Who was Johannes Brahms?
Every time one of the great composers is named in a concert’s program booklet, his or her “dates” are listed immediately afterwards. Unfortunately, this tends to cement the idea that, ages ago (usually), someone now dead wrote something now being played. That parenthetical pair of numbers clouds the idea that the composer had a regular life, one filled with the kinds of ups and downs that we still experience today; there were breakfasts just as often. In the case of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) (see what I mean?) we have, first, a young boy who loved playing the piano, even though his dad was a double-bass player for the Hamburg opera. Johannes gave his first recital at the age of 14, and not too long afterwards began to earn a modest income playing in dance parlors and bars. We do not know what his parents thought of this, but the household apparently needed the extra income. However, keep in mind that 14 is a tough age for anyone, and being surrounded by music was not too different a
