Mar 2, 2023
Brahms was only 20 years old when Robert Schumann wrote his
famous Neue Bahnen(New Paths) article that proclaimed Brahms as the
future of music and the heir of Beethoven. Beethoven had only been
dead for 26 years at this point, and his shadow still loomed large
over every single composer living in Germany, and beyond. Brahms
knew that the most concrete way he would be compared with Beethoven
would be through a symphony, and so…he studiously avoided writing
one. It’s not like he didn’t try. Brahms began sketching symphonies
only one year after the Neue Bahnen article, but he kept revising
the sketches, or more often, burning them as inferior
products. This would go on for 23 more years, until 1876.
Brahms was 43 when he finally completed his first symphony, and it
was worth the wait. What Brahms came up with would inspire
symphonists to this day, and would carry on the tradition that
Beethoven laid out with both a respectful and loving look back into
the past, with a clear eye forwards into the future. Today we'll
dissect this piece in detail, taking it down to its foundational
elements in order to see how Brahms created this masterpiece of a
first symphony. Join us!