Hey, just a comment, Brahms and Tchaikovsky actually got along very well personally; after getting increasingly disgruntled by the perceived hailing of Brahms as the second coming of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky did roast him a lot in his capacity as critic, but was very surprised (and felt bad) when they met and he realized him to be such a nice guy. They ended up on very good terms personally, even though Tchaikovsky just couldn't get himself to enjoy Brahms' music. You can find proof of this in various of Tchaikovsky's letters over at the Tchaikovsky research wiki. Thanks for these awesome videos!
Interesting! Most biographies on them tend to focus on their earlier animosity and the fact that they didn't care for one another's work. I suppose animosity and drama are more sensational topics than the later making-up.
Tchaikovskyresearch.com has some letters and notes about them. It is true Tchaikovsky imagined insulting Brahms if he met him. The Russian wrote to Nadja about that!
So interesting. It fits, though-Tchaikovsky’s music is gorgeous on first hearing, whereas Brahms is gorgeous on the 17th listening, or at least takes a while-years, even-to savor. Compounding that discrepancy, Tchaikovsky was perhaps hypersensitive to other opinions and Brahms was hypo-sensitive to others’ feelings. Alarms go off-a fistfight brewing between the alto and bass clefs? No, it was just Brahms and Tchaikovsky meeting for an absinthe. But the waiter, mistaking them for bistro regulars Koch and Mendeleev, instead brought them shots of sodium and potassium, respectively, not realizing all composers follow their apertif with a quick swig of water.
Not sure I have ever read of Brahms being called a nice guy or anything remotely similar. He drank too much and seemed to become increasingly insulting the more he drank. His personality was if anything difficult, exacting, and thorny.
Honestly, you are doing for classical music pretty much what the History Guy is doing for history and Drachinifel is doing for naval history. Outstanding work.
Brahms was a very generous and kind human being according to those who knew him so it's no surprise that Tchaikovsky, despite their obvious differences in musical tastes, could get along well with him when they met.
Brahms' chamber choir compositions have a very special place in my heart - it's among his must under-appreciated work, IMO. Great video, subscribed to watch more.
Well done. My only suggested improvement is to include the third and fourth symphonies. A novice might not even realize he wrote two other symphonies. And in my opinion the 4th is his crowning achievement.
thanks for this video - as always well researched and presented. i remembering coming across Brahms in high school and has fallen in love with his music since. His forms are conservative however he manages to bring new inspirations to these forms in such a creative fashion!
Today, I have enjoyed several of your videos. Thank you. As a Dane, I once heard a story about Hans Christian Andersen being invited to a front row vip seat of a concert where Brahms was accompanying a singer in Copenhagen. But he prefered to buy his own ticket, so he could be near the exit, and sneak out unobserved, because he had a feeling he wouldn’t like it much, based on Brahms’ appearance and reputation.
Well you covered a lot of ground in such a short time ! Perhaps worth mentioning : Brahms was very active to protect the music of Schubert, that was being squandered at the time.
An off topic question but I can't help but notice and wonder what those "rollers"? on either side of your bookcase are for. I just subscribed and excited to see more of your great content. Being newly interested in classical through my own life long musical journey, I couldn't of found a better channel.
Those are piano hammers! There's 88 of those inside a standard concert grand; the "roller" part is made of felt and strikes the 1-3 strings per pitch. I got them for free off of an old piano tech from my undergrad when he retired.
Clara definitely fell in love with Brahms and he was likely the one to break off romantic relations, rather than vice-versa, as he did with Agathe and so on.
Brahms admired Wagner (and had a piano score of Tristan wihch Wagner was not happy about as a sort of copyright leak) though not all his work without the pathological hatred that Clara Schumann had for anything by Wagner. He did not rate Lizst at all and the other New German composers who were shrill fools in his view.
As I have replied before: I admire your dedication to requesting this, but requesting it on every single video isn't going to make it come faster! I still am obligated to fulfill all earlier requests.
Not sure if you handle Renaissance composers, but would you be willing to do a video on Oswald von Wolkenstein - or, as an alternative, a video on late Mediaeval / early Renaissance composers in the German-speaking world (e.g. Walther von der Vogelweide, Neidhart/Nîthart, and The Monk of Salzburg)?
Wolkenstein has been duly noted: lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html I'm more than willing to handle Renaissance composers; the issue is that the biographies I do are largely user-driven and there's not been a huge groundswell for anything pre-Baroque. I could add the other three that you mentioned, but my policy is to only take five requests from any given user and adding them would put you at five (with four of them concatenated at the very bottom of a 370+ person list).
@@ClassicalNerd Oh! I wasn't thinking of the last three as individual focuses - there's just too little material on them to make a single episode. I listed them together rather as examples. My apologies for the misunderstanding.
It might be more useful to have a series of videos on some of the main movements and traditions of that era (for instance, talking about the _Minnesänger_ tradition or diving into the compositional techniques). The issue about such requests languishing at the bottom of the request pool would still be there, though ...
@@ClassicalNerd Agreed - that would have more info available. The lack of public interest is practically a given with such esoteric subjects. Still, might as well see it on the list, I figure!
Classical Nerd Thank you so much! you’re work here is amazing and I love your videos! im currently a freshman violist in high school and these videos totally satisfy my interest in music history. You’re so unappreciated, thank you for these videos. I’ll try to find some of your music :)
Are you asking about sources? Jan Swafford's 1999 biography of Brahms was a primary source, and I usually supplement books from my shelf with academic sources like dissertations and theses. Unfortunately this video was made long enough ago that I no longer have a list of sources.
@@ClassicalNerd I too learned most of what I know about Brahms’s life and compositional development from Swafford’s highly-readable and informative biography. Surprised to hear you remark that those rather sordid stories of the pre- pubescent Brahms working as piano player at the seediest pubs/houses of prostitution along the docks of Hamburg might never have happened. Swafford suggests this early nightly exposure to women engaged in sex with rough sailors around him caused his later problems with women and romantic relationships with them (aside from his long and intense but ambivalent friendship with Clara).
I couldn't find any evidence of the hate between Brahms and Liszt, what are your sources on that one, I'm very intrigued cause I like this story, but at the same time I've heard as many times it was true as I heard it was not.
My primary source on this video was Jan Swafford's biography of Brahms. It's not the most recent research so there were a few minor things that I tweaked, but the story of Brahms falling asleep during Liszt's _Sonata_ is one that's corroborated by many other musicologists.
This channel is called “Classical Nerd” for a reason, hon. Its goal is not to catalog all of the “greatest hits” that even non-musicians are familiar with 😉
6:53 LOL-Brahms men have the milfer gene 🧬. Regarding whether Brahms was a misogynist, it’s actually more complicated-it seems that he divided most of womankind into those he respected and yearned for, on the one hand, and those he had sex with (mostly while frequenting brothels), on the other. (Dame Ethel Smyth fell into neither category, and you are right that he criticized her music on its merits … or lack thereof.)
Now, shouldn’t the stoic elegance of Handel earn a processional step ahead of Szymanowski, Hindemith, Telemann or Bizet? (The answer’s yes, though I love the others, too).
No matter where the balance is, I can't please everyone. Basically I try to make sure that the music doesn't interfere with the talking, so sometimes there's more and sometimes there's less.
Hey, just a comment, Brahms and Tchaikovsky actually got along very well personally; after getting increasingly disgruntled by the perceived hailing of Brahms as the second coming of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky did roast him a lot in his capacity as critic, but was very surprised (and felt bad) when they met and he realized him to be such a nice guy. They ended up on very good terms personally, even though Tchaikovsky just couldn't get himself to enjoy Brahms' music. You can find proof of this in various of Tchaikovsky's letters over at the Tchaikovsky research wiki. Thanks for these awesome videos!
Interesting! Most biographies on them tend to focus on their earlier animosity and the fact that they didn't care for one another's work. I suppose animosity and drama are more sensational topics than the later making-up.
Tchaikovskyresearch.com has some letters and notes about them. It is true Tchaikovsky imagined insulting Brahms if he met him. The Russian wrote to Nadja about that!
So interesting. It fits, though-Tchaikovsky’s music is gorgeous on first hearing, whereas Brahms is gorgeous on the 17th listening, or at least takes a while-years, even-to savor. Compounding that discrepancy, Tchaikovsky was perhaps hypersensitive to other opinions and Brahms was hypo-sensitive to others’ feelings. Alarms go off-a fistfight brewing between the alto and bass clefs? No, it was just Brahms and Tchaikovsky meeting for an absinthe.
But the waiter, mistaking them for bistro regulars Koch and Mendeleev, instead brought them shots of sodium and potassium, respectively, not realizing all composers follow their apertif with a quick swig of water.
Fun fact: Brahms and Tchaikovsky have the same birthday (which is May 7th)
Not sure I have ever read of Brahms being called a nice guy or anything remotely similar. He drank too much and seemed to become increasingly insulting the more he drank. His personality was if anything difficult, exacting, and thorny.
Honestly, you are doing for classical music pretty much what the History Guy is doing for history and Drachinifel is doing for naval history. Outstanding work.
I just started learning the cello sonata played in the beginning, such a beautiful piece.
I just love Brahms so much. His vocal pieces, both choral and solo are so wonderful. And his vocal pieces are accompanied so wonderfully. ❤
Brahms was a very generous and kind human being according to those who knew him so it's no surprise that Tchaikovsky, despite their obvious differences in musical tastes, could get along well with him when they met.
I don't know how your music channel isn't bigger. It's really good
Brahms' chamber choir compositions have a very special place in my heart - it's among his must under-appreciated work, IMO. Great video, subscribed to watch more.
Well done. My only suggested improvement is to include the third and fourth symphonies. A novice might not even realize he wrote two other symphonies. And in my opinion the 4th is his crowning achievement.
thanks for this video - as always well researched and presented. i remembering coming across Brahms in high school and has fallen in love with his music since. His forms are conservative however he manages to bring new inspirations to these forms in such a creative fashion!
Today, I have enjoyed several of your videos. Thank you. As a Dane, I once heard a story about Hans Christian Andersen being invited to a front row vip seat of a concert where Brahms was accompanying a singer in Copenhagen. But he prefered to buy his own ticket, so he could be near the exit, and sneak out unobserved, because he had a feeling he wouldn’t like it much, based on Brahms’ appearance and reputation.
Well THAT took me by surprise...... another great video job well done!
Please do a video on Prokofiev, or Xenakis
Xenakis is in the request queue, and Prokofiev has been bumped up in the request pool.
Anyone else spray their coffee across the room at the 10sec mark, or was it just me?🤣
Well you covered a lot of ground in such a short time ! Perhaps worth mentioning : Brahms was very active to protect the music of Schubert, that was being squandered at the time.
Loved his intermezzos. And Hungarian rhapsodies. For piano.
Thanks for this. Very enjoyable and straight to the point!!!
Outstanding presentation--concise, analytical, and stimulating!
An off topic question but I can't help but notice and wonder what those "rollers"? on either side of your bookcase are for. I just subscribed and excited to see more of your great content. Being newly interested in classical through my own life long musical journey, I couldn't of found a better channel.
Those are piano hammers! There's 88 of those inside a standard concert grand; the "roller" part is made of felt and strikes the 1-3 strings per pitch. I got them for free off of an old piano tech from my undergrad when he retired.
Excellent video
I love these! Can you please do a video about Pablo de Sarasate?
Your request has been reflected at lentovivace.com/requestqueue.html
@@ClassicalNerd Please do John Corigliano.
Clara definitely fell in love with Brahms and he was likely the one to break off romantic relations, rather than vice-versa, as he did with Agathe and so on.
I can't believe that anyone could fall asleep while Liszt was playing his or her music. Shut ones eyes, yes, fall asleep, no.
There's Brahms & then there's everybody else.
I love Brahms. I would even say ... more than Wagner... :D
Wonderful, rich bio. More music by the composer of regard-little inserts?-would be great.
I try to do that as often as UA-cam's broken copyright systems allow me to (which isn't as often as I-or anyone-would like).
Guten Tag. "JOHANNES BRAHMS".
Brahms admired Wagner (and had a piano score of Tristan wihch Wagner was not happy about as a sort of copyright leak) though not all his work without the pathological hatred that Clara Schumann had for anything by Wagner. He did not rate Lizst at all and the other New German composers who were shrill fools in his view.
Ahora que, por fin, subtitulan al español este documental, lo hacen tan deprisa, que casi no da tiempo a leerlo. Espero que lo solucionen. Gracias.
As much credit as Brahms gets, he should be getting even more.
How about a campaign to rebrand Brahms as a clean shaven man. He was that until his later years.
00:09 OMG! I'M DEAAAAD 💀💀💀💀
Best intro ever!
Ikr ayyyyyyyyyyye
GET OUT with that intro! My kids just told me to stop laughing!
I like your intro! 🤣
This was interesting and informative thanks :)
Thanks man
Please do one on bizet
As I have replied before: I admire your dedication to requesting this, but requesting it on every single video isn't going to make it come faster! I still am obligated to fulfill all earlier requests.
I'm still waiting for a vid about either nadia or lilli boulanger
I did both of them in March 2017.
@@ClassicalNerd I didn't know that! Time to add 1 to that view count
Not sure if you handle Renaissance composers, but would you be willing to do a video on Oswald von Wolkenstein - or, as an alternative, a video on late Mediaeval / early Renaissance composers in the German-speaking world (e.g. Walther von der Vogelweide, Neidhart/Nîthart, and The Monk of Salzburg)?
Wolkenstein has been duly noted: lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
I'm more than willing to handle Renaissance composers; the issue is that the biographies I do are largely user-driven and there's not been a huge groundswell for anything pre-Baroque. I could add the other three that you mentioned, but my policy is to only take five requests from any given user and adding them would put you at five (with four of them concatenated at the very bottom of a 370+ person list).
@@ClassicalNerd Oh! I wasn't thinking of the last three as individual focuses - there's just too little material on them to make a single episode. I listed them together rather as examples. My apologies for the misunderstanding.
It might be more useful to have a series of videos on some of the main movements and traditions of that era (for instance, talking about the _Minnesänger_ tradition or diving into the compositional techniques). The issue about such requests languishing at the bottom of the request pool would still be there, though ...
@@ClassicalNerd Agreed - that would have more info available.
The lack of public interest is practically a given with such esoteric subjects. Still, might as well see it on the list, I figure!
can you please do Telemann?
Telemann is now in the request pool.
Classical Nerd Thank you so much! you’re work here is amazing and I love your videos! im currently a freshman violist in high school and these videos totally satisfy my interest in music history. You’re so unappreciated, thank you for these videos. I’ll try to find some of your music :)
Am interested to know where the history side of Brahms was gleaned from ???
Are you asking about sources? Jan Swafford's 1999 biography of Brahms was a primary source, and I usually supplement books from my shelf with academic sources like dissertations and theses. Unfortunately this video was made long enough ago that I no longer have a list of sources.
@@ClassicalNerd I too learned most of what I know about Brahms’s life and compositional development from Swafford’s highly-readable and informative biography. Surprised to hear you remark that those rather sordid stories of the pre- pubescent Brahms working as piano player at the seediest pubs/houses of prostitution along the docks of Hamburg might never have happened. Swafford suggests this early nightly exposure to women engaged in sex with rough sailors around him caused his later problems with women and romantic relationships with them (aside from his long and intense but ambivalent friendship with Clara).
I couldn't find any evidence of the hate between Brahms and Liszt, what are your sources on that one, I'm very intrigued cause I like this story, but at the same time I've heard as many times it was true as I heard it was not.
My primary source on this video was Jan Swafford's biography of Brahms. It's not the most recent research so there were a few minor things that I tweaked, but the story of Brahms falling asleep during Liszt's _Sonata_ is one that's corroborated by many other musicologists.
Thanks a lot
No mention of Brahms's Lullaby? What gives? ;)
This channel is called “Classical Nerd” for a reason, hon. Its goal is not to catalog all of the “greatest hits” that even non-musicians are familiar with 😉
6:53 LOL-Brahms men have the milfer gene 🧬. Regarding whether Brahms was a misogynist, it’s actually more complicated-it seems that he divided most of womankind into those he respected and yearned for, on the one hand, and those he had sex with (mostly while frequenting brothels), on the other. (Dame Ethel Smyth fell into neither category, and you are right that he criticized her music on its merits … or lack thereof.)
please do a bio on Karol Szymanowski
Duly noted: lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
Now, shouldn’t the stoic elegance of Handel earn a processional step ahead of Szymanowski, Hindemith, Telemann or Bizet?
(The answer’s yes, though I love the others, too).
Hindemith???
Your request has been reflected in the request pool!
You kinda need more actual MUSIC.
No matter where the balance is, I can't please everyone. Basically I try to make sure that the music doesn't interfere with the talking, so sometimes there's more and sometimes there's less.
Brahms is far from the savior of music!!!!!!!!
I mean, Schumann's been dead for over 150 years, so I don't know if getting overly worked up about what he said is helpful ...
@@ClassicalNerdLOL