[ebooks] Johannes Brahms: A Biography by Jan Swafford in Arts-Photography

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A wonderful human beingBy eledavf VivianI cannot begin to tell you what a lovable man Johannes Brahms was. This thought came to me three quarters of the way through this excellent biography.Brahms. a curmudgeon with his friends. but only occasionally. Impatient with pushy fans. but rarely with simple acquaintances. Loving son. Devoted confidante of Clara Schumann over a span of forty years on and off the concert stage.A major part of his character is summed up in those statements.He began his career playing his own compositions in concert (he was an excellent pianist but not the best). Usually he appeared onstage with another performer. often with his close friend the violinist Joseph Joachim. or with Clara Schumann in two-piano arrangements of his works and those of Robert Schumann. Clara Schumanns technique at the keyboard was superior to his own as it was to almost everyone elses except Liszts. He trusted her musicianship and listened carefully to her suggestions about his compositions as they were being created.More or less unsettled during his twenties and thirties. he changed with his forties. establishing himself finally in Vienna. There his needs were minimal. his demands almost non-existent: a tiny. cluttered bedroom and parlor on the fourth floor of an apartment house. meals in a coffee house. his laundry and dusting provided by the elderly landlady. This remained his home for the last twenty-five years. Yet these decades brought enormous fame. public affection. and financial rewards. his Hungarian Dances gaining worldwide popularity as did his Lullaby. The monumental works. too. were more and more demanded by serious audiences of every continent.This biography shows us a truly admirable human being whose moods were generally mild and fleeting. a man lacking in cupidity. devoted to his mother. reverential toward his father and generous to family members. Invariably kind to children. A man with few enemies and despising few people. chief among them Franz Liszt for his "meretricious" music and Anton Bruckner for being an inveterate attention seeker.His warmest attachment as a young man. and into old age. was first to Clara Schumann. and then to her daughter Julie. who. however. had no such interest in him and married elsewhere. This disappointment found expression and resolution only in music. the center of his emotional existence.His ambition was to create a body of work worthy to rank with that of Mozart and Beethoven. Yet he always recognized that public taste would move beyond the classical. beyond Mozart and Beethoven and himself. In his usual philosophical way he accepted the inevitable. that such masterpieces would never be written once he was dead. And they never were.For an understanding of the nature and life experiences of this commanding figure I recommend this biography. It flows easily and interestingly. sometimes with real humor.Someone like me. who knows nothing about music. not even the names of most instruments. can simply skip the many pages analyzing his works.But anyone who loves the Academic Festival Overture or his Hungarian dances (which he enjoyed composing as much as he enjoyed listening to that type of music in the Viennese cafes). or certainly anyone who admires his monumental compositions will appreciate this biography of a great man. the last of his kind "when music was in its glory."2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Brahms Brought to LifeBy Eric GrossI have listened and loved the music of J. Brahms since I was about 7. Since I am 63 now. I can say that Ive listened to most of his published works many times over. In addition. I have played quite a number of his piano works for decades. Yet despite all of that experience. I found this book revelatory. Brahms. as the author points out. makes for a difficult subject. He made it clear that he was not interested in detailed biographies of his life. He destroyed most of his letters and notes. Moreover. he was someone who made it difficult to get to know. Even Clara Schumann. his lifetime companion. said that she really never truly knew Brahms the man ... the human being. Yet Swafford does an outstanding job to bring this enigmatic person to life. We can almost get a sense of this garrulous. generous. disarming. rigid and brilliant man as a living breathing human being. Brahms music is so well crafted that sometimes its rather difficult to possess the key that unlocks the underlying complexity of its musical form. But this book does a very good job and giving the reader that key. as long as the reader is willing to invest the time and energy to listen to the music with the purpose of "hearing" the complex musical structures that underlie the all but perfectly seamless melodies and harmony that represent its surface. After reading several of the reviews here at . I came to realize that Swafford did not have access to some of the historical materials while putting together this book and that it suffers on account of their omission.These materials suggest that Swafford fails to present an accurate description of Brahms early years. The economic deprivation described in this book may have been over-stated. It also seems likely that the book makes too strong a case for linking his experiences playing in Hamburgs rough waterfront bars as a child with his relationship struggles with women as an adult. Nonetheless. I very highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about classical music of the late romantic and the life of one of its greatest composers.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book. and questions remain...By Edward R. KriegeThis is the most enjoyable book Ive read (so far) in 2009. As an amateur pianist Ive been witness to the glory that is Brahms (e.g. shorter piano works; "veiled symphonies". as Robert Schumann referred to some of Brahms piano compositions). This thoroughly researched yet non-technical (not too much to get in the way of a laypersons enjoyment) book brought to life not only this great man. but the dying age that he lived in. To understand how this person. from such humble beginnings could. in his 20s. be anointed the next Beethoven by Schumann. and go on to fulfill that prophesy "in the tramp of giants" is a story to behold. and Mr. Swafford does an excellent job. To also understand that Brahms destroyed so much of his work. yet so much remains. is also to give us a sense of the prodigious genius of this great master. And his gift with words (letters to Clara. friends. colleagues) reminds us that he was no less capable in that craft.However. in my mind questions remain. Although I respect the authors restraint from speculating about Brahms romantic relationships. I find it hard to believe that he would have only taken inspiration figuratively from the many women who loved and admired him from within his social circles only to find fulfillment in the brothels. As good as Brahms was in protecting his privacy. I think theres more here than meets the eye. and a separate thesis from some music or psychology phD candidate into the sexual psychology of Brahms (speculation and all) could at the very least prove entertaining.I dont agree with the authors assessment that Brahms was a misogynist. His early experiences (or not) playing in the waterfront bars may have shaped his attitude toward women. but too many examples of him helping women in their careers and his affairs of the heart lead me to conclude that he was an equal opportunity abuser. in that he could be ruthless regardless of gender (he could also be very kind and generous). Such may be the curse of genius. having those of us from below pigeonholing an eagle.My other nits include a bit of redundancy in the book. but forgivable due to its length. What is less forgivable is the use of German terms that are only defined once within the text. and no glossary for them (and they are referred to frequently). Not easy to find in a 700 page book over the course of some weeks of reading (write them down as you go is my advice). I had planned to deduct a star for these nits. but in the end the overall enjoyment of the book trumps all.Again. a wonderful book about a great genius. composer and man. in the context of a golden age thats on its last legs. They just dont make em like this anymore. Enjoy.