Johannes Brahms: A Biography

by Jan Swafford

A New York Times Notable Book

"This brilliant and magisterial book is a very good bet to...become the definitive study of Johannes Brahms."-- The Plain Dealer

Judicious, compassionate, and full of insight into Brahms's human complexity as well as his music, Johannes Brahms is an indispensable biography.

Proclaimed the new messiah of Romanticism by Robert Schumann when he was only twenty, Johannes Brahms dedicated himself to a long and extraordinarily productive career.  In this book, Jan Swafford sets out to reveal the little-known Brahms, the boy who grew up in mercantile Hamburg and played piano in beer halls among prostitutes and drunken sailors, the fiercely self-protective man who thwarted future biographers by burning papers, scores and notebooks late in his life.  Making unprecedented use of the remaining archival material, Swafford offers richly expanded perspectives on Brahms's youth, on his difficult romantic life--particularly his longstanding relationship with Clara Schumann--and on his professional rivalry with Lizst and Wagner.  

"[ Johannes Brahms ] will no doubt stand as the definitive work on Brahms, one of the monumental biographies in the entire musical library."-- London Weekly Standard

"It is a measure of the accomplishment of Jan Swafford's biography that Brahms's sadness becomes palpable.... [Swafford] manages to construct a full-bodied human being."-- The New York Times Book Review

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Classical Music, Biography Memoir, Art

699 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 1997

About the author

Jan Swafford is a composer and writer. His musical works range from orchestral and chamber to film and theater music, including four pieces for orchestra, Midsummer Variations for piano quintet, They That Mourn for piano trio, They Who Hunger for piano quartet, From the Shadow of the Mountain for string orchestra and the theatrical work, Iphigenia, for choir, instruments and a narrator.

Swafford's music has been played around the country and abroad by ensembles including the symphonies of Indianapolis, St. Louis, Harrisburg, Springfield, Jacksonville, Chattanooga and the Dutch Radio. Among his honors are a National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) Composers Grant and two Massachusetts Artists Council Fellowships. His work appears on CRI recordings and is published by Peer Southern. From 1999-2002, he was Composer-in-Residence of Market Square Concerts in Harrisburg.

Swafford holds degrees in music from Harvard and Yale. His teachers have included Jacob Druckman, Earl Kim and, at Tanglewood, Betsy Jolas. From 1988-1989 he was a Mellon Faculty Fellow at Harvard. Swafford currently teaches music history, theory and composition at The Boston Conservatory.

As a musical journalist and scholar, Swafford has appeared in Slate, Guardian International, Gramophone, Symphony and 19th-Century Music. He has written program notes for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), the Chicago and San Francisco Symphonies, Chamber Music at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall programs and Naxos and Sony Classical Recordings. Since 1998, he has participated in musical features on Nation Public Radio (NPR's) Performance Today and Morning Edition, and he is a regular preconcert lecturer for the BSO. His books include The Vintage Guide to Classical Music and the biographies, Charles Ives: A Life with Music from Norton (nominated for a National Book Critics Circle award, winner of the PEN/Winship prize) and Johannes Brahms: A Biography from Knopf. Currently, Swafford is writing a biography of Beethoven for Houghton Mifflin.

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan Swafford's Biography Of Brahms

I read Jan Swafford's monumental 1997 biography of Johannes Brahms (1833 --1897) after reading his biography of the American composer Charles Ives and after reading the 1991 biography of Brahms by Malcolm MacDonald. Swafford has written an outstanding biography of Brahms and a through, perceptive consideration of his music. But greater than either of these accomplishments, his book brings Brahms and late nineteenth century Vienna to life. Swafford has given a great deal of thought to Brahms, and his book helped me think about the nature of creative gifts, about the relationship between love and calling, and about many matters that are much broader than either biography or music.

Swafford gives a great deal of attention to two formative experiences of young Brahms: 1. his childhood of poverty in Hamburg where he played as a pre-adolescent in dives frequented by prostitutes and sailors (this account has been questioned by some writers) and 2. Robert Schumann's article about Brahms at the age of 20, heralding the young man as the heir to Beethoven and predicting a brilliant future for him.

Swafford's book emphasizes Brahms' difficulties throughout life in forming a lasting, sexual relationship with a woman other than prostitutes. Brahms exhibited to sort of behavior towards women frequently described in terms of "The Virgin and the Whore". Brahms could only be physically intimate with women he did not respect. Thus, Brahms ultimately rejected the romantic opportunities that came his way in the persons of Clara Schumann and Agathe von Siebold, among other women. He withdrew into a protective shell when friendships with women threatened to become romantic. Yet women were the greatest source of inspiration to Brahms as a composer. He poured into his music what he denied himself as a man. A crusty figure, Brahms was difficult to know intimately, particularly by women.

The article by Robert Schumann made Brahms famous from the age of twenty before he had done much. Great things were expected of Brahms, but Schumann's praise burdened the fledgling composer with the fear that he would disappoint Schumann's hopes in him. Brahms worked slowly and became an astonishing musical craftsman; but he felt he had to justify Schumann's confidence as well as meet the standards of the great composers of the past, especially Beethoven.

There is a wealth of discussion in this book of Brahms' relationships with both Clara and Robert Schumann, their daughter Julie, the violinist Joachim, the critic Hanslick, Liszt, Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler, and many others. The book is set in the last years of liberal Vienna, and Swafford poignantly draws the relationship between Brahms's music and the rise of the irrationality, anti-Semitism, and violence that would soon plague the Twentieth Century.

I found Swafford's discussions of Brahms' music highly insightful. It is less detailed, perhaps, than Malcolm MacMacDonald's study which discusses virtually every work of Brahms; but there is ample material here to form a basis for an exploration and appreciation of Brahms' works. Brahms' romanticism and his musical formalism and learning are well-explored and tied in with a consideration of his major compositions. Swafford's most thorough musical discussions are of the four symphonies, and he tends to move quicker over Brahms's songs. (This was also the case in Swafford's book on Ives.)

I felt I got to know Brahms, in spite of himself, in this book. Brahms devoted himself wholeheartedly to his art, and in the process lost a great deal of the value of human love and human sexual closeness. It was and remains a difficult exchange. More than encouraging the reader to get to know and love Brahms's music, Swafford's biography will help the reader think about and try to compassionately understand people.

Robin Friedman

[Gary Inbinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schroder: I like Beethoven. But Brahms makes me glad I'm alive. I think I'll go home and listen to Brahms' Fourth. I have the need to have the feeling that it's good to be alive.
Charlie Brown: I know what you mean. That's a terrible feeling to have the need of having the feeling of having...
Charles M. Schulz: Peanuts

Swafford combines the skills of a biographer, musician and historian to provide a vivid portrait of Johannes Brahms, his music, the people he knew and the world in which they lived. Highly recommended, especially for those who, like Schroder and me, have an affinity for this composer and the occasional need to have the feeling that it’s good to be alive.

[happy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a very well researched and readable biography of one of the greatest composers of his generation and the last of the 3 B’s of classical music – Johannes Brahms. Mr Swafford looks a Brahms’ life from his childhood in Hamburg through to his death in Vienna. In telling his story, the author looks at his loves, rivalries, his penchant for brutal honesty and even his agnosticism. His the preface, the author states that writing a biography of Brahms is more difficult than some of the others he has written because Brahms did everything in his power to destroy the raw material of a biographer. He destroyed all the letters he had in his possession and any others that he sent that he could convince the recipients to return, all of his working material for his compositions, and much of his early work that he considered not up to his standards. In spite of these handicaps, I found this an excellent look at man, his methods and his legacy.

The son of a horn player, Brahms started in the music business early. He played piano in the cabarets/brothels of the port of Hamburg as a preteen. The author give credence to the stories that he was molested by the ladies employed by those establishments and speculates that this might have been the basis of his not being able to form a lasting romantic relationship. That said, Mr. Swafford does look at the ladies that had influence his life. The most important being the wife/widow of his patron Robert Schumann, Clara.

In telling the story of their life long relationship the author speculates that their love never became physical, and in spite of that Clara was the love of his life. Even after the romantic aspect faded, they maintained a strong friendship ‘til her death. Along with her husband she was one of his earliest and most ardent backers. The author makes the point that he was the rock she could rely on as her husband descended into madness and an early death. Clara was a renowned pianist in her own right and often premiered his compositions and built her repertoire around them. In addition to Clara, the author speculates on the other romantic interests in his life and his inability to move from a respectable “courtship” to marriage. That is not to say he was gay – he apparently was a regular patron of the ladies of the evening in what ever town he happened to be living.

Mr. Swafford also looks at his rivalry with the other two masters of the time – Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. The author states that Brahms was a devotee of the classical school of Beethoven, Bach and Mozart and detested the "New German School" of Liszt, Wagner and there devotees. That said he apparently was on good personal terms with them.

One other aspect of Brahms that Mr. Swafford explores is his irascibility. To say he was blunt in his dealing with others is to put it kindly. He would not humor people. If someone asked his opinion on their composition or playing ability, friend or not, he would tell them exactly what he thought. This led to much tension in his inner circle. Even with this, many of his inner circle remained lifelong friends.

In addition to telling Brahms’ life story, the author looks at his music, how it is constructed, and even includes snipits of scores. While I enjoy classical music, much of this was way over my head. That said, I did not find it too distracting from the rest of the narrative and I even learned interesting tidbits that I think will improve my enjoyment of the music

All in all this is an excellent look a one of the giants of classical music and well worth the time to read. I rate this a solid 4 stars for Goodreads.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me 5 months to read this book. It's not that I didn't like it; I just needed to take a break once in awhile and read lighter fare. I would get bogged down in the technical descriptions. I'm not unfamiliar with classical music. I took cello lessons for 10 years and played in my school and college orchestras. But not being a music major I never took any musical theory classes. And there are a lot of things written in this book that only a trained musician could understand. I read every word but I can't say I really comprehended the technical parts.

Reading this book was a multi media experience for me. I own a few Brahm's CD's but my brother is a an avid vinyl and CD collector; as I read about a piece I would ask him for a copy to hear and he was able to oblige every time. Sometimes with two versions. It was a wonderful way to enjoy this biography.

[Widyanto Gunadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saya mesti akui kalau individu artis musik era klasik itu kerap kali sukar untuk dimengerti, diteliti, pun dipelajari. Karena saya menyukai musik-musik gubahan Ludwig von Beethoven, lantas rasa penasaran akan genre satu ini dan jenis-jenis komposisi lain yang masih berada di bawah satu payung yang sama, menuntun saya untuk bertemu dengan Johannes Brahms. Pengalaman saya mendengarkan sejumlah repertoar karya Brahms lewat penampilan panggung orkestra lokal di Indonesia, membuat saya semakin ingin mengetahui dari dekat detail perjalanan karir beliau. Dan buku biografi musik eksklusif ini adalah jendela untuk saya bisa melongok, mengobservasi, dan mengkaribkan diri dengan sosok mendiang inspirasional nan historis ini.

Kelar menamatkan bacaan tebal saya ini, ada satu benang merah yang bisa saya tarik dari kehidupan seorang Brahms dengan mayoritas penggiat seni pada umumnya, yaitu bahwa kebanyakan mereka sepertinya mengantongi perangai yang rada misantropik. Tak terkecuali juga penata musik aristokrat kita yang satu ini. Ia adalah karakter aditokoh yang soliter, tertutup, bahkan cenderung antisosial.

Kepencilan dan kesendirian nampaknya menjadi dua elemen tak terpisahkan dari kehidupan pribadi setiap seniman kapan pun eranya, dan apa pun bidangnya. Tak terkecuali di Jerman pada tahun 1800an di mana Brahms tinggal. Di masa lampau, ketika musik belum berkembang sepesat dan secanggih sekarang, tak terbilang banyaknya komposer jenius yang berlomba-lomba menginovasi dan mengeksplorasi teknik, bunyi, dan teori musikalitas untuk menciptakan jenis komposisi baru. Mengukirkan nama mereka di atas batu kenisbian tonggak sejarah.

Di zaman itu, Brahms termasuk salah satu figur yang mempelopori dimulainya masa Romantik, sebutan yang rakyat setempat sematkan untuk menamai aliran musik yang diusung dan diprakarsai kemunculannya oleh beliau. Mengingat seni kala itu bukan hanya menjadi komoditas hiburan receh dan murahan yang bisa dinikmati oleh semua kalangan manusia, maka tak heran status yang mulia disandingkan pada diri para komponis seperti Mozart, Beethoven, juga Brahms.

Semenjak itu, segala aspek kehidupan pribadi Brahms pun tak luput dari sorotan publik. Mungkin itu sebabnya, ia jadi memilih untuk bersikap reklusif kepada setiap orang yang mencoba mendekat dan mengenalnya lebih intim dan personal. Sinyalemen saya, Brahms justru tak nyaman dengan semua perhatian berlebihan yang dicurahkan pada dirinya tersebut. Ketika seorang musisi tak lagi bisa menjadi dirinya sendiri, dan harus menyandang status bak selebriti, atau untuk kasus Brahms, bahkan mendapat julukan Mesias padahal jelas ia bukan Tuhan, tentunya bisa sangat menyebalkan.

Berikutnya, Jan Swafford, penulis buku ini, juga tak luput untuk memasukkan beragam analisa kritisnya atas aransemen-aransemen hit milik Brahms, termasuk di antaranya adalah aransemen musik untuk piano, ansambel musik kamar, orkestra simfoni, serta komposisi untuk penyanyi dan paduan suara. Eksplanasinya mengenai hal ini sungguh ciamik. Ia mampu menyajikan paparan yang cukup terperinci dan kompleks dengan runtut, rapi, dan mudah dipahami. Meski cukup banyak jargon-jargon teknis musik yang ia pakai dalam penjelasannya, akan tetapi segalanya terasa sangat gampang dan bersahabat untuk dicerna. Belum lagi, bagan-bagan notasi balok yang ia lampirkan menyertai teks uraian analisisnya yang seperti tengah berkisah. Melekapkan kita pada figur Brahms secara lebih membumi, manusiawi, dan jauh dari impresi mengintimidasi.

Swafford acap menjejalkan pengumpamaan metaforis pula personifikasi, mengiaskan alunan harmoni musik Brahms, mencitrakan ragam falsafah abstrak karyanya yang sukses membuat saya berdecak kagum. Saya sanggup merasakan nuansa musik-musik Brahms yang, saat itu, bahkan belum pernah sekali pun melintas ke telinga dengan lumayan nyata. Torehan rangkaian aksara dari tangan seorang Swafford hidup, memaujudkan mereka secara riil dalam dimensi pikiran dan perasaan di diri saya. Lewat susunan tulisan beliau, deretan not balok itu bukan lagi hanya sekadar konsep abstraksi belaka di atas kertas saja, dingin dan kaku.

Di samping itu, seperti halnya sebuah biografi normal pada umumnya, buku ini juga membahas puspawarna aspek lain dari kehidupan personal Brahms. Di antaranya yaitu bagaimana Brahms tak suka sama sekali dengan gerakan aliran musik Jerman baru yang dipopulerkan oleh musikus-musikus macam Richard Wagner dan Frans Liszt, meski tak lantas memusuhi mereka semua. Juga Brahms yang sangat respek terhadap Beethoven dan menganggap dia sebagai mentor. Untuk mengingat dan menghargai Beethoven, ia bahkan memposisikan satu patung sedada dari beliau menghadap persis ke arah piano tempatnya biasa berproses kreatif membikin aransemen musik, supaya ia kian terlecut serta berkobar penuh gairah dalam berkarya.

Fakta-fakta lainnya yang tak kalah menarik misalnya adalah pendekatan Brahms pada musik yang kelewat perfeksionis. Sejarawan musik kita, Swafford, menuturkan bahwa saking terobsesinya Brahms dengan kesempurnaan suatu komposisi musik, ia bahkan tak ragu sedikit pun merobek serta membakar perkamen penuh notasi yang sudah dianggap jadi. Bila ada satu saja not yang dinilainya tak cocok dalam konsep dan konteks musik yang ingin direalisasikannya, Brahms anggap itu aransemen sampah. Tak patut dipertunjukkan di depan publik. Penonton layak mendapat yang terbaik dari dirinya. Itu saja yang terbesit di benaknya.

Favoritisme yang lumayan fanatik terhadap Mozart. Kebiasaan Brahms membaca karya sastra yang hanya menarik interesnya saja, berulang kali, karena ia tak senang menimbun buku untuk kemudian tidak dibaca dan dibiarkan mubazir serta menguning. Diri Brahms yang rupanya agnostik dan tak punya teman dekat sampai ia wafat. Brahms yang geram dan menilai kegiatan merekam jejak langkahnya dalam sebuah biografi adalah kejahatan. Bahkan ia sanggup membakar dan menghancurkan semua naskah tulisan tentang dirinya jika ia menemukannya. Ia yakin masa keemasannya hadir hanya selama dirinya masih hidup saja. Tak perlu ada yang mengenal dirinya di luar waktu tersebut. Bilamana ia harus lenyap tak berbekas tatkala tutup usia nanti, maka biarlah terjadi demikian. Persetan dengan keabadian. Hanya lewat musik ia berkomunikasi memperkenalkan diri pada para penggemar yang tinggal sezaman dengannya, dan juga dunia sekitarnya. Udara dan indera pendengaran adalah sarana ekspresif, penyalur kedaulatan dirinya sebagai musikus. Itu semua adalah segelintir aspek lainnya yang turut membentuk sosok keakuan diri Brahms. Seluruh faktor itu menjadi pembeda, membuatnya unik dibandingkan komposer lain, dan dapat langsung kita identifikasi sebagai Brahms, laiknya Beethoven dengan ketuliannya.

Selain daripada itu, dari sekian aspek kehidupan sang maestro, tentunya saya juga penasaran dengan kisah romansa Brahms. Karena biasanya seorang seniman mempunyai sumber inspirasi yang memotivasi mereka untuk terus berkarya sampai mati, saya pun ingin mengetahui apa atau siapa sosok yang ditempatkan Brahms di atas podium kehormatan itu. Dan buku ini pun mengupas tuntas persoalan yang krusial ini, dalam porsi yang cukup tebal dan mendominasi hampir separuh dari isi biografi ini.

Adalah seorang bernama Clara Schumann, wanita yang memikat hati Brahms dan menjadi asal daya cipta dan kreativitas nomor satu, yang cukup dominan, dan mungkin juga terbesar selama ia berkecimpung di dunia seni musik klasik. Tidak kurang dari sekitar 4 dekade lamanya, hubungan romantis di antara keduanya terjalin. Selama Clara ada di sisi Brahms, dikisahkan di sana, Brahms membuncah penuh semangat dan energi menggubah banyak sekali musik bagus. Energi cinta ini begitu kuat sehingga banyak sekali mahakarya Brahms di masa ini muncul dengan lirik-lirik yang beraura optimistis. Beberapa aransemen instrumentalianya, tak terkecuali, juga mengalami perubahan bentuk sebagai dampak dari eksplorasi ritme dan harmoni yang lebih berani. Pada saat bersamaan melihat ke depan dan ke belakang, terang Swafford.

Namun, keromantisan itu bukan tanpa halangan. Berkebalikkan dengan musik romantik yang dikarangnya, menurut Swafford, Brahms justru adalah orang yang mengalami kesulitan menjalin relasi asmara dengan para wanita. Dalam kaitannya mengenai hubungan Clara dan Brahms, Swafford mengatakan, meski hal itu sudah berlangsung sekian puluh tahun, tak pernah ada tanda-tanda mereka pernah bercinta atau pun bertualang ke arah realitas keintiman fisik. Perjalanan asmaranya dengan Clara dipenuhi dengan permainan tarik-ulur ajek yang tak menimbulkan kemajuan berarti, seperti musiknya yang kaya ambiguitas, sulit diterima kalangan penonton kala itu. Ia menambahkan bahwa Brahms memang kelihatannya merupakan tipikal pria yang takut berkomitmen serius. Brahms, menurut perspektifnya, lebih bisa melakukan persetubuhan atau melampiaskan segala bentuk ekspresi hasrat berahi jika itu tidak melibatkan keterikatan emosi mendalam.

Maka dari itu, Swafford mencatat juga bahwa Brahms lebih nyaman bercumbu dengan para pelacur atau kupu -kupu malam ketimbang wanita-wanita yang berkelas, sederajat, atau seprofesi dengannya seperti Clara. Dengan kata lain, secara implisit, Brahms ternyata tak mau terikat pernikahan yang dinilai ribet dan tak bebas, hanya membebani dirinya saja. Dalam sudut pandangnya, ia beranggapan jika hobi main perempuan jauh lebih praktis kalau tujuannya hanya membebaskan diri dari belenggu berahi semata. Oleh karenanya, daripada harus bersatu dengan wanita tunggal, bertahun-tahun lamanya, untuk kemudian membantunya mengurusi tetek-bengek kerumitan perkara rumah tangga yang tak ada habisnya, Brahms bersikukuh pada pendiriannya untuk tetap melajang. Pilihan ini memang jauh lebih mudah untuk seorang musisi keliling yang kerap berkelana ke berbagai pentas di mancanegara.

Tak hanya sampai di situ saja, untuk lebih mendongkrak naik level kesimpatikannya pada topik yang menjadi pembahasannya di buku ini, Swafford juga tak lupa melampirkan "dokumen-dokumen" pendukung. Kemesraan yang terpancar dari surat-surat cinta yang dikirimkan oleh Brahms kepada kekasihnya, Clara, memperlihatkan sisi kehangatan insani sang maestro. Akan tetapi, di sisi yang lain, balasan-balasan akan surat itu, dituliskan oleh Clara, secara implisit juga mempertunjukkan sifat egosentris, kelabilan, dan ketidakdewasaan Brahms dalam menyikapi sebuah hubungan romansa. Brahms yang dibutakan oleh nafsu eros, menggebu dalam menyampaikan suara hatinya pada Clara lewat rangkaian suratnya, tak mampu memahami baik posisi Clara yang adalah seorang ibu dengan kewajibannya menafkahi anak-anak yang berada dalam naungannya.

Jatuh hati pada wanita berumur lebih tua darinya, tak menyurutkan api semangat di diri Brahms untuk terus senantiasa berusaha berada di dekat Clara. Tetap hadir menyediakan bahunya, tatkala sang belahan jiwa membutuhkan seorang kawan untuk melepas keluh kesah, menumpahkan segenap kegelisahan dan kegetiran yang menyelimuti batin. Kendati pun demikian, sayang sekali takdir berkehendak lain. Ia sudah menggariskan pun menentukan untuk Clara pasti harus menderita penyakit kelainan syaraf yang melumpuhkan jari jemarinya. Akibatnya, ia tak lagi sanggup memainkan tuts-tuts piano, dan mesti pensiun dini dari karir profesionalnya sebagai seorang virtuoso juga komponis musik yang cukup dinanti oleh para penyokongnya kala itu. Sepeninggal Clara, Brahms begitu terpukul. Ada satu kesengsaraan dan kepedihan yang mendalam tinggal bersemayam. Bak sungai yang mengering tak ada lagi airnya, produktivitas Brahms untuk menghasilkan nada-nada indah penuh inspirasi dan orisinalitas seolah mandek. Kepergian Clara sang inspirator utama adalah pemicunya.

Di penghujung kata, saya bisa bilang buku ini telah sukses luar biasa dalam menunaikan fungsi pokok dan terdepannya sebagai sebuah biografi musik definitif Brahms. Ia menginterpretasi dan mengelaborasikan kenangan akan hidup tokoh berpengaruh di buana musik klasik bernama Johannes Brahms dengan ulasan yang padat, berbobot, hangat, serta amikal. Buku ini sangat tepat dibaca teruntuk mereka yang ingin memperoleh penghayatan yang komplit, lekat, sekaligus tajam atas musik-musik klasik aliran Romantik, khususnya yang ditulis oleh Brahms. Bravo Jan Swafford!

[Joshua Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendous achievement of a biography. Especially so given that Brahms burned so much of his letters and musical sketches (specifically to keep them away from future biographers!) Although the writing is occasionally dry, and the figure of Brahms not always consistent (not really Swafford's fault), I enjoyed this tremendously. Perhaps not the biography for people seeking a concise overview of Brahms life, this is undoubtedly the biography for those that want a complete portrait of the third of the "Big 3" - Bach, Beethoven, Brahms' - life.

[Matthew Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would tentatively recommend this biography. While it certainly is very long, and definitely not lacking in detail, some of that extraordinary amount of detail is not correct. For instance, on page 48, he describes insurrections taking place in several countries, including "Czechoslovakia" in 1848. In reality, Czechoslovakia did not come into existence until 1918, some 70 years later. What country did he mean? While some people may feel that this is a small point, the author makes reference in his introduction to a number of other errors being pointed out to him since it was published in hard cover. This is not good.

In addition, the author mentions the Frauenchor (women's choir) that Brahms directed while at the same time as mentioning Brahms' Marienlieder. While it is not made clear that there is no connection between the work and the choir, their being mentioned together indicates that the Marienlieder was written for women's voices alone, when in fact it was written for mixed choir. This is never made clear. Then the author goes on to mention that Brahms eventually wrote six Marienlieder, when in fact it was seven. These are not state secrets being held in an obscure archive at an obscure university in Bad Ischl; they are readily available and quantifiable basic facts that the author did not bother to either make clear or verify. These and other faux pas bring into question his research abilities (or rather, those of his assistant[s]), and how far he can be trusted, despite him often citing his sources.

On the plus side, there are few writers who have such a tremendous command of the English language and write as powerfully as Swafford can. I found it often fascinating to read. If nothing else, his tome helped me to appreciate Brahms' music more than before. In addition, Swafford points out that one of the reasons for the lowering of musical standards (amongst composers and others) is the fact that people don't play two-piano or four-hand one piano renditions of important works anymore, due to the rise of the gramophone, and now the compact disc player. At times, his insights are exceptional.

The problem with composer biographies is that those whose research abilities are impeccable rarely have good writing skills, and vice-versa. For those who need to be sure that the information they are getting is absolutely correct, they will have to approach a good reference librarian to recommend an academic rather than a "popular" biography.

[Septimus Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ask my nonagenarian father what he knows about Johannes Brahms, he can name the lullaby and the three B’s (“Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms”) and nothing else. Probe further and an indistinct association emerges between the fourth grade and the title “Hungarian Dance No. 5,” although Dad seems a bit surprised when I point out that the title belongs to the lullaby guy. And yet, if you flip through my parents’ old LPs, you will encounter numerous Brahms recordings, including a box set of the complete orchestral works that no one knew we had.

I could easily ascribe this to old age, but that doesn’t help me explain my own inability to encode neural connections pertaining to Brahms. I find his music harder to identify and retain than any other classical composer. My ear is untrained, and my youth was devoted to weird pop music jumblings—Russ Taff, Richard Thompson, and Radiohead—but I can hold my own in a game of Name That Composer if the composer is Mozart, Chopin, Sibelius, or Telemann. Not so Brahms. His style never announced itself vigorously enough to grasp my attention, and while I might stay pleasantly adrift in its sonority, any attempt to focus on craft always dissipated with the first available distraction.

So why did I buy Jan Swafford’s Johannes Brahms: A Biography? Why did I devote 80 days of my crowded reading life to a book about a composer whose music I neither knew nor enjoyed? Why wasn’t I deterred from my commitment to read it when the publisher’s apparent calculation that an audiobook wouldn’t return their investment consigned the book to weekends-only spurts? Why did I repeatedly decline to skim or scan or chunk or DNF* The Brahms Lullaby, as my brother pointedly nicknamed it the thousandth time he saw the 1.55-pound paperback tumble from my slumbering hands?

*-DNF = "Did Not Finish"

April 6 to May 1 – Promise Made, Order Placed

I keep correcting my brother’s perception that the only reason I kept reading the 636-page compendium was to honor a pledge to a Reddit user who was thinking through one of Swafford’s most intriguing contentions:

The mode of listening that Brahms condemned Bruckner for fostering—wallowing without thought in a bath of sonority and emotion—is how audiences today largely listen to Bruckner symphonies, Bach fugues, Wagnerian opera, and Brahms.

The Redditor invited fellow lit fans to evaluate that claim, offering a remarkable one of his own in the process: “I find Brahms and Bach endlessly interesting, engaging, and delightful, and Wagner and Bruckner bore me to tears.” I stared at those words for a beat, my brow furrowed in confounded self-implication.

Brahms? Endlessly delightful? What was I missing?

Even after I’d spun those family recordings of Brahms’s First Symphony, even after I’d clocked it as the piece that clinched Brahms’s reputation atop the Romantic hierarchy virtually overnight, even after I’d read Swafford’s page xxi account of a high school First Symphony performance that permanently transformed him from an aspiring football player into one of classical music’s foremost published chroniclers, even then, I still couldn’t pick the climactic fourth movement out of a police lineup.

On Reddit, I pled guilty to Swafford’s indictment but fronted on Brahms: “I enjoy both the Brahms and Wagner ends of the spectrum, but my ear is untrained, and my mind too wanders through the sonority.” When my interlocutor replied with a chipper, less-than-overwhelming endorsement (“I just did a bunch of complaining about the epilogue to the book above, but I do really recommend it in general!”), I unthinkingly jotted the fateful pledge: “I’m looking the Swafford up on ThriftBooks!”

My brother was wrong, of course: yes, I’d promised to check out the biography, but I’m not so scrupulous about keeping internet promises that I’d sacrifice twelve consecutive reading weekends just to keep one. I considered it because I needed to earn another freebie from ThriftBooks’ diabolical rewards program. I ordered it because Swafford came highly recommended as a propulsive music biographer and because his Brahms is a fraction of the length of his Mozart and Beethoven. I cracked it open to get a stronger grasp of Brahms’s place in the larger context of a fascinating era in music history.

If I’m honest, I read it as a frustrated inward dare. If I could read 636 pages on a composer who steadfastly refused to stick in my head and come out the other end just as oblivious to his delights, then I’d have absolute, inarguable confirmation that there was something seriously wrong with me.

May 2 to June 6 – Pages i to 74 – 1833 to 1853

Swafford’s introduction strengthened my resolve to go through with the dubious project. It bubbled with intellectual intrigue. He describes the challenge of researching a recalcitrant subject who deliberately burned his papers to confound would-be biographers. He promises a lively translation of the primary materials that employs anachronistic use of idioms and contractions. He sets up the essential tension in Brahms’s music between respect for the structured formalism of Classical forerunners like Mozart and Haydn and affinity for the emotive Sturm und Drang of Beethoven. He pits traditionalists like Brahms, his mentor Robert Schumann, and his mentee Antonin Dvořák against the envelope-pushing experimentalism of “New Germans” like Johannes’s reviled rival Franz Liszt and the divisive, puts-the-cult-in-culture godhead Richard Wagner. He promises to uncover the authentic soul Brahms hid behind his famously sprouting whiskers, providing his book an alternative title that produced a flattered chuckle from this lapsed German student: Brahms Ohne Bart. “Brahms Without the Beard.”

But having roped me in with a scintillating sales pitch, Swafford’s opening chapters failed to render a captivating portrait of the youthful Brahms. When later chapters referenced the childhood Johannes as “Kreisler,” Brahms’s nickname for his immature self, I didn’t have a clear picture of what that term connoted. Later told-not-shown Swaffordian depictions of Kreisler as strident and irritable made me want to flip back to earlier pages. Maybe Brahms had burned all the evidence of his early character, or maybe I’d nodded off too often, but I felt blindsided: when did you show me that kid?

For the most part, Swafford relates the bildungsroman years like a diarist more interested in jogging his own memory about events than in describing or wrestling with his emotional life. I plodded through these pages, frequently procrastinating with more entertaining diversions like Pushkin’s Yevgeny Onegin and James Wood’s The Broken Estate.

Brahms Ohne Bart was a cute moniker, but my brother’s seemed more apt.

June 6 to July 17 – Pages 74 to 270 – 1853 to 1862

The moment Robert and Clara Schumann make their entrance, Swafford’s narrative suddenly acquires a pull as inescapable as that of the Sun upon the planets. Around this time, I see a TikTok video in which musicologist Sarah Fritz asks, “Can we all just agree that the most interesting thing about Brahms is Clara Schumann?” To me, her wry observation has the weight of unvarnished truth. It’s such a wrenchingly bizarre love triangle that I can’t help relaying it in bald, unanalyzed plot summary.

The twenty-year-old Brahms plays his “Hungarian Dances” on the Schumann family piano, and Robert immediately wants to found a fan club. He takes to the press to declare that Brahms is music’s “John the Baptist”—or maybe Schumann is John the Baptist and Brahms is Christ, it’s not entirely clear. It also reads as possibly sexually fueled overpraise to those who’ve heard Robert make the same claim about a parade of promising nobodies. Wagner and his allies laugh it up, ironically dubbing Brahms “heiligen Johannes (Saint John)." Schumann’s thin tether to reality snaps and he plummets into the Rhine. Brahms becomes caretaker to Clara, a talented musician in her own right. Usually too cool for school, Brahms falls so hard he can’t stop declaring hopeless adulation for the spouse of his ailing benefactor, who is enduring agonizing hallucinations in a nearby hospital.

In early June, my family watched a DVD of a Covent Garden concert that featured Sting reading Schumann's letters to Clara. That concert ends with Schumann's death of vaguely identified causes and suggests that Clara spent the rest of her life perpetually pushing the ardent Brahms away because she was worn out emotionally and resolvedly devoted to Robert. I saw that and my momentum with Swafford slackened. If that was how the story resolved itself, I wasn't sure I wanted to spend another 500 pages on a book of which that was the most interesting component.

Swafford, his prose expanding in ambition to meet the unfolding drama, ends up contradicting the Sting depiction. Clara eventually wants to marry Brahms, but his feet turn suddenly frigid. Like most men of his era, Brahms is an amorously doting misogynist. How could he be artistically productive in the same house as a talented woman? He starts sending her distanced remonstrations by post. She has moments of righteous indignation but more often expresses besotted devotion to both his compositions and his penetrating eyes.

Brahms’s ongoing feelings for her as the decades pass are a hot mess of densely knotted contradictions. Clara should be a better mother; he would kill to have a son like Felix. Oh, but by the way he’s openly infatuated with her 16-year-old daughter and won’t let it go until Julie marries years later. At the same time, Clara’s tenacious devotion to Brahms’s art fuels his finest work. When he's not lecturing her about being too effusive:

"Art is a republic. … Do not confer a higher rank upon any artist, and do not expect the minor ones to look up to him as something higher, as consul. His ability will make him a beloved and respected citizen of this republic, but no consul or emperor."
Johannes Brahms to Clara Schumann in Jan Swafford's Johannes Brahms: A Biography

Brahms’s admonition that Clara shouldn't try too hard to sway the "voters" in favor of his sonatas has implications beyond their emotional tug-of-war. Emerging alongside his earnest, unintended torture of his faithful best friend is a sense of Brahms as an equal opportunity showman capable of inhabiting a variety of musical forms. Wagner, a lifelong critic of Brahms, grudgingly acknowledges this quality after their sole meeting: “One sees what may still be done in the old forms when someone comes along who knows how to use them.”

"Art is a republic." Whereas Wagner was dogmatic about his own artistic supremacy, Brahms was an irascible chameleon goading the public: “Who do you want me to be next?”

[Brahms] spent a fair amount of his time writing commercial dances and a patriotic extravaganza, and piles of the sorts of vocal duets, quartets, and such that were staples of social music-making, Hausmusik, in the nineteenth century. None of this is hackwork, but it was largely written to move off the shelves, and did.
Jan Swafford, Johannes Brahms: A Biography

I ask myself: Does this shapeshifting quality explain my inability to identify his music?

But just as I start to feel vindicated, I notice an objectively appreciable upgrade in the quality of his compositions. Brahms goes from “The Hungarian Dances,” lively and toe-tappable but simple, to the First Piano Concerto, with a thunderous Beethovenian opening inspired by Robert Schumann’s suicidal plunge into the Rhine and a soft Chopin-esque declaration of undying love for Schumann's wife.

I find it so compelling, I shell out $25 to buy a used copy of the concerto in the edition most respected by audiophiles.

July 18 to July 19 – Pages 270 to 636 – 1862 to 1897

If Brahms is a chameleon, he is a progressively more proficient one, and Swafford’s lively writing is matching him note for note. Brahms may have tried to destroy the trail left to biographers, but he clearly overlooked some bangers. Swafford’s pages are increasingly dense with quotations from Brahms that reveal his abrasive humblebrag charm. “The melodies fly so thick here that you have to be careful not to step on one,” he says of his own First Symphony. When told that its last movement bears a strong resemblance to Beethoven's Ninth, Brahms snaps, “Any jackass can see that!”

Meanwhile, my enjoyment of the book expands in ironic lockstep with my impatience with it. In mid-July, I make a determined resolution that this will be my last weekend babysitting Brahms. It’s not even a plausible conviction; I’m only halfway through Swafford’s tome, and I squander Saturday on personal business. Sunday is here, and there are 304 pages left.

Speaking of bangers, Brahms is now churning out the masterpieces that launched him into triune immortality with Bach and Beethoven. Brahms’s fevered output seems motivated by his oft-stated fear that he will end up the Romantic era’s enduringly obscure equivalent of Luigi Cherubini (Medea). There is Ein deutsches Requiem, as secular a requiem as the era could offer, one that the agnostic Brahms defended by saying he not only intentionally left Christ’s name out of it but wanted to replace the word “German” in “A German Requiem” with “human.” There is the Violin Concerto, of which one violinist groused, “I don’t deny that it’s fairly good music, but does anyone imagine … that I’m going to stand on the rostrum, violin in hand, and listen to the oboe playing the only tune in the adagio?” There is the inventive classical riffing of “Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, Op. 56.” There are the four resplendent symphonies.

These compositions put Brahms in Wagner’s orbit; the two are now the undisputed godheads of the Romantic world. Wagner is going to win, his emotive defiance of structural rules pushing classical music as a whole inexorably toward Modernism. Not even Brahms and Clara can deny the appeal of Wagner’s operas. She grudgingly admits that Lohengrin “is full of romanticism and thrilling situations, so much so indeed that even the musician himself at times forgets the horrible music.” He admires The Ring Cycle while still condemning Tristan und Isolde (“If I look at that in the morning, I’m cross for the rest of the day”). But even as he rises to Wagner’s strata, Brahms is not bold enough to challenge Bayreuth’s maestro on his own playing field. He gives up his lifelong ambition to write his own *Fidelio* (Beethoven’s sole opera). Once upon a time, Brahms had brainstormed libretto concepts with Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev. Now, he jokes away the whole idea. “I am as likely to write an opera as to marry,” he quips.

The complex friendship of Brahms and Clara continues to provide Swafford’s emotional core, but as 5am Sunday turns into 8am Sunday, the music itself becomes the surprising star of the second half. I listen to it as I read Swafford’s mellifluous and cerebral analysis of the latter works. My untrained eyes race with surprising comprehension past pasted chunks of sheet music and fluent technical explications (“The movement ends in almost pure E Phrygian, only with a raised third on the tonic chord for a touch of E major”), nestling into the writerly effusions that finally shed light on beautiful melodies that were previously unattainable to me:

The piece begins with a searing, anguished adagio, with relentless pounding timpani. That extended introduction, going through several stages, poses the essential “plot” of the First Symphony: call it fate. … It is one of the most spine-tingling beginnings of any symphony, plunging us into a world dark, questioning, shifting, striving toward some indefinable goal. ... This is music first sketched in the early 1860s or before; in feel it is the Brahms of the Werther years, the opening of the D Minor Concerto, the passion and frustration of Young Kreisler. Fate! Fate!

As the pages fly by, my resolve strengthens to avoid spending another 80 days on the second half of the book. That would take me to Halloween weekend, when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is performing Ein deutsches Requiem, individual tickets not yet on sale. But if my determination keeps me glued to my chair into the afternoon, what keeps my blurry eyes affixed to the pages is Swafford's fluid prose, and the sudden legibility of Brahms's musical themes. I don’t claim to have fallen for Brahms like Brahms for Clara. The tally of skipped bars was higher than the tally of skimmed paragraphs. But when 1pm arrives, I breathe a sigh of relief. 304 pages turned today. I have finally sung Brahms his own lullaby.

July 20 – Aftermath

I am currently deciding whether to delay a lakeside vacation in order to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play an outdoor rendition of Brahms’s First Symphony fused with excerpts from Radiohead’s landmark alternative rock album OK Computer, an album I rank among the best of all time. As I listen to a YouTube preview, I find myself humming along with Brahms’s tunes as effortlessly as Thom Yorke’s vocal parts. The familiar words of “Electioneering” conjure Kreisler, who finally secured my vote in his republic of art.

I will stop, I will stop at nothin’

Say the right things when electioneering

I trust I can rely on your vote

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a lot longer to finish this book than it did for others of my musical friends who've read this fantastic biography, but that had more to do with my impatience with musical analysis than other factors (after all, the book IS a scholarly work, even though it generally reads as a story anyone would pore over with great interest--so long as the reader loves the music of Brahms, anyway!) It IS a large tome, though--over 600 pages, easily--and there's so much to digest, it takes doing so a bit at a time.
In the end, one comes away not only with a greater appreciation for Brahms the man (and his reputation as a grouchy old bachelor is warranted!--but there's so much more THERE than just the myths), but also the other great musical, political, artistic figures who shared his history. This is easily as much a history of Robert and Clara Schumann as it is a Brahms history--also not a surprise, since nearly all classical music lovers know how the Schumanns' lives intertwined with that of Brahms--but there are also fascinating insights into Brahms's relations with Lizst and Wagner (both of whom he disliked, or more correctly--both of whose MUSIC he abhorred) and many others (for instance, he and Tchaikovsky disliked each other, whereas Edvard Grieg and Brahms admired each other's music). There is ample discussion of the women Brahms loved but never married, as well as thoughtful psycho-analysis on the wounds and abuses of his younger years that very likely caused him to remain a bachelor until the end.
A fantastic biography of a musical "lion"(one of the three "B's: Bach, Beethoven--and Brahms). Well worth the effort.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nicely paced narrative of a great and interesting man and his times. Because of the intelligence of the author and his respect for his subject, I became filled with enthusiasm for Brahms and listened to a lot of his music. I travelled through his life with him from Opus 1 on. About half the music was new to me (thank you, YouTube). Though I'm an amateur, almost all the musical analysis was accessible and helpful. I loved Swafford's way with words - movingly high-flown just where I wanted it to be and dry to the appropriate degree at just the right moments.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, by far, the best biography of any composer I have read. It not only presented interesting information about Brahms, the man, it also presented concurrent and detailed analysis of some of his seminal works. As I was reading, I would go find a youtube recording, and immediately not only see, but hear was I was reading about. My understanding and appreciation of Brahms the person and the breadth of his composition has been enhanced many fold.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

To date I've read three Brahms bios: Geiringer's, MacDonald's, and this one. Swafford's is, by far, my favorite. My memories of the other two have faded, but I believe Swafford's bio is the most comprehensive and also the most personal of the three. Here is Brahms, warts and all. That's what I look for in biography generally, and that's what Swafford gave me. He promised in his introduction to be as kind as he could to those of us who are musicologically challenged. He lied ;-). His discussions of the musical mechanics of various compositions and his musical examples left me twiddling my lower lip in utter befuddlement, but I recognize that the real fault there lies with me and not with him. How can you write a decent bio of any composer without delving deeply into his creations? Swafford did seem to limit his technical tours de force to a dozen or so compositions that he considers key to understanding Brahms as a composer. I thank him for his restraint. As to Brahms himself, what can I say? An endlessly fascinating man (to me, at least) and one of the two composers whose music I most cherish. Bach is the other--something Brahms would have applauded. If you're looking for a solid, comprehensive, powerfully written Brahms bio which tells you more about the man himself, and his milieu, than you're likely to find anywhere else, this book is for you.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lengthy biography was an endlessly fascinating read. Swafford focuses more on Brahms' life , psychology, and relationships than on analyses of his compositional technique and development. There is a lot of detail here, but the prose never bogs down. Swafford has a great deal of insight into Brahms' motivations and his position as a relatively conservative yet daring composer caught between the waning of Romanticism and the emergence of modernism. The analysis and discussion of Brahms' music that does appear in the text makes the latter clear, and helps to explain the richness in in these pieces.
He also has a very clear eye regarding his subject, portraying Brahms' as a complex person with flaws that often caused conflict with and even estrangement from even his closest friends and with virtues that drew people to him and cemented life-long friendships. I particularly enjoyed the examination of his relationship with Clara Schumann, which spanned four decades and was foundational to Brahms' personal and professional life.

[Richard S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read many biographies, and I'm not sure why I picked this up, but I immediately liked the book, especially as it was written by a musician. The portions of the book that focus on the music are fabulous, even with my limited understanding, and I believe the author writes about the music the way that Brahms was intended to be appreciated.

However the rest, as the book goes on, descends into tedium. The problem really is that Brahm's life is too long and too large, and the author having set a standard for event reporting, just has too much to report, and can't step back. As a result, I became more distant from the author and from Brahms himself. I acknowledge it is a difficult task, but, to use a Brahms analogy, might have mixed up the writing style, like the last movement of Brahms' 4th, than just use the same reporting style.

I can recommend this to a lot of people, especially musicians, and biography lovers who want a change of pace. Brahms was a true giant and I love his music. The book is enlightening in many ways. I just can't recommend it enthusiastically.

[Bookslut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very good biography by Jan Swafford, though I think he finessed his game quite a bit between writing Brahmsie Brahms and Mozart. Or perhaps Brahms was just more difficult to write about? I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was a great way to spend six slow-burn months, and I have found pairing these biographies with performing masterworks by the featured composers to be supremely satisfying. I can't wait to try the Beethoven!

[James Prothero · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelously readable and balanced biography. I enjoyed it thoroughly. My brother and sister in law, both highly trained musicians that read, will get the parts I missed where Swafford illustrates a point about the music by printing out a section of various scores. Still, even if you cannot do this, it's a worthwhile read.

[Michael Simile · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[James Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a a blend of biographical history and musical analysis, so be ready to sit with You Tube to check out the dozens of music works that are discussed! I loved this book for its insight into the mentality of a composer-musician, and how he coped with his life issues through his music. As a follower of Christ, I was interested to see if the composer of the German Requiem we sang in college had any kind of saving faith. He did not, according to this historian, and eyewitness accounts of many of his close associates. He did have a friend who conducted the Requiem's premiere who advised Brahms to include the resurrection of Christ in the work. Brahms declined becuase he did not believe in Jesus.

[Dominic Carlone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richly researched and written, it would be a joy for anybody interested in Brahms and his musical century. Swafford's insight into the nuances of the mythical rivalry between Brahms and Wagner is a particular revelation. Also, his ability to place the featured works of Brahms within the context of his life story is masterful, taking us as close as we can get to the mind of the composer in creating them and of his friends (in particular, the Schumanns) upon first hearing them. Of the books faults, Swafford's habit of speculating on hidden meanings in the letters, etc. of the players in the story (almost invariably to the discredit of the speaker) seems at odds with a professed zero tolerance for speculation in his opening. It's a tendency that is natural enough, especially given Brahms extensive efforts to obscure his life for posterity (by burning letters and so on), but given Swafford's claim that he would steer clear, it left me shaking my head a number of times. But, all in all, the book was indeed a page turner, even if the pages turned a little slowly during the more technical musical analysis (which, I admit, is due to my own sub-amateur knowledge), and I would recommend it without reservation to anybody interested in the subject.

[Miles · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is verbose, repetitious, sometimes overconfident and pretentious. He often falls into the trap of trying to capture the gist of a musical piece by elaborating on psychological states and conflicts of the author. Thus, several pages make for a truly tiresome and irritating read. That Brahms' life was a continual struggle between unbridled feeling and self-imposed restraint may be true, but to immediately transpose this into a musical tension between form and "emotions" or, even worse, between form and expressiveness, is superficial and rush. There is no opposition like the one Mr. Swafford continually advocates. Brahms' works are wonderfully expressive: all he has to say is precisely expressed through his forms. Emotions are thundering throughout Brahms' works, and much more so for being shaped and powerfully developed through highly refined forms.
On the bright side, Brahms' life and personality emerge from the book, together with a perspective on his views and his musical development; but the book would much benefit from being cut to half its present size.

[Tyler Knowlton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I don't love Brahms enough, but I found this book to be too detailed. It would go on an on about very minor little historical characters and their interaction with Brahms. I felt like I was sifting, along with the researcher, through piles and piles of papers to get to the essence of who Brahms was. I wish he would have been more willing to not share EVERYTHING he researched. I finally gave up after reading about 450 pages of this tedious book.

I will say that it is well researched and contains a lot of info but I would only recommend it to serious Brahms enthusiasts or to those who have read a bio of Brahms before and want to fill in some of the details of his life.

[William Battersby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only one of the best biographies of a composer I have read, but one of the best biographies of anyone!

This book is engaging, earthy, detailed and magisterial all at the same. The reader feels he/she really gets to understand this not-always-very-approachable man and links the great events of his life with his music.

Unlike many music biagraphies, you can read it and enjoy it without having heard a note of Brahms' music. But in truth if you do read it you will want to listen to the music of Brahms (and Joachim) and you will hear far more in it than you ever knew there was.

Highly recommended.

[Satid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book The Vintage Guide to Classical Music by the author a long time ago and appreciated its enlightening contents about lives of great composers. This book on Brahms is also as enlightening in a different way.

I admire many of Brahms' works over the past 4 decades of my classical music experience - many works I listen to repeatedly without getting bored, some I even admire more and more. This book helps me appreciate even more about some of his works. This book definitely adds more dept into appreciation to Brahms' works (pure music as opposed to songs as I have no taste listening to songs that I cannot understand the words) than what I got from reading program notes that came with CDs that I bought. I like the way the author provides socioeconomic and sociopolitical narratives of Brahms' time as well as other anecdotal accounts about other people of Brahms' life For example, I enjoy comical surprises about some berserk behavior of the composer Anton Bruckner whose works are very effective substitute of sleeping pills (they all induce me to doze off without fail every time!) The enmity between Romantics versus New German music movements is quite childish in retrospect but then xenophobia is one of the firmly ingrained instinct of humanity for time immemorial and will be forever - loot at D.J. Trump now!. I also look up to Clara Schumann's "steel magnolia" character.

Another strange twist I derives from this book is a few proofs about how childhood nurture is so important for people's physical and mental quality of life (as I read from other social and behavioral science books). Brahms himself was very very lucky to have such praiseworthily loving parents with his father's special support in his music study and he was also a generally healthy man in the age when health science was not much of a science yet. On the contrary, the majority of Clara Schumann's children were unlucky in their physical and mental health because Robert Schumann was not a nurturing father and had too short a time to raise them as he became mentally ill and Clara had to travel frequently for her performances to seek family economic sustenance after Robert's illness and therefore left her children to the maid and Brahms himself to provide care that was suspiciously not nurturing enough. As a result, Clara had to witness the suffering health and then untimely death of her 4 of 7 children during her life.

Before I read this book, I never feel warm toward Brahms' symphony no.2 and 3 (but I love Poco Allegretto from No.3 very much but not the rest of the work). The author's description of these 2 works (and a few others) convinces me to re-explore them again in the hope to develop more appreciation.

In summary, for admirers of Brahms or Romantic music of his era, this book will deepen their strength of appreciation to the great composer and many of his heavenly beautiful works.

The next book I will try to seek out wold be this one: The Indispensable Composers: A Personal Guide.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brahms has always been a bit of a paradox to me. I'm of course familiar with the famous phrase lumping him in with 2 other composers whose name starts with a "B" as if he belongs on their level (Bach and Beethoven of course) but on the other hand, I know many people who love classical music who do not like Brahms. I remember while studying his 3rd symphony in college (only 2 of this symphonies were apparently worth being on the syllabus for a music history class from about 1865 to the present), the professor playing a clip and then saying "Hmm, i'm enjoying Brahms more than I usually do" and the class laughed. There are many websites talking about how he is overrated (though others that he is underrated) and that his music is too dense and "academic". I know I like his symphonies (especially 2 and 3) but cannot say i had anything beyond a working knowledge of his other works. It is for this reason, and also because I have thought Jan Swafford's other books on Beethoven and Mozart are the best composer biographies i have read, that i decided to take the plunge and learn more about Brahms.

Brahms' life story was an interesting one. Born in North Germany, Brahms cut his teeth playing piano in seedy establishments. Trained by a mentor who made him focus more on the music of the past, Brahms matured into basically a "neo classical" composer literally at "war" with the Romantics like Wagner and Liszt.

He was taken in by the great composer Robert Schumann and Clara, his star pianist wife , whom Brahms developed a crush on. This got more complicated as Robert succumbed to severe mental health disorder and was committed to a sanitarium before eventually dying. Clara, despite being 13 or so years older, became a bit of a muse to Brahms though there is no evidence they ever consummated the relationship (still the did they or didn't they speculation lives on). Things got complicated when Brahms had other relationships and eventually developed a crush on Clara's daughter (this relationship would make a great Hollywood movie and i think did many years ago). Through many ups and downs, they remained close friends for the rest of each other's lives.

Brahms, in fact, stays a bachelor the rest of his life (though frequently visits brothels as apparently singles did in those days) and goes on to become one of the top composers of the day, albeit one using an updated classical style. His symphonies are still played regularly (I'll be seeing the 2nd this summer) and his concertos and chamber music are frequently performed.

I still do not think Brahms is among my favorite composers and I personally would not put him with the other "Bs" though I can understand why many do. Still, i have an enhanced appreciation of his symphonies and a bit more respect for his other works after reading another excellently-written biography by Swafford that balances biography with a small amount of music theory that the general reader could easily skip if necessary but the musically trained would find insightful.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swafford's biography of Johannes Brahms is like one of that composer’s symphony: ambitious, large in scale, resonant, deeply moving, and meticulously crafted. My Braille copy from the National Library Service encompassed eight large volumes, but this added to the satisfaction of reading it rather than diminished it. This is a book to be savored, studied, contemplated. It's approachable for readers with a general knowledge of classical music, but prohessional musicians will also find things to delight them. The musical examples are well chosen and clearly laid out. Bravo to the Braille transcriber who worked on this book for pffoviding clear, logical descriptions of the brackets, arrows, and text used in many of the examples to help readers follow thematic or melodic concepts.
Swafford's book gives us Brahms as a man of a particular time and place while connecting that singular existence to the larger forces of history, politics, science, and art. Meanwhile, he creates a vivid, complex portrait of Brahms, choosing anecdotes, quotes, letters, and reminiscences with a jeweler's precision. The result is a book that by turns made me burst out laughing or pause to acknowledge something deeply moving.
In the end, what readers get from this book will be the same thing listeners get from Brahms's music: an experience that is intimately their own. One of the unexpected pleasures for me was learning that Brahms admired the music of an almost-forgotten composer named Julius Rontgen. I discovered Ronentgen's student concertoes for violin and have had one transcribed into Braille so I can learn to play it. I'm now thinking how interesting it would be to build a concert program featuring this concerto, some works by Brahms, and a sonatina by another composer Brahms admired who is still well-known today: Antonin Dvorak. This may not take place in a concert hall, but that will only continue the tradition Brahms lived in, composed for, and cherished: ordinary people playing his music together in small gatherings where the camaraderie is enjoyed as much as the music.

[Bernard Sintobin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schitterende biografie, voor mij 4,5.

Swafford is bijzonder goed gedocumenteerd en geeft hiermee een zeer compleet beeld van leven en werk van Brahms.

Het is een biografie die inzoomt op het leven en de persoonlijkheid van Johannes Brahms maar respectvol, zonder al te veel speculatie, met oog voor de plussen de minnen van zijn karakter en zijn interacties met zijn omgeving. Het geeft ook een boeiende inkijk in de levenswijze en de uitdagingen van intellectuelen in de tweede helft van de negentiende eeuw, de gigantische briefwisseling, de vele vriendschappen, de reizen door Europa, de sociale realiteit van steden met uiteraard een bijzondere focus op Wenen en met hier en daar een relevante verwijzing naar de politieke situatie.

Het geeft ook een uitstekend beeld van Brahms als componist en pianist, zijn evolutie door de jaren maar ook en vooral zijn authenticiteit, zijn unieke positie in een wereld van de klassieke muziek die continu probeerde om hem te catalogeren als conservatief en passé (vooral in contrast met Wagner en Liszt). Finaal krijg je een beeld van een groot kunstenaar met een zeer persoonlijke missie die hij tot het einde is blijven nastreven. Het weze duidelijk: hij behoort tot de groten van de klassieke muziek.

Zijn bijzondere relatie met Schumann en na diens dood met Clara is een prachtige rode draad door een leven van onvervulde hunkering maar Swafford is overtuigend in zijn visie dat de mislukte alliance(s) met Clara en met veel andere vrouwen een zegen waren voor de artistieke nalatenschap van Brahms.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the introduction to this fine, well-researched biography, author Jan Swafford announces his intention “to take [Brahms] off the pedestal and put him back in the world of the living, with his feet on the ground.” This he accomplishes to a remarkable extent. The book bristles with details about Brahms’s personal life, his artistic ideals and process, his travels, his business side, and more. Of such Brahms biographies as I know, this one provides more detail on the great composer’s in some ways complicated relationships with women. More than other works of its type, too, it succeeds in depicting the closeness, indeed many-sidedness, of Brahms’s life-long friendship with Clara Schumann. Swafford, too, does much to trace the rise and fall in the affective curve drawn by Brahms and Joachim. This is revealing, since Joachim was the first major artist to recognize Brahms early in his career, and even many years later, after the two had become distant in a personal sense, remained a stout professional associate, supporter, and champion of Brahms’s music. One caveat: the book contains occasional glitches, such Swafford’s insistence on calling the Karlskirche in Vienna a cathedral, whereas it is only a parish church, if a prominent one. This notwithstanding, the book is a great and informative read and one I strongly recommend to all lovers of classical music.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

To think I lived in a world without the knowledge and deep love and respect for Brahms. Remedied.
What a wondrous book. Filling in gaps about what I knew about the Schumann’s, like Clara being a child prodigy and composer; Robert’s intense letter of introduction of Brahms to the world (the next Beethoven, he said), and then his deterioration into a suicide attempt landing him in an asylum in Bonn, where he died. How Schumann would take walks from the asylum to the Beethoven statue in Bonn and Brahms joined him for some of those I will walk it eventually, too). I shall visit his and Clara’s gravesite there in Bonn.
Brahms own infatuation with, deep respect for and lifetime friendship with Clara. They died a year apart.
He sent her works constantly for her opinions, praise and critiques, and she championed his works as she took them on her piano tours. It’s unclear if they ever had anything romantically. They remained close until the end.
Brahms chose the life of bachelor. Lots of crushes and heartbreaks but ultimately both by place in society and choice, he felt it was his lot in life to go it alone.
Brahms was an avid reader. Humble and always pointing to the masters, gods as he said: Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. He loved Schubert and Chopin too. He didn’t like Liszt’s music (famously) and either did Clara. He didn’t like Wagner but respected him somewhat. He was witty, biting sense of humor, jolly at times, loyal though private. He saved his emotion for his music. He put more importance on craft rather than pure inspiration. He used both.
What a life. Good friends. Multiple vacations to Italy. Summer visits (Baden-Baden etc) where he drew added inspiration to compose.
He was sketching all the time. His first symphony took 20 years to finally be finished. Fragment here and there.
Unlike other composers of that time, he eventually got to a comfortable life. Could write and tour as he pleased, not desperate for money or aristocratic opportunities.
His later piano work…opus 117-119. Dripping with yearning. Melancholy. Joy. That’s where I found my beloved Intermezzo in A Major op 118 No 2.
Hard to read the ending. He clearly didn’t want to die. He stood in a box seat silently weeping at one of the last performances he would attend of his work.
His caretaker walked in THE morning and he tried to sit up in bed and speak but couldn’t. Calmly stopped breathing.
He championed Anton Dvorak’s work and career and helped him get going. He edited works by Bach, Chopin etc. Studied scores. Liked Mahler’s second symphony.
Pretty much love all his works and much more to listen to.
A few standouts:
Piano concerto No 1 Dm op 15.
first one that took my breath away
Piano Sonata No 3 Fm op 5 1st mvmt
1st Symphony. (2nd piece to win me over) That intro!
All symphonies (No 3 FMaj mvmt three) wow
piano op76, 116-119
Requiem
Rhapsody for Alto op 53
Schicksalied op 54 LOVE LOVE LOVE
(Song of Destiny)
Nänie op 82 (homage to a friend that passed)
Gesang der Parzen op 89 (Song of Fate)
Spent 3 months reading this. Listening to all the referenced pieces. So glad I did. Brahms is now lodged in my heart with the others. Always a bit melancholy when finishing composer books. Like I’ve been part of their lives for the reading. But alas we still have the music! On my way to Hamburg, Germany next week with the Yufu soul band. Perfect timing. I’ve seen his grave in Vienna. This will complete the circle, though I want to explore more of Vienna with him as focus.
September 10, 2025. Taiwan.

I played on one of Brahms’ pianos at the Brahms Museum in Hamburg! The Intermezzo in A Major.
1859 piano of his.

[Szabolcs Sebestyén · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best biography I have ever read. Swafford finds the equilibrium how to describe the life of a composer, without being very technical on his music. Most people know Brahms, the composer. However, we know very little about Brahms, the human being. Brahms excellently shows Brahms' human side, and helps us understand his works through his personality. We get to know a grumpy man, whose misogyny originates from his childhood, and who feared that he would be just a footnote in the history of music. His unfulfilled love for Clara Schumann is a beautiful human story that ensured that Brahms would become one of the greatest composers of all time, since he made a decision and turned away from love, and instead chose music. As Swafford writes it: "He was ready to substitute an archetypal, and unilateral, Brahmsian bargain: to live with yearning rather than fulfillement." A must-read for anyone who wants to know the person behind the music.

[MrSlowreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised to find that this book was out of print, undeservedly so. Having come from Jan Swafford's excellent biography of Beethoven, I had high expectations for this one, expectations which were not left disappointed. This book provides an excellent overview of both Brahms the man, and his times, written in an engaging and accessible manner. The musical analysis is not too dense for the uninitiated, and should offer readers a deeper insight into the music we all so love and revere.
Brahms' life and career were full of dichotomies: the romantic young Kreisler vs.
the classicist Herr Doktor Brahms, the musical conservative vs. the innovative composer of rhythmic ingenuity, the upstanding north German vs. the resident of frivolous Vienna, the man who longed for a home and family of his own vs. the man who did everything in his powers to ensure he remained "frei aber froh" (free but happy, or should that be lonely).