1856-1858
Joachim and Brahms in Düsseldorf--Grimm in Göttingen--Brahms' visit
to Detmold--Carl von Meysenbug--Court Concertmeister
Bargheer--Joachim and Liszt--Brahms' return to Detmold--Summer at
Göttingen--Pianoforte Concerto in D minor and Orchestral Serenade
in D major tried privately in Hanover.
Frau Schumann returned to Düsseldorf the day after the funeral,
accompanied by Brahms and Joachim. There were certain things to be done,
the performance of which she desired to entrust to the two young
musicians who had been so near the master's heart. Together they set in
order the papers left by the deceased composer, wrote necessary letters,
and made plans for the immediate future. Joachim writes on August 2 to
Liszt:
'Frau Schumann returned here yesterday; the presence of her
children and of Brahms, whom Schumann loved like a son, comforts
the noble lady, who appears to me, in her deep grief, a lofty
example of God-given strength. I shall remain here for some days.'
Johannes had taken over some lessons which Frau Schumann had arranged to
give, on her return from England, to Fräulein von Meysenbug, daughter of
the late Minister and sister of the then Hofmarschall at the Court of
Lippe-Detmold, and by so doing had added four people to the list of his
friends: his pupil, her mother and sister--all settled for a few weeks
in Düsseldorf--and her young nephew Carl, who came from Detmold to visit
his relations.
'On the occasion of one of the lessons,' says Freiherr von
Meysenbug,[71] 'I first saw and heard the almost boyish-looking,
shy, and socially awkward young artist, who played to us Schubert's
"Moment Musical" in F minor. His rendering of the piece made an
indelible impression on me.'
The boy's admiration led later on to a fast alliance between Brahms and
Carl. The ladies, on their part, became enthusiastic in their admiration
of the young musician, and on the termination of the lessons, which
could not long be continued on account of the sad circumstances of the
moment, they invited him to stay with them in the spring at Detmold,
with a view to his appearance at Court.
It was felt that the all-important necessaries for Frau Schumann were
rest and good air. Since the crisis of her husband's malady in February,
1854, followed after a few months by the birth of her youngest son, she
had enjoyed but little repose, and since the autumn of 1855 practically
none. During November and December of that year she travelled, as we
have seen, in Germany, giving concerts with Joachim in Leipzig, Berlin,
Danzig, Berlin again, Rostock, and many other towns. At home for
Christmas, she gave her first concert in Vienna on January 7, which was
followed by five others, the last taking place on March 3. Travelling
meanwhile, she combined her engagements in the Austrian capital with
performances at Prague and other cities. Returning early in March by way
of Leipzig, she was at home about a fortnight, and on April 7 started
for England, to remain until the second week of July. We have seen to
what she returned, and may well understand that she seemed to Joachim
and Brahms 'an example of God-given strength.' It was now decided that
she should go to Switzerland, and that Johannes' sister, whom she knew
and liked, should accompany her. Elise Brahms was not artistic, and had
little education. She had suffered all her life from bad headaches, and
the constitutional tendency had been aggravated by her employment of
plain sewing, carried on at home or in the houses of her clients. She
was not pretty, her single personal attraction being an abundance of
light-brown hair which grew to a great length, but she was simple,
unselfish, and kind; she was the sister of Johannes; and Frau Schumann
hoped that a respite from her confined life, in fine air and scenery,
might do her good. The whole party--Frau Schumann with some of her
children, Elise, and Johannes--set off together as soon as the necessary
arrangements could be made, accompanied on the first part of their
journey by Joachim, and proceeded by short stages to Gersau, on the Lake
of Lucerne, where they settled down for several weeks. The time was
spent in quiet walks and excursions, with some amount of music and a few
meetings with close friends, and the return was made in the same
leisurely way, with ten days' stay at Heidelberg. The holiday had its
effect, and the beginning of October found the three musicians prepared
to take up the ordinary duties of life. Frau Schumann began to practise
for her concert-season, Joachim was at his post at Hanover, and Johannes
about to return to his home in Hamburg, to apply himself to the
occupations which had been interrupted by the events of the past six
months. He appeared at Otten's concert of the 25th of the month with
Beethoven's G major Concerto, and this time with immense success. 'The
concerto was played with such fire and élan as to excite enthusiastic
demonstration.' Some special outward circumstance or inner mood probably
stirred him on this occasion. His performance was so powerful that it is
still vividly remembered, with its effect upon the audience. His
appearance on November 22 at a Philharmonic concert chiefly devoted to
Schumann's works awakened no enthusiasm. He played the master's
Pianoforte Concerto, and the indifference with which his performance was
received was the more marked by contrast with the stormy applause that
followed Joachim's playing of Schumann's Violin Fantasia and of Bach's
Chaconne.
It was, however, a joy to Brahms to have his friend with him for a day
or two. Kalbeck speaks[72] of a quartet which he had ready to show
Joachim, and which was tried in private at one or other friendly
house--Grädener's or Avé Lallement's (a well-known Hamburg musician).
Internal evidence points to the probability of its having been the
Pianoforte Quartet in C minor, now known amongst its companion works as
No. 3, or some of its movements. There is a great deal in this
composition which is suggestive of Brahms' early period, and the scherzo
is unmistakably founded on, though it is not identical with, the
movement contributed by Johannes to the sonata of welcome written for
Joachim in October, 1853, by Schumann, Dietrich, and Brahms.
The season 1856-57 was passed uneventfully by Brahms in the studies and
other occupations already described, varied by occasional journeys. He
may at this time be said to have had three if not four homes, in
addition to that of his parents at Hamburg. In Düsseldorf, Hanover,
Göttingen, and Bonn he was alike welcome. Grimm had married in the
spring of 1856, choosing for his wife Fräulein Philippine Ritmüller,
daughter of the head of the Göttingen pianoforte firm of that name.
There was a large room in Ritmüller's establishment available for
private performances, and in it the idea originated which has enriched
the world with Brahms' first pianoforte concerto.
One day after a performance of the symphony movements of 1854 for which
Grimm cherished an enthusiastic affection, in their arrangement for two
pianofortes, the young musician again urged upon the composer his
frequently expressed opinion of the inadequacy of this form for the
expression of the great ideas of the work. Johannes, however, had quite
convinced himself that he was not yet ripe for the writing of a
symphony, and it occurred to Grimm that they might be rearranged as a
pianoforte concerto. This proposal was entertained by Brahms, who
accepted the first and second movements as suitable in essentials for
this form. The changes of structure involved in the plan, however,
proved far from easy of successful accomplishment, and occupied much of
the composer's time during two years. The movements were repeatedly sent
to Hanover for Joachim's inspection, and returned with his suggestions;
for his time, sympathy, musicianship, and knowledge of the orchestra,
were placed, with unfailing generosity, at Brahms' disposal during all
the years of ripening experience that led up to the composer's maturity.
The immediate fortunes of the work after it was at length completed will
be related in due course.
The invitation of the von Meysenbugs having been duly renewed and
accepted, the young musician paid a short visit to Detmold at
Whitsuntide. Arriving at the little town one pleasant afternoon, the
last stage of his journey having been made by post, he was met by his
pupil and her nephew Carl, and brought by them to Frau von Meysenbug's
house. The article of the Vienna _Neues Tagblatt_ already referred to,
by Freiherr von Meysenbug, the 'Carl,' or 'Charles,' as he was generally
called, of 1857, gives a pleasant account of the visit:
'I can still see the young fellow standing in silent embarrassment
in the old Excellency's drawing-room, not quite knowing how to
begin a conversation with the ladies, who were still practically
strangers to him. Just then--it was about four o'clock--a princely
carriage drove through the quiet street, in which were seated the
three sisters of the reigning Prince on their way to dine with
their brother at the palace. The ladies were accustomed to look up,
as they passed, to the windows of my relations, and my aunt, seeing
the carriage coming, said, "I will just nod to the Princess
(Friederike) that Herr Brahms is come." Upon this Brahms broke
silence with the words, "Do they live close by, then, like everyone
else?" evidently thinking that the sign was to be given to an
opposite window. This set the conversation going till I showed
Brahms his room.'
The same evening Charles reappeared with his parents and Concertmeister
Bargheer, of the Detmold court orchestra, a fine player, pupil of Spohr
and Joachim, and already an acquaintance of Brahms. The Hofmarschall
wished to hear the new-comer as a preliminary to his appearance at
Court, and listened to most convincing performances of a thundering
prelude and fugue of Bach and of Beethoven's C sharp minor Sonata, Op.
27. An orchestral court concert was immediately arranged, at which
Johannes played his favourite Beethoven Concerto in G major and took
part in a performance of Schubert's 'Forellen' Quintet with
Concertmeister Bargheer, viola-player Schulze, violoncellist Julius
Schmidt, all soloists of the court orchestra, and a bassist, member of
the same body. His success was unequivocal, and he appeared with
Bargheer at an assembly of musicians and their friends held after the
concert at the chief confectioner's, in rollicking boyish spirits.
Capellmeister Kiel, on the other hand, who looked rather askance at a
probable future favourite at Court, assumed airs of even unusual
importance. He was at present, he said, setting one of the Psalms as a
chorus; he often composed Biblical texts, but was sometimes puzzled by
the Scriptural expressions. For instance, 'To the chief musician on the
Gittith.' 'Pray, can you inform me what a Gittith was?' solemnly to the
young hero of the evening. 'Probably a pretty Jewish girl,' returned
Brahms, with a serious air--an answer which procured him a suspicious
look over the spectacles of the old musician, and enraptured Charles,
who, supposed by his parents to be in bed, had found means of his own to
join the party. The entertainment having been prolonged until dawn, the
more ardent spirits of the gathering proposed a walk to a neighbouring
height to see the sun rise, and Brahms and Charles strode off together,
leading the way. Their enthusiasm survived that of their companions, who
gradually dropped off; and overcome by weariness as they reached the
beginning of the last steep climb, they turned into the garden of a
restaurant hard by, where Charles dropped on to the corner seat of an
arbour bench, and Brahms, stretching himself out at full length with his
head on his companion's knee, immediately went soundly to sleep.
'Just as I, too, was giving way to fatigue,' continues Freiherr von
Meysenbug, 'a fine brown spaniel came sniffing at Brahms' face,
and he suddenly jumped up, roused by the dog's cold nose. Meanwhile
the house had awakened, we drank some hastily-prepared coffee,
satisfied our healthy young appetites with delicious country black
bread and golden-yellow butter, and trotted back to the little
town. We both presented rather a questionable appearance in the
streets, which were already astir, especially so the small Brahms
in dress-coat, crumpled and disarranged white necktie, and
crush-hat on one side. Paying a passing visit to the faithless
Bargheer, whom we disturbed in his morning slumbers, we next set
out for my grandmother's dwelling. There--oh, horror!--we suddenly
came upon my aunt setting out for her morning walk. A distant look
of righteous indignation travelled up and down the two
night-enthusiasts, for Brahms' attire betrayed but too clearly that
he had not been back since the previous evening. A stormy
atmosphere prevailed during the day in the house of the hospitable
ladies, who were not only unused to visits from men, but could
never have imagined that the ideal artist would commit himself to
such extravagances. I was severely censured by grandmother and
aunts as the harebrained youth who had led the honoured guest
astray. Brahms left the next day, not having been very warmly
pressed to prolong his visit! He had, however, given such
satisfaction in high quarters that his return in the autumn for a
long stay in Detmold was definitely arranged. He was to give
lessons to the Princess, play at Court, and conduct an amateur
choral society, which, by invitation of the Prince, held its weekly
meetings at the castle, and to which His Serene Highness, together
with his brothers and sisters, belonged as regular members.'
Brahms, who could now look forward to the autumn without anxiety as to
his finances, and who appreciated in anticipation the advantages he
would derive as a composer from his position as conductor of a choral
society and from constant association with a standing orchestra, met
Frau Schumann on her return from England, where she had again passed the
London season, in happy mood. Any regret he may have felt at resigning
his freedom of action for a few months by a binding engagement was
mitigated by the fact that his association with Düsseldorf must in any
case shortly be severed. Frau Schumann had made up her mind that she
would best serve her own happiness and the interests of her family by
settling near her mother in Berlin, and was to take up her residence
there in September, in readiness for the concert season and for the more
advantageous opportunity of working as a teacher in the Prussian
capital, by which she hoped to supplement her income. Born September 13,
1819, the great pianist, now not quite thirty-eight, was in the zenith
of her powers, and, with the probability of a long career before her, it
is not surprising that she should have resolved to begin a new chapter
of life away from the town that was chiefly associated in her mind with
painful recollections. A short summer vacation was passed by her on the
Rhine in the more or less constant society of Brahms, Joachim, and
Grimm, and a memorial of a few specially pleasant days spent at St.
Goarshausen is in existence in the shape of a copy, in her handwriting,
of Brahms' Variations, Op. 21, No. 2. On the outside page is written:
'Ungarische Variationen von Johannes. Herrn Julius Otto Grimm, zur
Erinnerung an die Tage in St. Goarshausen. August, 1857. Clara
Schumann.'[73]
It was at this moment that Joachim resolved on a step which contributed
not a little to inflame the party feeling animating the younger
disciples of the New-German school. That they had felt increasingly
aggrieved by the position taken up by him since the crisis of Schumann's
illness, by his thoroughgoing association of his name and influence with
the art of the master and his wife, by his intimacy with Brahms, and by
his passive attitude towards Liszt's Symphonic Poems, may be read in
letters of the period. Bülow, whose correspondence up to the middle of
1854 contains repeated affectionate references to Joachim, to whom he
was immensely attached, wrote to Liszt in reference to the numerous
concert journeys of 1855 undertaken with Frau Schumann:
'Joachim and the statue of which he is making himself the pedestal
are not coming here till the beginning of next month. I am afraid
we shall have difficulty in recognising each other, for we are at
work in completely opposite directions.'
Perhaps their secret conviction of Joachim's artistic sincerity added to
the disappointment of the Weimarites, which undoubtedly increased during
the two following years, though his dislike of the Symphonic Poems was
only to be guessed by his silence about them. On the publication of the
works in 1857, however, with a somewhat pretentious preface, the
embarrassment he felt from the consciousness that he would be unable to
live up to the desires of his quondam associates, stimulated beyond a
doubt by the sympathy of Johannes, who fully shared his sentiments,
induced him to pen a letter to Liszt in which he made full confession of
his apostasy. The intense pain which the writing of it caused him,
attached as he was to everything about Liszt excepting his compositions,
may be read in every line of the epistle, which is dated August 27,
1857.
'... But of what use would it be if I were to delay any longer
saying plainly what I feel? My passivity towards your works could
not but reveal it to you, who are accustomed to be treated with
enthusiasm, and who regard me as capable of true, active
friendship. I will not, therefore, longer conceal what, as I
confess, your manly soul had the right to demand of me sooner. I am
entirely without sensibility for your music; it contradicts
everything upon which my powers have been nourished since early
youth from the spirits of our great ones. If it were conceivable
that I could ever be robbed, that I must renounce what I have
learned to love and reverence in their works, what I feel as music,
your tones would be no help to me in the vast, annihilating desert.
How, then, could I associate myself with the object of those who,
under the banner of your name and in the belief (I speak of the
conscientious among them) that they are bound to make themselves
responsible for contemporary justice towards artistic achievement,
make it the aim of life to spread the acceptance of your works by
every means at their command?...'
These lines were written when Joachim was twenty-six. That they were
wrung from him by the strength of his artistic convictions is clear, and
it is certain that they were entirely characteristic of the writer at
the time. It is probable that Brahms, if he had been called upon to
compose the letter, would have expressed himself differently; but then,
he would not, under similar circumstances, have felt the same amount of
pain. An element in his great influence over his friends, and one which
he encouraged through life by deliberate training, was to accept the
inevitable with philosophy, and to look on the bright side of things;
and his natural elasticity of temperament would have enabled him, had
circumstances demanded of him the sacrifice of a friendship, to yield it
with little outward flinching. It is difficult for the present
generation, for whom the artistic party questions of half a century ago
have little beyond historic interest, to judge of the position of those
for whom they were a burning personal topic; but it is certain that
Joachim's letter to Liszt added fuel to a fire which raged violently
through the next succeeding years, and which occasioned the issue of a
mass of controversial pamphlets and articles almost unreadable at the
present day.
Liszt himself accepted the young musician's confession with generous
dignity, and never allowed a disrespectful word to be uttered about
Joachim in his presence. His first and only reply to the letter of 1857
was not made until nearly thirty years later. Joachim, arriving one year
early in the eighties at Budapest to perform his great Variations for
violin and orchestra, called on Liszt, who happened to be staying in the
same hotel with himself. The two artists had not met for many years, and
the pleasure felt by each at the accidental rencontre reminded them of
the tie of affection that had formerly united them. It turned out that
Liszt had already made himself acquainted with the variations, and he
proposed now to attend the rehearsal in order to hear the composer's
performance of them, saying: 'As you do not like my music, dear Joachim,
I feel that I must admire yours in double measure.'
By the end of September Brahms found himself once more in Detmold. The
terms of his engagement, which extended through the three last months of
the year, included free rooms and living, and he was lodged in the
hotel Stadt Frankfurt, a comfortable inn, since enlarged and modernized,
exactly opposite the castle enclosure--close, therefore, to the scene of
his duties. The difficulty of procuring a piano in the little town was
got over by the loan of an old 'grand' belonging to the Frau
Hofmarschall that had been superseded in her drawing-room by one of
later construction; and Brahms, relieved at having succeeded in
obtaining something that had at least been good in its day, rewarded
Charles for his suggestion that the instrument should be sent to the
Stadt Frankfurt by promising him right of entrance to all practices and
performances that he might hold in his room with Bargheer, Schmidt, and
others.
The daily life of our musician during the next three months was one very
much after his own heart. His mornings were sacred to work. Bargheer
joined him at the Stadt Frankfurt for early dinner, and the afternoons
were generally passed in exercise in the crisp autumn air of the
Teutoberger forest. There were games with Carl and his younger brother
Hermann; trials of strength with Bargheer, in which Brahms was
invariably defeated; Sunday excursions with Bargheer, Carl, and others,
which occupied the whole day and included an al-fresco luncheon carried
from Detmold, to which Brahms was proud to be able sometimes to
contribute an excellent bottle of Malvoisier. This he procured by
dispensing with the half-bottle of ordinary wine daily provided with his
dinner until he had covered the cost of the superior vintage to be
shared with his friends. 'He was as happy as a king at these times, he
loved beautiful nature so much,' says Julius Schmidt, who was
occasionally one of the party.
His post as conductor of the choral society was at first particularly
welcome, not only as giving him experience in a branch of musical
activity which he had not practised since he stood, a boy of fifteen, at
the head of his little society of teachers at Winsen, but as affording
opportunity for the practical application and test of the studies to
which he had been devoting special attention. He began his duties as
conductor with the practice of short works by early and modern masters,
and arranged some of his favourite folk-songs expressly for the use of
the society, deriving from each rehearsal fresh insight into the art of
writing for voices. There were frequent informal musical soirées at
Court, which provided occasion for choral performances in the intervals
between the instrumental works that formed the bulk of the programmes.
These were played by Brahms, Bargheer, Schulze, Schmidt, and the
splendid hornist August Cordes, whose rich, mellow tone drew from Brahms
enthusiastic expressions of admiration. Almost the entire répertoire of
classical chamber music seems to have been gone through during this and
succeeding seasons; all the duet sonatas and pianoforte trios and
quartets, etc., of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Schumann, were
played in turn. Brahms' Trio was performed several times, and it gave
the young musician particular pleasure to execute, not only Beethoven's
Horn Sonata with Cordes, but Mozart's and Beethoven's quintets for
pianoforte and wind with the soloists of the orchestra, who were one and
all artists. The powers of the flutist are said to have been hardly less
remarkable than those of Cordes.
The court violoncellist, Julius Schmidt, who in 1857 was a man in the
early prime of life, has described to the author Brahms' appearance, on
his coming to Detmold, as so delicate and refined as to be almost
girlish; and this impression was strengthened by his voice, which was
still of the high quality that has been frequently mentioned. Impatient
of the remarks elicited by the peculiarity, he began at this time to
practise a series of vocal gymnastics for the purpose of forcing his
voice down, and was eventually successful in this aim.
When engaged in the performance of his duties, he was always quiet and
serious, and would stand, before the commencement of a choir practice or
a court concert, at the extreme end of the long room in which the
functions took place, speaking to no one, perhaps looking through a
piece of music or a letter. His duties in connection with the
orchestral concerts were to play from time to time, and to conduct now
and then. In the course of the successive autumns passed by him at
Detmold, his performances included several of Mozart's and Beethoven's
concertos, which were heard with especial delight; Schumann's Concerto;
Mendelssohn's D minor Concerto and B minor Caprice; Moscheles' G minor
Concerto; and, with Bargheer and Schmidt, Beethoven's triple Concerto.
Occasionally, as time went on, the Princess Friederike played a
concerto, and on the occasion of a performance of Beethoven's Choral
Fantasia the Frau Hofmarschall von Meysenbug undertook the pianoforte
solo, whilst Brahms acted as conductor.
The young musician soon became a favourite at Court, not only on account
of his musical genius, but also because of the general culture of his
mind. He invariably seemed at home on a topic of real interest, and able
to contribute something worth hearing to its discussion. 'Whoever wishes
to play well must not only practise a great deal, but read a great many
books,' was one of his favourite sayings, and the excellent public
library of Detmold afforded him good opportunity for indulging his
literary tastes. On the evenings that were free from duties, some of the
musicians often dropped into Brahms' room to play, and the performances
generally went on until late into the night.
'And how Brahms loved the great masters! how he played Haydn and
Mozart! with what beauty of interpretation and delicate shading of
tone! And then his transposing!'
He would play a new composition by one or other of his Detmold friends
at sight in a transposed key without a mistake, taking it at any
interval suggested, and thinking nothing of the feat. He even liked to
play tricks on Court Concertmeister Bargheer, and to lead off Mozart's
duet sonatas, which Prince Leopold was fond of hearing in private, in
transposed keys, in which Bargheer was obliged, and luckily able, to
follow.
'His score playing, too, was marvellous. Bach, Handel, Haydn,
Mozart, all seemed to flow naturally under his fingers, and each
point to come out, as it were, of itself. Then, he was of such a
noble character, such a good, kind nature, and so loved
children....'
It must be added, however, that Schmidt, like most of the Detmold
musicians, whilst enthusiastically admiring Brahms' gifts as an
executant, regarded his compositions with scepticism. The B major Trio
was by no means a favourite with himself or his colleagues--Bargheer
always excepted--and he thought the 'cello part most ungratefully
written for the instrument.
Enough has been said to make it evident that Brahms' sojourn at Detmold
was an unmitigated success, and before his departure his re-engagement
the following season had come to be regarded as a matter of course. The
Christmas festival, passed by him in the midst of the Hofmarschall's
family party, was as bright and happy as can be imagined. Johannes
became for the evening a child of the house, entering eagerly with the
boys into the mystery of the hour preceding the great presentation of
Christmas gifts, and ready to laugh heartily at the practical jokes of
which he and others were made victims later in the evening. A few words
written in an album given to Hermann are still treasured by their owner:
'This was written in hearty friendship by your Johannes.'
Two signs, contrasted one with the other, but both prophetic of things
to come, are to be noted in January newspaper issues of 1858. One, which
points to the swelling bitterness of feeling with which the Weimarites
contemplated the compact phalanx of friends who may conveniently be
termed the Schumann party, is contained in a reference to Rubinstein as
composer, penned by Bülow in the _Neue Berliner Musikzeitung_ of January
27:
'He [Rubinstein] knows his powers; he has tested his arms, and has
therefore attained to a higher stage than the brooding Brahms.'
The other is the record, in a paragraph of the _Signale_, of what was
probably the début of Brahms' name in Italy. The distinguished pianist
Alfred Jaell had included one of his compositions in the programmes of a
lately-ended concert-tour through that country.
On leaving Detmold, Johannes proceeded to Hamburg, where he remained
about half the year, occupied with his studies, compositions and pupils.
He paid a visit to Berlin towards the end of March to compensate himself
for the loss of Frau Schumann's society at Christmas, and passed much of
his time with her stepbrother, the composer Woldemar Bargiel, but
returned after a few weeks to his parents' house to stay till the middle
of July. The family moved again this year to a more commodious dwelling
at 74, Fuhlentwiethe, still in the old quarter of Hamburg, but with
good-sized rooms, which were always kept in beautiful order. The parlour
was comfortably though plainly furnished, and decorated with ivy after
the custom of the time. It had a large open fireplace with old-fashioned
hobs on either side, which occasionally served in the summer as a refuge
for cake-eating child-visitors, to the preservation of Fräulein Elise's
spotless floor. The room set apart for Johannes, who, now as always, was
responsible for a large share of the family expenses, afforded ample
space for a sleeping sofa, washing-stand, piano, writing-table, and
large bookcase, on the top of which stood a bust of Beethoven. Two or
three small prints from good pictures decorated the walls, one of them
being a representation of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Last Supper.' There was
sufficient space in the dwelling for the accommodation of one or two
boarders--a means of income to which Jakob and his wife had had
recourse, as we have seen, in the early part of their married life.
When Brahms quitted Hamburg in July, it was understood that his absence
would be a long one. He would not, at any rate, return before the
beginning of the next year, after the close of his Detmold season, and
there was great uncertainty as to what his future plans might be. It was
a sad time for Fräulein Friedchen Wagner, who had been his regular pupil
during all the months of his stay, and at her last lesson she begged her
master for some little souvenir, desiring that it should be of a serious
character to correspond with her mood. She was not at home when he
called to say good-bye, however, and he left Hamburg apparently without
a sign. Too melancholy for some days to feel that she could open her
piano, her delight was the greater when at length, resolving to go to
work again, she found under the lid of the instrument a manuscript in
Brahms' hand, which bore the inscription: 'To Fräulein Fr. Wagner, in
kind remembrance. July, 1858.' It was the organ prelude to the chorale,
'O Traurigkeit, O Herzeleid,' which was published with a fugue, in 1881,
in a supplement of a number of the _Musikalisches Wochenblatt_.[74]
Brahms passed nearly all the remainder of the summer at Göttingen. Frau
Schumann, after drinking the waters at Wiesbaden, took up her residence
with some of her children in the Grimms' house; Johannes found a lodging
close by, and some memorable weeks were passed by the circle in work and
play that were almost equally delightful. Grimm and his wife were
inexpressibly touched by the beautiful and rare relation in which
Johannes stood to Frau Schumann. 'He was to her as a careful friend, a
loving and protecting son.' She was, indeed, the centre of the party,
and the chief thought of all the younger musicians gathered about her.
Johannes was a famous playfellow for her little ones, proposing all
sorts of romping games for them, in which the elders willingly joined.
As for music, they had their own share in that, too. One can imagine
them cowering quiet in their hiding-places as they heard the approaching
voice of the seeker:
[Music:
Wil-le, wil-le, will, Der Mann ist kom-men;
Did-dle, did-dle dee, There's some-one com-ing;
]
the demands of the four-year-old Felix for another ride on somebody's
knee, in spite of the answer:
[Music:
Ull Mann will ri-den, wull hat er kein Pferd;
He would go ri-ding, but no horse had he;
]
the efforts of the small Eugénie to keep the dust out of her eyes just a
little longer, though
[Music:
Die Blü-me-lein sie schla-fen schon,
The flow-er-ets are sleep-ing,
]
These and other songs which were sung by Johannes with and to Frau
Schumann's children at Göttingen this summer were published anonymously
by Rieter-Biedermann at the end of the year as 'Children's Folk-songs,
with added accompaniment, dedicated to the children of Robert and Clara
Schumann.'
The Pianoforte Concerto in D minor was not the only large composition
with which Brahms had been busy. Until a comparatively late period of
his career, his method of working in some respects resembled that of
Beethoven. We have seen that he was in the habit, as a boy, of putting
his thoughts down as they occurred to him. Later on he was accustomed to
keep several large compositions on hand at once, allowing his ideas to
expand gradually; and he sometimes had a work by him for years before
completing it in its final shape. The cases of the D minor Concerto, the
C minor Pianoforte Quartet, and the C minor Symphony are
well-established instances in point, though Brahms took care that the
process by which his works were developed should not after his death
become public property, by destroying the vast majority of his
sketches.[75] This year, besides completing the concerto, he had
composed the work known as the Serenade in D for large orchestra. Not,
however, in its present form. Inspired by the delight with which he had
listened to the 'cassation music,' the serenades and divertimenti of
Mozart, as performed by the soloists of the Detmold orchestra, he had
set about writing something in the same style in the form of an octet,
bearing particularly in mind the exceptional qualifications of the wind
performers of Prince Leopold's band. This was completed before being
shown to Joachim, whose extraordinary English successes kept him in this
country from April until the autumn of the year; and it was not until
the Göttingen party had broken up--Frau Schumann proceeding on a visit
to Düsseldorf, and Johannes returning to his engagement at Detmold--that
our composer had an opportunity of talking over his newly-finished
manuscripts with his best friend.
Joachim had reserved a day or two for Johannes on his way back to
Hanover, where he was due on October 1, and turned up unannounced one
day in the last week of September, to find that Brahms had gone for a
day's walk with his companions, and would not be back till evening. He
had to get through the hours as well as he could, and the pedestrians
did not find him in his happiest mood on their return. The best had to
be made of a bad matter, however, and there was wonderful music in
Brahms' room on that and the following evening. The two friends played,
amongst other things, all Bach's sonatas for clavier and violin, and,
more memorable still, the first performance took place of Joachim's
Hungarian Concerto. He had completed it in England, and wished to show
it to Johannes, who insisted on having out the manuscript and going
through it immediately, to the great satisfaction of the few listeners
present. Brahms was frequently wont to express his regret that Joachim
allowed so much of his time and energy to be swallowed up in
concert-journeys, and particularly disapproved of his long absences in
England. Regarding him as a tone-poet whose creative gifts contained
possibilities of exceptional fruition, he would have liked to see his
friend settle down into a life similar to his own, in which the first
object should be the development of his talent as a composer. We have
already referred to some of the reasons that militated against the
fulfilment of this desire. Brahms was captivated by the new concerto,
and his admiration of the splendid finale seems to have awakened in him
the desire to use some of his favourite Hungarian melodies in a
developed movement in sociable emulation of Joachim. With what result
will presently appear.
Plans were now made for an immediate private rehearsal at Hanover of
Brahms' new compositions. In Joachim's words to the author, 'We were
naturally anxious to hear how they sounded, and I had the band at my
disposal.' Frau Schumann was invited to hear the trial of the two new
works, and perhaps her account of them may have been responsible for the
following paragraph, which appeared in the _Signale_ in the course of
October:
'We hear that since the arrival of J. Brahms in Detmold a few weeks
ago there has been an animated musical life there, of which the
young artist is the centre. Brahms will remain in Detmold until the
end of the year, and it is hoped that some of his new compositions
may be brought to a hearing. He has completed, amongst other
things, a pianoforte concerto, the great beauties of which have
been reported to us.'
The same journal notices a concert given by Frau Schumann in Düsseldorf,
at which she played arrangements by Brahms for two hands on the
pianoforte, of a selection of Hungarian Dances, 'that called forth a
veritable storm of applause.' This unanswerable statement should
effectually dispose of the fable which still obtains considerable
credence amongst the musical laity, that the 'Hungarian Dance'
arrangements were the outcome of impressions derived during Brahms'
residence in Vienna. As has been shown in an earlier chapter, he owed
his first acquaintance with the melodies to the playing of Reményi.
The hope expressed in the _Signale_, that the new works might be
performed at Detmold, was only partially fulfilled. As we have seen,
Brahms was not seriously accepted as a composer by the musicians
there--one of them only excepted--and Capellmeister Kiel regarded his
compositions with peculiar jealousy and mistrust. So far as can be
ascertained, the D minor Concerto was not even tried at Detmold. The
result of the rehearsal at Hanover was, however, that Joachim, in spite
of some official opposition, carried through his wish that it should be
put down for a first performance at one of the Hanover subscription
court concerts, choosing for date January 22, 1859, when Johannes would
be free from duties; and that through the influence of Court
Concertmeister David arrangements were made for its second performance a
few days later at the Leipzig Gewandhaus concert of January 27.
As regards the serenade, Joachim formed the opinion that it should be
scored for orchestra, and Johannes, following his friend's advice,
presently effected the alteration. It was heard at one or more of the
Detmold court concerts.
Carl von Meysenbug was not long able this season to enjoy the pleasures
of the evening music at the Stadt Frankfurt, which was more than ever of
an institution. He departed at the end of October to enter upon the life
of a University student at Göttingen, where he soon found himself at
home in the midst of the congenial musical friends of Grimm's circle.
'You will see,' Johannes said to him as they parted, 'how surprised you
will be, after your admiration of the stiff court ladies here, when you
become acquainted with the pretty, fresh, lively daughters of the
professors.'
These words were significant. The age of twenty-five is suitable to
romance, and Brahms was at this time in love. That he had passed through
the earliest years of manhood without any _affaire de coeur_ is to be
explained by the circumstances in which he had been placed. The
prosecution of a noble ambition which involved unremitting application
to work occupied one half of his energies, whilst his affections had
been absorbed by family ties, by a dear companionship, and by his love
for two people to whom he looked up with unbounded reverence. A calmer
period had succeeded the exciting course of past events, and he now had
leisure to think of himself. His intercourse with the charming young
people who frequented the Grimms' house, and the contemplation of his
friend's great happiness in his wedded life, had awakened in him a
feeling of loneliness, and he thought much of Fräulein Agathe, daughter
of Professor S---- of Göttingen, and one of Frau Philippine's most
intimate friends. Agathe was handsome, cultivated, and very musical, and
she sang Brahms' songs with especial sympathy, particularly when he
played the accompaniments. The very confident rumour of an impending or
even of an accomplished betrothal between the pair, however, proved to
be a tale without an ending. Johannes seems, after a while, to have
suddenly faced the fact that he was bound to take a decided course one
way or the other, and no one who has grasped the key to his character
and aims can feel surprised that his decision led him away from
marriage. Now and afterwards he liked the society of charming girls, and
perhaps thought it no harm to enjoy the pleasure of a special friendship
without going beyond the consideration of the hour; but it may safely be
assumed that he would not, at the outset of his career, have risked the
sacrifice of his artistic aims by accepting binding responsibilities,
even had his worldly prospects been much more certain than they were. He
resolutely put away the visions of happiness with which he had dallied
for a time, and turned cheerfully to confront the future in undivided
allegiance to the Art that was to maintain supreme sway over his
affections to the end of his life. That the remembrance of Agathe
remained treasured somewhere in a corner of his heart as the years
rolled onward will seem certain to those who have had opportunity of
appreciating the tenacity of his memory for old friendships.
[71] 'Aus Johannes Brahms' Jugendtagen,' by Carl, Freiherr von Meysenbug
(_Neues Wiener Tagblatt_, April 3 and 4, 1902).
[72] 'Johannes Brahms,' p. 297.
[73] In the possession of Fräulein Marie Grimm.
[74] 'Brahms in Hamburg,' by Professor Walter Hübbe.
[75] The few sketches Brahms allowed to survive him are preserved in the
library of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde at Vienna.