Brahms;: A study in musical biography

by Ralph Hill

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1933

Reviews

[sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hill sets this as 'a short biography, which aims merely at tracing in broad outline the chief milestones of the composer's development as man and artist, the musical background against which he worked, the peculiarities of his character as they apprared to his friends and acquaintances, and a general summing-up of his creative achivements'. I think was successful in these objectives - a short but quite insightful read! My first biography in a very long time, and I'm ashamed to admit my first deeper look into the lives of composers, but this was the right beginning.

I have heard about Brahms and Clara Schumann, but I've learned a lot more through interactions and letters between them and their friends, fleshing out the character of their relationship.

Somewhere it said Brahms the man was really quite different to Brahms the musician or virtuoso, mentions of his ego came back repeatedly but also signs of humanity, his attitudes and encounters with other composers, and from these I got a good sense of his intentions and personality.

If I ever needed to recap the life and works of Brahms, read the last chapter again - a fitting summary.

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