Germany and Denmark--Performance of the German Requiem in Bremen - Cathedral--Brahms settles finally in Vienna--Brahms and Stockhausen - give concerts in Vienna and Budapest. - - -Our composer's invitation to his father to accompany him on a tour -amongst the Austrian Alps had mightily gratified Jakob. The violinist, -young Carl Bade, happening to call at the Anscharplatz on the day of his -start for Vienna, found him carefully dressed for the journey, and in a -high state of elation and delight. Wrapping himself in an air of -mysterious mock dignity, he scarcely vouchsafed a word of greeting to -his wondering young friend, but, drawing himself up to his full height, -gravely adjusted his necktie and paced the room in silence. Then, coming -to a standstill, he pursed up his lips and looked at Bade with an -expression of sly significance. 'Min Hannes het mi inladt; ick reis mit -min Hannes' (My Hannes has invited me; I travel with my Hannes), he said -in answer to Bade's demands for an explanation. A glimpse of him on his -arrival is afforded by the recollection of Dr. Josef Gänsbacher, who was -to accompany father and son on their journey, and, calling to make last -arrangements with Johannes, found Jakob with him. The manuscript of the -beautiful song 'Mainacht,' which had that day been composed, was at -hand, and at his friend's request Gänsbacher sang it then and there, and -added the lovely 'Wie bist du meine Königin' for the benefit of the -elder Brahms, who expressed himself, as in duty bound, pleased with the -songs, and was undoubtedly gratified by the compliment paid him. - -The route chosen by the travellers lay through Styria and Carinthia, -regions abounding in grand and romantic scenery of mountain, lake and -forest; but though Johannes, an inveterate optimist in many ways, talked -afterwards of his father's enjoyment of the journey, it is to be feared -that Jakob, who had scarcely quitted Hamburg since his arrival there as -a youth of nineteen, did not develop any great appreciation of the -beauties of nature. He managed the ascent of the Hochschwab, or part of -it, on foot, but it was a great deal too much for him. He was too old -and too heavy to begin an apprenticeship as a mountaineer, and on the -next expedition of the kind made by Johannes and Gänsbacher he remained -behind at the village of Wildalpen. He got on much better when walking -on the even, but wisely made no attempt to emulate the indefatigable -pedestrian powers of his son, who would frequently stride on until he -was an hour ahead of his companions. Jakob was better able to appreciate -those parts of the journey which were accomplished by carriage or boat, -though even there he spoke but little, perhaps hardly knowing how to -express himself. One day, however, when the three travellers were on the -Grundlsee, one of the most secluded and romantic of the Austrian lakes, -he stood up and looked slowly round him, as if impressed by the beauty -of the scene. 'Just like the Alster at home in Hamburg,' he remarked at -length, as he sat down again. - -Johannes fell in with some parties of his Austrian friends during the -expedition, and was plainly gratified by the consideration shown to his -father by one and all. One enthusiastic lady went so far as to bestow a -kiss on the old man--an attention which procured him some good-natured -raillery from his son, and which he discreetly left unmentioned for some -time after his return to the Anscharplatz. He went back by way of -Heidelberg, stopping to see the castle and other attractions by the -desire of Johannes, and, a little while after reaching home, received -from Vienna a souvenir of the doubtful pleasures of his journey in the -shape of some mountain charts of the districts through which he had -travelled, with blue lines drawn to mark the summits he had been able to -attain by mountain railways or other mechanical means of transit. The -maps, carefully preserved by Jakob, remain as a memorial of the -composer's loving thought of his father, whom he indulged and spoilt -almost like a petted child at this period of his life. - -The journey over, Brahms' thoughts reverted to the manuscript which he -had confided to Dietrich's care, and as soon as he was back in Vienna he -wrote to beg for its return: - - 'DEAR ALBERT, - - 'Please send my score back to me as soon as possible and turn the - opportunity to good account by enclosing this and that--above all a - long letter. - - 'I had the great pleasure of having my father with me for some - weeks. We made a pleasant tour through Styria and Salzburg. Imagine - what enjoyment my father's pleasure gave me, he had never seen a - mountain.... - - 'Now I think of remaining here quietly; it is unfortunately useless - for me to make plans, for only that happens which comes of itself. - - 'Nevertheless I wish to have the Requiem in my own cupboard again, - so send....'[22] - -To this note Dietrich returned no answer, and Brahms, becoming -impatient, applied for information as to the whereabouts of his work to -Joachim, who wrote back that it was in Reinthaler's keeping. Possibly -Brahms may have been a little startled at finding that Dietrich, in his -eager friendship, had put such an elastic interpretation upon the -mention of the Bremen director quoted in our last chapter as to pass -over the injunction not to part with the manuscript; but however this -may be, he cannot but have been gratified at finding, as the result, -that the musician of his own selection had been so impressed by the work -as to wish to produce it at the earliest appropriate opportunity in the -cathedral of Bremen. It is known to some of Reinthaler's old friends -that he suggested the enlargement of the work to the dimensions of an -oratorio. That Brahms did not entertain the proposal is matter of -history. - -The first performance of the Requiem, as originally completed, to be -given under Brahms' direction in Bremen Cathedral, was fixed for Good -Friday, April 10, 1868. Meanwhile the composer's engagements kept him in -Austria. The first three numbers of the new work were to be produced -under Herbeck at the Gesellschaft concert of December 1, and a tour -arranged with Joachim for the ante-Christmas concert-season included -concerts in Vienna, Budapest, and various provincial towns. The journey, -which opened at Vienna on November 9, was triumphantly successful. -Joachim performed the great solos of his répertoire by Bach, Tartini, -and Spohr, and shorter pieces by Schumann and Paganini, with all of -which concert-goers are now familiar, appearing also on his own account -in several great orchestral concerts. Brahms played works by Bach, -Schumann, Schubert, and some of his own compositions. Together the -concert-givers were heard in several of Beethoven's duet Sonatas, -Schubert's Fantasia, Op. 159, and Rondo Brilliant, Op. 70, etc. - -'When Brahms and Joachim play Beethoven, Bach, Schubert together, the -conceptions are like living tone pictures,' says Billroth, who, called -to Vienna about a year after his first acquaintance with Brahms at -Zürich and settled there for good, had the delight of receiving and -hearing his two great artist friends at his house several times during -the two months of Joachim's stay. - -The Gesellschaft concert of December 1 was devoted to the memory of -Schubert, and the three first numbers of the German Requiem formed an -appropriate first portion of a programme of which the second half -consisted of a selection from Schubert's music to 'Rosamund,' given for -the first time in a concert-room. The choruses were, of course, sung by -the Singverein, and Dr. Pänzer, of the imperial chapel, was responsible -for the baritone solo of the Requiem. - -The performance of Brahms' movements did not result in a success, though -the two first were received with some tokens of approval. At the -conclusion of the third an extraordinary scene took place. The now -celebrated pedal point,[23] on which the last section of this number is -constructed, produced--partly owing to a mistake of the drummer, who -drowned the chorus by playing the famous 'D' _forte_ throughout--a -condition of nervous tension in a portion of the audience, a longing to -be relieved from the monotony of the one dominating sound; and when the -composer appeared on the platform in answer to the calls of some of his -hearers, unmistakable demonstrations of hostility mingled with the -plaudits. It may, indeed, be confidently surmised, and cannot appear -surprising, that but few even of those who supported him on this -occasion had any clear conception either of the meaning or importance of -his work. To Hanslick it appeared - - 'one of the ripest fruits in the domain of sacred music, developed - out of the style of Beethoven's late works.... The harmonic and - contrapuntal art learnt by Brahms in the school of Bach, and - inspired by him with the living breath of the present, is almost - forgotten in the expression of touching lament, increasing to the - annihilating death-shudder.' - -Of its reception he says: - - 'It is intelligible that a composition so difficult to understand, - and which deals only with ideas of death, is not adapted for - popular success and that it does not entirely answer to the demands - of a great public. We should have supposed, however, that a - presentiment of the greatness and seriousness of the work would - have suggested itself even to those who do not like it and would - have won their respect. This seems not to have been the case with - half a dozen gray-haired fanatics of the old school, who had the - rudeness to greet the applauding majority and the composer, as he - appeared, with prolonged hissing--a requiem on the decorum and good - manners of a Vienna concert-room which astonishes and grieves us.' - -Schelle, after reviewing the first number sympathetically and the second -almost enthusiastically, continues: - - 'Unfortunately the third is extremely inferior to it [No. 2]; the - text demanded a strong increase of effect which the composer has - been incapable of giving. The bass solo is not written gratefully - for the voice and there is much that is obtrusively bizarre and - unedifying in the chorus.... The movement was a failure....' - -Hirsch did not fail to make use of his opportunity in the _Wiener -Zeitung_. He speaks of the 'heathenish noise of the kettledrums,' and -declares 'in the interest of truth' that the opposition party in the -audience had an immense majority.' - -The concert is mentioned by Billroth in a letter dated December 24: - - 'I like Brahms better every time I meet him. Hanslick says, quite - rightly, that he has the same fault as Bach and Beethoven; he has - too little of the sensuous in his art both as composer and pianist. - I think it is rather an intentional avoidance of everything - sensuous as of a fault. His Requiem is so nobly spiritual and so - Protestant-Bachish that it was difficult to make it go down here. - The hissing and clapping became really violent; it was a party - conflict. In the end the applause conquered.' - -It is characteristic of Brahms that his belief in the future of his work -was not diminished by the untoward incidents of this occasion. He looked -forward to the result of the coming performance in Bremen with a -confidence that was even enhanced by the fact that he had gained -experience with respect to the instrumentation of the third chorus. - -He sent part of his manuscript to Marxsen with a letter from which the -following quotation was first published by Sittard in his 'Studien und -Charakteristiken': - - 'I send you some novelties and beg you, if time allows, to write me - _one_ or _many_ words about them. I enclose also something from my - Requiem and _on this I earnestly beg you to write to me_. It looks - rather curious in places and perhaps, in order to spare my - manuscript, you would take some music paper and put down useful - remarks. _I should like that very much._ The eternal "D" in No. 3. - If I do not use the organ it does not sound. There is much I should - like to ask. I hope you have time and some inclination; then you - will perceive at once what there is to ask and what to say.' - -It is, as Hanslick observed, by no means unintelligible that the first -part of the German Requiem was not immediately accepted by the general -body of listeners assembled at the Gesellschaft concert of December 1, -unprepared as they were for the new and important element underlying its -conception. The title chosen by the composer was at the time, and has -been occasionally since, demurred to as misleading, on account of the -long association of the term Requiem with the ritual of the Roman -Church. It should, however, be obvious that by the word 'German' -departure is indicated from the practice of previous composers, which -places the composition in a category of its own and gives to its message -an applicableness beyond the limitations of creed. Brahms arranged his -own words, and by the fact of doing so, by his inspired musical -treatment of his texts, and his direct avoidance of giving to his work -an association with a particular church service or a familiar musical -form, requiem or mass, cantata or oratorio, has preserved in it, whether -or not consciously, an element of personal fervour that constitutes part -of the secret of its spell. - -The texts, culled from various books of the Old and New Testaments and -the Apocrypha,[24] have been chosen, with entire absence of so-called -doctrinal purpose, as parts of the people's book, of Luther's Bible, the -accepted representative to Protestant nations of the highest aspirations -of man, and have been so arranged as to present in succession the -ascending ideas of sorrow consoled, doubt overcome, death vanquished. -That they open and close with the thought of love is not of necessity -to be ascribed solely to the artistic requirements of the work, or the -exigencies of its sacred theme. Whoever has studied Brahms' life and -works with sympathetic insight will be aware that the suggestion of love -triumphant runs through both like a continuous silver thread, and it is -open to those who choose, to accept this as indicative of a faith -dwelling within him, which was none the less fruitful for good because -it knew nothing of the dogma of the Churches. - -The opening chorus of the Requiem furnishes the key-note of its spirit: - -'_Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. He that -goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come -again with joy, bearing his sheaves with him. They that sow in tears -shall reap in joy._' - -What more reassuring prelude could prepare the human soul for encounter -with its most dreaded foe than these inspired words, heard in the -exquisite setting of consolation by which the composer has illumined -their meaning? The tenderness of the benediction, the passion of the -anticipation, the recurring mournful calm that dies away in the softest -whisper of comfort, place the mind in an attitude of awed suspense which -finds its solution in the opening bars of the solemn, mysterious march -of the second movement. Here we are surely in the majestic presence of -death incarnate, wrapped, however, in a haze of beauty, sorrow, -tenderness, compassion, that betoken, not the ruthless enemy of mankind, -but a deeply mournful messenger subdued to a Divine purpose. '_Behold, -all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of -grass_,' chant the altos and tenors in unison an octave above the -basses, something of unearthliness in their tones, with the alternate -repetitions of the march; and the delicate, evanescent harmonies of the -answering phrase, '_The grass withereth, the flower fadeth_,' strangely -deepen the impression of transitoriness conveyed by the text. Relief is -given by a middle episode of somewhat more animated character: '_Be -patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the -husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath, long -patience for it until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also -patient._' The final ending of the march, which is repeated after the -episode, is succeeded by the outburst of a transitional passage--'_God's -word endureth for ever_'--leading to the vigorous gladness of the second -section of the movement (fugato)--'_And the ransomed of the Lord shall -return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: -they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee -away_'--whose ringing, jubilant tones are checked only by the passing -shade of sorrow, until it subsides into the more tranquilly happy mood -in which the chorus terminates. - -In the third number the vision alters. To exaltation succeeds abasement. -We are shown the despondency, that is almost despair, of the soul -prostrate before its Lord: '_Lord, make me to know mine end, and the -number of my days what it is, that I may know how frail I am_.' The -movement opens with a baritone solo, supported by basses, drums, and -horn, which seems to crave nothing, hope for nothing. Words and melody -are, however, immediately repeated in chorus with plain harmonies that -somewhat relieve the first impressive gloom. Then there is a change. The -final cadence of the solo[25] becomes, in the chorus, a surprise cadence -upon which the baritone re-enters: '_Behold, thou hast made my days as -an handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee_.' The tension -relaxes, and a note of pleading makes itself felt that is strengthened -in the choral repetition of the phrase by the movement of the -accompanying instruments. Through despondency, through resignation, -through questioning, the soul gradually rises to hope: '_Verily man at -his best state is altogether vanity. Surely every man walketh in a vain -show, surely they are disquieted in vain; he heapeth up riches, and -knoweth not who shall gather them. Now, Lord, what do I wait for?_' The -pleading becomes importunity, and the crisis is reached with the -reiteration of the last words, first in an increasing agitation, and -finally in deliberate, hushed tones that seem to challenge the Lord. The -effect that follows is, perhaps, unsurpassed in its pure loveliness -throughout the domain of sacred music. With the passage '_My hope is in -thee_' all doubt is resolved in a glow of warmth, reconciliation, and -trust, and the perfect assurance of faith, '_The souls of the righteous -are in God's hand_' becomes the subject of an accompanied choral fugue, -constructed from beginning to end upon a tonic pedal point, which -establishes the brief inspiration of the transition passage in a -protracted expression of unshakable confidence, and forms, not only the -climax of the movement, but the first climax of the entire work. In it -the soul attains to an elevation of faith from which it does not again -falter. Though sorrow may not yet be finally subdued, doubt is -conquered, and the fourth number--'_How amiable are thy dwellings, O -Lord of Hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the -Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Blessed are -they that dwell in thy house; they will be still praising thee_'--is a -clear, melodious choral song with a flowing accompaniment, harmonized -simply, and with an occasional point of imitation, that expresses simple -affection and trust, emphasized towards the close of the movement by the -employment of increased contrapuntal resource. - -The fifth number, added, as we have said, after the work was first -finished, and not essential to its conception as a whole, may have been -conceded to some need of contrast felt by the composer on hearing the -completed six movements consecutively. It consists of a very beautiful -soprano solo with chorus, of rather mystic character, to the words '_And -ye now are sorrowful. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I -comfort you._' - -The sixth chorus opens with a dirge--'_For we have no abiding city, but -we seek one to come_'--soon to be interrupted by the baritone solo: -'_Behold, I shew you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall be -changed._' The words are repeated by the chorus with a heightening -agitation of mysterious expectancy, that leaps suddenly at the clarion -call to tumultuous exultation: '_In a moment, in the twinkling of an -eye, at the trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be -raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed._' The wild agitation is -stayed by the quiet message of the solo, '_Then shall be brought to pass -the saying that is written_,' and a prolonged half-cadence leads to the -re-entry of the chorus in a magnificently-sustained inspiration of -triumphant joy: '_Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is -thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?_' The glorious movement, after -mounting from height to height of power and splendour, suddenly, with an -unexpected change of time and key, reaches its climax in a brilliant -fugue, that seems, with its passion of never-ending praise, to reopen -the door of heaven and to transport the soul of the hearer to the -dazzling scene of the throne that is filled with the ineffable presence -of God: '_Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive honour and power, for thou -hast created all things, and for thy good pleasure they are and were -created._' - -The great work has now reached its final climax. The imagination of the -modern seer, soaring beyond sorrow, doubt, death, has pierced for a -moment through the mystery of things and shown us the unspeakable. But -the vision is not yet at an end. As in the writing of the Revelation of -St. John, so in the inspired music of the German Requiem. After the -lightnings and thunders and all the manifold glory of the throne, the -voice of the spirit: '_Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord -henceforth; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their -labours, and their works do follow them._' Confident, tender, majestic, -the message floats through the seventh movement, a veritable requiem, a -true song of peace, and, heard at length in the tones of the benediction -with which the work opens, sinks into silence with reiteration of -blessing. - -It would be an attractive task to analyze the technical means that -Brahms has employed to give musical expression to the varied ideas, all -rooted in the central one of overruling love, which together form the -subject of this exalted work. Whilst he has used the resources of -classical art with a power and ease that recall the mastery of Bach and -Handel, he has given warmth and life to his creation by availing himself -of the harmonic development of musical means to which the genius of -Schumann gave such strong stimulus. Wisely conservative, he was also -modern in the best sense, nor could the German Requiem have attained the -position it has won in the hearts of thousands of men and women to whom -it has brought comfort in bereavement or solace in times of mental -distress, if he had not understood and shared in the spirit, and -answered to it in an idiom, proper to his time. This should not be -forgotten in the performance of the great work, which is sometimes given -with a cold, formal correctness supposed to be appropriate in the case -of classical compositions. Brahms was not a pedant, but a poet and -idealist, and the full beauty and fascination of his music is disclosed -only when it is interpreted with the insight that is born of enthusiasm -and imagination. - -The Horn Trio was played in Vienna at the Hellmesberger Quartet concert -of December 29 by Brahms, Hellmesberger, and Kleinecke. Kleinecke -performed on the natural horn, and the beauty of his tone was remarked -on by one or two of the critics. The trio was received not unfavourably, -but with the reserve that usually attended the early performances of the -composer's works in the imperial capital at this period of his career. - -The publications of the year were but two in number--the set of sixteen -Waltzes for four hands on the Piano, dedicated to Hanslick; and a book -of five Songs for men's four-part Chorus, both issued in the spring by -Rieter-Biedermann. Several, at least, of the waltzes date from the -Detmold period, and were played by Brahms, and heard by Carl von -Meysenbug, at the Hôtel Stadt Frankfurt. They are inimitable in their -delicate, caressing grace, and possess a charm which perhaps exceeds -that of any known examples of their kind. They were performed from the -manuscript, as finally arranged for publication, by Frau Schumann and -Dietrich at a music party given by the Grand-Duchess of Oldenburg in the -autumn of 1866. - -Joachim's prolonged visit to Austria came to an end in the second week -of the New Year with a farewell dinner given in his honour by Brahms, -Billroth, Hanslick, and other friends, and a fortnight later he removed -with his family from Hanover to Berlin. His residence was permanently -fixed in the Prussian capital in the course of the following year by his -acceptance of the post of director of the Royal High School for Music -(executive art), which was about to be founded by King William of -Prussia (afterwards the German Emperor William I.), as an addition to -the State department for Art and Science, and in the planning and -practical arrangement of which Joachim actively participated. Under his -devoted management, it quickly rose to the high state of prosperity for -which it has long been famous, and now, after more than thirty-five -years of existence, it still enjoys the high advantage and distinction -of his personal labour and influence as director, conductor, and -teacher. The occasion of the opening in 1902, by the Emperor William -II., of the spacious new buildings of the Royal Schools for Art and -Science at Charlottenburg, of which the fine new music school is one, -must have seemed to the great veteran musician, as he recalled the -modest beginnings of his own special department in 1869, as one that -included the crowning of much of the activity of his life. - -Brahms quitted Vienna a few weeks after his friend to fulfil a series of -concert engagements, most of them arranged with Stockhausen, for the -months of February and March, by which he hoped to make his journey to -North Germany on the business of the Requiem answer a practical as well -as an artistic purpose. He took up his headquarters at his father's -house, and it was the last time that he returned from Vienna to Hamburg -as to his nominal home. The post of conductor of the Philharmonic had -again fallen vacant in 1867 by Stockhausen's resignation, and again, -though Brahms did not apply for the appointment, there was a strong -conviction amongst his friends that he would accept it if it were -offered him. But it was not to be. Admired and loved as he was in -Hamburg by an ever-increasing circle of friends, it was by a circle -only. He was not popular with the average musician or the general -public, and the Philharmonic committee passed him over a second time, -electing Julius von Bernuth as Stockhausen's successor. Brahms said -little on the subject, but it is fairly certain that the mortification -caused him by this repeated slight from the musical officialdom of his -native city sufficed to lead him to the determination at which he soon -afterwards arrived, to settle permanently in Vienna. - -Brahms made several public appearances in Hamburg during the second half -of February. He performed, at the Philharmonic concert of the 14th, -Beethoven's G major Concerto and Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques, adding -to the published version of the latter several variations contained in -Schumann's original manuscript. On the same occasion Stockhausen sang -Schubert's songs 'Memnon' and 'Geheimniss' to orchestral accompaniments -arranged by Brahms, at his request, a year or two previously. The -composer was able to spare a few days for Bremen, in order to make -Reinthaler's personal acquaintance, though his numerous engagements for -March obliged him to leave the work of preparation and rehearsal in the -experienced hands of his new friend. He played at the Oldenburg -subscription concert of the 4th,[26] and gave concerts with Stockhausen -during the same week in Dresden and Berlin, appearing for the first time -before the public of either capital. At the second concert in Berlin -(March 7) Nos. 3 and 5 of the 'Magelone Romances' were included in the -programme. On the 11th the two artists gave a soirée in Hamburg, when -Stockhausen introduced Brahms' 'Mailied' and 'Von ewiger Liebe' from the -manuscripts, and gave several folk-songs as an encore. At Kiel, where -they appeared on the 13th, they made the acquaintance of Löwe, the -famous ballad composer, now a man of seventy-two, with whose music -Brahms proved to be thoroughly familiar. Their next destination was -Copenhagen, where they had arranged to give four concerts. Stockhausen's -selection on the first of these occasions included songs by Stradella, -Schubert, and Boieldieu, all accompanied by Brahms, who performed as his -solos a Toccata and Fugue by Sebastian Bach Andante by Friedemann Bach, -two Scarlatti movements, Beethoven's Sonata in E flat, Op. 27, and, of -his own compositions, Variations on an original theme and the early -Scherzo in E flat minor. Both artists awakened a furore. Stockhausen -'electrified the house'; Brahms was 'enormously applauded,' especially -after the performance of his own compositions. The second concert, given -within the next few days, was equally successful. The concert-room was -crowded, the audience extraordinarily enthusiastic, and the financial -result brilliant beyond expectation. Then Brahms committed a _faux pas_, -which put an end, so far as he was concerned, to further result of the -triumph. - -Being asked, at a party given by the Danish composer Niels Gade in his -and Stockhausen's honour, if he had visited and admired the great -Thorwaldsen Museum, of which the citizens of Copenhagen are so justly -proud, he replied in the affirmative, and added that the building and -its collection were so fine it was to be regretted they were not in -Berlin. This unfortunate remark, made in a circle representative of -educated Danish society, where the remembrance of the recent Prussian -occupation of Schleswig-Holstein was still sore, produced an effect -which the speaker had been far from intending. It was regarded as a -deliberate insult to the country in which Brahms had been a fêted guest, -and was resented so strongly as to make the composer's reappearance on a -Copenhagen platform impossible. Pursuing the wisest course open, he -embarked on the next boat for Kiel, leaving Stockhausen to make such -arrangements as he could for the third advertised concert, and to pursue -his success further by associating himself with Joachim, who was about -to pay a short visit to the Danish capital. - -Arriving at Kiel at a very early hour in the morning, Brahms proceeded -to the house of Claus Groth, whose guest he had been on his outward -journey, and, walking in the garden until the inmates were astir, was -presently greeted by his friend from an upper window. 'Be quick and come -out; I have made a heap of money,' he cried in answer, slapping his -pocket. Coffee was soon served and a lively talk ensued, but, as no -explanation was offered by Brahms of his sudden reappearance, Groth at -length began to question him. 'What have you been about that you have, -so to say, run away? Stockhausen has not returned, and you have had -great success?' And thus brought to the point, the delinquent was -obliged to relate his indiscretion. 'Brahms! how could you have said -such a thing in a company of Danes!' cried Groth. 'I only meant,' -replied Brahms, 'that it would be better if so fine a work, so many -beautiful objects, were in a great centre where many people could see -them.' 'But you might have supposed Danes would not put up with such a -remark.' 'It did not occur to me,' answered Brahms. 'However,' he added -after a moment, 'I have earned so much money I shall not want more for a -long time; so the matter is indifferent to me.' - -Brahms arrived in Bremen on the first day of April, to remain until -after the 10th as the guest of Reinthaler, with whom he soon became -intimate. Appreciation of his works had steadily grown in the artistic -circles of Bremen since the musical life of the city had been under the -leadership of the distinguished artist whose name will remain associated -with the first performance of the then complete German Requiem; and the -Good Friday concert of this year was anticipated with the interest -attaching to an event of unusual importance, the more so as many -distinguished visitors from far and near were expected to be present as -performers or in the audience. To the gratification of the former -members of the Ladies' Choir, Brahms expressed a wish that the old -favourite society should be represented in the chorus, and four of the -most enthusiastic and trusty of his quondam disciples--Fräulein Garbe, -Fräulein Reuter, Fräulein Seebohm, and Fräulein Marie Völckers--answered -to his summons, arriving at Bremen in time to take part in the last -general rehearsal. The programme of the sacred concert, the proceeds of -which were to be devoted to the Bremen musicians' provident fund, -included the German Requiem (baritone solo, Stockhausen), between the -first and second parts of which, some of the miscellaneous items were -placed; movements by Bach and Tartini, and Schumann's Abendlied for -violin (Joachim); 'I know that my Redeemer liveth' (Frau Joachim); air -for contralto with violin obligato from Bach's 'Matthew Passion' (Frau -Joachim and Joachim); and the 'Hallelujah' chorus. Brahms was to conduct -his new work, Reinthaler the remaining selections. All the soloists gave -their services. - -The doors of St. Peter's Cathedral Church opened punctually at six -o'clock on Good Friday evening, and during the next hour the visitors, -many of them old acquaintances of the reader, streamed to their places. -Frau Reinthaler and Frau Stockhausen were of course present. The -Dietrichs, with their friend Fräulein Berninger, came from Oldenburg, -the Grimms from Münster. The Hamburg contingent included Minna Völckers, -the composer's former pupil and very stanch friend, now grown up into a -young lady, and her father, who had invited Jakob Brahms to accompany -them as his guest. Max Bruch, Schübring, and young Richard Barth were -there. Switzerland was represented by the future publisher of the -Requiem, Rieter-Biedermann; England by the enthusiastic John Farmer; and -shortly before the time of commencement Frau Schumann walked up the nave -on Brahms' arm. She had arranged that her intention of making the -journey from Baden-Baden with her daughter Marie should be kept a secret -from the composer, and the two ladies surprised him with their greeting -at the cathedral door. - -No pains had been spared in the preparation of chorus and orchestra, and -their difficult tasks were perfectly achieved. - - 'The impression made by the wonderful, splendidly performed work - was quite overpowering,' says Dietrich, 'and it immediately became - clear to the listeners that the German Requiem would live as one of - the most exalted creations of musical art.' - -The composer, the executants, and their friends, to the number of about -a hundred, met for supper in the ancient Rathskeller close to the -cathedral, and listened afterwards to a short address by Consul -Hirschfeld and to about a dozen other speeches. - - 'It is with great pleasure and justifiable pride,' said Reinthaler, - 'that I greet this distinguished assemblage of visitors, some of - them gathered to perform, and others to hear, the new work of the - composer who is staying in our midst. The circumstance that it has - been performed for the first time here in Bremen gives me quite - peculiar happiness. It is a great and beautiful--one may say, an - epoch-making work, which has filled us who have heard it to-day - with pride, since it has inspired in us the conviction that German - art has not died out, but that it begins to stir again and will - thrive as gloriously as of old. - - 'A gloomy, anxious period has intervened since our last dear master - was carried to the grave;[27] it has almost seemed as though the - evening of musical art had fallen upon us; but to-day we are - reassured. In the German Requiem we believe that we have a sequel - worthy of the achievements of the great masters of the past. - - 'That I have had the good fortune to contribute towards ensuring a - not quite unworthy performance of the work gives me lively - satisfaction. Everyone concerned, however, has supported me to this - end. Each has brought cheerful good-will to his task, and devoted - himself to it with active zeal and unmixed enthusiasm, for each - felt it to be an elevating one. - - 'You will all certainly rejoice with me that the creator of the - glorious work is present amongst us and will joyfully raise your - glasses to the health of the composer, our Brahms.' - -Brahms' answer was characteristically short and to the purpose: - - 'If I venture to say a few words to-night, I must premise that the - gift of oratory is in no wise at my command. There are, however, - amongst those present, many to whom I wish to say a word of thanks, - many dear friends who have been kind and good to me, and this is - especially the case with my friend Reinthaler, who has given - himself with such self-sacrifice to the preparation of my Requiem. - I place my collective thanks upon his head therefore, and call for - three cheers for his name.' - -It may surprise and interest English readers to know that their country -was toasted on an occasion so peculiarly representative of German music -and musicians. After the various artists who had assisted in the -performance and one or two of the other distinguished guests had been -duly honoured, John Farmer rose to his feet, and delivered himself of -his sentiments in such German as he could command. - - 'I have come from a city,' he said, 'that is much larger than - Bremen, in which there are many fine houses and many rich men. You, - however, may be prouder than all the rich men in the big houses, - who are, indeed, very unfortunate. They have no such beautiful - music as you in Germany. If you were to come to England, and Brahms - himself were to come with you, to perform the Requiem, they would - not attend the concert, or if they were to attend it they would - say, "Is the fellow crazy?" You can have no idea how fortunate you - are in being able to understand all this beautiful music. Oh, I - have observed and have perceived that each one has followed it with - love and the whole energy of his soul! When I return to England, I - shall relate what I have seen, and will hope that we may, before - long, become as fortunate as yourselves and may be able to - understand and perform German music as you do.' - -England found its defender in Herr Lehmann, who immediately rose to -reply: - - 'I would venture, nevertheless, to say a word in England's honour. - So many artists have met with an encouraging reception or have - found a happy home there; there are so many Englishmen who - understand and sympathize with German art and German life, that I - would beg leave to propose a glass to the honour of art-loving - England.' - -The feeling of satisfaction expressed in Reinthaler's speech that the -distinction of the first performance of the German Requiem should have -fallen to Bremen was generally shared by the musicians and amateurs of -the city. - -'Reinthaler has, with laudable judgment, concentrated his best powers -upon the arrangement of a concert which has given to Bremen a -distinctive artistic reputation,' says the critic of the _Bremen -Courier_, and the sentiment was expressed practically, as well as -verbally, in a communication sent to the composer a few days after his -return to Hamburg. The work was repeated on Tuesday, April 28, in the -hall of the Union, under Reinthaler's direction, when the baritone solo -was sung by Franz Krolop. - -It is pleasant to be able to associate with the musical events of -1868--the year which, by virtue of the occurrences now recorded, marked -the beginning of a new period in Brahms' outward career and established -him in the eyes of the musicians of Europe as the greatest living artist -in his own domain--the name of an early friend whose skilled -appreciation of his genius had cheered and encouraged him in the dark -days of his youth. Frau Dr. Louise Langhans-Japha played the Quintet in -F minor for pianoforte and strings at her concert in the Salle Erard, -Paris, on March 24, and secured for it a very decided success. It is -impossible actually to affirm that the work was heard for the first time -in public in its final form on this occasion, but it is the first public -performance of which the author has been able to find record. - -Brahms stayed on in the north for several weeks after the Good Friday -concert at Bremen, and found time to pay another, this time a holiday, -visit to the Reinthalers, and to make the acquaintance of many of their -friends. He derived particular pleasure from the society of some small -playfellows who welcomed him to Frau Reinthaler's nursery, and struck up -a special friendship with the eldest daughter of the house, little -Henriette. Hearing the child, hardly out of baby years, practising the -treble of a little pianoforte duet, he proposed to take the bass, and, -amusing himself by striking a wrong note, was promptly rebuked by his -colleague. 'You have played a wrong note,' said Misi, stopping short. -'Nun, we must do it again,' returned Brahms penitently, and recommenced. -'You have played another!' cried Misi; nor could the master be -pronounced perfect in his part until after two more attempts. He -stayed, too, for a few days in Oldenburg, and whilst there made several -excursions in the neighbourhood with Dietrich and Reinthaler. Driving -one day to Wilhelmshaven, the great northern war-harbour of Germany, he -was unusually absent-minded and serious, and mentioned that he had been -much struck with Hölderlin's poem, 'Hyperion's Song of Destiny,' which -he had read in the morning for the first time. After inspecting the -harbour and its sights, he withdrew to a distant part of the beach, -where he was observed by his friends to be busy with pencil and paper. -He was putting down the first sketches of his now celebrated setting of -the work. - -Brahms spent the remainder of the year in Germany and Switzerland. After -attending the Rhine Festival held the last week of May in Cologne, he -settled down for some months at 6, Kessenicherweg, Bonn, in order to be -near Dr. Deiters, whom he met daily and admitted to his confidence on -the subject of his work. He was occupied with the final preparation of -the manuscript of the Requiem for the engraver, and played it through to -his friend, who had already studied it from the manuscript, saying, in -the course of the just-completed fifth number, '... _I will comfort you -as a mother comforts_,' that here he had thought of his mother.[28] He -was engaged again, also, with the C minor Pianoforte Quartet, which, as -we have seen,[29] has associations with a very much earlier period, and -played the sketches to Dr. Deiters, though the work was not finally -completed until after the further lapse of several years. The music to -Goethe's cantata 'Rinaldo' was in progress, and was finished shortly -before he quitted Bonn. Deiters was fortunate enough to have the -opportunity of listening, at his own house or in Brahms' rooms, to the -composer's interpretation of some of his published works, and to hear -his own opinion of many of his songs, which he estimated very variously. -Amongst those of which he thought most highly at this time was the 'Von -ewiger Liebe,' published later in the year as No. 1 of Op. 43. - -Brahms was in happy summer mood throughout the time of his sojourn on -the Rhine. The fondness for dumb pets that always characterized him, -though he kept none of his own, was gratified by the confidence of some -pigeons that used to fly into his room and come to him to be fed. He -invited his father to join him during the last ten days of his stay, and -pleased himself by showing him the Rhine country and introducing him to -his friend. It was the only year of his life during which there was -intimate personal intercourse between himself and Deiters, but the two -men remained in correspondence, and the composer frequently sent copies -of his new works as they appeared, with an autograph inscription, to the -critic whose early appreciation through a period when their personal -acquaintance had been of the slightest had awakened in him a strong -feeling of regard and esteem. 'I feel under a great debt of obligation -to friend Deiters,' he says in the course of a letter to Dietrich -written in 1867. - -Jakob Brahms was not allowed to return to Hamburg until he had a second -time tested his capacity for enjoying the delights of mountain scenery -by accompanying his son on a few weeks' journey in Switzerland; but -though Johannes made all possible arrangements to spare his father -fatigue, it became evident that he was very homesick. 'See, Johannes, -here is a little blue flower like that which grows near Hamburg,' he -said one day, lagging a little behind after he had walked some distance -in silence. An incident of the tour which pleased him, perhaps, better -than his pedestrian and driving experiences was the trial, at which he -was present, of the new movement of the Requiem, which the composer -wished to hear before delivering it for publication. This was arranged -for at Zürich by Hegar. Frau Suter-Weber undertook the soprano solo, and -orchestra and chorus were supplied by resident musicians. Jakob, on -this, as indeed on all occasions, fully appreciated the distinction he -derived from being his son's companion; but it is certain that he was -much relieved when the day came for him to return to his quiet home and -the unembarrassing society of his wife. 'Nu, Line, krigt mi Johannes nit -wieder hin' (Now, Lina, Johannes will not get me again), he said, as he -settled himself once more in his own chair; and he kept to his -determination, though he compromised matters on one or two subsequent -occasions by accepting his son's proposal that he should visit the Harz -and other districts in Frau Caroline's company. - -Of the many pleasant social events of the year, a gathering in the -autumn at Dietrich's house in Oldenburg remains for mention. Frau -Schumann, her daughter Marie, and Brahms enjoyed their old friends' -hospitality during the last week of October, and the visit was -signalized by the first performance from the manuscript, before a -private audience, of the Hungarian Dances in their arrangement for four -hands on the piano. - - 'Frau Schumann and Brahms played them with an inspiration and fire - that transported everyone present,' says Dietrich. - -Frau Schumann gave an evening concert in the hall of the Casino on the -30th, when her programme included her performance with the -composer--probably the first before a public audience--of Brahms' -Waltzes.[30] - -Brahms and Stockhausen again united their forces in November, and gave -several concerts together. At the first of two soirées in Hamburg, -Brahms created a furore with some of the Hungarian Dances in their -arrangement as solos. The programme included a performance by -Stockhausen and his pupil Fräulein Girzik of two of the Duets, Op. 28, -the second of which was rapturously encored. Brahms, as usual, -accompanied his friend throughout the evening. He was received with -acclamation at Bremen on the 30th of the month, when he played the -pianoforte part of his A major Quartet at a concert of the excellent -resident string quartet party led by Jacobsen, a fine player, and second -concertmeister of the Bremen orchestra. On this, as on subsequent -visits to Bremen, Brahms stayed, as a matter of course, with the -Reinthalers. - -Carl Bade, paying one of his frequent morning calls at the Anscharplatz -about this time, was startled as he entered the house by the appearance -of Jakob, who, coming towards him with finger on lip and laboriously -treading on tiptoe, solemnly whispered, 'Hush!...' 'What is it, Brahms? -Who is ill?' returned Bade under his breath, seriously alarmed. 'Hush!' -repeated Jakob as mysteriously as before; '_he is dor_' (he is there); -and, opening the door of the corner room, he pushed in the astonished -Carl and shut the door behind him without another word, leaving him -alone with his son, who was busy weeding out his library in readiness -for the despatch of his Hamburg possessions to Vienna. 'See here,' said -Johannes, after a kind word of greeting, giving Bade time to recover the -composure of which Jakob's strange _coup_ had for a moment robbed him, -by pointing to a volume in his hand, 'Kuhnau was a capable musician!' - -The relation existing at this time between the elder and younger Brahms, -of which mention was made in an early chapter, was well illustrated -during the homely 'second breakfast' for which the party soon assembled. -Sociability was rendered impossible, in spite of the persistent efforts -of Johannes, by the father's overwhelming consciousness of his son's -presence. The awed feeling which possessed Jakob whenever he found -himself face to face with the living embodiment of his own miraculous -success in life was not unnatural, and can only inspire respect for the -memory of the older man, in whose simple humility, rooted in the -strongest and most legitimate pride, may, perhaps, be recognised some of -the essential qualities which endeared the great composer to all who -were privileged to call him friend. - -Brahms returned to Vienna in December, and was, of course, present at -several concerts given there before and after Christmas by Frau -Schumann, who visited Austria after an interval of some years. - -The list of publications belonging to this year is an important one, -not only because it includes the German Requiem (Rieter-Biedermann), but -because it is representative of the master in what may be roughly called -the second period of his activity as a composer of songs. From beginning -to end of his career he poured forth songs in many different forms--the -simple strophic, the 'durchcomponirtes' Lied, the latter necessarily -varying in structure with each fresh example.[31] This second period, -however, is marked not only by the sure mastery which had long -characterized Brahms' works in whatever domain he chose for the exercise -of his powers; its spirit is generally distinctive, and is that of the -poet's ripe manhood. Youth with its uncertainties is behind, age with -its gathering shadows not yet in sight; the composer holds the present -in firm grasp, and presents us with exquisite dream-pictures of life and -nature, the children of an imagination penetrated with a sense of the -beauty, the tenderness, the pathos of existence, and content in the -exercise of its ideality. Each of the five books published in 1868 (Op. -43 by Rieter-Biedermann, and Op. 46, 47, 48, 49 by Simrock) contains -such wealth of beauty that it is difficult to select either for -particular mention. Perhaps the palm should be given to Op. 43, of which -'Von ewiger Liebe' and 'Mainacht' are Nos. 1 and 2; but then, Op. 47 -contains 'Botschaft,' and Op. 46 'Die Schale der Vergessenheit.' -Stockhausen, who stayed at Neuenahr in the summer of 1868, came over to -Bonn one day, and sang the greater number of these songs from the -manuscript, accompanied by the composer, to Deiters. Brahms seemed -determined not to publish 'Die Schale der Vergessenheit,' declaring it -to be too 'desolate,' but Stockhausen's enthusiasm prevailed to alter -his decision. Some of the shorter numbers belong, by date of -composition, to an earlier period, as Goethe's 'Die Liebende schreibt,' -the manuscript of which, in the possession of Frau Professor Böie, bears -the inscription 'Frl. Marie Völckers in kind remembrance' and the date -1863. The widely popular 'Wiegenlied,' Op. 49, No. 4, was composed for -one of Frau Faber's children, and the accompaniment is reminiscent of a -folk-song which Brahms heard from Fräulein Bertha Porubszky in the old -days of the Hamburg Ladies' Choir. The manuscript bears the inscription -'For Arthur and Bertha Faber for ever happy use. July 1868'; and at the -close 'Mit Grazie in infinitum,' and is in the possession of these old -friends of the composer. - -Now, as ever, Brahms returned with delight to the fresh naïveté of the -folk-song, and numerous examples of his settings of texts obtained from -German, Bohemian, Italian sources are to be found in these books, of -which 'Sonntag,' Op. 47, No. 3, and 'Am Sonntag Morgen,' Op. 49, No. 1, -are perhaps the best known. 'Gold überwiegt die Liebe' is a touching -little lament (No. 4 of Op. 48). The text of 'Von ewiger Liebe' is -itself a Wendic folk-song, but the composer's treatment has placed it -amongst the finest works of German art in song-form. As a rule, however, -Brahms set folk-songs as such, and his treatment of them was direct, -and, so to say, unstudied. He has set for a single voice popular texts -of more than twenty nationalities besides his own, and, as he found -them, as they appealed to him, so he composed them, without attempt -either to interfere with the frank naturalness of the words, or to give -national colour to his music. Such musical references as he occasionally -makes in his songs to the origin of his texts are so unobtrusive as to -be hardly noticeable, excepting by a special student of the subject.[32] -'Vergangen ist mir,' Op. 48, No. 6, points back to the tonal system of -the Middle Ages. Like 'Sehnsucht,' Op. 14, No. 8, it is composed in the -Dorian mode. - -The enumeration of the great song publications of 1868 is not yet at an -end. The issue by Rieter-Biedermann of Books 3, 4, 5, containing in all -nine numbers, of the 'Magelone Romances,' of which the first two books -had appeared in 1865, completed a song-cycle which ranks among the few -supreme achievements of its class, increasing to the number of four a -special group of names which had hitherto included those only of -Beethoven, Schubert, and Schumann. - -The fifteen 'Magelone Romances' are extremely various in structure, and -can hardly be classified categorically under any of the ordinary -song-forms. Spitta expresses his sense of their importance by the word -'symphonic.' Brahms' own name 'Romance' sufficiently indicates their -nature, however. Some are of great, others of smaller, dimensions. Some -consist of several movements, others of one short movement in three -sections, of which the last repeats the first; one is bound into a whole -by the melody of a refrain. They give vivid expression to a wide range -of feelings: chivalric delight, progressive phases of passionate love, -the despair of separation, reawakened hope, the confident bliss of -reunion, certainty of the sacred power of love. Remembrance of the ideal -performances of Stockhausen, to whom the cycle is dedicated, was -indubitably present to Brahms' mind as he composed the songs, which, -with the exception of Nos. 11 and 13, should be sung by a man. One may -read and reread them, hear them and hear them again, but try in vain to -decide on a favourite number. Each one places the listener in an -enchanted world of noble beauty and romance, and in wealth and -individuality of idea the cycle assuredly does not rank last amongst the -few works of its kind. - -The Songs and Romances Op. 44 mentioned in our first volume in -connection with the Ladies' Choir were now also published by -Rieter-Biedermann;[33] and Cranz of Hamburg issued the three Songs for -six-part Chorus _a capella_, Op. 42, all of great charm. Its five-bar -rhythm is an interesting feature of the second number, the lovely -'Vineta.' The text of No. 3, 'Darthula's Grabesgesang,' is a -translation from Ossian, and is contained in Herder's 'Stimmen der -Völker.' - - 'Brahms is here,' writes Billroth from Vienna on January 11, 'and - is to give concerts with Stockhausen. He is going to bring out a - cantata, Rinaldo, in February.... He is enthusiastic about the text - because it leaves so much to the composer.' - -Goethe wrote his cantata expressly that music might be set to it by -Capellmeister Winter, a respectable musician of his day, for the Prince -Friedrich of Gotha, the possessor of an agreeable tenor voice, and a -good amateur vocalist. It is founded on an episode in Tasso's 'Jerusalem -Delivered,' and exhibits the conflict between weakness and strength in -the brave knight Rinaldo--a fictitious personage introduced into his -poem by Tasso--who is roused from his surrender to the witcheries of -Armida by the arrival, at the islet on which he is living with her, of a -party of knights, his friends--two only in Tasso's epic, but increased -to a chorus by Goethe. The cantata opens at a point where the knights -have succeeded in awakening Rinaldo from his dream of happiness, but are -unable to nerve him to the resolution of departure. As a final resource, -they hold up before him a diamond shield, which reflects his own image -in its degeneracy. The shock of what he sees restores him to full -consciousness, and he leaves the island in spite of Armida's -lamentations, fury, and enchantments, and his own regrets, encouraged -and supported by his friends. The final chorus with solo depicts the -happy return voyage, and the safe arrival of the ship at the shore of -the Holy Land. - -Armida does not appear as a _dramatis persona_ in Goethe's work, and -Brahms' music is accordingly composed for tenor solo, men's chorus, and -orchestra. The poem is short and concise, containing but one dramatic -situation, but its very terseness has been advantageous to the composer, -for the text has not fettered his imagination by detail, whilst it has -supplied him with sufficient material for powerful and contrasted -musical presentation in the enchantments of Armida, the storm raised by -her to prevent the ship's departure, the calm, persuasive firmness of -the knights, the vacillation of Rinaldo (expressed in the first instance -in an impassioned scena), his pleadings with his friends, his final -awakening and recovery from the intensity of passion. Of all these -points Brahms has availed himself with force and warmth of imagination. -Many interesting details of the composition tempt our notice, but we may -only stay to direct the reader's attention to the conviction inspired by -the choruses of the noble, lovable character of the knights; to the -masterly means employed--so simple that only a master would have -ventured to restrict himself to them--at the moment when the shield is -displayed, which, in their place, convey, without any attempt at -tone-painting, but with absolute distinctness, the impression of the -friends' gentle determination with the shrinking Rinaldo; to the bright -martial movement in which the knights encourage him by reminding him of -the flashing lances, the waving pennons, the whole brilliant battle -array, of the crusaders' army from which the allurements of Armida have -too long detained him. In the final chorus a favourable wind swells the -sails of the ship, which rides joyously over the green waves, breaking -them into light foam as she passes, whilst Rinaldo and his companions -amuse themselves by watching the dolphins at play in the water, and are -filled with a light-hearted happiness that, as land is sighted, bursts -into exultant shouting of the names of Godfrey and Solyma (Jerusalem). - -The work was performed for the first time from the manuscript, under the -composer's direction, on February 28, 1869, at a concert of the -Akademischer Gesangverein, Vienna. The title-part was sung with great -success by Gustav Walter, three hundred students well prepared by Dr. -Eyrich, the society's conductor, were responsible for the choruses, and -the orchestral accompaniments were performed by the entire body of -instrumentalists of the court opera. - -A series of three concerts, given in Vienna in February and March by -Brahms and Stockhausen were phenomenally successful. The great baritone -had not been heard in the Austrian capital for many years, and all -tickets for the first concert were sold immediately after its -announcement. Brahms' selection for the series included works by Handel, -Bach, Couperin, Gluck, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, some of his own -Variations--notably those of the B flat Sextet--and Hungarian Dances; -and he accompanied his friend in many of the most celebrated songs of -his répertoire. The wonderful performance by the two artists of Brahms' -songs 'Von ewiger Liebe' and 'Mainacht' was one of the choice delights -of the first concert. A feature of the second was the performance by -Stockhausen and Fräulein Girzik of two of the composer's vocal duets. -The enthusiasm excited by the concert-givers in Vienna was equalled in -Budapest, whither they proceeded on March 10, in order to give a similar -series; and it was, if possible, exceeded on their final reappearance in -Vienna. - -These concerts are of peculiar interest in Brahms' career, because the -last of them closes the period of his activity as a virtuoso. For -fourteen years, from the autumn of 1855 to the spring of 1869, -circumstances had obliged, and happily permitted, him to earn his -livelihood chiefly by the exercise of his powers as an executive artist; -but his reputation as a composer had grown uninterruptedly throughout -this time, and with the production of the German Requiem it attained a -height that gave him future independence of action. Though years were -still to pass before his circumstances became easy, they were not again -straitened, and from henceforth he undertook concert-journeys only in -the rôle of a composer, to assist at performances of his own works. The -occasions on which he appeared additionally as pianist with one of -Beethoven's or Schumann's great compositions became less and less -frequent, moreover, as, with passing time, he felt increasingly out of -regular practice. Brahms was, in later life, fond of illustrating the -fact of his long struggle with poverty by referring to the manuscript of -the Requiem. 'The paper is of all sizes and shapes, because at the time -I wrote it I never had money enough to buy a stock.' The immediate -impression created by the great work was, however, sufficiently -widespread and profound to place the composer alone, among the -musicians of his day, as the accepted representative of the classical -art of Germany, and the prices commanded by his copyrights gradually -increased accordingly. No long time elapsed before the German Requiem -had made the round of the musical cities of Europe. It was given, for -the first time after final completion and publication, at the Leipzig -Gewandhaus concert of February 18, 1869, under Reinecke, and was -performed in the course of the next few weeks in Basle (twice), -Carlsruhe (twice), Münster, Cologne, Hamburg, Zürich, and Weimar, and, -later in the year, in Dessau (twice), Chemnitz (twice), Barmen (four -choruses only), Magdeburg, Jena, and again twice in Cologne. The -complete work was not heard in Vienna until March 5, 1871, when it was -given by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde under the composer's -direction, with Frau Wilt and Dr. Krauss as soloists, but achieved no -striking success. It was performed on July 7 of the same year (1871) for -the first time in England, before an invited audience, at the residence -of Sir Henry Thompson. Stockhausen conducted the rehearsals and -performance, and sang the baritone solo, Fräulein Anna Regan the soprano -solo. The chorus was composed of about thirty good musicians, and the -accompaniments were played in their arrangement as a pianoforte duet by -Lady Thompson and the veteran musician Cipriani Potter, then in his -eightieth year. The first public performance in England which the author -has been able to authenticate with precision is that of the Philharmonic -Society in St. James's Hall on April 2, 1873, under the direction of W. -G. Cusins, when the soloists were Mlle. Sophie Ferrari and Santley. The -work was performed for the first time in Berlin, Munich and St. -Petersburg in the spring, and in Utrecht in June, of the year 1872, and -in Paris in 1874.[34] - -Probably it was due to the impression created by the German Requiem that -the Serenade in D, Op. 11, was performed for the first time in Berlin in -November, 1869, at one of the concerts of the Symphony Orchestra under -Capellmeister Stern. - - 'The reception showed that the public is beginning to understand - and value the composer Brahms, one of the few living creative - artists who are genuine and sincere,' wrote a Berlin critic. - -In the earlier part of the same year Louis Brassin played the Handel -Variations and Fugue in Munich with very great success. Brassin was one -of the first artists to perform the work in public, and that he -introduced it to a Munich audience is the more interesting since the -musicians of the Bavarian capital had in 1869 shown scant, if any, -recognition of our composer's art, which was too progressive for Franz -Lachner, and too conservative for von Bülow, the successive leaders, up -to that date, of the musical life of the city. The work was played by -Bülow in November, 1872, in Carlsruhe, and from that time was heard at -his concerts with increasing frequency. - -[22] Dietrich. - -[23] A pedal point is a sound sustained, according to conditions -prescribed by the rules of art, during a succession of varying harmonies -of which it need not form an essential part. - -[24] Matt. v. 4; Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6; 1 Pet. i. 24; James v. 7; 1 Pet. i. -25; Isa. xxxv. 10; Ps. xxxix. 4-7; Wisd. iii. 1; Ps. lxxxiv. 1, 2, 4; -John xvi. 22; Ecclus. li. 27; Isa. lxvi. 13; Heb. xiii. 14; 1 Cor. xv -51-55; Rev. iv. 11; Rev. xiv. 13. - -[25] The cadences of music are somewhat analogous to the punctuation of -literature. A 'final cadence' has the effect of closing a musical -period. - -[26] Dated April 4 in Dietrich's 'Recollections.' - -[27] Schumann. - -[28] Communicated in a letter to the author by Dr. Deiters. - -[29] See Vol. I., p. 207. - -[30] _Cf._ Dietrich, p. 54 _et seq_. The dates in the text are given on -the authority of Frau Schumann's diary. - -[31] The strict strophic form is that in which voice-melody and -accompaniment are the same in each verse. It admits, however, of several -kinds of modification, as by varied accompaniment, slight variation of -voice-melody, and so forth. The 'durchcomponirtes' Lied, for which there -is no technical English term, is that of which the text is set -throughout to fresh musical thoughts and developments. - -[32] Those who wish to study Brahms' treatment of folk-music in detail -are referred to Hohenemser's articles, 'Brahms und die Volksmusik,' in -_Die Musik_, Nos. 15 and 18, 1903. - -[33] Dated 1866 in the Thematic Catalogue. - -[34] Sir C. Villiers Stanford remembers being present at a public -performance of the German Requiem in London earlier than that of the -Philharmonic Society. This was at a students' concert of the Royal -Academy of Music under John Hullah, the then conductor of the orchestra, -the date of which, however, the author has not succeeded in -ascertaining. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - 1869-1872 - - Brahms and Opera--Professor Heinrich Bulthaupt--The - Liebeslieder--First performance--The Rhapsody (Goethe's - 'Harzreise') performed privately at Carlsruhe--First public - performance at Jena--Geheimrath Gille--The 'Song of - Triumph'--Performance of first chorus at Bremen--Bernhard - Scholz--The 'Song of Destiny'--First performance--Death of Johann - Jakob Brahms--First performance of completed 'Triumphlied' at - Carlsruhe--Summary of Brahms' work as a composer since 1862. - - -The theory that found wide acceptance during the lifetime of Brahms, and -was discussed at length in a feuilleton of the _Strassburger Post_ -immediately after his death, that he never had and never could have -seriously entertained the idea of composing for the stage, was long ago -conclusively refuted by Widmann in his 'Recollections.' He shows that -the master's wishes pointed at more than one period of his career in the -direction of dramatic composition, and that he was prevented from -following them by the same difficulty which proved insoluble to -Mendelssohn--that of finding a libretto to suit his fancy. - - 'He was always particularly animated when speaking of matters - connected with the theatre, as for instance when he once very - decidedly demonstrated to me the vaudeville character of the first - act of "Fidelio," which generally passes for a very good text-book. - He possessed a genuine dramatic perception, and it gave him real - pleasure to analyze the merits and defects of a dramatic - subject.'[35] - -The interest of this passage is enhanced by a few words that occur in an -article on Brahms by Richard Heuberger:[36] - - 'We sat together the whole evening and I remember that Brahms spoke - in detail of Mozart's "Figaro" and laid stress on the unparalleled - manner in which Mozart has overcome the enormous difficulties of - his text; "Mozart has composed it, not as a mere ordinary - text-book, but as a complete, well-organized comedy."' - -It would certainly have been matter for surprise if Brahms, who was -peculiarly sensitive to the influence of really poetic dramatic effect, -and whose interest in the drama furnished him with a source of frequent -pleasure that did not diminish as he grew older--he rarely missed a -première at the Vienna Burg Theater--had passed through life without -feeling the inclination to test his powers as a composer for the stage, -and this is very far indeed from being the case. Widmann's account of -what took place between himself and Brahms on the subject of opera -belongs to the late seventies, and we shall revert to it in its place; -it points back, however, to an earlier time, which proves, as we might -expect, to be that of the composer's intimacy with Devrient and Levi, -with whose varied professional activity he manifested the warmest -sympathy, and especially to the year 1869, when the publication of the -German Requiem had left his mind at leisure for new important effort. -Perhaps we may perceive the direction in which his wishes were moving in -the fact that 'Rinaldo,' which contains the nearest approach to dramatic -composition to be found in the catalogue of Brahms' works, was completed -almost simultaneously with the Requiem; and it is possible that an -indication of the obstacle that was to prove insuperable to their -fulfilment may be read in Billroth's words quoted in the last chapter: -'Brahms is enthusiastic about [the text of] Rinaldo because it leaves so -much to the composer.' However this may be, it is certain that he was -strongly possessed at this period and on into the early seventies with -the desire to compose an opera, and that he not only opened his mind -unreservedly on the subject to his friends at Carlsruhe, but made -repeated efforts in other directions to procure a libretto adapted to -his views. Allgeyer furnished him with a completed text-book on -Calderon's 'The Open Secret.' Through Claus Groth he obtained an unused -text written for Mendelssohn by the poet Geibel, founded on the episode -of Nausikaa in the 'Odyssey,'[37] and amongst others with whom he -discussed the subject were Tourgenieff at Baden-Baden, who provided him -with sketches, and, Heinrich Bulthaupt, then a rising young dramatic -author and an intimate friend of Reinthaler's. - -To Bulthaupt he proposed as a subject Schiller's fragment of a play -'Demetrius,' which he esteemed very highly, and, in a long conversation -with this gentleman at his house in Bremen, he explained with precision -his ideas as to the desirable treatment even of the minutiæ of dramatic -action, taking as the theme of his exposition the libretto, written by -Bulthaupt, of Reinthaler's opera 'Kätchen von Heilbronn.' Some of the -peculiarities of his views which created for him unnecessary -difficulties must be attributed to his inveterately logical habit of -mind, which made it repugnant to him to take certain things for granted -for the sake of stage exigencies. He went too far in a desire that the -minor details of the drama should be visibly developed. Pointing to a -scene in 'Kätchen von Heilbronn,' in the course of which three soldiers -go into a drinking cellar, not to reappear, he inquired: 'What becomes -of them?' 'It is assumed that they go away,' replied Bulthaupt; 'do you -mean to say that you wish actually to see them come out again on to the -stage?' 'I should like to do so,' Brahms answered. A moment's reflection -would, of course, have shown him that the scene in question was, in -fact, realistic, since the soldiers might in actual life have left the -cellar by a back-door, unseen by those who observed them enter through -the front one. The anecdote is, however, illustrative of a mental habit -which must have confronted Brahms with countless difficulties so long as -he merely contemplated the composition of an opera. The work of -composing one, had he ever settled down to it, might probably have -solved many of them. - -The idea of 'Demetrius' fell through. Bulthaupt suggested to Brahms a -consideration which, in no way applicable to Schiller's piece, seemed to -him of importance in view of its adaptation as an opera. He thought that -the necessity of introducing some amount of Russian colouring into the -music of a drama having for its subject an episode of Russian history, -not only might prove irksome to a composer so strongly imbued as Brahms -with the sentiment of German nationality, but would be prejudicial to -the tragic breadth of Schiller's play as it stands. Brahms, on thinking -over the matter, probably felt the weight of his friend's remarks, for -he did not return to his proposal. - -Points of interest in the composer's suggestion of Schiller's -'Demetrius' for the subject of a tragic opera are that ambition and not -love is the mainspring of its action, and that the feminine interest of -the piece is centred neither in maiden nor wife, but in Marfa, the -mother of Demetrius, in whom are exhibited powerful emotions arising -from unerring maternal instinct and baffled affection. It recalls the -period, moreover, when Brahms and Joachim shared each other's daily -thoughts on all subjects. Joachim composed an overture to Hermann -Grimm's play of 'Demetrius' in 1854, and, about the middle of the -seventies, the well-known 'Marfa' scena for contralto and orchestra from -Schiller's fragment. A similar association is presented in Brahms' -favourite suggestion for the text-book of a serio-comic opera or -operetta, of Gozzi's 'König Hirsch,' the work with which Joachim's -'Overture to a Play of Gozzi's' is to be connected. Arrangements by -Brahms of both these compositions of his friend, as pianoforte duets, -were found in his rooms after his death, and were published with the -very few manuscripts that he allowed to survive him. - -Brahms travelled to Carlsruhe in March in order to conduct the -repetition performance of the German Requiem, but except for this -journey spent the early part of the year 1869 quietly in Vienna. The -advance of spring induced him to pay some visits in the north, after -which he proceeded to Lichtenthal. The event of the season in Frau -Schumann's private circle was the marriage of her third daughter Julie -to the Conte Radicati di Marmorito. The legend of an attachment between -Brahms and this lady has obtained sufficiently wide credence to demand -mention in our pages. It is, perhaps, not unnatural that the composer's -dedication to Fräulein Julie Schumann of his Variations for two -pianofortes on her father's theme, published in 1863, should have led a -few enthusiasts to draw their own romantic conclusions, and that such -conclusions should have spread; the less so since Fräulein Julie was -possessed of a graceful charm that made her interesting to all who were -brought into near contact with her. Brahms was not an exception from -others in his power of appreciating her attraction, but his admiration -of his old friend's daughter at no time advanced into special intimacy. -'I have spent the summer at Baden, and am going to remain for Julie -Schumann's wedding,' he writes to Dietrich. Brahms, Levi, and Allgeyer -together presented the bride with an _objet d'art_, a bronze plate, and -are represented contemplating it in a group in a photograph of the time. -The Contessa Radicati di Marmorito was taken by death from her husband -and children after a few years of happiness. - -The completed musical fruits of Brahms' year were the Liebeslieder -Walzer and the Rhapsody for contralto solo, men's chorus and orchestra. -The 'Liebeslieder,' waltzes for pianoforte duet and _ad libitum_ vocal -quartet, composed to a number of verses from Daumer's 'Polydora,' -translations or imitations of Russian and Polish folk-songs, are amongst -the most popular of the composer's works, and are too familiar to need -detailed comment. They show Brahms in his perfection of dainty grace and -fresh, playful imagination, a mood in which he stands unrivalled. They -were performed for the first time in public at the subscription concert -of the Carlsruhe court orchestra of October 6. Frau Schumann, who played -Beethoven's G major Concerto on the same occasion, and Levi, were the -pianists, and Fräulein Hausmann, Frau Hauser, Herr Kürner, and Herr -Brouillet, the singers. Published shortly afterwards by Simrock, they -were heard in Vienna before the close of the year at the first -Singakademie concert of the season; and were performed at Frau -Schumann's concert in Vienna of January 5, 1870, by the concert-giver -and composer and the singers Frau Dustmann, Fräulein Girzik, Herr Gustav -Walter, and Dr. Krauss. - -The Rhapsody was first heard privately at the rehearsal of the Carlsruhe -concert of October 6, Levi having arranged a performance for the benefit -of Frau Schumann and of Brahms himself. The solo was sung by Frau Boni. -The composer, writing to Deiters in September, says: - - '... I should like to make a request to-day. I remember to have - seen at your house a volume of songs by Reichhardt (possibly - Zelter) which contained a stanza from Goethe's Harzreise. Could you - lend me the volume for a little while? - - 'I need hardly add that I have just composed it and should like to - see the work of my forerunner. I call my piece "Rhapsody," but - believe I am indebted also for the title to my respected - predecessor. - - 'I shall hear it in a few days, and should I then decide not to - print or perform the somewhat intimate music, I shall nevertheless - show it to you.'[38] - -It seems probable, from the circumstances of the first public -performance of the Rhapsody, that Madame Viardot-Garcia was amongst the -small audience on this private occasion. The work was given on March 3, -1870, soon after its publication, at the Academic Concerts, Jena, under -the direction of the society's conductor, Dr. Ernst Naumann, when Madame -Viardot sang the solo; 'Rinaldo,' with Dr. Wiedemann as tenor, being -included in the programme. - -Madame Viardot-Garcia, staying early in 1870 with Liszt, who had -returned to Weimar in 1869 after an absence of many years, met at his -house his devoted friend Geheimrath Gille, a distinguished musical -amateur, who occupied an official post at Jena and employed the greater -part of his leisure in the interest of the musical culture of the little -university town. Gille had in his youth known Goethe and Hummel, and -been on terms of close friendship with Henselt. His intimacy with Liszt -dated from the commencement of the great man's residence in Weimar, and -he soon became a warm supporter of the New-German party, received Wagner -into his house at Jena on his flight from Dresden to Liszt at Weimar, -and saw him safely over the German border. His sympathy with the new -tendencies did not render him insensible to the value of less -revolutionary developments of art. He had great interest and respect to -spare for Brahms' music, and encouraged its cultivation by Brendel's -society (Allgemeiner Deutscher Musikverein), on the committee of which -he was very active.[39] There can be little doubt that the performance -of the Rhapsody at Jena in March was the outcome of a friendly chat -between Madame Viardot and himself and of their mutual sympathetic -admiration of Brahms' art, which was shared by Dr. Ernst Naumann, an old -personal acquaintance of the composer. Since the performance of the -German Requiem in 1869 already chronicled, up to the present day, -Brahms' music has been well represented in the programmes of the Jena -societies under Naumann's direction. - -The Rhapsody was given on March 19 under Grimm at Münster, and a little -later at Capellmeister Hegar's benefit concert at Zürich. It became a -favourite work with Frau Joachim, who sang the solo times innumerable -with extraordinary power and sympathy and invariable success. - -Brahms' Rhapsody, Op. 53, is composed to a fragment--set also by J. F. -Reichhardt (1752-1814)--from Goethe's 'Harzreise im Winter,' which has -for its subject the poet's reflections on a visit paid by him to a young -hypochondriac whose melancholy had, as he feared, been confirmed by the -influence of his own 'Werther's Sorrows.' Goethe's efforts to raise the -youth from his state of mental depression had no immediate visible -result, though he ultimately recovered from his malady, and the three -verses selected from the poem for musical composition conclude with a -prayer to the Father of love on his behalf. Such a text was eminently -suited for musical expression by a composer who, intensely realizing the -problems of life, shaped his course by faith in the power of love; and -the Rhapsody furnishes another striking illustration of the strength of -imagination which enabled Brahms so to absorb himself in his text as to -be able to present it in musical sound--to capable listeners--with a -strength and reality usually associated only with impressions of sight. -Let anyone who is familiar with the composition read through Goethe's -poem from beginning to end, and note the accession of force with which -the verses set to music by Brahms come home to him. He will be reminded -of an object illuminated by sunlight that stands near others placed in -shadow. - -The first of the three sections of the single movement that constitutes -the Rhapsody, an impressive orchestral picture upon which the -independent recitative of the solo voice enters, may be accepted as the -reflection of the poet's intense realization of the unhappy youth's -condition. Its tones convey a penetrating impression of rich warmth and -pity lying behind the deepest gloom. The feeling of the second section -is no less concentrated, though it is expressed with more calm: - - 'Ah! how comfort his sorrows - Who in balsam found poison? - Who from the fulness of love - Hath drunk but the hate of men? - Once despised, now a despiser, - Secretly he consumeth - All his own best worth - In fruitless self-seeking.' - -The noble declamatory passages of the voice are supported by an -accompaniment that becomes agitated or intensely still in accord with -the course of the poet's self-questionings, which reach their only -possible and beautiful resolution in the third section: - - 'If thy Psalt'ry containeth, - Father of love, one tone - That can reach his ear, - Oh, refresh his heart! - Open his obscurèd sight - To the thousand sources - Near to the thirsty one - In the desert.' - -Here, by a fine inspiration, the chorus of men's voices enters for the -first time _pianissimo_, supporting the solo voice in fervent -supplication. - -Words and music are fitly associated throughout the movement, which is a -treasure amongst works of art, and it is impossible to say that either -of its parts is superior to the others, though the divine outpouring of -love and pity in the last section often seems to appeal, especially, to -the hearer listening for the first time to the composition. This, -however, is really due to its position, which contains and brings to an -issue the effect of what precedes it. The work has long since been -generally recognised as one of the finest of Brahms' shorter -compositions, and continues to be more in demand every year, though it -had no great immediate success. - - 'I send you my Rhapsody,' Brahms wrote to Dietrich in February, - 1870, a week or two after its publication; 'the music-directors are - not exactly enthusiastic about the opus, but it may, perhaps, be a - satisfaction to you that I do not always go in frivolous 3/4 time!' - -It sprang from the composer's very soul. - - 'He once told me he loved it so,' says Dietrich, 'that he placed it - under his pillow at night in order to have it near him.' - -The Studies without opus number, Nos. 1 and 2, after Chopin and Weber, -were published in 1869 by Senff; and the first two books of Hungarian -Dances by Simrock, in the duet form for Pianoforte in which they -obtained enormous popularity. It was not until 1872 that they were -issued in the arrangement as solos, in which, as we know, they had -formed part of Brahms' répertoire during some years of his virtuoso -career.[40] Dunkl, a publisher of Budapest, used to relate in -after-years that Brahms, on the occasion of one of his early appearances -in that city, called on him and offered a selection of six of the Dances -for an absurdly small sum. Dunkl said he would give his answer after -hearing them in the evening. They had no success and the publisher -refused them, a proceeding which he afterwards found considerable reason -to regret. - -The stirring events of the year 1870, the series of triumphs won by -German arms, and the federation of the various independent States under -the headship of Prussia which was to lead to the extraordinary -development of German political power and industrial progress that has -been witnessed by the present generation, were followed by our composer -with a mixture of ardent emotions, in which that of swelling patriotic -pride gained the predominance as each day brought news of fresh -victories won by the soldiers of the Fatherland. His vehement exultation -at the results of the war found embodiment in a great 'Song of Triumph' -for chorus and orchestra, with which he was occupied in 1871, and the -first chorus, completed early in the year, and sent at once to -Reinthaler, was performed from the manuscript in Bremen Cathedral on -Good Friday, April 7, under the composer's direction, at a concert given -by the Singakademie in memory of those who had fallen in the war.[41] -There is no need to dilate on the feelings which dominated Brahms during -the writing of this extraordinary work. They blaze out of it with an -intensity and an endurance of passion that well fit it to occupy its own -peculiar place amongst the great events that startled Europe at the -opening of the seventies. It commemorates heroic deeds in truly heroic -strains. By his choice of a text the composer at once raised the scope -of his work to a level above that of an ordinary _Te Deum_ for victory -in war; and the words selected by him from Revelation xix., which admit, -throughout each portion of the composition, of an application to the -overpowering occurrences of the time, were precisely those for whose -setting he alone of modern composers--we may even say of all composers -who have succeeded the two giants of the eighteenth century--was, by his -temperament, genius, and attainments, pre-eminently fitted. - -The Triumphlied consists of three great movements for double chorus and -orchestra, the third of which contains a few passages for baritone solo. - -'_Alleluia; salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our -God: For true and righteous are his judgments._' - -The solemnly jubilant orchestral prelude, the entry of the full double -chorus with loud and sustained Alleluias, lead to the principal theme of -the first movement, already suggested in the prelude, and -derived--though this is hardly appreciable by the unpractised ear of a -general audience--from the Prussian national air, which is identical -with England's 'God save the King.' This theme or some portion of it -almost invariably accompanies the phrase, '_Salvation, honour_, etc., -_unto the Lord_,' which, with its surrounding Alleluias, forms the text -of the first portion of the movement, constructed entirely from diatonic -harmonies. The words '_For righteous and true are his judgments_' are -set to the broad themes of the middle portion, to which some heightened -effect is imparted by very sparing use of the more familiar chromatic -chords. The third section is a varied repetition of the first with a -coda. The movement is sustained at the white heat of jubilation until -the beginning of the close, when a few tranquil bars, in the course of -which the voices die away to rest, and the instruments are subdued to a -_pianissimo_ that becomes ever softer, prepare for the glorious outburst -with which the chorus terminates. The second movement has three varying -sections: - -'_Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, great and -small._ - -'_Alleluia, for the Almighty God hath entered into his kingdom._ - -'_Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him._' - -The first section opens with pure melodious beauty and lofty serenity, -and displays in its course numerous points of imitation, direct and by -inversion, which are easily discoverable by the student. It is succeeded -by a blast of trumpets, an outburst of Alleluias, and the announcement -of the Lord's reign by the voices of the two choirs which enter -successively on a sounding tonic pedal; the basses imitating the basses, -then the tenors the tenors, and so on, at half a bar's distance. This -proclamation section is appropriately concise and of superb grandeur. We -hear in it 'as it were the voice of a multitude, and as the voice of -many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings'; whilst the third -section, partly woven, by various kinds of imitation, from the phrases -of 'Nun danket Alle Gott,' which is sounded prominently by the flutes -and trumpets, is animated by a singularly naïve spirit of light-hearted -happiness and rejoicing. - -'_And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse: and he that sat -upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth -judge and make war._ - -'_And he treadeth, the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty -God._ - -'_And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name called a King of -Kings and a Lord of Lords. Alleluia. Amen._' - -Subdued awe; firm, proud confidence in a mighty, beneficent ruler; a -flash of fierce remembrance of injury--all are rendered with a power, a -vividness, a picturesque strength, that are not transcended, even if -they are equalled, by anything ever composed in the domain of choral -music for the church or the concert-room; and the greatness and glory of -'a King of Kings and a Lord of Lords' are celebrated in the long final -portion of this gorgeous third movement with dazzling brilliancy of -effect, sustained and augmented up to the very end. - -The first chorus, performed before the audience of two thousand people -assembled in Bremen Cathedral on the evening of Good Friday, 1871, -reached its effect to a very considerable extent. - - 'It has a broad and, as it were, popular character, is conceived - simply and wrought with sincerity,' writes the correspondent of the - _Allgemeine Deutsche Musikzeitung_.' - -The _Bremen Courier_ says: - - 'One again recognises the titanic capacity of the composer. The - work is a vocal joy-symphony, of imposing power and exalted - feeling. Praise is due to all concerned in the performance for they - have facilitated the understanding of the composer to a large - portion of the audience.' - -The Dietrichs came from Oldenburg to hear the new work. Circumstances -prevented the attendance of Frau Schumann and Joachim. Neither artist -had returned from what had at this period become an annual visit of each -to England, which, in Frau Schumann's case, generally extended over at -least two months, and in Joachim's occupied the six weeks of Lent. - -Pending Frau Schumann's return, Brahms remained among his friends in the -north, and played his D minor Concerto at the Bremen orchestral -subscription concert of April 25 with great success, giving pieces by -Bach, Scarlatti, and Schumann in the second part. Frau Schumann was back -in Lichtenthal early in May, and Brahms settled into his usual lodgings -there a few days before her arrival. The present writer had the -happiness of immediately following her, and the reader interested to -learn particulars of the summer life of quiet work and simple pleasures -that followed is referred to the Recollections placed at the beginning -of our first volume. The details there given are too slight and too -personal to be appropriate in the body of the present narrative, though -they may be found to have a value of their own for those interested in -whatever throws additional light on the true, lovable nature of Brahms. - -It was about this time that our composer's art began to make perceptible -progress in London. No immediate result was perceptible from the -performance of the B flat Sextet led by Joachim at a Monday Popular -concert of 1867, but from the beginning of the seventies we find Brahms' -name appearing with some regularity in London programmes. No opportunity -was lost by Frau Schumann, Joachim, or Stockhausen for making propaganda -for their friend's music in private artistic circles. The performance of -the Requiem at Sir Henry Thompson's house in the summer of 1871, under -Stockhausen, has already been noted. Of minor incidents of the time in -this connection, the singing of two duets from Op. 28 by Madame -Viardot-Garcia and Stockhausen at a party given by the lady in London on -June 10 may be selected for mention.[42] - -In the same year the call of Bernhard Scholz to Breslau added another to -the list of towns, now to increase rapidly, year by year, in which -Brahms' art came to be cultivated with particular vigour. Scholz, who -had held successive appointments in Hanover and Berlin, had been on -terms of familiar acquaintance with the composer from an early period of -both their careers. He now found himself in a position, as conductor of -the Breslau orchestral subscription concerts, freely to gratify his -admiration of the master's art. From this time not only were Brahms' new -orchestral works given, with few exceptions as they appeared, at the -Breslau subscription concerts, but any existing deficiencies in the -Brahms education of the musical public were supplied by performances of -the two Serenades and the Pianoforte Concerto. The composer himself -played the last-named work at Breslau in 1874 and 1876, when the -orchestra was of course conducted by Scholz. No less attention was -devoted to the chamber music. At the concerts of the resident string -quartet-party arranged by Concertmeister Richard Himmelstoss, at which -Scholz or Julius Buths often assisted as pianist, the two Sextets, the -Quartets and Quintet, and later works in their turn, were frequently -heard, and to the successful results of these efforts, to the warm -response they elicited from the musical circles of Breslau, we owe the -composition of a genial and now favourite work of our master, the -Academic Festival Overture, the appearance of which will be noted in its -place. - -Amongst the friends who visited Lichtenthal during the summer of 1871 -were Allgeyer, Levi, and Stockhausen, and on September 8 the 'Song of -Destiny,' completed in May, was rehearsed at Carlsruhe. - -'Hyperion's Schicksalslied,' by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1834), sets -forth the serene, passionless, unchanging existence of the celestials, -surrounded by the clear light of eternity; and its contrast, the -ever-shifting, suffering life of humanity, wrapped in the darkness of -inscrutable mystery. The poem is entirely fatalistic, containing no -comment on what it depicts. - - 'Ye wander above in light - On tender soil, blessed immortals! - Glistening divine breezes - Touch you gently, - As the fingers of the artist - Sacred strings. - - 'Calm as the sleeping child - Breathe the celestials; - Chastely guarded - In modest bud, - Their spirits bloom eternally, - And their blissful eyes - Gaze in quiet, eternal stillness. - - 'But to us it is given - On no spot to rest; - Suffering men - Vanish, blindly fall - From hour to hour, - As water thrown - From rock to rock, - Year-long down into uncertainty.' - -In Brahms' setting we have yet another fine choral work, characteristic -from every point of view, musical, æsthetic, and psychological--one, -moreover, which is of quite peculiar interest and value, since it -contains an express confession of that creed of love to which the -present writer has several times referred as being traceable throughout -the composer's life and works. The contrasted pictures of celestial and -human existence are set with the vivid force which we have noticed in -our brief studies of preceding works, the pathos and tragedy surrounding -the lot of mankind being treated with the deep, passionate feeling which -is invariably displayed by the composer when he is occupied with this or -kindred subjects. Brahms' 'Song of Destiny' does not, however, terminate -with Hölderlin's, nor could it have done so. Another passion lived -stronger within him than that with which he contemplated the phenomena -of human suffering, uncertainty, and death; and he has known how to -supplement his text with a short, but most exquisitely conceived, -orchestral postlude, which, whilst it rounds the work musically into a -whole, brings to the despairing soul a message of consolation, hope, -faith, courage, such as it is within the peculiar province of music to -convey, and which has the more power over the heart since it cannot be -translated into articulate words. - -That Brahms actually had some such intention in adding the postlude is -in the personal knowledge of the present writer. He regarded it as not -merely accessory, but as being, in a sense, the most important part of -his composition. In rehearsing the work, it was over this portion that -he lingered with peculiar care; and when conducting its performance he -obtained from the postlude some of his rarest and most exquisite effects -of ethereal tenderness. - -The work was performed for the first time from the manuscript on October -18, 1871, under the composer's direction, at a concert of the Carlsruhe -Philharmonic Society. The overture and garden-scene from Schumann's -'Faust' headed, and the conclusion of the second part--both under Levi's -direction--closed the programme, which further included two of -Schubert's songs. Fräulein Johanna Schwarz and Stockhausen were the -soloists of the occasion. - -The impression made by the new work upon the audience of Carlsruhe was -profound, and the composer returned to Vienna gratified and pleased by -an immediate success which the experiences of his career had by no means -led him to regard as a foregone conclusion. - -The Schicksalslied was published by Simrock in December, and was -performed early in 1872 in Bremen, Breslau, Frankfurt, and Vienna. - -The only other original publications of 1871, the two books of Songs, -Op. 57 and 58, were issued by Rieter-Biedermann.[43] All the texts of -Op. 57 are original poems or imitations (Nos. 2, 3, 7) by G. F. Daumer, -whose texts are amongst the most passionate of those set by Brahms. The -composer seems to have imagined a portrait of the poet more or less in -correspondence with his verses, and Claus Groth tells an amusing story -of the shock sustained by Brahms on taking the opportunity of a visit to -Munich to call on Daumer. - - 'I loaded myself with all the books of my songs that contain - something of his. I found him at last, in an out-of-the-way house, - in an out-of-the-way street, and was shown to equally retired - apartments. There in a quiet room I found my poet. Ah, he was a - little dried-up old man! After my sincerely respectful address, on - presenting my music, the old gentleman replied with an embarrassed - word of thanks and I soon perceived that he knew nothing either of - me or my compositions, or anything at all of music. And when I - pointed to his ardent, passionate verses, he signed me, with a - tender wave of the hand, to a little old mother almost more - withered than himself, saying, "Ah, I have only loved the one, my - wife!"' - -The opening of the year 1872 marks the beginning of a new period, not in -the artistic, but in the private life of Brahms. It found him installed -in the historic rooms in the third story of No. 4, Carlsgasse, Vienna, -which were to remain to the end of his life the nearest approach to an -establishment of his own to which he committed himself. He had lodged in -Novaragasse, Singerstrasse, Poststrasse 6, Wohlzeile 23, Ungargasse 2, -had stayed with his friends the Fabers--had, in fact, since his first -visit to Vienna, changed his residence at least with each new season. -When he took possession of his rooms in Carlsgasse 4 on December 27, -1871, he had moved for the last time. Here he lived for a little more -than a quarter of a century, here he died. He continued as he began, a -lodger in furnished apartments, renting his Carlsgasse rooms in the -first instance from a Frau Vogel, who, with her husband and family, -occupied the rest of the dwelling. Brahms' accommodation consisted of -three small rooms communicating one with the other. The middle and -largest contained his grand piano and writing-table, a small -square-shaped instrument to which a tradition was attached, and a table -and chairs arranged, German fashion, in front of a sofa. Here he -received his visitors. In a smaller room were his bookshelves and a high -desk for standing to write. There were cupboards for his music, which in -time overflowed into the rooms as he required more space for his -collections of original manuscripts, engravings, photographs, etc. A few -engravings adorned the walls, and his little bust of Beethoven reminded -him pleasantly of the old home in the Fuhlentwiethe. Frau Vogel was -responsible only for his mending, for the cleaning and dusting of his -rooms, and for opening the house-door to visitors. He took his early -dinner at a restaurant--the 'Kronprinz,' the 'Goldspinnerin,' the 'Zur -schönen Laterne,' and, for about the last fourteen years of his life, -at the 'Zum rothen Igel,' in the Wildpret Markt--and read the newspapers -afterwards over a cup of black coffee at one of the coffee-houses, in -his latter years generally the Café Stadtpark. He supped either at home, -with a book for company--when his fare usually consisted of -bread-and-butter and sausage, with a glass of beer or light wine--or -again at a restaurant, when, as at dinner, he liked to be joined by his -intimates. Needless to say, the private hospitality of friends was -abundantly at his command whenever he chose to avail himself of it. - -The second performance of the Song of Destiny--the first since -publication--took place at the Gesellschaft concert of January 21, under -the direction of Anton Rubinstein, who held the post of 'artistic -director' of the society during the season 1870-71, succeeding Herbeck -on his appointment as capellmeister of the imperial opera. - -The gratification which must have been felt by the composer at the -exceptional impression created by his work on his Austrian public was to -be clouded a few days later by news of his father's grave illness. Jakob -had been ailing for a year past, and had been obliged to resign his post -at the Philharmonic, together with smaller engagements, and accustom -himself to the sight of his beloved double-bass standing mute in a -corner of his parlour. Johannes, perceiving that advancing years were -beginning to tell on his father, had prescribed a change of residence -from the fourth story of 1, Anscharplatz to a first-floor flat in the -same street, but the failure of strength had not been recognised as -serious. Jakob did not complain of any particular symptoms, and it was -only on the occasion of his fetching the doctor to his stepson Fritz -Schnack, who had been brought home ill from St. Petersburg, that he -bethought himself to ask advice on his own account, when his alarming -condition became immediately apparent to the physician. Johannes, who -was immediately sent for, was on the spot without delay, and spent the -next fortnight at the bedside of the stricken man, whom he watched with -tenderest care and tried to cheer with loving encouragement. But the end -was near. Jakob was in the grip of a fatal malady which had ravaged his -constitution continuously during the past twelve months, though his -sufferings were neither acute nor prolonged. He died on February 11, in -his sixty-sixth year, from cancer of the liver, in the presence of his -wife and two sons, and an estrangement of some duration between Johannes -and the less energetic Fritz--returned from two years' absence in -Venezuela--was healed at his death-bed. The son's grief, as may be -expected from all that we have related of his clinging family affection, -was profound. His consolation was found in endeavours for the protection -and comfort of the woman who had brought contentment to the closing -years of Jakob's life, and he stayed on with Frau Caroline after the -funeral, helping her to make necessary arrangements and to look through -his father's little possessions. The old indentures of apprenticeship, -the document of citizenship, memorials of Jakob's early struggles and -modest personal successes, passed into the composer's keeping. A small -portrait in oils, of little value as a picture, but bearing evidence of -having been a good likeness of Jakob in his early manhood, was left with -the widow. 'Mother,' said Johannes excitedly the day before his -departure from Hamburg, turning suddenly to Frau Caroline after standing -for some minutes in silence before the painting, 'as long as you live, -this of course is yours, but promise that at your death it shall come to -me in Vienna!' The promise, readily given, was destined to remain -unfulfilled. Frau Caroline, her stepson's senior by more than six years, -was to outlive him. - -Brahms' care for his father's widow did not cease with his return to his -occupations in Vienna. When Fritz Schnack was convalescent, and the year -sufficiently advanced for change of air to be desirable, he was sent -with his mother to Pinneberg, a pleasant country town of Holstein in -great repute with the citizens of Hamburg on account of its -health-giving climate. The visit proved so beneficial that Johannes -decided to settle his stepbrother there permanently to carry on the -business of a watch and clock maker, which he had hitherto followed in -St. Petersburg. He established him in a pleasant shop, providing him -with all the requisites for a new start, and wished to guarantee a -comfortable home for Frau Caroline as mistress of her son's modest -household; but the bright, energetic widow did not like the idea of -relinquishing her own activity. It was settled, therefore, that she -should return to Hamburg and to her business of taking boarders in the -first-floor flat in the Anscharplatz, on the condition, rigorously -extorted by Johannes, that she was to draw upon him in all cases of need -for herself or her son. Brahms was wont to complain to his stepmother in -after-years that she did not sufficiently fulfil her part of the -bargain, to scold her because she did not ask for money, and to propose -and insist on holiday journeys for herself and Fritz; and from the day -of his father's death to that of his own the kind, capable housewife -continued to be the representative to the great tone-poet of the simple, -restful tie of family affection to which he clung from beginning to end -of his career. - -Elise Brahms was supported by her brother until her marriage, some time -later than our present date, with a watchmaker named Grund, a widower -with a family, and was the recipient of his generosity until her death -in 1892. Fritz, 'the wrong Brahms,' as he was sometimes called, by way -of distinguishing him from Johannes, gained a good position in Hamburg -as a private teacher of the pianoforte, and was for some years on the -staff of visiting teachers at Fräulein Homann's ladies' school at -Hamm--an establishment which enjoyed distinguished English as well as -German patronage. He had only so far followed in his brother's footsteps -as to have been the pupil successively of Cossel and Marxsen, and to -have made a few public appearances in Hamburg as pianist in his own Trio -concerts. His talents might have carried him farther if he had been more -active and ambitious. 'Is this your pianoforte-teacher's pace?' demanded -Johannes sharply on one of his visits to Hamburg, as he was striding -along the street in front of his brother, who could not or would not -keep up with him. Fritz was a favourite with his friends; he possessed -his share of the family humour, and was never known to brag. 'How is -your great brother?' an acquaintance asked him one day. 'What do you -mean?' retorted Fritz, who was tall and thin; 'I am bigger than he is!' -He died unmarried in Hamburg in 1886, at the age of fifty-one. - -Preliminary arrangements were made in good time for the performance of -the completed Triumphlied at the Rhine Festival of 1872, held in -Düsseldorf; but as the date drew near the committee strangely refused to -invite the composer to conduct his work, and Brahms therefore withheld -the manuscript. It was performed for the first time on June 5 at a -farewell concert arranged by the Grand-Ducal Orchestra and the -Philharmonic Society of Carlsruhe jointly, for their departing conductor -Hermann Levi, who had been called to the post of court capellmeister at -Munich, which he held with brilliant success until failing health -compelled his retirement in 1896. Both Frau Schumann and Stockhausen -contributed to the programme of the concert, Stockhausen, as a matter of -course, singing the short solo of the Triumphlied. The performance seems -to have been a fine one, though the chorus at command only numbered 150 -members. An enthusiastic account of the work sent from Carlsruhe to the -_Allgemeine Musikzeitung_ by Franz Gehring concludes: - - 'We Germans may feel proud that such an artist has been inspired by - the impression of the most momentous events to which our history - can point, to the composition of such a triumph-song. To the year - 1870 attaches, not only the renown of our arms, but a new epoch of - our musical art.... It is based upon the modern development of long - familiar forms and modes of expression. That this development has - shown itself to be true and healthy (who had not foreseen it in - Brahms' German Requiem!) is the merit of the German master Brahms, - the greatest of the present day!' - -Comparatively few musicians will be found in these days to deny that -Gehring's words were justified by the development of Brahms' own career, -though it cannot be concealed that a new epoch such as that to which the -reviewer looked forward seems to have closed for the present with the -master's death. - -Contrary to Brahms' established custom, he accepted a concert-engagement -in the course of the summer, and appeared with immense success at the -Baden-Baden Kursaal subscription concert of August 29 as composer, -conductor, and pianist, with his own A major Serenade and Schumann's -Pianoforte Concerto. Amongst the visitors to Lichtenthal in the course -of the season was Reinthaler, who had been present at the performance of -the Triumphlied at Carlsruhe, and returned later to spend a short -holiday near his friends. - -With the beginning of autumn, 1872, a period of ten years had elapsed -since Brahms' first visit to Vienna, and it will help the reader to -obtain a clear view of the development of his career as a composer if we -pause for a moment at this point, to consider what had been its special -features during the decade in the course of which he had gradually come -to regard Vienna as his home. We shall find that it had been entirely -logical and continuous, and singularly independent of those influences -of his changed environment to which imaginary effects on his art and -temperament have not seldom been attributed. - -We observe, in the first place, that only one solo has been added to the -long list of important works for the pianoforte, accompanied and -unaccompanied, which Brahms carried with him to Vienna in 1862, and of -this one it must be said that the Paganini studies in two books, -immensely brilliant and ingenious though they be, cannot be seriously -regarded from the musical standpoint of the Handel or other preceding -sets of variations, but must be accepted more or less as diversions of -the composer's leisure hours. Several of the variations are little more -than transcriptions for the piano of some of those written by Paganini -on the same theme for the violin. - -In the domain of chamber music, where, so far as it is yet possible to -anticipate the verdict of posterity, Brahms' place will be found amongst -the greatest composers of all periods, we find that his first series of -masterpieces for pianoforte and strings has been brought to a close -with the addition of two works--the Horn Trio performed in the autumn of -1865, and the Sonata in E minor for pianoforte and violoncello, whilst -by the side of the String Sextet in B flat has been placed another in G -major, not indeed transcending, but different from, and in every way -worthy of, its companion. With the enumeration of these published works -must be associated the mention of two others of peculiar interest in our -survey because they mark a fresh stage of Brahms' matured development. -The two String Quartets in C minor and A minor were kept in the -composer's desk for some years before they were finally completed. The -significance of their appearance, which we shall have to note in 1873, -as landmarks in Brahms' career, is best illustrated by the remembrance -that twenty years had elapsed since the fastidious self-criticism of the -young musician of twenty had caused the withdrawal of a string quartet -from the list of works proposed by Schumann for the consideration of the -publishers. - -Brahms' fertility as a song-writer for a single voice was constant, -though it matured and varied in its manifestations with the onward -progress of his life. We have already referred to some of the phases of -its long middle period. The decade we are considering witnessed the -publication of eight books of miscellaneous songs and three books of the -Magelone Romances. - -In the Liebeslieder, waltzes for pianoforte duet and vocal quartet, we -have the riper artistic fruition of the mood which produced the vocal -quartets, Op. 31, 'Alternative Dance Song,' 'Raillery,' and 'The Walk to -the Beloved,' composed at Detmold; and to the same early period the -Waltzes for pianoforte duet dedicated to Hanslick primarily belong. - -The splendid achievement, however, which pre-eminently distinguishes -this portion of Brahms' career is to be found in another domain: that in -which we may now, in 1872, contemplate the literal fulfilment of -Schumann's much discussed prophecy; that in which 'the masses of chorus -and orchestra _have_ lent him their powers.' The composer has most -truly 'sunk his magic staff and revealed to us wondrous glimpses of the -spirit world.' The period which produced the German Requiem, the Song of -Destiny, and the Song of Triumph (1866-1871) could hardly be surpassed -in the brilliancy of its own special branch of achievement, and with the -completion of the last of these works the growth of Brahms' powers upon -this particular line of development had reached its summit. The choral -works in which the master hand of the great composer was to be again -revealed, whilst they afford additional opportunities of enjoyment to -the lovers of his art, could not, from the nature of those that had -preceded them, increase the lustre of his fame. - -Of works for orchestra alone the two Serenades published in 1860 are -still the only examples. As we have seen,[44] Brahms, in the summer of -1862, showed Dietrich the first movement of the C minor Symphony, 'which -appeared, greatly altered, much later on,'[45] but since then the -composer's invariable answer to his friend's inquiries had been that the -time for a symphony had not yet arrived. The ten years we are -considering are, in fact, characteristic of the composer as well by -their silence as by their song. We cannot doubt that just as his choral -works were the ultimate outcome of a long period of retirement and -study, of which we have traced the early as well as the late results, so -the period of his symphonic achievement was being gradually prepared for -by special work as fundamental and unwearied. Of this we shall very soon -have to note the perfected first-fruits on the appearance of a short -orchestral composition, now amongst the most familiar and valued of the -treasures with which Brahms has enriched the musical world. - -[35] 'Johannes Brahms in Erinnerung,' p. 37. - -[36] 'Meine Bekanntschaft mit Brahms,' _Die Musik_, No. 5 of 1902. - -[37] A few words that occur in a letter of Mendelssohn to his sister -Fanny Hensel are of interest here. 'Yesterday I read "Nausikaa" to -Cécile in Voss' translation.... This poem is really irresistible when it -becomes sentimental. I always felt an inclination to set it to music, of -course not for the theatre, only as an epic, and this whole day I feel -renewed pleasure in the idea' (p. 148 of Lady Wallace's translation of -Mendelssohn's letters, 1833-1847). - -[38] The entire letter is published by Richard Heuberger in the -supplement to the _Allgemeine Musikzeitung_, 1899, No. 260. - -[39] 'Franz Liszt's Briefe an Carl Gille,' with a biographical -introduction by Adolph Stern. - -[40] Numbers 1, 3, 10, were published in 1874 as arranged by the -composer for orchestra, and were frequently conducted by him about that -date. - -[41] The full programme was as follows: - -A German Requiem (under Reinthaler's direction). - -Arie from Handel's 'Messiah' and Graun's 'Der Tod Jesu.' - -'Hallelujah, Heil and Preis sei Gott.' A song of Triumph for eight-part -Chorus and Orchestra lately composed by Johannes Brahms (under the -composer's direction). - -Soprano, Frau Wilt from Vienna, Imperial chamber singer. - -Baritone, Herr Schelper, of the Berlin Court Opera. - -(The chorus of the Singakademie was augmented for the occasion to about -300 voices.) - -The general (public) rehearsal took place on Thursday evening, April 6. - -[42] The following were, as the author believes, first performances in -this country: - -_Quartet in A major for Pianoforte and Strings_: May 23, 1871. St. -James's Hall, Musical Union (John Ella), by Jaell, Heermann, Wäfelghem, -Lasserre. - -_Pianoforte Concerto, D minor_: March 9, 1872. Crystal Palace (A. -Manns), by Miss Baglehole (pupil of the pianist W. H. Holmes, one of the -first English musicians to appreciate the significance of Brahms' art). -The concerto was played for the second time in London by Jaell at the -Philharmonic concert of June 23, 1873. - -_Sextet for Strings, G major_: November 27, 1872. St. George's Hall, -Musical Evenings, by Henry Holmes, Folkes, Burnett, Hann, C. Ould, -Pezze. - -_Ballades for Pianoforte, Op. 10, Nos. 2 and 3_: March 17, 1873. St. -James's Hall, Monday Popular Concerts (S. Arthur Chappell), by Frau -Schumann. - -_Handel Variations and Fugue for Pianoforte_: November 12, 1873. Crystal -Palace, by Florence May. - -_Hungarian Variations for Pianoforte_: March 25, 1874. Crystal Palace, -by Florence May. - -_Schumann Variations (Pianoforte Duet)_: March 30, 1874. St. James's -Hall, Monday Popular Concerts, by Miss Agnes Zimmermann and Mr. Franklin -Taylor. - -_Serenade in A major (small Orchestra)_: June 29, 1874. St. James's -Hall, Philharmonic Society. Conductor: W. G. Cusins. - -_Liebeslieder, Op. 52_: January 15 and 27, 1877. St. James's Hall, M. -and S. Popular Concerts. Pianists: Fräulein Marie Krebs and Miss A. -Zimmermann. Singers: Fräulein Sophie Löwe, Fräulein Redeker, William -Shakespeare, G. Pyatt. - -_Neue Liebeslieder, Walzer, Op. 65_: May 18, 1877. Cambridge University -Musical Society's Concerts. Pianists: C. Villiers Stanford and Raoul C. -de Versan. Singers: Fräulein Thekla Friedländer, Fräulein Redeker, Rev. -L. Borrisow, Gerard F. Cobb. - -N.B.--The _Quartet in G minor_ and the _Quintet in F minor_, both for -_Pianoforte and Strings_, were played for the first time at the Popular -Concerts respectively on January 26, 1874, by Hallé, Madame -Norman-Néruda (now Lady Hallé), Ludwig Straus, and Piatti; and on -February 27, 1875, by Hallé, Joachim, L. Ries, and Piatti, but may have -been previously given in England elsewhere. - -The _Pianoforte Concerto in D minor_ was played for the first time in -Vienna at one of the Philharmonic Concerts of the season 1870-71, by the -composer, and for the second time in March, 1873, by Anton Door. - -[43] The author has followed the date given in the published catalogue -of the issue of these two books of songs. By their opus numbers they -would rather belong to the year 1873 or 1874. Brahms' well-known -arrangement for Pianoforte of Gluck's Gavotte in A was published in 1871 -by Senff. - -[44] P. 278 of Vol. I. - -[45] Dietrich, p. 42. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - 1872-1876 - - Publication of the 'Triumphlied,' with a dedication to the German - Emperor William I.--Brahms conducts the 'Gesellschaft - concerts'--Schumann Festival at Bonn--Professor and Frau - Engelmann--String Quartets--First performances--Anselm Feuerbach in - Vienna--Variations for Orchestra--First performances--'Triumphlied' - at Cologne, Basle, and Zürich--Resignation of appointment as - 'artistic director' to the Gesellschaft--Third Pianoforte Quartet. - - -Brahms returned to Vienna for the concert-season of 1872-73 with a new -and absorbing interest before him. He had accepted the appointment of -'artistic director' to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, thereby -undertaking the duties of conductor, not only of the society's concerts, -but of the bi-weekly practices of its choral society. The usual scheme -of the Gesellschaft concert-season, extending from about the middle of -November to April, comprised four regular, and two extra, concerts with -orchestra and chorus, one at least of which was devoted to an oratorio -or other great choral work. - - 'Brahms will now conduct the Gesellschaft concerts,' writes - Billroth on October 25; 'he is preparing Handel's _Te Deum_ and - "Saul," two Bach cantatas, his "Triumphlied," etc. At present he is - all enthusiasm over the direction of the choral society, and - enraptured with the voices and the musical talent of the choir. - Should the results be favourable, he will, I think, persevere; a - failure might suffice to discourage him so much as to deprive him - of all inclination for the work....' - -The season opened on November 10 with the following programme: - - 1. G. F. Handel: _Te Deum_ for the Dettingen celebration - of victory, 1743. - 2. W. A. Mozart: Aria for Soprano, with obl. accompaniment - for pianoforte and orchestra - (Frau Wilt). - 3.(_a_) J. Eccard: 'Ueber's Gebirg Maria geht.' - (_b_) H. Isaak: 'Inspruk ich muss dich lassen.' - Choruses _a capella_. - 4. F. Schubert: Symphony in C major (arranged for - Orchestra from the Pianoforte Duet, - Op. 140, by J. Joachim). - -This selection hardly invited an enthusiastic demonstration from a mixed -audience, but the performances were well received, and the occasion -resulted in a substantial artistic success for Brahms, and in the -removal of the doubt which had been entertained, even in some friendly -quarters, as to his fitness for his new duties. The inclusion of the -so-called symphony by Schubert was mentioned with disapproval by some of -the papers, though the masterly instrumentation of Joachim's -arrangement--made, we may add, at Schumann's suggestion--was duly -acknowledged. - -The second concert, the first 'extra' of the season, was in every -respect brilliant. It included the second performance of the complete -Triumphlied, published shortly before by Simrock with Brahms' dedication -to His Majesty the Emperor William I. The original title inscribed on -the manuscript of the work--'Song of Triumph on the Victory of German -Arms'--was shortened on publication to the simple 'Song of Triumph.' The -programme of December 6 was as follows: - - 1. Handel: Concerto for Organ and Orchestra. - 2. Mozart: Offertorium for double Chorus, Orchestra, - and Organ. - 3. Gluck: Aria from the opera 'Alcestis' (Frau - Joachim). - 4. J. S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in E flat for Organ. - 5. J. Brahms: Song of Triumph for Solo, eight-part Chorus, - Orchestra, and Organ (solo, Dr. Krauss). - -The performances of the great organ-player S. de Lange, invited from -Rotterdam for the occasion, on the society's new instrument, which had -been inaugurated at the previous concert by Bibl; the singing of Gluck's -aria by Frau Joachim; the rendering of two choral works, both new to the -audience, the productions of two masters each representative of his day, -with the art history of a century lying between them, combined to make a -programme of peculiar and varied interest. The Offertorium, an -unpublished work composed by Mozart in his twenty-first year, was -written for double chorus and organ, to which the composer afterwards -added two violins. Brahms now availed himself for the support of his -voices of the entire string band, and the performance of the beautiful -and unfamiliar work made a great impression. It was published almost -immediately by J. P. Gotthard of Vienna. The most important event of the -concert was, of course, the first performance in Vienna of the -performer's Song of Triumph. - - 'A truly magnificent work, which produced a profound and enduring - impression,' says Schelle; 'the German victories have been the - occasion of its composition.... Both as regards its form and its - treatment of masses, this work bears the stamp of a masterpiece. - The performances were excellent. The society's concerts could - certainly be in no better hands.' - -The Triumphlied was given a week later, December 14, in Munich, under -Franz Wüllner, and was again reviewed at length in the _Allgemeine -Zeitung_ of the 25th in a highly interesting article by Franz Pyllemann. - - 'The orchestra develops truly royal splendour.... What wealth of - tone-combination, what intoxicating charm of colouring, strike the - ear of the listener! The knowledge shown in the use and application - of the most appropriate and noble means of expression, as offered - by the various instruments, must be noted with deep admiration. - Brahms' mastery in the handling of chorus has long been common - knowledge. He makes great demands on his singers, and does not - readily restrict the development of an artistic idea on account - either of their convenience or their uncertainty. But, how his - choral movements sound! In this respect, the master stands nearer - to the heroes of choral composition, and especially Handel, than - any other modern musician. He has studied their works; he has most - intimately fused their, for our time, almost enigmatical technique - with the many resources of modern art; so that we might often - suppose ourselves to be listening, as regards his thematic work, - the polyphonic construction of his parts, to a masterpiece of the - eighteenth century, whilst the character of the themes, the quality - of the harmonies, the condition of the form, on the whole and in - detail, are entirely modern, are quite specifically "Brahms."' - -The work was given at the Gewandhaus Concerts, Leipzig, on February 27, -1873. - -The effect of the second 'regular' Gesellschaft concert of the season, -on January 5, 1873, was marred by a series of misfortunes. Three works -were announced for performance: - - 1. Hiller: Concert Overture in D major. - 2. Schumann: 'Des Sängers Fluch.' - 3. Mendelssohn: 'Die Walpurgis Nacht.' - -Hiller, who happened to be staying in Vienna, had promised to conduct -his overture to 'Demetrius,' the most successful of his four works in -this form, but, owing to an accident to the music, it was necessary to -substitute another, which proved ineffective. The drummer was attacked -by sudden illness on the day of the concert, and the substitute provided -proved unequal to the emergency; Hiller was obliged to rap for silence -immediately after beginning the performance of his work, and to -recommence. A similar mishap attended the course of the 'Sängers Fluch,' -under Brahms' direction, in consequence of a misunderstanding between -the solo vocalists and the harpists. Mendelssohn's work alone went -without a blemish. - -A very great success was obtained at the next concert, on February 28, -the second 'extra' of the season, with Handel's oratorio 'Saul,' given -for the first time in Vienna. The great work was received with -enthusiasm, and the performance pronounced perfect both by public and -press. - -This was followed, at the next 'regular' concert on March 23, by a -varied programme: - - 1. Bach: Easter Cantata, 'Christ lag in Todesbanden.' - - 2. Haydn: Symphony in C major. - - 3. German Folk-songs for unaccompanied mixed Chorus: - (_a_) 'In stiller Nacht.' - (_b_) 'Dort in den Weiden steht ein Haus.' - - 4. Schubert: 'Ellen's zweites Gesang' (arranged for - Soprano solo, women's Chorus, and Instruments - by Brahms). - - 5. Beethoven: Chorus from 'Die Weihe des Hauses,' for - Soprano solo, Chorus, and Orchestra. - -The attitude of the audience during the early part of this concert was -somewhat doubtful, the opening cantata being followed with earnestness, -but with scanty demonstrations of approval. At the entry of the chorale -at the close of the work, however, an electric feeling passed through -the packed hall as at the release from strained attention, and the -applause which followed was loud and resounding. - - 'It is hardly possible to bestow enough praise upon the performance - of the cantata,' says Schelle (the _Presse_); 'the choral society - and their conductor Brahms acquitted themselves most splendidly of - their task, and warm acknowledgment is also due to Herr Organist - Bibl.' - -Similar praise is given to the performance of the other numbers of the -programme, special mention being made of the folk-songs, one of which -had to be repeated. - - 'In a word,' concludes the critic, 'the satisfaction caused us by - the beautifully arranged concert must, we think, have been equalled - by that felt by Brahms at its success.' - -Billroth gives an interesting account, in a letter dated March 29, of -the energy and success of Brahms' work in this new field of labour. - - 'Brahms is extremely active as a conductor; he has achieved - incomparably fine performances, and receives the fullest - recognition from all who take art earnestly. His "Triumphlied," - given with organ and an immense chorus, produced a marvellous - effect here; great masses are required for its performance, it is - monumental music.... - - 'At the last concert Brahms ventured upon one of the most difficult - of Bach's cantatas, composed to Luther's text, "Christ lay in bonds - of death," which had never before been performed. The Viennese - accepted this with amiability from such a favourite as Brahms. Two - unaccompanied folk-songs which came next ("In stiller Nacht" and - "Der schönste Bursch am ganzen Rhein") awakened such a storm of - applause, however, that one almost felt afraid the house would fall - in. The old King of Hanover was almost beside himself with musical - intoxication. One becomes quite drunk with the beautiful quality of - sound produced by this choir, whose increase and decrease (_f._ and - _p._) are carried on like those of one voice....' - -Sufficient detail has now been given of the Gesellschaft concert-season -of 1872-73 to show the wisdom of the committee in their choice of a new -'artistic director,' and it only remains to mention the advertised -'last' concert of April 6. Two works were brought to a hearing: - - 1. Bach: Cantata, 'Liebster Gott, wann werd' ich sterben.' - 2. Cherubini: Requiem in C minor. - -The success of the performances may be inferred from the fact that the -programme was repeated two days later at an additional concert hastily -arranged to fulfil the general demand for an encore. - -Brahms was singularly unfortunate this year in his efforts to secure a -quiet retreat for the pursuit of his usual summer avocations. Flying, -after two days' residence in lodgings in Gratwein, Styria, from the -attentions of some 'æsthetic ladies' who began to threaten his peace, he -took refuge in the attic of the 'Seerose,' an inn in the Bavarian -village of Tutzing, on Lake Starnberg, to receive, the very night of his -arrival, a formal written invitation to make one, during his stay, of a -light-hearted fellowship of youthful authors, painters, and musicians -who held their meetings in the house. An early hour of the morning -witnessed his second abrupt departure, the only answer vouchsafed to the -missive being its torn fragments scattered on the floor of his room. He -took refuge this time with Levi at Munich, and made his headquarters at -his friend's house during the early part of the summer, seeing much also -of Allgeyer, who had been invited to settle professionally in the -Bavarian capital shortly after Levi's departure from Carlsruhe. Later -on Brahms attended the Schumann Festival at Bonn (August 17-19), -arranged, by Joachim's suggestion, for the purpose of assisting a fund -for the erection of a memorial to Schumann in the city where the master -had passed the two last sad years of his life, and where a Beethoven -monument had been unveiled in 1871. There were orchestral concerts on -the 17th and 18th, both conducted by Joachim, excepting in the case of -one work (Wasielewsky), and a matinée of chamber music on the 19th, the -programmes, in which Frau Schumann, Frau Joachim, Stockhausen, and -others took part, being entirely selected from Schumann's works. The -festival closed with a social function, an excursion by steamer to -Rolandseck. The presence at Bonn of each member of the remarkable -quartet of great musicians, whom we have seen closely bound together by -ties of artistic and personal friendship through nearly twenty years, -was made the more interesting by the addition of Ferdinand Hiller, the -intimate ally of all four. Many other old friends were there, of whom -Freiherr von Meysenbug, as reviving Detmold memories, should be -particularly mentioned. Brahms made some new acquaintances also, notably -Professor Engelmann and his gifted wife, known in the musical world for -a few seasons as the pianist Fräulein Emma Brandes, who retired from a -public career on her early marriage. - -Brahms, though taking no active part in the concerts, was not at all -averse to contributing to the private artistic pleasures of the week. -The most memorable of these was the first introduction to a few of his -friends of the Variations on a theme by Haydn, which he played with Frau -Schumann in the version of the work for two pianofortes. Another day he -turned into a pianoforte warehouse in the course of a walk with -Wasielewsky, and sitting down before one of the instruments extemporized -one waltz after another. - -After leaving Bonn he paid his annual visit to Lichtenthal, where Frau -Schumann and her daughters also stayed for a few weeks, though it was no -longer their place of residence. They moved this year to Berlin, and in -future only visited Baden-Baden for occasional change. Brahms sometimes -met his old friends there in the summer until the year 1878, when Frau -Schumann accepted an appointment at the Conservatoire of Music founded -by Dr. Hoch at Frankfurt. She then sold her house at Lichtenthal, and -Brahms' subsequent association with the neighbourhood was limited to -rare visits of a few days. Frau Schumann continued to live at Frankfurt -from this time, though she resigned her duties at the conservatoire some -years before her death. - -Meanwhile Brahms spent several weeks of this and succeeding summers at -his old lodgings, and one day in August of this year he played the -finally completed String Quartets in C minor and A minor, and the -'Rain-songs' to Frau Schumann. She had heard the C minor Quartet, as the -reader may remember, in the summer of 1866. The composer played both -works to Dr. Hermann Deiters when he was staying at Bonn in 1868. - -Claus Groth's poem 'Rain-song' and the shorter one 'Echo,' which form -the texts of Nos. 3 and 4 of Brahms' Op. 59, were particular favourites -of our master. He composed the 'Nachklang,' of which he chose the title, -twice. The published version is the second of the two. Musical readers -will remember that melody and accompaniment are used again in the duet -Sonata in G major. - -Both String Quartets were performed privately in Berlin by Joachim and -his colleagues. They were played for the first time in public; that in A -minor in Berlin at the Joachim Quartet concert of October 18 from the -manuscript; that in C minor at the Hellmesberger concert of December 11 -in Vienna from the printed copies. - -[Illustration: BRAHMS AT THE AGE OF 40.] - -The appearance of these two works as Op. 51, Nos. 1 and 2, forms, as we -have said, another and important landmark in the development of Brahms' -career. The String Quartet holds a position of peculiar significance in -the art of music, and a composer, by selecting this form for the -exercise of his powers, exposes them to the most unfailing test to which -his calibre as a musician can possibly be submitted. He must possess -not only fertility in the production of purely musical concentrated -ideas, and ideas capable of development; the power to develop them, -which means many things, and the capacity for shaping them into clear -structure; but he must be able to express them with the most bare and -simple musical means, with four strings. From the rapid effects of -strong and strongly contrasted sensation producible by the pianoforte, -or the varied tone-colour of the orchestra, he is precluded. With his -four strings he can interest, delight, touch, but hardly astonish his -hearers. The String Quartet is absolute music in its purest form, and -but few works in this domain can survive their birth unless they be -destined to attain a long life. The means are perfect for the end, but -this is difficult of achievement; only the quartet of a master has much -chance of being heard after its first few performances. It will be -evident to the reader that Brahms was fitted by many essential -characteristics of his genius for success in this branch of art, though -it cannot cause surprise that one of his great qualities, the power of -waiting for results, should have strengthened his fastidiousness in -accepting as final the fruits of his studies in a form which had been -brought to ideal perfection by Haydn and Beethoven, each in their day. -On the great musicianship manifest in Brahms' quartets, on his mastery -over his means, his power of completely balancing his four parts, of -making each a separate individuality whilst all blend harmoniously as -equal constituents of an organic whole, it is only necessary to insist -here in so far as these qualities are elements in another feature which -pre-eminently marks our master's chamber music for strings: the -extraordinary beauty of its structure. Throughout the three quartets and -two quintets for strings composed by Brahms there is not only no mere -passage writing, but it would be difficult to point to a single note -that could be called superfluous. Each seems to have been placed with -loving care by the master hand of the great musical architect, the -artist builder, as an essential part of the whole large design. When we -examine the thoughts themselves and their development we find that we -are, as in all Brahms' works, in the presence of a powerful and -fascinating individuality. Ideas and treatment are the master's own, not -easy at once to understand, but offering almost inexhaustible -opportunity for discovery and enjoyment to listeners willing to earn -such rewards. The two quartets, Op. 51, are more or less severally -representative of contrasted sides of Brahms' individuality. The first, -in C minor, is generally characterized by fire and impetuosity, -exquisitely relieved by the tender romance of the second movement; No. -2, in A minor, is conceived in a softer vein. The last movement of this -work contains a beautiful example of the characteristic Brahms coda; the -augmented vigour of the climax is preceded by a period of tranquillity -that seems to place the listener in an atmosphere of mystic exaltation, -to afford him 'glimpses of a spirit world' from which the previous -thoughts of the movement flow towards him in transfigured tones. Lovers -of the master's music will recall a similar feature in other works. In -the opening theme of the first movement, which is suggestive of -Joachim's early device F.A.E.-- - -[Music: Excerpt from the first movement of Brahms's String Quartet in A -Minor, Op. 51, No. 2, etc.] - -we may, perhaps, perceive a passing reference to the remembrance of his -friend which must certainly have been present to Brahms' mind as he -planned these works. Instances of the composer's mastery of the art of -modulation, of his boldness and facility in going to, and returning from -unexpected and distant keys, may be found in the two quartets as in the -majority of his instrumental compositions. They were dedicated by Brahms -to 'his friend Dr. Theodor Billroth of Vienna,' and were published in -the autumn by Simrock. - -Amongst those who had looked forward with particular expectancy to the -opening of the great World Exhibition that was held in Vienna in the -autumn of 1873 was the painter Anselm Feuerbach. He had, the previous -year, accepted the offer of an appointment as director of the historical -class about to be formed in the Imperial Academy of Plastic Arts of that -city, but had begged for a year's leave of absence in Rome before -entering on his new duties, in order that he might finish two great -pictures, 'The Battle of the Amazons' and 'The Second Symposium,' the -exhibition of which he conceived likely to establish his fame and to -secure him an authoritative position on taking up his residence in -Austria. The nearly finished pictures were sent to Vienna in March or -April, and Feuerbach followed them in May, 1873, but it turned out that -they could not be hung in the Exhibition gallery on account of their -great size. The painter determined, therefore, to exhibit them one after -the other in the 'Künstler-Haus,' and, in order to secure the advantage -of association in the mind of the public with so favourite a celebrity -of Vienna as Brahms had at this time become, he requested the master to -sit to him on his return in October in order that his portrait might be -exhibited with the other pictures. - -Feuerbach was a small man of ultra-refined appearance and manners, and a -countenance of rather melancholy expression that had evidently been of -striking beauty in his youth. He was accustomed to be made much of by -ladies, was extremely sensitive and self-centred, and inordinately vain, -and had confidently persuaded himself that his pictures were to achieve -an instant and overwhelming success. - - 'My pictures are splendid and all but finished,' he wrote to his - mother on October 2; 'why should I feel a moment's anxiety since I - have eminent power in my hands; genius and position.... The - Symposium also is quite exquisite, I may say so now as I have seen - the Vatican.'[46] - -Brahms, who had, as we have seen, a long-standing acquaintance with -Feuerbach and sincerely admired his powers, mounted the many flights of -stairs leading to the artist's temporary studio more than once. His -attention was particularly called to the 'Battle of the Amazons,' on -which, as it was to be exhibited first, Feuerbach was busy with the -finishing touches. He mentioned it several times in a reserved manner to -Groth, who was in Vienna for the Exhibition, saying he was anxious to -have his opinion of it, and persuaded him to pay a visit to the studio -one day to be presented to Feuerbach. Groth, however, on coming away, -found that he was unable, as Brahms had been, to express himself warmly -about the great painting, and merely agreed with our master in 'not -understanding' it. Brahms, intimately acquainted with the artist circles -of Vienna, evidently could not shake off his apprehension as to the -result of the exhibition, and took an opportunity of speaking a word of -warning to Feuerbach, advising him to be cautious, and to introduce -himself to his new public with a smaller work. The integrity of the -composer's ideas of friendship and the misunderstanding of his motives -which was its frequent result, as well as the general soundness of his -judgment in matters on which he ventured to give advice, are well -illustrated by the affair. His words produced an immediate effect very -different from that intended by him. The wound they inflicted on the -irritable susceptibility of the painter was so painful as to deprive him -of the power of concentrating his mind upon the 'Amazons' for several -subsequent days, and he found it impossible to go on with Brahms' -portrait. - -'Another evening spoilt by Brahms,' he wrote on November 3; and again: -'I was not for a second angry with Brahms, but I have put his canvas -aside for the present.' It was never taken up again. - -The pictures were duly exhibited in turn, and it may be said that the -final breakdown of Feuerbach's never robust constitution was the -ultimate result. Not criticism only or even chiefly, but torrents of -contempt, derision, insult were poured upon his work. - - 'A storm broke over my head by which I could at least reassure - myself as to the importance of my pictures. I could not sit down - to table without finding jests, raillery, caricature--unfortunately - always bad--beside my plate, and the story of my discomfiture was - related in the house from roof to cellar. I was told that everyone, - from the professor to the porter's boy, was laughing at my bad - picture.' - - 'Almost the entire press, independent and mercenary alike, was - arrayed against Feuerbach,' says Allgeyer. - -His pupils, however, offered him the mute sympathy and support of -punctual attendance and respectful attention at class, and the Minister -remained loyal to him. He retained his appointment till the close of -1876, though ill-health prevented him from performing his duties during -the last half-year. He died at Nürnburg in 1880. His friendship with our -master did not terminate with the incident of the pictures. - -'Brahms has lent me his fur-coat for my journey,' he wrote in February, -1875, on the eve of his departure for Rome. - -The 'Battle of the Amazons' was presented by the artist's mother to the -city of Nürnburg in the year 1889, and hangs there in the picture -gallery of the Town Hall. Many of the studies for the 'Amazons' and the -'Symposium' were purchased by King Ludwig II. of Bavaria, and presented -by him to the Royal Pinakothek at Munich. - -Of the many letters of congratulation received by Allgeyer after the -appearance of his 'Life of Feuerbach' in 1894, one of those most highly -prized by him came from Brahms. - -Brahms paid one visit to the great Exhibition in the company of Groth -and other friends, though the noise and bustle of such a scene were by -no means to his taste. He was more anxious that his friend should see -and hear what was really characteristic of Vienna. 'You must go to the -Volksgarten on Friday evening when Johann Strauss will conduct his -waltzes. _There_ is a master; such a master of the orchestra that one -never loses a single tone of whatever instrument!' - -Having promised to arrange a meeting between Frau Dustmann of the -imperial opera and Groth, Brahms came to the poet's hotel one morning, -and entering the room where he was lying in bed with a bad feverish -cold, exclaimed delightedly: 'Come to me this evening, the Dustmann will -sing to you.' 'But you see I am ill,' returned Groth testily. 'You will -be astonished,' continued Brahms, whose boast it was that he had never -in his life been really ill, '_there_ is a singer, _there_ is an artist; -_she_ will please you!' 'Ah, my dear fellow, I really cannot come,' -pleaded the other, 'Johann has just put a cold compress on, I am so -miserable!' 'She is very seldom free just now; she cannot come another -day.' 'Surely you see how miserable I am. How I should like to come, but -I cannot,' persisted Groth. Then Brahms turned to go. 'You are a -Philistine!' he declared angrily as he left the room.[47] - -The ante-Christmas season of 1873, signalized on its immediate opening -by the performance of the String Quartet in A minor at Berlin, already -referred to, was further rendered distinctive in Brahms' career by the -first performance from the manuscript of the Variations for Orchestra on -a theme by Haydn, which took place at the Vienna Philharmonic of -November 2 under Dessoff's direction. The masterly and attractive work -consists, as most amateurs are aware, of eight variations and a finale -on the 'Chorale St. Antoni.' The composer adheres almost entirely to -Haydn's harmonies in the giving out of the theme. The variations are -constructed on the principle often observable in his works in this form; -they constitute, as it were, a series of little movements each woven -more or less appreciably from the matter of the chorale, but each with a -character of its own and complete in itself, while the entire -composition is gathered together and rounded into a whole by the finale. -Brahms' vivid and original imagination of tone-effect is very clearly -discernible throughout the work, and is especially illustrated in it by -his original and effective employment of the double bassoon. - -The variations were received by the crowded audience, and reviewed by -the press, with warm welcome and with grateful appreciation of their -beauty and perfection, if with some trace of disappointment that he who -'held the sceptre' in the domain of music for the chamber and the -concert-room, and must of all living musicians be pre-eminently -qualified for the composition of a symphony, should be the very man to -refrain from writing one. Brahms, however, was well aware of the -gigantic difficulty of the task that lay before him in the writing of a -symphony that should successfully encounter that ordeal of comparison -with the greatest works of its class which had become inevitable by the -fact of his acknowledged supremacy in other forms. The ultimate cause of -his delay and the pledge of his future victory are alike to be found in -the nature of his artistic convictions, which, holding him loyal to the -traditions of the past masters of instrumental music, made it impossible -to him to seek novelty by compromising with modern methods. Brahms -elected to wait until, with the gradual ripening of his powers to full -maturity, he should feel, not only that he had something of his own to -say in the highest domain of pure music, but that he had mastered the -power of expressing it in a manner true to himself. Had he never felt -assured on these two points it is certain that no symphony of his would -ever have been made public, no matter to what sum of months the hours -might amount which he had devoted to the study and practice of writing -for the orchestra. Having now given a sign of his whereabouts he again -drew a veil over the course of his artistic development, and, appearing -before the public during the next three years only on ground which he -had already made his own, revealed no more upward stages of his -achievement until he at length stood victoriously before the world on -its summit. - -The variations were performed for the second time on December 10 under -Levi in Munich. - -The Gesellschaft season opened under Brahms' direction on November 9, -with Beethoven's Overture, Op. 115, and Handel's 'Alexander's Feast.' A -varied programme was given at the second concert of December 7: - - 1. Schubert: Overture to Fierrebras. - - 2. Schubert: Aria for Tenor (written in 1821 for introduction - into Herold's Opera 'Zauberglöcken' at the - Kärnthnerthor Theater, Vienna; - unpublished). Herr Gustav Walter. - - 3. Volkmann: Concertstück for Pianoforte and Orchestra. - Pianoforte, Herr Smetansky. - - 4. (_a_) Joh. Rud. Ahle (1662)} Unaccompanied Choruses. - (_b_) J. S. Bach } - - 5. Bach: Cantata, 'Nun ist das Heil,' for double - Chorus, Orchestra and Organ. - - 6. Jac. Gallus: Unaccompanied Chorus, 'Ecce Quomodo.' - - 7. Beethoven: Choral Fantasia for Pianoforte (Smetansky), - Orchestra, and Chorus. - -The publications of the year, all issued in the autumn, were, in -addition to the String Quartets, the version for two Pianofortes of the -Haydn Variations (Op. 56_b_), by Simrock, and a set of eight Songs (Op. -59), by Rieter-Biedermann. Of these, four are set to texts by Claus -Groth, which include 'Rain-songs' and the lovely 'Dein blaues Auge hält -so still.' The Variations for Orchestra were published by Simrock in -1874. - -Brahms was at this time quite immersed in his various kinds of work. - - 'I am so enormously occupied that I see my best friends only very - rarely and by accident,' he wrote in December to the present - author. - -It had now become his custom to decline invitations for the Christmas -festival, and to spend it, partly at the open-air Christmas market, -where he made himself happy by purchasing gifts for the poor children -whom he found crowding round the tempting wares, and partly at home, -where he would look in for half an hour at the family party gathered in -front of his landlady's Christmas-tree; no doubt contributing his share -to the surprises of Christmas Eve, the 'sacred evening' when, throughout -the length and breadth of Germany and Austria, innumerable trees are -lighted up at about the same hour, and the great exchange takes place of -presents to which, in many cases, the preparation and savings of a year -have been consecrated. A New Year's present of a special kind received -by Brahms this winter was the Maximilian Order for Art and Science -conferred on him by King Ludwig II. of Bavaria. - -The year 1874 was unusually full of movement and varied excitement for -our composer. From January onwards he was besieged with invitations, -many of which he accepted, to conduct his works at concerts and -festivals in North Germany, the Rhine, Switzerland, and was obliged to -reply in the negative to Dietrich's request, received in the beginning -of spring, that he would include Oldenburg in his arrangements. - - 'DEAR FRIEND, - - 'I am more than sorry, but you are too late! I have already - promised so much, and shall not be coming to your neighbourhood! - - 'If you had written earlier I could have arranged with Hanover, - Bremen, etc., for, _seriously_, I should be too glad to go to you - again....' - -The third Gesellschaft concert of the season (1873-74) took place on -January 25. That the performances under Brahms would be above criticism -had become by this time almost a foregone conclusion, and, beyond -recording the great success achieved by Goldmark's 'Hymn of Spring,' it -is only necessary to give the programme of the occasion: - - 1. Rheinberger: Prelude to the Opera 'The Seven Ravens.' - - 2. Goldmark: 'Frühlings Hymne' (May musings, from the Swedish of - Geijer), for Contralto solo, Chorus, and - Orchestra. (First performance, under the - composer's direction.) - - 3. Mozart: 'Davidde Penitente,' Cantata for Soli, Chorus, and - Orchestra. - -A few days later Brahms left Vienna to fulfil a group of engagements in -Leipzig, a circumstance which in itself affords some indication of the -rapid strides by which his career had lately been advancing towards the -full sunshine of success that was to flood the latter portion of his -path through life. - -The relations between Brahms and the city which owed its brilliant -reputation as a musical centre to Mendelssohn's influence had been at no -time really sympathetic. The attitude of expectant toleration that had -been more or less adopted towards him by both its extreme parties after -his first visit in 1853 had resulted on the one hand from Schumann's -essay, and on the other, from the confidence felt by the Weimarites and -expressed by Liszt that his 'new paths' must eventually bring him into -close touch with themselves. Gradually, however, it, became clear how -mistaken was the belief that the young musician would drift towards -acceptance of the extreme new tendencies, whilst the originality of his -musical thoughts and of his manner of expressing them was abhorrent to -the inflexible conservatism that had come to represent the traditions of -the Gewandhaus. If, moreover, there is every reason to surmise that -Mendelssohn himself had no hearty appreciation of Schumann's genius, it -is equally probable that neither Rietz, who conducted the Gewandhaus -concerts from 1848 to 1860, nor Reinecke, who succeeded him, was in very -warm sympathy with that of Brahms, and the predilections of the public -followed those of their accredited guides. - -Brahms' works were, it is true, generally given at the orchestral or -chamber concerts of the Gewandhaus soon after publication, but, -excepting the Triumphlied, with its special appeal to the patriotic -sentiment of the great German people, they met with but scanty response -from an audience little accustomed to the exertion of trying to follow -the expression of a new and original artistic individuality. That -Reinecke was by no means an ideal conductor of them naturally resulted -from the fact that by training, by conviction, and by practice, he was -attached to a rigidly formal school of modern musical thought, and it -can surprise no one that he should have been unable entirely to realize -the deeper and richer utterances of Schumann's young prophet. Brahms' -chamber music fared differently in the hands of David, who was almost -alone amongst the authorities of the Gewandhaus in his sympathy for the -composer's genius. To these considerations it must be added that not -only the pianist, but the composer Rubinstein, had, as we indicated in -an early chapter, an enthusiastic following amongst the typical Leipzig -public who were disposed to resent any claim to recognition that might -threaten to rival that of their favourite. - -In spite, however, of the fact that Brahms was no party man, in Leipzig, -as in almost every other city where his music was heard, it struck a -root, imperceptible at first, but growing deeper and stronger and more -extended with every year that went by. The attention bestowed on it by -Brendel's society has been frequently referred to in these pages; it was -cultivated, also, by Riedel's celebrated choir. A more representative -illustration, however, of a certain mysterious power inherent in Brahms' -works of finding their way sooner or later, and not seldom it is sooner, -to the heart, in spite of their intellectuality, their difficulty, their -reserve, is furnished by the case of two sisters, daughters of the head -of one of the great bookselling houses of Leipzig. The Fräulein Weigand -did not live in a musical 'set,' nor were they personally acquainted -with Brahms or his friends, but not long after their first casual -introduction to his music in the middle of the sixties, when they were -young girls, the appearance of each of his new works had come to be an -event in their lives. 'You from Leipzig!' exclaimed Hermann Levi, with -whom the sisters had a passing acquaintance in the summer of 1871. It -was not until three months before the composer's death that these ladies -had any personal communication with him. Then, hearing of his hopeless -illness, they resolved to address him for the first and last time, and -in January, 1897, they wrote to him telling how they had always loved -his music and followed his career. No one who really knew him will doubt -the pleasure that the letter gave to the dying master. In answer he -sent his photograph with his autograph, 'Johannes Brahms,' and the -inscription, 'To the two sisters as a little token of heart-felt thanks -for their so kind account.' - -Of the professional critics of Leipzig, Bernsdorf of the Signale -remained to the last irreconcilable to Brahms' art; but, on the other -hand, Dörffel of the _Leipziger Nachrichten_ watched the appearance of -his works with profound interest and reviewed them with extreme sympathy -and acumen. There was during the sixties no influential 'Brahms' -community in musical Leipzig, no active 'Brahms' propaganda in the -houses of wealthy amateurs. Such occasional admirers as the composer may -have had in this circle were to be met in the drawing-room of the lady -introduced to the reader in an early chapter as Hedwig Salamon, since -married to the composer Franz von Holstein. At the beginning of the -seventies, however, a few well-known residents were to be found who had -a strong bond of union in their common sympathy with Brahms' genius. Of -these, in addition to the von Holsteins, may be particularly mentioned -Philipp Spitta, now remembered in all parts of the musical world as the -author of the standard Bach Biography, Alfred Volkland, Herr Astor, of -the firm of Rieter-Biedermann, and later on its head, and the -distinguished composer Heinrich von Herzogenberg, who settled in Leipzig -in 1872 on his marriage with Elisabeth von Stockhausen. This lady, -endowed in an extraordinary degree with beauty, goodness, intellectual -and artistic gifts, domestic qualities, and any other imaginable graces -and perfections, soon came to be numbered with her husband amongst the -ardent devotees of Brahms' art. It will be convenient to mention here -also that Theodor Kirchner settled in Leipzig in 1875, the year in which -Spitta accepted a call to Berlin. - -All these circumstances put together seem to explain the master's visit -to Leipzig, where he had made no public appearance since the Gewandhaus -concert of November 26, 1860, when he and Joachim had conducted each -other's Hungarian Concerto and Serenade in A major without success. -Brahms was now to conduct a performance of 'Rinaldo' at a concert of the -University Choral Society at the Gewandhaus on February 3, and the Haydn -Variations, three Hungarian Dances, and the 'Rhapsody' (solo, Frau -Joachim) at the Gewandhaus subscription concert of February 5. His -presence in Leipzig was further welcomed by the performance of the G -minor Pianoforte Quartet at the Gewandhaus chamber concert of February -1, and by the performance of a Brahms programme by the _Allgemeiner -Musikverein_ on January 30. On January 17 one of the string quartets had -been performed at the Gewandhaus concert by David and his party. - -The moment when Brahms stepped on to the Gewandhaus platform, the -acknowledged representative, in at least two domains of musical art, of -the greatest masters who had preceded him, must have been one of quiet -satisfaction to himself if he cast a thought backward to the evening, -more than thirteen years ago, when he had last appeared in the same -hall, and, not for the first time, unsuccessfully sought the suffrages -of the same public. Even now, however, though he was received with the -respect due to a musician of his great standing, he was not to taste the -enjoyment of feeling that he had aroused the enthusiasm, hardly that he -had awakened the sympathy, of his audience. The Gewandhaus public, -rarely demonstrative, preserved its special attitude of coldness and -reserve towards him, and though he may have enjoyed the society of his -personal friends, he was probably glad to find himself back again in the -genial atmosphere of his surroundings in Vienna, where, in spite of the -survival of a hostile attitude in certain organs of the press, his -ground had become practically his own. - -The Haydn Variations were performed in February or March at Breslau -(twice), Aachen and Münster, under the respective conductors of the -subscription concerts, and on March 13 the composer assisted, but with -little success, in the performance of a Brahms programme at an Academy -concert, Munich, under Levi, conducting the new work, and playing the -solo of the D minor Concerto. In spite of Levi's continued efforts the -musical circles of Munich remained indifferent to the master's music. -The Haydn Variations were heard for the first time in London at the -Philharmonic concert of May 24, 1875, under W. G. Cusins. - -The programmes performed at the two 'extra' concerts of the Vienna -Gesellschaft were: On March 2-- - - 1. Schubert: _Kyrie_ and _Credo_ from the Mass in B flat. - (Unpublished; first performance.) - - 2. Schumann: Music to 'Manfred.' - -On March 31--Handel's 'Solomon.' - - 'We can only thank the conductor for bringing this work forward; - the performance was ideal,' says one of the critics in his notice - of the oratorio. - -The last concert of the season, on April 19, presented a varied -programme: - - 1. Haydn: Symphony in E flat major. - - 2. A. Dietrich: Concerto for Violin (Violin, Herr Lauterbach). - - 3. J. Brahms: Schicksalslied. - - 4. J. Rietz: Arioso for Violin with organ accompaniment. - - 5. J. S. Bach: Pastorale for Orchestra from the Christmas - Oratorio. - - 6. Handel: Last Chorus from the first part of 'Solomon.' - -Brahms' leisure was considerably curtailed this summer. Of the numerous -engagements fulfilled by him after the close of the Vienna -concert-season three may be particularly mentioned. He conducted the -Triumphlied at the first concert of the Rhine Festival (Cologne, May -24-27), at the Jubilee anniversary concert of the Basle Choral Society, -and at a concert of the Zürich Music Festival (July), and on each -occasion the great song was received with acclamation. With this work we -may, perhaps, especially associate the honour of the Prussian Ordre pour -le Mérite which was conferred later on the composer by the Emperor -William I. He was elected an honorary member of the Royal Academy of -Arts, Berlin, in the course of the summer. - - 'Brahms is becoming so popular,' writes Billroth on June 2, 'and is - everywhere made so much of, that he could easily become a rich man - with his composition if he could take it lightly. Fortunately this - is not the case.' - -The Triumphlied was performed in the German imperial capital on December -17, 1874, under Stockhausen. It was given under Levi at the great -Bismarck Festival in Munich, and was heard in London at a concert given -in St. James's Hall by George Henschel, December 2, 1880, for the -benefit of the Victoria Hospital for Children, Chelsea. - -The magnificent work is now but seldom performed: partly, no doubt, -because it was composed to celebrate a particular series of events in -history, partly because of the difficulty of securing the large chorus -necessary for its due effect, partly, perhaps, on account of the demands -it makes on the attention of the listener. Whatever be the cause, the -fact itself is to be deeply regretted. The work has sometimes been -criticised as wanting in contrast of mood. Undoubtedly it is, from -beginning to end, a song of passionate exultation which scarcely makes -pause from the first note to the last, and the listener requires time -and repeated hearings to become familiarized with its brilliancy before -he can follow it with pleasure; but it is full of varied features of -interest to lay hearers, and especially to those who will devote a -little time to its study before listening to its performance. To the -musician it appeals as a marvel of polyphonic art, though it contains no -elaborated features of harmonic or contrapuntal learning that might have -been prejudicial to its character as a national strain. It is literally -'a sound of many voices saying Alleluia.' - -The master lodged this summer near Nidelbad, above Rüschlikon on Lake -Zürich. Amongst the friends and acquaintances old and new with whom he -had intercourse were Bargheer, Hegar, G. Eberhard, Gottfried Keller, -Bernhard Hopfer, Professor and Frau Engelmann from Utrecht, and J. V. -Widmann. Brahms made Widmann's acquaintance at this time at the house of -Hermann Götz, and seems to have been immediately attracted by him; -partly, perhaps, because the younger man had the courage of his -opinions, and ventured to oppose him in argument. The acquaintance, -cemented during the three days of the Zürich Festival, grew into an -intimate and lasting friendship, to which the musical world is indebted -for Widmann's well-known and delightful 'Recollections,' already several -times referred to in these pages. - -Hegar mentions[48] that the works which occupied Brahms during his stay -at Rüschlikon were the second set of Liebeslieder, the book of songs, -Lieder and Gesänge, Op. 63, and the Vocal Quartets, Op. 64. It was at -this time, also, that he finally completed the Pianoforte Quartet in C -minor. The songs and quartets were published in the autumn by Peters; -the four Duets for Soprano and Contralto, Op. 61, and the seven Songs -for mixed Chorus, _a capella_, Op. 62, were issued about the same time -by Simrock. The Neue Liebeslieder and the C minor Quartet for Pianoforte -and Strings did not appear till 1875. - -From this time onward Brahms' copyrights were acquired, as each new work -was completed, by Simrock of Berlin, with only four exceptions--Nänie, -Op. 82; six Vocal Quartets, Op. 112; thirteen Canons, Op. 113, which -were bought by Peters of Leipzig; and a Prelude and Fugue for Organ, -published in 1881 as a supplement to the _Musikalisches Wochenblatt_ -without opus number. In future, therefore, we shall mention the -publication, but not the publisher, of the works. Those compositions -which were originally acquired from the composer by Breitkopf and Härtel -were resold by this firm to Simrock later on, and appear, therefore, in -the complete published catalogue of Brahms' works as Simrock's -publications. - -The third and, as it turned out, the last season of Brahms' work as -artistic director of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde opened in due -course, and at the two ante-Christmas concerts of the season 1874-75 the -following programmes were performed: On November 8-- - - 1. Rubinstein: Overture to the Opera 'Dimitri Donskoi.' - - 2. Beethoven: Pianoforte Concerto in E flat. (Pianoforte, - Herr Brahms.) - - 3. Brahms: Songs for mixed Chorus, _a capella_, Op. 62-- - (a) Waldesnacht. - (b) 'Dein Herzlein mild.' - (c) Von alten Liebesliedern.' - - 4. Berlioz: 'Harold in Italy.' Symphony in four parts. - -On December 6--Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in D major. - -Neither concert seems to have reached the usual high-water mark of -success. Of the first programme the items most heartily appreciated were -the three choral part-songs, which, attractive in themselves and sung to -perfection, were applauded to the echo. Of doubtful wisdom was the -selection of the pianist of the occasion. Brahms, who probably yielded -to the persuasion of his committee, and was, perhaps, guided in his -choice of a concerto by the circumstance of having played Beethoven in E -flat in the spring at Bremen, had, as we have seen, given up regular -pianoforte practice for some years, and it was inevitable that his -performance should be affected by this fact. Berlioz's symphony, which -may have owed its place in the programme to our master's broad view of -his duties as the artistic director of an important society, was not -performed with any great aplomb or heard with particular favour, though -extra time and particular pains had been spent on its rehearsal. - -Beethoven's great Mass, given on December 6, was followed with strained -attention that was rewarded by a good, though, if Brahms' supporters in -the press are to be trusted, not a perfect, performance. - - 'How different are these days from those of the forties,' remarks - one of the critics, 'when many a music lover would rise and leave - the room before the commencement of a work by Beethoven.' - -The String Quartet in A minor was performed for the first time in Vienna -at Hellmesberger's concert of December 3, when the andante and scherzo -met with considerable appreciation. - - 'I have heard the string quartets several times this winter,' - writes Billroth in January, 1875. When we played them in Carlsruhe - as pianoforte duets, we took all the tempi much too fast. Brahms - desires very moderate _tempi_ throughout, as otherwise, owing to - the frequent harmonic changes, the music cannot become clear.... - Beethoven, Schumann, Wagner, Brahms, in their riper works of the - last period, all have a preference for the andante _tempo_. - - 'If you should infer from all I have said that I am much with - Brahms, you would be mightily mistaken. I have only seen him twice - during the whole winter.... We correspond, however; he is pleased - when I write to him about his things.' - -The composer was plunged in his own special work, and would allow -neither private nor public calls to occupy his attention, though he made -an exception in favour of Bernhard Scholz's invitation to pay an -artistic visit to Breslau at the close of the year. His doings during -the next few months afford but little material to chronicle, and we have -to record only the last four Gesellschaft programmes given under his -direction, and to lay special stress upon the extraordinary scene of -enthusiasm that followed the performance of the German Requiem on -February 28, 1875. The rendering of the work on this occasion was one of -those, rarely occurring, which seem to hold the audience spellbound by a -magnetic sympathy with the music. It brought with it in some mysterious -way the sudden flash of revelation. The whole audience, as it were, knew -Brahms that day, and most of what was left to be conquered, that was -worth conquering, in the musical opinion of Vienna was finally captured. -The phenomenal demonstration, joined in by musicians of all schools, -Wagnerians not excepted, that occurred on the termination of the great -work, noteworthy from its contrast with that earlier one of 1867 which -followed the performance of the first three choruses, was the more -striking since Wagner had conducted some excerpts from the 'Ring' in the -same hall a few days previously, and had been the recipient of a similar -ovation. - - _January 10, 1875_: - - 1. Mendelssohn: Overture to the Opera 'Camacho's Marriage.' - - 2. Joachim: Hungarian Concerto. (Violin, Herr Joachim.) - - 3. Brahms: Rhapsody. (Solo, Frau Joachim.) - - 4. Schumann: Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra. (Herr Joachim.) - - 5. J. S. Bach: Whitsuntide Cantata, 'O ewiges Feuer,' for Soli, - Chorus, Orchestra, and Organ. - - _February 28_: - - 1. J. S. Bach: Prelude for Organ in E flat, arranged for Orchestra - by Bernhard Scholz. - - 2. Mozart: Aria from 'Davidde penitente.' - - 3. Brahms: A German Requiem. - - _Good Friday, March 23_: - - J. S. Bach: Passion Music (St. Matthew). - - _April 18_: - - Max Bruch: Odysseus. - -At the close of the season Brahms laid down his conductor's bâton to -make room for the return of Herbeck, whose former services, especially -in the formation of an independent orchestra, had laid the society under -a debt of gratitude, and who, unable to endure the annoyances incidental -to his position as capellmeister of the opera, resigned the post. Brahms -continued his association with the Gesellschaft as a member of the -committee, taking great interest in its councils, and exercising -influence on the concert-programmes and the appointment of professors to -the conservatoire. Each year that went by added to the warmth of the -esteem with which he was personally regarded and to the deference shown -to his judgment by the members of the society, who were all proud of -this link of association with him. - -Writing in May to his stepmother from idyllic summer quarters, he says: - - 'DEAR MOTHER, - - 'I will let you know in haste, that I am living quite delightfully - at Zigelhausen near Heidelberg. Thank you also for the socks you - have again knitted for me.... I am not leaving Vienna, I have only - given up my appointment. You do not know the circumstances, and it - would be too prolix to tell you why. I am, however, remaining - there--and gladly. Write to me if you want money now, or later when - the holidays come off!... - - 'Affectionately Your JOHANNES.' - - 'I must tell you that people are very often surprised at my knitted - socks, and that I am taken such good care of!'[49] - - 'Brahms has had very interesting programmes. Unfortunately we have - lost him and Dessoff (Philharmonic) as conductors. Both have been - pushed out, and both pushed out by Herbeck,' writes Billroth in the - month of June. - -Brahms invited Dietrich to visit him at Zigelhausen. - - 'I saw his new works, but cannot now be quite sure which they - were,' says Dietrich in his 'Recollections.' - -We may confidently conjecture that chief amongst them must have been the -first symphony, upon the completion of which Brahms was at this time -concentrating his attention, and it is probable that he also showed the -sketches of the second symphony to his old friend. - -It was this year that Brahms consented to become a member for the music -section of a commission for the awarding of certain gratuities granted -annually by the Austrian Government to poor artists of talent who have -produced promising works. Three members appointed by the Minister of -Education for each of three sections--poetry, music, and the plastic -arts--examine the applications and work sent, and judge between them. -The fund was established in 1863, and the original adjudicators in the -music section were Hanslick, Herbeck, and Essen. Brahms now replaced -Essen, and a little later Goldmark succeeded Herbeck. The compositions -were sent in the first place to Hanslick, who generally made a selection -from them for Brahms' inspection, keeping back such as did not fulfil -the required conditions or were hopelessly bad. In the _Neue Freie -Presse_ of June 29, 1897, Hanslick made public a few of the -communications he had received from Brahms on these occasions, the first -of which, dated September, 1875, was as follows: - - 'DEAR FRIEND, - - 'Parcels such as your last are generally so thorny that some kind - preliminary guidance like yours is most welcome and necessary as a - help in finding one's way through. This time, however, things are - not so bad, and seem to me fairly simple. Dvorák and Reinhold - thoroughly deserve your proposal by their performances. In - Lachner's case (blind) well-justified sympathy counts for - something. M. certainly merits some help meanwhile. I mean he ought - to win the money more decidedly next year. N. N. alone appears to - me so undeserving of the gratuity that it might be given uselessly - in his case. Just look again at his small and great sins. They are - the most unmusical in the packet. Alas, if he should progress - further! At all events he should desire and use the money for - instruction and not for a libretto!' - -The Quartet in C minor for pianoforte and strings, published in the -autumn, was produced at Hellmesberger's concert of November 18 by -Brahms, Hellmesberger, Bachrich, and Popper, and was played in Hamburg -on January 3, 1876, by Levin, Böie, Schmall, and Lee. - -This composition must, as the reader is aware,[50] be referred to more -than one period of Brahms' activity, and it can hardly be accepted as a -representative work of either. Standing about midway, as to date of -publication, between his two great series of masterpieces for pianoforte -and strings, if it is to be classed amongst either, it must indubitably -be reckoned with that of the sixties. Internal no less than external -evidence, however, leaves little doubt that it points back to a still -earlier date. The master of the seventies has so far succeeded in -remodelling the work of early youth as to have given to the world in the -quartet an interesting, and, on the whole, a clear, presentment of many -noble musical thoughts, but it can hardly be said that he has effected -its transformation into a homogeneous or apparently spontaneous work of -art. Kalbeck mentions that a memorandum of Brahms assigns the date -1873-74 to the third and fourth movements. This, however, may probably -refer only to their final completion. The second movement (the scherzo), -which undoubtedly belongs to the period of the pianoforte sonata -numbered as Op. 1, is consistently characteristic of the composer at -that date. The first and third movements suggest a transition period. -The character of the ideas of the opening allegro with its impressive, -deeply serious, first subject, and of the andante with its sustained -melodious phrases, seems to give promise of the power which, manifested -in a different mood, was reached in the earlier-published companion -works. Of the finale it must be said that its themes are lacking in -interest and developed mechanically. It may be surmised that the -composer's pruning-knife was freely used in the course of his successive -revisions of the work, and perhaps not only for the purpose of -shortening it, but also for that of thinning out the score. From the -circumstance that this is neither so luxuriant in detail nor so thickly -instrumented as those of the other two pianoforte quartets, the C minor -has, perhaps, the one advantage amongst the three of being the most -readily appreciable at first hearing. It must, however, as the author -conceives, be rated, as a completed work of art, decidedly below its -glorious companions. - -The relative popularity attained by the three pianoforte quartets in -England may be fairly estimated by comparing the numbers of their -respective performances at the Popular Concerts, London. The A major, -introduced in January, 1872, was given ten times up to October, 1900, -inclusive. The G minor, first performed in January, 1874, was given -twenty-six times up to March, 1900. The C minor, first played in -November, 1876, was not heard again until December, 1893. - -[46] Allgeyers, 'Life of Feuerbach.' - -[47] From the article in the _Gegenwart_ already referred to. - -[48] Steiner's 'Johannes Brahms.' - -[49] Reimann's 'Johannes Brahms,' p. 117. - -[50] See Vol. II., pp. 77 and 138. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - 1876-1878 - - Tour in Holland--Third String Quartet--C minor Symphony--First - performances--Varying impressions created by the work in Vienna and - Leipzig--Brahms and Widmann at Mannheim--Second Symphony--Vienna - and Leipzig differ as to its merits. - - -A journey to Holland early in 1876 brought unmixed gratification to the -master. He conducted the Haydn Variations, and played the D minor -Concerto at Utrecht on January 22 before an audience which received him -with warm greeting, and gave every possible evidence of appreciation of -his works. Immense applause followed each movement of the concerto, and -at its close, when enthusiasm was at its height, two youthful ladies -advanced to the platform, each bearing a cushion on which a wreath was -placed, one decorated with ribbons of the Austrian colours (black and -yellow), the other with those of Holland (red, white, and blue), which -they smilingly presented to the composer. Brahms, not always inclined to -receive tributes of the kind with urbanity, entered thoroughly into the -happy spirit of this occasion, and showed plainly by his manner of -accepting the compliment his pleasure at the charming way in which it -had been offered. He was the guest during his several days' stay at -Utrecht of Professor and Frau Engelmann, in whose house he at once -became at home, dividing his time between walking, talking, playing with -the children, making music with his hostess, seeing friends, and was in -genial mood throughout the visit. It may be remarked _en passant_ that -Brahms in a companionable frame of mind was not accustomed to let his -friends off easily. His constitution was so robust, his spirit so -active, his interests so numerous, that he liked, and expected others to -like, to sit up talking with vivacity until the small hours of the -morning, and would rise after about five hours' rest as unwearied and -energetic as though he had had what would be for most people a normal -amount of repose. It was a matter of course wherever he stayed that the -means for making a cup of coffee should be left every night at his -disposal for the next morning, and he generally returned from an early -walk at about the hour when the household was beginning to stir. - -After leaving Holland the master took part as conductor and pianist in -concerts at Münster, where he directed the Triumphlied, Mannheim and -Wiesbaden, playing the D minor Concerto on each occasion. He was, of -course, the guest at Münster of Grimm and his wife. At Mannheim he -stayed with his friend the well-known capellmeister Ernst Frank, who in -the course of his career was associated as conductor with the musical -life of Würzburg, Vienna, Mannheim, and Hanover. The Wiesbaden concert -is still vividly remembered by the present Landgraf of Hesse, who, then -a young lad, heard Brahms for the first time on the occasion, and -received an impression which laid the foundation of his enduring -enthusiasm for the master's art. - -Staying in the summer at Sassnitz in the Isle of Rügen, Brahms there -completed his third String Quartet in B flat major, and announced the -work in September to Professor Engelmann, to whom it is dedicated. It -was played in Berlin before a private audience towards the end of -October by the Joachim Quartet party, and by the same artists for the -first time in public at their concert of October 30 in the hall of the -Singakademie, on both occasions from the manuscript. The first concert -performance after publication was that of the Hellmesberger party on -November 30 in Vienna. - -The general remarks offered in the preceding chapter on Brahms' chamber -music for strings are to be applied to the Quartet in B flat major. Of -its particular characteristics we may note the joyousness of the first -movement, and the weird fantastic pathos of the third, in which a -special relation is maintained between the viola and first violin. In -the theme--of distinguished simplicity--and variations, with which the -work closes, we have a concise but beautiful example of the composer's -facility in this form. - -The String Quartet in B flat was the first of the three composed by -Brahms to be heard at the Popular Concerts, London. It was played on -Monday, February 19, and Saturday, March 3, 1877, by Joachim, Ries, -Straus, and Piatti. The A minor was performed on Monday, October 31, -1881, by Straus, Ries, Zerbini, and Piatti, and the C minor on Monday, -December 7, 1855, by Madame Norman-Néruda, Ries, Straus, and Franz -Néruda. These (Op. 51, Nos. 1 and 2) were not immediately repeated. - -The great event of the year 1876 in the career of Brahms was the -appearance of the long looked for symphony. As in the case of the -Schicksalslied and the completed Triumphlied, the composer chose to -produce his work for the first time at Carlsruhe, preferring, maybe, to -test it for his own satisfaction in the comparative privacy of a small -audience before submitting it to the searching ordeal of performance in -either of the great musical centres of the Continent. The musical life -of Carlsruhe had suffered sadly by the departure of Levi in 1872, and it -was not until the appointment of Dessoff to the post of court -capellmeister, on his resignation of his duties in Vienna in 1875, that -the city began to regain some of its former artistic prestige. The -performance on November 4, 1876, from the manuscript, of Brahms' first -Symphony by the grand ducal orchestra under Dessoff, in the composer's -presence, was a musical event that revived the recollections of a -brilliant past, and added a new and abiding distinction to the artistic -traditions of the small capital. - -The work was heard a few days later in Mannheim, and on the 15th of the -month in Munich; on both occasions under the composer's direction. Four -other performances from the manuscript quickly followed--in Vienna -(Gesellschaft), December 17, in Leipzig, January 18, and Breslau, -January 23, 1877, in each case under the composer, and in Cambridge, -March 8, 1877, under Joachim's direction. - -The Symphony in C minor, whose appearance marks the period of Brahms' -achievement in the highest domain of absolute music, and the last that -remained to him for conquest, is in the first place remarkable from the -fact that it cannot properly be ranged beside the works in the same form -produced by either of the two masters who were, chronologically -speaking, his immediate predecessors. By its accomplishment, no less -than by its aim, it must be regarded as the immediate successor to the -symphonies of Beethoven in the same sense as these were the direct -descendants of the symphonies of Mozart and Haydn, and it establishes -Brahms' right to be accepted in its own domain as the heir, _par -excellence_, of one and all of these masters. This alone were much. -Still more important, however, is the fact that our composer has known -how to graft upon the symphony form inherited from Beethoven, Mozart, -and Haydn, the giant stock of Bach's learning and resource, studied and -absorbed by him until they had become a part of his own artistic -individuality, in such a manner as to revivify it root and branch, and -make it a supple instrument in his hand, not for the mechanical -imitation of what had been done before him, but for the 'highest ideal -musical expression of his own time.'[51] Few who listen with quickened -ears to an adequate performance of the C minor Symphony can be in doubt -that whilst in outward form and manner of construction it may be -regarded as at once the epitome and the latest result of the past -history of classical instrumental art, it is in spirit representative of -its own time and even anticipatory of the future; that it not only -reflects the soul of the musician, poet, and philosopher, but is -suggestive of the higher vision of the prophet. It is this fact, for -those who accept it as a fact, that constitutes the highest significance -of Brahms' first symphony, and lends a real meaning to Bülow's -well-known apophthegm of 'the three B's': Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. - -The shrill, clashing dissonances of the first introduction at once place -the listener in the atmosphere of stern grandeur, passion, mystery, that -surround, not this or that human life, but existence itself, in its -apprehension by human intelligence; and the allegro to which it leads -seems to the present writer to present as near an analogy as art can -show to the processes of nature, built up as it is--first and second -subjects and their treatment--from a few notes; from what one of the -Vienna critics called 'mere twigs of thematic material'; from germs -which are produced and reproduced, are transformed and reformed, and -developed into a great organic whole instinct with noble, living melody. -The solemnly fervent andante sostenuto, the graceful, innocent -allegretto with its sufficiently contrasted trio, afford the mind the -refreshment of change of tone after the stormy splendour of the first -movement; but the note of tragedy is resumed with the first sounds of -the wonderful adagio that precedes, and essentially contains, the -allegro of the fourth movement. Here, for some twenty-eight bars, the -tension of feeling increases till destiny itself seems to be held in -suspense; then, with the resolution of a chromatic chord, the horn -sounds the unexpected major third of the key in a six-four of the tonic -triad, and, continuing its strange, passionate cry, gradually disperses -the mists of doubt and apprehension that have held the hearer as in a -thrall, and carries him forward to the sublimity of joy that dwells in -the final allegro. - - 'The last movement of your C minor Symphony,' wrote Billroth to - Brahms in 1890, fourteen years after its first performance, 'has - again lately excited me fearfully. Of what avail is the perfect, - clear beauty of the principal subject in its thematically complete - form? The horn returns at length with its romantic, impassioned cry - as in the introduction, and all palpitates with longing, rapture - and supersensuous exaltation and bliss.' - -These words were not written by a fantastic dreamer, but by one of the -most renowned scientific and practical surgeons and busiest men of his -time, and in using them he did not employ a mere rhetorical phrase. The -quality of imagination which speaks through Brahms' first symphony is -akin to that of the early Sonata in F minor, though it is expressed in -the later work with the help of more than twenty years additional study -and experience. It is that of a seer of visions, and seems to culminate, -in the passage to which Billroth alluded, in an ecstasy of wonder and -joy. Brahms undoubtedly rose to the full height of his great powers in -this first symphony, which remains unsurpassed in workmanship and -sustained loftiness of idea, as well as in regard to the range of -emotion to which it appeals. - -It goes without saying that the supposed merits and demerits of the work -became the subject of heated argument between the partisans and -antagonists of the composer's art, the particulars of which would -scarcely prove interesting to readers of the present day. In giving some -account of the first impressions made by the symphony, we shall quote -from those notices only which, whilst they are in themselves not without -value, appear to have been written in a candid spirit, and do not -offensively betray the influence of party bias. The reputation attaching -to Hanslick's name, and the moderation of his style, seem to make it -necessary to include something from his report, though he was avowedly a -stanch admirer of Brahms' music, and had little liking for that of the -New-German school. To balance this, we shall give a few sentences from -the _Wiener Zeitung_, a journal to which, as the reader may remember, no -suspicion can attach of handling our master's works with an excess of -cordiality. It is necessary to explain, for the benefit of such readers -as are not familiar with Brahms' large works, that the references to -Beethoven's ninth symphony occurring in some of the press notices are -occasioned by what has sometimes been described as Brahms' intentional -allusion, in the principal theme of his finale, to Beethoven's setting -of Schiller's 'Ode to Joy' in the last movement of the great 'ninth.' -The so-called allusion consists, not so much in a similarity of melody -in Brahms' theme to that of Beethoven, as in its being written in the -same hymn-form and harmonized as plainly as possible. There is no doubt -whatever that everyone who listens to Brahms' first symphony thinks -immediately, on the entrance of the final allegro, of Beethoven's ninth. -The association passes with the conclusion of the subject; Brahms' -movement develops on its own lines, which do not resemble those of -Beethoven. - - 'In this work,' says Hanslick (_Neue Freie Presse_), 'Brahms' close - affinity with Beethoven must become clear to every musician who has - not already perceived it. The new symphony displays an energy of - will, a logic of musical thought, a greatness of structural power - and a mastery of technique such as are possessed by no other living - composer. It would be a sorry mistake to attempt to criticize a - work so serious and difficult of comprehension immediately after - hearing it for the first time. Various listeners may have found the - music more or less clear, more or less sympathetic; the one thing - that we may speak of as a simple fact, accepted alike by friend and - foe, is that no composer has yet approached so nearly to the great - works of Beethoven as Brahms in the finale of the C minor - Symphony.' - - '... Brahms was an important personality, one to be treated most - seriously before he wrote the symphony,' we read in the _Wiener - Zeitung_; 'to our thinking his position remains just as it was. The - strong moral earnestness, the depth and purity of his conception of - the world and of life, and the intellectuality, which have always - obtained for the esteem of the noble-minded and withheld from him - the favour of the masses, are to be found again in this work. None - the less, however, are the shadows there which but too easily - accompany such lights; the want of inspiriting fancy, the absence - of sensuous charm, and a sullen asceticism almost amounting to - insipidity. His musical language has lost nothing of its mysterious - reticence, of its close conciseness, of the elevation that on the - whole distinguishes it, nor has it gained in facility, clearness, - or comprehensibility.... So there is nothing that can be admired - without reserve, until with sure step, with strong, proud gait that - reminds one of the majesty of Beethoven, the finale strides out. - After a bar or two of deeply sorrowful complaint, it braces itself - to a turbulent pizzicato of the strings, as a man who would get rid - of pain by nerving himself to action.... With the entry of the - chorale, the hearer experiences a sensation of brightness as at - the rising of the sun after a night of sorrow. The last mists - disappear as before the breaking light, and the movement closes in - strong, healthy gladness.... Here the arts of music and poetry - mingle indissolubly, and the musical, cannot be separated from the - poetic, impression. Here is a truly great artistic achievement, the - value of which is but slightly prejudiced by the consideration that - the "joy" theme has an unmistakable resemblance as of son to father - to that of the "ninth" symphony. This movement is worthy of the man - who composed the German Requiem.' - -Dörffel, of the _Leipziger Nachrichten_, wrote: - - 'The interest of all present was centred on the new symphony, - which, on the whole, justified the great expectations with which it - had been awaited. Its effect on the audience was the most intense - that has been produced by any new symphony within our remembrance. - Schumann in his time did not attain such.... The composition is to - be viewed and measured from the standpoint of Beethoven's ninth, - and of Schumann's second, symphony. The aim of the three works is - the same. To reach it, Brahms, well-equipped and daring spirit as - he is, goes his own way. He is great in attack as his two - predecessors, and has the same wide vision over the domain of - spiritual-human existence.... As regards uninterrupted energy of - creative power, we would give the palm to the first movement. The - second, with its fervour and longing, accords with it. To the third - we should gladly have listened longer. It supplied a counterpoise - of sentiment to what had gone before which had not been maintained - long enough when the movement closed. Of the finale we would almost - venture to surmise that it gave the composer the most trouble. Here - he relinquishes his independence, and flies to Beethoven in order - to get new force for his climax. We do not regard the resort to - Beethoven as accidental, but believe the composer to have been well - aware of it. He came, however, to one over whom he could not - prevail. - - 'A long pause followed the symphony; one, however, that was not - long enough in some measure to quiet the exaltation of mind - produced by the work. The songs and variations which followed, and - which we should have welcomed at another time, were almost tiresome - to us. Let the symphony be repeated soon, and, if possible, without - other music.'[52] - -Louis Ehlert says of the symphony: - - 'Brahms has a wide-reaching and speculative brain, and is a mixture - of the musician of the good old times who heard many voices - sounding together within him, whose very cradle cover was - embroidered with a contrapuntal pentagram, and of the man of the - present day with his variously cultured intellect.... What - distinguishes his music from that of all his contemporaries is the - mysterious apparition within it of another world--its gentle, - pathetic tapping at the heart. - - 'The first movement of the symphony is, perhaps, the most - artistically important of the work.... An inexorable causality - proceeds from bar to bar, stayed by no illusion, and softened only - by the distant light of a few solitary stars. In the introduction - and finale the enigmatical sphinx seems to call to us, "That which - ascends from me, mounting upwards to battle and to life, sinks back - again within me. Of all life I, the eternal riddle, am the - beginning and the end."' - -It will be evident from what has been said that whatever the impression -to be derived from familiar acquaintance with the symphony, immediate -enthusiasm could hardly have been anticipated from any large general -public--least of all by Brahms himself; but the presence at most of -these first performances of devotees specially qualified for -apprehending something of the significance of the work generally secured -for it more than a mere _succès d'estime_. The listeners of Munich were -the least appreciative. Those of Carlsruhe, Mannheim and Breslau were -friendly. At Vienna certain favoured friends were privileged to listen -to a private performance of the symphony by Brahms and Ignaz Brüll, in -the composer's arrangement as a pianoforte duet, at the pianoforte house -of his friend Herr Hoffabrikant Friedrich Ehrbar, and went to the -concert, therefore, with minds partially prepared for what they were to -hear. At Leipzig a note of enthusiasm was perceptible at the crowded -public rehearsal which preceded the Gewandhaus concert, owing partly to -the fact that Brahms' Leipzig adherents had been strongly reinforced by -the advent of friends from outside, some of whom added warmth and -prestige to the occasion by their mere presence. The feeling for our -master's art which, as we have seen, had been slowly growing amongst a -number of Leipzig residents who belonged to no musical 'set,' will have -been expressed with added zest and enjoyment when it was found that Frau -Schumann and Joachim and Stockhausen had come to hear the symphony, -whilst to the support of the von Herzogenbergs, von Holsteins, Theodor -Kirchner, and other resident or lately resident friends, was added that -of the Grimms from Münster, Dr. Hermann Deiters from Bonn, Professor and -Frau Engelmann from Utrecht, Simrock from Berlin, and many other -distinguished guests. Enthusiasm is contagious, and already at the -rehearsal a success was ensured for the work, though perhaps it was not -very warmly helped by the official patrons of the Gewandhaus. - - 'A regular Brahms party meeting had been organized,' says Bernsdorf - in the _Signale_, now as ever inveterate in his own party bias, in - which a fairly strong contingent from outside was associated with - the resident admirers and champions of the composer. It is - therefore a matter of course that the consumption of enthusiasm was - enormous, and that the success of the symphony was one exceptional - in the annals of the Gewandhaus.' - -A large party of friends assembled at supper at the Hôtel Hauffe after -the concert. Brahms' health was proposed in genial fashion by -Stockhausen. 'Hab' ich tausendmal geschworen,'[53] he suddenly sang out, -starting to his feet and raising his glass. Needless to say that the -toast, which was the more effective from the sense of victory filling -the minds of those who had assisted at the evening's triumph, was -honoured with the utmost enthusiasm. - -The performance of the symphony by the Cambridge University Musical -Society was given under special circumstances. Early in the year the -university offered the master an honorary degree, acceptance of which -would have involved him in a visit to England, since, by one of the -university statutes, its degrees may not be conferred _in absentia_. -Brahms was not asked to write a new work for the occasion, a request he -would properly have resented, but was merely invited to visit Cambridge -for the purpose of receiving the degree, and was so far gratified by the -compliment as to hesitate about his answer. Perhaps his mere reluctance -to decline the invitation in spite of his dread of English customs and -his ignorance of the language, may be accepted as stronger testimony of -appreciation than might have been implied in the effusive acceptance of -many another man. It may be doubted whether he would in any case have -prevailed upon himself to undertake the journey; an indiscreet -advertisement, however, inserted in _The Times_ by the Crystal Palace -directors, who had heard a rumour of his possible visit, that if he -should come he would be asked to conduct one of their Saturday concerts, -immediately decided him to decline the University's proffered honour. He -acknowledged the invitation by entrusting the MS. score and parts of the -symphony to the care of Joachim, who was about starting on his yearly -visit to England, for performance at Cambridge. - -The programme of March 8 was as follows: - - PART I. - - W. G. Bennett: Overture, 'The Wood Nymph.' - Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. - Violin, Dr. Joachim. - Brahms: A Song of Destiny. - Bach: Violin Solos, Dr. Joachim. - Joachim: Elegiac Overture (in memory of H. Kleist). - - PART II. - - Brahms: Symphony in C minor. - -The Symphony and the Elegiac Overture, the latter composed by Joachim in -acknowledgment of the honorary degree offered him by the University and -conferred in the afternoon of March 8, were given under his direction; -the remainder of the programme was under that of the society's -conductor, C. Villiers Stanford. - -The concert attracted a great audience, which included prominent -musicians from various parts of the United Kingdom. The impression -created by the symphony was profound, and, following that of the German -Requiem and of the great chamber music compositions and songs which had -now for some years been finding their way to the hearts of music lovers -in this country, formed, as Stanford says, 'an imperishable keystone to -Brahms' fame amongst Britons.'[54] The new work was performed in London -a few weeks later at the Philharmonic concert of April 16, under W. G. -Cusins. - -Probably Brahms' Vienna friends and admirers little dreamed how near -they had been at this time to losing their favourite. The position of -municipal music-director at Düsseldorf was pressed on his acceptance in -the autumn of 1876, and he was sufficiently tempted by it to be -characteristically unable to decide on a negative answer. He was, -indeed, so long in coming to a final resolution, that the Düsseldorf -authorities had every reason to feel persuaded they had secured him for -the opening of the year 1877. At the last moment he wrote: 'I cannot -make up my mind to it.' This seems to have been the last occasion on -which he entertained the idea of binding himself to the performance of -fixed duties, though it has been surmised that he might have consented -at a somewhat later period to associate himself with a high class for -composition at the conservatoire of the Vienna 'Gesellschaft,' if he had -been approached by the principal, Josef Hellmesberger, on the subject of -forming one. - -Certain incidents belonging to the autumn of 1877, related by Widmann in -his Brahms' 'Recollections,' show that at this time, when the master had -successfully proved his powers in every form of composition for the -concert-room, the old desire to try his hand at writing for the stage -revived within him. Brahms and Widmann met at Mannheim, and were present -at the production, on September 30, of Götz's unfinished opera, -'Francesca di Rimini,' under Frank. In the course of a long -_tête-à-tête_, held on their return to their hotel after the -performance, Brahms clearly explained his views on the subject of opera -texts, 'letting it be seen,' says Widmann, 'that any resolution he might -have formed against composing an opera might give way were he to find -himself in possession of a libretto really to his liking.' - -The convictions professed on this occasion by the composer may be traced -to an attitude of mind similar to that to which we referred on recording -his conversation with Bulthaupt. Strange as it may appear, they have a -fundamental kinship with those which led Wagner to embark on his career -as a musico-dramatic reformer, though the methods proposed by Brahms -were not only much more drastic than those pursued by Wagner, but ran, -as Widmann has observed, directly in the opposite direction from that -taken by the development of modern art as represented by this master. - - 'The composition of music to the entire drama seemed to Brahms - unnecessary and even mischievous. Only the culminating points and - those parts of the action should be set for which music would be an - inherently suitable medium of expression. The librettist would thus - gain space and freedom for the dramatic development of his subject, - whilst the composer would be at liberty to devote himself solely to - the purposes of his art which would be best served if he were able - to concentrate his energies on a definite situation such as a - jubilant _ensemble_.' - -From this it would appear that the incongruity essential to the very -existence of what is generally understood as Opera, as distinct from the -early German Singspiel, was so strongly felt by Brahms as to seem to him -incompatible with dramatic truth, and to be absolutely prohibitive in -his own case of the dramatic exercise of his art. The matter is, -however, susceptible of another explanation. - -It is clear that Brahms, when contemplating the composition of an opera, -was bound by the necessities of his position to seek the attainment of -dramatic truth in a direction other than that in which Wagner had led -the way with such triumphant result. Every circumstance in the careers -of the two men, and not least the representative position achieved by -each in his own sphere, precluded the possibility that Brahms should run -the risk of appearing to seek to emulate Wagner on his own ground, -though it would be difficult to believe that he at no time cast longing -thoughts towards the logical, consistent, rich means of artistic effect -offered by the Melos.[55] No one can doubt that if he had been in a -position, and had chosen, to use it, he would have employed it in his -own way and for his own original purposes and effects. The skill with -which he might have handled it in opera is to some small extent -indicated in the Rhapsody (Goethe's 'Harzreise'), where the method of -the two first sections is very much that of the Melos, whilst the -prayer, affording an opportunity 'inherently suitable for musical -expression,' reverts to the rhythmical melody of musical tradition. That -Brahms had a respect almost amounting to veneration for Wagner's powers -is matter of common knowledge. Though he was never present at a Bayreuth -performance, he had studied Wagner's scores exhaustively, and, in the -sense of his intimate acquaintance with them, was accustomed to call -himself the 'best of all Wagnerians.' An anecdote related by Richard -Heuberger,[56] to whom the master gave informal instruction in -composition for a time from early in 1878, is highly illustrative in -this connection. Heuberger says: - - '... Continuing his corrections, Brahms did not confine himself to - remarks on the composition itself, but considered the handwriting - also worthy of his notice. He pointed out that I had not placed - crotchet under crotchet, and that this impaired the legibility of - the manuscript; he advised me to be particular to slur the groups - of notes with exactness.... "Look here," he said, fetching from the - next room Wagner's autograph score of "Tannhäuser," which he opened - at the long B major movement of the second act; "Wagner has taken - pains to place each of the five sharps exactly in its place on - _every_ line of _every_ page, and in spite of all this precision - the writing is easy and flowing. If _such_ a man can write so - neatly, you must do so too." He turned over the entire movement and - pointed reproachfully to almost every sharp. I felt continually - smaller, especially as Brahms talked himself into a kind of - didactic wrathfulness. I was struck completely dumb, however, when, - on my remarking that Wagner must be held chiefly responsible for - the confusion prevailing in the heads of us young people, Brahms - cried as though he had been stung, "_Nonsense_; the _misunderstood_ - Wagner has done it. Those understand _nothing_ of the real Wagner - who are led astray by him. Wagner's is one of the clearest heads - that ever existed in the world!"' - -That Brahms was aware that the resolution to compose an opera would -place him in a net of difficulties that might practically be summed up -in the one word 'Wagner' is no mere conjecture. Fräulein Anna Ettlinger, -an intimate friend of Levi and Allgeyer, who knew Brahms well both at -Carlsruhe and Munich, relates in an article on Levi, that Brahms -answered a question put to him in Munich in the course of the seventies, -as to why he had written no opera by saying, 'Beside Wagner it is -impossible.' It may fairly be concluded that Brahms, in the late -seventies, merely 'coquetted,' as Widmann expresses it, with the idea of -composing for the stage, though no doubt with considerable regret.[57] - -It cannot be said that the subjects he proposed to Widmann appear happy, -but his suggestions must not be taken too seriously. - - 'He recommended to me Gozzi's magical farces and fabled comedies, - especially "King Stag" and "The Ravens." He was also interested in - "The Open Secret," and preferred Gozzi's lighter arrangement of the - piece to Calderon's more formal original.... After reading "King - Stag" carefully through several times, I was not only seized with a - certain hopelessness as to whether I could ever succeed in making a - rational, poetical opera text out of this mad farce, but disturbed - by the anxiety as to whether, even if it were successfully adapted, - it could really interest a modern theatre-going public.... I found - myself continually thinking that such an opera, even though Brahms - had composed for it the most beautiful, glorious music, as would - undoubtedly have been the case, could not be regarded as - essentially anything else than a sort of second "Zauberflöte," and - thus as a retrogression in the development of operatic art.'[58] - -Nothing, in short, resulted from the talk between Brahms and Widmann, -and the suitable libretto was, as we know, never found. This is, -perhaps, little to be regretted. Not, indeed, because the composer -lacked the dramatic instinct necessary for the successful composition of -opera. No one who has heard him quote a few lines from a classical play -can doubt that he possessed this qualification in an eminent degree, and -his sensitiveness to dramatic effect was matter for frequent comment by -those who accompanied him to the theatre. It is, however, difficult to -imagine that Brahms could have been content to compose music to a purely -comic text, or, indeed, to one that did not contain elements of deep -pathos; whilst a quasi-comic opera, in which allegory lay hidden, must -almost certainly have been found, as Widmann perceived, unsuitable to -modern taste. On the other hand, Brahms' constitutional shyness and -reticence, fostered through long years of varied experience until they -became invincible, must, we believe, have proved obstacles to the -successful completion of a serious opera in any practicable meaning of -the word, even if they had allowed him to attempt one. They are more or -less traceable in the libretto difficulty; in his suggestion of 'King -Stag,' which he recommended especially on account of its fun, -'accompanied throughout by the most pathetic earnestness'; in other -words, because the earnestness is covered by the fun. It is difficult to -imagine the man who habitually veiled the tenderness of his nature -behind a playful saying or an abrupt manner, who did not allow himself -to inquire about the possibilities of passionate feeling that might lie -dormant within him, coming out of his reserve to use the strong play of -emotion as the immediate and capital medium for his effects. The energy -of feeling, the deeply pathetic beauty which vitalize the master's -purely instrumental music, are surrounded and protected by an -intellectual atmosphere which, on a first hearing of his larger works, -sometimes seems to amount to austerity, and to repel rather than -attract. His love-songs--those of them which are not folk-songs--are for -the most part dreamings of an ideal, and not the ideal of a man who -could lay his heart bare on the theatre boards. Not wholly fanciful is -the association in which Brahms, in a letter to Widmann, jokingly placed -his two life renunciations, of the composition of an opera and of -marriage. The extracts from favourite authors entered by Johannes during -the early fifties in the little manuscript books described by Kalbeck, -the passages found in 'The young Kreisler's treasure-chest, March, -1854,' remain significant not only of the young musician of twenty, but -also of the master of forty, fifty, sixty years, and the quotation from -Friedrich v. Sallet might probably stand as the true history of Brahms' -inner life. - - 'One generally finds the highest degree of what is called - _openness_ in the most frivolous and thoughtless persons; of that - which is called _reserve_, in the deepest, richest and truest - minds. And, indeed, I am glad to be communicative, and like a full, - free flow of conversation during the clinking of cups; whatever - noble thought may have occurred to me should not have been gained - for myself, but, if possible, for the world. Nevertheless, there is - in the mind a holy of holies. I would not bring that forth which - shines brightly there, hidden away in the inmost recess, to glimmer - vainly and childishly in the universal light of day. Let it remain - there in sacred night. I dare not even tell it in barren words to - my friend, however noble, not even to my beloved (if I had one). To - what purpose? I might use one single misleading expression, the - other might misunderstand one single expression, and my divine - image, reflected from a concave mirror, become a distortion, common - or trivial, or even deformed and ridiculous.... To analyze and - describe the sacred within us is a shameless desecration. If the - other has a spiritual eye that is worthy to perceive, he may - quietly await one of those blissful moments when the curtain of - mists breaks and a swift, comprehensive glance into the sanctuary - of the temple is allowed to the worthy one, and in such moments is - celebrated the high festival of friendship as of love. For myself, - I dare reveal nothing of it in words save in poetry. There I may do - so, for it happens in some divine way that is incomprehensible to - me....'[59] - -We have henceforth, therefore, only to observe the unwearied energy with -which Brahms, during the succeeding years, added one work after another -to the list of his compositions in each and every branch of serious -music for the chamber and the concert-room: songs, vocal duets, choral -works and instrumental solos accompanied and unaccompanied, concerted -music for solo instruments, symphonies. The publications of the year -1877 were the Symphony and the four sets of Songs, Op. 69, 70, 71, 72, -twenty-four songs in all, some of the texts of which are by Carl -Candidus, Carl Lemke, Gottfried Keller, etc., and others imitations of -folk-songs of various nationalities. Dr. Deiters says of them in his -'Johannes Brahms': - - 'As it seems to us, the composer identifies himself here more and - more closely with classical form and achieves ever purer refinement - of his material. Turn where one will (we mention for instance "Des - Liebsten Schwur" from Op. 69) there can be no hesitation in - counting these songs with the best to be found of their kind. Again - we are constantly reminded of Franz Schubert, whose wealth of - melody is revived, whilst in conciseness of construction, in - conscious mastery of form, he is here greatly surpassed.' - -Heuberger gives a pleasant glimpse of Brahms co-operating in a festival -performance arranged for December, 1877, by the Academic Choral Society -of Vienna in honour of its distinguished honorary member, Billroth. -Invited by Heuberger, Dr. Eyrich's successor as conductor of the -society, to take part in the proceedings, the master at once promised -to conduct two of his choruses, 'Ich schnell mein Horn' and 'Lied vom -Herrn von Falkenstein,' as arranged for the occasion for men's voices by -Heuberger, and, on his appearance at the last rehearsal to go through -the well-prepared compositions, was greeted with a hurricane of welcome -by the over two hundred students who formed the choir. At the festival -performance next day - - 'Brahms joined in the students' songs as lustily as his rough, - broken voice would permit. He had, as he told me, a very good - soprano voice as a boy, but had spoilt it by singing too much - during its mutation period.' - -Of another occasion, a party at Billroth's house, when choruses by -Brahms and Goldmark were to be performed, Heuberger relates: - - 'By Brahms' suggestion I directed the preliminary practices which - took place at the houses of some of his friends, the Osers and - others. The day before the party Brahms and Goldmark came to the - last rehearsal. The so-reputed cross-grained Brahms now conducted - his "Marienlieder" and other works without much alteration of the - nuances that I had practised. Goldmark, on the contrary, who was as - much liked in private life as he was dreaded at rehearsal, studied - indefatigably on and on.'[60] - -The publication of Brahms' first Symphony in C minor was almost -immediately followed by the appearance of a second one in D major, -completed during the summer months of 1877 at the beloved Lichtenthal. -It was, like the earlier work, played by Brahms and Brüll before an -invited circle at Ehrbar's as a pianoforte duet (composer's arrangement) -a few days before the date, December 11, first announced for its -performance at a Vienna Philharmonic concert. Cause arose at the last -moment for the postponement of this event, and the work was given for -the first time in public at the succeeding Philharmonic concert of -December 30, under Hans Richter's direction. The second performance, -conducted by Brahms, took place at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on January 10, -1878. - -The early fortunes of this second symphony were singularly various, and -contrasted strangely with those of its predecessor. In Vienna, where the -first had been received with reserve, the second achieved an instant, -almost popular, success. It was warmly received by the audience, and was -discussed by nearly all sections of the press in terms of cordial -approval. It was of a 'more attractive character,' more 'understandable' -than its predecessor. It was to be preferred, too, inasmuch as the -composer had not this time 'entered the lists with Beethoven.' The third -movement was especially praised for its 'original melody and rhythms.' -The work might be appropriately termed the 'Vienna Symphony,' reflecting -as it did 'the fresh, healthy life only to be found in beautiful -Vienna.' In Leipzig, on the other hand, the work was little better than -a failure. The impression of the preceding year was felt in the general -applause, emphasized by a thrice-repeated flourish of trumpets and -drums, which greeted the composer's entrance, and the audience -maintained an attitude of polite cordiality throughout the performance -of the symphony, courteously applauding between the movements and -recalling the master at the end; but the enthusiasm of personal friends -was not this time able to kindle any corresponding warmth in the bulk of -the audience, or even to cover the general consciousness of the fact. -The most favourable of the press notices damned the work with faint -praise, and Dörffel, whom we quote here and elsewhere because he alone -of the professional Leipzig critics of the seventies seems to have been -imbued with a sense of Brahms' artistic greatness, showed himself quite -angry from disappointment. - - 'The Viennese,' he wrote, 'are much more easily satisfied than we. - We make quite different demands on Brahms, and require from him - music which is something more than "pretty" and "very pretty" when - he comes before us as a symphonist. Not that we do not wish to hear - him in his complaisant moods, not that we disdain to accept from - him pictures of real life, but we desire always to contemplate his - genius, whether he displays it in a manner of his own, or depends - on that of Beethoven. We have not discovered genius in the new - symphony and should hardly have guessed it to be the work of Brahms - had it been performed anonymously. We should have recognised the - great mastery of form, the extremely skilful handling of the - material, the conspicuous power of construction in short, which it - displays, but should not have described it as pre-eminently - distinguished by inventive power. We should have pronounced the - work to be one worthy of respect, but not counting for much in the - domain of symphony. Perhaps we may be mistaken; if so, the error - should be pardonable, arising as it does from the great - expectations which our reverence for the composer induced us to - form.' - -Possibly Dörffel's expectations had been founded too definitely upon his -admiration of the first symphony, which may have caused him to take for -granted that he would find in the second a reiteration of the exalted -moods of its predecessor. The two works should not, however, be weighed -in the balance one against the other, but should be considered side by -side for the reason that they are not only different, but, as it were, -supplementary. The first partakes of the nature of an epic in so far as -it is conceived on a grand scale and is dominated throughout three of -its four movements by a passionate intensity of feeling which is -occupied only with the sublimities, whether of pain or of joy, and -which, even after the pain has been conquered, seems to touch the joy -theme itself with the pathos of a past tragedy. The second symphony is -an idyll that is chiefly animated by the spirit of pure happiness and -gently tender grace. A second symphony quickly following the first, -which had shown any attempt to emulate that great work on its own -ground, must of necessity have been doomed to result in artistic -failure. The second symphony which the master actually wrote was one -which, whilst it probably satisfied a need of his mind for the -refreshment of change, was the appropriate sequel to its predecessor -both in regard to its calm serenity of mood and to the clear melody of -the thematic material in which the mood is so perfectly expressed. Those -who are inexorable in their demands for 'originality' may, however, be -referred to the 'adagio non troppo,' which, with its melodious phrases -and its beautiful tone effects, its varied rhythms and its mysterious -intention, offers opportunity for the energetic attention even of the -accustomed listener, and is the one movement of the work which can -hardly be at once followed with entire pleasure by the less initiated. - -Meanwhile the first symphony was quickly making its way through Europe. -It was given with enormous success on November 11, 1877, at a concert of -the Royal Academy of Arts, Berlin, by the orchestra of the music school -under Joachim, and was very inadequately performed on the 16th of the -same month at a Hamburg Philharmonic concert under von Bernuth. By the -strongly-expressed desire of many musicians of the city, the composer -was invited to conduct a repetition performance at the Philharmonic -concert of January 18, 1878, when the work achieved considerable -success. It was heard the same month in Bremen and Utrecht under Brahms, -in Münster (J. O. Grimm), Dresden (F. Wüllner), and in February for the -second time in Breslau (Scholz), and made its way in the course of a few -seasons to Basle, Zürich, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, the Hague, Edinburgh, -Glasgow, and New York. - -Brahms now, at the age of forty-four, was, indeed, in the enjoyment of -almost unclouded recognition and success, which could be but little -affected by the lack of enthusiasm of this or that audience. His -position had become the more firmly established from the circumstance -that very few of his works had taken the public by storm. The majority -of them had grown almost imperceptibly into general acceptance by sheer -force of their intrinsic value, of which but a modicum is to be found on -the surface. It is certainly the case that at the outset of his modest -entry on a public career he had gained with a single stroke, once and -for always, the enthusiastic suffrage of some of the princes of his art; -but the voice of Schumann, potent as it was, could be and had been only -of avail to procure him a hearing--appreciation was, by the nature of -things, beyond its control; and though Frau Schumann and Joachim and -Stockhausen untiringly used the influence of their position as best -beloved among the foremost favourites of the public to make a way for -his music, even they could not immediately secure for it enthusiasm. -This it had gradually to gain by the independent means of its indwelling -virtue, the insistency of its appeal, not to the outward seeming, but to -the very heart of things. - -A noteworthy addition was made in the course of the year 1877 to the -ranks of Brahms' most stanch and influential supporters in the person of -Hans von Bülow. Remark has already been made on the change observable in -the early seventies in the attitude of this gifted, witty, whimsical, -uncompromising, true-hearted musician towards Brahms' art. The -publication of the first symphony completed his conversion, and he soon -afterwards began an active propaganda on the master's behalf, to which, -carried on as it was with characteristic vehemence and eccentricity, and -started at the very moment when the great composer was achieving the -highest summit of fame, an entirely fictitious importance has sometimes -been ascribed in regard to its effect upon the outward development of -Brahms' career. That von Bülow during the last ten or twelve years of -his public activity partially devoted his energies to the task of -forcing the master's works upon certain more or less indifferent -audiences, whom he harangued and lectured concerning their lack of -interest, had no bearing on the facts that Brahms' place amongst the -immortals had been assured, by practically general consent, with the -first few performances of the German Requiem, and that by the beginning -of the eighties acceptance of his art had become world-wide. Bülow's new -partisanship, destined to bring in its train distinguished friendships -that were truly prized and reciprocated by the master, was touching from -its sincerity, but is not of essential importance to Brahms' biographer. -It is, however, pleasant to be able to add to the extracts already -quoted from Bülow's writings three which, dated October and November, -1877, mark the beginning of a new epoch in his own career, and in that -of Brahms the commencement of an agreeable and valued personal intimacy. -The paragraphs are to be taken merely as illustrations of Bülow's -changed sentiments, and not as necessarily expressing the personal views -of the present writer. - - 'Only since my acquaintance with the "_tenth_" symphony, alias the - _first_ symphony of Johannes Brahms, that is since six weeks, have - I become so inaccessible and hard towards Bruch pieces and the - like. I do not call it the "_tenth_" in the sense of its relation - to the "_ninth_"....' - - 'I believe it is not without the intelligence of chance that Bach, - Beethoven, and Brahms are in alliteration.' - - 'The imagination of Bach seems, in his clavier works, to be - dominated by the organ, that of Beethoven by the orchestra, that of - Brahms by both.' - -[51] Schumann's essay, 'New Paths.' - -[52] The variations for orchestra on Haydn's theme and six of Brahms' -songs, sung by Henschel, were included in the programme of the concert. - -[53] Goethe's song, 'Unüberwindlich,' set by Brahms and published in -1877 as No. 6 of Op. 72: 'Though a thousand vows I've taken.' - -[54] Article in the _New York Outlook_, July 25, 1903. - -[55] See Vol. I., Appendix No. 1. - -[56] _Die Musik_, in the article referred to in a previous chapter. - -[57] Fräulein Ettlinger informs the author that it was she herself who -put the question to the master and received his answer. For the article -on Levi see 'Biographisches Jahrbuch und Deutscher Nekrolog,' 1902. - -[58] Widmann's 'Brahms Recollections,' p. 38 and following. - -[59] Kalbeck's 'Johannes Brahms,' p. 187 and following. - -[60] _Die Musik_, No. 5 of 1902. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - 1878-1881 - - Hamburg Philharmonic Jubilee Festival--Violin Concerto: first - performance by Joachim--Pianoforte Pieces, Op. 76--Sonata for - Pianoforte and Violin--First performances--Brahms at - Crefeld--Rhapsodies for Pianoforte--Heuberger's studies with - Brahms--Second Schumann Festival at Bonn--The two - Overtures--Breslau honorary degree. - - -With the rapidly-increasing appreciation of Brahms' art observable -during the second half of the seventies throughout the entire musical -world, the condition of his private circumstances changed rapidly also. -At the time he completed the second symphony it was very far removed -from that of twelve years back, when he had been obliged, by lack of -ready cash, to purchase the music-paper required for the manuscript of -the Requiem in small instalments. He never deviated from the simple -manner of daily life agreeable to him by nature and habit, but we find -that in the early spring of 1878 he added to the short list of his -personal pleasures one that became to him a source of unfailing delight, -that of a journey to Italy. On this his first visit, made in April, in -Billroth's company, he stayed in Rome, Naples, and Sicily, and returned -subjugated once and for all by the witcheries of the South. Neither of -his Italian tours was associated with a musical purpose; they were -undertaken solely for the refreshment of body and mind by a holiday -ramble amidst beauties of nature and art, to which his temperament made -him peculiarly sensitive, and amongst a people whose _naturel_ was -congenial to him. - - 'I often think of our journey,' writes Billroth on May 7; 'that you - were so charmed with everything doubles my pleasure.' - -The new symphony was included in the Rhine Festival, held this year at -Düsseldorf under Joachim and Tausch. Amongst Joachim's duties was that -of conducting the performance of his friend's work, concerning which we -read in a contemporary journal: - - 'The performance of Brahms' second symphony under Joachim was a - feast such as we have seldom heard. The audience was jubilant after - each movement, and would not be satisfied till the third was - repeated.' - -And again in a final summary: - - 'The most brilliant event of the festival was the performance of - Brahms' symphony.' - -The composer spent the summer at Pörtschach on Lake Wörther in -Carinthia, a spot where, as he writes to Hanslick, 'so many melodies fly -about one must be careful not to tread on them.' In the same letter[61] -he talks playfully to his old friend, who, remaining a bachelor till -past fifty, had lately surprised his acquaintances by marrying a lady -many years his junior, of his intention to compose a new symphony for -the winter, 'that shall sound so gay and charming you will think I have -written it expressly for you, or rather for your young wife.' - -This idea, probably not seriously entertained, was put aside, but the -reflection of the composer's happy mood is to be found in several of the -pianoforte pieces written by him at this time--notably in No. 2 of Op. -76--and in the last movement of the great violin concerto he was -composing for Joachim. - -An event was to take place in the last week of September which no doubt -possessed a peculiar interest for Brahms, though it was not of an -unmixed character: the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the -Philharmonic Society of his native city of Hamburg, which had been -founded in 1828 by a few music-lovers, with W. Grund, a composer and -teacher of the city, as its conductor. The festival was to last five -days, and to include three great orchestral concerts in the Saagebiel -Hall and an excursion up the Elbe to Blankenese. Four symphonies were to -be performed: Haydn in G minor, Beethoven's 'Eroica,' Schumann in C -major, Brahms in D major. Frau Schumann was to play Mozart's Pianoforte -Concerto in D minor; Joachim to perform with Concertmeister Bargheer, -Spohr's Duo Concertante for two violins in B minor. A great assemblage -of musicians was expected, and Brahms had been invited, but at the -beginning of September no one in Hamburg knew whether or not he intended -to be present, and the directors of the festival, finding themselves -very near a predicament, resolved to appeal to Hanslick, who had -received and accepted an invitation, to procure his answer for them. The -letter which Hanslick immediately wrote to Pörtschach elicited from -Brahms the following reply: - - 'PÖRTSCHACH, _Sept., 1878_. - - 'You have once already publicly preached to me the doctrine of - decorum; I do not wish this to occur, from no fault of mine, a - second time, and tell you, therefore, that it will be the - Hamburgers' concern if I do not appear at their festival. I have no - opportunity for showing politeness and gratitude; on the contrary, - some rudeness would be in place if I had time and inclination to - lose my temper over the matter. I do not wish to disturb yours by - detailed communication and will therefore only say that in spite of - inquiry, not a word has been said about honorarium or any sort of - remuneration. I, poor composer, am appraised at doubtful value and - lose all right to sit at the festival table, next to your wife, let - us say. I therefore beg this time for indulgence for my anyway - impaired reputation as a polite man. As regards the symphony, - indeed, I do not beg for indulgence, but I fear that unless its - direction be offered to Joachim as I wish, there will be a - miserable performance. Now, the dinners are good in Hamburg, the - symphony is of a favourable length--you can dream whilst it is - going on that you are in Vienna! I am thinking of going to Vienna - very soon....'[62] - -This dubious epistle need not be taken too seriously, true though it is -that the composer rightly made it a point throughout his career that his -work should be paid for, and, so to speak, at full market value. The -tone adopted by him on this occasion must be partly referred to the -remembrance of the old sore, which, perhaps, never quite healed--to the -mortification which had on two occasions cut deep into the heart of the -loyal Hamburger when his fellow-citizens offered to a stranger the -opportunity he would have welcomed to settle in their midst. It is not -wonderful that the invitation to attend, and presumably to take part in, -the Jubilee Festival of the society of which, had he so chosen, he ought -since many years to have been the artistic chief should have revived -past memories in the mind of the renowned master whose mere presence -could now invest the occasion with a peculiar significance. All's well -that ends well, however. How Brahms settled the matter with the -committee must be left to conjecture, but it is certain that he -astonished friends and acquaintance by coming to Hamburg with a long -flowing beard grown during the summer, which changed the character of -his face almost beyond recognition. It was, as we know, his second -experiment of the kind, and the beard, which he from this time -permanently retained, certainly added to the grandeur of his head, -though some of his old friends may occasionally have looked back with -regret to the days when the firm, purposeful mouth contributed its share -to the expression of his countenance. - -Nothing was ultimately wanting that could contribute to the success of -the Hamburg celebration. The first concert, on September 25, was devoted -to three of the musical giants--Bach, Handel, Beethoven; that of the -26th to Haydn, Mozart, Cherubini, Schumann, and, in memory of the -society's first conductor, W. Grund. The morning of the 27th was given -up to rehearsal--especially of Brahms' new symphony, under the -composer's direction; the afternoon, to the excursion and banquet. -Almost everyone had come from everywhere. Besides those who were taking -part in the concerts there were Hiller, Gernsheim, Gade, Reinecke, -Reinthaler, Grimm, Flotow, Theodor Kirchner, Verhülst (from the Hague), -Hanslick, Claus Groth, not to mention Grädener, of early days, and a -host of old Hamburg friends. Our master was in genial mood, and chatted -gaily with acquaintances old and new during the run down the river, but -a sign showed that his thoughts were with the past. Claus Groth, who was -placed at the banquet next to Brahms, relates that the proposer of the -composer's health referred in his speech to the old proverb of the -prophet's unworthiness in his own country, and pointed out its -inapplicability in the case of the day's ceremony, 'when the society -unites with me in praise and love of our Johannes Brahms.' - - 'Brahms turned to me,' continues Groth, 'and whispered in a deep - and serious tone, "This of my case! Twice was the vacant - conductor's post of the Philharmonic Society given to a stranger - whilst I was passed over. If it had been offered me at the right - time I should have become a methodical citizen, and could have - married and become like other men. Now I am a vagabond!"' - -That Brahms would under any circumstances have summoned up sufficient -courage to commit himself to the irretrievable step of matrimony we may -be permitted to doubt. That one obstacle which prevented him was his own -fear of the interruption that such a change might cause to his own -almost too orderly and methodical habits is fairly certain. - -The boat started from Blankenese on its return journey to St. Pauli's -landing-bridge, Hamburg, at 9.30 p.m., and at the moment of its -departure three rockets were sent up from deck and three shots fired -from shore, by arrangement with the inhabitants of the numerous villas -that line the bank of the Elbe, as a signal for the illumination of -houses and gardens, which accordingly gave graceful testimony to the -returning musicians of the widespread interest felt in the -occasion.[63] - -The third and concluding concert of the festival took place on the -evening of Sunday, September 29, with performances of Weber's 'Oberon' -overture, Songs by Schubert, Spohr's Concertante for two violins, -Brahms' second Symphony, under his own direction, and Mendelssohn's -'Walpurgis Nacht.' - - 'The delight of the public at Brahms' symphony was most - enthusiastically expressed,' says Hanslick. 'Brahms, who was - received with orchestra flourish and laurel wreath, himself - conducted, and Joachim played first violin in the orchestra. At the - close of the symphony the ladies of the chorus and in the first - rows of the audience threw their flowers to Brahms, who stood - there, in the words of his own cradle-song, "covered with roses."' - -Ludwig Meinardus, of the _Hamburger Correspondenten_, after giving a -detailed and most appreciative account of the several movements of the -work, continues: - - 'Brahms himself conducted his symphony, which is sealed with the - stamp of immortality, in his native city before an audience of - thousands raised to festival pitch, in which mingled a large number - of musical authorities from outside. The enthusiasm was increased - by this circumstance, and by the simplicity and quiet energy with - which Brahms handled the bâton. It prepared for him an ovation as - he ascended the conductor's desk in the shape of a big laurel - wreath, a flourish, and a stormy welcome from those upon and in - front of the platform; it broke out after each of the four - movements, and increased at the close of the third to a _da capo_ - demand to which the conductor and composer only at length and with - the reluctance of modesty resolved to yield; it was expressed - finally, at the close of the work, by persistent recalls and by a - rain of flowers which poured from all sides upon the admired and - revered composer.' - -The last few words seem to remind us of the early sixties, and to bring -us once more face to face with the Halliers, Völckers, Wagners, Fräulein -Laura Garbe, and other former members of the ladies' choir, many of whom -were still resident in Hamburg, and, having retained their old -affectionate admiration of their young musician without a jot of -abatement as they watched his course during the passing years, now -brought affection, admiration, and sympathetic triumph dressed in -graceful guise to throw at the feet of the famous master. Marxsen, -prevented by considerations of health from joining the excursion down -the river, was present at the concert, beaming with joy; Böie, too, -associated with early performances of the B flat Sextet and the G minor -Pianoforte Quartet, was there, whilst the presence of Christian Otterer, -who had played viola as an old friend at the subscription concert given -by the youthful Hannes at the 'Old Raven,' carried the associations of -the evening back almost to the year of the composer's birth. Two names -which we should gladly have included are missing from the list of our -old acquaintances. None would have more heartily rejoiced in the events -of the evening than Friedrich Willibald Cossel, now some thirteen -summers passed away; and what may not be imagined of Jakob Brahms' -exultant pride had six more years of life been spared him! We may -picture the pursed-up lips, the gratified expression of the eyes, the -playful assumption of dignity towards his own particular chums, the -tears of joy with which he would have answered Joachim's cordial -hand-grasp, the shy, gratified whisper to Carl Bade, 'Ik segge nix' (I -shall not speak), when some distinguished musician or charming lady had -desired to be introduced to him as the father of his son. Frau Cossel -was present with her talented daughter Marie (Frau Dr. Janssen), and the -old family ties so treasured by our master were represented by Elise and -Fritz, and by kind Frau Caroline with her son Fritz Schnack, who -entertained an almost adoring affection for his stepbrother. Frau -Caroline was invariably present at any concert in Hamburg in which -Johannes took part, by the composer's express desire. Elise begged her -brother after the concert for the wreaths that had been presented to -him. - - 'So you want to brag with them?' said he; 'come to me early - to-morrow morning; we will go together and lay them on father's - grave.' - -It may be added here, for the sake of completeness, that some time -later, on von Bernuth's contemplated resignation, a representative of -the Philharmonic Society called on Groth to ask his opinion as to the -probability of Brahms' acceptance of an offer of the conductorship. He -pointed out that the then committee could not justly be blamed for the -mistakes of their predecessors, which they were anxious to repair as far -as might now be possible, and Groth, after discussing the matter in -detail, consented to lay it informally before Brahms. We cannot wonder -that no answer was received to his communication; it must seem obvious -to most minds that the master could neither accept nor decline an offer -which had not been made. Had the committee decided to risk the slight -mortification of a refusal from Brahms by writing a definite proposal to -him, it is certain that he would have replied to it, though it seems -unlikely that he would have uprooted himself from the city where he had -formed intimate friendships now that one of the principal attractions -which Hamburg had possessed for him--the presence of his parents--had -ceased to exist. - -The publications of the year include, besides the Symphony in D major, a -set of 'Ballads and Romances' for two voices, dedicated to Julius -Allgeyer, the first of which has the Scotch ballad 'Edward' for its -text. - -Of other early performances of the second symphony we may mention those -of October 22 in Breslau, under the composer, and of November 23 in -Münster, under Grimm. Such a furore was created in Münster that the work -was repeated by general desire at the concert of December 21. - -At the Vienna Gesellschaft concert of December 8, No. 1 of the two -Motets, Op. 74, for unaccompanied chorus was sung, under the direction -of Edward Kremser, from the manuscript parts. All four movements, the -first and last in four, the second and third in six, parts, made a deep -impression, and in spite of the serious character of the work it was -followed by long-continued applause. The texts have the characteristics -usually preferred by Brahms for his sacred compositions, and, taken -together, are expressive of courageous, trustful resignation in the face -of mystery. The music, exquisitely suited to the words, furnishes -another example of deeply serious feeling clothed in the beautiful forms -of early contrapuntal art. - -Great interest was aroused in the musical circles of many lands by the -announcement that Joachim would play a violin concerto by Brahms at the -Leipzig Gewandhaus concert of January 1, 1879. Such an event was bound -to raise a particular question, connected not only with Brahms' musical -career, but with the history of musical art. Many concertos for violin -solo with orchestral accompaniment had been produced since the days of -Viotti, through those of Mozart and Spohr, down to the publication in -1877 of Max Bruch's second in D minor, and, of the most favoured, few -had retained more than an occasional place in concert-programmes. Two -only had survived the test of time as the pre-eminent masterpieces of -their class; those of Beethoven and Mendelssohn. If no work of the kind -could be placed exactly with Beethoven's Violin Concerto, yet, even as -compared with this supreme achievement, no thought of inferiority could -be applied to that of Mendelssohn, which immediately on its production -took the place it had ever since held as one of two _chefs-d'oeuvre_. -The question which now naturally suggested itself was whether Brahms' -new work would take its place as a third by the side of its two greatest -predecessors. It was the more interesting because, though the composer -was not now breaking essentially new ground, yet his one previous -concerto had been composed for the pianoforte, and whilst two decades -had elapsed since its completion in final form (Detmold, autumn of -1858), and first public performances (Hanover and Leipzig, January, -1859), it bore distinct traces of a still earlier period, with which we -now know it to have been associated. The experience of a life, -therefore, may almost be said to have intervened between the two works. - -Turning to our old friend Dörffel, already doubly proved impartial, for -his immediate impressions of the Gewandhaus concert of January 1, we -find his report very interesting reading. - - 'No less a task,' he says, 'confronted Brahms, if his salutation to - his friend were to be one suitable to Joachim's eminence, than the - production of a work that should reach the two greatest, Beethoven - and Mendelssohn. We confess to having awaited the solution with - some heart palpitation, though we firmly maintained our standard. - But what joy we experienced! Brahms has brought such a third work - to the partnership. The originality of the spirit which inspires - the whole, the firm organic structure in which it is displayed, the - warmth which streams from it, animating the work with joy and - light--it cannot be otherwise--the concerto must be the fruit of - the composer's latest and, as we believe, happiest experiences. - - 'The first movement is broad, with sharply defined contrasts - through which, however, the serious-soft mood is preserved; the - second is short, very thoughtful and fervent; the last, very - spirited and attractive. There is, however, a quite unusual - handling of the instrument, and again, a breath in the orchestra, - which make us look forward with delight to the study of the score; - we have seldom been so enthralled by the composer's genius. But - Joachim played, also, with a love and devotion which brought home - to us in every bar the direct or indirect share he has had in the - work. As to the reception, the first movement was too new to be - distinctly appreciated by the audience, the second made - considerable way, the last aroused great enthusiasm.' - -Bernsdorf was less unsympathetic than usual. He considered the concerto -'one of the clearest and most spontaneous of the composer's works.' Both -Joachim and Brahms, who conducted the orchestra, had to respond to -numerous recalls. - -Joachim, to whom the concerto is dedicated, brought the manuscript with -him to England, and performed it at the Crystal Palace Saturday concert -of February 22 (August Manns), at the Philharmonic concerts of March 6 -and 20 (W. G. Cusins), at some of his appearances in the north of -Britain, and, a little later, at a concert of the Royal Academy of Arts, -Berlin, when the accompaniment was played by his school orchestra. -Published in the course of the year, it has ever since held a -conspicuous place in his répertoire. The violinists Brodsky and, a -little later, Frau Roeger-Soldat were amongst those who associated their -names in a special manner with the early life of the work, which has -recently been frequently performed with immense success by Fritz -Kreisler. - -If the mood of this great concerto has, as Dr. Deiters remarks, -something in common with that of the second symphony, the sentiment is -maintained at a loftier height than that of the earlier composition, the -limpid grace of which has an immediate fascination for a general -audience. The concerto requires time for full appreciation, and though, -by general consent of the initiated, it undoubtedly occupies a position -on the plane assigned to it by Dörffel, it would be too much to assert -that it has as yet entirely conquered the heart of the great public. It -is gradually making its way, however, to what will probably become -unreserved popularity. - -The year 1879 is of particular interest in our narrative, not only in -relation to the Violin Concerto, but also because it included the -publication of two books of Pianoforte Pieces, Op. 76, the several -numbers of which are entitled 'Intermezzo' or 'Capriccio'; and the first -performance from the manuscript of a Sonata for pianoforte and violin. -We have traced the remarkable continuity of Brahms' development as a -composer during the first ten years of his connection with Vienna, in -its relation to the period which directly preceded his earliest visit to -the city. The period dating back from 1862 to 1852 is not so unbroken. -Quite another sequel than the actual one might have been anticipated -from the fact that of the first ten of the composer's published works -six had been pianoforte solos, five of them in other than variation -form. We have watched his progress from one stepping-stone of excellence -to another in this form, from the early beauties of the examples -contained in the Sonatas, Op. 1 and Op. 2, through the astonishing -technical advance displayed in Op. 9, up to a masterpiece, the Handel -Variations and Fugue, Op. 24, and have still had to add one more work to -the list, the Paganini Variations, with imposing characteristics of its -own; but we have not had to record the appearance of a single -unaccompanied pianoforte solo in any other form in the course of the -twenty-five years which succeeded the completion of the Ballades, Op. -10, in 1854 (published in 1856). Only now when the narrative has been -brought to the point appropriate for the contemplation of these facts is -it possible to point out the true significance to our master's career of -the four years of study passed in complete retirement by the composer, -as distinct from the pianist, Brahms, that followed the close of 1854. -On his reappearance in 1859 and 1860 with a number of new works, not -only had his technique been reformed, and transfigured, but the tendency -of his career changed. The fascination exercised over his mind by the -pure style of part-writing practised by the best masters of the early -Italian schools, and the extent of resource he had acquired by constant -assimilation of the treasure of Bach's learning, had given him an -irresistible bent towards the composition of works that led up to the -Requiem and Triumphlied on the one hand, and the String Quartets and -Symphonies on the other; and the same influences would naturally dispose -him towards the writing of chamber music for pianoforte and strings -rather than for pianoforte alone. It is well known that his innate -fastidiousness in regard to his own work was augmented in the case of -his first symphony by his never-ceasing consciousness of Beethoven's -overwhelming achievements in this domain; and his abstention, after his -earliest period, from the publication of a pianoforte sonata may have -been partially due to a similar, and perhaps even stronger, feeling -that Beethoven's sonatas cannot be succeeded. It is, however, -difficult to believe that Brahms' would not have persevered and -conquered--conquered in the sense of producing something appropriate to -his time--in the one case as in the other if he had felt a real impulse -to do so, and it may possibly be true that his genius was better suited -for the forms in which he worked than for those which he avoided. - -The two books of Pianoforte Pieces, which, with the two Motets, Op. 74, -dedicated to Philipp Spitta, the Violin Concerto, and the three -Pianoforte Studies after Bach without opus number, formed the -publications of the year 1879, contain, in all, eight numbers. Some of -them, written with simplicity of style and pervaded by a spirit of -dreamy content or graceful happiness, have become familiar to -music-lovers; others present difficulties both to listener and performer -which have hindered their popularity. Several contain interesting -examples of the composer's facility in the art of rhythmic and -contrapuntal device. - -The Sonata for pianoforte and violin in G major, performed from the -manuscript by Brahms and Hellmesberger at the Quartet concert of -November 20, is a pearl of pure and delicate imagination. The vivacity -of the first movement is painted in pale moonbeam tints, and must, as -one fancies, vanish before the first warm ray of sunshine. There is more -substantiality about the gentle melancholy of the adagio, though this -movement, again, is haunted by a strain of mystery. The last movement, -written in rondo form, has for its first subject that of the beautiful -'Rain-Song' already alluded to, and is a very dream of wistful charm. -Brahms' very original treatment of the pianoforte arpeggio, which is one -of the distinctive features of his style of writing for the instrument, -is well illustrated in the first movement of this work, in which the -arpeggio is raised from the mere position of a brilliant passage to that -of an essential part of the entire conception. A particularly clear -light is thrown also upon the composer's relation to Bach by the study -of the sonata, the methods of which are inherited from those of the -early giant-musician, as exemplified in his sonatas for clavier and -violin; and whilst Bach's methods flow as easily within the forms of the -Austrian masters as though they had always been an inseparable part of -them, the association is animated by the distinctive individuality of -our Brahms. Not, however, as it impressed itself upon us in his first -great series of works for pianoforte and strings. The spirit of the -Sonata in G is essentially that of the master's later period of -maturity. In it we feel that he has not only his powers, but his -emotions, well in hand, and has reached a period of life when he can -afford to look back calmly to the conflicts of the past. This no mere -fancy; we find as we proceed in the study of Brahms' art, not that the -nature of the man changed as he grew older, but that, whilst the -sunshine of complete recognition which brightened his later path through -life is felt in the clear spirit of some of his works, the reserve which -characterizes others is now dictated by the complete self-mastery which -it had been one of the efforts of his life to attain, and which lends -them a singular and pathetic charm as of consciously half-revealed power -and beauty. - -The Sonata in G major is the fourth composed by Brahms for pianoforte -and violin. The first, belonging to his first period, had, as we know, -been mysteriously lost on the eve of publication. The second and third -were rejected after completion by the composer's relentless -self-criticism, and the manuscripts destroyed by his own hand. The -publication of this one, known as the first, took place quite at the -beginning of the year 1880, and the work was played with immense success -by Brahms and Joachim during a short concert-tour they made together in -the Austrian provinces during the last week of January and the first of -February. In the course of his visit Joachim performed the Violin -Concerto at one of three orchestral concerts given by him in the large -hall of the Vienna 'Gesellschaft,' with the result to be expected from -the association of two names so dear to the Austrian public. - -The sonata was performed for the first time in England at the Monday -Popular concert of February 2 by von Bülow and Madame Norman-Néruda, and -at the Wednesday Popular concert, Cambridge, on the 25th of the same -month by C. Villiers Stanford and Richard Gompertz. One of the earliest -performances in Germany was that by Scholz and Himmelstoss at Breslau on -February 24. - -Brahms' first appearance at Crefeld on January 20 must be particularly -recorded for two reasons: in the first place because it introduces us to -a group of friends, his pleasant associations with whom are commemorated -in the dedication of one of his later works. A considerable amount of -music was performed during this first visit, and more on subsequent -ones, in the informal, sociable way Brahms liked, at the houses of Herr -and Frau Rudolph von der Leyen, with whom he always stayed, and of their -relatives, Herr and Frau Alwyn von Beckerath. Herr von Beckerath, a good -amateur performer, played viola in the resident string quartet led by -Professor Richard Barth, a former pupil of Joachim, an old acquaintance -of Brahms, and well known later on as von Bernuth's successor at -Hamburg, who was always present with his colleagues at these private -gatherings; and the enjoyment of the circle was enhanced during Brahms' -later visits to Crefeld by the singing, to the master's accompaniment, -of Fräulein Antonia Kufferath. This lady (now Mrs. Edward Speyer) has -interesting recollections connected with the Crefeld visits. Amongst -them is that of Brahms, who when once a composition was published -allowed it to pass from his mind, sometimes almost completely, coming -unawares upon a difficult passage in the accompaniment of one of his -songs, and having an instant's struggle with it. At the end he turned to -Fräulein Kufferath, saying, 'That is really difficult to read at sight!' - -The musical event which gives particular distinction to the Crefeld -concert of 1880, the programme of which included Brahms' second -Symphony, 'Harzreise' Rhapsody and Triumphlied, was the performance by -the composer of two new solos for the pianoforte, the Rhapsodies in B -minor and G minor, generally accepted as the finest of Brahms' shorter -works for the instrument. The second one especially, marked 'molto -passionato ma non troppo allegro,' is an inspiration from beginning to -end, and though not long, its length is sufficient to balance its -grandeur of idea and to give the effect of completeness to its -performance. Billroth, to whom Brahms, always needing sympathy, confided -the manuscripts on their completion in the early summer of 1879, -returned them with the words: - - 'The second piece has quite fascinated me. In both pieces there is - more of the young, heaven-storming Johannes than in the other late - works of the mature man.' - -The Sonata in G, Op. 78, the Rhapsodies, Op. 79, and the third and -fourth books of Hungarian Dances for Pianoforte Duet, without opus -number, were the publications of 1880. - -It may have been noticed by the reader that, in our record of the early -performances of Brahms' works during the closing seventies, no mention -has been made of Munich. The reason is not far to seek, and is such as -might almost have been anticipated. The time arrived when the paths of -Brahms and Levi separated, and its occurrence may be definitely dated in -November, 1876, when our master visited Munich to conduct his first -symphony, and stood there for the last time on a concert platform. - -The attraction felt by Levi towards Wagner's art and personality had -grown continually stronger since his preparation of the 'Meistersinger' -for performance at Carlsruhe in 1869 and the establishment of personal -relations between himself and Wagner to which it led; and his enthusiasm -for the man and his works received extraordinary stimulus from the first -performances of the 'Nibelungen Ring,' at which he was present, in the -temporary theatre at Bayreuth in August, 1876. The impulsive expression -to Brahms of his boundless admiration, carried beyond the point which -should have been prescribed by tact, seems to have convinced our master -that future relations between himself and Levi would be embarrassing to -both; and though he received his friend's outpourings without visible -sign, he took the wise and friendly course of abstaining from further -visits to Munich. Enough, it is hoped, has been related in these pages -of Brahms' appreciation of Wagner's powers to exclude the suspicion that -he was actuated by petty feeling in taking this line. Levi's want of -self-restraint was in one sense an acknowledgment of the master's -artistic generosity; but compliments of this kind should not be carried -to extremes, and Brahms' courage in adhering to a course certain to -expose him to misunderstanding saved Levi as well as himself from the -danger of the false position which must inevitably have threatened their -future intercourse. The wreath which Brahms sent to Bayreuth on Wagner's -death in February, 1883, was not the sign of a mere decorous compliance -with custom, but was a heart-felt tribute of recognition from the one -great master to the other. - -Brahms' separation from Levi necessarily involved a coolness between -himself and Allgeyer, who was one of the closest intimates of the Levi -circle, but this was only temporary, and was probably merely accepted by -Brahms as one of the incidents of the situation. It was got over during -a visit paid by Allgeyer to Vienna, and Brahms' pleasure at the renewal -of personal relations between himself and his old friend may be read in -the dedication of the 'Ballads and Romances' published in 1878, to which -reference has already been made. - -To Brahms' activity on the advisory committee for the granting of -Government stipendiums to young artists, combined with the growing -feeling of mental leisure which must have come to him at this period of -his mature mastership, must be ascribed the willingness shown by him, -from the middle of the seventies onward, to concern himself with the -musical progress of certain young composers who were courageous enough -to ask his opinion and advice, and in whose works he discerned talent. -Mention has been made of his prompt and emphatic appreciation of Dvorák. -Amongst other musicians of distinction who in their youth enjoyed the -advantage of his interest and friendship are Drs. Richard Heuberger, -Eusebius Mandycweski (now holding the important position of librarian to -the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde), von Rottenberg, and Jenner. We spoke -in the last chapter of some of the incidents of the master's friendship -for Heuberger, who says that Brahms' great talent for teaching became -continually clearer to him. 'With gifted young people who had already -passed through the school curriculum, he might have achieved great -things.' His criticism was so ruthless and searching as to be at first -profoundly discouraging, but he could praise warmly, too, and there was -no mistaking the pleasure he felt in being able to do so. His remarks to -Heuberger, chiefly called forth by points in the manuscripts--often -songs--laid before him, and by suggested improvements, usually served to -elucidate general principles. The close rhythmical association of music -with words, the conditions indispensable to the admission of -irregularity of bar rhythm, the construction of melody, are but a few of -the important points that were handled in the brief, incisive, pregnant -manner which illumined every subject that he touched upon. - -'Do you think,' said he one day, taking exception to an expression -inadvertently used by Heuberger apropos to the construction of his -melody, 'that any one of my half-dozen passable songs "occurred" to me? -I had to worry myself with them rarely! One must be able--don't take -this literally--to _whistle_ a song ... then it is good.' - -'Those _must_ have been eyes, but perhaps not so interesting to other -people,' he said, pointing to the too drawn-out setting of the words 'I -saw two eyes last Sunday morn,' in one of Heuberger's manuscripts, and -he improvised the passage in the closer form which the composer has -retained in his published song 'Bitt' ihn o Mutter.' - -The committee formed in 1871 to consider a scheme for the erection of a -monument to Schumann at Bonn had been so successful during the few years -following the festival of 1873, in collecting funds for their object, -that by the beginning of May, 1880, the memorial, designed and executed -by the sculptor Donnhorf, had been placed over Schumann's grave in the -Bonn cemetery, and nothing remained to be done save to unveil and -deliver it over to the municipal authorities. These ceremonies were to -be performed on the 2nd of the month, and to be followed by some -festival concerts with programmes of the master's music. - -Proceedings opened on the evening of May 1, when Frau Schumann, arrived -with some of her family on a visit to her old friends the Kyllmanns, to -whose house the reader was introduced in an earlier chapter, was greeted -by a serenade, sung in the garden by the members of the Concordia and -the Academic Vocal Union, which was followed by performances within -doors of the 'Lotos Blume' and the 'Traumender See.' President Wrede -then delivered an address, and on its conclusion introduced each member -of the societies individually to Frau Schumann. With her permission, -Herr Branscheidt sang two of Schumann's songs to the accompaniment of -Concertmeister Lorscheidt, and after the great artist had acknowledged -these compliments in a few suitable words, the vocalists returned to the -garden to sing 'Thou in the wood hast wandered,' from Schumann's -'Pilgrimage of the Rose.' With this performance the programme of the -evening terminated, and after Frau Schumann had again expressed her warm -thanks the visitors withdrew. - -The cemetery was crowded early the next day by friends desirous of -witnessing the unveiling of the monument. Nearly twenty-four years had -gone by since the simple funeral procession had followed Schumann's -remains through the streets of Bonn; since a group of young musicians -stood together at the open grave, supported by the sympathy of a -concourse of friends and music-lovers, to take their last farewell of -the illustrious dead. Now they were reassembled on the same spot to do -honour to the beloved master's memory. Not one was missing. Brahms, -Joachim, Dietrich, the three young chief mourners of the first occasion, -stood together again as middle-aged men; Hiller the older friend, Grimm, -and Bargiel, all were there, and Stockhausen, since many years one of -the circle. The central figure in to-day's proceedings had been absent, -prostrated with sorrow, from the funeral ceremony. Frau Schumann now -stood with her daughters at the foot of the monument, her usual pathetic -expression deepened by the rush of varied memories, but with controlled -demeanour. Amongst those present in an official capacity were the mayor -of Bonn, Herr Oberbürgermeister Doetsch; the sculptor, Professor -Donnhorf, from Dresden; the president of the memorial committee, -Professor Schaafhausen, and the members of the two choral societies with -President Wrede. - -The singing of the fine old chorale, 'Was Gott thut das ist wohlgethan' -was the prelude to the address in which Geheimrath Schaafhausen gave the -monument over to the city of Bonn. Whilst he was speaking the covering -fell, and as he concluded many beautiful wreaths were laid on the grave -to the accompaniment of a second chorale. An address of thanks was -delivered on behalf of the city by Oberbürgermeister Doetsch, and the -singing of a third chorale, with the placing of more wreaths, brought -the formalities to a close. The following telegram was handed to the -mayor in the course of the proceedings: - - 'The Society of Music-lovers and the Conservatoire of Vienna - congratulate Bonn on the honour of having to-day erected the first - memorial to Schumann as previously that to Beethoven.' - -The programme of the orchestral concert which took place in the evening -of May 2, beginning at six o'clock, included Schumann's E flat Symphony -and Requiem for Mignon, conducted by Brahms; a poetic 'Prologue,' -composed and recited by Herr Emil Ritterhaus of Barmen; the Manfred -music conducted by Joachim, with Ernst von Possart, director of the -court theatre of Munich, in the chief declamatory part; and as single -exception in the list of Schumann's works, Brahms' Violin Concerto, -conducted by the composer, and played by Joachim in so perfect and ideal -a manner as to be, 'not merely interpretative, but absolutely creative.' -A rain of bouquets followed its conclusion. Three works were given at -the chamber music concert of the following morning: Schumann's String -Quartet in A minor, led by Joachim; Spanisches Liederspiel; and Quartet -for pianoforte and strings, of which Brahms and Joachim played the -pianoforte and violin parts respectively. - -To this year is to be referred the composition of the only two overtures -published by Brahms. The 'Tragic,' the grave character of which may be -inferred from its title, was performed for the first time in December at -the fourth concert of the Vienna Philharmonic season. Dr. Deiters says -of it: - - 'In this work we see a strong hero battling with an iron and - relentless fate; passing hopes of victory cannot alter an impending - destiny. We do not care to inquire whether the composer had a - special tragedy in his mind, or if so, which one; those who remain - musically unconvinced by the unsurpassably powerful theme, would - not be assisted by a particular suggestion.' - -The 'Academic Festival Overture' which we know, was the one out of three -selected by the composer for preservation. It was composed in -acknowledgment of the honorary doctor's degree offered to Brahms in 1880 -by the university of Breslau, and was performed for the first time in -that city on January 4, 1881, under his direction. The companion work, -the Tragic Overture, and the second Symphony were included in the same -programme. The newly-made Doctor of Philosophy was received with all the -honour and enthusiasm befitting the occasion and his work, and was again -stormily applauded on the 6th, when he performed Schumann's Fantasia, -Op. 17, his two Rhapsodies, and the pianoforte part of his Horn Trio, at -a concert of chamber music. - -In the Academic Overture the sociable spirit reappears which had -prompted the boy of fourteen to compose an ABC part-song for his -seniors, the village schoolmasters in and around Winsen. Now the -renowned master of forty-seven seeks to identify himself with the -youthful spirits of the university with which he has become associated, -by taking, for principal themes of his overture, student melodies loved -by him from their association with the early Göttingen years of happy -companionship with Joachim, with Grimm, with von Meysenbug and others. -Four of these, 'Wir hatten gebauet,' 'Hört ich sing' 'Was kommt dort,' -and the 'Gaudeamus,' are introduced in the course of the movement, which -is written in regular classical form, and the composer lingers with -particular affection over the third one, the song that in student -circles accompanies the merry 'Fox-ride,' which in the summer of 1853 -carried Brahms so many leagues distant from the earlier stages of his -life's journey. The favourite 'Gaudeamus igitur,' given with the full -strength of the orchestra, brings the masterly and effective work to a -brilliant conclusion. The two overtures, bearing to each other a -relation analogous to that which exists between the first and second -symphonies, furnish another instance of the composer's occasional habit -of writing at once, or in quick succession, two works of the same form -animated by contrasted subjective qualities. The 'Academic' has become -very familiar to concert-goers, and has, so far, attained to more -universal popularity than the impressive 'Tragic.' - -Both works were performed from the manuscript, under the composer's -direction, at the Leipzig Gewandhaus concert of January 13, but alike -failed to make much impression. If, however, Brahms felt any -disappointment at the persevering coldness evinced towards his art in -the musical metropolis of North Germany, he must have derived some -consolation from the success which attended the performances of the -Academic Overture and other works conducted by him in Münster on January -22 and in Crefeld on the 25th, and by the warm welcome which awaited him -in each of the Dutch cities--Amsterdam, the Hague, Haarlem--which he -visited in the course of the same month. Holland, distinguished -musically by its early appreciation of Schumann's art, was now repeating -history by its enthusiastic acceptance of that of Brahms. In each town -where he appeared he had opportunity to perceive how deeply his music -had taken root in the country. Of his many distinguished Dutch friends -may be mentioned the composer Verhulst, a man of eminent parts and -attractive personality, who had enjoyed the friendship of Mendelssohn -and of Schumann. Brahms did not this winter fulfil any public engagement -at Utrecht, but he stayed there for a day or two as the Engelmanns' -guest, and did his share of music-making in private. To one old habit he -steadfastly adhered during the visit, though it had little to do with -art. Every morning on returning from his early walk he made his way to -the nursery, and after a game of romps carried one child or another on -his shoulder down to breakfast. To say the truth, this was not an -unmixed pleasure to the little ones, who were sometimes frightened at -their elevation, for the master's gait was not of the smoothest. His -persevering sociability, however, was generally rewarded in the end by -the confidence of the little ones in which he felt such satisfaction. - -It is interesting to find Liszt and Brahms crossing each other's paths -again in the month of February, after a long interval of years that had -been big with consequence, and not only to the younger musician; since -the triumph of Wagner's art must for ever be associated with the name of -its first generous protagonist. The two men were brought together by the -occasion of a concert given in Budapest by Hans von Bülow, who, on -arriving at the Hôtel Ungaria, found Brahms staying there, probably by -preconcerted arrangement. - - 'Très cher unique,' writes Liszt to Bülow on February 13; 'I have - taken a slight cold, and in order not to spoil the day and evening - of to-morrow, must retire early to-night. - - 'Pray express my affectionate thanks to Brahms, and convey to him - the invitation of Madame La Baronne Eötoos to luncheon to-morrow at - 1 o'clock without ennui or vexation. Quite the contrary. I shall - arrive at the Hôtel Ungaria at a quarter before one in order to - conduct you to Her Excellency's house.' - -It no doubt afforded genuine satisfaction to the warm-hearted von Bülow -to place his two friends on a passing footing of sociability. He had -already begun, in his new position as capellmeister to Duke George of -Saxe-Meiningen, to which he had been appointed the previous year, to use -the increased influence at his command in the interests of our master's -art, and before the close of this his first season of activity in the -Thuringian capital, Brahms' first and second symphonies and other works -had been performed under Bülow's direction before a highly sympathetic -audience at the concerts of the court orchestra. - -The two Overtures, and 'Nänie,' to which we have yet to refer in detail, -were published in the course of 1881.[64] - -[61] First published with others by Hanslick in the _Neue Freie Presse_ -of July 1, 1897. - -[62] Hanslick, _Neue Freie Presse_, as before. - -[63] Claus Groth, in the Brahms Recollections to which we have several -times referred, speaks of the festival banquet as having taken place at -the Hamburger Hof, Hamburg, and 'as I think' after the performance of -Brahms' symphony. Groth's articles were written in the year 1897, when -he was at an advanced age--he was much Brahms' senior--and his memory -has misled him in one or two of his details. As regards those here -referred to, the author has, in the above description, followed the -accounts given in the _Hamburger Correspondenten_ of the time, with -which that of Hanslick, in his very interesting 'Essays on Music and -Musicians,' is in strict accord. - -[64] See p. 29 of this volume. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - 1881-1885 - - Second Pianoforte Concerto--First visit to the ducal castle of - Meiningen--'Nänie'--Frau Henriette Feuerbach--Hans von Bülow in - Leipzig--Brahms' friends in Vienna--Dr. and Frau - Fellinger--Pianoforte Trio in C major--First String Quintet--The - 'Parzenlied'--Third Symphony. - - -A holiday taken with Billroth in Sicily in the early spring was -succeeded by Brahms' removal to summer quarters, chosen this year at -Pressbaum, near Vienna. Here he was occupied with the composition of -Schiller's 'Nänie,' to which Feuerbach's death had moved him, and of a -second concerto for pianoforte and orchestra in B flat. The manuscripts -of 'Nänie' and of portions of the concerto were soon lent to Billroth, -the concerto movements being handed to him with the words, 'A few little -pianoforte pieces.' - - 'It is always a delight to me,' writes Billroth, 'when Brahms, - after paying me a short visit, during which we have talked of - indifferent things, takes a roll out of his paletôt pocket and says - casually "Look at that and write me what you think of it."' - -The composer was pleasantly disturbed in August from his quietly busy -life by a visit from Widmann, who was staying in Vienna, and who thus -describes his meeting with the friend he had not met for three years: - - 'Walking through the garden, I came upon the master sitting reading - at an open window on the ground floor of his idyllic dwelling, and - at once instinctively felt that he had entered upon a period of his - career when there could be no longer any thought of his commencing - upon an entirely new domain of his art [opera]. It may sound absurd - when I confess that the splendid, already slightly grizzled beard - in which I saw him for the first time, and scarcely recognised him, - seemed to me a symbol of the great composer's present personality, - now entirely self-adequate and perfectly defined and assured within - its own limits. I was so completely dumbfoundered, however, by the - surprise of seeing this Jupiter head that a question burst from me - as to the reason of the alteration. "One is taken for an actor or a - priest if one is clean shaven," answered Brahms, complacently - stroking the flowing beard. He now had a naïve satisfaction in his - own appearance, and smilingly mentioned that his photograph with - beard had been used in the Velhagen and Clasing school book edition - to illustrate the Caucasian type.... The opera project was not - mentioned....'[65] - -Brahms accepted numerous invitations from Germany, Switzerland, and -Holland to take part in performances of his new works. He had for some -time relaxed his early caution, and was now generally ready to introduce -his compositions to the public on their completion, though adhering to -his old custom of retaining possession of the manuscript of an important -work for his own benefit until after its first performances, when he -allowed the business of engraving to proceed without delay. - -The new Pianoforte Concerto was played by the composer in Stuttgart on -November 22 (Court Capellmeister Seyfrix) first time; in Meiningen on -the 27th; Zürich, Breslau, Vienna (Philharmonic), respectively December -6, 20, 26; Leipzig, Hamburg (Philharmonic), Berlin (Meiningen -orchestra), Kiel, Bremen, Hamburg (Meiningen orchestra), Münster, -Utrecht, in January, and Frankfurt in February, 1882. The work was -received with immense enthusiasm throughout the tour, excepting at -Leipzig, where it achieved only a _succès d'estime_. - -During his visit to Meiningen, Brahms was the guest of the reigning Duke -George and his consort, the Baroness von Heldburg. Three fine rooms _en -suite_ on the ground-floor of the castle were placed at his disposal, -and in the most spacious of them, arranged as a music-room, one of the -Duke's fine Bechstein pianofortes had been placed. The apartment, -having direct access to the castle grounds, afforded the composer easy -opportunity to indulge in his favourite recreation of walking. - -Bülow had left nothing undone that could contribute éclat to his -friend's first public appearance in Meiningen, which he heralded a few -days beforehand by giving a performance of the German Requiem at an -extra concert of the court orchestra. The concert-hall was completely -filled on the evening of the 27th, and on the arrival of the Duke of -Saxe-Meiningen and the Baroness von Heldburg, accompanied by Cardinal -Prince Hohenlohe, the opening number of the Brahms programme, the Tragic -Overture, was listened to by a breathlessly expectant audience. The -first glimpse of the composer as he advanced to the platform to play the -solo of the new Pianoforte Concerto in B flat caused an outburst of -welcome which made it impossible for him to take his seat immediately, -and the enthusiasm, growing with each movement, reached its climax at -the end. 'Brahms and Bülow transported the audience to a state of -exaltation,' wrote the critic next day. The Haydn Variations closed the -first part of the concert; the second part, consisting of the C minor -Symphony and the Academic Overture, was conducted by the composer. On -its termination the Duke expressed his appreciation by decorating Brahms -with the cross of his family order. - -The visit to Meiningen marked the beginning of a cordial friendship -between the art-loving prince and his consort on one hand and Brahms on -the other, which brought many pleasant hours to the great musician. He -always stayed at the castle when at Meiningen, where he was the centre -of many private musical gatherings. Several times he was a guest at the -castle of Altenstein, the Duke's country residence. Here, as at -Meiningen, he was allowed perfect freedom of action, could work without -fear of disturbance, take solitary walks in the neighbourhood, or -saunter in the grounds in company, and was even permitted to retain his -very unconventional style of dress during the day. In the evening he -recognised the claims of ceremonial custom, and actually seemed to take -a kind of pleasure in dressing for dinner and wearing his decorations. -He did not abate one jot, however, of his usual independent expression -of opinion, and would defend his own point of view with characteristic -bluntness and tenacity no matter who might happen to differ from him. An -instance of this trait, as well as of his singular political acumen, of -interest at the present time, occurred at the beginning of the war -between China and Japan. Brahms declared his belief, which was not -shared by others present, in the ultimate success of Japan, and angrily -anticipated the injustice by which the selfish interference of the -Western Powers would deprive her of the fruits of victory. The Duke's -answer, which reminded him that European interests were involved in the -question, left him gruffly unconvinced, but the incident was allowed to -pass. - -It was not only by his illustrious host that the composer came to be -loved. He made himself a favourite with everyone in the Duke's service -with whom he came in contact; his visits to Meiningen and Altenstein -Castles were regarded by the entire household as a distinction and -pleasure, and the harmless jokes and playful sayings in which he -continued to find a childlike satisfaction to the end of his life are -remembered by these friends with affection and regret. - -The concert at Zürich on December 6, the programme of which included the -first performance of 'Nänie,' made an extraordinary impression, and was -so brilliantly successful financially that, in the words of Steiner, - - 'the committee could not rest satisfied without giving visible and - lasting expression to their feelings of gratitude and veneration - towards the author of such glorious achievements.' - -It took the form of a silver cup, designed for the occasion by Bosshard -of Lucerne, and was forwarded to the master on its completion. Brahms -wrote his thanks to Hegar in the following words: - - 'MOST ESTEEMED FRIEND, - - 'Your goblet has arrived, and the étui containing the musical - silver angel glitters like an open altar shrine upon the piano. You - cannot think how beautiful and kind it stands there, and with what - pleasure I look at it! - - 'But now, please, use your best words to assure your esteemed - fellow members of the great pleasure they have given me and how - grateful I am for their kindness. You can easily supply details - which I am shy of adding and which, if written, might sound trivial - and vain. You, however, are aware that such a friendly token of - appreciation and sympathy is a very serious matter.... - - 'Now, with hearty greeting to you and yours, - - 'Yours most sincerely, - 'J. BRAHMS.'[66] - -In his setting of 'Nänie,' dedicated to Frau Henriette Feuerbach and -performed from the manuscript at this concert, Brahms has conceived the -calm fatalistic spirit of classical antiquity represented in Schiller's -funeral dirge as perfectly as he has embodied in the music of the German -Requiem the passionate intensity of the writers of the Old and New -Testaments. A current of tender pathos glides evenly through the lament, -which is somewhat strengthened during the passing image of Aphrodite -bewailing the loss of her son, but not sufficiently to disturb the -smooth onward flow of the passages proceeding continuously from -beginning to end of the work. It seems to suggest the ancient Greek idea -of death as the final decree of destiny, hardly to be dreaded, not to be -questioned or resisted, immutable even in the presence of beauty, just -as clearly as the powerful contrasts of the Requiem present the Biblical -conception of death as an enemy to be opposed and finally destroyed in -the victory of an all-conquering love. - -Dr. Carl Neumann describes a visit paid by him to Frau Feuerbach when -she was seventy-five years of age, at her house in Ansbach. He went -through two rooms. - - 'In the first was a grand piano on which lay Brahms' "Nänie"; in - the second, one might say, dwelt the departed. Tall green plants - stood in the window recesses obscuring the light. What the mother - had of her son's works hung on the walls. The coloured sketch of a - "Descent of the Cross," a flower study belonging to the time when - the frame of "Plato's Feast" was painted, a drawing of the standing - Iphigenia looking towards the land of Greece--here was her - altar.... - - 'We left this room. She sat down to the piano, at first as if to - rest; then asked if I knew Brahms' "Nänie," which, as an admirer of - her son's art, he had dedicated to her. She gave me the music to - follow and began to play it by heart.... - - 'Suddenly I looked up.... The woman at the piano in the black - dress, a black veil on her white hair, seemed changed. The tall - figure, bent forward and lost in tones and memories; was it not the - tragic muse herself and was she not sounding a song of fate? - - 'In the spring of 1886 she once again met Brahms and heard "Nänie" - under Joachim.'[67] - -The want of appreciation of the new concerto shown by the audience of -the Leipzig Gewandhaus did not escape the notice of Hans von Bülow in -his capacity as Brahms' champion, and he carried his band to Leipzig in -the middle of March to give a series of three concerts, two of them -respectively devoted to Beethoven and Brahms, and the other divided -between Mendelssohn and Schumann. The Brahms programme included the C -minor Symphony, Haydn Variations, and the D minor Concerto played by -Bülow, the orchestra accompanying without a conductor. The applause -which followed the movements of the symphony as the work proceeded was -not hearty enough to satisfy the excitable capellmeister, who at the end -of the third movement desired his orchestra to repeat it, and on the -conclusion of the work turned round and addressed his audience. He had, -he said, arranged the Brahms programme by express command of his Duke, -who had desired that the Leipzig public should know how the symphony -ought to be performed; and also to obtain satisfaction for the coldness -manifested towards the composer on his appearance with the new concerto -at the Gewandhaus on January 1. It need hardly be said that eccentric -efforts such as this on the part of a musician for many years -conspicuously identified with the New-German school could have no result -one way or the other in directing the artistic leanings of the city. - -Brahms' Pianoforte Concerto in B flat is of quite unusual dimensions, -and differs not only from his first in D minor, but from almost every -other preceding work of its kind, in containing four movements, the -additional one of which, a long 'allegro appassionato,' succeeds -immediately to the first allegro. Probably few hearers of the work would -subscribe to the reason for this innovation given by the composer to his -friend Billroth. - - 'When I asked him about it, he said that the opening movement - appeared to him too simple; he required something strongly - passionate before the equally simple andante.' - -If anything of the usual meaning of the word 'simple' is to be attached -to its use here--_i.e._, something without complication and easy of -comprehension--it must be said that the second movement of the concerto, -in spite of its passionate character, is very much simpler than the -first. Its plan, whilst containing points of originality, is perfectly -symmetrical, and stands out in well-balanced proportions clearly evident -to the imagination. - -The first movement, on the other hand, is extraordinarily difficult to -grasp as a whole, partly on account of its great length, but still more -from the ambiguity of the rôle assigned to the solo instrument on its -entry after the first orchestral 'tutti.' The principle to be traced in -the first movements of the concertos of Mozart and Beethoven, by giving -to the solo, on each entry, something of the character of a brilliant -improvisation, supported by the band, on the material of a preceding -'tutti,' insures for it a clearly defined position, and, whilst -preserving a due balance between the orchestra and the solo instrument, -lends contrast to the movement as a whole. Brahms would almost seem, in -the instance under consideration, to have deliberately degraded the -pianoforte from its legitimate position as dominant factor in its own -domain. True, it enters with eight bars' quasi-improvisatory restatement -of the principal theme, but it sinks immediately afterwards to occupy -the subordinate rôle of the answering voice in a kind of antiphonal duet -with the orchestra, which it imitates almost servilely, fragment by -fragment, during a lengthy succession of bars. This method of treatment -robs the solo, not only of its effect, but almost of its very _raison -d'être_, and, by blurring the outline of the movement, is probably -chiefly answerable for the sense of fatigue, to which even Billroth -confessed, that most people feel after listening to a performance of the -entire work. This is not the place for a detailed discussion of the -movement, which, with all its grandeur, scarcely realizes the great -expectations warranted by its magnificent opening. A comparison of it -with the first movement of Beethoven's Pianoforte Concerto in E flat -will make the foregoing remarks clear, the more so as the ground-plan is -much the same in the two compositions. The third and fourth movements of -Brahms' concerto are as easy to follow as the second. The andante is -fervent and melodious, and the finale offers to the ear a dainty feast -of sound sparkling from beginning to end with graceful vivacity. - -This concerto has, like its predecessor, sometimes been described as a -symphony with pianoforte obligato. The comparison is in each case -misleading. Both works are essentially based on the modern concerto form -as established by Mozart. - -The Concerto in B flat, published in 1882, was dedicated by Brahms to -'his dear friend and teacher Edward Marxsen.' It was performed--probably -for the first time in England--by Charles Hallé at one of the famous -Manchester concerts, and by Heinrich Barth at a Crystal Palace Saturday -concert of November, 1884. The present author played it in London -December 13, 1888, at her matinée at Messrs. Broadwood's, and on -February 14, 1891, at her private concert at the Royal Academy of Music, -kindly accompanied in the composer's arrangement of the orchestral part -for two pianofortes, on the first occasion by Mr. Otto Goldschmidt and -Mr. Stephen Kemp, and on the second by Messrs. Stephen Kemp and Septimus -Webbe. Frederic Lamond introduced it to the audience of the Philharmonic -Society, St. James's Hall, on May 14, 1891. Since these dates the -concerto has been frequently played in Great Britain by Leonard Borwick. -Fräulein Marie Baumeyer of Vienna was the first lady to perform the -immensely difficult work. She played it in Graz in 1883, and later, in -the composer's presence, at one of her concerts in Vienna. - -The other publications of 1882 were a book of Romances and Songs for one -or for two voices, and two books of Songs for one voice. The two -Overtures and 'Nänie' were issued in 1881. - -Brahms passed a considerable part of the first quarter of 1882 in -Hamburg, to the joy of his friends there. He had written in good time to -Frau Caroline to bespeak his favourite 'corner room,' and made his -headquarters from the beginning of January with his stepmother. He had -accepted an invitation to conduct his Requiem at the annual Good Friday -concert of sacred music at the Stadt Theater, and was occupied several -weeks beforehand with preliminary study and rehearsals. The choir of 200 -consisted of the members of the Bach Society and opera chorus combined. -The performance, which took place on April 7, partook of the character -of a solemn memorial service, and the audience properly abstained from -applause, though the sixth number created an impression that would make -itself audible. At the close of the concert the composer received a vote -of cordial thanks tendered in the name of all present. - -[Illustration: BRAHMS' LODGINGS AT ISCHL. - -_By permission of Frau Maria Fellinger._] - -The master stayed, for the second time, at Ischl during the summer -months. Billroth, who was in the neighbourhood, writes of him in August: - - 'I should like to enjoy myself in Italy from September 15 till - October 1. Brahms wishes to accompany me.... He has been very busy - lately. Three books of songs have been published. A string quintet - and a trio are ready, both of them simpler, shorter, brighter than - his earlier things; he strives consciously for shortness and - simplicity. He lately sent me the manuscript of a true work of art, - the "Parzenlied" [Song of the Fates] from Goethe's "Iphigenia." - Very deep but simple.' - -The journey to Italy duly took place, the proposed party of two being -enlarged to one of four by the addition of Ignaz Brüll and Simrock. -Original plans had to be modified on account of the exceptionally wet -season, and the chief places visited were Vicenza, Padua, and Venice. - -The personnel of Brahms' intimate friends in Vienna had remained on the -whole much what it had become a very few years after his arrival in the -Austrian capital. Of its closest circle the Fabers, Billroths, and -Hanslicks, with whom must be associated Joachim's cousins, the various -members of the Wittgenstein family--amongst them Frau Franz and Frau Dr. -Oser--still formed the nucleus. An acquaintance with Herr Victor von -Miller zu Aichholz and his wife had meanwhile ripened into warm -friendship, and their house became one of those whose hospitality was -most frequently and gladly accepted by the master. Amongst the -musicians, Carl Ferdinand Pohl, author of the standard Life of Mozart, -and, since 1866, archivar to the Gesellschaft, was one of his dearest -friends. With the leading professors of the conservatoire his relations -continued very cordial, and amongst the younger musicians to whom, in -addition to his early allies, Goldmark, Gänsbacher and Epstein, he -extended his friendly regard, may be mentioned Anton Door and Robert -Fuchs. The feeling of warm friendship existing between Brahms and Johann -Strauss has been commemorated in several well-known anecdotes. The -autumn of 1881, however, brought to permanent residence in Vienna a -family that before long made notable addition to the master's intimate -circle. Special circumstances conduced to the speedy formation of a bond -of friendship between Brahms and the new-comers, Dr. and Frau Fellinger. -In the first place, they were friends of Frau Schumann and her -daughters, and as such had an instant claim on his courtesy, which he -acknowledged by calling on them as soon as possible after their -arrival. In the second, his interest was awakened by the fact that Frau -Dr. Fellinger was the daughter of Frau Professor Lang-Köstlin, the -gifted Josephine Lang, whose attractive personality and talent for -composition made a strong impression upon Mendelssohn when he was a -youth of twenty-one and some six years the lady's senior. The story of -Josephine, who at the age of twenty-six married Professor Köstlin of -Tübingen, is given in Hiller's 'Tonleben,' and Mendelssohn's -congratulations to her bridegroom-elect may be read in the second volume -of the 'Letters.' The talent for art which had come to her as a family -inheritance was transmitted to her daughter, though with a difference. -Frau Dr. Fellinger's gifts have associated themselves especially with -the plastic arts; in the first place with that of painting, but they -have become well known in the musical world also by her busts and -statuettes of Brahms, Billroth, and others belonging to their circle. -Her photographs of our master are now familiar to most music-lovers. -When it is added that Brahms found he could command in Dr. Fellinger's -hospitable house, not only congenial intellectual sympathy, but the -unceremonious intercourse with a simple, affectionate family circle in -which he had through life found a pre-eminent source of happiness, it -will easily be understood that he became a more and more frequent guest -there, until, during the closing years of his life, it became for him -almost a second home. - -The master introduced two of his new works in the course of a few weeks' -journey undertaken in the winter of 1882-83. According to Simrock's -Thematic Catalogue, the Pianoforte Trio in C major, the String Quintet -in F major, and the 'Parzenlied' constitute the publications of 1883. -Early copies of the trio and quintet were sent out, however, and the -works were publicly performed from them in December, 1882. An -interesting entry in Frau Schumann's diary says: - - 'I had invited Koning and Müller to come and try Brahms' new trio - with me on Thursday 21st [December]. Who should surprise us as we - were playing it--he himself! He came from Strassburg and means to - stay with us for Christmas. I played the trio first and he repeated - it.' - -Both works were performed on December 29 at a Museum chamber music -concert--the Quintet by the Heermann-Müller party, the Trio by Brahms, -Heermann, and Müller. - -Amongst the early performances of the Trio were those on January 17 and -22 respectively in Berlin (Trio Concerts: Barth, de Ahna, Hausmann) and -London (Monday Popular Concerts: Hallé, Madame Néruda, Piatti), and at -Hellmesberger's in Vienna on March 15. - -The work has not become one of the most generally familiar of the -master's compositions, though it is not easy to say why. It contains no -trace of the 'heaven-storming Johannes,' but, like many of the later -compositions, it breathes, and especially the first movement, with a -rich, mellow warmth suggestive of one to whom the experiences of life -have brought a solution of their own to its problems, which has quieted, -if it has not altogether satisfied, the aspirations and impulses of -youth. - -The Quintet in F for strings is, for the most part, bright, concise, and -easy to follow. As one of its special features may be mentioned the -combination of the usual two middle movements in the second. It was -given in Hamburg on the 22nd and in Berlin on the 23rd of January, -respectively by Bargheer and Joachim and their colleagues (it should be -noted that Hausmann had at this time succeeded Müller as the -violoncellist of the Joachim Quartet), at Hellmesberger's on February -15, and at the Monday Popular, London, of March 5. - -Brahms conducted the first performance of the Parzenlied in Basle on -December 8, 1882. Excellently sung by the members of the Basle Choral -Society, the work met with extraordinary success, and was repeated after -the New Year by general desire. Similar results followed its performance -in other towns, of which Strassburg and Crefeld should be specially -mentioned. The programme of the Crefeld concert included the fifth -movement of the Requiem. 'What is your _tempo_?' Brahms inquired, on -the morning of the rehearsal, of Fräulein Antonia Kufferath, who was to -sing the solo. The lady, not taking the question seriously from the -composer of the music, waived a reply. 'No, I mean it; you have to hold -out the long notes. Well, we shall understand each other,' he added; -'sing only as you feel, and I will follow with the chorus.' - -These are characteristic words, and valuable in more than one sense. To -most of the few works to which the master has placed metronome -indications--and the Requiem is amongst these--he added them by special -request, and attached to them only a limited importance. An absolutely -and uniformly 'correct' pace for a piece of genuine music does not -exist. The pace must vary to some extent according to subtle conditions -existent in the performer, and the instinct of a really musical -executant or conductor will, as a rule, be a safer guide, within limits, -than what can be at best but the mechanical markings even of the -composer himself. - -The Parzenlied, received with enthusiasm throughout Brahms' tour in -Germany and Switzerland, was not equally successful in Vienna, where it -was heard for the first time at the Gesellschaft concert of February 18 -under Gericke. The austere simplicity of the music, which paces -majestically onward with the concentrated, resigned calm of despair, -adds extraordinary force to Goethe's poem, but does not appeal to every -audience, and the work has never become a prime favourite in the -Austrian Kaiserstadt. The song is set for six-part chorus with -orchestra, in plainer harmonic masses and with less employment of -imitative counterpoint than we usually find in the works of Brahms, who -has accommodated his music here, as in 'Nänie,' to the classical spirit -of the text. A singular deviation, however, which occurs in the course -of the setting, from the uncompromising severity of the words, furnishes -a remarkable illustration of the composer's unconquerable idealism. -Comment was made in its place on the beautiful device by which he has -sought to relieve the dark mood of Hölderlin's 'Song of Destiny'--the -addition of an instrumental postlude which breathes forth a message of -tender consolation that the poet could hardly have rendered in words. In -Schiller's 'Nänie' the lament, with all its calm, gives expression to a -sentiment of compassionate sorrow that is perfectly reproduced in the -master's music. Goethe's Fates, however, in their measured recitation of -the gods' relentless cruelty, would have seemed to offer no possible -opportunity for even the inarticulate expression of ruth. Least of all, -it might be imagined, could any concession to the demands of the human -heart have been found in the penultimate stanza of their song: - - 'The rulers exclude from - Their favouring glances - Entire generations, - And heed not in children - The once so belovèd - And still speaking features - Of distant forefathers.' - -Our Brahms, however, who, in spite of his increasing weight, his shaggy -beard, his frequently rough manners, his unsatisfied affections, his -impenetrable reserve, remained at fifty, in his heart of hearts, the -very same being whom we have watched as the loving child of seven, the -simple-minded boy of fourteen, the broken-hearted man of thirty, sobbing -by the death-bed of his mother, cannot leave the dread gloom of his -subject unrelieved by a single ray. He seems, in his setting of the last -strophe but one, to concentrate attention on past kindness of the gods, -and thus, perhaps, subtly to suggest a plea for present hope. How far -the musician was justified in thus wandering from the obvious intention -of his poet must be left to each hearer of the work to determine for -himself. If it be the case, as has sometimes been suggested, that the -variation was made by the composer in the musical interests of the piece -as a work of art, it cannot be held to have fulfilled its purpose; for -the striking inconsistency between words and music in the verse in -question has a disturbing effect on the mind of the listener. We -believe, however, that the true explanation of the master's procedure -is more radical, and is to be found in the nature of the man in which -that of the musician was grounded. - -The Parzenlied was dedicated to 'His Highness George, Duke of -Saxe-Meiningen,' and was included in a Brahms programme performed in -Meiningen on April 2 to celebrate the Duke's birthday. The complete -breakdown of Bülow's health necessitated his temporary retirement from -his conductor's duties, which were divided on this occasion between -Brahms and Court Capellmeister Franz Mannstädt, appointed to assist -Bülow. Returning by a circuitous route to Vienna after a few days at the -ducal castle, Brahms paid a short visit to Hamburg to take part in -another Brahms programme arranged by the talented young conductor of the -Cecilia Society, Julius Spengel. This was the first of several occasions -on which the master gave testimony of his appreciation of Dr. Spengel's -talents and musicianship by co-operating in the concerts of the society. - -Brahms celebrated his fiftieth birthday by entertaining his friends -Faber, Billroth, and Hanslick at a bachelor supper. He was occupied -during the summer with the completion of a third symphony, on which he -had worked the preceding year, and lived at Wiesbaden in a house that -had belonged to the celebrated painter Ludwig Knaus, in whose former -studio--Brahms' music-room for the nonce--the work was finished. - -It was known to the composer that a delicate elderly lady inhabited the -first-floor of the house of which Frau von Dewitz's flat, where he -lodged, formed an upper story. Every night, therefore, on returning to -his rooms, he took off his boots before going upstairs, and made the -ascent in his socks, so that her rest should not be disturbed. This -anecdote is but one amongst several of the same kind that have been -related to the author by Brahms' intimate associates. Samples of another -variety should not, however, be omitted. - -A private performance of the new symphony, this time arranged for two -pianofortes, was given as usual at Ehrbar's by Brahms and Brüll, and -aroused immense expectations for the future of the work. Amongst the -listeners was a musician who, not having hitherto allowed himself to be -suspected of a partiality for the master's art, expressed his -enthusiastic admiration of the composition. 'Have you had any -conversation with X?' young Mr. Ehrbar asked Brahms; 'he has been -telling me how delighted he is with the symphony.' 'And have you told -him that he very often lies when he opens his mouth?' angrily retorted -the composer, who could never bring himself to submit to the humiliation -of accepting a compliment which he suspected--perhaps unjustly in this -case--of being insincere. - -A terrible rebuff was administered by him on the evening of a first -Gewandhaus performance. It must be owned that Brahms was seldom in his -happiest mood when on a visit to Leipzig; he was well aware that his -music was not appreciated within the official 'ring' there, and -suspiciously resented any well-meant efforts made to ignore this fact. -'And where are you going to lead us to-night, Herr Doctor?' inquired one -of the committee a few minutes before the beginning of the concert, -assuming a conciliatory manner as he smoothed on his white kid gloves; -'to heaven?' 'It is the same to me where you go,' rejoined Brahms. - -The first performance of the Symphony in F major (No. 3) took place in -Vienna at the Philharmonic concert of December 2, under Hans Richter, -who was, according to Hanslick, originally responsible for the name 'the -Brahms Eroica,' by which it has occasionally been called. Whether or not -the suggestion is happy, a saying of the kind, probably uttered on the -impulse of the moment, should not be taken very seriously. - -Nothing of the quiescent autumn mood which we have observed in the -master's chamber music of this period is to be traced in either of his -symphonies, and the third, like its companions, represents him in the -zenith of his energies, working happily in the consciousness of his -absolute command over the resources of his art. Whether it be judged by -its effect as an entire work or studied movement by movement, whether -each movement be listened to as a whole or analyzed into its component -parts, all is found to be without halt of inspiration or flaw in -workmanship. Each theme is striking and pregnant, and, though -contrasting with what precedes it, seems to belong inevitably to the -movement and place in which it occurs, whilst the development of the -thematic material is so masterly that to speak of admiring it seems -almost ridiculous. The last movement closes with a very beautiful and -distinctive Brahms coda. The third symphony is more immediately easy to -follow than the first, and of broader atmosphere than the second. It is -of an essentially objective character, and belongs absolutely to the -domain of pure music. - -The supreme and glorious pre-eminence which the great master had by this -time attained in contemporary estimation naturally made it an object of -competition with concert-givers and directors to announce the earliest -performances of his works, and this was especially the case in the rare -event of a new symphony which succeeded its immediate predecessor after -an interval of six years. Brahms, however, had his own ideas on this -matter, as on every other that he thought important, and after the first -performance of the work in Vienna he sent the manuscript to Joachim in -Berlin, and begged him to conduct the second performance when and where -he liked. This proceeding would hardly have been noteworthy under the -circumstances of intimate friendship which had so long united the two -musicians, had it not been that the old relation between Brahms and -Joachim had been clouded during the past year or two, during which there -had been a cessation of their former affectionate intercourse. When, -therefore, it became known that Joachim, acting on the composer's wish, -proposed to conduct the symphony at one of the subscription concerts of -the Royal Academy of Arts, Berlin, so much disappointment and -heart-burning were felt and expressed that Joachim, although he had -already replied in the affirmative to Brahms' request, consented to -write again and ask what his wishes really were. The answer came without -delay, and was clear enough to set the matter quite at rest. Brahms -desired that the performance should be committed unreservedly to the -care of his old friend. - -The symphony was heard for the second time, therefore, on January 4 -under Joachim at Berlin, and was enthusiastically received by all -sections of the public and press. It was given again three times during -the same month in the German imperial capital under the composer's -bâton. - -Detailed description of the triumphant progress of the new work from -town to town is no longer necessary. The composer was overwhelmed with -invitations to conduct it from the manuscript, and Bülow, convalescent -from his illness, and determined not to be outdone in enthusiasm, placed -it twice, as second and fourth numbers, in a Meiningen programme of five -works. On publication, it was performed in all the chief music-loving -towns of Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Russia, Switzerland, and the -United States. - -In an account of a performance of the symphony at a Hamburg Philharmonic -concert under Brahms in December, which followed one under von Bernuth -after three weeks' interval, the critic of the _Correspondenten_ says: - - 'Brahms' interpretation of his works frequently differs so - inconceivably in delicate rhythmic and harmonic accents from - anything to which one is accustomed, that the apprehension of his - intentions could only be entirely possible to another man possessed - of exactly similar sound-susceptibility or inspired by the power of - divination.' - -The author feels a peculiar interest in quoting these lines, which -strikingly corroborate the impression formed by her on hearing this and -other of Brahms' works played under his own direction. - -The publications of 1884 were, besides the third Symphony, Two Songs for -Contralto with Viola and Pianoforte, the second being the 'Virgin's -Cradle Song,' already mentioned as one of the compositions of 1865; two -sets of four-part Songs, the one for accompanied Solo voices, the other -for mixed Chorus _a capella_, and the two books of Songs, Op. 94 and 95. - -At this date Brahms had entered into what we may call the third period -of his activity as a song-writer--one in which he frequently chose texts -that speak of loneliness or death. The wonderful beauty of his settings -of these subjects penetrates the very soul, and by the mere force of its -pathos carries to the hearer the conviction that the composer speaks out -of the feeling of his own heart. Stockhausen, trying the song 'Mit -vierzig Jahren' (Op. 94, No. 1) from the manuscript to the composer's -accompaniment, was so affected during its performance that he could not -at once proceed to the end. Our remarks are, however, by no means -intended to convey the impression that Brahms only or generally chose -poems of a melancholy tendency at this time. - - WITH FORTY YEARS. - - BY FRIEDRICH RÜCKERT (1788-1866). - - With forty years we've gained the mountain's summit, - We stand awhile and look behind; - There we behold the quiet years of childhood - And there the joy of youth we find. - Look once again, and then, with freshened vigour, - Take up thy staff and onward wend! - A mountain-ridge extendeth, broad, before thee, - Not here, but there must thou descend. - No longer, climbing, need'st thou struggle breathless, - The level path will lead thee on; - And then with thee a little downward tending, - Before thou know'st, thy journey's done. - -With the knowledge we have gained of the master's habit of producing his -large works in couples, we are prepared to find him employed this summer -on the composition of a fourth symphony. Avoiding a long journey, he -settled down to his work at Mürz Zuschlag in Styria, not far from the -highest ridge of the Semmering. Hearing soon after his arrival there -that his old friend Misi Reinthaler, now grown up into a young lady, was -leaving home under her mother's care to go through a course of treatment -under a famous Vienna specialist, he wrote to place his rooms in -Carlsgasse at Frau Reinthaler's disposal. The offer was not accepted, -but when the invalid was sufficiently convalescent, he insisted that the -two ladies should come for a few days as his guests to Mürz Zuschlag, -where he took rooms for them near his own lodgings. He went over to see -them also at Vienna, and spent the greater part of a morning showing -them his valuable collection of autographs and other treasures. 'Yes, -these would have been something to give a wife!' was his answer to the -ladies' expressions of delight. Amongst his collection of musical -autographs were two written on different sides of the same sheet of -paper--one of Beethoven, the song 'Ich liebe dich'; the other of -Schubert, part of a pianoforte composition. These, with Brahms' -autograph signature 'Joh. Brahms in April 1872,' written at the bottom -of one of the pages, constitute a unique triplet. The sheet now belongs -to the Gesellschaft library, and is framed within glass. - -The society of Hanslick, who came with his wife to stay near Mürz -Zuschlag for part of the summer, was very acceptable to Brahms. The -departure of his friends at the close of the season, in the company of -some mutual Vienna acquaintances, incited the composer to an act of -courtesy of a kind quite unusual with him, the sequel to which seems to -have caused him almost comical annoyance that found expression in a -couple of notes sent immediately afterwards to Hanslick. - - 'DEAREST FRIEND, - - 'Here I stand with roses and pansies; which means with a basket of - fruit, liqueurs and cakes! You must have travelled through by the - earlier Sunday extra train? I made a good and unusual impression - for politeness at the station! The children are now rejoicing over - the cakes....' - -and, on finding that, mistaking the time of the train, he had arrived a -quarter of an hour late: - - 'How such a stupid thing can spoil one's day and the thought of it - recur to torment one. I hope you do not know this as well as I, who - am for ever preparing for myself such vexatious worry....' - -Later on, writing about other matters, he adds: - - '... I hope Professor Schmidt's ladies do not describe my promenade - with the basket too graphically in Vienna! Otherwise my unspoiled - lady friends may cease to be so unassuming.'[68] - -The journeys of the winter included visits to Bremen and Oldenburg, -during which Hermine Spiess, one of the very favourite younger -interpreters of Brahms' songs, sang dainty selections of them to the -composer's accompaniment, with overwhelming success. The early death of -this gifted artist, soon after her marriage, caused the master, with -whom she was a great favourite, deep and sincere grief. Brahms went also -to Crefeld, where the 'Tafellied,' dedicated on publication 'To the -friends in Crefeld in remembrance of Jan. 28th 1885,' was sung on the -date in question, with some of the new part-songs _a capella_, and other -of the composer's works, at the jubilee of the Crefeld Concert Society. -The manuscript score of the 'Tafellied' is in the possession of Herr -Alwin von Beckerath, to whom it was presented by Brahms with an -affectionate inscription. - -[65] Widmann, p. 43. - -[66] Steiner's 'Johannes Brahms,' i., p. 25. - -[67] Allgeyer's 'Feuerbach': Introduction to the second edition. - -[68] Published by Hanslick in the _Neue Freie Presse_, July 1, 1897. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - 1885-1888 - - Vienna Tonkünstlerverein--Fourth Symphony--Hugo Wolf--Brahms at - Thun--Three new works of chamber music--First performances of the - second Violoncello Sonata by Brahms and Hausmann--Frau Celestine - Truxa--Double Concerto--Marxsen's death--Eugen d'Albert--The Gipsy - Songs--Conrat's translations from the Hungarian--Brahms and - Jenner--The 'Zum rothen Igel'--Ehrbar's asparagus luncheons--Third - Sonata for Pianoforte and Violin. - - -The early part of the year 1885 offers for record no event of unusual -interest to the reader. The greater portion of it was spent by Brahms in -his customary routine in Vienna. He was generally to be seen at the -weekly meetings of the Tonkünstlerverein, a musicians' club founded by -Epstein, Gänsbacher, and others, of which the master had consented to be -named honorary life-president. The Monday evening proceedings included a -short musical programme, sometimes followed by an informal supper. -Brahms did not usually sit in the music-room, but would remain in a -smaller apartment smoking and chatting sociably with friends of either -sex. His arrival always became known at once to the assembled company, -'Brahms is here; Brahms is come!' being passed eagerly from mouth to -mouth. His old love of open-air exercise had not diminished with -increasing years, and the Sunday custom of a long walk in the country -was still kept up. A few friends used to meet in the morning outside the -Café Bauer, opposite the Opera House, and, taking train or tram to the -outskirts of the city, would thence proceed on foot, returning in the -late afternoon. Brahms, nearly always in a good humour on these -occasions, was generally soon ahead of his companions, or leading the -way with the foremost, and, as had usually been the case with him -through life, was looked upon by his friends as the chief occasion of -their meetings, allowed his own way, and admired as a kind of pet -oracle. The excursions always commenced for the season on his return to -Vienna in the autumn, and were continued with considerable regularity -until his departure in the spring. They not infrequently gave -opportunity for the employment of the composer's unfailing readiness of -repartee, as on the occasion of a meeting in the train, on the return -journey, with a learned but unmusical acquaintance of one of the party, -between whom and Brahms an animated conversation arose. 'Will you not -join us one day, Herr Doctor? Next Sunday, perhaps?' asked Brahms. 'I!' -exclaimed the other. 'Saul among the prophets?' 'Na, so you give -yourself royal airs!' instantly rejoined the master. - -The fourth symphony was completed during the summer at Mürz Zuschlag, -where Brahms this year had the advantage of Dr. and Frau Fellinger's -society, and--indispensable for his complete enjoyment of a home -circle--that of their children. Returning one afternoon from a walk, he -found that the house in which he lodged had caught fire, and that his -friends were busily engaged in bringing his papers, and amongst them the -nearly-finished manuscript of the new symphony, into the garden. He -immediately set to work to help in getting the fire under, whilst Frau -Fellinger sat out of doors with either arm outspread on the precious -papers piled on each side of her. Luckily, all serious harm was averted, -and it was soon possible to restore the manuscripts intact to the -composer's apartments. - -Brahms paid a neighbourly call, in the course of the summer, on the -author Rosegger, who was living in his small country house at Krieglach -near Mürz Zuschlag, and tasted the unusual experience of a repulse. -Absorbed in work at the moment when his servant announced 'a strange -gentleman,' Rosegger, without glancing at the card placed beside him, -desired his visitor to 'sit down for a moment.' Conscious only of the -presence of a bearded stranger with a gray overcoat over his shoulder -and a light-coloured umbrella in his hand, he vouchsafed but scant -answer to the trifling remarks with which his caller tried to pave the -way to cordiality, and before long Brahms composedly remarked that he -would be on his legs again, and took leave. It was not till some minutes -after his departure that it occurred to Rosegger to glance at the card, -and he has himself described the feelings of despair with which he read -the words 'Johannes Brahms' staring at him in all the reality of black -on white. Not he alone, but the ladies of his family, were enthusiastic -admirers of the composer's genius. He was so overwhelmed by his mistake -as to be incapable of taking any steps to remedy it, and firmly declined -to yield to the entreaties of his wife and daughter that he would return -the visit and explain matters to Brahms. He published an amusing account -of the misadventure in the year 1894 in an issue of the _Heimgarten_. -Perhaps it may have fallen into the master's hands. - -The honour not only of the first, but of several subsequent early -performances of the Symphony in E minor, fell to the Meiningen -orchestra. The work was announced for the third subscription concert of -the season 1885-86, and shortly beforehand the score and parts of the -third and fourth movements were sent by the composer to Meiningen for -correction at a preliminary rehearsal under Bülow. Three listeners were, -by Bülow's invitation, present on the occasion--the Landgraf of Hesse; -Richard Strauss, the now famous composer, who had succeeded Mannstädt as -second conductor of the Meiningen orchestra; and Frederic Lamond. The -lapse of another day or so brought Brahms himself with the first and -second movements, and the first public performance of the work took -place on October 25. - -That the new symphony was enthusiastically received on the occasion goes -almost without saying. Persevering but unsuccessful efforts were made by -the audience to obtain a repetition of the third movement, and the close -of the work was followed by the emphatic demonstration incident to a -great success. - -The work was repeated under Bülow's direction at the following Meiningen -concert of November 1, and was conducted by the composer throughout a -three weeks' tour on which he started with Bülow and his orchestra -immediately afterwards, and which included the towns Siegen, Dortmund, -Essen, Elberfeld, Düsseldorf, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amsterdam, the Hague, -Arnheim, Crefeld, Bonn, and Cologne. A performance at Wiesbaden -followed, and the work was heard for the first time in Vienna at the -Philharmonic concert of January 17, 1886, under Richter. This occasion -was celebrated by a dinner given by Billroth at the Hôtel Sacher, the -guests invited to meet the composer being Richter, Hanslick, Goldmark, -Faber, Door, Epstein, Ehrbar, Fuchs, Kalbeck, and Dömpke. - -A new and important work by Brahms could hardly fail to obtain a warm -reception in Vienna at a period when the composer could look back to -thirty years' residence in the imperial city with which his name had -become as closely associated as those of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and -Schubert; but though the symphony was applauded by the public and -praised by all but the inveterately hostile section of the press, it did -not reach the hearts of the Vienna audience in the same unmistakable -manner as its two immediate predecessors, both of which had, as we have -seen, made a more striking impression on a first hearing in Austria than -the first Symphony in C minor. Strangely enough, the fourth symphony at -once obtained some measure of real appreciation in Leipzig, where the -first had been far more successful than the second and third. It was -performed under the composer at the Gewandhaus concert of February 18. -The account given of the occasion by the _Leipziger Nachrichten_ is, -perhaps, the more satisfactory since our old friend Dörffel, who might -possibly have been suspected of partiality, had long since retired from -the staff of the journal. Bernhard Vögl, his second successor, says: - - '... The reception must, we think, have made amends to Brahms for - former ones, which, in Bülow's opinion, were too cool. After each - movement the hall resounded with tumultuous and long-continued - applause, and, at the conclusion of the work, the composer was - repeatedly called forward.... The finale is certainly the most - original of the movements, and furnishes more complete argument - than has before been brought forward for the opinion of those who - see in Brahms the modern Sebastian Bach. The movement is not only - constructed on the form displayed in Bach's Chaconne for violin, - but is filled with Bach's spirit. It is built up with astounding - mastery upon the eight notes, - - [Music: Excerpt from the fourth movement of Brahms's Symphony No. 4 - in E minor, Op. 98.] - - and in such a manner that its contrapuntal learning remains - subordinate to its poetic contents.... It can be compared with no - former work of Brahms and stands alone in the symphonic literature - of the present and the past.' - -A still more triumphant issue attended the production of the symphony -under Brahms at a concert of the Hamburg Cecilia Society on April 9. -Josef Sittard, who had recently been appointed musical critic to the -_Hamburger Correspondenten_, a post he has held to the present day, -wrote: - - 'To-day we abide by what we have affirmed for years past in musical - journals; that Brahms is the greatest instrumental composer since - Beethoven. Power, passion, depth of thought, exalted nobility of - melody and form, are the qualities which form the artistic sign - manual of his creations. The E minor (fourth) Symphony is - distinguished from the second and third principally by the rigorous - and even grim earnestness which, though in a totally different way, - mark the first. More than ever does the composer follow out his - ideas to their conclusion, and this unbending logic makes the - immediate understanding of the work difficult. But the oftener we - have heard it, the more clearly have its great beauties, the depth, - energy and power of its thoughts, the clearness of its classic - form, revealed themselves to us. In the contrapuntal treatment of - its themes, in richness of harmony and in the art of - instrumentation, it seems to as superior to the second and third, - these, perhaps, have the advantage of greater melodic beauty; a - guarantee of popularity. In depth, power and originality of - conception, however, the fourth symphony takes its place by the - side of the first....' - -After an interesting discussion of the several movements, the writer -adds: 'In a word, the symphony is of monumental significance.' - -Brahms' fourth symphony, produced when he was over fifty, is, in the -opinion of most musicians, unsurpassed by any other achievement of his -genius. It has during the past twenty years been growing slowly into -general knowledge and favour, and will, it may be safely predicted, -become still more deeply rooted in its place amongst the composer's most -widely-valued works. The second movement, in the opinion of the late -Philipp Spitta, 'does not find its equal in the symphonic world'; and -the fourth, written in 'Passacaglia' form, is the most astonishing -illustration achieved even by Brahms himself of the limitless capability -of variation form, in which he is pre-eminent.[69] - -It is with something of a mournful feeling that we find ourselves at the -close of our enumeration of the master's four greatest instrumental -works. Enough, we may hope, has been said to indicate that any -comparison of the symphonies as inferior or superior is impossible, for -the reason that each, while perfectly fulfilling its own particular -destiny, is quite different from all the others, and such natural -preference as may be felt by this or that listener for either must be -considered as purely personal. The present writer may, perhaps, be -allowed to confess that, with all joy in the dainty second and the -magnificent third and fourth--emphatically the fourth--neither appeals -to her quite so strongly as the first. There is here a quality of youth -in the intensity of the soaring imagination that seems to search the -universe, which, presented as it is with the wealth of resource that was -at the command of the mature composer, could not by its nature be other -than unique. The presence of this very quality may be the reason why the -first symphony suffers even more lamentably than its companions from the -dull, cold, cautious, 'classical' rendering which Brahms' orchestral -works receive at the hands of some conductors, who seem unable to -realize that a composer who founds his works on certain definite and -traditional principles of structure does not thereby change his nature, -or in any degree renounce the free exercise of his poetic gifts. - -Perhaps the present is as good an opportunity as may occur for passing -mention of a newspaper episode of the eighties, which was much talked of -for a few years, but which, though it may have caused Brahms annoyance, -could not possibly at this period of his career have had any more -serious consequence so far as he was concerned. - -Hugo Wolf, in 1884 a young aspirant to fame, seeking recognition but -finding none, poor, gifted, disappointed, weak in health, highly -nervous, without influential friends, accepted an opportunity of -increasing his miserably small means of subsistence by becoming the -musical critic of the _Salon Blatt_, a weekly society paper of Vienna, -and soon made for himself an unenviable notoriety by his persistent -attacks upon Brahms' compositions. The affair would not now demand -mention in a biography of our master if it were not that the posthumous -recognition afforded to Wolf's art gives some interest, though not of an -agreeable nature, to this association of his name with that of Brahms. -For the benefit of those readers who may wish to study the matter -further, it may be added that Wolf's criticisms have been republished -since his death. For ourselves, having done what was, perhaps, incumbent -on us by referring to the matter, we shall adopt what we believe would -have been Brahms' desire, by allowing it, so far as these pages are -concerned, to follow others of the kind to oblivion. - -The summer of 1886 was the first of the three seasons passed by Brahms -at Thun, of which Widmann has written so charming an account. He rented -the entire first-floor of a house opposite the spot where the river Aare -flows out of the lake, the ground-floor being occupied by the owner, who -kept a little haberdashery shop. According to his general custom, he -dined in fine weather in the garden of some inn, occasionally alone, but -oftener in the company of a friend or friends. Every Saturday he went to -Bern to remain till Monday or longer with the Widmanns, who, like other -friends, found him a most considerate and easily satisfied guest, though -his exceptional energy of body and mind often made it exhausting work to -keep up with him. - - 'His week-end visits were,' says Widmann, 'high festivals and times - of rejoicing for me and mine; days of rest they certainly were not, - for the constantly active mind of our guest demanded similar - wakefulness from all his associates and one had to pull one's self - well together to maintain sufficient freshness to satisfy the - requirements of his indefatigable vitality.... I have never seen - anyone who took such fresh, genuine and lasting interest in the - surroundings of life as Brahms, whether in objects of nature, art, - or even industry. The smallest invention, the improvement of some - article for household use, every trace, in short, of practical - ingenuity gave him real pleasure. And nothing escaped his - observation.... He hated bicycles because the flow of his ideas was - so often disturbed by the noiseless rushing past, or the sudden - signal, of these machines, and also because he thought the - trampling movement of the rider ugly. He was, however, glad to live - in the age of great inventions and could not sufficiently admire - the electric light, Edison's phonographs, etc. He was equally - interested in the animal world. I always had to tell him anew about - the family customs of the bears in the Bern bear-pits before which - we often stood together. Indeed, subjects of conversation seemed - inexhaustible during his visits.'[70] - -Brahms' ordinary costume, the same here as elsewhere, was chosen quite -without regard to appearances. Mere lapse of time must occasionally -have compelled him to wear a new coat, but it is safe to conclude that -his feelings suffered discomposure on the rare occurrence of such a -crisis. Neckties and white collars were reserved as special marks of -deference to conventionality. During his visits to Thun he used on wet -Saturdays to appear at Bern wearing 'an old brown-gray plaid fastened -over his chest with an immense pin, which completed his strange -appearance.' Many were the books borrowed from Widmann at the beginning, -and brought back at the end, of the week, carried by him in a leather -bag slung over his shoulder. Most of them were standard works; he was -not devoted to modern literature on the whole, though he read with -pleasure new and really good books of history and travel, and was fond -of Gottfried Keller's novels and poems. Over engravings and photographs -of Italian works of art he would pore for hours, never weary of -discussing memories and predilections with his friend. - -Visits to the Bern summer theatre, a short mountain tour with Widmann, -an introduction to Ernst von Wildenbruch, whose dramas the master liked, -and with whom he now found himself in personal sympathy--events such as -these served to diversify the summer season of 1886, which was made -musically noteworthy by the composition of a group of chamber works, the -Sonatas in A and F major for pianoforte with violin and violoncello -respectively, and the Trio in C minor for pianoforte and strings. The -Sonatas were performed for the first time in public in Vienna; severally -by Brahms and Hellmesberger, at the Quartet concert of December 2, and -by Brahms and Hausmann at Hausmann's concert of November 24; the Trio -was introduced at Budapest about the same time by Brahms, Hubay, and -Popper, in each case from the manuscript. - -Detailed discussion of these works is superfluous; two of them, at all -events, are amongst the best known of Brahms' compositions. The Sonata -for pianoforte and violoncello in F is the least familiar of the group, -but assuredly not because it is inferior to its companions. It is, -indeed, one of the masterpieces of Brahms' later concise style. Each -movement has a remarkable individuality of its own, whilst all are -unmistakably characteristic of the composer. The first is broad and -energetic, the second profoundly touching, the third vehemently -passionate--in the Brahms' signification of the word, be it noted, which -means that the emotions are reached through the intellectual -imagination--the fourth written from beginning to end in a spirit of -vivacity and fun. The work was tried in the first instance at Frau -Fellinger's house. 'Are you expecting Hausmann?' Brahms inquired -carelessly of this lady soon after his return in the autumn. Frau -Fellinger, suspecting that something lay behind the question, -telegraphed to the great violoncellist, who usually stayed at her house -when in Vienna, to come as soon as possible, if only for a day. He duly -appeared, and the new sonata was played by Brahms and himself on the -evening of his arrival. They performed it again the day before the -concert above recorded, at a large party at Billroth's. - -The last movement of the beautiful Sonata in A for pianoforte and violin -is sometimes criticised as being almost too concise. The present writer -confesses that she always feels it to be so, and one day confided this -sentiment to Joachim, who did not agree with her, but said that the coda -was originally considerably longer. 'Brahms told me he had cut a good -deal away; he aimed always at condensation.' - -Dr. Widmann allows us to publish an English version of a poem written by -him on this work, the original of which is published in the appendix to -his 'Brahms Recollections.' We have desired to place it before our -English-speaking readers, not only because it coincides remarkably with -what we related in our early chapters of the delicate, fanciful tastes -of the youthful Hannes, but because it gave pleasure to the Brahms of -fifty-three, and even of sixty-three, and thus seems to illustrate the -fact on which we have insisted, that if in any case then in our -master's, the child was father to the man. Only a year before his death -the great composer wrote to Widmann to beg for one or two more copies of -the poem, which had been printed for private circulation. - - THE THUN SONATA. - - POEM ON THE SONATA IN A FOR PIANOFORTE AND VIOLIN, OP. 100, - BY JOHANNES BRAHMS, - - WRITTEN BY J. V. WIDMANN. - - There where the Aare's waters gently glide - From out the lake and flow towards the town, - Where pleasant shelter spreading trees provide, - Amidst the waving grass I laid me down; - And sleeping softly on that summer day, - I saw a wondrous vision as I lay. - - Three knights rode up on proudly stepping steeds, - Tiny as elves, but with the mien of kings, - And spake to me: 'We come to search the meads, - To seek a treasure here, of precious things - Amongst the fairest; wilt thou help us trace - A new-born child, a child of heav'nly race?' - - 'And who are ye?' I, dreaming, made reply; - 'Knights of the golden meadows' then they said, - 'That at the foot of yonder Niesen[71] lie; - And in our ancient castles many a maid - Hath listened to the greeting of our strings, - Long mute and passed amid forgotten things. - - 'But lately tones were heard upon the lake, - A sound of strings whose like we never knew, - So David played, perhaps, for Saul's dread sake, - Soothing the monarch curtained from his view; - It reached us as it softly swelled and sank, - And drew us, filled with longing, to this bank. - - 'Then help us search, for surely from this place, - This meadow by the river, came the sound; - Help us then here the miracle to trace, - That we may offer homage when 'tis found. - Sleeps under flow'rs the new-born creature rare? - Or is it floating in the evening air?' - - But ere they ceased, a sudden rapid twirl - Ruffled the waters, and, before our eyes, - A fairy boat from out the wavelet's whirl - Floated up stream, guided by dragon-flies; - Within it sat a sweet-limbed, fair-haired may, - Singing as to herself in ecstasy. - - 'To ride on waters clear and cool is sweet, - For clear as deep my being's living source; - To open worlds where joy and sorrow meet, - Each flowing pure and full in mingling course; - Go on, my boat, upstream with happy cheer, - Heaven is reposing on the tranquil mere.' - - So sang the fairy child and they that heard - Owned, by their swelling hearts, the music's might, - The knights had only tears, nor spake a word, - Welling from pain that thrilled them with delight; - But when the skiff had vanished from their eyes, - The eldest, pointing, said in tender wise: - - 'Thou beauteous wonder of the boat, farewell, - Sweet melody, revealed to us to-day; - We that with slumb'ring minnesingers dwell, - Bid thee Godspeed, thou guileless stranger fay; - Our land is newly consecrate in thee - That rang of old with fame of minstrelsy. - - 'Now we may sleep again amongst our dead, - The harper's holy spirit is awake, - And as the evening glory, purple-red, - Shineth upon our Alps and o'er our lake, - And yet on distant mountain sheds its light, - Throughout the earth this song will wing its flight. - - 'Yet, though subduing many a list'ning throng, - In stately town, in princely hall it sound, - To this our land it ever will belong, - For here on flowing river it was found.' - Fervent and glad the minnesinger spake; - 'Yes!' cried my heart--and then I was awake. - -Whilst our master had been living through the spring and summer months -in the enchanted world of his imagination, coming out of it only for -brief intervals of sojourn in earth's pleasant places amidst the -companionship of chosen friends, certain hard, commonplace realities of -the workaday world, which had arisen earlier at home in Vienna, were -still awaiting a satisfactory solution. The death of the occupier of the -third-floor flat of No. 4, Carlsgasse, the last remaining member of the -family with whom Brahms had lodged for fourteen or fifteen years, had -confronted him with the necessity of choosing between several -alternatives almost equally disagreeable to him, concerning which it is -only necessary to say that he had avoided the annoyance of a removal by -taking on the entire dwelling direct from the landlord, and had escaped -the disturbance of having to replace the furniture of his rooms by -accepting the offer of friends to lend him sufficient for his absolute -needs. Arrangements and all necessary changes were made during his -absence. To Frau Fellinger Brahms had entrusted the keys of the flat and -of his rooms, which under her directions were brought into apple-pie -order by the time of his return, the drawers being tidied, and a list of -the contents of each neatly drawn up on a piece of cardboard, so that -everything should be ready to his hand. The greatest difficulty, -however, still remained. Who was to keep the rooms in order and see to -the very few of Brahms' daily requirements which he was not in the habit -of looking after himself? His coffee, as we know, he always prepared at -a very early hour in the morning, and he was kept provided with a -regular supply of the finest Mocha by a lady friend at Marseilles. -Dinner, afternoon coffee, and often supper, were taken away from home. -The master now declared he would have no one in the flat. To as many -visitors as he felt disposed to admit he could himself open the door, -whilst the cleaning and tidying of the rooms could be done by the -'Hausmeisterin,' an old woman occupying a room in the courtyard, and -responsible for the cleaning of the general staircase, etc. In vain Frau -Fellinger contested the point. Brahms was inflexible, and this kind lady -apparently withdrew her opposition to his plan, though remaining quietly -on the look-out for an opportunity of securing more suitable -arrangements. By-and-by it presented itself. In Frau Celestine Truxa, -the widow of a journalist, whose family party consisted of two young -sons and an old aunt, Frau Fellinger felt that she saw a most desirable -tenant for the Carlsgasse flat, and after a renewed attack on the -master, whose arguments, founded on the immaculate purity of his rooms -under the old woman's care, she irretrievably damaged by lifting a sofa -cushion and laying bare a collection of dust, which she declared would -soon develop into something worse, he was so far shaken as to say that -if she would make inquiries for him he would consider her views. Frau -Fellinger wisely abstained from further discussion, but after a few days -Frau Truxa herself, having been duly advised to open the matter to -Brahms with diplomatic sang-froid, went in person to apply for the -dwelling. After her third ring at the door-bell, the door was opened by -the master himself, who started in dismay at seeing a strange lady -standing in front of him. - -'I have come to see the flat,' said Frau Truxa. - -'What!' cried Brahms. - -'I have heard there is an empty flat here, and have come to look at it,' -responded Frau Truxa indifferently; 'but perhaps it is not to let?' - -A moment's pause, and the composer's suspicious expression relaxed. - -'Frau Dr. Fellinger mentioned the circumstances to me,' she continued, -'and I thought they might suit me.' - -By this time Brahms had become sufficiently reassured to show the rooms -and to listen, though without remark, to a brief description of Frau -Truxa's family and of the circumstances in which she found herself. - -'Perhaps, Dr. Brahms, you will consider the matter,' she concluded, 'and -communicate with me if you think further of it. If I hear nothing more -from you, I shall consider the matter at an end.' - -After about a week, during which Frau Truxa kept her own confidence, her -maid came one day to tell her a gentleman had called to see her. Being -engaged at the moment, she asked her aunt to ascertain his business, but -the old lady returned immediately with a frightened look. - -'I don't know what to think!' she exclaimed; 'there is a strange-looking -man walking about in the next room measuring the furniture with a tape!' - -'The things will all go in!' exclaimed the master as Frau Truxa hurried -to receive him. - -The upshot was that the master gave up the tenancy of the flat, -returning to his old irresponsible position as lodger, whilst Frau -Truxa, bringing her household with her, stepped into the position of his -former landlady, thereby giving Brahms cause to be grateful for the -remainder of his life for Frau Fellinger's wise firmness. He was, says -Frau Truxa, perfectly easy to get on with; all he desired was to be let -alone. He was extremely orderly and neat in his ways, and expected the -things scattered about his room to be dusted and kept tidy, but was -vexed if he found the least trifle at all displaced--even if his glasses -were turned the wrong way--and, without making direct allusion to the -subject, would manage to show that he had noticed it. Observing, after -she had been a little time in the flat, that he always rearranged the -things returned from the laundress after they had been placed in their -drawer, she asked him why he did so. 'Only,' he said, 'because perhaps -it is better that those last sent back should be put at the bottom, then -they all get worn alike.' A glove or other article requiring a little -mending would be placed carelessly at the top of a drawer left open as -if by accident. The next day he would observe to Frau Truxa, 'I found my -glove mended last night; I wonder who can have done it!' and on her -replying, 'I did it, Herr Doctor,' would answer, 'You? How very kind!' - -Frau Truxa came to respect and honour the composer more and more the -longer he lived in her house. She made his peculiarities her study, and -after a short time understood his little signs, and was able to supply -his requirements as they arose without being expressly asked to do so. -It is almost needless to say that he took great interest in her two -boys, and once, when she was summoned away from Vienna to the sick-bed -of her father, begged that the maid-servant might be instructed to give -all her attention to the children during their mother's absence, even if -his rooms were neglected. 'I can take care of myself, but suppose -something were to happen to the children whilst the girl was engaged for -me!' Every night whilst Frau Truxa was away, the master himself looked -in on the boys to assure himself of their being safe in bed. For the -old aunt he always had a pleasant passing word. - -The fourth Symphony and two books of Songs were published in 1886, and -the three new works of chamber music, Op. 99, 100, 101, in 1887. Of the -songs we would select for particular mention the wonderfully beautiful -setting of Heine's verses: - - 'Death is the cool night, - Life is the sultry day,' - -Op. 96, No. 1, and Nos. 1 and 2 of Op. 97. - -Brahms' Italian journey in the spring of 1887 was made in the company of -Simrock and Kirchner. The following year he travelled in Widmann's -society, visiting Verona, Bologna, Rimini, Ancona, Loretto, Rome, and -Turin. Widmann sees in Brahms' spiritual kinship with the masters of the -Italian Renaissance the chief secret of his love for Italy. - - 'Their buildings, their statues, their pictures were his delight - and when one witnessed the absorbed devotion with which he - contemplated their works, or heard him admire in the old masters a - trait conspicuous in himself, their conscientious perfection of - detail ... even where it could hardly be noticeable to the ordinary - observer, one could not help instituting the comparison between - himself and them.' - -Brahms had an interview when on this journey with the now famous Italian -composer Martucci, who displayed a thorough familiarity with the works -of the German master. - -Amongst the friends and acquaintances whom the composer met at Thun -during his second and third summers there were the Landgraf of Hesse, -Hanslick, Gottfried Keller, Professor Bächthold, Hermine Spiess and her -sister, Gustav Wendt, the Hegars, Max Kalbeck, Steiner, Claus Groth, -etc. One day, as he had started for a walk, he was stopped by a -stranger, who asked if he knew where Dr. Brahms lived. 'He lives there,' -replied the master, pointing to the haberdasher's shop. 'Do you know if -he is at home?' 'That I cannot tell you,' was the reply. 'But go and -ask in the shop; you will certainly be able to find out there.' The -gentleman followed this advice, sent his card up, and received the -answer that the Doctor was at home, and would be pleased to see him. To -his surprise, on ascending the stairs, he found his newly-formed -acquaintance waiting for him at the top. - -[Illustration: BRAHMS' LODGINGS NEAR THUN. - -_Photograph by Moegle, Thun._] - -The rumour revived in the summer of 1887 that Brahms was engaged on an -opera. This came about, perhaps, from his intimacy with Widmann. 'I am -composing the entr'actes,' he jestingly replied to the Landgraf's -question as to whether the report had any foundation. As a matter of -fact, the subject of opera was not mentioned between the composer and -his friend at this time. - -The works which really occupied Brahms during the summer of 1887 were -the double Concerto for violin and violoncello, with orchestral -accompaniment, and the 'Gipsy Songs.' - -The Concerto was performed privately, immediately on its completion, in -the 'Louis Quinze' room of the Baden-Baden Kurhaus. Brahms conducted, -and the solo parts were performed by Joachim and Hausmann. Amongst the -listeners were Frau Schumann and her eldest daughter, Rosenhain, -Lachner, the violoncellist Hugo Becker, and Gustav Wendt. The work was -heard in public for the first time in Cologne on October 15, Brahms -conducting, and Joachim and Hausmann playing the solos as before; and -the next performances, carried out under the same unique opportunities -for success, were in Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, and Basle, on November 17, -18, and 20. - -In the autumn of this year one of the few remaining figures linked with -the most cherished associations of Brahms' early youth passed away. -Marxsen died on November 17, 1887, at the age of eighty-one, having -retained to the end almost unimpaired vigour of his mental faculties. -The last great pleasure of his life was associated with his beloved art. -In spite of great bodily weakness, he managed to be present a week -before his death at a concert of the Hamburg Philharmonic Society to -hear a performance of the 'ninth' Symphony. 'I am here for the last -time,' he said, pressing Sittard's hand; and he passed peacefully away -fourteen days later. - -A few years previously his artistic jubilee had been celebrated in -Hamburg, and his dear Johannes had surprised him with the proof-sheets -of a set of one hundred Variations composed long ago by Marxsen, not -with a view to publication, but as a practical illustration of the -inexhaustible possibilities contained in the art of thematic -development. Brahms, who happened to see the manuscript in Marxsen's -room during one of his subsequent visits to Hamburg, was so strongly -interested in it that in the end Marxsen gave it him, with leave to do -as he should like with it after his death. The parcel of proof-sheets -was accompanied by an affectionate letter, in which Brahms begged -forgiveness for having anticipated this permission and yielded to his -desire of placing the work within general reach during his master's -lifetime; and perhaps no jubilee honour of which the old musician was -the recipient filled him with such lively joy as was caused by this -tribute. Marxsen's name as a composer is, indeed, now forgotten without -chance of revival, but his memory will live gloriously in the way he -would have chosen, carried through the years by the hand that wrote the -great composer's acknowledgment to his teacher on the title-page of the -Concerto in B flat. - -Four more performances from the manuscript of the double concerto of -interest in our narrative remain to be chronicled--those of the Leipzig -Gewandhaus, under Brahms, on January 1, 1888; of the Berlin Philharmonic -Society, under Bülow, of February 6; and of the London Symphony -Concerts, under Henschel, on February 15 and 21. The work, published in -time for the autumn season, was given in Vienna at the Philharmonic -concert of December 23 under Richter. On all these occasions the solos -were played, as before, by Joachim and Hausmann. - -Bülow, having at this time resigned his post at Meiningen, had entered -on a period of activity as conductor in some of the northern cities of -Germany, and particularly in Hamburg and Berlin. His future programmes, -in which our master's works were well represented, though not with the -conspicuous prominence that had been possible at Meiningen, do not fall -within the scope of these pages, since, with the mention of the double -concerto, the enumeration of Brahms' orchestral works is complete. -Bülow's successor at Meiningen, Court Capellmeister Fritz Steinbach, -carried on the traditions and preferences of the little Thuringian -capital as he found them, until his removal to Cologne a year or two -ago, and has become especially appreciated as a conductor of the works -of Brahms, whose personal friendship and artistic confidence he enjoyed -in a high degree. - -The name of Eugen d'Albert, whose great gifts and attainments were -warmly recognised by Brahms, should not be omitted from our pages, -though detailed account of his relations with the master is outside -their limits. D'Albert's fine performances of the pianoforte concertos -helped to make these works familiar to many Continental audiences, and -certainly contributed, during the second half of the eighties, to the -better understanding of the great composer which has gradually come to -prevail at Leipzig. - -But little needs to be said about the double concerto. This fine work, -which may be regarded as in some sort a successor to the double and -triple concertos of Mozart and Beethoven, exhibits all the power of -construction, the command of resource, the logical unity of idea, -characteristic of Brahms' style, whilst its popularity has been hindered -by the same cause that has retarded that of the pianoforte concertos; -the solo parts do not stand out sufficiently from the orchestral -accompaniment to give effective opportunity for the display of -virtuosity, in the absence of which no performer, appearing before a -great public as the exponent of an unfamiliar work for an accompanied -solo instrument, has much chance of sustaining the lively interest of -his audience in the composition. Of the three movements of the double -concerto, the first is especially interesting to musicians, whilst the -second, a beautiful example of Brahms' expressive lyrical muse, appeals -equally to less technically prepared listeners. On the copy of the work -presented by Brahms to Joachim the words are inscribed in the composer's -handwriting: 'To him for whom it was written.' - -Widely contrasted in every respect was the other new work of 1887, -introduced to the private circle of Vienna musicians at the last meeting -for the season of the Tonkünstlerverein in April, 1888. The eleven -four-part 'Gipsy Songs,' published in the course of the year as -Op. 103, were sung from the manuscript by Frãulein Walter, Frau -Gomperz-Bettelheim, Gustav Walter, and Weiglein of the imperial opera, -to the composer's accompaniment. Brahms obtained the texts of this -characteristic and attractive work from a collection of twenty-five -'Hungarian Folk-songs' translated into German by Hugo Conrat, and -published in Budapest, with their original melodies set by Zoltan Nagy -for mezzo-soprano or baritone, with the addition of pianoforte -accompaniment. Conrat's translations have been done in masterly fashion. -Literal as far as possible, slight modifications of the original have -been admitted here and there in order to obtain a natural flow of the -lines; and to some single-strophe songs, including Nos. 3 and 4 of -Brahms' work, a second verse, developing the idea of the first, has been -added. The German texts, in which the national Hungarian character is -admirably preserved, appealed irresistibly to our master, and are well -adapted to the four-part setting with pianoforte accompaniment which had -proved so successful in the two books of Liebeslieder Walzer. - -One of the earliest public performances of the Gipsy Songs was that of -the Monday Popular concert of November 26 by Mr. and Mrs. Henschel, Miss -Lena Little, and Mr. Shakespeare, with Miss Fanny Davies as pianist. -They were repeated at the Saturday Popular of December 1, and again on -Monday and Saturday, December 22 and 28. The first public performance in -Vienna--by the executants who had already given the work privately--took -place at Walter's concert in the Börsendorfer Hall on January 18, 1889. - -The Gipsy Songs had an immediate widespread, and enormous success, and -were soon heard in all parts of the musical world. They were sung in -Paris in a French translation, and many times in Budapest, where the -composer's art had become popular, in Hungarian retranslated from -Conrat's version. Great though their popularity has remained, however, -it has not equalled that of the Liebeslieder, and of these the demand -for the first book has continued to exceed that for the second. - -A graphic picture of Brahms as he was in the year 1888 and onwards is to -be found in an article by Dr. Jenner.[72] This gentleman made the -master's acquaintance under particularly interesting circumstances. When -still a very young man, resident at Kiel, and a favourite of Claus -Groth, the manuscripts of some of his songs came under Brahms' notice, -and so much engaged his sympathy as to induce him to say he would be -happy to receive the composer during his visit to Leipzig on the -occasion of the above-recorded performance of the new double concerto. - - 'My friend Julius Spengel joined me in Hamburg and we went together - to Berlin,' says Dr. Jenner. 'There I was present for the first - time at a Joachim Quartet evening. Immediately after the concert we - travelled with the Quartet to Leipzig, arriving in the middle of - the night at the Hôtel Hauffe. Never shall I forget the feeling - that came over me as I read in the visitors' list, "Johannes Brahms - from Vienna." He had already retired. By a strange chance I was - shown into the room next his and as I entered it a sound of healthy - snoring proclaimed the proximity of the mighty one. Moving about - quietly, I went to rest with a strange mixed feeling of awe, pride - and anxiety. When I came down the next morning Brahms had already - breakfasted. Comfortably smoking, he was reading the papers.... He - received me with pleasant, simple kindness, intimated that he knew - why I had come, and took pains to help me over my first - embarrassment and shyness by every now and then putting to me some - short, direct question, so that I was soon convinced of his - good-nature and felt unlimited confidence in him.... - - 'It was past 3 o'clock when we returned that night to the Hôtel - Hauffe. How delighted but also astonished I was when Brahms, as he - said good-night, announced that he would expect me in his room at - 7 o'clock in the morning to speak to me about my compositions. I - presented myself punctually at the appointed time and found him at - breakfast, fresh, rosy and the picture of equanimity.... - - 'I had brought a trio for pianoforte and strings, a chorus with - orchestral accompaniment, unaccompanied choruses for women's - voices, and songs; and found that he had made himself acquainted - with them down to the smallest detail, and, indeed, later he never - looked through work with me which he had not thoroughly examined - beforehand. After a few introductory remarks, in which he said that - he had formed a generally favourable impression of my compositions, - he gave me back the accompanied chorus with the words "Pity for the - beautiful little poem." It was Claus Groth's "Wenn ein müder Leib." - The _a capella_ choruses met with the same fate; I received them - back with the remark "Such things are very difficult to make...."' - -For the sequel the reader must be referred to the article itself, which -amusingly describes the tranquil and ruthless methods by which the -master reduced his young friend to the verge of despair. All ended well, -however, and the middle of February saw the arrival in Vienna of Herr -Jenner and his introduction to Mandyczewski, under whom he was to go -through a course of study in strict counterpoint, whilst his work in -free composition was to be carried on under the master's personal -supervision. After making Mandyczewski's acquaintance, - - 'I dined with Brahms at the "Zum Rothen Igel" and afterwards he - went with me to find a lodging, giving preference to the old - houses. Whilst we were on this expedition, he took every - opportunity of making me acquainted with the sacred places of the - city. Before one house it was "This is the Auge Gottes," before - another "Look, Figaro was written there." At length a suitable room - was found near his own dwelling. "The young man likes music" said - Brahms to the landlady, "will he be able to hear a little - pianoforte playing or singing here sometimes?" This she could not - offer. "Never mind, it does not matter." Then he gave me one of his - coffee-machines, plates, cups, forks, knives and spoons, so that I - was comfortably settled the first day. The use of his library was - at my disposal; his purse also. I could have as much money as I - needed from him, but I was never obliged to take any and never did - so.... - - 'I think with deep melancholy of the glorious evenings when - Rottenberg and I sat alone with him in the low back room of the - Igel and the silent Brahms thawed and showed us glimpses of a great - and strong soul. But he never spoke on such occasions of his works, - very rarely of himself and his life. I have, indeed, often had the - good fortune of hearing him speak of himself whilst he was giving - me a lesson; it was nearly always with some excitement. I was - unfortunately obliged to give up the pleasure of dining with him - every day during my second winter, as the Igel was too dear for me. - Brahms always declared it was the cheapest house in Vienna and in - fact he understood so well how to choose that he always had to pay - less than I and yet got a better dinner. He was quite - extraordinarily moderate in his daily life; 70-80 kreuzers was the - most that he spent for his dinner and this included a glass of - Pilsener beer or a quarter of a litre of wine. In the evening he - drank but little more. It is only because the contrary has been so - often affirmed that I think it my duty to tell the truth in such - detail.' - -The old-fashioned restaurant Zum Rothen Igel, where Brahms was for many -years a 'Stammgast'--_i.e._, a daily customer--is situated in a corner -of the Wildpret Markt close to the Augustinestrasse. Brahms did not -frequent the regular dining-room of the house, but took his dinner in a -low, dark, vaulted chamber at the back, on the ground-floor, ordinarily -used by waiters, coachmen, and similar guests. Here, at a table near a -door leading to a small, gloomy courtyard, many a distinguished guest, -the Landgraf of Hesse, Joachim, and many another, has partaken in our -master's company of the homely but well-cooked dishes that he preferred. -In fact, but few prominent musical visitors to Vienna quitted the -imperial city without making the acquaintance, under Brahms' auspices, -of the dingy apartment in the Wildpret Markt now called 'the Brahms -room' and decorated with a photograph of the master. He was very often -joined at his mid-day meal by resident friends and acquaintances, and -often supped at the Igel after a concert with a party of musicians. -Amongst those most frequently seen with him were his old friends Epstein -and Door and a circle of the young men in whom he took an interest; at -the date now reached by our narrative, Mandyczewski and Rottenberg were -his almost daily companions. If he supped alone at the Igel, he -preferred to take his place in a corner behind the house-door, which was -screened from the taproom by a red curtain and was just large enough to -hold a table and bench, occupied in slack hours by the manager. During -the short time that the weather permitted, he dined, after his return to -Vienna at the beginning of October, in the 'garden'--_i.e._, at one of -the two or three tables placed outside the house, and flanked by large -pots of ever-greens which were carried away when the days became cold. - -During the last ten years of his life Brahms allowed himself to accept -more invitations than formerly to dine or sup with one and another of -the small group of families forming his immediate circle, and when -invited out he liked, and even expected, to be asked to a good table and -to have good wine put before him. He retained the notion, universal in a -former generation, but now out of date, that it was incumbent on a -bidden guest, not only to appreciate, but to show appreciation, of the -hospitality of his host and hostess. 'There are people,' he used to say, -'who are afraid of showing that they like a good dinner.' Brahms was -certainly not one of these. He was prepared to do ample justice to the -recherché cookery and excellent wines with which his friends liked to -regale him, but he was at no period of his life either a glutton or a -wine-bibber, and, indeed, never varied from the abstemious habits which -the early circumstances of his life had made incumbent on him as a young -man. - -One of the annual Brahms festivities was the asparagus luncheon always -given by Ehrbar on, or as near as possible to, May 7, in honour of the -master's birthday. About twelve or sixteen people were invited, amongst -whom the Hanslicks and Billroth and his daughter were regularly -included. The luncheon hour was twelve o'clock, and the menu, which -never varied, consisted of oysters, caviare, cold meat, then the _pièce -de résistance_, asparagus, which was always provided in the proportion -of two bundles to each person. This was followed by cheese and dessert, -and there was a free flow of fine champagne. - -The summer of 1888, the last one passed by Brahms at Thun, did not reach -the end of its course in such unbroken tranquillity as the two previous -ones. A heated political discussion with Widmann, in which neither -disputant would give way, threatened to put a sudden end to the intimacy -which had been a source of pleasure and advantage to both friends. -Fortunately this catastrophe was averted by the good sense of the two -men and the cordial affection existing between them, and when Brahms -left Switzerland in October they looked forward to renewing the -experience of a journey to Italy together which had brought them a -succession of delights in the spring of the year. - -The third Sonata for pianoforte and violin, in D minor, was composed -during the summer, and was played for the first time in public from the -manuscript by Brahms and Joachim at Joachim's Vienna concert of February -13, 1889. It was published in the spring, with Brahms' dedication to -'his friend Hans von Bülow,' and was performed immediately afterwards in -London by Miss Fanny Davies and Ludwig Straus at Miss Davies' concert of -May 7. The three sonatas for pianoforte and violin were played one -summer's day at Gmünden, by Brahms and Joachim, before the Queen and -royal family of Hanover, an incident which carries the memory back to -the year 1853, when Johannes, having come safely through the first -stages of his concert-journey and taken Joachim's heart by storm, -appeared with Reményi for the first time before King George and his -circle at Hanover. - -The other publications of 1889 were a book of five Songs for mixed -Chorus _a capella_, and three books of five Songs each, for a single -voice with pianoforte accompaniment. Of these 'Wie Melodien,' 'Auf dem -Kirchhofe,' and 'Verrath' (Nos. 1, 4, 5 of Op. 105), and 'Serenade' (No. -1 of Op. 106), are great favourites of the author's. Brahms' songs, -however, offer such rich choice of beauty that the selection of one or -another, even of the more celebrated, for particular mention must be -regarded as little more than the indication of a personal preference. - -[69] The scope of these pages does not permit the author to yield to the -temptation of presenting an analysis of the means by which Brahms has -produced the romantic, mysterious atmosphere which pervades the 'andante -moderato.' They will be found strangely simple and intelligible by those -inclined to examine for themselves the harmonic material; in the first -place of the introductory bars (which consists of the chromatic major -concord on the minor sixth of the key, E major, and a couple of passing -notes); and in the second place of the full statement of the opening -theme (which includes the chords of the dominant minor ninth and the -tonic seventh and minor thirteenth, all chromatic). - -[70] Widmann's 'Johannes Brahms in Erinnerungen,' p. 58 and following. - -[71] A mountain near Thun. - -[72] _Die Musik_, first May number of 1902. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - 1889-1895 - - Hamburg honorary citizenship--Christmas at Dr. Fellinger's--Second - String Quintet--Mühlfeld--Clarinet Quintet and Trio--Last journey - to Italy--Sixtieth birthday--Pianoforte Pieces--Billroth's - death--Brahms' collection of German Folk-songs--Life at - Ischl--Clarinet Sonatas--Frau Schumann, Brahms, and Joachim - together for the last time. - - -From the year 1889 onward Brahms chose for his summer dwelling-place the -charming town of Ischl, the central point of the beautiful region of the -Salzkammergut, and a favourite watering-place of the Viennese. He rented -rooms, as on one or two former visits, in a cottage prettily situated on -the outskirts of the town near the rushing river Traun, away from the -visitors' quarter and convenient for his favourite walks about the -picturesque mountains which surround the valley. A strong note of -affectionate regret, very characteristic of the composer, is observable -in the letter in which he announced to Widmann his arrangements for the -open-air season of 1889. His extreme attachment, however, to his Vienna -friends, to whom he may be said to have belonged almost entirely during -the closing years of his life, probably determined his choice of Ischl, -which was well within the reach of any of them who wished to visit him, -whilst several had villas for summer residence in the immediate -neighbourhood. Johann Strauss always lived at Ischl during the summer, -the Billroths' delightfully situated home at St. Gilgen could be reached -by train or the lake boat service in an hour, whilst the house and -grounds of Herr and Frau Victor von Miller zu Aichholz at Gmünden, and -Goldmark's rooms, also at Gmünden, were not much further off, and so on -with other friends. - - 'I have heard by chance,' writes Billroth from St. Gilgen to Brahms - at Ischl on June 16, 'that Mandyczewski and Rottenberg are with you - ... make up your mind quickly therefore and come over with them to - St. Gilgen and invite Brüll or Goldmark also in my name....' - -Brahms always dined when at Ischl in the 'Keller' of the Hôtel -Elisabeth, which was reached by a flight of steps leading downwards from -the street, and is thus described by Billroth: - - 'I passed a couple of pleasant hours with Brahms at Ischl. We dined - in a damp, underground room belonging to the Hôtel Elisabeth. The - same dishes are served there as in the better class dining-room but - at rather cheaper prices; it is very cool in the summer and no - toilet is required; everything as if made for Brahms.' - -The city of Hamburg this year conferred its honorary citizenship on -Brahms, a distinction he shared with Bismarck and Moltke. Greatly -touched by this recognition, the master let himself go for once, and -immediately telegraphed his thanks to the mayor in natural, impulsive -fashion that he seems to have regretted when he saw his words in print. - - '... You will find me here,' he wrote to Hanslick from Ischl, - 'until--I must go to the music festival at Hamburg! I must, for my - honorary citizenship, with all that is associated with it, has been - too pleasant and gratifying. I dread it, however, for I see that my - telegram to the mayor has been printed! It sounds too foolish; "the - best that could have come to me from men"--as though I had been - thinking of eternal bliss; whereas all that I had in my mind was - that when a melody occurs to me it is more welcome than an order, - and that if it lead to my succeeding with a symphony, it gives me - more pleasure than all honorary citizenships!...'[73] - -In acknowledgment of the honour bestowed on him, Brahms composed three -eight-part choruses _a capella_, which he entitled 'Fest and -Gedenksprüche' (Festival and Commemoration Sayings) and dedicated to the -mayor of Hamburg, Herr Oberbürgermeister Dr. Petersen. Patriotic -remembrances and hopes were vividly present to his mind as he composed -them, and the work is to be accepted as a second great musical memorial -and glorification of the events of 1870-71. The texts are again selected -from the Bible: from Deuteronomy, the Psalms, and the Gospels of St. -Matthew and St. Luke. The choruses were studied by the Cecilia Society, -and performed under Spengel at the first of three festival concerts -arranged by Bülow for the opening of the Hamburg Industrial Exhibition. -Sittard calls them 'a splendid musical gift,' and places them amongst -the best and finest of the composer's works. - - 'The "Sayings" do not address themselves to a particular nation or - creed, but speak to every thoughtful mind, to every human heart - susceptible to earnest, ideal influences, and striving after the - high and the beautiful. There lives in these movements something of - that strong confidence which we find--expressive of another period - of thought and of art--in Handel's works, and which acts like a - tonic on every faithful mind. Brahms is the only composer of the - present day who can sufficiently control his own individuality to - be capable of expressing his texts in a musical language - universally applicable and intelligible.' - -The work was received with immense enthusiasm, and the master was -obliged to come forward to acknowledge the long-continued plaudits which -followed its conclusion. It was the last time that he stood on a concert -platform of his native city. - -Spengel, who witnessed with Bülow the presentation of the citizens' -document, which took place at Dr. Petersen's house, relates that Brahms -gave warm verbal expression to the deep feeling animating the written -acknowledgment by which he had supplemented his telegram of thanks. This -letter ran as follows:[74] - - /* 'YOUR MAGNIFICENCE 'MOST HONOURABLE HERR BÜRGERMEISTER */ - - 'I feel with my whole heart the need to add a few words to my - hasty, short telegram. Kindly permit me again to assure your - magnificence that my fellow-citizens have delighted and honoured me - beyond measure by the bestowal of the honorary citizenship. As the - artist is rejoiced by such a distinguished token of recognition, so - also is the man by the glorious feeling of knowing himself so - highly esteemed and loved in his native city. A feeling doubly - proud when this native city is our beautiful, ancient, noble - Hamburg!... The precious gift of my citizen's letter ... becomes - more precious and dear to me as I place it by the side of my - father's citizen's document (still in Low-German). My father was, - indeed, my first thought in connection with the pleasant event, and - one wish only remains, that he were here to rejoice with me....' - -This was not the only mark of the esteem felt for him in high places by -which the master was this year honoured. The news that the Emperor -Francis Joseph had conferred upon him the distinguished 'Leopold's' -order reached him in Ischl, taking him completely by surprise, and was -followed by an inundation of letters, cards, and telegrams of -congratulation, to all of which he replied individually. - -'I was so pleased that the Austrians, as such, were glad that I was -obliged to reply prettily,' he wrote to Hanslick.[75] - -Another of the distinctions bestowed upon Brahms late in his career, -which gave him, as a German musician, extraordinary pleasure, was that -of his election as foreign member of the Académie française. He -endeavoured to write his letter of acknowledgment in French, but, not -being able to satisfy himself, was obliged to be content with expressing -his gratification in his own language. - -It seems appropriate to record, with the mention of these pleasant -incidents, the fact of Brahms' warm admiration of the opera 'Carmen,' -the work of the French composer Bizet. - -A visit to Cologne--the last--in February is noteworthy as having -furnished opportunity for the first (private) performance from the -manuscript of three Motets for four and eight part chorus _a capella_. -They were sung by the students' choral class of the conservatoire, and -on the same occasion Brahms played--also from the manuscript--with two -of the professors, the revised edition of his early B major Trio for the -first time outside Vienna. We have already, in the early pages of our -narrative, expressed our preference for the original version of this -lovely work. - -A visit to Italy in the spring with Widmann, which included Parma, -Cremona, Brescia, and Vicenza, afforded Brahms opportunity of deriving -pleasure from the most varied sources. The sight of the cathedral of -Cremona by moonlight, upon which he and Widmann came suddenly the night -of their arrival, as they turned a street corner, quite overpowered him. -He could not gaze long enough at the wonderful scene, and was obliged to -return with his friend to look at it once again before he could persuade -himself to go in for the night. He was able, on the other hand, to -derive amusement from the trifling incidents of each day's adventures, -and was always ready to meet the passing difficulties and embarrassments -of the traveller with laudable equanimity and resource. He used, later -on, to describe, with some zest, an opera performance which he attended -at Brescia. The work, he declared, consisted entirely of final cadences, -but was so beautifully sung that he had great pleasure in listening to -it. - -His appearance and manner, which at this period of his life made an -irresistible impression of nobility and, generally, of benevolence on -strangers, in spite of his short stature and careless dress, attracted -the constant admiration of his casual fellow-travellers and of the -people of the country with whom he had to do; and amongst other -anecdotes related by Widmann is one of a guide at Palermo who had fought -under Garibaldi: - -'Our refined and amiable guide suddenly stopped short in the midst of -his flowing discourse, and, with a look at Brahms, exclaimed -involuntarily: "Ah! mi pare di parlare al mio venerabile generale -Garibaldi!" at which the master's eyes lightened enthusiastically.' - -Brahms was frequently asked to officiate as godfather to his friends' -children, and this summer he acceded to the request of Frau Dr. Marie -Janssen, eldest daughter of his first teacher, Cossel, that he would -stand sponsor to her little son. A few months later Frau Janssen sent -him a photograph of two of her children, which he acknowledged in the -following words: - - 'DEAR AND ESTEEMED LADY, - - 'I am not able to write a real letter however strongly your kind - and welcome packet tempts me to do so. Let me, however, briefly - express my thanks and believe that my most cordial thoughts go out - to you at Kiel, and again to Hamburg to your unforgettable father, - whose memory is amongst those most sacred and dear to me. Only one - thing were to be wished as to the charming little packet--that it - could have smiled at him. - - 'In warm remembrance and with best greetings - - 'Yours sincerely, - 'J. BRAHMS.' - -When the Janssens settled at Kiel, Brahms wrote to ask Groth to call -upon them, saying: - - '... The lady is the daughter of my first pianoforte teacher Cossel - of whom I must have told you. And when I began to speak of him I - was certainly unable to leave off again....' - -At the period we have now reached, Brahms had given up his solitary -Christmas evenings. The home of Dr. and Mrs. Fellinger became every year -more and more a substitute to him in some sort for that home of his own -which he imagined, perhaps, with longing and regret till the last year -of his life. Each Christmas Eve of his last seven winters found him -amongst the Fellinger family group, rejoicing in the joy of the young -people, stimulating their fun, happy in feeling himself truly one in the -midst of a family circle whose greatest delight it was to know that -their friend of friends liked to be amongst them. Frau Fellinger always -contrived some charming practical joke in the matter of the Christmas -presents prepared for the master, by which he was annually and -unfailingly taken in. One year--the first Christmas he passed at the -house--part of her own gift table, labelled with his name, was -tastefully arranged with toilet accessories. In front of a burnished -mirror two candlesticks stood, holding lighted candles; between these -was a pincushion, on to which was pinned a black silk necktie; some -parcels with pink paper wrappings, tied with ribbon and labelled 'Finest -perfume,' lay near. The only uncovered articles were packets of -writing-paper of the kinds most used by Brahms, supplied in sufficient -quantities to last some time. - -The usual general survey of the gift-laden tables took place, and Brahms -evinced much sympathetic interest during the tour of inspection, but -presently he walked silently away to the other end of the room, passing -his hand over his beard, then sauntered back carelessly, only to retire -again and pace about apart, the picture of quiet dismay. 'But won't you -look at your things, Dr. Brahms?' inquired Frau Fellinger by-and-by, -when her guest had summoned sufficient courage to mingle again with the -party and admire the young people's presents, though he carefully -avoided glancing at his own. Poor Brahms allowed himself to be led to -the table, and stood mute and dazed before it. 'Ah! _here_ is mine,' he -cried, suddenly catching sight of the paper; 'this is for me!' 'But all -is for you,' returned his hostess kindly but firmly. 'But these things -are all for you,' said the master, pleading; 'they are not for me, they -are yours.' 'But why, Dr. Brahms?' insisted the lady; 'pray look at your -things; do you not like scent?' By little and little the master was -persuaded to handle his presents, gingerly enough, it is true. And now -ensued the transformation scene. Each dainty trifle turned into some -useful article suited to Brahms' needs. The two candlesticks became -cream-jugs, the pincushion a sugar-basin, the packets of perfume proved -to be tablets of unscented soap. A bread-basket containing bundles of -English quills such as Brahms always used for writing music, and a -clothes-brush, stood in bare, attractive reality before his astonished -eyes. Soon nothing remained but the mirror. 'But this really does belong -to you,' he implored, still deceived. 'Look behind it,' said Frau -Fellinger; and the mirror became a nickel coffee-tray, chosen because of -its smooth, brilliantly-polished back, which had well served the -Christmas Eve purpose. 'Now I really must sit down,' said Brahms, -drawing a long breath, his kind face shining; and he insisted on -carrying away all his things in a cab the same evening. - -But though Brahms was persuaded, in the later years of his life, to join -the family festivities of these kind friends, he kept up to the last his -custom of showing himself at his landlady's Christmas Eve party. Frau -Truxa used to light up her tree an hour or two earlier than formerly, so -that he should feel quite happy in setting out for Dr. Fellinger's. Of -course her two boys were always remembered by the master, and his gifts -to them, generally books, were found punctually on the table at the hour -appointed for the commencement of the festivity. - -The publications of the year 1890 were the 'Fest und Gedenksprüche,' as -Op. 109, and three Motets for four and eight part Chorus _a capella_, -Op. 110. - -The writer of these pages was present at a supper-party given in Vienna -in January, 1890, after a concert of the Joachim Quartet, at which -Brahms with Joachim and his colleagues were the chief guests. 'What -shall we have next?' said Joachim to Brahms in the course of supper; 'a -quintet; we have one, a very fine one; we will have another.' A second -string quintet, with two violas, composed during the summer at Ischl, -was the next work produced by Brahms, and was heard for the first time -in public from the manuscript in Vienna at the Rosé Quartet concert of -November 11 (Rosé, Bachrich, Hummer, Jenek, and Siebert). An anecdote -which appears to the author worth preserving, as expressive of Brahms' -appreciation of his friend's incomparable playing, may find a place -here. At a period when the two men had not met for a couple of years an -occasion came when Brahms heard Joachim play. 'Now,' he said afterwards -to the lady who related the story to the author, 'now I know what it is -that has been wanting in my life during the past two years. I felt -something was missing, but could not tell what. It was the sound of -Joachim's violin. How he plays!' - -Brahms' Quintet in G major is, in the opinion of most competent judges, -one of the most powerful and fascinating of his works of chamber music -for strings. If there is, in one or two of his late compositions for -pianoforte and other instruments, something that suggests the feeling -that in this domain the elasticity of his imagination was approaching -its limits, nothing of the sort can be said of either of the works for -strings only, and the Quintet in G is certainly second to none of them -in wealth of spontaneous melody, in vigour and variety of inventive -power, in all, in short, that is included in the word 'vitality.' To the -present writer it appears quite clear and easy to follow, but that there -may be two impressions on this point is proved in a remarkable way by -two letters written by Billroth, the first to Brahms himself after the -work had been performed for the first time from the manuscript at a -party at Billroth's house, the second a few months later to Hanslick. - -In the letter to Brahms, dated November 6, the famous surgeon, writing -evidently under the influence of the great artistic excitement of the -day, tells the master that he cannot rest without sending him word of -his delight. - - 'Lately I have been silent, for I know not what more to say than, - wonderfully fine and now clear to me at first hearing, clear as the - blue sky!... Could one compare the various works of Michael Angelo, - Raphael, Beethoven, Mozart when they were at the height of their - powers? Only in the sense of a limited personal sympathy.... I have - often wondered what human happiness is--now I was happy to-day when - listening to your music. That is quite clear to me.' - -The following March, however, Billroth wrote to Hanslick that he found -the quintet one of the most difficult of Brahms' works. - - 'The form, when one has found it out, is simple and clear; but the - length of the first bass theme and the rhythmic and harmonic - over-rich, I might say overladen, five-part development make - enjoyment of the movement [the first] impossible except under great - mental strain. One must be fresher and better in health for it than - I am at present.... But it is easy to talk; we are always wanting - something new, something which interests us more than the last; no - one can quite satisfy us.'[76] - -Billroth heard the work the first time under the most favourable -imaginable conditions, when his own powers of receptivity were strongly -stimulated. He was depressed and out of health when he wrote the second -letter. The majority of music-lovers would, we fancy, range themselves -on the side of his original impression. The power and loveliness of the -first movement, the romance of the second (the wonderful adagio), the -plaintive daintiness of the third, the vivacity of the fourth, tinged -with Hungarian colouring, all seem to foretell a continued prolongation -of the composer's creative force and impulse. That Brahms himself, -however, in the beginning of the nineties was conscious of needing rest -is well known. Billroth says of him in a letter dated May 28, 1890, -after visiting him at Ischl: - - 'He rejected the idea that he is composing or will ever compose - anything. He is deep in Sybel's "Foundation of the German Empire," - three thick volumes and the fourth to come.' - -To another friend Brahms said in 1891: 'I have tormented myself to no -purpose lately, and till now I never had to do so at all; things always -came easily to me.' He professed his intention of giving his creative -activity a rest, and employing his time in reading, going excursions, -and seeing his friends, but did not at once persevere in the resolution. - -In the early part of the year 1891 he paid a visit to Meiningen. His -enjoyment was the greater since the Duke, to whom the master had often -spoken of Widmann, had invited this gentleman to meet his friend. -Several delightful details of the time are related by Widmann. For us, -however, the fact of particular interest is that it was now that Brahms' -admiration of the performances of the clarinettist Mühlfeld, of the -Meiningen orchestra, culminated in the determination to write for his -instrument. Mühlfeld had gained particular reputation as a soloist by -his performances of Weber, whose Concertino for clarinet and orchestra -had been introduced by him at Meiningen on December 25, 1886, the -hundredth anniversary of the composer's birth. Our master, who since -that date had had many opportunities of listening to Mühlfeld's -wonderful tone and execution, now asked for a private recital with only -himself as audience, in the course of which the clarinettist played to -him one piece after another from his répertoire, and discussed his -instrument with him. The sequel was the composition by Brahms, during -his annual residence at Ischl, of a trio for pianoforte, clarinet, and -violoncello and a quintet for clarinet and strings. These works were -performed from the manuscripts before the ducal circle at Meiningen -Castle on November 24 of the same year, the Trio by Brahms, Mühlfeld, -and Hausmann, the Quintet by the same musicians, Joachim, and two -members of the Meiningen orchestra. - -Brahms remained on as the Duke's guest for some little time after the -performance, and then followed his friends to Berlin in order to take -part in the Joachim Quartet concert of December 12, when his new works -were heard for the first time in public. This occasion was, and has -remained, unique in the history of the famous party of artists. The -Joachim Quartet concerts in Berlin, occupying a position in the -forefront of the musical life of the city, have now taken place annually -for nearly forty years; but into no other programme than that of -December 12, 1891, has a work not written exclusively for strings been -admitted. That Brahms was much gratified by the compliment paid him is -evident from a letter written by him on December 1 to Hanslick, in which -he says: - - '... I shall not be able to tell you about it [a performance of - Strauss' opera, 'Ritter Paynim'] for another fortnight. This is - because Joachim has sacrificed the virginity of his Quartet to my - newest things. Hitherto he has carefully protected the chaste - sanctuary but now, in spite of all my protestations, he insists - that I invade it with clarinet and piano, with trio and quintet. - This will take place on the 12th of December, and with the - Meiningen clarinettist. Tell Mandyczewski (or let him read) that - the quintet "adagio con sordini" was played as long and often as - the clarinettist could hold out.'[77] - -The visit to Berlin resulted in a phenomenal triumph. A public rehearsal -was held on the 10th, when every seat was occupied, and at the -conclusion of the quintet, the last number of the programme, the -audience indulged in an overwhelming demonstration to composer and -executants. They went so far as to demand a repetition of the entire -work, and Joachim and his colleagues at length consented to repeat the -adagio. A similar scene was enacted at the concert on the 12th. Both new -works were favourably noticed by the Berlin press, which waxed -enthusiastic over the quintet, and especially the adagio. - -The trio was played in Vienna the same month at a Hellmesberger concert; -the quintet on January 5, 1892, by the Rosé Quartet party, with the -clarinettist Steiner. Both works were heard again in the Austrian -capital a fortnight later at a concert given there by the Joachim -Quartet party, with the co-operation of Brahms and Mühlfeld. The quintet -was introduced to a London audience at the Monday Popular concert of -March 28 by Mühlfeld, Joachim, Ries, Straus, and Piatti, and repeated at -the Saturday concert of April 2, when the trio was also played by Miss -Fanny Davies, Mühlfeld, and Piatti. - -The Clarinet Trio appears to us one of the least convincing of Brahms' -works, and this in spite of the fact that it bears its composer's name -writ large on every page. No one could fail to recognise his handwriting -in either of the four movements, and to true Brahms lovers the -handwriting must always be dear; but if one may compare the composer -with himself, the inspiration of this work seems to us to halt, the -spirit to want flexibility. Far otherwise is it with the beautiful and -now favourite quintet, which contains, as Steiner says, richest fruits -of the golden harvest of the poet's activity. Here 'the brooks of life -are flowing as at high noon,' though the tone of gentle, loving regret -which pervades the four movements, and holds the heart of the listener -in firm grip, suggests the composer's feeling that the evening is not -far away from him in which no man may work. A fulness of rich melody, a -luscious charm of tone, original effects arising from the treatment of -the clarinet, 'olympian' ease and mastery, distinguish every movement of -this noble and attractive work, which, taking its hearers by storm on -its first production, has grown more firmly rooted into the hearts of -musicians and laymen with each fresh hearing. In the middle section of -the second movement Brahms has written for the clarinet a number of -quasi-improvisatory passages embracing the entire extent of its compass, -which are supported by the strings, and which, when competently -performed, are of surprisingly attractive effect. A fancy that suggested -itself to one of the Berlin critics, as to the position assigned in this -movement to the clarinet, seems to have commended itself to Brahms, who -was ever afterwards in the habit of introducing the distinguished artist -for whom it was written, to intimate friends, as 'Fräulein von Mühlfeld, -meine Primadonna.' - -In 1891 were published the String Quintet in G, Op. 111; six Vocal -Quartets, the last four being additional Gipsy Songs set to Conrat's -texts, Op. 112; and thirteen Canons for women's voices, the appearance -of which forms a direct link between the composer's late maturity and -early youth. - -The Clarinet Trio and Quintet and three books of short Pianoforte -Pieces, Op. 116, Nos. 1 and 2, and Op. 117, appeared in 1892. - -Brahms departed in good time in the spring of 1893 for what was to be -his last holiday in the south, meeting Widmann and two Zürich friends -(Friedrich Hegar and Robert Freund) in Milan and proceeding with them to -Sicily, whose scenery and general romantic charm had made an indelible -impression on his mind when he had travelled in the country with -Billroth some fifteen years previously. He had an additional and weighty -reason for desiring to leave Vienna in April. The coming 7th of May, -his sixtieth birthday, could not fail to be made the occasion, not only -of friendly rejoicings, but, if he were at home, of formal -congratulatory functions in which he would be asked to take part. To his -mind, such a predicament left but one course open to him--flight; and -for this he had made arrangement months beforehand. As early as the year -1892 he had refused Hegar's invitation to celebrate his birthday by some -festival performances at Zürich in the following terms: - - 'VIENNA, _September 29th, 1892_. - - 'DEAR FRIEND */ 'I hasten to place this pretty sheet of paper - before me and will endeavour approximately to express my gratitude - to you and your society for your extremely kind and friendly - project for the next 7th May. To-day I will only say that I have - for some time been intending to make a proposal to you. My - indolence in writing is the only cause that you have been - beforehand with me. I wished to ask you and Widmann if you would - not like, as I should, to go for a little while to Italy? - - 'When and where is all one to me; if on the 7th of May we are only - safe in the Abruzzi or somewhere else where no one can find us; if - we can only devote ourselves to touching (and preferably jovial) - meditation. You see my plans and ideas are quite different from - yours and my next letter will contain only many thanks for your - very kind thought....'[78] - -To Herr Ehrbar's annual invitation to the asparagus luncheon, therefore, -which was sent as usual about the middle of April to No. 4, Carlsgasse, -and which contained a special request that in this particular year the -festivity should be celebrated on May 7 itself, a telegraphic reply was -received from Genoa. The master was very sorry that he would not be able -to be present this year, but sent his kindest greetings to all friends -who should assemble on the occasion. Instead of postponing the party on -account of this disappointment, Herr Ehrbar decided not only to gather -the old friends about him as usual, but to hold the festivity at the -Hôtel Sacher, and to invite some additional guests to drink the health -of the absent composer, bringing up the number to about thirty. - -Widmann, who had an accident during the return journey which injured his -knee and obliged him to remain for two days at Naples under the -surgeon's care, has thus described how Brahms spent May 7: - - 'And so it happened that Brahms passed his sixtieth birthday in the - most quiet seclusion, remaining to watch faithfully by my bed after - we had persuaded our two friends to make an excursion to Pompeii. - The doctor's performances, which gave me little pain, excited him - fearfully, though he tried to conceal this by making jesting - remarks, as when he muttered grimly between his teeth, "If it - should come to cutting, I am the right man; I was always Billroth's - assistant in such cases." When we were alone he provided for my - comfort like a deaconess and took pains to keep up my spirits by - chatting cheerfully, saying for instance, "You have already tramped - about so much in the Swiss Alps and Italy. Even if, at the worst, - this should not again be possible, you are much better off than a - hundred thousand others who have not had such opportunity." ... - Every now and then whilst he was sitting with me, congratulatory - telegrams arrived from intimate friends who had obtained - intelligence from one or other of us as to our whereabouts.' - -It was rumoured in Vienna, nevertheless, that Brahms was present at Herr -Ehrbar's luncheon; that he was seen in the Augustinestrasse in the -evening of the 6th; that he astonished his friends by joining them at -the Hôtel Sacher at twelve o'clock on the 7th, just as they were about -to sit down to table; and that he vanished from the city immediately -after the festivity, to come back no more until the usual time of his -return in October. - -The sixtieth birthday of its honorary president was celebrated by a -special meeting and musical performance in the club-rooms of the -Tonkünstlerverein, and the Gesellschaft had a gold medal cast in the -master's honour. - -A note to Frau Caroline, written in June from Ischl, headed by a -diminutive photograph of himself in walking dress, is suggestive of -Brahms' happy mood at this time: - - 'Here I come, dear mother, and thank you for your dear letter. - - 'I am delighted that Fritz [Schnack] is making a nice tour which - shows that you are both well--let him only make further plans, and - travel!... I will be careful that you get a cast of the medal. It - will interest Fritz as a connoisseur--he must imagine the gold. I - am very well and the summer becomes finer every day. In the autumn - or winter I really must look in upon you myself and not merely in a - portrait. - - 'Have you a great deal too much money, or may I send some? I should - like Fritz to spend plenty in travelling and he can afterwards - entertain you and himself again with his sufferings!... - - 'Your JOHANNES.'[79] - -Years before this date, Frau Caroline had, at the urgent and -oft-repeated wish of Johannes, given up her boarding-house in the -Anscharplatz, and retired to enjoy the remainder of her life as mistress -of her son's quiet home in Pinneberg. Johannes kept his stepmother -supplied with the necessary funds, which were regularly transmitted to -her through his publisher, Herr Simrock of Berlin; but he was never -tired of urging upon her his readiness to meet intermediate demands as -they might arise, and particularly of suggesting holiday journeys for -Fritz Schnack as a good way of spending extra money. Frau Caroline and -her son, who both worshipped Johannes, frequently incurred his -displeasure on account of the moderation with which they availed -themselves of his generosity. - -He never went to Hamburg after his stepmother's retirement without -reserving a few hours to visit her at Pinneberg, and there, in the -modest little dwelling he had provided, felt himself, as it were, in the -old family home. He would sit in a corner of the sofa in the room by the -side of the shop filled with clocks whose hands pointed to the right -time and whose pendulums swung cheerily to and fro, and chat happily -with her and Fritz, hearing little items of domestic news, asking after -this and the other acquaintance; then would suddenly relapse into -silence and reverie, which were unfailingly respected by the two people -to whom he was so dear. By-and-by, after he had arranged his thoughts, -he would come out again from his musing to continue the pleasant -chit-chat where it had been left. - -Brahms always expected his stepmother to be present at his public -appearances in Hamburg, and continued to stay with her, when visiting -the city, until she went to live at Pinneberg. On an occasion of his -coming, after her retirement, to conduct a symphony at one of Bülow's -Hamburg concerts, he took a room for her next his own at the Hôtel -Moser, that they might be as much as possible together during the few -days of his stay, and led her on his arm to her seat at rehearsals and -concert. Frau Caroline did not, perhaps, entirely fathom the depths and -intricacies of her stepson's fourth symphony, but she loved the work, -and shared in the joy of it with her whole heart. Fritz, too, came over -from Pinneberg, and greeted his stepbrother in the artist's room before -the concert began. The master's sister, Elise Grund, died in 1892, and -his visit to Hamburg after her death seems to have been the last known -by his friends to have been paid by him to his native city. He was at -Pinneberg, however, after this date. - -Some of Brahms' time at Ischl this summer was given to the editing of -the supplementary volume of Frau Schumann's complete edition of her -husband's works. One cannot but read in this deeply-interesting book our -master's desire to associate his name once more with those of Schumann -and his wife, especially as he has taken the, for him, altogether -exceptional course of writing and signing the introductory sentences of -its first page. It contains, to quote Brahms' words, - - 'a few things found amongst Robert Schumann's papers which, on - account of their value, or of some special interest, ought not to - be omitted from this collection.... The theme with which the volume - concludes is, in a quite peculiar sense, Schumann's last musical - thought. He wrote it on the 7th of February, 1854, and afterwards - added five variations which are withheld here. It speaks to us as a - kindly greeting spirit [genius] about to depart and we think with - reverence and emotion of the glorious man and artist. - - 'JOHANNES BRAHMS. - ISCHL, _July 1893_.'[80] - -Of the composer's original work of the season Billroth writes a few -months later to a friend: - - 'Brahms has, so far as I know, composed a dozen pianoforte pieces - during the summer. I do not know the cause of this sudden passion. - I like him least of all in this style, the G minor Rhapsody - excepted. He does not sufficiently diversify his form in these - little works.... He ought to keep to the great style.' - -The pieces in question were published in the autumn in two books--Op. -118 and 119. The other publications of the year, issued without opus -number, were the two books of Technical Exercises for Pianoforte. - -Billroth's expression of feeling about the Pianoforte Pieces will -probably be endorsed by many even of the most faithful admirer's of -Brahms' art, whilst all will certainly agree as to his one exception. -Beautiful as many of the intermezzi, fantasias, etc., are, it is to be -doubted whether Brahms' short compositions for the pianoforte will ever -gain such universal and unreserved affection as has long since been -accorded to those of Schumann and Chopin. The manner in which the -thoughts are expressed sometimes seems out of proportion to the moderate -length of their development, the height of the structure to be, as it -were, too great in comparison with the superficial area allotted to it. -In several instances at all events, however, this impression is due to -the unusualness of the pieces, and passes away as they become really -familiar. It is as yet too soon to form any definite opinion as to the -place they may ultimately take. - -True appreciation of Brahms' small as of his great works is sometimes -slow in coming, even to those who love his music with deepest affection. -When, however, from time to time, the spirit dwelling within his -inspirations reveals itself unsought as in a sudden flash, the whole -heart is apt to go out with complete acceptance to the reception of its -beauty and truth. Only in one instance (Op. 117, No. 1) has the master -given any clue as to the sources which may have stirred his fancy during -the composition of his thirty short pieces for the pianoforte from Op. -76 onwards, and where he has been reticent it would ill beseem others to -stamp any particular piece with a definite suggestion. It may, however, -be surmised that many of the little compositions are expressions derived -from his passion for nature. The mountain storm swept up by the wind and -bursting with a sudden crash, the approaching and retreating roll of its -thunder, with the ceaseless pattering of rain on the leaves; the gay -flitting of butterflies; the lazy hum of the insect world on a hot -summer day; the long sweep of gray waves breaking into foam on the -shore--all may be found in them. The music of the spheres, also, too -ethereal for the perception of ordinary mortals, has been caught by our -master's ear, and, woven into gossamer sound-textures, has been conveyed -by him to the appreciation of organizations less delicate than his own. -Some of the pieces have certainly grown up around the fancies of a -legend or a poem. In these we may hear the weird footsteps of the spirit -world, the dread strike of the bell of fate, the catastrophe of human -lives. In no case, however, except in the one mentioned, are the several -works to be taken as having been associated with this or that in the -mind of the composer. The same one may mean different things to -different people, and Brahms has carefully guarded against the -possibility of being suspected of programme-music by giving to the -Fantasias, Rhapsodies, Ballades, Intermezzi, the vaguest of all -possible titles.[81] The book Op. 117 has become really popular, and is -sold in the United Kingdom alone in its thousands. One of the first -persons--perhaps the first--to hear books Op. 116 and 117 was Frau -Schumann's pupil, Fräulein Ilona Eibenschütz (now Mrs. Carl Derenberg), -to whom Brahms played them on their completion, inviting her especially -to hear them. - -Asking Brahms to be present in October at a festival meeting of the -Imperial and Royal Society of Physicians, Billroth says: - - 'I should like to see you for once in evening dress [_schön - decorirt_]. If, however, you object to this, you will find a place - among the younger doctors in the (not high) gallery in walking - costume.' - -It was one of the last semi-public functions in which the famous surgeon -took part. His health had for some time been declining, and he died on -February 6, regretted by all ranks of Vienna citizens. The funeral -procession was witnessed by crowds of people, especially of the poorer -classes. - - 'We do not wear such open hearts,' writes Brahms afterwards to - Widmann, 'nor show such pure and warm affection as they do here (I - mean the people, the gallery).... In the whole innumerable - concourse no inquisitive or indifferent face was to be seen, but - upon each countenance the most touching sympathy and love. This did - me much good when passing through the streets and at the - cemetery.'[82] - -Brahms could not trust himself to remain too close a spectator of the -last scene. Whilst the relatives and friends of the departed surgeon -remained standing round the open grave, he quietly strolled to a -side-walk and paced up and down, talking with an acquaintance of other -matters. - -The thought of death had, indeed, a power over the master which probably -held him in its clutch at times throughout his life. He could not bring -himself to face the enemy with resolute front, especially during his -later years, when the iron hand laid claim to one of his friends, but -would speak of the matter as little as might be, and no doubt kept it as -much as possible at bay in his thoughts. 'I do not mean to drink any -more coffee,' he said one day to his landlady in Carlsgasse. 'Why, Herr -Doctor, you enjoy your coffee so much!' exclaimed Frau Truxa, who had -gained an insight into his character, and felt sure that something lay -behind this announcement. 'I have taken coffee for a long time,' -returned Brahms. 'I am going to leave it off, and drink something else.' -A few days later Frau Truxa heard by chance of the death of a lady -living in Marseilles who had for years kept the master supplied with -Mocha. Nothing more was said, but an arrangement was made, without -Brahms' knowledge, by which the same supply was to be despatched at the -same interval by her daughter. Coming as it were from the same hand, -Brahms continued to drink the coffee, but without further comment. - -Death had, however, till now been kind to our master, sparing him the -agony of many severe partings. We have seen his deep grief at the loss -of the parents who had loved him with the entire devotion of their -simple, affectionate hearts. By the nature of things, his sense of -bereavement on the deaths of brother and sister had been less enduring -in its sting. His friend Pohl, librarian of the Gesellschaft, died in -1887, but with this exception the old circle of chums remained as it had -been. Joachim, Stockhausen, Grimm, Dietrich, Kirchner, Hanslick, Faber, -Billroth, Goldmark, Epstein, Gänsbacher, all had continued with him, -whilst in Frau Schumann's presence he was at the age of sixty-one still -young, with youthful feelings of veneration in his heart. The death of -Billroth dealt him a severe blow. Who shall say that even at this time -he had not a presentiment that before very long he was to follow? - -If this were so, but little change showed itself in his outward habits. -The pedestrian excursions near Vienna took place every second or third -Sunday as before, and if Brahms, growing every year heavier, found the -ascent of the surrounding heights more fatiguing than in past years, he -did not openly allude to the fact, but would invite his companions to -pause for a few moments to look at the country, whilst they, at once -acceding to his wish, always carefully avoided perceiving that he was -short of breath. Hugo Conrat frequently made one of the party of walkers -at this period, and the master was often a guest at his house, where it -is to be feared that Frau Conrat, in no way behind the rest of his -friends, sadly spoiled him. He had become in these years a complete -autocrat in the circles in which he moved. His comfort was studied, his -desires were anticipated, his witticisms appreciated, his tempers -accepted, and his utterances recognised as final. Brahms enjoyed his -position, and, it must be confessed, did not hesitate to avail himself -of his privileges. On one occasion of a dinner-party, being asked to -escort one of the principal lady guests to the dining-room, he turned -sharply round and offered his arm to the young governess. On another--a -party at the Conrats' country house--finding on his arrival that the -cloth had been laid in the dining-room, and not in the veranda, he went -up to the hostess, saying: 'But it is still fine weather. I always dine -out of doors in October.' The lady sent word to the kitchen that the -dinner was to be put back for twenty minutes, and, begging her visitors -to walk in the garden meanwhile, gave orders for the alteration of her -arrangements. 'But what did Brahms say when he found he was causing such -trouble?' someone asked Fräulein Conrat afterwards. 'Then he was good -again,' she replied. Such incidents could be multiplied from the -experiences of many of Brahms' friends. They serve chiefly to prove that -the master's mind lost its pliancy as he grew older, and that he became -incapable of adapting himself to circumstances outside his ordinary -routine. His friends accepted his whims as a part of himself, and, -knowing his sensitiveness to contradiction, did not contradict him. They -were aware that the sterling nature had not really changed, and did not -trouble themselves to criticise the outer crust of irritability and -roughness that sometimes concealed it from the appreciation of less -indulgent observers. - -[Illustration: SILHOUETTE BY DR. BÖHLER. - -_Photograph by R. Lechner (Wilh. Müller), Vienna._] - -'All that you tell me is very nice,' said Brahms one day to Herr -Conrat's two gifted young daughters, who, paying the master a visit in -his rooms, had been encouraged by him to talk about the progress of -their studies. 'You must know these things, which are very important; -but I will show you something to be learnt of still greater -consequence;' and he fetched from a drawer an old, worn, folded -table-cloth. 'Look here,' said he, showing the two girls some exquisite -darning, 'my old mother did this. When you can do such work you may be -prouder of it than of all your other studies.' - -After the completion of the Clarinet Quintet and Trio in 1892, Brahms -allowed his mind the refreshment of change of work. The only original -compositions belonging to the following year are the two books of -'Clavierstücke,' Op. 118 and 119, the appearance of which we have -already chronicled. He was, however, engaged with his collection of -German Folk-songs, arranged with pianoforte accompaniment, six volumes -for one voice, and the seventh for leader and small chorus. - -The publication of this valuable work in 1894, almost at the end of the -life of the great musician who compiled it, adds yet another and most -striking illustration to those on which we have commented, of the -general continuity of the lines on which Brahms' career was shaped. As -he began, so he ended. The boy of fifteen who arranged folk-songs for -practice by his village society, the youth of twenty who used them in -his first published works, the mature master who returned to them again -and again for inspiration and delight, all live in the veteran of -sixty-one, who, as he busies himself in preparing the unique collection, -every page of which bears mark of his insight, skill, and sympathetic -tact, seems to be looking back over the years of the past with longing -to leave behind him a final sign of his love for his great nation and -all belonging to it. 'It is the only one of my works from which I part -with a feeling of tenderness,' he said on its completion for the press. -A child of the people by birth, Brahms remained, with all his literary -and artistic culture, a child of the people by sympathy. He loved, and -ever had loved, the simple peasant folk of the country places where he -dwelt, as part of the great life of nature which was his delight. His -partiality for them had in it something which resembled his feeling for -children. He was pleased with their naïveté, valued their confidence, -and perhaps, idealist as he was, gave them credit for a genuineness and -simplicity not always theirs. In their songs, it was this same -naturalness that attracted him, and whether in his original settings of -national texts, or in his arrangements of the people's melodies, nearly -always, as we have seen, left the words as he found them in their -spontaneous directness of expression. Writing to Professor Bächtold, to -whom he sent a copy of his collection, he says: - - '... I think you will find some things new to you, for if you have - been interested in the music of our folk-songs, Erk and now Böhme - will have been your guides? These have hitherto led the (very - Philistine) tone, and my collection stands in direct opposition to - them. I could and should like to gossip more if I knew that you - were interested and especially if we were sitting together - comfortably....'[83] - -Brahms at one time contemplated changing his rather confined quarters at -Ischl, but a feeling of loyalty to the good folks in whose house he had -spent several summers, and who regarded themselves as having a -prescriptive right to their lodger, asserted its sway over his kind -heart. He returned to them as each succeeding spring came round, and the -little signs that heralded his approach--the opening of shutters, the -cleaning of windows, and other preparations visible from outside--were -eagerly looked forward to by the country people near as the first tokens -of the approaching season. - -Frau Grüber's little house, of which Brahms occupied the first-floor, -was built on a mountain slope, and a short flight of steps at the side -led to a small garden furnished with a grass plot, a garden bench, and a -summer-house. Visitors had to mount the steps, cross the garden, find a -second entrance-door at the back of the house, go in, and knock at the -door of the composer's sitting-room. Sometimes he would cross the room, -open the door, and peep cautiously out; but more often than not he -called out, 'Come in!' and the visitor stepped at once into his -presence. He laid strict injunctions on his landlady, however, that the -door of his rooms was to be kept locked and the key in her possession -whenever he was out, and that on no account was she to allow anyone even -to peep into the room containing his papers and piano. If he once found -out that she had disregarded this rule, once would be enough for him; -that very day he would pack up and leave her, never to return. It was a -most necessary precaution to take, for numerous visitors of either sex -who were unknown to him found their way to the house, and would gladly -have sought consolation for their disappointment at not seeing him by -inspecting some of his belongings. - -One or other of his friends frequently called for him about half-past -eleven, and soon afterwards he would start out and gradually make his -way to the Hôtel Kaiserin Elisabeth. Between two and three o'clock he -usually made his appearance on the promenade by the side of the river. -Stopping at Walter's coffee-house, he would seat himself at a table -under the trees outside, where a cup of black coffee and the daily -papers were at once brought to him. Here he generally remained for at -least an hour, and sometimes it was much longer, to be joined by one -friend and another till his party numbered a dozen or more. Walter's -became, indeed, at this hour of the day, a rendezvous not only for -Brahms' personal friends, but for many musical visitors to Ischl who did -not know him, but who heard that they could easily get a sight of him -there. He was very particular in acknowledging the greetings of his -numerous acquaintance as they passed along the promenade, and, owing to -his anxiety to be courteous and his near-sightedness combined, he -sometimes made a mistake and bowed to people whom he did not know. - -'Oh, if you had only been with us this afternoon!' a friend and -fellow-lodger said to the author one day in the summer of 1894. 'Paula -and I were walking on the promenade, and we met Brahms, who greeted us -so kindly. He waved his hand, and looked round, saying, "Good-day! -good-day!" Of course I returned his greeting. I wonder if it could have -been because he was pleased with my little Paula? He takes so much -notice of children.' Frau F. was far too much gratified by the incident -to accept the author's opinion that it was a case of mistaken identity, -as Brahms was not in the habit of consciously bowing to strangers. - -Herr Oberschulrath Wendt, of Carlsruhe, when staying at Ischl, was daily -to be seen in the master's company, and the two men, both of striking -appearance, presented a singular contrast as they paced side by side -along the promenade. Wendt, tall, thin, and pale, was delicate-looking, -and walked with a slight stoop. Brahms, rather short, very stout, with a -good deal of colour, probably acquired by exposure to the weather, that -seemed the more pronounced from its contrast with his white hair and -beard, went along with head well thrown back, the very personification -of vigour. On leaving Walter's he generally betook himself to a friend's -house, most frequently that of Johann Strauss. To his intimacy there the -world is indebted for some of the best of his late photographs--those of -Krziwanek, of Vienna and Ischl--which were taken one afternoon in the -summer of 1895 as he was sitting at ease with his friends. - -Brahms knew, and was well known to, all the children of the -neighbourhood, and when starting on his country walks would fill his -pockets with sweetmeats and little pictures, and amuse himself with the -eagerness of the small barefooted folk, who knew his ways and would run -after him as he passed, on the look-out for booty. 'Whoever can jump -gets a gulden,' he would say; and, displaying beyond reach of the little -ones a handful of sweetmeats made in imitation of the Austrian coin, he -would increase his speed, and raise his hand higher and higher, drawing -after him the flock of running, leaping children, until he allowed one -and another to gain a prize. - -Two Sonatas for clarinet and pianoforte, the last works of chamber music -composed by Brahms, were completed during the summer of 1894, and -towards the end of September Mühlfeld arrived at Ischl to try them with -the composer. The first private performance took place very soon -afterwards, when the two artists played them before the ducal circle of -Meiningen at the palace of Berchtesgarten. - -A reunion at Frankfurt in November is of pathetic interest. It carries -us back to the very early pages of our narrative, and is the last -complete one of the kind we shall have to record. For the last time we -find Frau Schumann and her husband's and her own two dearest -musician-friends assembled and making music together. Brahms arrived at -her house on a few days' visit on the 9th of the month; on the 10th -Mühlfeld spent the evening there, having come from Meiningen at the -composer's especial request, and the new works were played to the -illustrious lady, 'the revered Frau Schumann,' as Brahms used to call -her to his younger friends, who had now completed her seventy-fifth -year. The next day Joachim, prince of violinists at sixty-three as at -twenty-one, the age at which he entered these pages, gave a concert with -his colleagues of the Quartet, and on the 12th there was a party at Herr -and Frau Sommerhoff's, when Brahms and Mühlfeld again played the two -Sonatas, and Frau Schumann, Joachim, and Mühlfeld, Mozart's beautiful -Clarinet Trio, a favourite work of Brahms. The reunion of old friends -was completed by the presence of Stockhausen, who, like Frau Schumann, -had been resident in Frankfurt since 1878. On the 13th, the third -Frankfurt performance of the Clarinet Sonatas by Brahms and Mühlfeld -took place at a large music-party at Frau Schumann's, and another -memorable item of the evening's pleasures was the playing by Frau -Schumann and Mühlfeld of Schumann's Fantasiestücke for pianoforte and -clarinet. Joachim had left to fulfil other engagements before the -evening, and Brahms departed on the 14th. - -The master's journeys and performances with Mühlfeld gave him -extraordinary pleasure, and the publication of the two sonatas, which -in the usual course of things would have taken place in the autumn of -1894, was delayed until the summer of 1895, that his possession of the -manuscripts might be prolonged. Both works were performed at the Rosé -concerts, Vienna, by the composer and his friend--No. 2 in E flat on -January 8, 1895, when the Clarinet Quintet was also played; and No. 1 in -F minor at an extra concert on January 11, the programme of which -included the G major String Quintet. Amongst other towns visited by -Brahms and Mühlfeld in the month of February were Frankfurt, Rudesheim, -and Meiningen, and the master was seen for the last time in public by -his Frankfurt friends on the 17th, when he listened to a performance of -his D major Symphony, and conducted his Academic Overture at a Museum -concert. The two sonatas were performed for the first time after -publication at Miss Fanny Davies' concert of June 24 in St. James's -Hall, London, by the concert-giver and Mühlfeld, engaged expressly to -come to England for the occasion. The manuscripts of both works are in -the possession of Mühlfeld, to whom the composer presented them on -publication, with an appreciative autograph inscription. - -With the publication of the two Clarinet Sonatas, our master's career is -all but closed, and closed as we would have it. The more familiar they -become, the more firmly will they root themselves, as we believe, in the -affection of the lovers of his music. The fresh, bounding imagination of -youth is, indeed, not in them, nor would we wish it to be there; but -both works are pervaded by a warmth and glow as of sunset radiance, -which, reflecting the spirit of the composer as he was when he wrote -them, fill the mind of the listener with a sense of the mellow beauty, -the rich pathos, the unwavering sincerity of his art. To compare the two -sonatas one with the other is unnecessary. We prefer simply to commend -them to the study of those of our readers to whom they are not entirely -familiar, holding them, as we do, to be amongst the especially lovable -examples of the late period of Brahms' art. - -[73] _Neue Freie Presse_, June, 1897. - -[74] Spengel's 'Johannes Brahms,' p. 8. - -[75] _Neue Freie Presse_, June 29, 1897. - -[76] Billroth's Briefe. - -[77] _Neue Freie Presse_, July 1, 1897. - -[78] Published in Steiner's 'Johannes Brahms,' p. 29. - -[79] Published in Reimann's 'Johannes Brahms,' p. 117. - -[80] The theme is the one alluded to on p. 156 of our first volume. - -N.B. On the occasion of Schumann's opera 'Genoveva' being put into -rehearsal at the Hanover court theatre in 1874, Brahms, with Frau -Schumann's approval, added a few bars to the close of Siegfried's song -in the third act. These do not appear, however, in the pianoforte score -of the work included in the complete edition. - -[81] See Appendix No. I. - -[82] Widmann's 'Recollections.' - -[83] Steiner, p. 33. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - 1895-1897 - - The Meiningen Festival--Visit to Frau Schumann--Festival at - Zürich--Brahms in Berlin--The 'Four Serious Songs'--Geheimrath - Engelmann's visit to Ischl--Frau Schumann's death--Brahms' - illness--He goes to Carlsbad--The Joachim Quartet in - Vienna--Brahms' last Christmas--Brahms and Joachim together for the - last time--The Vienna Philharmonic concert of March 7--Last visits - to old friends--Brahms' death. - - -But few events remain for record in the life which we have now followed -step by step nearly to the end of its progress. Of these few, several -have the pathetic interest of last visits to dear and familiar places -made, so far as appears, without presentiment that they were final. The -composer was present at a three days' festival held in Meiningen -September 27-29; 'the Festival of the three B's,' as it has sometimes -been called, from the circumstance that the programmes were devoted to -works by Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Those of Brahms selected for -performance included the Song of Triumph, the fourth Symphony, the B -flat Pianoforte Concerto, with d'Albert as pianist, the Clarinet Sonatas -performed by the same artist with Mühlfeld, some of the Vocal Quartets, -amongst them the early favourite 'Alternative Dance Song,' and others. - -The festival was an immense success, and the pleasure which the master -derived from the concerts is evident in the following lines written to -Steinbach immediately after the last one: - - 'DEAR FRIEND, - - 'However tempted I may feel, I dare not break in upon your - well-deserved rest; but you shall find my hearty greeting awaiting - you on your happy awakening; how hearty and grateful it is there is - no need to tell you in detail. You must have perceived each day - that you gave me and all who took part in your splendid festival, a - quite exceptional pleasure....'[84] - -Brahms was, of course, a guest at the castle, and he remained on for a -few days after the last concert. Leaving Meiningen on October 3, he -proceeded to Frankfurt on a flying visit to Frau Schumann. Professor -Kufferath of the Brussels Conservatoire, with Mr. and Mrs. Edward -Speyer, accompanied him on the short journey, and were, by his -particular suggestion, invited to spend the evening at Frau Schumann's -house. Professor Kufferath, a pupil of Mendelssohn at Leipzig, and on a -very old footing of intimacy at the Schumanns', had been for more than -twenty years on terms of cordial friendship with Brahms also, though the -two men met but seldom. Frau Schumann's daughters Marie and Eugénie, and -Stockhausen, were the only others present. The hours were spent in -pleasant chat as between old friends, and music was represented only by -a few of Brahms' folk-songs sung by Mrs. Speyer (Fräulein Antonia -Kufferath) to the master's accompaniment. - -Brahms left the next morning, but before his departure he requested his -old friend to play to him. Forty-two years had passed since Schumann had -desired him to play for the first time to her, marking both musicians -with inevitable outward signs. The traces of suffering and sorrow had -deepened of late on Frau Schumann's countenance, but those who were -happy enough to listen to her playing at this period, in the privacy of -her home, knew that her spirit was still young, and Brahms' last -remembrance of the great artist, the remembrance of an old age which had -left the poetry of her genius untouched, will have fitly completed the -long chain of personal associations begun when Schumann called his wife -to rejoice with him in the daring power and romantic enthusiasm of -Johannes' inexperienced youth. When she rose from the piano on that -October morning, the final link had been added. Frau Schumann and -Brahms were not to meet again on earth. - -A four days' festival in October (19-22) to celebrate the inauguration -of the new concert-hall at Zürich seems to carry us more than one stage -nearer the end. It brought Brahms for the last time to Switzerland to -conduct his Triumphlied; a fine close--for as such it may almost be -regarded--to a noble career. - -Let us pause for a moment to picture the robust figure of the composer -as he stands before the vast audience completely filling the brilliantly -lighted hall, and leads with sure, quiet dignity the 'masses of chorus -and orchestra' that swell out in proud tones of thankfulness for his -country's glory. Listen! for with the sounds of the grand old hymn 'Now -thank we all our God' the bells of victory are pealing, and a sensation -of happiness spreads through the mass of hearers, a vibration that stirs -something of the feeling which roused the great German audience at -Cologne to enthusiasm as they listened twenty years ago to the same -jubilant tones. Who so fitted to raise the strain as the patriot citizen -of ancient Hamburg, the unique descendant of the mighty Bach, the -musician of true, rich, loving spirit, conqueror of life and of himself, -our Johannes Brahms? Conqueror, too, of death; for surely we cannot be -mistaken in accepting the likeness of the master, that looks down with -those of the greatest of his art from the painted ceiling of the new -hall, as the symbol of a further life to be his even here on earth, when -he has entered the darkness that is soon to cover him from our sight. - -Brahms was in overflowing spirits during the entire festival, enjoying -the concerts, the private gatherings, the meetings with old friends, in -a mood of harmless gaiety that recalls the Detmold days. - - 'We have seen Brahms and Joachim together again, both in full - vigour; may we not hope for a prolongation of this happy state of - things?' writes Steiner a few days after the festival. - -Widmann was, of course, there, and stayed with Brahms at Hegar's house. -When he bade the master farewell on the day after the concert, the two -friends clasped hands in a final grasp. - -One of Brahms' late public appearances was on the occasion of the -concert given in the Börsendorfer Hall, Vienna, by Signorina Alice Barbi -(now the Baroness Wolff Homersee) shortly before her marriage. He -pleased himself by acting as accompanist to the distinguished -cantatrice, whose programme included a number of his songs. He held the -bâton for the last time on a Vienna platform when he directed the -performance of his Academic Overture by the students of the -conservatoire at the festival concert given to celebrate the -twenty-fifth anniversary (1895) of the opening of the present home of -the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. He officiated for the last time in -public at d'Albert's concert in Berlin of January 10, 1896, conducting -his two Pianoforte Concertos and the Academic Overture, and was received -with the usual enthusiasm. Stanford speaks of being present at a -dinner-party given by Joachim during Brahms' brief visit. - - 'Joachim, in a few well-chosen words, was asking us not to lose the - opportunity of drinking the health of the greatest composer--when, - before he could say the name, Brahms started to his feet, glass in - hand, and calling out "Quite right; here's to Mozart's health," - walked round clinking glasses with us all. His old hatred of - personal eulogy was never more prettily expressed.... The last - vision I had of him was as he sat beside the diminutive form of the - aged Menzel, drinking in, like a schoolboy, every word the great - old artist said with an attitude as full of unaffected reverence as - of unconscious dignity.' - -Of all modern painters, Adolph von Menzel was the most admired by -Brahms. He visited him on several occasions, and spoke of him and his -works with unfailing enthusiasm. - -That the master had realized a competence some years before his -death--more than a competence for one of his extraordinarily simple -habits--is generally known. How he regarded it, how he used it, may have -been but little suspected outside a small circle. His friend and -publisher, the late head of the firm of Simrock, shared his confidence -on the subject more than anyone else, for it was often through his -agency that Brahms' munificence was applied to its object; the -substantial help, perhaps, of a needy musician, or a promising talent. -He contributed more than one large donation to the 'Franz Liszt -Pensionsverein' of Hamburg, a society founded by Liszt in 1840 for the -benefit of aged or disabled members of the Stadt Theater orchestra. -Several authentic stories are told by accidental witnesses of some of -his particular acts of generosity. One has been related to the author by -the Landgraf of Hesse, who was sitting with the master one morning when -a caller appeared with a tale of distress which touched his heart. He -listened quietly, asked some questions, then went to his writing-table, -and, handing his visitor the entire sum of money towards which he was -asked for a contribution, said quietly, 'Take this from me; I do not -need it. I have more money than I want for myself.' This was his usual -formula on such occasions, 'I do not need it,' to which was sometimes -added, 'If you should ever have it in your power, you can pay me back.' - -Brahms' heart was of gold, if ever such existed. He was rough -sometimes--often, perhaps--let it be freely granted. The spoiled humours -of his last two or three years have already been noted; they do not -amount to much. He permitted himself deliberately to repulse strangers -or slight acquaintances when he felt so disposed; necessarily, if his -time and tranquillity were to be protected. Now and then he was -inconsiderate or blunt to his friends. The concentration of mind, the -sacrifice of immediate inclination, the devotion of energy, involved in -the fulfilment of the career of genius are often but imperfectly -realized even by the friends of a famous man. The great poet, the great -painter, the great musician, has his brilliant rewards. He has also his -bitter disappointments, and one of the hardest of these--which is -especially apportioned to the lot of the creative musician--is the -discovery that, as in the case of other princes and sovereigns of the -world, his path in life must be solitary. Brahms may sometimes have -imagined he had reason for his impoliteness; more frequently a gruff -manner, an awkward joke, was the result of a constitutional want of -presence of mind in trifling matters, which frequently caused him to be -misunderstood. His real attitude is expressed in a note published after -his death by Hanslick in the _Neue Freie Presse_ article from which we -have already more than once quoted.[85] Hanslick had sent him a packet -of letters to read, and had inadvertently enclosed in it one from a -mutual friend which contained a comparison of Beethoven and Brahms. In -it were these words: - - 'He is often offensively rough to his friends like Beethoven, and - is as little able as Beethoven was to free himself entirely from - the effects of a neglected education.' - -Hanslick was very much upset on remembering what he had done, and -immediately wrote to Brahms to throw himself on his mercy and beg his -silence on the matter. The master immediately answered: - - 'DEAR FRIEND - - 'You need not be in the least uneasy. I scarcely read ----'s - letter, but put it back at once into the cover, and only gently - shook my head. I am not to say anything to him--Ah, dear friend, - that happens, unfortunately, quite of itself in my case! That one - is taken even by old acquaintances and friends for something quite - different from what one is (or, apparently, shows one's self in - their eyes) is an old experience with me. I remember how I, - startled and confounded, formerly kept silence in such cases; now - however, quite calmly and as a matter of course. That will sound - harsh or severe to you, good and kind man--yet I hope not to have - wandered too far from Goethe's saying, "Blessed is he who, without - hate, shuts himself from the world."' - -Brahms was ready for another journey to Italy in the spring, but Widmann -was unable to accompany him, and he passed his sixty-third birthday -anniversary in Vienna. When it dawned, the work that was for a short -time generally accepted as his swan-song had been completed. Deiters -writes that the immediate occasion of the composition of the 'Four -Serious Songs' was the death of the artist Max Klinger's father, which -occurred earlier in the year. The not unnatural assumption that has -sometimes seen in these solemn utterances of the great composer a -presentiment of his own fast-approaching end may or may not represent a -fact. It has not been accepted by those of his friends amongst whom he -passed the last few months of his life, and certainly nothing that is -known of his individuality lends likelihood to the notion of his going -out, as it were, to meet the thought of his death. On the other hand, -his repeated assertion that the songs had been composed for his own -birthday points to the possibility that his mind may have been under the -influence of forebodings of which he was, perhaps, but vaguely -conscious. 'Yes, Grüber, we are in the front line now,' he said to his -landlord on hearing of the death of some of the old people in the course -of one of his last summers at Ischl. - -The 'Four Serious Songs' were published in the summer of 1896 with a -dedication to Max Klinger, his personal friend, of whose work, including -that inspired by his own compositions, he became a warm admirer, though -he at first disliked the painter's 'Brahms Fantasie.' - -Three of the songs deal grimly with the thought of death (Eccles. iii. -19-22, iv. 1-3; Ecclus. xli. 1, 2); the fourth has for its text St. -Paul's beautiful glorification of love (1 Cor. xiii. 1-3, 12, 13): - - '_For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; as the - one dieth, so dieth the other, for all is vanity...._ - - '_Though I spake with the tongues of men and of angels, and had not - love, I should be as sounding brass or a tinkling bell...._ - - '_We see now through a glass, in a dark word, but then face to - face. Now I know it partly, but then I shall know it as I am - known._ - - '_Now remain faith, hope, love; but the greatest is love._' - -It is certain that Brahms speaks to us in the songs from the depth of -his convictions. Herr Geheimrath Dr. Engelmann arrived one evening in -the course of the summer on a day's visit to Ischl. Brahms called at his -hotel at six o'clock the next morning, and after breakfast brought his -friend back to his rooms, where they spent several hours together. The -composer was in delight over some lately-arrived volumes of the complete -edition of Schubert's works, then in progress, and could not -sufficiently express his joy in their contents. 'See here,' he said, -with his energetic enthusiasm, as he pointed to one place after another -with beaming face and lightening eyes--'see here, what a splendid fellow -he was! People talk of him as a mere melodist, but look what material he -had even in his early works; look what the melodies are, how they grow.' -By-and-by, taking up a copy of the 'Four Serious Songs,' he said: 'Have -you seen my protest? I wrote these for my birthday.' - -The explanation of these words is that the master viewed with mistrust, -or even dislike, modern efforts to revivify and popularize the services -of the Evangelical Church by the introduction of sacred musical works -composed for the purpose, of which those of Heinrich von Herzogenberg -may be taken as the type. Brahms, who subscribed to no church dogmas, -regarded this tendency as artificial, and therefore as weak and -unhealthy, and much as he admired Herzogenberg's powers, he regretted -that they were dominated during the last ten years of his creative -activity by his strong ecclesiastical bias.[86] Brahms' love of the -Bible and his preference for Scriptural texts was, as we know, not that -of what is conventionally called a 'pietist.' He spoke in the language -of the people's book as a realist who was at the same time an idealist. -He has so arranged the texts of his German Requiem that it would be -difficult to construe the work as the embodiment of a definite belief, -and he expressly refused to enlarge it into an account of the Passion, -Death, and Resurrection of Christ; and yet, as we have endeavoured to -show, it contains the presentiment, the inspiration, of something -positive. From Brahms' standpoint the attempt to go behind the mysteries -of life and death, to construct the unspeakable, the unthinkable, into -verbal formulæ, is not only predoomed to failure, but is almost -irreverent. Yet, as we may remember, 'he had his faith,' and if anything -may be judged of it from the story of his life, the spirit of his works, -this faith lay in acceptance of the immutability of truth, the -sacredness of life, and the sovereignty of love. - -Brahms had been settled in his rooms at Ischl scarcely a fortnight, when -he was profoundly shaken by the tidings of Frau Schumann's death. She -passed away peacefully at her home in Frankfurt on May 20, in the -seventy-seventh year of her age, and was laid to rest by her husband's -side at Bonn on Whit Sunday, May 24. The story of her life, triply -crowned by fame, love, and sorrow, remains amongst the ideal possessions -of the world. - -A great crowd of musicians and friends assembled at the funeral, those -of Frankfurt, Bonn, and Cologne being strongly represented. The custom -of the ceremony had changed with time since Johannes had borne Frau -Clara's laurel-wreath to Schumann's grave, and on the conclusion of the -service, which consisted of the singing of chorales and an address by -Dr. Sell of Bonn University, more than two hundred floral tributes were -piled up around the spot. Joachim with Herzogenberg, bound by Italian -engagements, had attended a service held in the Schumanns' house at -Frankfurt. Woldemar Bargiel and Bernhard Scholz were at the cemetery, -and of our own particular musicians, Stockhausen and Brahms. Another -last meeting. - -On the termination of the service, Brahms, whose agitation had been very -unpleasantly heightened during his journey from Ischl by the delay of a -train, and his consequent anxiety lest he should be late, went to Honnef -to stay till the next day with Herr and Frau Wehermann, the near -relatives of his Crefeld friends, the von Beckeraths and von der Leyens, -who were at the time on a visit there. Professor Richard Barth and his -wife, Dr. Ophüls, and two of the Meiningen musicians, Concertmeister -Eldering and Herr Piening, were also of the party. The master was very -much excited and overcome on his arrival at Honnef, but the soothing -influence of the Rhine country, so closely associated with the -recollections of his youth, did him good, and he prolonged his visit to -nearly a week. Confiding to Barth the day after his arrival that he had -with him something new, which he would like to play very quietly to one -or two chosen listeners, his three most intimate friends retired with -him to a room secure from interruption, impressed by his manner with the -feeling that something unusual was about to ensue. When the little party -had taken their places, Brahms, with every sign of the most profound -emotion, which communicated itself to his companions, played through the -'Four Serious Songs' from the manuscript. 'I wrote them for my -birthday,' he said in the same words which he afterwards used to Dr. -Engelmann. He then played some new organ preludes. - -He was agreeably interested in Dr. Ophüls' project of arranging a -collection of his composed texts. 'I have often wished for such a thing, -for though I do not care to look closely at my music, it would be quite -pleasant to recall it now and then by reading the texts.' The collection -was completed during the ensuing months, and the manuscript placed in -the master's hands.[87] - -Brahms appeared unannounced in Vienna in the middle of June to take part -in the family celebration of Dr. and Frau Fellinger's silver wedding -day. Returning immediately to Ischl, he spent the next few weeks in his -usual fashion, though neither mind nor body really recovered the double -shock of Frau Schumann's death and of the anxious journey to Bonn. He -occupied himself still with his art, and on June 24 had completed seven -organ preludes, which he played to Heuberger on that date at Ischl. -'Splendid pieces,' says Heuberger's diary; and in another entry, dated -July 5: 'Brahms' things must have been sent away already, for he has -promised to show me _new_ compositions.'[88] These were, no doubt, some -more preludes. Eleven were found after Brahms' death, the last four -being written on a different kind of paper from that used for the first -seven. - -The 'Elf Chorale-Vorspiele' (Eleven Chorale-Preludes) for organ are -instrumental movements founded, as their name implies, upon some of the -grand old church tunes for which Germany is famous. They are worked in -florid counterpoint in a style which may be studied, also, in the organ -preludes contained in the third volume of the Leipzig Society's edition -of Bach's works, and are written with an ease to which no other composer -than Brahms has attained in this style since Bach's day. That the great -modern master had studied it during the years of his retirement in the -fifties, before he was in possession of the Society's volumes, seems -certain, from the fact that three old books of Bach's Chorale-Preludes -once belonging to Brahms are still in existence. One, bearing Brahms' -pencil autograph, is in manuscript, possibly that of his father or -brother; the others are early published editions.[89] - -The majority of the chorales selected for treatment in 1896 have death -for their subject, and are written in the profoundly serious vein to -which we are accustomed in the composer's sacred works. The fourth -prelude, 'Herzlich thut mich erfreuen,' is in a somewhat lighter vein -than the others, but is, none the less, absolutely and distinctly -Brahms. One of the most delicately touching is the eighth, 'Es ist ein -Ros' entsprungen.' 'Herzlich thut mir' is the subject of two of the -movements, 'O Welt ich muss dich lassen' of two, of which one is the -eleventh and last. - -It is impossible that we can be mistaken in accepting the -Chorale-Preludes, together with the 'Four Serious Songs' which -immediately preceded them, as indicating the bent of the composer's -thoughts during his last year of life, and we involuntarily apply to -them the words, quoted in the preceding chapter, used by Brahms in -reference to Schumann's theme. They speak to us 'as the message of a -spirit about to depart, and we think with reverence and emotion of the -glorious man and artist.' Nevertheless, a note written by the composer -to Frau Caroline on August 13 contains little sign of his depressed -condition. It opens with charming, simple comments on his stepmother's -last little budget of home news, urges a tour in Norway and Sweden on -Fritz Schnack--'it would give me real pleasure if he would do it, and -tell me all about it afterwards'--and ends: - - 'The summer is not exactly fine, but whoever, like myself, rises - early and can go out walking when he will, may be content and there - are innumerable beautiful walks here. I hope you will continue so - well and write sometimes to - - 'Your heartily greeting JOHANNES.'[90] - -It had not escaped the notice of Brahms' friends, however, that his -ruddy complexion had changed to a yellow colour, and some of them were -courageous enough to speak to him about his health, and urge him to -consult a doctor. At first he showed much annoyance when the subject was -broached, and turned it off impatiently with the reply that, as he never -used a glass, he did not know how he looked. But the uneasiness felt -about his condition increased, and he was at length persuaded to seek -medical advice in Vienna. The doctor whom he consulted did not issue an -alarmist report, but, pronouncing him to be suffering from jaundice, -ordered him to Carlsbad for the 'cure.' Much against his will, the -master, who hated the very idea of waters and cures, and who prided -himself on never having being ill in his life, gave up some pleasant -Ischl engagements, and started on September 2 for Carlsbad. He was met -at the station by two friends of Hanslick, Herr Emil Seling and -Musikdirektor Janetschek, who took him to the 'Stadt Brussels,' near the -Hirschensprung. Here, during the fine autumn days which succeeded the -wet summer, he made himself content, and even wrote cheerful reports to -his friends, in which he expressed satisfaction at having been obliged -to make the acquaintance of the celebrated watering-place. He was the -object of much considerate and respectful attention, which seemed to -cheer him; and Faber came to be near him, accompanied him in his daily -walks, and took tender care of him. - -The report written to Hanslick by the distinguished Carlsbad physician -Dr. Grünberger, after three weeks' careful observation, was ominous. -There was considerable swelling of the liver, with complete blocking of -the gall-passages, and the inevitable results--jaundice, indigestion, -etc. The eminent medical authority could not but regard the condition of -his patient as 'very serious.' - -No more definite name was given to the malady on the master's return to -Vienna after some six weeks' treatment at Carlsbad, and his request that -he should be told 'nothing unpleasant' was scrupulously observed. He -went about as before, dining more frequently, however, with his most -intimate friends the Fellingers, Fabers, Millers, Conrats, Strauss' and -von Hornbostels, and often accepting the offer from one and another of a -seat in a box at the Burg Theater. He became very testy if asked how he -was or if told that he looked better, and answered to every inquiry, -'Each day a little worse,' but continued in letters to his stepmother -and other friends at a distance to keep up the fiction that he was -suffering from an ordinary jaundice which only needed patience. Those -who loved him, however, looked with dismay at the alteration that was -taking place in his appearance. The yellow colour, which had been the -first striking symptom of his condition, was changing gradually to a -darker hue, the bulky figure shrinking to terrible emaciation; the firm -gait was beginning to falter, the head was no longer held erect. A visit -to Vienna, early in December, of Joachim and his colleagues of the -Quartet gave him touching pleasure; he was with them as much as possible -during the day, and generally remained with them, after attending their -concerts, until late at night. He continued to take interest in -important new compositions, and begged Hausmann to come to his rooms to -play him Dvorák's Violoncello Concerto. He accompanied the entire work -on the piano, and broke into enthusiastic admiration at the end of each -movement, exclaiming after the last one, 'Had I known that such a -violoncello concerto as that could be written, I would have tried to -compose one myself!' - -He not only spent Christmas Eve with the Fellingers, but invited himself -to dine with them also on December 25, 26, and 27. Frau Fellinger gave -him a 'secco,' a soft, short coat, as one of her Christmas presents, and -it seemed a sort of comfort to him to put it on when he was at the -house, where it was kept in readiness for his use, and to sit quietly in -the family sitting-rooms without need of exerting himself. After dinner -on the 27th he raised his glass, saying, 'To our meeting in the New -Year,' but by-and-by added, pointing downwards, 'But I shall soon be -there.' He dined again on New Year's Day with the same dear friends, -whose joy it was to feel that they were privileged to afford him some -solace in his weakness and suffering. - -The Joachim party returned to Vienna after a tour in the Austrian -provinces, and gave two concluding concerts in the Börsendorfer Hall on -January 1 and 2, 1897. Ill as he was, Brahms not only attended both -concerts, but came on the morning of the 2nd to Joachim's rooms at the -Hôtel Tegethof to listen to the rehearsal of his G major Quintet, which -was in the evening's programme. He derived peculiar pleasure from -hearing it. 'That is not a bad piece,' he said, as though half ignoring -that it was his own. The scene which took place after the performance of -the work in the evening is remembered with emotion by those who took -part in it. It was the final one in the friendship of Brahms and -Joachim--a friendship as striking and interesting as any contained in -the history of art. Its character may be suggested to the reader's -imagination in a few words written to the author by the great musician -whose love and recognition Brahms enjoyed from beginning to end of his -career. - - 'He had great pleasure that evening in the G major Quintet. It was - touching to see him come before the public to acknowledge the - enthusiasm aroused by his work. The tears were in his eyes and he - was very weak. The people cheered and cheered endlessly.' - -Thus the master's state gradually changed for the worse. He dined with -the Fellingers in the middle of the day on February 7, and seemed -excited and restless throughout the meal. When it was at an end, he -intimated that he wished to be alone with Dr. and Frau Fellinger, and, -retiring with them, began to speak about his affairs. He desired, he -said, to make a new will, but dreaded the necessary formalities to such -a degree that he knew not how to resolve to go through them. Would it -not be possible to arrange his affairs quietly without having to speak -about them with strangers? Dr. Fellinger said it could be done, and that -by the Austrian law things could be so managed that there need not even -be witnesses. The master remained for four hours--from two till six -o'clock--with Dr. and Frau Fellinger, discussed his affairs in minute -detail, and asked Dr. Fellinger to be his curator. He seemed relieved at -the end of the conversation, and stayed on with the family, chatting -about other topics. The following morning Dr. Fellinger took to the -composer at his rooms in Carlsgasse the copy of a will which he had -drawn out to meet Brahms' expressed desires, and explained to him that -he had only to write it out himself, date and sign his name to it, and -it would be valid according to Austrian law. Brahms, who was on the -point of starting out to his dinner, expressed himself as glad and -relieved, and placed the paper in a drawer of his writing-table; and Dr. -Fellinger, pleased to have cheered him, returned home with the -conviction that he would copy it without delay. The master did not -return to the subject at any future meeting with his friends, whilst -they, believing the matter to have been finally settled, did not again -allude to it. - -February passed, and Brahms grew continually worse. Every day he spent a -good deal of time in looking through and destroying old letters and -other papers. 'It is so sad,' he would say, when one or other intimate -friend called and found him thus employed, his stove filled with ashes. -He attended the Philharmonic concert on March 7, when Dvorák's -Violoncello Concerto, played by Hugo Becker, and his own fourth Symphony -in E minor were in the programme. Going into the concert-room he met his -old friend Gänsbacher. 'Ah,' he said, 'you have been so often to see me, -and I cannot go to you, I am so suffering;' then, rousing himself a -little, went on, 'You will hear a piece to-day, a piece by a man!' -(Dvorák's concerto). - -The fourth symphony had never become a favourite work in Vienna. -Received with reserve on its first performance, it had not since gained -much more from the general public of the city than the respect sure to -be accorded there to an important work by Brahms. To-day, however, a -storm of applause broke out at the end of the first movement, not to be -quieted until the composer, coming to the front of the 'artists'' box in -which he was seated, showed himself to the audience. The demonstration -was renewed after the second and the third movements, and an -extraordinary scene followed the conclusion of the work. The applauding, -shouting house, its gaze riveted on the figure standing in the balcony, -so familiar and yet in present aspect so strange, seemed unable to let -him go. Tears ran down his cheeks as he stood there shrunken in form, -with lined countenance, strained expression, white hair hanging lank; -and through the audience there was a feeling as of a stifled sob, for -each knew that they were saying farewell. Another outburst of applause -and yet another; one more acknowledgment from the master; and Brahms and -his Vienna had parted for ever. - -Brahms appeared after the concert at a luncheon-party given by Excellenz -Dumba, a distinguished protector of art in Vienna. About twenty-five -gentlemen, chiefly artists and art-lovers, and the ladies of the house -were present. Brahms was placed near to several of his intimate -friends--Epstein, Conrat, Hanslick, Gänsbacher, and Mandyczewski--but he -was not able to remain long. Within a few days of this date his Ischl -landlady received a postcard from him announcing his intention of going -to Ischl earlier than usual, and desiring that his rooms might be got -ready. The last opera he heard was his friend Goldmark's 'Das Heimchen'; -he entered a theatre for the last time on March 13, sitting with -Hanslick at the production of Johann Strauss' 'Die Göttin der Vernunft,' -but was obliged to leave at the end of the second act, and, much against -his will, suffered a friend to accompany him home in a cab. - -From this time he grew rapidly worse. He complained that he could no -longer remember what he read, but wished for Busch's 'Bismarck,' the -last book with which he tried to occupy himself. He soon became unable -to take a walk even in a friend's care, and Dr. Victor von Miller called -every day in his carriage to take him to drive in the Prater, where the -fresh air somewhat revived him. His strength of will remained phenomenal -to the last. He dragged himself to a rehearsal of the Roeger-Soldat -Quartet party held at Frau Wittgenstein's less than a fortnight before -his death, to hear Weber's Clarinet Quintet with Mühlfeld's -co-operation. A performance of the work at Meiningen had particularly -pleased him, and its inclusion in the Soldat programme was by his -suggestion. In the same week he paid his last visit to the Fabers, and, -whilst ascending the staircase to their flat, nearly fainted with pain. -Herr Faber revived him, and got him on to the drawing-room sofa, where -he sat exhausted, his head on his breast. He was obliged to leave the -family dinner-table of some other intimate friends, and, retiring to the -next room, sank down in agony. Frau Fellinger was ill at this time, and -unable to leave her room. Brahms' last call of inquiry at her house was -made on March 19. - -The master was very gentle during the last months of his life, and -touchingly grateful for every attention shown him. His evenings were of -necessity passed in his rooms, for he firmly refused all the entreaties -of his friends that he would take up his abode in one or another house. -Every evening at dusk he used to place himself at the piano, and -improvise softly for about half an hour, and when too tired to -continue, would sit by the window gazing out on the familiar scene till -long after darkness had set in. On March 24 Frau Door, who had always -been a favourite with him, called to take him a bunch of violets. She -was not admitted, but, observing Dr. von Miller's carriage before the -house door, waited near the entrance, hoping to see Brahms pass out. He -came down in about half an hour leaning on his friend's arm, and, -noticing Frau Door, gave her his hand. 'I am very ill' (Mir geht es sehr -schlecht), he answered faintly to her inquiry. He did not go out again. -The next day Conrat was admitted, and was sitting talking quietly with -him, when Brahms, who was on the sofa smoking, suddenly dropped his -head. 'There must be something in it,' he muttered. Conrat gently left -the room without disturbing him. On the 26th the physician wrote word to -Frau Fellinger that all chance of moving him was over. Brahms did not -leave his bed again. His two or three closest friends were constantly at -his side, whilst his landlady, Frau Truxa, was his faithful and devoted -nurse. He spoke little during the last days, and was too weak to notice -much of what was passing in his room, but he managed on the 29th to -write a few pencil lines from his bed to Frau Caroline: - - 'D. M. For the sake of change I am lying down a little and cannot, - therefore, write comfortably. Otherwise there is no alteration and - as usual, I only need patience. - - 'Affectionately your JOH.'[91] - -A few more weary days and nights, during which the beloved master's life -ebbed rapidly away, bring us to the early morning of April 3. He had -lost consciousness several times in the night and been restored, and had -recognised Faber, who, calling at about six o'clock and performing some -slight service for him, caught the whispered words, 'Du bist ein guter -Mensch' (You are a kind man). It is now nearly nine o'clock, and Brahms -has fallen asleep. Early messages of inquiry have been answered, and -the doctor, who has been at hand during the night, has departed, -promising soon to return. The day has begun with the bright spring -promise that the master was wont to greet year after year with joyful -welcome; the sun shines, a soft breeze enters through the open window; -outside there is a twittering of birds. Near the bed sits the untiring -nurse, noticing the signs of the fast-approaching end. A movement from -the bed claims her assistance. Brahms has opened his eyes, and tries to -raise himself. With Frau Truxa's help he attains a sitting posture, and, -looking at her, tries to speak. The lips move, but the tongue has lost -its power, and he can only utter an inarticulate sound. Great tears roll -down his cheeks; a last sigh, a last breath, and he sinks back, -supported by gentle hands, on to his pillow, rid of his sufferings, -passed quietly to his rest.[92] - -Dr. von Miller, whose house was in the vicinity, was the first of the -friends to receive intelligence of the master's decease. He hurried at -once to Carlsgasse, and was immediately joined by Dr. Fellinger and Herr -Faber. Many others called during the morning, some of whom were admitted -to look at the still features, smoothed by the caress of death into an -expression of noble serenity. A sketch was taken by the painter -Michalek, a mask by Professor Kundemann, a photograph by a private -friend. The cause of death was certified, after a medical examination of -the remains, as degeneration of the liver. The body, in evening dress, -was placed the same afternoon in the coffin, and the room arranged with -candelabra containing lighted candles; on a crimson cushion were -displayed the various orders of the deceased composer. The next day the -arrival began of the flowers, wreaths, crosses, and other floral -tributes that transformed the room into a temple of beauty. - -On the afternoon of the 4th General-Secretary Koch, Dr. Fellinger, and -Herr Faber met in the dwelling, and searched for a will in the presence -of a notary, but only found one written in May, 1891, on two sheets of -paper, the last of them signed and dated, in the form of a letter to -Simrock. This, a legally competent document in its original form, except -for the slight omission of the signature on the first sheet of -paper--which, under the indisputable circumstances establishing the -authenticity of the will, would not have rendered it invalid--had been -returned to the master at his own request by Simrock some time -subsequent to the death of his sister, Elise Grund, in 1892. It was -found, however, to have been marked by Brahms in pencil, some of the -clauses lined out, whilst notes in the margin indicated designed -alterations. These were in exact correspondence with the wishes -expressed by Brahms in February to Dr. and Frau Fellinger, and embodied -by Dr. Fellinger in the paper he had delivered into the hands of the -composer to be copied by himself and signed. Another search was made the -next day, therefore, but it proved fruitless. Only Dr. Fellinger's -manuscript was found, and it must be presumed that Brahms had put off -the dreaded task from day to day in the hope of feeling more capable of -it, until his strength was no longer equal to its fulfilment. Nothing -remained, therefore, but to apply to the proper authorities for the -nomination of a curator in order that the necessary arrangements might -be proceeded with. This was done; Dr. Fellinger was appointed, and on -the afternoon of the 5th the sitting-room which, with the small inner -room leading from it, contained Brahms library, manuscripts, and other -possessions, was formally sealed. The coffin was closed the same day. - -As soon as the master's death became known, the offer of an honorary -grave was made by the city of Vienna. There was no hesitation in -accepting it, but a deliberation was held as to whether the remains -should be taken direct to the Central Friedhof or should be cremated at -Gotha, according to directions contained in the letter to Simrock, and -the ashes only deposited in Vienna. The remembrance of a few words -dropped by Brahms himself when speaking of the 'sacred spot' which -contains the graves of Beethoven and Schubert decided the point. It was -felt that he would have chosen to rest in the place selected for him: -the particular garden of the Friedhof in which the remains of Beethoven -and Schubert lie, and which is sacred also to the memory of Mozart. - - 'All musical Vienna accompanied the great dead to the grave on the - afternoon of April 6 and a stranger not knowing the man's greatness - might have measured it by the number of prominent artists mingling - in the great assemblage of the funeral procession, by the - celebrated men and women who came from afar to show the last honour - to Brahms.' - -Till the hour appointed for the commencement of the ceremony deputations -continued to arrive, from various parts of Europe, from the numerous -societies of which the composer had been an honorary member, and -telegrams and messages to pour in. At one o'clock a deputation from the -Hamburg Senate was admitted to the house to lay a magnificent wreath on -the coffin side by side with that from the Corporation of Vienna. -Wreaths had been sent by the Queen of Hanover, the Duke of Cumberland, -the Princess Marie of Hanover, Duke George of Saxe-Meiningen, the -Princess Marie of Saxe-Meiningen, Helene, Baroness von Heldburg, and -innumerable private friends known and unknown to Brahms; by the Society -of Plastic Arts, Committee of the Opera, Gesellschaft, and other -societies of Vienna; by the Philharmonic Society, Society of -Music-lovers, Cecilia Society of Hamburg; by the Royal Academy of Arts, -Berlin; by the various musical societies of Berlin, Leipzig, Budapest, -Cologne, Salzburg, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Jena, Laubach, Lemberg, Graz, -St. Petersburg, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cambridge, Basle, Zürich, and many -other towns. Six cars scarcely sufficed to hold them. - -The arrangements of the public funeral with which the city of Vienna -honoured the remains of the great composer formed a singular contrast to -the simplicity which had marked the daily habits of his life. Details -may be read in the journals of the time. We shall confine ourselves to -the record of a few of those appropriate to our narrative. The cortège, -followed by the long train of mourners, started from Carlsgasse about -half-past two, and, proceeding to the building of the Gesellschaft der -Musikfreunde, halted before the principal entrance, where arrangements -had been made for a short ceremony, consisting of an address by Herr -Direktor J. R. Fuchs, of the conservatoire, and the singing of Brahms' -part-song 'Fahr'wohl,' for unaccompanied chorus, under the direction of -Richard von Perger, conductor of the Singverein. The procession then -passed on to the Evangelical Church in Dorotheenstrasse, where the -clergy and choir and several of the city dignitaries were assembled. -After the coffin had been carried into the church, the choir sang -Mendelssohn's 'Es ist bestimmt in Gottes' Rath.' The funeral address was -delivered by Dr. von Zimmermann, who especially dwelt on the inspiration -derived by the deceased composer's art from the pages of the Bible, on -his love for children and the childlike spirit, and on his sympathy with -distress. - - 'Wherever he could bring support to the unknown sufferer, the - laborious striver, the helpless, the dying, there, in the man who, - in his own habits, was frugal to the verge of parsimony, was found - the most eager benefactor. The master Johannes Brahms is not dead. - His spirit has conquered death and has entered into the light and - blessed world of the pure harmonies of peace.' - -At the entrance to the Friedhof the coffin was surrounded by personal -friends of the deceased composer, carrying lighted wind-torches, and was -accompanied by them to the grave. They were Ignaz Brüll, Anton Dvorák, -Arthur Faber, Dr. Fellinger, Robert Fuchs, Richard Heuberger, Max -Kalbeck, Ludwig Koch, Eusebius Mandyczewski, Dr. von Miller-Aichholz, -Richard von Perger. At the grave-side Dr. von Perger spoke a few words -of last farewell: - - 'This sacred place is now to receive the mortal remains of our - great contemporary. He who has so enriched and blessed the whole - world, what has he been to us musicians! In the light which - streamed from his creative genius, his penetrating - art-comprehension, we were able to look up confidently to his - incomparable mastership, to his lofty, unbending artistic - intelligence. Amid the countless paths and by-paths which to-day - intersect the domain of musical art, we were guided by the torch - held high and secure by the hand of her first priest. He has met - his worthy spiritual brothers, indeed, for the first time to-day in - this resting-place, but he was always a simple, sympathetic friend - to his living colleagues in art, in spite of the great distance - which raised him above them; always a helper of uprising talent, a - sure and faithful friend in adversity and suffering.... Here thou - restest now, thou blessed of heaven, in this vast, awful - world-solitude; clouds of light float above thee and that of thee - which is immortal floats with them through eternal spaces. Ade - Meister Johannes, fahr'wohl, fahr'wohl.' - -Joachim was in England at the time of Brahms' death, fulfilling -long-contracted engagements. Stockhausen, now a man of seventy-three, -and not in strong health, was at this period unequal to a hurried and -distressing journey from Frankfurt to Vienna. - -Memorial performances were given by the Cecilia Verein, Hamburg, on -April 5, the day preceding the funeral; by the Vienna Gesellschaft on -the 11th; by the Beethoven-Haus Verein, Bonn, in May; by the Royal High -School for Music, Berlin, in the summer; and by innumerable musical -societies of Europe and America during the season 1897-98. In nearly all -instances the German Requiem formed part of such concerts as were -orchestral. - -A clause in Brahms' will provided that any of his unpublished works -found in his rooms after death should be the property of Simrock. There -was one opus only--the eleven Organ Preludes. With them were the -arrangements, as pianoforte duets, of Joachim's two overtures referred -to in an earlier chapter. All three works were published in 1902, a -delay of five years having been caused by difficulties that arose in -connection with the will. Apart from detail, these may be generally -stated as follows: - -Brahms is said to have left, besides his library, which included -valuable autograph musical manuscripts, and a very few personal -possessions, about £20,000 in investments. In the original will three -societies--the Liszt Pensions-Verein of Hamburg, the Czerny Verein and -the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde of Vienna--were named as the -inheritors, subject to the payment of a legacy to the composer's -landlady, Frau Truxa, and of two life-annuities--one to his stepmother, -Frau Caroline Brahms, to be continued after her death to her son, Fritz -Schnack, for his life; the other to Brahms' sister, Elise Grund. These -would practically account for the time being for the income arising from -the investments. - -In the absence of any legally valid document, about twenty cousins of -various degrees of kinship came forward, in answer to advertisements in -the newspapers, as claimants to the property. Litigation ensued, and was -protracted through several years. The original process and the first -appeal were determined in favour of the societies; the second appeal -reversed these decisions, and declared the blood relations to be the -heirs. To prevent the further expense and delay of another appeal, a -compromise was now arrived at by the contending parties, and the general -results of the will, the law-processes, and the compromise have been -that the blood relations have been recognised as the heirs to all but -the library, which is now in the possession of the Gesellschaft der -Musikfreunde; that Frau Truxa's legacy has been paid; and that certain -sums accepted by the societies, by which they will ultimately benefit, -have been invested, and the income arising from them secured for the -payment of the life-annuity to Herr Schnack. (Frau Caroline Brahms died -in the spring of 1902.) - -Projects for the erection of memorials to the master in Hamburg, Vienna, -and Meiningen, were set on foot soon after his death. The first to be -completed has been that now standing in the 'English Garden' at -Meiningen, the unveiling of which was made the occasion of a Memorial -Festival in October, 1899. The bust of the master which it displays is -the work of Professor Hildebrandt. - -The memorial erected at the grave by the heirs, after the final -settlement of the property, designed and executed by Fräulein Ilse -Conrat, was unveiled on May 7, 1903, the seventieth anniversary of -Brahms' birth. It consists of a marble bust and pedestal in front of a -marble headstone, on which are allegorical figures in bas-relief. - -Memorial tablets have been placed by the respective municipalities on -the houses in which Brahms lived in Vienna, Ischl, and Thun, and the -garden of the house at Mürz Zuschlag has been bought by the town and -made into a music-garden. A bronze bust of the master by Frau Dr. -Fellinger stands in the musicians' pavilion. - -A Brahms-Haus has been erected by Dr. von Miller-Aichholz in his private -grounds at Gmünden, the rooms of which are constructed to the exact -dimensions of those occupied by Brahms in Ischl, and furnished with the -Ischl furniture as it used to stand. They contain an interesting -collection of musical and other autographs of the master, photographs, -programmes, and other mementos. - -A Brahms Society has been formed in Vienna for the purpose of collecting -and preserving all available mementos in a special museum. - -Our task is now completed. If it should prove to have been so far -successfully accomplished as to suggest to our readers at all a true -conception of the character and individuality of Brahms, to throw some -additional light upon the spirit which dictated the composition of his -works, our aim will have been achieved. It is as yet far too soon to -attempt any surmise as to the exact ultimate place that he will occupy -amongst the great ones of his art. Schumann's words, however, spoken -rather more than half a century ago, which proclaimed Johannes as the -prophet destined to give ideal presentment to the highest spirit of his -time, have, even now, been surely proved true. Brahms stands immovable -in his position as the representative of the musical thought of the -ages as it has gradually developed through three hundred and fifty years -from Palestrina's day to his own; and in his works dwells the high and -beautiful spirit--the essential spirit of life--which, whilst it knows -no compromise with truth, works out its appointed course in 'faith and -hope and love, these three; and the greatest of them is love.' - -[84] Reimann, p. 109. - -[85] _July 1, 1897._ - -[86] See for an account of Herzogenberg's church music 'Heinrich von -Herzogenberg und die evangelischen Kirchenmusik,' by Friedrich Spitta. -Reprint from the _Monatschrift für Gottesdienst und kirchliche Kunst_, -1900, No. 11. - -[87] Preface to the 'Vollständige Sammlung der von Johannes Brahms -componirten und musikalisch bearbeiteten Dichtungen,' by Dr. G. Ophüls. - -[88] 'Der musikalische Nachlass von Johannes Brahms,' by Ludwig Karpath. -_Signale_, March 26, 1902. - -[89] In the author's possession. - -[90] First published by Reimann, p. 118. - -[91] Reimann, p. 118. - -[92] See 'Am Sterbebett Brahms,' by Celestine Truxa, _Neue Freie -Presse_, May 7, 1903. - - - - -CHRONOLOGICAL CATALOGUE OF THE PUBLISHED WORKS OF JOHANNES BRAHMS - -_The references are to the pages of this work._ - - -----+--------------------------------+-----------+---------------------- - OP. | TITLE OF WORK. | PUBLISHED | PAGES. - | | [93] | - -----+--------------------------------+-----------+---------------------- - 1 | Sonata in C major for | 1853 | I. 98, 109, 116, 118, - | Pianoforte | | 129, 131, 132, - | | | 139, 140, 141, - | | | 144, 154, 170, - | | | 281; - | | | II. 180. - 2 | Sonata in F sharp minor for | 1853 | I. 93, 116, 132, 141, - | Pianoforte | | 144, 176, 177, - | | | 281; - | | | II. 180. - 3 | Six Songs for Tenor or | 1854 | I. 141, 145. - | Soprano[94] | | - 4 | Scherzo in E flat minor for | 1854 | I. 90, 108, 116, 131, - | Pianoforte | | 132, 138, 140, - | | | 141, 144, 281; - | | | II. 71. - 5 | Sonata in F minor for | 1854 | I. 117, 133, 135, - | Pianoforte | | 144, 172, 193; - | | | II. 150. - 6 | Six Songs for Soprano or Tenor | 1853 | I. 141, 144, 145. - 7 | Six Songs for one voice | 1854 | I. 145, 167. - 8 | Trio in B major for Pianoforte,| 1854 | I. 154, 161-163, 167, - | Violin and Violoncello | | 193, 215, 217, - | | | 273, 281. - | The same; revised edition | 1891 | I. 162; II. 242. - 9 | Variations on a theme by | 1854 | I. 160, 161, 167, - | Schumann for Pianoforte | | 171, 193, 281. - 10 | Ballades for Pianoforte | 1856 | I. 166, 173, 174, - | | | 191; - | | | II. 103. - 11 | Serenade in D major for large | 1860 | I. 220, 223, 233, - | Orchestra | | 236, 237, 249, - | | | 257, 272, 281; - | | | II. 11-13, 21, 39, - | | | 88. - 12 | Ave Maria for women's Chorus | 1861 | I. 239, 241, 246, - | with accompaniment for | | 256, 257, 281. - | Orchestra or Organ | | - 13 | Funeral Song for Chorus and | 1861 | I. 245, 246, 256, - | Wind instruments | | 263, 281. - 14 | Songs and Romances for one | 1861 | I. 257; - | voice | | II. 82. - 15 | Concerto in D minor for | | I. 30, 167, 207, 220, - | Pianofortewith accompaniment | | 222, 223, 225-235, - | for Orchestra | | 256, 257, 281; - | | | II. 38, 42, 101, - | | | 102-104, 136, - | | | 145, 146, 198. - 16 | Serenade in A major for small | 1860 | I. 247, 257, 260, - | Orchestra | | 273, 281; - | | | II. 14-16, 103, - | | | 112, 135. - | The same; revised edition | 1875 | - 17 | Songs for women's Chorus with | 1862 | I. 242, 262. - | accompaniment for two | | - | Horns and a Harp | | - 18 | Sextet in B flat major for two | 1862 | I. 19, 259, 260, 270, - | Violins, two Violas and two | | 274, 278, 281; - | Violoncellos | | II. 14, 22, 23, 53, - | | | 86, 102, 113, - | | | 175. - 19 | Five Songs for one voice | 1862 | I. 281. - 20 | Three Duets for Soprano and | 1861 | I. 260, 281. - | Contralto with Pianoforte | | - | accompaniment | | - 21, |} Variations on an original | 1861 | I. 260, 281; II. 71. - No. 1|} theme for Pianoforte | | - 21, |} Variations on a Hungarian | 1861 | I. 211, 260, 281; - No. 2|} air for Pianoforte | | II. 103. - 22 | Marienlieder for mixed Chorus | 1862 | I. 278, 279, 280, - | _a capella_ | | 281; - | | | II. 15, 163. - 23 | Variations on a theme by | 1863 | I. 278, 279; - | Schumann for Pianoforte | | II. 15, 40, 93, 103. - | Duet | | - 24 | Variations and Fugue on a | 1862 | I. 238, 269, 270, - | theme by Handel for | | 272, 280, 281; - | Pianoforte | | II. 7, 8, 54, 103, - | | | 180. - 25 | Quartet in G minor for | 1863 | I. 245, 259, 270, - | Pianoforte, Violin, Viola | | 271, 274, 281; - | and Violoncello | | II. 6, 7, 40, 103, - | | | 135, 144, 175. - 26 | Quartet in A major for | 1863 | I. 259, 267, 271, - | Pianoforte, Violin, Viola | | 274, 281; - | and Violoncello | | II. 6-10, 79, 102, - | | | 144. - 27 | The 13th Psalm for three-part | 1864 | I. 241, 281; II. 26. - | women's Chorus with | | - | Pianoforte accompaniment | | - 28 | Duets for Alto and Baritone | 1864 | I. 281; - | with accompaniment for | | II. 26, 79, 102. - | Pianoforte | | - 29 | Two Motets for five-part mixed | 1864 | I. 281; - | Chorus _a capella_ | | II. 26. - 30 | Sacred Song (by Paul Fleming) | 1864 | I. 281; - | for four-part mixed | | II. 26. - | Chorus with accompaniment | | - | for Organ or Pianoforte | | - 31 | Three Quartets for Solo voices | 1864 | I. 281; - | with Pianoforte | | II. 24, 26, 38, 113, - | | | 267. - 32 | Songs for one voice | 1864 | II. 26. - 33 | Romances from Tieck's | 1865 | I. 264, 265, 275, - | 'Magelone' for one voice. | | 276, 278, 281; - | Nos. 1-6 | | II. 35, 70. - | " 7-15 | 1868 | II. 38, 83. - 34 | Quintet for Pianoforte, two | 1865 | I. 259, 277; - | Violins, Viola and | | II. 32, 35, 36, 51, - | Violoncello | | 76, 103. - 34 |}Sonata for two Pianofortes | 1872 | I. 277; II. 23, 24, - _bis_|} (after the Quintet) | | 32, 35. - 35 | Variations on a theme by | 1866 | II. 24, 43, 54, 112, - | Paganini for Pianoforte. | | 180. - | (Two sets) | | - 36 | Sextet in G major for two | 1866 | I. 259; - | Violins, two Violas and two | | II. 43, 47, 52, 102, - | Violoncellos | | 113. - 37 | Three Sacred Choruses for | 1866 | I. 239, 242; II. 43. - | women's voices without | | - | accompaniment | | - 38 | Sonata in E minor for | 1866 | II. 31, 43, 113. - | Pianoforte and Violoncello | | - 39 | Waltzes for Pianoforte Duet | 1867 | II. 25, 68, 79. - 40 | Trio for Pianoforte, Violin | 1866 | I. 259; - | and French Horn | | II. 31, 38, 39, 43, - | | | 51, 68, 113. - 41 | Five Songs for four-part men's | 1867 | II. 68. - | Chorus | | - 42 | Three Songs for six-part | 1868 | II. 83. - | Chorus _a capella_ | | - 43 | Four Songs for one voice | 1868 | II. 81. - 44 | Twelve Songs and Romances for | 1868 | I. 242, 256, 262; - | women's Chorus. Pianoforte | | II. 83. - | accompaniment _ad libitum_ | | - 45 | A German Requiem for Soli, | 1868 | I. 6, 167, 238; - | Chorus and Orchestra (Organ | | II. 44, 48, 50, 54, - | _ad libitum_) | | 55, 59-68, 72-78, - | | | 81, 86-88, 90, - | | | 93, 98, 102, 111, - | | | 114, 140, 141, - | | | 156, 167, 169, - | | | 180, 195, 201. - 46 | Four Songs for one voice | 1868 | II. 81 - 47 | Five Songs for one voice | 1868 | II. 81, 82. - 48 | Seven Songs for one voice | 1868 | II. 81, 82. - 49 | Five Songs for one voice | 1868 | II. 81, 82. - 50 | Rinaldo (Cantata by Goethe) | 1869 | II. 84, 85, 90, 94, - | for Tenor solo, men's | | 135. - | Chorus and Orchestra | | - 51 | Two Quartets for two Violins, | 1873 | II. 48, 113, 122, - | Viola and Violoncello (C | | 124, 128, 130, - | minor and A minor) | | 140, 147. - 52 | Love Songs. Waltzes for | 1869 | II. 93, 94, 103, 113. - | Pianoforte Duet with voices | | - | _ad libitum_ | | - 53 | Rhapsody (Fragment from | 1870 | II. 93-97, 135, 141, - | Goethe's 'Harzreise') for | | 183. - | Contralto solo, men's Chorus | | - | and Orchestra | | - 54 | Song of Destiny for Chorus and | 1871 | I. 238; II. 77, - | Orchestra | | 104-106, 108, 114, - | | | 136, 155, 205. - 55 | Song of Triumph for eight-part | 1872 | I. 238; II. 98-101, - | Chorus and Orchestra (Organ | | 111, 112, 114-119, - | _ad libitum_) | | 132, 136, 137, - | | | 146, 180, 183, - | | | 267, 269. - 56A | Variations on a theme by | Jan. 1874 | II. 121, 128, 129, - | Joseph Haydn for Orchestra | | 135, 136, 145, - | | | 195. - 56B | Variations on a theme by | Nov. 1873 | II. 121, 130. - | Joseph Haydn for two | | - | Pianofortes | | - 57 | Songs for one voice | 1871 | II. 106. - 58 | Songs for one voice | 1871 | II. 106. - 59 | Songs for one voice | 1873 | II. 130. - 60 | Quartet in C minor for | 1875 | I. 207, 220; - | Pianoforte, Violin, Viola | | II. 138, 143, 144. - | and Violoncello | | - 61 | Four Duets for Soprano and | 1874 | II. 138. - | Contralto with Pianoforte | | - 62 | Seven Songs for mixed Chorus | 1874 | II. 138, 139. - | _a capella_ | | - 63 | Songs for one voice | 1874 | II. 138. - 64 | Quartets for Solo voices with | 1874 | II. 138. - | Pianoforte | | - 65 | New Love Songs. Waltzes for | 1875 | II. 103, 138. - | four Solo voices and | | - | Pianoforte Duet | | - 66 | Five Duets for Soprano and | 1875 | - | Contralto with Pianoforte | | - | accompaniment | | - 67 | Quartet in B flat major for | 1876 | II. 146, 147. - | two Violins, Viola and | | - | Violoncello | | - 68 | Symphony in C minor for large | 1877 | I. 133, 220, 280; - | Orchestra. (No. 1) | | II. 114, 142, - | | | 147-156, 162, - | | | 163, 166, 168, - | | | 184, 195, - | | | 198-220. - 69 | Nine Songs for one voice | 1877 | II. 162. - 70 | Four Songs for one voice | 1877 | II. 162. - 71 | Five Songs for one voice | 1877 | II. 162. - 72 | Five Songs for one voice | 1877 | II. 162. - 73 | Symphony in D major for large | 1878 | II. 142, 163-166, - | Orchestra. (No. 2) | | 170, 171, 174, - | | | 176, 183, 220. - 74 | Two Motets for mixed Chorus | 1879 | II. 177. - | _a capella_ | | - 75 | Ballads and Romances for two | 1878 | I. 166; II. 176. - | voices with Pianoforte | | - | accompaniment | | - 76 | Pianoforte Pieces. (Two books) | 1879 | II. 170, 179, 181, - | | | 257. - 77 | Concerto in D major for Violin | 1879 | II. 170, 177-179, - | with accompaniment for | | 181, 188. - | Orchestra | | - 78 | Sonata in G major for | 1880 | II. 122, 179, - | Pianoforte and Violin | | 181-183, 184. - 79 | Two Rhapsodies for Pianoforte | 1880 | II. 183, 184, 189, - | | | 256. - 80 | Academic Festival Overture for | 1881 | II. 104, 189, 190, - | large Orchestra | | 192, 195, 201, - | | | 270. - 81 | Tragic Overture for Orchestra | 1881 | II. 189, 190, 192, - | | | 195, 201. - 82 | Nänie (by Friedrich Schiller) | 1881 | II. 29, 192, 193, - | for Chorus and Orchestra | | 196-198, 205, - | (Harp _ad libitum_) | | 206. - 83 | Concerto for Pianoforte in | 1882 | I. 27, 33; - | B flat major with | | II. 193, 194, 195, - | accompaniment for Orchestra | | 198-201, 231, - | | | 267, 270. - 84 | Romances and Songs for one or | 1882 | II. 201. - | for two voices with | | - | Pianoforte accompaniment | | - 85 | Six Songs for one voice | 1882 | II. 201. - 86 | Six Songs for a deep voice | 1882 | II. 201. - 87 | Trio in C major for Pianoforte,| 1883 | II. 203, 204. - | Violin and Violoncello | | - 88 | Quintet in F major for two | 1883 | II. 203, 204. - | Violins, two Violas and | | - | Violoncello | | - 89 | Song of the Fates (by Goethe) | 1883 | II. 202, 203, - | for six-part Chorus and | | 204-207. - | Orchestra | | - 90 | Symphony in F major for large | 1884 | II. 207-210, 220. - | Orchestra. (No. 3) | | - 91 | Two Songs for Contralto with | 1884 | II. 33, 210. - | Viola and Pianoforte | | - 92 | Quartets for Soprano, | 1884 | II. 210. - | Contralto, Tenor and Bass | | - | with Pianoforte | | - 93A | Songs and Romances for | 1884 | II. 210, 288. - | four-part mixed Chorus | | - | _a capella_ | | - 93B | Tafellied for six-part mixed | 1885 | II. 213. - | Chorus with Pianoforte | | - 94 | Five Songs for a deep voice | 1884 | II. 210, 211. - 95 | Seven Songs for one voice | 1884 | II. 210. - 96 | Four Songs for one voice | 1886 | II. 229. - 97 | Six Songs for one voice | 1886 | II. 229. - 98 | Symphony in E minor for large | 1886 | II. 211, 215, - | Orchestra (No. 4) | | 216-220, 229, - | | | 255, 267, 282. - 99 | Sonata in F major for | 1887 | II. 222, 223, 229. - | Pianoforte and Violoncello | | - 100 | Sonata in A major for | 1887 | II. 222, 223-225, - | Pianoforte and Violin | | 229. - 101 | Trio in C minor for Pianoforte,| 1887 | II. 222, 229. - | Violin and Violoncello | | - 102 | Concerto in A minor for Violin | 1888 | II. 230, 231, 232, - | and Violoncello with | | 233. - | accompaniment for Orchestra | | - 103 | Gipsy Songs for four Solo | 1888 | II. 233, 234. - | voices with Pianoforte | | - | accompaniment | | - 104 | Five Songs for mixed Chorus | 1889 | II. 238. - | _a capella_ | | - 105 | Five Songs for a deep voice | 1889 | II. 238. - 106 | Five Songs for one voice | 1889 | II. 238. - 107 | Five Songs for one voice | 1889 | II. 238. - 108 | Sonata in D minor for | 1889 | II. 238. - | Pianoforte and Violin | | - 109 | Fest and Gedenksprüche for | 1890 | II. 240, 241. - | double Chorus | | - | _a capella_ | | - 110 | Three Motets for four- and | 1890 | II. 242, 246. - | eight-part Chorus | | - 111 | Quintet in G major for two | 1891 | II. 246-248, 251, - | Violins, two Violas and | | 280, 281. - | Violoncello | | - 112 | Six Quartets for Soprano, | 1891 | II. 251. - | Contralto, Tenor and Bass | | - | with Pianoforte | | - 113 | Thirteen Canons for women's | 1891 | II. 251. - | voices | | - 114 | Trio in A minor for | 1892 | I. 40; - | Pianoforte, Clarinet (or | | II. 249-251, 261. - | Viola) and Violoncello | | - 115 | Quintet in B minor for | 1892 | I. 39; - | Clarinet (or Viola), two | | II. 249-251, 261. - | Violins, Viola and | | - | Violoncello | | - 116 | Fantasias for Pianoforte (two | 1892 | II. 251, 258. - | books) | | - 117 | Three Intermezzi for | 1892 | I. 166; II. 251, 257, - | Pianoforte | | 258. - 118 | Pianoforte Pieces | 1893 | II. 256, 261. - 119 | Pianoforte Pieces | 1893 | II. 256, 261. - 120 | Two Sonatas for Clarinet (or | 1895 | II. 265, 266, 267. - | Viola) and Pianoforte (F | | - | minor and E flat major) | | - 121 | Four Serious Songs for a Bass | 1896 | II. 273, 274, 276, - | voice | | 277. - 122 | Eleven Chorale-Preludes for | 1902 | II. 276-278, 289. - | Organ (the only posthumous | | - | work) | | - -----+--------------------------------+-----------+---------------------- - - -WORKS WITHOUT OPUS NUMBER - - -------------------------------------+--------------+-------------- - TITLE OF WORK. | PUBLISHED | PAGES. - -------------------------------------+--------------+-------------- - Song, 'Mondnacht,' for one voice | 1854 | - republished | 1872 | - Children's Folk-songs with added | 1858 | I. 220. - Pianoforte accompaniment | | - German Folk-songs arranged for | 1864 | II. 26. - four-part Chorus | | - Fugue in A flat minor for Organ | 1864 | II. 26. - Studies for Pianoforte (Nos. 1 and 2)| 1869 | I. 67; - after Chopin and Weber | | II. 98. - Hungarian Dances arranged for | 1869 | II. 79, 98. - Pianoforte Duet, Books 1 and 2 | | - Gavotte by Gluck arranged for | 1871 | I. 201; - Pianoforte | | II. 106. - Hungarian Dances arranged for | 1872 | I. 222; - | | II. 79, 98. - Pianoforte solo, Books 1 and 2 | | - Hungarian Dances arranged for | 1874 | I. 135. - Orchestra, Nos. 1, 3, 10 | | - Studies for Pianoforte (Nos. 3, 4, 5)| 1879 | II. 181. - after Bach | | - Hungarian Dances arranged for | 1880 | II. 184. - Pianoforte Duet, Books 3, 4 | | - Chorale-Prelude and Fugue for Organ | 1881 | I. 219; - | | II. 138. - Fifty-one Technical Exercises for | 1893 | II. 256. - Pianoforte. (Two books) | | - German Folk-songs with Pianoforte | 1894 | I. 80; - accompaniment. (Seven books) | | II. 261, 262. - Arrangements of Joachim's Overtures | 1902 | II. 92, 289. - to 'Henry IV.' and 'Demetrius' | | - as Pianoforte Duets | | - -------------------------------------+--------------+-------------- - - -WORKS EDITED BY BRAHMS - - Couperin: Clavier Compositions. (Chrysander's 'Denkmäle der - Tonkunst.') - - Mozart: Requiem. (Breitkopf and Härtel's critically revised - complete edition.) - - Schubert: Three Pianoforte pieces. - - Schumann: Supplementary volume to Clara Schumann's complete - edition. - -Brahms' name appears for the first time in 1878 in the list of the -committee of the Leipzig Society's edition of Bach's works. - -[93] The dates of publication here printed are those given in Simrock's -published Thematic Catalogue of Brahms' works, excepting in the few -instances especially indicated in the main narrative. - -[94] Unless otherwise described, all songs for a single voice are -composed with pianoforte accompaniment only. - - - - -ARRANGED CATALOGUE OF WORKS - - -INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC - -FOR ORCHESTRA. - - Op. 11. Serenade, D major - Op. 16. " A major - Op. 56A Variations, Haydn's Theme - Op. 68. Symphony, C minor - Op. 73. " D major - Op. 90. " F major - Op. 98. " E minor - Op. 80. Overture, Academic - Op. 81. " Tragic - Arrangement: 3 Hungarian Dances - -PIANOFORTE WITH ORCHESTRA. - - Op. 15. Concerto, D minor - Op. 83. " B flat major - -PIANOFORTE SOLOS. - - Op. 1. Sonata, C major - Op. 2. " F sharp minor - Op. 5. " F minor - Op. 4. Scherzo, E flat minor - Op. 10. Ballades - Op. 9. Variations, Schumann's Theme - Op. 21,} " Original Theme - No. 1 } - Op. 21,} " Hungarian Air - No. 2 } - Op. 24. Variations and Fugue, Handel's Theme - Op. 35. Variations, Paganini's Theme - Op. 76. Pianoforte Pieces, 2 books - Op. 79. Two Rhapsodies - Op. 116. Fantasias, 2 books - Op. 117. Three Intermezzi - Op. 118. Pianoforte Pieces - Op. 119. " " - Technical Exercises, 2 bks. - Arrangement: Hungarian Dances, 2 books - " Studies 1-5 - " Gavotte by Gluck - -PIANOFORTE DUETS. - - Op. 23. Variations, Schumann's Theme - Op. 39. Waltzes - Op. 52A Waltzes - Arrangement: Hungarian Dances, 4 books - -TWO PIANOFORTES. - - Op. 34} Sonata in F minor (after - _bis_} the Pianoforte Quintet) - Op. 56B. Variations, Haydn's Theme - -PIANOFORTE AND VIOLIN. - - Op. 78. Sonata, G major - Op. 100. " A major - Op. 108. " D minor - -PIANOFORTE AND VIOLONCELLO. - - Op. 38. Sonata, E minor - Op. 99. " F major - -PIANOFORTE AND CLARINET (OR VIOLA). - - Op. 120,} Sonata, F minor - No. 1 } - Op. 120,} " E flat major - No. 2 } - -TRIOS. - - Op. 8. Pianoforte, Violin, Violoncello, B major - Op. 87. Pianoforte, Violin, Violoncello, C major - Op. 101. Pianoforte, Violin, Violoncello, C minor - Op. 40. Pianoforte, Violin, Horn, E flat major - Op. 114. Pianoforte, Clarinet, Violoncello, A minor - -QUARTETS. - - Op. 25. Pianoforte, Violin, Viola, Violoncello, G minor - Op. 26. Pianoforte, Violin, Viola, Violoncello, A major - Op. 60. Pianoforte, Violin, Viola, Violoncello, C minor - -QUINTET. - - Op. 34. Pianoforte, 2 Violins, Viola, Violoncello, F minor - -PIANOFORTE WITH VOICES. - - Op. 52. Liebeslieder, Waltzer (voices _ad libitum_) - Op. 65. Neue Liebeslieder - -ORGAN. - - Op. 122. Eleven Chorale-Preludes - Chorale-Prelude and Fugue - Fugue in A minor - -STRINGS WITH ORCHESTRA. - - Op. 77. Violin Concerto, D major - Op. 102. Concerto for Violin and Violoncello, A minor - -STRING QUARTETS. - - Op. 51,} C minor - No. 1.} - Op. 51,} A minor - No. 2.} - Op. 67. B flat major - -STRING QUINTETS. - - Op. 88. F major - Op. 111. G major - Op. 115. Quintet for Clarinet, 2 - Violins, Viola, Violoncello, - B minor - -STRING SEXTETS. - - Op. 18. B flat major - Op. 36. G major - - -VOCAL MUSIC - -MIXED CHORUS WITHOUT ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 22. Marienlieder - Op. 29. Two Motets; five-part - Op. 42. Three Songs (Gesänge); six-part - Op. 62. Seven Songs (Lieder) - Op. 74. Two Motets; four- and six-part - Op. 93A Songs (Lieder) and Romances - Op. 104. Songs (Gesänge) - Op. 109. Fest and Gedenksprüche - Op. 110. Three Motets; four- and eight-part - German Folk-songs (dedicated - to the Vienna Singakademie) - -WOMEN'S CHORUS WITHOUT ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 37. Three Sacred Choruses - Op. 44. Twelve Songs and Romances - Op. 113. Thirteen Canons - -MEN'S CHORUS WITHOUT ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 41. Five Songs (Lieder) - -VOCAL MUSIC WITH ORCHESTRAL ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 12. Ave Maria: women's Chorus - Op. 45. A German Requiem: Soli and Chorus - Op. 50. Rinaldo: Tenor Solo and men's Chorus - Op. 53. Rhapsody: Contralto Solo and men's Chorus - Op. 54. Song of Destiny: mixed Chorus - Op. 55. Triumph-Song: double Chorus - Op. 82. Nänie: mixed Chorus - Op. 89. Song of the Fates: mixed Chorus - -VOCAL MUSIC VARIOUSLY ACCOMPANIED. - - Op. 13. Funeral Song: mixed Chorus and Wind - Op. 17. Songs for women's Chorus with accompaniment for - 2 Horns and a Harp - Op. 91. Two Songs for Contralto with Viola and Pianoforte - -CHORUSES WITH PIANOFORTE OR ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 12. Ave Maria: women's Chorus - Op. 27. The 13th Psalm: women's Chorus - Op. 30. Sacred Song: mixed Chorus - -CHORUSES WITH PIANOFORTE ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 93B. Tafellied: mixed Voices - German Folk-songs - -VOCAL QUARTETS WITH PIANOFORTE ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 31. Three Quartets - Op. 64. " " - Op. 92. Four " - Op. 112. Six " - Op. 52. Love Songs (Pianoforte duet) - Op. 65. New Love Songs (Pianoforte duet) - Op. 103. Gipsy Songs - -VOCAL DUETS WITH PIANOFORTE ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 20. Soprano and Contralto - Op. 61. " " - Op. 66. " " - Op. 28. Contralto and Baritone - Op. 75. Ballads and Romances - Op. 84. Romances and Songs - -SONGS FOR ONE VOICE WITH PIANOFORTE ACCOMPANIMENT. - - Op. 3. 6 Gesänge - Op. 6. 6 " - Op. 7. 6 " - Op. 14. 8 Lieder und Romanzen - Op. 19. 5 Gedichte - Op. 32. 9 Lieder und Gesänge - Op. 33. 15 Magelone Romanzen - Op. 43. 4 Gesänge - Op. 46. 4 " - Op. 47. 5 Lieder - Op. 48. 7 " - Op. 49. 5 " - Op. 57. 8 Lieder und Gesänge - Op. 58. 8 " " - Op. 59. 8 " " - Op. 63. 9 " " - Op. 69. 9 Gesänge - Op. 70. 4 " - Op. 71. 5 " - Op. 72. 5 " - Op. 84. 5 Romanzen und Lieder - Op. 85. 6 Lieder - Op. 86. 6 " - Op. 94. 5 " - Op. 95. 7 " - Op. 96. 4 " - Op. 97. 6 " - Op. 105. 5 " - Op. 106. 5 " - Op. 107. 5 " - Op. 121. 4 Gesänge - Mondnacht - (Total 195 Songs) - German Folk-songs - Children's Folk-songs - - - - - INDEX - - FOR INDEX OF WORKS, SEE CHRONOLOGICAL CATALOGUE, P. 293. - - - A. - - Abel, II. 50, 51. - Aegidi, I. 259. - Ahle, J. H., II. 130. - Ahna, de, II. 204. - Ahsen, Jenny v., I. 239. - Albers, I. 73. - Albert, Eugen d', II. 232, 267, 270. - Albrechtsberger, I. 64, 67. - Allgeyer, Julius, I. 166; - II. 29, 42, 44, 90, 93, 104, 120, 159, 176, 185. - Arien, d', I. 84. - Arnim, Bettina v., I. 144. - " Gisela v., I. 195. - Artôt, I. 83. - Asmus, Christiana, I. 46. - Astor, II. 134. - Austria, Francis Joseph, Emperor of, II. 242. - - - B. - - Bach, Friedemann, II. 71. - " Philipp Emanuel, I. 113, 188. - " Johann Sebastian, I. 12, 13, 17, 18, 63, 65, 146, 188, 216, 234, - 244; - II. 20, 23, 115, 116, 119, 120, 130, 136, 141, - 148, 155, 168, 172, 180, 182, 218, 267, - 269, 277. - " Works of, played by Brahms on the pianoforte, - I. 15, 16, 185, 199, 201, 209, 215, 221, 235, - 272; - II. 13, 39, 40, 54, 60, 71, 86, 102. - Bachrich, II. 143, 246. - Bächthold, II. 229, 262. - Backhaus, I. 73. - Bade, Carl, I. 54; - II. 57, 80, 175. - Baden, Frederick, Grand-Duke of, II. 29. - Bagge, Selmar, II. 4, 26. - Baglehole, II. 102. - Balcke, I. 98. - Barbi, Alice, II. 270. - Bargheer, Carl, I. 208-210, 214, 215, 217, 245, 247; - II. 41, 137, 171, 204. - Bargiel, Woldemar, I. 126, 218, 275; - II. 187, 275. - Barth, Heinrich, II. 200, 204. - " Richard, II. 73, 183, 276. - Baumeyer, Marie, II. 201. - Baumgarten and Heins, I. 68, 88, 192. - Bavaria, Ludwig II., King of, I. 127, 131. - Bechstein, II. 195. - Becker, Dr., I. 257. - " Frau, I. 36. - " Hugo, II. 230, 282. - Beckerath, Alwyn v., II. 183, 213, 275. - Beethoven, Ludwig van, I. 104, 180, 197, 267, 283, 285, 289; - II. 1, 20, 23, 119, 123, 130, 139, 140, 148, - 152, 155, 164, 168, 171, 172, 177, 181, - 189, 198, 200, 212, 217, 218, 267, 287. - " Works played by Brahms, I. 59, 84, 96, 98, 186, 191, 199, - 206, 209, 215, 263, 272; - II. 13, 40, 54, 60, 70, 71, 86, - 139. - Begas, I. 92. - Bellini, I. 180. - Bennet, John, II. 25. - Bennett, W. Sterndale, I. 128, 197; II. 155. - Bergmann, Carl, I. 163. - Berlioz, Hector, I. 100, 124, 135, 136, 138, 139, 147, 286, 288; - II. 139. - Bernhard de Trèves, I. 290. - Berninger, II. 73. - Bernsdorf, Edward, I. 227, 228, 229; - II. 134, 154, 178. - Bernstorff, Countess, I. 107. - Bernuth, Julius v., II. 70, 166, 176, 183, 210. - Bibl, Rudolf, II. 4, 20, 117, 119. - Billroth, Theodor, II. 46, 47, 60, 62, 84, 90, 115, 119, 124, 137, - 140, 142, 149, 150, 163, 169, 184, 199, 201, - 203, 207, 237, 239, 240, 247, 248, 256, 258, - 259. - Birgfeld, I. 59, 79. - Bismarck, Otto v., II. 137, 240, 283. - Bizet, G., II. 242. - Blagrove, Henry, II. 53. - Blume, Amtsvogt, I. 78, 80, 94, 117, 164. - " Calculator, I. 97. - " " Frau, I. 98. - Bocklet, C. M. v., I. 64. - Böhm, Josef, I. 92, 102. - Böhme, F. M., II. 262. - Böie, John, I. 261, 268, 270, 277; - II. 143, 175. - Böie, Marie, I. 123, 266. - See also under Völckers. - Boieldieu, F. A., I. 236, 255; - II. 71. - Bölling, Bertha, I. 176, 184. - Boni, II. 94. - Borrisow, Rev. L., II. 103. - Börs, I. 84. - Börsendorfer, II. 9, 10. - Borwick, Leonard, II. 201. - Bosshard, II. 196. - Boston Symphony Orchestra, I. 273. - Brahms, Caroline, II. 45, 49, 79, 109, 110, 142, 175, 201, 253-255, - 278, 284, 290. - " Elise, I. 51, 74, 142, 205, 218; - II. 22, 27, 34, 35, 110, 175, 176. - See also under Grund. - " Fritz, I. 53, 70, 81; - II. 10, 27, 109-111, 175. - " Johann, I. 46. - " Johann Jakob, I. 48-60, 87, 130, 142; - II. 27, 35, 37, 38, 45, 49, 57-59, 73, 78, 79, - 80, 108, 109, 175, 176. - " Johanna Christiana, I. 51-54, 75, 81, 95, 121, 142; - II. 9, 34, 35. - See also under Nissen. - " Peter, I. 45, 46. - " Peter Hinrich, I. 47. - Brahmüller, II. 51. - Brandes, Emma, See Engelmann. - Brandt, Auguste, I. 239. - Branscheidt, II. 187. - Brassin, Louis, II. 88. - Breitkopf and Härtel, I. 123, 124, 129, 135, 141, 144, 162, 187, 191; - II. 26, 138. - Brendel, Franz, I. 102, 128, 138, 139, 249-253, 274, 275; - II. 95. - Brentano, Arnim, I. 169. - Breyther, F., I. 261, 270. - Broadwood, I. 197; II. 200. - Brodsky, II. 179. - Brouillet, II. 94. - Bruch, Max, II. 51, 73, 141, 168, 177. - Brückner, Anton, II. 4. - Brüll, Ignaz, II. 153, 163, 202, 207, 240, 288. - Bruyck, Carl Debrois van, I. 193, 194. - Bülow, Hans v., I. 26-31, 100, 103, 124, 128, 133, 139, 154, 211, - 217, 252; - II. 50-52, 148, 183, 191, 192, 198, 216, 217, 218, - 231, 232, 238, 241. - " Marie v., II. 51. - Bulthaupt, Heinrich, II. 91, 92, 157. - Burnett, II. 103. - Busch, II. 283. - Buths, Julius, II. 104. - - - C. - - Calderon, II. 91, 159. - Candidus, Carl, II. 162. - Carlyle, Thomas, I. 276. - Chamisso, Adalbert v., I. 89. - Chappell, S. Arthur, II. 53, 103. - Cherubini M. Luigi, I. 228; - II. 172. - Chopin, Frederic, I. 109; - II. 256. - Chorley, Henry, I. 180. - Chrysander, Friedrich, I. 283. - Cicero, I. 89. - Clasing, Heinrich, I. 63, 150. - Claus, Wilhelmine, I. 177. - Clementi, Muzio, I. 10, 21, 58. - Cobb, Gerard F., II. 103. - Conrat, Frau, II. 260. - " Hugo, II. 233, 234, 251, 260, 279, 282, 284. - " Ilse, II. 260, 261, 291. - Cordes, August, I. 215. - Cornelius, Peter, I. 103, 124; - II. 4, 14. - Cornet, Madame, I. 83, 84, 85, 90. - " Fräulein, I. 83, 84. 85. - See also under Passy-Cornet. - Cossel, Frau, I. 69; - II. 34, 175. - " Johanna, II. 34, 35. - " Marie, II. 175. - See also under Janssen. - " Otto Friedrich Willibald, I. 56-62, 66, 118, 143; - II. 175, 244. - Cossmann, Bernhard, I. 103, 140; - II. 31. - Couperin, François, I. 283; - II. 86. - Cramer, John, I. 58. - Cranz, August, I. 86; - II. 26, 83. - Cusins, G. W., II. 87, 103, 136, 156, 179. - Czartoriska, Prince Constantin, II. 18. - Czerny, Carl, I. 12, 58; - II. 290. - - - D. - - Dalfy, II. 20. - Dalwigk, Reinhard v., II. 10. - Dante, I. 89. - Danzer, II. 20. - Daumer, G. F., II. 93, 106. - David, Ferdinand, I. 140, 179, 180, 256, 263, 270; - II. 133, 135. - Davidoff, C., I. 263, 270. - Davies, Fanny, II. 233, 238, 250, 266. - Davison, J. W., I. 227. - Deichmann, I. 115-117. - Deiters, Hermann, I. 201; - II. 4, 77, 78, 81, 94, 122, 154, 162, 189, 272. - Denninghoff-Giesemann, I. 263-265. - See also under Giesemann. - Derenberg See under Eibenschütz. - Dessoff, Otto, II. 2, 15, 128, 142, 147. - Detmering, I. 61. - Detmold, Lippe-- - Leopold II., Prince of, I. 182, 216, 221, 246; - II. 41. - Dowager Princess of, I. 183. - Friederike, Princess of, I. 183, 208, 216, 233, 244. - Luise, Princess of, I. 183. - Pauline, Princess of, I. 183. - Devrient, Edward, II. 29, 30, 90. - Diabelli, Anton, II. 5, 14. - Dietrich, Albert, I. 93, 119, 120, 124, 126, 142, 145, 156, 158, 188, - 201, 203, 255, 256, 265, 267, 277, 278, 280; - II. 15, 38, 39, 42, 50, 54, 55, 59, 68, 73, 79, 93, - 97, 101, 114, 131, 136, 142, 187, 259. - " Clara, I. 255. - Dobyhal, II. 6. - Doetsch, II. 188. - Döhler, Theodor, I. 83. - Dömpke, II. 217. - Donizetti, I. 84. - Donnhorf, II. 186, 188. - Doppler, Franz, II. 16. - Door, Anton, I. 185; - II. 103, 202, 217, 237. - " Frau, II. 284. - Dörffel, A., II. 134, 152, 164, 165, 178, 179, 217. - Dräseke, Felix, I. 252. - Dumba, II. 282. - Dunkl, II. 98. - Dustmann, Louise, I. 277; - II. 128. - Dvorák, Anton, II. 143, 185, 280, 282, 288. - - - E. - - Eberhard, G., II. 137. - Eccard, J., II. 22, 116. - Eckert, Carl Anton, II. 2. - Ehlert, Louis, II. 153. - Ehrbar, Friedrich, II. 153, 163, 207, 208, 217, 237, 252, 253. - Ehrlich, Heinrich, I. 107, 122. - Eibenschütz, Ilona, II. 258. - Eichendorff, J. v., I. 89, 137. - Eldering, II. 276. - Ella, John, I. 197; - II. 102. - Engel, I. 272; - II. 42. - Engelmann, Dr. and Frau, II. 121, 138, 145, 154, 191. - " Dr., II. 274, 276. - Eötoos, Baroness, II. 191. - Epstein, Julius, II. 4, 6, 16, 202, 214, 217, 236, 259, 282. - Erard, I. 197. - Erk, II. 262. - Ernst, I. 96. - Essen, II. 142. - Eschmann, II. 46, 47. - Ettlinger, Anna, II. 31, 159. - Eyrich, II. 85, 162. - - - F. - - Faber, Arthur, II. 5, 16, 22, 202, 207, 217, 279, 283, 284, 285, 288. - " Bertha, II. 5, 22, 82, 279, 283. - See also under Porubszky. - Falk, Clementina, I. 14. - Farmer, John, II. 73, 75. - Fellinger, Dr. and Frau, II. 202, 203, 215, 244-246, 276, 279, 280, - 281, 286. - " Dr., II. 285, 288. - " Frau, II. 223, 226-228, 283, 291. - Ferrari, Frau, II. 20. - " Sophie, II. 87. - Feuerbach, Anselm, II. 29, 124-127. - " Henriette, II. 29, 197, 198. - Fichtelberger, II. 21, 39. - Fischer, Georg, I. 226. - Flatz, Franz, II. 18. - Fleming, Paul, II. 26. - Flotow, II. 173. - Folkes, II. 103. - Formes, I. 80. - Frank, Ernst, II. 146, 156. - Franz, Frau, II. 202. - " Robert, I. 126. - Fräsch, I. 85. - Frege, I. 228. - Freund, Robert, II. 251. - Fribberg, Franz, II. 15. - Friedländer, Theka, II. 103. - Froude, J., I. 276. - Fuchs, II. 202, 217, 288. - Fürchtgott, II. 9. - - - G. - - Gabrielli, Giovanni, II. 22. - Garcia, Manuel, I. 198. - Garibaldi, II. 243. - Gehring, Franz, II. 111. - Geibel, Emanuel, II. 33, 91. - Gericke, W., II. 205. - Gernsheim, Friedrich, II. 173. - Giesemann, Adolph, I. 71, 74, 78, 80, 81, 90, 94, 95, 113. - " Elise, I. 71-77, 80, 81, 90-92. - See also under Denninghoff. - Gille, II. 95. - Glade, I. 84. - Gleich, Ferdinand, I. 227, 229, 230, 231. - Gluck, C. W. v., I. 5, 201; - II. 86, 116. - Goethe, Wolfgang v., I. 16, 89, 180; - II. 24, 84, 94, 95, 96, 154, 202. - Goldmark, Carl, II. 4, 131, 143, 163, 202, 217, 239, 240, 259, 283. - Goldschmidt, Otto, I. 87, 180-182, 183, 184; - II. 200. - " Lind-, Jenny, I. 179-182, 183, 184. - Goltermann, C. E., I. 59. - " Louis, I. 59. - Gompertz-Betteheim, II. 233. - Gompertz, Richard, II. 183. - Gotha, Friedrich, Prince of, II. 84. - Götz, Hermann, II. 138, 156. - Götze, I. 138. - Gouvy, Theodor, I. 136, 180. - Gozzi, II. 92, 159. - Grädener, I. 207, 239; - II. 5, 173. - Graun, II. 98. - Grimm, Hermann, II. 92. - " Julius Otto, I. 134, 135, 142, 146, 154, 155, 188, 191, 207, - 211, 219, 223, 246, 251, 270; - II. 95, 146, 154, 166, 173, 176, 187, 190, 259. - " Marie, I. 142, 188, 211. - " Philippine, I. 207, 219. - Groth, Claus, I. 46, 49, 198, 201; - II. 71, 72, 91, 106, 122, 126, 127, 128, 173, 176, 229, - 234, 235. - Grove, George, I. 198. - Grüber, II. 262, 273, 283. - Grünberger, II. 279. - Grund, Elise, II. 286, 290. - See also under Brahms. - " Wilhelm, I. 88, 235, 268, 277; - II. 170, 172. - - - H. - - Hafner, Carl, I. 260, 261, 263. - Hallé, Charles, II. 103. - " Lady, See Norman-Néruda. - Hallier, I. 258, 259, 262; - II. 175. - " Julie, I. 268, 269. - Handel, G. F., I. 113, 216, 244; - II. 98, 115, 116, 117, 136, 172. - Handel's 'Saul', I. 280; - II. 118. - Hanover, George V., King of, I. 107; - II. 48, 120, 238. - " Queen of, II. 238, 287. - " Marie, Princess of, II. 287. - Hanslick, Edward, I. 168, 180, 190, 230; - II. 4, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 23, 61, 68, 69, 113, - 142, 143, 150, 151, 170, 171, 173, 174, 202, - 208, 212, 213, 217, 229, 237, 240, 242, 247, - 259, 272, 278, 279, 282, 283. - Hare, I. 276. - Hauptmann, Moritz, I. 136, 187. - Hauser, II. 31. - " Frau, II. 94. - Hausmann, Fräulein, II. 94. - " Robert, I. 40; - II. 204, 222, 223, 230, 231, 280. - Heermann, II. 102, 204. - Hegar, Friedrich, II. 39, 47, 78, 95, 137, 138, 196, 229, 251, 252, - 270. - Heldburg, Helene, Baroness v., II. 194, 195, 287. - Heller, Stephen, I. 126, 180. - Hellmesberger, Josef, II. 3, 6, 7, 14, 15, 23, 52, 68, 122, 140, 143, - 146, 156, 181, 204, 222, 250. - Henschel, Georg, II. 137, 152, 231, 233. - " Lilian, II. 233. - Hensel, Fanny, II. 91. - Henselt, Adolf, II. 95. - Herbeck, Johann, II. 2, 108, 141, 142. - Herder, I. 166; II. 84. - Hermann, I. 270. - Herz, Henri, I. 59, 84. - Herzog, I. 84. - Herzogenberg, Heinrich v., II. 134, 154, 274, 275. - " Elisabeth v., II. 134, 154. - Hesse, Anna, Landgräfin of, II. 32. - " Alexander Friedrich, Landgraf of, II. 32, 33, 146, 216, 229, - 230, 236, 271. - Heuberger, Richard, I. 99; - II. 42, 89, 158, 162, 163, 186, 276, 288. - Hildebrant, II. 291. - Hille, I. 154. - Hiller, Ferdinand, I. 101, 118, 179, 203; - II. 40, 118, 173, 187, 203. - Himmelstoss, II. 104, 183. - Hirsch, R., II. 16, 53, 62, 151. - Hirschfeld, II. 74. - Hoch, II. 122. - Hoffmann, E. T. A., I. 89, 93, 116, 121, 164. - " J. F., I. 66, 188. - Hölderlin, F., II. 77, 104, 105, 205. - Hohenemser, II. 82. - Hohenlohe, II. 195. - Hohenthal, Ida, Gräfin v., I. 135, 144. - Holmes, Henry, II. 103. - " W. H., II. 102. - Holstein, Franz and Hedwig v., I. 136; - II. 134, 154. - See also under Salamon. - Honnef, I. 83. - Honroth, I. 261. - Hopfer, Bernhard, II. 138. - Hoplit, See Pohl, R. - Hornbostel, v., II. 279. - Hubay, Eugen, II. 222. - Hübbe, Walter, I. 241, 258. - Hullah, John, II. 56, 87. - Hummel, J. N., II. 95. - Hummer, II. 246. - Hunger, I. 270. - - - I. - - Isaak, Heinrich, II. 20, 116. - - - J. - - Jacobsen, II. 79. - Jaell, Alfred, I. 217; - II. 102. - Jahn, Otto, I. 180, 195, 198, 201, 249, 257. - Janetschek, II. 278. - Janovitch, I. 93. - Japha, Louise, I. 67, 88-90, 93, 113, 119, 121, 125, 144, 145; - II. 76. - " Minna, I. 90, 93, 121, 144. - Jansen, Gustav, I. 123. - Janssen, Marie, II. 243, 244. - See also under Cossel. - Jenek, II. 246. - Jenner, II. 186, 234-236. - Joachim, Amalie, II. 17, 26, 33, 73, 95, 117, 121, 135. - " Joseph, I. 39, 40, 65, 95, 100, 102-108, 112-114, 123-126, - 139, 144, 147, 154-158, 172-175, 182, 183, 186, - 187, 200, 203, 204-207, 211-213, 221-223, 225, - 226, 232-236, 245, 247, 249-252, 255-260, 262, - 263, 267, 268, 271, 277; - II. 10, 11, 15, 48, 50, 51, 53, 59, 60, 69, 71, 73, - 92, 101, 102, 103, 116, 121, 122, 124, 134, 141, - 146, 147, 148, 154, 155, 166, 167, 170, 171, 174, - 175, 177-179, 182, 187-189, 190, 198, 204, 209, - 210, 223, 230, 231, 233, 234, 236, 238, 246, 249, - 250, 259, 265, 269, 270, 275, 279, 280, 281, 289. - - - K. - - Kahnt, II. 50. - Kalbeck, Max, I. 49, 87, 148, 280; - II. 144, 217, 229, 288. - Karpath, Ludwig, II. 277. - Kayser, I. 261. - Keiser, Reinhard, I. 113. - Keller, Gottfried, II. 46, 137, 162, 222, 229. - Kemp, Stephen, II. 201. - Kiel, Friedrich, II. 51. - " Capellmeister, I. 183, 209, 222, 247. - Kirchner, Theodor, I. 120, 126, 157, 275; - II. 39, 45-47, 50, 134, 154, 173, 229, 259. - Kleinecke, II. 68. - Kleist, Heinrich v., II. 155. - Klems, I. 168. - Klindworth, Carl, I. 109, 111, 112, 144. - Klinger, Max, II. 273. - Klopstock, I. 89, 113. - Knaus, II. 207. - Kneisel, I. 273. - Koch, Town-musician, I. 91. - " Sophie, I. 91. - " General-Secretary, II. 285. - " Ludwig, II. 288. - Köhler, Louis, I. 227. - " Dr., I. 96. - " Rector, I. 73, 78; - II. 32. - Königslow, Otto v., I. 256, 277; - II. 40. - Koning, II. 203. - Köppelhöfer, I. 85. - Köstlin, Professor, II. 203. - " Josephine Lang, II. 203. - Krause (Pianist), I. 138. - Krause, (Singer), II. 38. - " Emil, I. 192. - Krauss, Dr., II. 87, 94, 116. - Krebs, Marie, II. 103. - Kreisler, Johannes (Pseudonym for Joh. Brahms), I. 93, 122, 146. - Kreisler, Fritz, II. 179. - Kremser, Edward, II. 177. - Krenn, Franz, II. 18. - Krziwanek, II. 264. - Krolop, Franz, II. 76. - Kufferath, Professor, II. 268. - " Antonia, II. 183, 205. - See also under Speyer. - Kuhnau, Johann, II. 80. - Krummholtz, I. 270. - Kundemann, II. 285. - Kürner, II. 94. - Kyllmann, I. 256, 257; - II. 187. - - - L. - - Lachner, Franz, I. 180; - II. 88, 230. - Lallement, Avé, I. 207, 232, 233, 258, 268, 277; - II. 10, 11. - Lamond, Frederic, II. 201, 216. - Lange, S. de, II. 116. - Langhans-Japha, Louise, See under Japha. - Lasserre, II. 102. - Lasso, Orlando di, I. 188. - Laub, Ferdinand, I. 136; - II. 15. - Laurens, de, I. 122, 169. - Lee, Louis, I. 260, 261, 268, 270; - II. 143. - Lehmann, II. 75. - Lemke, Carl, II. 162. - Le Roy, Guillaume, I. 290. - Leser, I. 169, 255. - Lessing, Gotth. Eph., I. 89, 113. - " C. F., I. 120. - Levi, Hermann, II. 30, 38, 90, 93, 94, 104, 111, 120, 129, 133, 136, - 137, 147, 159, 184, 185. - " (Publisher), II. 10. - Levin, II. 143. - Leyen, Rudolf v. der, II. 183, 275. - Lind, Jenny, See under Goldschmidt. - Liszt, Franz, I. 100, 101, 103, 108-112, 124, 128, 135, 136, 139, 144, - 147, 180, 181, 211-213, 249-252; - II. 46, 95, 132, 191, 271, 290. - Litolff, Henry, I. 90. - Little, Lena, II. 233. - Lohfeldt, Rudolph, I. 86. - Lorscheidt, II. 187. - Löwe, I. 74. - " J. C. G., II. 70. - " Sophie, II. 103. - Löwenherz, Aaron, I. 76, 77, 264. - Lükbe, II. 46. - Luther, Martin, II. 63. - - - M. - - Maier, II. 26. - Mangold, C. F., I. 126. - Manns, August, II. 102, 179. - Mannstädt, II. 207, 216. - Mara, La, I. 59, 67, 85, 131, 140, 147. - Marks, G. W. (ps. Joh. Brahms), I. 86. - Martucci, II. 229. - Marxsen, Edward, I. 57-61, 63-68, 74, 79, 84, 85, 89, 90, 97, 113, - 118, 143, 147-152, 161, 187; - II. 9, 10, 28, 62, 175, 200, 230, 231. - Mason, William, I. 108, 109, 111, 128, 163, 273; - II. 53. - Mattheson, Johann, I. 113. - May, Florence, II. 103, 200. - Meinhardus, Ludwig, II. 174. - Mendelssohn, Felix, I. 21, 99, 100, 101, 180, 216, 226, 227, 238; - II. 22, 91, 118, 132, 141, 174, 177, 191, 198, - 268, 288. - Menzel, Adolph v., II. 270. - Meyer, I. 73. - " C., I. 85. - " David, I. 79. - Meyerbeer, II. 18. - Meysenbug, Carl v., I. 204, 205, 208-210, 214, 223, 243, 246; - II. 41, 68, 121, 190. - " Hermann v., I. 214, 217, 240. - " Hofmarschall v., I. 208, 246. - " Frau v., I. 214, 216. - " Fräulein v., I. 204, 208, 240. - Michalek, II. 285. - Miller, Christian, I. 69, 90. - " Victor v. zu Aichholz, II. 202, 239, 279, 283, 284, 285, 288, - 291. - Mollenhauer, I. 85. - Moltke, v., II. 240. - Morley, John, II. 25. - Moscheles, Ignaz, I. 216. - Moser, Andreas, I. 107, 155, 249. - Mozart, Wolfgang A., I. 17, 18, 70, 220, 238, 267; - II. 116, 117, 141, 148, 171, 172, 177, 199, 200, - 202, 217, 270, 287. - Mozart's works played by Brahms, I. 59, 192, 215, 216, 262. - " 'Figaro's Hochzeit', I. 80, 81, 83, 84, 180; - II. 90. - Mühlfeld, Richard, I. 39, 40; - II. 248-251, 265-267, 283. - Müller, II. 203, 204. - - - N. - - Nagy, Zoltan, II. 233. - Naumann, Ernst, I. 120, 126, 157, 158; - II. 94, 95. - Néruda, Franz, II. 147. - Neumann, Carl, I. 167; - II. 197. - Niebuhr, I. 46. - Nissen, the sisters, I. 54. - " Johanna H. Christiana, See under Brahms. - Norman, Ludwig, I. 126. - Norman-Néruda, Wilhelmine, II. 103, 147, 183, 204. - Nottebohm, M. G., II. 3, 16, 22. - Novello, Clara, I. 104. - - - O. - - Oldenburg, Grand-Duke of, I. 267; - II. 10. - " Grand-Duchess of, II. 68. - Ophüls, G., II. 276. - Oser, Dr. and Frau, II. 163, 202. - Ossian, II. 84. - Otten, G. D., I. 186, 192, 206, 253. - Otterer, Christian, I. 59, 68; - II. 175. - Ould, C., II. 103. - - - P. - - Paganini, Nicolo, II. 60. - Palestrina, G. P. da, I. 188, 250; - II. 292. - Pänzer, II. 60. - Paque, W., II. 53. - Passy-Cornet, II. 5, 9, 13. - See also under Cornet. - Paul, Jean (F. Richter), I. 89, 116, 170, 173. - " Jeanette, I. 138. - Perger, Richard v., II. 288, 289. - Peroni-Glasbrenner, I. 154. - Peters, II. 138. - Petersen, II. 241, 242. - Pezze, II. 103. - Pfund, I. 228. - Piatti, Alfredo, II. 53, 103, 147, 204, 250. - Piening, II. 276. - Pohl, C. F., II. 4, 202, 259. - " Richard (Hoplit), I. 140, 189, 190, 193; - II. 31. - Pope, Alexander, I. 89. - Popper, David, II. 143, 222. - Porubszky, Bertha, I. 239, 258. - See also under Faber. - Possart, Ernst v., II. 188. - Potter, Cipriani, II. 87. - Prückner, Dionys, I. 108, 124. - Pyatt, G., II. 103. - Pyllemann, Franz, II. 117. - - - R. - - Radicati di Marmorito-- - Count, II. 93. - Countess, II. 93. - See also under Julie Schumann. - Raff, Joachim, I. 100, 103, 108, 136; - II. 51. - Rameau, J. P., I. 38. - Raphael, I. 140. - Redeker, II. 103. - Regan, Anna, II. 87. - Reichhardt, J. F., II. 94, 95. - Reimann, Heinrich, I. 234; - II. 9, 142, 278, 284. - Reimers, Christian, I. 116, 256. - Reinecke, Carl, I. 118, 259; - II. 87, 132, 173. - Reinhold, II. 143. - Reinthaler, Carl Martin, II. 55, 56, 59, 60, 73-76, 91, 98, 112, 173. - " Henriette, II. 76, 211, 212. - Reuter, I. 266; II. 72. - Rheinberger, II. 131. - Richarz, I. 157. - Richter, Hans, II. 51, 163, 208, 217. - Rieckmann, I. 73, 82. - Riedel, II. 133. - Ries, Louis, II. 53, 103, 147. - Rieter-Biedermann, I. 257, 265, 278; - II. 26, 35, 43, 73, 81, 83. - Rietz, Julius, I. 180, 259; - II. 132, 136. - Risch, I. 83. - Ritter, I. 113. - Ritterhaus, II. 188. - Rittermüller, Philippine, See under Grimm. - Roeger-Soldat, Marie, II. 179, 283. - Röntgen, I. 270. - Rosa, Carl, I. 55. - Rosé, Arnold, II. 22, 246, 250, 266. - Rosegger, II. 215, 216. - Rosenhain, J., I. 83; - II. 28, 230. - Rösing, Elisabeth, I. 265, 276; - II. 10. - Rossini, G. A., I. 83. - Rottenberg, v., II. 186, 237, 240. - Röver, II. 6. - Rovetta, Giovanni, I. 188; - II. 22. - Rubinstein, Anton, I. 3, 65, 191, 192, 217; - II. 28, 108, 133, 139. - Rückert, Friedrich, II. 211. - - - S. - - S..., Agathe, I. 223, 224. - Sahr, Heinrich v., I. 134, 137, 256. - Salamon, Hedwig, I. 136-138. - See also under Holstein. - Sallet, Friedrich v., II. 161, 162. - Santley, Charles, II. 87. - Saxe-Meiningen-- - George, Duke of, II. 194-196, 207, 248, 287. - Marie, Princess of, II. 287. - Sayn-Wittgenstein, Princess Caroline v., I. 108. - Scarlatti, D., I. 5, 6, 18, 38, 197; - II. 54, 71, 102. - Schaafhausen, II. 188. - Schäfer, Julius, I. 126. - Schelle, II. 52, 54, 62, 119. - Schelper, II. 99. - Schiller, Friedrich, I. 89, 137, 138, 289; - II. 91, 92, 193, 197, 206. - Schirmer, J. W., I. 120. - Schleinitz, I. 136. - Schloenbach, I. 136, 138, 139. - Schmall, II. 143. - Schmidt, Julius, I. 209, 214-217, 245. - " Professor, II. 213. - Schnack, Caroline, II. 40, 41. - See also under Brahms. - " Fritz, II. 40, 45, 108, 109, 175, 254, 278, 290. - Scholz, Bernhard, I. 251; - II. 103, 104, 140, 166, 183, 275. - " Dr., II. 18. - Schröder, I. 73, 74, 90, 96. - Schröder-Devrient, I. 177. - Schubert, Franz, I. 21, 84, 235, 238, 267; - II. 5, 15, 116, 119, 130, 136, 162, 174, 212, 274, - 287. - " Works played by Brahms, I. 5, 186, 199, 205, 209, 215, 236, - 263, 268; - II. 42, 54, 60, 70, 71, 86. - Schübring, A., I. 118, 274, 275; - II. 73. - Schultz, A., II. 18. - Schulze, I. 209, 245. - Schumann, Clara, I. 1-9, 13, 15, 22, 23, 65, 89, 104, 119, 125, 144, - 155, 159, 160, 163-178, 181-185, 192, 193, - 194-198, 201-206, 210, 211, 218-220, 222, 259, - 260, 262, 267-271, 273, 278; - II. 48, 68, 73, 79, 80, 94, 101, 102, 103, 111, 121, - 122, 154, 167, 171, 187, 188, 203, 204, 230, - 255, 258, 259, 268, 269, 275. - " Robert, I. 65, 89, 101, 102, 113, 116, 118-132, 133, 134, - 143, 154-158, 167-178, 179, 186, 187, 189, 190, - 194, 195, 198, 201-203, 255, 256; - II. 3, 20, 25, 26, 74, 113, 116, 121, 132, 136, 141, - 148, 166, 171, 172, 186-189, 190, 191, 198, 255, - 256, 275. - " Works played by Brahms, I. 186, 191, 206, 215, 216, 246, - 247, 253, 263; - II. 7, 13, 39, 42, 54, 60, 70, 86, - 102, 189. - " Elise, I. 168, 173. - " Eugénie, I. 220; - II. 268. - " Felix, I. 219. - " Julie, I. 169, 279; - II. 93. - " Marie, I. 168, 173, 252, 262; - II. 48, 73, 268. - Schütz, Heinrich, II. 22. - Schwarz, Johanna, II. 106. - Schwenke, I. 63. - Sechter, Simon, II. 3. - Seebach, Elizabeth v., I. 137. - Seebohm, II. 72. - Segisser, II. 31. - Seling, Emil, II. 278. - Sell, II. 275. - Senff, I. 141, 144; - II. 98. - Sengelmann, I. 239. - Seyfried, Ignaz v., I. 64, 67. - Seyfrix, II. 194. - Shakespeare, I. 258. - Shakespeare, W., II. 203, 233. - Siebert, II. 246. - Simrock, Fritz, I. 257; - II. 154, 202, 229, 271, 286. - " N., I. 257; - II. 10, 43, 81, 94, 98, 106, 124, 138, 203, 289. - Sittard, Josef, I. 151, 152; - II. 62, 218, 231, 241. - Smetansky, II. 130. - Sohn, Carl, I. 93, 120. - " Clara, See under Dietrich. - Sommerhoff, II. 265. - Sophocles, I. 89. - Speidel, II. 11, 12. - Spengel, Julius, I. 188; - II. 207, 234, 241. - Speratus, Paul, II. 26. - Speyer, II. 268. - See also under Antonia Kufferath. - Spiess, Hermine, II. 213, 229. - Spina, II. 5, 10, 15, 17, 26. - Spitta, Friedrich, II. 274. - " Philipp, I. 246; - II. 83, 134, 181, 219. - Spohr, L., I. 183, 208; - II. 171. - Stanford, C. V., II. 87, 103, 155, 156, 183, 270. - Steche, Lily, I. 138. - Stegmayer, F., II. 3, 17, 18, 26. - Stein, I. 180. - Steinbach, Fritz, II. 232, 267. - Steinbrügger, II. 31. - Steiner, A., II. 47, 138, 197, 229, 250, 269. - Stern, Adolph, II. 95. - Stern, Capellmeister, II. 88. - Stockhausen, Julius, I. 198, 199, 233-236, 255-257, 262, 263, 265, - 275; - II. 10, 11, 22, 35, 69-72, 73, 79, 81, 83, 84, - 85, 86, 87, 102, 104, 106, 111, 121, 137, - 154, 167, 187, 211, 259, 265, 268, 275, 289. - " Frau, II. 35, 73. - Stone, I. 277. - See also Minna Völckers. - Stradella, A., II. 71. - Straus, Ludwig, II. 103, 147, 238, 250. - Strauss, Richard, II. 216. - " Johann, I. 22; - II. 127, 202, 239, 249, 264, 279, 283. - " Joseph, II. 30. - Suter-Weber, II. 78. - Sybel, II. 248. - - - T. - - Tartini, I. 235, 247; - II. 60, 73. - Tasso, Torquato, I. 89; - II. 84. - Tausig, Carl, II. 4, 14, 23. - Taylor, Franklin, II. 103. - Telemann, G. P., I. 113. - Thalberg, Sigismund, I. 85, 87. - Thomas, Theodor, I. 163. - Thompson, II. 87, 102. - Thorwaldsen, II. 71. - Tieck, Ludwig, I. 265, 275, 276, 291, 303. - Tourgenieff, II. 31, 91. - Truxa, Celestine, II. 226-228, 246, 259, 285, 290. - - - V. - - Vega, Loppe de, II. 33. - Verhulst, I. 180; - II. 173, 191. - Versan, Raoul de, II. 103. - Vesque v. Püttlingen, Helene, I. 136, 137. - Viardot-Garcia, Pauline, II. 31, 94, 95, 102. - Vienna Singakademie concerts under Brahms, II. 20, 22, 23, 25, 26. - Vienna Gesellschaft concerts under Brahms, II. 116-120, 129-131, 136, - 139-141. - Vieuxtemps, Henry, I. 96, 98. - Vinci, Leonardo da, I. 218. - Viotti, II. 177. - Vogel, II. 107. - Vögl, Bernhard, II. 217. - Vogler, II. 18. - Völckers, Herr, I. 258, 265, 266. - " Betty, I. 255, 265, 266; - II. 175. - " Marie, I. 255, 265, 266; - II. 72, 82, 175. - See also under Böie. - " Minna, I. 266; - II. 73. - Volkland, Alfred, II. 134. - Volkmann, R., II. 130. - Voss, J. Heinrich, II. 91. - - - W. - - Wachtel, Theodor, I. 84. - Wäfelghem, II. 102. - Wagner, Friedchen, I. 192, 218, 219, 238, 239, 240, 241, 269; - II. 175. - " Thusnelda, I. 239. - " Richard, I. 100, 101, 103, 105, 252, 287-290; - II. 14, 30, 95, 141, 157-159, 184, 185, 186. - Wahrendorf, Fritz, I. 88. - Waiz, I. 113. - Wallace, Lady, II. 91. - Walter, Gustav, II. 85, 94, 233. - " Fräulein, II. 233. - Wasielewsky, Josef v., I. 114-116, 118, 132, 195; - II. 121. - Webbe, Septimus, II. 201. - Weber, C. M. v., I. 67, 288; - II. 18, 174, 249, 283. - Wehermann, II. 275. - Wehner, I. 118, 137. - Weigand, II. 133. - Weiglein, II. 233. - Weiss, Amalie, See under Joachim. - Weitzmann, I. 251 - Wendt, Gustav, I. 148; - II. 31, 229, 230, 264. - Wenzel, Ernst F., I. 134, 144. - Wesendonck, II. 46. - Westermann, II. 42. - Widmann, J. V., I. 67, 86; - II. 39, 89, 138, 156-161, 193, 194, 221-225, 229, 230, - 238, 239, 243, 251-253, 258, 269, 270, 272. - Wieck, Friedrich, I. 134. - " Marie, I. 134. - Wiedemann, II. 94. - Wiemann, I. 261. - Wiesemann, I. 203. - Wildenbruch, Ernst v., II. 222. - William I., German Emperor, II. 69, 116, 137. - William II., German Emperor, II. 69. - Wilsing, E. F., I. 126. - Wilt, II. 13, 20, 87, 99, 116. - Winter, II. 84. - Wittgenstein, II. 202, 283. - Wolf, Hugo, II. 220. - Wolff-Homersee, Baroness, See under Barbi. - Woronzow, I. 56. - Wrede, II. 187. - Wüllner, Franz, I. 116; - II. 117, 166. - - - Y. - - Young, Edward, I. 89. - - - Z. - - Zelter, II. 94. - Zerbini, II. 53, 147. - Zimmermann, Agnes, II. 103. - " Dr. v., II. 288. - - THE END - - BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD. - - - - - Telegrams: 41 and 43 Maddox Street, - 'Scholarly, London.' Bond Street, London, W., - _November, 1908_. - -Mr. Edward Arnold's List of New Books. - - THE REMINISCENCES OF - LADY RANDOLPH CHURCHILL. - - By Mrs. GEORGE CORNWALLIS-WEST. - - _Second Impression._ - - _Demy 8vo. With Portraits._ =15s. net.= - -The title of this delightful book gains point from its contents. Mrs. -George Cornwallis-West is unable to bring her recollections down to the -immediate present, and so she brings them to a close when she ceased to -be Lady Randolph Churchill. But that was only a few years ago, and it is -doubtful whether any volume of reminiscences of Society has ever -described the life of the interesting and distinguished people so close -to our own day. - -Lady Randolph Churchill's earliest experiences were in Paris during the -last gay days of the Empire and the horrors of the Franco-German War. -Then came her marriage and introduction to all that was best and highest -in English Society. In 1876 Lord and Lady Randolph accompanied the Duke -of Marlborough to Dublin, and her account of life at the Viceregal Court -is full of entertainment. Then come recollections of political society -in London, of the formation of the Primrose League, and anecdotes of -well-known politicians, such as Mr. Balfour, Sir William Harcourt, Mr. -Chamberlain, and others. - -Lady Randolph visited the Royal Family both at Windsor and at -Sandringham: she has also many interesting glimpses to give of -Continental Society, including an audience of the Czar in Russia, Court -functions at Berlin, a dinner-party with Bismarck, a friendship with -General Boulanger. Such are some of the varied items that catch the eye -as one turns over the pages. They are samples from a mine of well-chosen -topics, handled with tact, courage and grace. - -LONDON: EDWARD ARNOLD. 41 & 43 MADDOX STREET. W. - - - EIGHTEEN YEARS IN UGANDA - AND EAST AFRICA. - - By the Right Rev. ALFRED R. TUCKER, D.D., LL.D., - BISHOP OF UGANDA. - - _With 60 Full-page Illustrations from the Author's Sketches, several - of them in Colour, and a Map. In Two Volumes. Demy 8vo._ =30s. net.= - -This is a book of absorbing interest from various points of view, -religious, political and adventurous. It will appeal to the Churchman -and philanthropist as a wonderful record of that missionary work, of -which Mr. Winston Churchill has recently said: - - 'There is no spot under the British Flag, perhaps in the whole - world, where missionary enterprise can be pointed to with more - conviction and satisfaction as to its marvellous and beneficent - results than in the kingdom of Uganda.' - -It will interest the politician as a chapter of Empire-building, in -which the author himself has played no small part. Lastly, it will -delight all those who travel or who love reading about travel. The -Bishop describes his wanderings, mostly afoot, through nearly 22,000 -miles of tropical Africa. He tells of the strange tribes among whom he -dwells, of the glories of the great lakes and the Mountains of the Moon. -He tells of them not only with the pen, but also with pencil and brush, -which he uses with masterly skill. - - - ON SAFARI. - - Big-Game hunting in British East Africa, with Studies in Bird-Life. - - By ABEL CHAPMAN, F.Z.S., - AUTHOR OF 'WILD NORWAY,' 'BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS,' 'WILD SPAIN,' - ETC. - - _With 170 Illustrations by the_ AUTHOR _and_ E. CALDWELL. _Demy 8vo._ - =16s. net.= - -The author of this fascinating book is a well-known ornithologist, as -well as a mighty hunter and traveller. He takes us 'on safari' (_i.e._, -on trek) through a new African region--a creation of yesterday, -Imperially speaking, since British East Africa only sprang into -existence during the current decade, on the opening of the Uganda -Railway. 'The new Colony,' he says, 'six times greater in area than the -Mother Island, is an Imperial asset of as yet unmeasured possibilities, -consisting, to-day, largely of virgin hunting grounds, unsurpassed on -earth for the variety of their wild fauna, yet all but unknown save to a -handful of pioneers and big-game hunters.' Much knowledge, however, can -be acquired through the pages and pictures of this book, describing, as -it does, the vast tropical forests, with their savage inhabitants and -teeming animal life. The numerous illustrations of African big game, -owing to the expert knowledge of both author and artist, are probably -the most accurate that have ever appeared. - - - OLD AND ODD MEMORIES. - - By the Hon. LIONEL A. TOLLEMACHE, - AUTHOR OF 'TALKS WITH MR. GLADSTONE,' 'BENJAMIN JOWETT,' ETC. - - _Denny 8vo. With Portraits._ =12s. 6d. net.= - -One of the most brilliant men of his day, only prevented, probably, by -the physical infirmity of near-sightedness, from being also one of the -most prominent, gives us in this volume a collection of remarkably -interesting reminiscences, which extend over half a century. They -include, mostly in anecdotal form, life-like portraits of the author's -father, the first Baron Tollemache (another Coke of Norfolk, but with -more eccentricities), and of Dr. Vaughan of Harrow. The author's years -at Harrow, of which he records his memories, were from 1850 to 1856, and -those at Oxford from 1856 to 1860. The book contains, besides, a number -of characteristic stories, now for the first time given to the public, -of the Duke of Wellington, Lord Houghton, Lord and Lady Mount Temple, -Fitz-James Stephen, to take but a few names at random from these -fascinating pages. - - - IN SEARCH OF A POLAR - CONTINENT. - - By ALFRED H. HARRISON, F.R.G.S. - - _Illustrated from Photographs taken by the Author in the Arctic - Regions, and a Map. Derry 8vo._ =12s. 6d. net.= - -The white North continues to exert its magnetism upon British explorers. -Mr. Harrison's object was to explore the unknown region off the North -American Coast of the Arctic Ocean, but he first travelled 1,800 miles -by waterway through Northern Canada, till he arrived at the delta of the -Mackenzie River. There he was frozen in and delayed for three months. He -then continued his journey to the Arctic Ocean with dogs, but was -obliged to abandon his supplies. He hoped to obtain provisions at -Herschel Island, but being disappointed in this, he went into the -mountains and spent two months with the Eskimo, whose manners and -customs he describes. He next returned to Herschel Island and made a -voyage to Banks Land in a steam whaler. There, too, the failure of an -expected tender to arrive from San Francisco again defeated his hopes of -procuring supplies. Consequently he once more threw in his lot with the -Eskimo, between the Mackenzie Delta and Liverpool Bay, and spent a year -among them. - -Such are the adventures described in this interesting book, the last -chapter of which, explaining the author's plans for resuming his -enterprise, once more illustrates the fact that an Englishman never -knows when he is beaten. - - - CHRONICLES OF THE HOUGHTON - FISHING CLUB, 1822-1908. - - Edited by the Rt. Hon. Sir HERBERT MAXWELL, Bart., - AUTHOR OF 'MEMORIES OF THE MONTHS,' 'THE CREEVEY PAPERS,' - 'THE STORY OF THE TWEED,' 'BRITISH FRESH-WATER FISHES,' ETC. - - _With numerous Illustrations, many in Photogravure or on Japanese - Vellum, including facsimile Reproductions from Sketches by Landseer, - Chantrey, Turner, etc. - Demy 4to._ =£2 2s. net.= _Limited to 350 copies._ - -This sumptuous volume, which gives the history of one of the oldest and -most famous fishing clubs, on that finest of all English streams, the -Test, forms an unique addition to angling literature. The effect of -angling on literature has always been genial and discursive, and these -delightful Chronicles are no exception to the rule. They throw much -light on the changes which have affected social habits in general, and -the craft of fly-fishing in particular, during the best part of a -century. They contain not only records of sport, but various -contributions--literary and pictorial--to the club album, made by -celebrated members and visitors. These included Penn's well-known -fishing maxims, some portraits by Chantrey, several sketches by Landseer -and Sir Francis Grant, and one precious drawing from the hand of Turner. -In the leisurely old days of mail-coaches, the members of the club and -their guests had more time for such diversions, when the weather was -unfavourable to sport, than is the case in the present age of telegrams -and express trains. - - - IN OLD CEYLON. - - By REGINALD FARRER, - AUTHOR OF 'THE GARDEN OF ASIA.' - - _With numerous Illustrations. Demy 8vo._ =12s. 6d. net.= - -The shrines of Oriental romance have once more charmed the pen of Mr. -Reginald Farrer. His book has little concern with modern Ceylon, its -industries and exports. He tells rather of the bygone glories and -sanctities of ancient Lanka, when the island was the seat of a powerful -monarchy and a dominant church. He gladly deserts the beaten track for -the fastnesses of the jungle and the great dead cities whose bones lie -lost in a shoreless ocean of green. Under his guidance, all those who -love contemplation of 'old unhappy things and battles long ago' can -follow the tale of the Buddhist hierarchy and the Cingalese monarchy, -realizing their ancient glories amid the ruins where they lie buried, -and their final tragedy in the vast jungle that now for many centuries -has engulfed their worldly majesty. - -Nor is the interest of the book wholly antiquarian and historic, for -Ceylon--that Eastern Island of Saints--is a vast flowering garden, of -whose blossoms and paradises all votaries of horticulture will delight -to read in Mr. Farrer's pages. - - - THE BOOK OF WINTER SPORTS. - - With an Introduction by the Rt. Hon. the EARL OF LYTTON, - and contributions from experts in various branches of sport. - - Edited by EDGAR SYERS. - - _Fully illustrated. Dewy 8vo._ =15s. net.= - -Every winter more and more visitors are attracted to Switzerland, the -Tyrol, and Scandinavia, to take part in the various winter sports of -which this book is the first and only comprehensive account in English. -Each sport is dealt with separately by an expert. Thus, Mr. and Mrs. -Syers write on Skating, Mr. C. Knapp on Tobogganing, Mr. E. Wroughton on -Ski-running, Mr. Bertram Smith on Curling, Mr. E. Mavrogordato on Bandy, -and Mr. Ernest Law on Valsing on Ice. The various chapters give -instructions in practice, rules, records, and exploits, as well as -useful information as to hotels, hours of sunshine, the size and number -of rinks, and competitions open to visitors at the different centres. -The book contains a large number of original illustrations. It should be -indispensable, not only to experts in the various sports, but to the far -larger class of holiday-makers who engage in them as a pastime. - - - FIVE MONTHS IN THE HIMALAYAS. - - A Record of Mountain Travel in Garhwal and Kashmir. - - By A. L. MUMM, - LATE HONORARY SECRETARY OF THE ALPINE CLUB. - - _Magnificently illustrated with Photogravure Plates and Panoramas, and - a Map. Royal 8vo._ =21s. net.= - -The first and principal portion of this volume contains an account of a -journey through the mountains of Garhwal made by the author in May, -June, and July, 1907, with Major the Hon. C. G. Bruce and Dr. T. G. -Longstaff, whose names are already well known in connexion with -Himalayan mountaineering. The tour has considerable geographical -interest, which is enhanced by a magnificent series of original -photographs of scenes never before submitted to the camera, and it was -rendered memorable by the fact that in the course of it Dr. Longstaff -reached the summit of Trisul, 23,415 feet above the level of the sea, -the loftiest peak on the earth's surface whose actual summit has, beyond -all doubt or question, been trodden by man. - -Later on, Major Bruce and Mr. Mumm proceeded to Kashmir, where they -climbed Mount Haramukh, whose snowy crest is familiar to all visitors to -'the happy valley'; and made a 'high-level route' down the range of -mountains which separates Kashmir from Kagan. Their photographic spoils -were of an interest hardly inferior to those of the Garhwal journey. - - - PAINTING IN THE FAR EAST. - - An Introduction to the History of Pictorial Art in Asia, especially - China and Japan. - - By LAURENCE BINYON. - - _With 31 Full-page Illustrations in Collotype from Original Chinese - and Japanese Pictures. One Volume. Crown 4to._ =21s. net.= - -This important book is a pioneer work in the artistic interpretation of -the East to the West, and in the breaking down of the spiritual barriers -between them. For a basis of study of Eastern art, writes Mr. Binyon, -'the public at present has nothing but a few general misconceptions.' He -therefore puts forward his volume with the modest hope that it 'may not -be thought too presumptuous an attempt to survey the achievement and to -interpret the aims of Oriental painting, and to appreciate it from the -standpoint of a European in relation to the rest of the world's art. It -is the general student and lover of painting,' he continues, 'whom I -have wished to interest. My chief concern has been, not to discuss -questions of authorship or of archæology, but to enquire what æsthetic -value and significance these Eastern paintings have for us in the West.' -Besides its stimulating artistic criticism, the book is full of -interesting glimpses of Eastern history and thought in so far as they -have affected art, as well as of biographical sketches of Eastern -painters. - - - MADAME ELIZABETH DE FRANCE, - 1764-1794. - - A Memoir. - - By the Hon. Mrs. MAXWELL-SCOTT, - AUTHOR OF 'JOAN OF ARC,' 'ABBOTSFORD AND ITS TREASURES,' ETC. - - _With Coloured Collotype and other Illustrations. - Demy 8vo._ =12s. 6d. net.= - -Among the victims of the French Revolution, perhaps the figure which -excites most sympathy is that of the modest and heroic Princess whose -life is told in this deeply interesting memoir. Madame Elizabeth was the -sister of Louis XVI. Her life was at first one of calm and quiet. Her -studies, her charities, and her intimate friendships filled her time -until the storm broke over France, and she left her peaceful Montruil to -take her part in the dangers and sufferings of her family, and to be -their consoler in the time of trial. It was not till the King and Queen -had both been executed that Madame Elizabeth was brought from prison, -tried for corresponding with her brother, and condemned to the -guillotine. - -The fresh documents lately discovered by M. Lenotre have enabled the -author, who, by the way, is a great-granddaughter of Sir Walter Scott, -to throw much new light on the life of 'The Angelic Princess.' - - - SCOTTISH GARDENS. - - By the Right Hon. Sir HERBERT MAXWELL, Bart. - - Illustrated in Colour by MARY G. W. WILSON, - MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF SCOTTISH ARTISTS. - - _With 32 Full-page Coloured Plates. Crown 4to._ =21s. net.= - - _Also an Edition de Luxe, limited to 250 copies, at_ =£2 2s. net=. - -This work is the outcome of a desire to produce a volume worthy in every -respect of the beautiful gardens of Scotland. Sir Herbert Maxwell, whose -knowledge of the subject is probably unique, is personally acquainted -with the places described, and has throughout been in consultation with -the artist, Miss Wilson. Visitors to her studio in Edinburgh, or the -exhibitions of her work in London, will need no further testimony to the -charm of her pictures, which are here reproduced with the utmost care -and on the largest feasible scale. - -One of the objects of the work is to dispel certain popular fallacies as -to the rigours of the Scottish climate. Its chief aim, however, is to -present a typical selection of Scottish garden scenes representing all -styles and all scales, modest as well as majestic, and formal as well as -free, so that the possessor of the humblest plot of ground may be -stimulated to beautify it, with as fair hope of success, in proportion, -as the lord of many thousand acres. - - - ALPINES AND BOG-PLANTS. - - By REGINALD FARRER, - AUTHOR OF 'MY ROCK GARDEN,' ETC. - - _With Illustrations. Large Crown 8vo._ =7s. 6d. net.= - -Like most hobbies, rock-gardening provides an endless topic of interest -for its devotees, and the lore of the subject is inexhaustible. At any -rate, Mr. Reginald Farrer, who is a recognized authority on the art, by -no means exhausted his stock of information and anecdote in his previous -work, 'My Rock Garden.' That garden, as most of his fellow-enthusiasts -know, is on the slopes of Ingleborough in Yorkshire, and it is a place -of pilgrimage for the faithful of this cult. As a writer, Mr. Farrer -combines a light and genial style with sound practical information, so -that his books are at once readable and instructive. Some idea of the -scope of the present volume may be gained from the list of chapters, -which is as follows: 1. Of Shrubs and their Placing. 2. Of Shrubs, -Mostly Evergreen. 3. Ranunculaceæ, Papaveraceæ, Cruciferæ. 4. A -Collecting Day above Arolla. 5. Between Dianthus and Epilobium. 6. From -Epilobium on through Umbelliferæ and Compositæ. 7. Of Odd Treasures. 8. -The Big Bog and its Lilies. 9. The Greater Bog Plants. 10. Iris. 11. The -Mountain Bog. 12. More of the Smaller Bog Plants. 13. The Water Garden. - - - THE HISTORY OF THE 'GEORGE' - WORN ON THE SCAFFOLD BY - KING CHARLES I. - - By SIR RALPH PAYNE-GALLWEY, Bart., - AUTHOR OF 'THE MYSTERY OF MARIA STELLA,' ETC. - - _Finely illustrated in Collotype. Royal 8vo._ =7s. 6d. net.= - -A 'George,' in the sense in which it is here used, is the jewelled -pendant of St. George and the Dragon which is worn by Knights of the -Garter. There are two of these 'Georges' used in the Insignia of the -Order. One is attached to the collar, and is worn only on solemn feasts: -the other is called 'the lesser George,' and is worn on general -occasions, attached to a chain or lace of silk. - -The sovereign is, of course, head of the Order, and Charles the First -was wearing his 'George' when he ascended the scaffold to be executed. -The question afterwards arose as to what had become of it, and it has -since been given up as lost. Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, however, who has -already, in his book on Maria Stella, proved himself a skilful literary -unraveller of historical mysteries, makes out a very good case, in his -new volume, for identifying the missing 'George' with one that is now in -King Edward's possession at Windsor. - - - A PARSON IN THE AUSTRALIAN - BUSH. - - By C. H. S. MATTHEWS, M.A., - LATE VICE-PRINCIPAL OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, N.S.W. - - _Illustrated from Sketches by the_ AUTHOR, _etc. - Crown 8vo._ =6s. net.= - -The Rev. C. H. S. Matthews, better known in the bush of New South Wales -as 'Brother Charles,' is one of the founders and chiefs of an Anglican -Society called the Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd, formed to minister -to the religious needs of those remote regions. During five years spent -almost entirely in itinerating in the 'back-blocks' of the colony, he -has had exceptional opportunities for studying bush-life. Finding, on -his return to England, a widespread interest in Australian affairs, -coupled often with an astonishing ignorance of the real Australia, it -occurred to him to set down his own experiences and views on various -Australian problems. Knocking about among the bushmen, camping with -sleeper-cutters and drovers, visiting the stations and selections -'out-back,' Mr. Matthews has caught the spirit and atmosphere of the -bush, with its mingled pathos, humour and humanity. The book should -appeal, not only to those interested in missionary enterprise, but to -all who like to learn how the other parts of the Empire live. - - - THE ROSE-WINGED HOURS. - - English Love Lyrics. - - Arranged by St. JOHN LUCAS, - EDITOR OF 'THE OXFORD BOOK OF FRENCH VERSE,' ETC. - - _Small 8vo., elegantly bound._ =5s. net.= - -The special claim of this anthology, arranged, as it is, by one of our -most promising younger poets, will be due to the prominence given in it -to the love-lyrics of those Elizabethan and Jacobean poets whose verse, -though really entitled to rank with the finest flowers of their -better-known contemporaries, is unduly neglected by the ordinary reader. -The love-lyric is, indeed, the only form in which a great many of the -lesser poets write anything at all memorable. - -Sidney and Campion, both writers of extraordinary power and sweetness, -devote themselves almost entirely to this form, and the strange and -passionate voice of Doune finds in it an accent of deep and haunting -eloquence. And since every love-lyric from Meleager to Meredith has a -certain deathless interest that is shared by every poem of its kind, no -matter how many the centuries between them, in this volume the great -line of the Elizabethans will lead to the nineteenth century poets, to -the singers of an epoch with a lyrical harvest as great, indeed, as all -the gold of Elizabeth. - - - THE MISTRESS ART. - - By REGINALD BLOMFIELD, A.R.A., - PROFESSOR OF ARCHITECTURE TO THE ROYAL ACADEMY. - AUTHOR OF 'A HISTORY OF RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE IN ENGLAND.' - - _Crown 8vo._ =5s. net.= - -The author of this interesting book, who speaks, as it were, _ex -cathedrâ_, has here collected a series of eight lectures on architecture -delivered in the Royal Academy. In them he has endeavoured to establish -a standpoint from which architecture should be studied and practised. -His general position is that architecture is an art with a definite -technique of its own, which cannot be translated into terms either of -ethics or of any of the other arts, and the development of this thesis -involves a somewhat searching criticism of the views on architecture -advanced by Ruskin and Morris. - -The first four lectures deal with the study of architecture--its -relation to personal temperament, its appeal to the emotions, and its -limitations. In the last four, devoted to 'The Grand Manner,' the writer -has illustrated his conception of the aims and ideas of architecture by -reference to great examples of the art in the past. - - - WOODSMEN OF THE WEST. - - By M. ALLERDALE GRAINGER. - - _With Illustrations. Demy 8vo._ =7s. 6d. net.= - -This is an extremely interesting personal narrative of 'logging' in -British Columbia. 'Logging,' as everyone knows, means felling and -preparing for the saw-mill the giant timber in the forests that fringe -the Pacific coast of Canada, and it is probably true that no more -strenuous work is done on the face of the earth. Mr. Grainger, who is a -Cambridge Wrangler, has preferred this manual work to the usual mental -occupations of the mathematician, and gives us a vivid and graphic -account of an adventurous life. - - - ARVAT. - - A Dramatic Poem in Four Acts. - - By LEOPOLD H. MYERS. - - _Crown 8vo._ =4s. 6d. net.= - -The author of this play is a son of the late Frederick Myers, the -well-known authority on 'Psychical Research.' It is a poetical drama in -four acts, describing the rise and fall of the hero, Arvat. The time and -place are universal, as are also the characters. But the latter, though -universal, and therefore in a sense symbolic, are psychologically human, -and the significance of the action, heightened as it may be by -interpretation through the imagination, is nevertheless independent of -it. Thus Arvat's career, while providing subject-matter for a drama -among individuals in the flesh, may also be taken as the symbol of a -drama among ideas in the spirit. - - - PEEP-IN-THE-WORLD. - - A Story for Children. - - By Mrs. F. E. CRICHTON. - - _Illustrated by Harry Rountree. Crown 8vo._ =3s. 6d.= - -The author of this charming tale ought to take rank with such writers as -Mrs. Molesworth in the category of childhood's literature. The story -tells of a little girl who visits her uncle in Germany and spends a year -in an old castle on the borders of a forest. There she finds everything -new and delightful. She makes friends with a dwarf cobbler, who lives -alone in a hut in the forest, and knows the speech of animals and birds. -Knut, the cobbler, is something of a hermit and a misanthrope, but he is -conquered by Peep-in-the-World, whom he eventually admits to the League -of Forest Friends. She wants him to teach her how to talk to the wild -things of the woods, and though she has to leave Germany without -learning the secret, she gains a growing sense of the magic power of -sympathy and kindness. - - - LONDON SIDE-LIGHTS. - - By CLARENCE ROOK. - - _With Frontispiece by S. de la Bere. Crown 8vo._ =6s.= - -The author of these entertaining sketches has taken his place as an -ordinary Londoner who is a journalist as well. He has walked and ridden -about London with pennies in his pocket, eyes in his head, and a brain -behind the eyes. He has found secrets of London hotels, he has pierced -the problem of London traffic, he has been to queer boxing contests, and -he has been present at the birth of the popular song. He has sat in the -gallery of the House of Commons, and in the newspaper office that cuts -and carves its speeches. And he knows the story of the famous block in -Piccadilly. He has found, too, the problem of the London woman who is -alone. The problem also of those London children whom the Salvation Army -rescues. And at the end comes the 'Bath of Silence,' which gives the -City peace. - - - THE DOWAGER OF JERUSALEM. - - A Romance in Four Acts. - - By REGINALD FARRER, - AUTHOR OF 'IN OLD CEYLON,' 'MY ROCK GARDEN,' ETC. - - _Crown 8vo._ =3s. 6d. net.= - - - CHRONICLES OF SERVICE LIFE IN - MALTA. - - By Mrs. ARTHUR STUART. - - _Illustrated by Paul Hardy. Crown 8vo._ =6s.= - -Fiction is always the more interesting the more closely it is drawn from -life, and these sketches of naval and military society in Malta, -depicted in the form of stories, come from the pen of a lady who is -intimately acquainted with the life of which she writes. The names of -some of the stories, such as 'The Temptation of the Engineer,' 'The Red -Parasol,' 'The Prince, the Lady, and the Naval Captain,' will perhaps be -as good an indication as can be given of the character of the book. It -will doubtless appeal especially to those familiar with society at naval -and military stations, while the fact of its having a specific _milieu_, -should in no way detract from its general interest. 'Plain Tales from -the Hills' did not appeal only to the Anglo-Indian. - - - KNOWN TO THE POLICE. - - Memories of a Police Court Missionary. - - By THOMAS HOLMES, - AUTHOR OF 'PICTURES AND PROBLEMS FROM LONDON POLICE COURTS.' - - _Demy 8vo._ =10s. 6d. net.= - -There is probably no man living who is so well qualified as Mr. Holmes -to write the naked truth about the 'submerged tenth' of our population. -His are not the casual, superficial observations of the amateur, but the -first-hand experiences of one whose whole life is spent among the scenes -he describes. His work has lain among the hungry and thirsty; he has -visited the criminal in prison, and been face to face with the Hooligan -and the Burglar in their own haunts; but through all the gloom and -shadow of crime he has contrived to preserve a fellow-feeling with -humanity in its most depressing garb. Every chapter is full of interest, -of strange and quaint narratives in chequered pages of despair and hope. - - - VEGETARIAN COOKERY. - - By FLORENCE A. GEORGE, - AUTHOR OF 'KING EDWARD'S COOKERY BOOK.' - - _Crown 8vo._ =3s. 6d.= - -Some are vegetarians for conscience' sake, and others for the sake of -their health. Miss George caters for both these classes in her new book; -but she does not strictly exclude all animal food, since eggs, butter, -milk, cream and cheese form a large part of her dishes. As far as -possible, dietetic foods have been avoided in the recipes, as they are -often difficult to procure. Every recipe given has been tested to ensure -accuracy, and the simplest language is used in explaining what has to be -done. A special feature of the book is the large number of vegetable -soufflés and creams. The various chapters deal with Stock and Soups; -Sauces; Pastes, Borders and Garnishes; Casseroles, Patties, Pies, -Puddings and Timbales; Curries, Stews and Scallops; Galantines; -Croquettes; Vegetables; Aspics, Creams and Salads; Soufflés, Omelettes -and Egg Dishes; Aigrettes and Fritters; Savouries; Macaroni and Rice; -Sweets; and Menus. - - - THE SEEKERS. - - By FRANK SAVILE, - AUTHOR OF 'THE DESERT VENTURE,' ETC. - - _Crown 8vo._ =6s.= - -This is a stirring novel of adventure in Eastern Europe. A learned -Professor astonishes the British Association by announcing that he has -located the famous lost treasure of Diocletian, as buried somewhere in -the principality of 'Montenera.' This little State with its brave Prince -is hard pressed for funds to defend itself against more powerful -neighbours who aim at absorbing it, and the treasure would be -invaluable. Whether it was discovered or not, the reader learns in the -course of a spirited and exciting story. In reviewing the author's last -novel, 'The Desert Venture,' the _Times_ said: 'When you have agreed to -treat it as crude adventure, it is really as good as you can wish.' The -_World_ said: 'If Mr. Savile's style is to some extent modelled on that -of Merriman, this is no fault, but a virtue. And the reading world will -find that it may safely welcome such work as this on its own account--as -it assuredly will.' - - - THE WITCH'S SWORD. - - By DAVID KERR FULTON. - - _Illustrated by the Author. Crown 8vo._ =6s.= - -This work, by a new author, is of a highly imaginative and romantic -tendency, and deals with a most interesting period in Scottish history. -The hero, who tells his own story, is an All Hallows child, born in the -one weird hour which makes him kith and kin to the spirits of the air. -The mystery of Flodden and the strange events grouped round the ancient -tradition as to the fate of the gallant James are stirringly told, and -lead up to the dénouement, which comes with vivid unexpectedness at the -close of the book. - -The lonely orphan of a wronged father is unwittingly schooled to -vengeance by the fiery Welsh swordsman Jevan, who, at the instigation of -the dying old nurse, forges the wizard steel that gives the story its -name. - -A tender love idyll is woven into the tale and relieves the scenes of -violence through which the wearer of the Witch's Sword must fight his -way to honour and acceptance. - - - AMABEL CHANNICE. - - By ANNE DOUGLAS SEDGWICK, - AUTHOR OF 'VALERIE UPTON,' ETC. - - _Crown 8vo._ =6s.= - -Readers of 'Valerie Upton' will turn eagerly to Miss Sedgwick's new -novel. The scene is laid in England, and the principal characters are -four--Amabel Channice, her son, her husband, and another woman, Lady -Elliston. The relations between mother and son form the basis of the -story, and the dramatic situation begins when the son, a youth of -nineteen, broaches to his mother the question why she and his father do -not live together. Curiosity is thus awakened, and the emotional -atmosphere charged with uneasy expectation. Thereafter events move -quickly, reaching a dramatic climax within the space of a week. Further -than this it would not be fair to the author to reveal her plot. - - - A ROOM WITH A VIEW. - - By E. M. FORSTER, - AUTHOR OF 'THE LONGEST JOURNEY,' 'WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD,' ETC. - - _Crown 8vo._ =6s.= - -A novelist's third book, when its predecessors have shown great promise, -is generally held to make or mar his reputation. There can be no -question that Mr. Forster's new story will effectually establish his -position. It is a comedy, having more affinity in style with his first -book, 'Where Angels Fear to Tread,' than with 'The Longest Journey.' The -author's whimsical humour, and unexpected turns of satire, have attained -a still more piquant quality. He excels especially in satirizing the -banalities of ordinary conversation, and his dialogue is always -deliciously amusing. - - - MIRIAM. - - By EDITH C. M. DART. - - _Crown 8vo._ =6s.= - -This is a promising first novel by a new writer, whose style is -remarkable for delicate workmanship. The story moves round the dying -fortunes of an old country family and its ancestral home. The hero -belongs to another branch of this family, and there is a mystery about -his birth. The heroine is an orphan, the daughter of a yeoman father and -a French mother. Another important character is a scheming lawyer, and -with these threads of love and intrigue the author has woven an -interesting plot which is cleverly worked out. - - - THE DRESSING OF MINERALS. - - By HENRY LOUIS, M.A., - PROFESSOR OF MINING AND LECTURER ON SURVEYING, ARMSTRONG COLLEGE, - NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. - - _With about 400 Illustrations. Royal 8vo._ =30s. net.= - -The object of this book is to fill a gap in technological literature -which exists between works on Mining and works on Metallurgy. On the -intermediate processes, by which the minerals unearthed by the miner are -prepared for the smelter and for their use in arts and manufactures, no -English text-book has yet appeared. The present work should, therefore, -be very welcome to students, as well as to miners and metallurgists. - - - THE GEOLOGY OF ORE DEPOSITS. - - By H. H. THOMAS and D. A. MACALISTER, - OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. - - _Illustrated. Crown 8vo._ =7s. 6d. net.= - -This book belongs to a new series of works under the general editorship -of Dr. J. E. Marr, F.R.S., for students of economic geology, a subject -which is receiving more and more attention in our great educational -centres. It is also hoped that the series will be useful to students of -general geology, as well as to surveyors and others concerned with the -practical uses of geology. The chapters in the present volume treat -severally on the Genesis of Ore Deposits, Segregation, Pneumatolysis, -Metasomasis, Deposition from Solution, Sedimentary Deposits, and -Secondary Changes in Lodes. - - - STEEL ROOF AND BRIDGE DESIGN. - - By W. HUME KERR, M.A., B.Sc., - LECTURER ON ENGINEERING, DRAWING AND DESIGN, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH. - - _With detailed Drawings. Demy 8vo._ =10s. 6d. net.= - -In accordance with a need long felt by engineering students, this work -presents the complete designs of four typical structures--two roof -trusses and two bridges--worked out with full arithmetical calculation -of stresses. There is a minimum of theory, and the author's object has -been to make the methods of design so clear as to enable students and -engineers to proceed to design independently. - - - THE BODY AT WORK. - - By ALEX HILL, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.S., - SOMETIME MASTER OF DOWNING COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. - AUTHOR OF - 'AN INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE,' 'THE PHYSIOLOGIST'S NOTE-BOOK,' ETC. - - _With Illustrations, xii + 452 pages, Demy 8vo._ =16s. net.= - -This is a book for the non-professional reader, not a regular text-book -for the medical student. It does not assume any technical knowledge of -the sciences, such as chemistry, physics and biology, which lead up to a -formal study of physiology. Dr. Hill describes the phenomena of life, -their interdependence and causes, in language intelligible to people of -general education, and his book may be compared in this respect with Dr. -Hutchison's well-known work on 'Food.' There is perhaps a prejudice -against the ordinary popularizer of scientific knowledge, but when a -master of his subject takes up his pen to write for the public, we -cannot but be grateful that he has cast aside the trammels of the -text-book, and handled subjects of vital interest to humanity in so -broad and philosophic a manner. - - - A TEXT-BOOK OF EXPERIMENTAL - PSYCHOLOGY. - - By Dr. C. S. MYERS, - PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON UNIVERSITY. - - _Crown 8vo._ =8s. 6d. net.= - -The lack of a text-book on Experimental Psychology has been long felt, -the literature of the subject having been hitherto so scattered and -profuse that the student has to collect a small library of books and -periodicals. The present work gives an account of the more important -results obtained, and describes methods of experiment, with practical -directions for the student. - - - APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY. - - A Handbook for Students of Medicine. - - By ROBERT HUTCHISON, M.D., F.R.C.P., - PHYSICIAN TO THE LONDON HOSPITAL, AND ASSISTANT PHYSICIAN TO THE - HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN. - AUTHOR OF 'FOOD AND THE PRINCIPLES OF DIETETICS,' ETC. - - _Crown 8vo._ =7s. 6d. net.= - -The author of a standard work on diet is not likely to err by being too -theoretical. The principle of Dr. Hutchison's new book is to bring -physiology from the laboratory to the bedside. 'Physiology,' he writes, -'is studied in the laboratory, and clinical medicine in the wards, and -too often one finds that the student is incapable of applying his -scientific knowledge to his clinical work.' - - - LONDON: EDWARD ARNOLD, 41 & 43 MADDOX STREET, W. - - - - -Transcriber's Note - -Apparent printer's errors have been retained, unless stated below. - -"_" surrounding text represents italics. - -"=" surrounding text represents boldface print. - -Punctuation, capitalization, accents and formatting markup have been -made consistent. - -Illustrations have been moved to be closer to their discussion in the -text. - -Page vi, "Geheimrathe" changed to "Geheimrath" for consistency. -(Geheimrath Gille) - -Page 11, "Weiner" changed to "Wiener". ('The serenade, a fine, -interesting, and intellectual work, deserved warmer acknowledgment,' -wrote Speidel in the _Wiener Zeitung_.) - -Page 13, "music alnature" changed to "musical nature". (Though he could -not stoop to the attempt to dazzle his public by phenomenal feats of -virtuosity, the grace, tenderness, and truth of his musical nature -appealed to his southern audience, whilst the significance of his genius -dawned on the perception of one or two discerning musicians.) - -Page 54, "Weiner" changed to "Wiener". (The musical critic of the -_Wiener Zeitung_ writes that Herr Brahms was cordially received by his -"party.") - -Page 54, "muscial" changed to "musical". (If, however, the audience of -the evening is to be described as the "party" of the distinguished -artist, it must be said that his party consists of the cultivated -experts of musical Vienna.') - -Page 55, "give" changed to "gave". (Joachim and I probably gave concerts -here before.) - -Page 62, "Weiner" changed to "Wiener". (Hirsch did not fail to make use -of his opportunity in the _Wiener Zeitung_.) - -Page 106, "performe dearly" changed to "performed early". (The -Schicksalslied was published by Simrock in December, and was performed -early in 1872 in Bremen, Breslau, Frankfurt, and Vienna.) - -Page 117, "works" changed to "work". (Both as regards its form and its -treatment of masses, this work bears the stamp of a masterpiece.) - -Page 119, "Waiden" changed to "Weiden". ('Dort in den Weiden steht ein -Haus.') - -Page 139, "Solennis" changed to "Solemnis". (On December 6--Beethoven's -Missa Solemnis in D major.) - -On Pages 143, 185, 280, 282, 288 and 307, the caron over the letter "r" -in "Dvorák" has been omitted. - -"Wiesemann, I. 203." moved to page 319 to restore the Index's -alphabetical order. - -Page 277, "in is" changed to "is in". (The fourth prelude, 'Herzlich -thut mich erfreuen,' is in a somewhat lighter vein than the others, but -is, none the less, absolutely and distinctly Brahms.) - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Johannes Brahms (Vol 2 of -2), by Florence May - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF JOHANNES BRAHMS *** - -***** This file should be named 40644-8.txt or 40644-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/6/4/40644/ - -Produced by Linda Cantoni, Veronika Redfern, Bryan Ness -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian -Libraries) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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