Why do I love Brahms...

In talking to my colleagues this week, the music of Brahms has come up often. I've always unabashedly admitted to being a Brahms guy, and to proudly touting him as one of the finest composers who ever lived. Which got me thinking: WHY do I love Brahms? Why is he more than a musical monument, but almost a central part of my life - sort of like brushing your teeth or drinking coffee in the morning. To paraphrase Lucy Van Pelt of Peanuts fame, "What's so great about Brahms anyway? Does Brahms have a bubble gum card? Anybody who has done anything is on a bubble gum card." Ok, she was actually talking about Beethoven, but good grief - the point remains. So here goes, I am going to tell you why Brahms is so great, although I make no promises to procure a Brahms bubble gum card.

Here it is in bullet point form:
Took time to mature as a composer - was not a child prodigy like many composers, this allowed him an opportunity to study and perfect his craft

Student of past generations - Brahms was interested in studying what made Palestrina, Bach, Beethoven and others great and applying it to his own style.

Universal Composer - wrote effectively for voice, orchestral, and chamber mediums

Virtuosic Musicianship - Brahms was a world-class pianist and well regarded choral conductor - this gave him new insights into his compositional technique.

Unlike many contemporaries, Brahms wrote symphonies fairly late in life completing Symphony No. 1 around his 35th birthday. For the sake of comparison, Schubert, who has as many as 10 numbered symphonies (some of which were never finished) had already died by 35, a young Mozart wrote his first at age 16, similarly, Mendelssohn penned a symphony at age 15 - imagine writing a symphony at the same age teenagers today are taking driver's education. This is to say, that while Brahms achieved international fame and reputation, he did not do so at an early age like the aforementioned composers did. This is not to say that Brahms did not write orchestral music. One such work he completed prior a full-scale symphony, is the famous Ein deutsches Requiem.

In the opening movement of his Requiem, the very first interval heard is a 7th. For those of you keeping score at home, this is nearly an octave, but just short enough to sound "off." In this instance, it is the very same interval the Bernstein uses in the opening theme of "Tonight" - "There's a place for us" - in that bit. Here Brahms utilizes a bass pedal, or repeated note followed by this jarring interval. Had Brahms been in Music Theory 101, he probably would have failed, but he executes this maneuver, that would have been jarring in the context of other music with great elegance and in the context of a beautiful musical line. You can have a listen below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYMP7LYQ5uE

Another example of the brilliance of Brahms is found in the opening of the final movement of Symphony No. 4, his last symphony. In this case Brahms utilizes a passacaglia or repeated bass pattern as the basis for the movement. What is especially interesting is that this was primarily a baroque idea. To put things into context the Baroque period ended in 1750, and Brahms was born in 1834. Symphony No. 4 was written in 1884, nearly 150 years after the "end" of the baroque period. At this time many composers were interested in creating new forms, writing larger-scale free form works. Brahms, on the other hand, composed in a style that had been "dead" for over a century.
If you listen below, the "bass pattern" repeats at about the 20 second mark. While the actual notes are not heard, they serve as the harmonic basis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg9iXypvP_k

While books have been written about the mastercraftsemen that is Johannes Brahms, it pains me to poorly do so in just a few sentences. My hope is that this brief narrative might provide a small glimmer into the mind of a true genius.