Brahms  Biographical  Information

 

Brief Biography
(from About.com, prepared by Aaron Green)

 

 

Biographie auf Deutsch
(from the Onlinekunst Team)

 

 

Biographie en francais

(from Musicologie.org, prepared by Jean-Marc Warszawski)

 

 

Classical Archives Biography
(includes Works list and Albums)

 

 

Brahms WebSource Timeline

 

1833     Born 7 May in Hamburg, Germany

1840     Begins studies with Otto Cossel

1845     Begins studies with Edward Marxsen

1848     First public performance as a solo pianist

1853     Meets Hungarian violinist Remenyi (Eduard Hoffmann) and they tour through North      

             Germany: to Hanover and Göttingen where Brahms meets German violin virtuoso     

             Joseph Joachim. They then travel on to Weimar, where Brahms meets Franz Liszt.

             Brahms then leaves Remenyi for Düsseldorf and on 31 October he meets Robert and

             Clara Schumann. Schumann's article Neue Bahnen appears in the Neue Zeitschrift für

             Musik. Brahms then moves on to Leipzig for performances of his compositions and later

             returns to Hamburg

1854     Accepts position as Director of Court Concerts and Choral Society for the Prince of

             Lippe-Detmold. In February, Robert Schumann has a breakdown, and Brahms returns to

             Düsseldorf

1856     29 July: Robert Schumann dies

1857     Brahms returns to Hamburg. On the way, he spends four months in Detmold (a visit

             repeated in the autumn of the next two years), where he worked as court pianist,

             chamber musician, and Conductor of the Court Choir

1858     Gives up the Lippe-Detmold appointment. Spends March and April in Berlin with Clara

             Schumann, and the summer in Göttingen where he meets Agathe von Siebold

1859     Mostly in Hamburg

1860     Moves to Winterthür, to be near Theodor Kirchner

1861     Visits Vienna, then travels to Hamm (near Hamburg)

1862     June: Attends the Rhein Music Festival in Köln, combined with a visit to Clara

             Schumann in Münster am Stein.

             In July, goes back to Hamburg.

             September, takes up permanent residence in Vienna and becomes the Conductor of the

             Weiner Singakademie. Meets Richard Wagner and Elisabeth von Stockhausen

1863     1 May: Left Vienna for Hamburg for his 30th birthday, but on the way returned to

             Blankensee, as Stockhausen was offered the job in Hamburg Brahms had wanted.

             By the end of May he was back in Vienna for the Singakademie

1864     Resigns his post as Director of the Singakademie and in mid-June returns to Hamburg

             for a visit

1865     31 January: Brahms's mother dies
             In February he travels to Karlsruhe, Winterthür and Zürich

1866     August: to Zürich and Baden-Baden

1868     Settles permanently in Vienna, after having toured with Joachim and Stockhausen

             throughout Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands.

             In May he travels again to Hamburg

1872     11 February: Brahms's father dies
             In September Brahms accepts a position as Conductor of the Gesellschaft der     

             Musikfreunde

1873     In the summer, visits Starnberger See

1874     Summer: In Rüschlikon, Ziegelhausen, Sassnitz, Hamburg, and Lichtenthal. Meets Max

             Kalbeck

1875     18 April: Resigns as conductor of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde.

             In the summer travels as previous summer, and develops his friendship with poet

             Gottfried Keller

1876     Summer: as in 1874 and 1875. Also travels to Mannheim. At Rügen meets Henschel.

             In December travels back to Vienna

1877     Concerts in Leipzig, and reunion with Elisabeth von Herzogenberg.

             Summer in Portschach am Wörthersee with Elisabeth von Herzogenberg

1878     Visit to Leipzig; summer as in 1877.

             In the late summer, travels to Hamburg for concert of his works

1880     May in Bonn for the unveiling of Schumann's memorial, and visit with Clara

             Schumann.

             Spends the summer in Bad Ischl

1881     February: Offered Meinigen court orchestra as a 'rehearsal orchestra', and at the end of

             the year travels to Meinigen

1882     January in Berlin

             Spring in Vienna.

             Summer in Bad Ischl

1883     Summer in Wiesbaden where he meets Hermine Spies

1884     Summer in Meinigen, then to Mürzzuschlag

1885     October in Meinigen for the rehearsal of his Fourth Symphony. Immediately after takes

             a tour through Germany and the Netherlands

1886     This summer is the first of three summers in Hofstetten on Lake Thun

1887     Death of Edward Marxsen. Brahms interrupts his summer visit in Hofstetten to visit

             Clara Schumann in Frankfurt

1889     Brahms appointed a "Freeman of Hamburg". From this year onward, spends his 

             summers in Bad Ischl

1890     October: Began 'cleaning house', and destroying incomplete works or abandoned

             compositions

1892     Death of his sister Elise; death of Elisabeth von Herzogenberg

1893     Death of Hermine Spies

1895     Death of Brahms's brother Fritz; death of Billroth.

             Brahms's last visit to Switzerland

1896     21 May: Clara Schumann dies in Bonn.

             In September Brahms goes to Karlsbad for treatment

1897     26 March: Brahms is bedridden in Vienna, and on 3 April he dies.

 

 

For an interesting collection of historical and political maps of Germany and Europe, go to Roots Web ~ Maps

 

Da capo

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Last updated August 2013