Johannes Brahms: A Biography

This is a long book – 636 pages of text in small font plus a lengthy introduction. Except for the first 15-20 years of Brahms’s life and the last few years, we get to know Brahms often month-by-month (sometimes week-by-week) with rarely more than a three month hiatus in the narrative. But the book is also immensely enjoyable to read. Swafford manages to convey this massive amount of information in a well-written easy-to-follow form with numerous double-spaced breaks within each chapter. It is an easy book to return to after a break in reading and, what’s more important, it’s a book to which you want to return. One of the advantages of this detail is that we get to experience the depth of the long-term relationship between Brahms and Clara Schumann. Swafford uses the letters of Brahms and Clara extensively and it would be hard to find a biography of any major historical figure that gives a more poignant and powerful portrait of a long-term loving relationship. As Brahms himself said near the end of his bachelor life, Clara was his only real friend. He had many other people who would normally be counted as friends, e.g., Josef Joachim and Theodor Billroth, whom he knew for decades but with whom he eventually broke. Clara was unique. Swafford details their caring and often tumultuous relationship and how the two of them, after even some serious disagreements, always came back to each other. Swafford also goes into some detail about several of Brahms’s works as they appeared throughout his life including his four symphonies. Readers with some musical background will find these enlightening. But for readers simply interested in the history of Western music the book is a gold mine about Brahms’s creative process, how his personal life was entangled with his composing, and how Brahms fit into the “War of the Romantics” in 19th century music. The book chronicles from Brahms’s point of view the 19th century development of and (as Brahms himself put it) the decline of the long Western musical tradition. It gives much food for thought whether one agrees with Brahms or not. If the reader has the time to invest in this lengthy biography, he or she will find it a worthwhile and rewarding experience.

I 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 Schumann's technique at the keyboard was superior to his own as it was to almost everyone else's except Liszt's. 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."

This is the most enjoyable book I've read (so far) in 2009. As an amateur pianist I've 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 layperson's 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 author's 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 there's 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 don't agree with the author's 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 that's on its last legs. They just don't make 'em like this anymore. Enjoy.

Comprehensive, insightful, thorough: this biography blew my mind. In college, I read every biography of Brahms in the library and still never learned-- or appreciated-- what drove Brahms the man or the composer. I knew he came from a squalid background (Schumann is said to have remarked on it; Swafford doesn't include the quote) but I had no idea just how poor to the point of child abuse the Brahms family was. Nor did I know his political views or his associations, other than with Josef Joachim and of course the Schumanns. I took off one star for some trivial flaws: in various places the German was not translated or translated more than once or after appearing for the first time in the text; the Red Hedgehog is called in different spots Zum der roten Igel and also Rote Igel. The index would be more useful if Brahms' works had in addition to key and opus number a separate cross-listing by the common name. For example, Symphony #1 is listed as the symphony in C minor (No. 1), Op. 68, instead of Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 (how my CD and LP show the title). In fact, a separate opus index of Brahms' published works would be eminently useful (hint for next edition). Another gripe is the discussion of the 2nd Symphony. Yes, each movement is an inversion of the main theme, but the main theme itself is a variation of Brahms' famous Wiegenlied. In fact, when I was in college music groups, musicians called Brahms' 2nd the lullabye symphony. How does that not get discussed? In summation, I was very moved by the book; I am still thinking about it and the life of Brahms, and of course his music. I am glad I bought it. I recommend it despite the mostly small flaws. I will be referring to it again and again; I'll figure out how to use the index to my advantage. Our symphony will be doing Brahms' First Symphony during this season and I'll be right there, listening to a most beloved piece.

I have listened and loved the music of J. Brahms since I was about 7. Since I am 63 now, I can say that I've 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 it's 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 Amazon, 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 Hamburg's 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.

The research that went into this treasure is astonishing! I loved learning how the characters of late 19th century interacted. So well-written.

Swafford has a unique ability to combine thorough research with a novelist’s sensibility, making this what few biographies are, a page-turner. I feel like I know Herr Brahms now and have even gotten to know some of his friends! Swafford also provides a clear and engaging description of the historical and cultural times. It took me awhile to read this, but I feel as though I’ve had hearty feast!

Used, very good condition. I've only read a couple of chapters but it's really interesting - Swafford is a really great author, he truly brings everything to life!

A complete biography able to cover all sides of Brahms: musical, cultural, historical and domestic. Nothing less than all, nothing to add.

Excellent biography, very well written, both enlightening and entertaining.

評伝として素晴らしい内容。日本語翻訳版が出版されて全国の図書館に置かれるべき。

Gostei muito. Valeu a pera! Recomendo.

Un voyage incroyablement bien documenté dans la vie et la carrière d’un compositeur énigmatique. La description de ses trois remarquables rencontres essentielles , Robert, Clara Schuman et Vienne est simplement extraordinaire.