Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

How to say the name:

‘Brahms’ is said like Brarms. ‘Johannes’ is said like ‘Yo-han-nis’.

Born:

7th May 1833 in Hamburg, Germany.

Brahms’s grave in Vienna

Died:

3rd April 1897 in Vienna, Austria.

Buried:

Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) in Vienna.

Type of Music:

Classical music from the romantic period.

A famous piece:
  • Lullaby (Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht, Op. 49, No. 4). (See below for a video.)
Some great pieces:
  • Symphonies Nos. 1–4.
  • Piano Concerto No. 2.
  • Double Concerto for Violin and Cello.
  • Violin Concerto.
  • Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). (See below for a video.)
Some interesting facts:
  • Most musicians think he is one of the greatest composers of classical music ever.
  • He thought Beethoven’s symphonies were so great that he took over 20 years to write his own! But is was worth the wait—it was the best symphony since those of Beethoven.
  • He was in love with Clara Schumann.
  • He did not like Wagner’s music. This meant that many people at the time decided to like only one or the other. In fact, comparing Brahms and Wagner still causes many arguments today!

Here is a video of part of Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem).

Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras, from Brahms’ German Requiem

And here is a video of Brahms’s Lullaby (Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht). This piece has been arranged and played by other people in all sorts of ways. However, this is the way Brahms wrote it—as a simple song for piano and singer.

Brahms’s Lullaby (Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht) in its original form

Choose another composer of classical music.
Picture credits:
  1. Johannes Brahms. This is a painting by Joseph Karl Stieler from 1820 held in the Beethoven Haus in Bonn. The image is in the public domain. Click here for the source of this image, along with the relevant copyright information.
  2. Brahms’s grave. This image may be used freely. Click here for the source of this image, along with the relevant copyright information.
Video credits:
  1. Brahms – Ein Deutsches Requiem 2a/7. AVI OSTROWSKY – Conductor, BRT Philharmonic Orchestra. AVI OSTROWSKY – Conductor, BRT Philharmonic Orchestra. This is the second movement of the German Requiem, Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras (For all flesh is like grass).
  2. Sonya Pankratov Wiegellied Lullaby Brahms. The person who posted this on YouTube writes: Great Russian Soprano sings Wiegenlied Lullaby by Johannes Brahms.Performance in Nuerenberg, Germany.