Johannes Brahms

Born: 1833

Johannes Brahms was born 1833 in Hamburg, northern Germany, but later settled in Austria. Trained at an early age, Brahms was playing the piano in restaurants and bars at the age of ten to earn money for his family.

Over the years he became close to composer Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck, Schumann’s wife and a talented pianist. Schumann met the young Brahms at age twenty in Duesseldorf and was amazed by his talent and sought to convince others. With the premiere of “Ein Deutsches Requiem,” Brahms’ largest choral work, in 1868, his reputation in Europe started rising and Schumann's early assessment of Brahms’ talent was proven to be true. Among his most well known works are “Hungarian Dances,” “Waltzes op. 39,” “Liebeslieder Waltzes,” “Wiegenlieder,” “Op.49 no. 4” known as Brahms' Lullaby and four symphonies. Brahms died in Vienna where he had spent much of his years as director of the choral society, the Singakademie.