1845-1848
Edward Marxsen--Johannes' first instruction in theory--Herr Adolph
Giesemann--Winsen-an-der-Luhe--Lischen--Choral society of
school-teachers--'ABC' Part-song by Johannes--The Amtsvogt
Blume--First public appearance--First visit to the opera.
Edward Marxsen was born on July 23, 1806, at Nieustädten, a village
close to Altona, where his father combined the callings of schoolmaster
and organist. His musical talent showed itself in early childhood, and
was cultivated by his father to such good purpose that, whilst still a
lad, he became competent to take the organist's duty from time to time
when a substitute was needed. He was not, however, destined for the
musical profession, and was on the verge of manhood when he was at
length allowed to follow his unconquerable desire to apply himself with
all his energies to the serious study of art. At eighteen he became the
pupil of Johann Heinrich Clasing, a musician well qualified to bring up
his students in the traditions of the classical school in which he had
himself been trained.[8] His warm interest was soon aroused by the
enthusiasm and unremitting application of his new pupil. Marxsen allowed
nothing to interfere with the regularity of his lessons, and walked the
two miles separating Nieustädten from Hamburg and back again, on dark
winter evenings, by the light of his hand-lantern, no matter how stormy
the weather. He continued to live at home, studying, teaching, and
helping more and more frequently with the organ, till he reached the age
of twenty-four, when his father's death left him free from ties. He soon
resolved to go to Vienna, with the especial purpose of perfecting his
theoretical knowledge under Ignaz von Seyfried, a prolific composer now
chiefly remembered as editor of the theoretical works of his master, the
renowned Albrechtsberger. Seyfried received the new-comer cordially,
and, probably finding Marxsen's musicianship to be but little inferior
to his own, treated him, during his lengthened sojourn at Vienna, more
as a friend than a pupil. He did not give him formal instruction, but
admitted him to frequent musical intercourse, which was chiefly devoted
to the discussion of artistic questions and to the free interchange of
opinion, and which brought to the younger musician, amongst other
benefits, the special gain of thorough familiarity with the great forms
of Beethoven. Seyfried's society was interesting and stimulating. He had
had pianoforte lessons, as a child, from Mozart, and had been on terms
of personal acquaintance with Haydn and with Beethoven, who was his
hero. He was of a kind disposition, moreover, and the many opportunities
he was able to offer for forming friendships, for hearing music, and for
living in musical society, were placed unreservedly at the disposal of
his protégé. Marxsen at the same time pursued his study of the
pianoforte under Carl Maria von Bocklet, a pianist and musician of
eminence, and a very successful teacher, who had enjoyed the favour of
Beethoven and been the close intimate of Schubert. Bocklet was one of
the earliest to appreciate the genius of the younger master, and, with
his colleagues Schuppanzigh and Klincke, gave the first performances,
early in 1828, of Schubert's two pianoforte trios, written a few months
previously.
Marxsen returned to Altona, after an absence of between two and three
years, with the matured confidence of the travelled musician who has
associated with the authorities of his art, his previous enthusiasm for
the works of the great Vienna masters and for the then known
instrumental works of the mighty Sebastian Bach fanned into ardent
worship. That his mind was sufficiently powerful to rise entirely above
the musical artificiality and bad taste of his time cannot be said. To
us, who belong to a generation that has been educated on the purist
principles first made widely acceptable by Mendelssohn's influence and
since popularized by the genius of a few famous executants, with Clara
Schumann, Rubinstein, and Joachim at their head, it is difficult to
realize the revolution that has taken place in the general condition of
musical art since the days when Marxsen, three years Mendelssohn's
senior, was young. Many things were then accepted and admired in Vienna,
in Berlin, in Leipzig, in London, which would now be regarded as
impossible atrocities. Marxsen was capable of setting the Kreutzer
Sonata for full orchestra, but this is hardly so surprising as that the
Leipzig authorities should have produced the arrangement at one of the
Gewandhaus concerts, or that Schumann should have mentioned it
indulgently, on whatever grounds, in the _Neue Zeitschrift für Musik_.
Marxsen came for the first time before the public of Hamburg on November
19, 1833, at the age of twenty-seven, in a concert of his own
compositions. Such a programme was a novelty in the northern city, and
excited attention. The occasion was successful, and established the
reputation of the concert-giver as a sound and earnestly striving
musician, and from this time his position as a teacher and theorist
continuously rose. He was a man of catholic tastes and liberal culture,
and his influence over his pupils was not merely that of the instructor
of a given subject, but was touched with the power of the philosopher
who has a wide outlook on life. The central aims of his theoretical
teaching were to guide his pupils to a mastery of the principles
illustrated in the works of the great composers, and to encourage each
student to develop his own creative individuality on the firm basis thus
afforded. He produced a very large number of works, which include
examples of the most complex as well as of the simpler forms of
composition, and many of them were brought to a hearing. That few show
the attempt to appeal to a higher tribunal than the musical taste of the
day may, perhaps, be a sign that Marxsen was conscious of not being
endowed with original creative power, and did not try to go beyond his
natural limitations. He had a genial, encouraging manner which invited
his pupils' confidence, and his lively interest in all questions
concerning literature, philosophy, and art gave constant impulse to the
minds of the really gifted amongst them, which was not the least of the
benefits they derived from association with him.
We shall not be far wrong if we fix the age of Johannes, at the time he
became entirely Marxsen's pupil, as about twelve; and from this date his
time, always well employed, must have been very fully occupied. He had
to go to Altona for his pianoforte lessons (the question of his learning
composition had not yet arisen), to practise at Cossel's or at the
business house of some pianoforte firm--for there were too many
interruptions at home--and to go regularly to school. Not to the one on
the Dammthorwall mentioned above. He now attended F. C. Hoffmann's
school in ABC-strasse, an establishment several grades higher than that
of which he had formerly been a pupil, and one of good repute in its
degree. Hoffmann was a conscientious as well as a humane man, and won
the liking and respect of his scholars. He gave them sound elementary
instruction, and even had them taught French and English. Brahms
retained some knowledge of both languages, as the present writer can
testify from her personal acquaintance with him, begun when he had
entered middle age. He could read English to some extent, though he
could not speak it, and was able to help himself out, when necessary,
with a phrase or two of French, though his accent was hopeless. He
preserved a pleasant remembrance of Hoffmann in after-life, recommended
his school on one or two suitable occasions, and sent him a present on
the celebration of his jubilee in the middle of the seventies.
Marxsen's interest and pleasure in Johannes' progress increased every
week as he became more convinced of his exceptional capacity. 'One day I
gave him a composition of Weber's,' he says,[9] 'going carefully through
it with him. At the following lesson he played it to me so blamelessly
and so exactly as I wished that I praised him. "I have also practised it
in another way," he said, and played me the right-hand part with the
left hand.' (No doubt Weber's _moto perpetuum_, published by Brahms,
without opus number, as a left-hand study.)
Part of Marxsen's discipline was to accustom Johannes to transpose long
pieces at sight, a practice he had probably learnt from Seyfried, who
relates as a _tour de force_ of Albrechtsberger that on some public
occasion, when he had to play on a low-pitched organ, he transposed an
entire Mass from G to G sharp at sight, and without error. Brahms, it
may be parenthetically remarked, continued to find diversion in this
pastime, and would play fugues of Bach and other works for his own
edification in various transposed keys when at the height of his
mastership.
The boy had, almost from infancy, shown signs of the tendency to
creative activity. Widmann[10] speaks of a conversation held with Brahms
within the last decade of his life, during which the master, recalling
early memories, described the bliss experienced by him as a very young
child on making the discovery, unaided, that a melody could be
represented on paper by placing large round dots in higher or lower
positions on lines. 'I made a system for myself before I knew of the
existence of such a thing.' When a few years older, he was fond of
writing the separate parts of concerted works one under the other--of
copying them into score, in fact. Nor was he to be kept from trying his
hand at original composition. Louise Japha, an eminent pianist of
Hamburg, whose more intimate acquaintance the reader will make later on,
speaks of having heard him play a sonata of his own when he was about
eleven, at the pianoforte house of Baumgarten and Heins, where she one
day found him practising. Cossel, responsible for his advance in
playing, is said to have been anxious at his spending too much of his
time in these childish attempts; but the instinct was unconquerable, and
Marxsen no doubt discovered this when he had Johannes constantly with
him. After a time he began to teach him theory. Referring to the
commencement of the new study, he writes to La Mara:
'I was captivated by his keen and penetrating intellect, and yet,
when he came later on to original composition, it was at first
difficult to him, and required a good deal of encouragement from
me. Still, though his first attempts produced nothing of
consequence, I perceived in them a mind in which, as I was
convinced, an exceptional and deeply original talent lay
dormant.... I therefore spared myself neither pains nor trouble to
awaken and cultivate it, in order to prepare a future priest of
art, who should proclaim in a new idiom through his works, its
high, true, and lasting principles.'
At what age precisely Johannes began to earn regular money by playing in
the dancing-rooms and Lokals of Hamburg cannot now be ascertained. It is
possible that he occasionally performed on the violin from early
childhood, in cases of emergency, as substitute for his father or one of
his father's colleagues, though the conjecture is not borne out by
reliable record. There is no doubt, however, that loosely repeated
anecdotes have given rise to considerable false impression on the point.
The notion which has been partially prevalent, that Jakob made
systematic use of his boy from a tender age, employing his gifts for the
family benefit, is warmly repudiated by those who have the best means of
knowing the circumstances. 'With the best will,' says Christian Otterer,
who, about twelve years Johannes' senior, has till lately led an active
professional life, and retains a bright and unclouded remembrance of old
days, 'I cannot recollect that Johannes played, as a young child, in
Lokals. I was daily with his father at the time, and must have known if
it had been the case. Jakob was a quiet and respectable man, and kept
Hannes closely to his studies, and as much as possible withdrawn from
notice.'
'It cannot be true,' said Mrs. Cossel repeatedly, referring to such
tales; 'my husband never mentioned such a thing to me when speaking of
Johannes' childhood; and even if it had been proposed, I am sure he
would never have allowed it.' Two authentic sources of information,
however, establish the fact that from the age of about thirteen the boy
regularly fulfilled engagements of the kind. The earnings derived from
them were eagerly contributed to the general family fund.
A glimpse of him at this period is furnished by Christian Miller,[11]
then a young musical student, who has related that he used to play for a
small payment on Sunday afternoons during the summer of 1846, at a
restaurant in Bergedorf, near Hamburg. Miller heard him there, and,
fascinated by his performance, begged to be allowed to play duets with
him. After this the two lads met frequently until Miller left Hamburg to
become a pupil of the Leipzig Conservatoire. The companionship would
seem to have been tolerated rather than actively desired by Johannes,
who rarely spoke when out walking with Miller, but was accustomed to
march along hat in hand, humming!
The reader will not have forgotten the band of six members which had,
during the late thirties, delighted the fashionable loungers of the
Jungfernstieg, patrons of the Alster Pavilion. Its activity had been
continuous up to the year 1842, when the disastrous fire which broke out
in Hamburg during the night of May 4-5, and was not extinguished till
the morning of the 8th, destroying the churches of St. Nicholas and St.
Peter, St. Gertrude's Chapel, the Guildhall, the old Exchange, the Bank,
and over 1,200 dwelling-houses and warehouses, had interrupted the
pleasant labours of the musicians. The Alster Pavilion had miraculously
been left untouched by the flames, whilst the Alster Halle, a similar
establishment close by, had been razed to the ground; and the demolition
of the row of shops and houses on the Jungfernstieg had changed the
agreeable promenade into a scene of ruin. Little could be thought of in
the city for a time save how to meet and repair the ravages inflicted by
the calamity, which had stricken the grave citizens of Hamburg with
dismay, and made an impression of mixed bewilderment and awe upon the
sensitive soul of our little Hannes that was never completely effaced.
Gradually, however, public edifices and private houses were rebuilt,
Hamburg was restored and beautified, and long before the year 1847, at
which our story has arrived, the little orchestra had again become used
to assemble, though with a somewhat changed personnel, in the familiar
room of the Pavilion, to discourse in lively strains before the
ever-shifting guests of the establishment. Jakob retained his position
as bass player, and, from his long association with the house, had come
to be regarded as an important support to its artistic attractions.
Amongst the most faithful patrons of the Pavilion concerts of this
period was a certain Herr Adolph Giesemann, owner of a paper-mill
and a small farm in the not very distant country townlet of
Winsen-an-der-Luhe. He was in the habit of paying frequent business
visits to Hamburg, and, being very fond of music, a performer on the
guitar, and the possessor of a good voice, liked nothing better than to
spend a leisure hour on the Jungfernstieg listening to a movement of
Haydn or Mozart. A familiar acquaintance had grown up between him and
Brahms. Giesemann willingly listened to Jakob's eager talk about the
achievements of Johannes and the promise of his younger brother Fritz.
He had a little daughter of his own at home in Winsen, and hoped she
might some day be able to take her part in the private musical doings
there--at any rate, learn to play the piano well enough to accompany his
guitar. One evening in spring Jakob approached him with a request. His
Hannes had found constant employment during the past winter in playing
the piano until well into the night in the dancing-rooms of various
Hamburg Lokals, and the something under two shillings earned by each
engagement had amounted to a valuable addition to the scanty family
means. But the late hours had told sadly upon his health. Now the work
had ceased for a time, and the little toiler could be spared from home.
Would Giesemann give him a few weeks' holiday at Winsen? The boy's
musical services would be at his command in return. He could accompany
him, play to him, and give pianoforte lessons to the little Lischen, a
year younger than himself.
Giesemann's kind heart was instantly touched. He had no need to think
twice about his own reply, and could answer for that of his wife.
Johannes was to be made ready to accompany him back to Winsen after his
next visit to Hamburg, which would take place very soon.
And so, in the bright springing month of May, when the buds were
bursting and the birds singing, and the gray skies of Hamburg beginning
to show a little blue, our dear Hannes took his departure from his big,
busy native city to taste for the first time the delights of a free
country life, with a kind little sister as companion. He never for a
moment felt like a visitor on his arrival, but forgot his constitutional
shyness, becoming a child of the house to be petted and brought back to
health by fresh air and good food and Frau Giesemann's motherly care.
Lischen was at school all the morning, but this was quite a good thing.
Hannes had his tasks to attend to also, and could not afford to lose
time, for Jakob had made such arrangements as were at his limited
command to ensure that his boy's general progress should not suffer by
the holiday.
Fresh air, however, was all-important, so he had come provided with a
small dumb keyboard for the mechanical exercise of his fingers, and
every day after breakfast, after he had got through such practice as had
to be done in the house, Frau Giesemann used to turn him into the fields
with a bag slung over his shoulder, containing his books and lunch, the
clavier under his arm, the notebook, without which he never stirred
anywhere, peeping from his pocket, and orders not to show himself again
till dinner-time. Johannes had already been enjoying himself out of
doors long before this hour. He used to rise at four o'clock, and begin
his day by bathing in the river. Joined not long afterwards by Lischen,
the two would spend a couple of delightful hours rambling about,
discovering birds' nests and picking flowers. Johannes was quite a
simple child in spite of his fourteen years and hard experience, and
revelled in the happy days passed amidst sunshine, wild blossoms, and
fragrant air. He was very pale and thin, and had little strength on his
arrival, but soon gained flesh and colour, to which the glass of fresh
milk put by for him every day no doubt contributed. The animals about
the place--the cows and pigs, the big dog, the doe--gave him great
delight, and he was charmed when the crane spread its wings and flew
high overhead as he and Lischen approached it, clapping their hands. He
liked to join in the games with which the children of Winsen amused
themselves by the river-side on cool summer evenings, but could not be
persuaded to take part in the boys' rough sport, and would only play
with the girls. The lads, of course, despised him for this, telling him
he was no better than a girl himself; but he did not seem to mind, and
continued quietly to follow his inclination. One evening, however, soon
after his arrival, before he had picked up much strength, as he was
returning with several children from wading in the river, Lischen well
on in front, one or two rough boys set on him, emptied his pockets, and
robbed him of all his possessions, even of the precious pocket-book. He
could not help crying at this, but Lischen, seeing him standing on the
bank rubbing his knuckles into his eyes, soon found out what was the
matter, and, dashing back into the water, forced the molesters to
restore everything to her. To the pocket-book Johannes confided his
inspirations on every subject. Sometimes it was a melody, sometimes a
line or two of verse, that occurred to him. Then, whether he were
walking, or climbing trees, or practising, or doing his lessons, out
came the book that the idea might be fixed on the spot.
It was not long before his musical talents awakened the admiration of
the neighbourhood. There was a pleasantly situated Lokal at Hoopte, a
village about two miles from Winsen, which contained a large apartment
suitable for dancing and music. This and one or two adjoining rooms were
annually taken by the Giesemann circle for the Sunday afternoons of the
summer season, and after morning church and mid-day dinner as many of
the subscribers as felt inclined would meet there to pass a few sociable
hours. Johannes soon became the central figure of these occasions. It
was found that he could play, not only the most inspiriting music for
the dancers, but a variety of solos also, including some lovely waltzes
to which it was delightful to listen quietly; and on being asked, one
day, to conduct the men's choral society that was to contribute to the
afternoon's programme, he showed himself so astonishingly competent for
the rôle he consented to assume, and inspired such confidence and
sympathy, as he stood before his forces in short jacket and large white
turn-down collar, his fair girlish face, with its regular features and
shock of long, light hair, adding to the impression made by his
childlike manner, that he was unanimously elected conductor of the
society for so long as he should remain at Winsen; a period which was,
as now decided, to be prolonged until he should be recalled to the
recommencement of his autumn duties.
The men's choral society of Winsen consisted of about twelve members,
the majority of whom were school-teachers of the neighbouring villages.
The teachers Backhaus of Winsen, Albers of Handorf, Schröder of Hoopte,
belonged to it; other prominent members were the goldsmith Meyer and the
big master-baker Rieckmann, who had a splendid bass voice. The practices
were held on Saturdays from six to eight o'clock, generally in Rector
Köhler's schoolroom, because it contained a piano, but when this was not
available, in the billiard-room of the Deutsches Haus, Winsen's best
Lokal. The singers used to stand round the billiard-table, and Johannes
would take his place at the top. Lischen was privileged to attend all
meetings of the society during the period that her friend officiated as
its conductor.
The boy found a most valuable ally in teacher Schröder, who had great
talent and love for music, had worked hard at thorough-bass and
counterpoint, and been a composer since his fourteenth year. When
Johannes came upon a knotty point in his theoretical studies that
required discussion, he would walk over to Hoopte and consult Schröder,
who was always ready with sympathy and counsel. He had not returned late
one evening from an expedition of the kind, and Giesemann, becoming
uneasy, was about to start in search of his young guest, when up drove
Mr. Carriage-overseer Löwe from Pattenzen, a few miles away. 'Here is
your Johannes,' he cried as the boy jumped from the gig; he went out by
the wrong gate this morning and missed his way. I found him asleep by
the side of a ditch some distance out on the Lüneburg Heath, the clavier
by his side and the notebook fallen from his pocket; lucky they had not
all rolled in together!'
The theoretical exercises and the little compositions for voices on
which Marxsen encouraged his pupil to try his hand were regularly
carried to Altona, for, with Marxsen's concurrence and the advice of the
schoolmaster Hoffmann, it had been arranged that Johannes should go
every week by steamboat to Hamburg and remain there two nights, which
allowed him a clear day for his music-lessons and for general private
instruction. Now and then Lischen was invited to accompany him, and to
share sister Elise's tiny chamber in the Brahms' little dwelling on the
Dammthorwall. The journeys were easily managed, for 'Uncle' Adolph
Giesemann's brother, manager of the restaurant at the Winsen
railway-station, was also contractor for the refreshment department of
the steamboat service to and from Hamburg, and nothing could be simpler
than for one or both of the children to go and return as his friends.
Frau Giesemann used to see that they started with a liberal supply of
'belegtes Brödchen,' a crusty roll cut through, buttered, and put
together again, with slices of cold meat, sausage, cheese, or what not,
between the two halves. Their friend the restaurateur provided each of
them, at the proper time, with a large mug of thin coffee, and Lischen
and Hannes, sitting together in the bottom of the boat, thoroughly
enjoyed these picnic dinners.
Johannes always began the day after his arrival at Hamburg by exercising
his fingers on the upright piano that stood against the parlour wall, on
the music-desk of which a book invariably stood open, into which he
poked his head--for he was very near-sighted--reading as he worked.
Lischen saw little of him afterwards, for his time was occupied by his
various lessons, but she did not mind this. She soon became very fond of
his dear, kind old mother, and liked to watch her at her duties,
sometimes able to help her by fetching water from the pump at the bottom
of the steps outside the house, a task which Johanna's lameness
prevented her from performing herself. Lischen much admired the portrait
of Frau Brahms that hung above the piano, and thought, as she looked at
the youthful figure arrayed in a pink dress made Empire fashion, with
flowing skirt, short waist, and low neck, the hair dressed with little
curls in front and a high comb behind, that Hannes' mother must have
been very pretty in her youth. The parlour was rather bare, containing
little beyond the piano, table, chairs, a few shelves filled with books,
and one or two small prints; but Lischen did not think this mattered, as
everything was so neat and shining. She felt sorry, however, that it was
so dark, and that its one small window had no other prospect than a
close, dreary courtyard--for Johanna still had her little shop in
front--and proposed to Hannes that they should bring some
scarlet-runners from Winsen, which could be planted in the courtyard and
trained up sticks. There would soon be something bright in front of the
parlour window. Johannes greatly approved of the plan, which worked well
up to the planting of the beans and the placing of some immensely high
sticks in readiness for the training. After this stage it disappointed
expectations, as the plants failed to do their part and firmly abstained
from growing.
It would have been impossible for Johannes to pass with entire enjoyment
through the months of his visit to Winsen if he had been without the
means of gratifying a taste hardly less strong in him than his passion
for music. From the very early age at which he was first able to read,
he had been devoted to books, and, whilst showing the child's natural
preference for the romantic and wonderful, had displayed strange
discrimination in the choice of his favourite tales. He had always
contrived by some means or other to provide himself with reading
material, preferring books for his little birthday and Christmas gifts,
buying them from time to time from pedlars' wheelbarrows with his
collection of halfpennies, or begging the loan of a volume from a
friend. Brahms' exceptional knowledge of the Bible grew from the time
when, as a young child, he was accustomed to eat his dinner with the
book lying open beside his plate, absorbed in the Old Testament stories
which were then his prime favourites, misty speculations forming in his
brain which laid the foundation of his future attitude towards many of
life's problems. He had not been long at Winsen before he had exhausted
the mental nourishment afforded by Uncle Giesemann's collection of
volumes. Fortunately, another resource was at hand. There was a lending
library in the neighbourhood belonging to a certain Frau Löwenherz, a
Jewess, who had a son called Aaron. With Aaron the two children made
friends, and of him, in the absence of sufficient funds to pay the full
price of a constant supply of literature, they sought counsel. He proved
an able adviser, and, whilst promising to obtain for them access to the
coveted books, showed that he was not wanting in the capacity of turning
opportunity to profit on his own account. He promised that he would, on
his private responsibility, bring one volume at a time for the perusal
of Hannes and Lischen, to be put back when done with and replaced by
another; the price demanded and agreed to for this secret service being
one groschen (about a penny) for each supply.
By this expedient Hannes and Lischen--the latter having probably been
the active partner in striking the bargain, for Johannes had few spare
pennies--found themselves provided with as many books as they could
desire. Their best time for reading was when they sat together by the
river-bank, or fished in the pond during the afternoon. Forgetting their
rods, they used to pore silently over the open book supported between
them, devouring one tale after another of knights and tournaments,
outlaws and bandits. Aaron received very particular instruction as to
the kind of selections he was to make, and took pains to suit the taste
of his patrons. He appeared one afternoon with a volume containing the
history of 'The Beautiful Magelone and the Knight Peter with the Silver
Keys.' That was a red-letter day in the history of the young subscribers
to the lending library which neither Hannes nor Lischen ever forgot. The
romance made an indelible impression on both of them. As for bandits,
what better could Johannes desire than a work bearing the stimulating
title of 'The Robbers,' which Aaron offered another day, insisting with
justifiable pride on the success of his researches? The book was written
by one Schiller, and proved so satisfactory that Hannes begged Aaron to
be on the look-out for other volumes bearing this name on the
title-page.
It might be expected that the young conductor of the Winsen Choral
Society and the pupil of the distinguished musician of Altona would turn
his studies to account by writing something for the use of his choir,
and so it was. Johannes composed an 'ABC' four-part song for his
school-teachers, consisting of thirty-two bars in two-four time,
preceded by three bars of introduction and followed by a kind of
signature. The introduction and first three of the four eight-bar
phrases had for their text the letters of the alphabet arranged, first
in order, and then in syllables of two letters as in a first spelling
lesson; the fourth phrase was set to a few words introduced at random.
The composition closed with the words 'Winsen, eighteen hundred seven
and forty,' sung in full chorus, _lento_ and _fortissimo_, on the
reiterated tonic chord. The little composition, tuneful and spirited,
showing a feeling for independent part-writing, and conceived in a vein
of boyish fun that was fully appreciated by the teachers, was soon
succeeded by a second, 'The Postilion's Morning Song,' composed to the
well-known words 'Vivat! und in's Horn ich stosse.' The young musician
was also requested by a deputation from the school-children of Winsen to
assist them in the performance of a serenade with which they were
desirous of greeting their Rector Köhler on his birthday. He accordingly
looked out one suitable to the occasion, arranged it in two parts,
practised the boys and girls until they were perfect with it, and
conducted the performance outside the Rector's house on the eve of the
birthday celebration. He was very strict and serious when engaged in
these professional duties, beat time with great verve, and insisted on
careful observance of the _pianos_ and _fortes_, as well as on the
proper graduation of the _rallentandos_. The singing of the Ständchen
was declared brilliantly successful by the quite considerable audience
that assembled near the Rector's house to enjoy it.
Rumours of the increased musical activity of Winsen could not fail to
reach the ears of the Amtsvogt, Herr Blume, an official of good social
standing residing there, whose duties, as administrator of some of the
rural districts of northern Hanover, brought him into touch with the
life of such parts of the country as were included in his circuit. Herr
Blume was not far short of seventy when Johannes paid his first visit to
the Giesemanns, but his interest in music and love for Beethoven's art
were as strong as ever, and Johannes, before leaving Winsen, was invited
to his house, and pressed to use his piano for practice. The boy
delighted the Amtsvogt by playing with him some four-hand pianoforte
arrangements of Beethoven's works, and won the heart of Frau Blume, in
spite of his shy, awkward manner, by his simple, childlike nature. If,
as was hoped, he should be able to repeat his visit to Uncle Giesemann
next year, he was to come often to the Blumes' house, and use the piano
as long as he liked. Great regret was felt throughout the circle of
Winsen friends at the news of the young musician's impending departure,
but the arrival of autumn brought with it the necessity for the
resumption of duties in Hamburg, and nothing remained save to hope for a
renewal of the pleasures his long visit had brought to many beside
himself.
Johannes returned to his home in such a satisfactory condition of health
and spirits that he was able, with Marxsen's approval, to take a decided
step forward in his career. He played in the Apollo Concert-room on
November 20, at a benefit concert given by Birgfeld, already known to
our readers as the violinist of the subscription concert at the 'Old
Raven,' performing Thalberg's Fantasia on airs from 'Norma.' Marxsen's
affection for his pupil and appreciation of his gifts are clearly to be
read in the summary of concerts which appeared a week later in the
_Freischütz_, a widely-read Hamburg paper to which he was one of the
chief contributors:
'Birgfeld's concert is said to have been interesting and enjoyable
as regards both the vocal and instrumental portions of the
programme. A very special impression was made by the performance of
one of Thalberg's fantasias by a little virtuoso called J. Brahms,
who not only showed great facility, precision, clearness, power,
and certainty, but occasioned general surprise and obtained
unanimous applause by the intelligence of his interpretation.'
On the 27th of the same month, Johannes appeared in the small room of
the Tonhalle at a concert of the pianist Frau Meyer-David, whom he
assisted in the performance of a duet for two pianofortes, also by
Thalberg, whose fame was at this time at its height. Marxsen's influence
is again apparent in the special mention of Johannes in the Freischütz
review, though it is evident, from the misspelling of the name, that he
was not the writer of the notice:
'The duet performed by the concert-giver and the young pianist
Bruns, who lately appeared for the first time in public with such
marked success, gave satisfaction, and was played with laudable
unity and facility.'
With the exception of a mere record of the same performance in the
_Hamburger Nachrichten_, no further mention of Johannes is to be found
in the newspapers of the winter 1847-48. It was passed by the young
musician in much the same routine of severe study by day and fatiguing
labour by night as the previous one had witnessed. He was, however,
spared in the spring for another visit to the Giesemanns' house, to
which he returned as to a second home. The members of the choral society
were delighted to welcome their conductor, who, in the course of the
season, added to their répertoire by arranging two folk-songs for use at
the practices. These must be accepted as the earliest recorded
illustrations of the partiality for national songs and melodies which
remained one of the great composer's most characteristic traits, and
which culminated, less than three years before his death, in the
publication, in seven books, of his well-known collection of German
Volkslieder.
Johannes was frequently at the Blumes' this year, and often played duets
with the Amtsvogt. Lischen's pianoforte lessons were not resumed, as
they had not been attended by any great result. It was difficult to
confine her to the house to practise on bright summer afternoons, when
she longed to be enjoying herself out of doors. She never entirely
forgot what Johannes had taught her on his first visit, however, and
continued to be very fond of music. It was hoped that by-and-by it might
be possible to have her voice thoroughly trained. Johannes felt sure it
would develop into a fine one.
Meanwhile she succeeded in procuring for her companion the greatest
pleasure he had as yet experienced. He wanted very much to hear an
opera, and Lischen thought she would like it, too, so one day, when they
were going together to Hamburg, she persuaded her father to stand treat
for two places in the gallery. It was to be a great night. Formes, then
of Vienna, had been secured for a few weeks by the managers of the Stadt
Theater (the opera-house of Hamburg), and was making a great sensation.
Lischen and Hannes were to hear him in 'Figaro's Hochzeit,' the
title-rôle of which was one of his great parts. They started early from
the house on the Dammthorwall, supplied by Frau Brahms with some
buttered rolls, and waited for two hours in the street before the door
opened, which was part of the pleasure. They got capital places, and
enjoyed sitting in the gallery before the performance, looking at the
house and seeing the people come in. But when the music began Johannes
was almost beside himself with excitement, and Lischen has never to this
day forgotten his joy. 'Lischen, Lischen, listen to the music! there
never was anything like it!' Uncle Adolph was made so happy when he
heard all about the evening and perceived the delight he had given, that
he said the visit to the opera must be repeated, and accordingly the
pair of friends went a little later on, to hear Kreutzer's 'Das
Nachtlager von Granada,' which both of them enjoyed very, very much.
Johannes was not able to stay so long at Winsen this year as last, and
still greater sadness was felt as the day drew near on which his visit
would terminate, as it was the last of the kind he would pay. It was his
confirmation year. He was past fifteen now, his general school education
was finished, and he was to take his position in the world as a musician
who had his way to make and would be expected to contribute regularly to
the support of his family and the education of his brother Fritz,
destined for a pianist and teacher. He copied out the four-part songs,
dedicated to the Winsen Choral Society, beautifully, as a parting
present to Lischen, putting headings to each in splendid caligraphy, and
adding her name with a special inscription. Lischen treasured the
manuscripts long after she had become a wife and mother, in memory of a
happy episode of her youth.
There was a solemn farewell ceremony at the last meeting of the choral
society, which took place at the Deutsches Haus. After the conclusion of
the practice, the conductor addressed his singers in a poem written by
himself for the occasion, which began with the line: 'Lebt wohl, lebt
wohl, ihr Freunde schlicht und bieder' (Farewell, farewell, ye friends
upright and simple). An instant's sorrowful silence followed; then
there was a tremendous stamping and clapping and shouting, and the big
master-baker Rieckmann, calling out, 'Here, young one!' hoisted Johannes
over his shoulder pickapack, and marched several times round the table,
followed by Lischen and the other members of the society singing a last
chorus.
It was the concluding scene of Johannes' childhood, which had been
unusually protracted, in spite of its drawbacks; but, as everybody said,
he was to come often again to Winsen, and whenever he should be able to
take a short relaxation from the serious duties of life awaiting him, he
would know where to find a number of friends ready to greet his arrival
amongst them with heartiest welcome.
[8] Clasing was a pupil of C. F. G. Schwenke, who succeeded C. P.
Emanuel Bach as cantor and music-director of St. Catharine's Church,
Hamburg. On the death of Emanuel Bach in 1788, a portion of his library
came into Schwenke's possession, including the score, in Sebastian
Bach's own handwriting, of the great B minor Mass.
[9] La Mara, 'Studien Köpfe.'
[10] 'Brahms in Erinnerung.'
[11] Steiner's 'Johannes Brahms'. Neujahr'sblatt der Allg.
Musikgesellschaft in Zürich, 1898.