Johannes Brahms left a big shadow for composers who followed. We can see a wonderful example in the Clarinet Quintet by Somervell that shares our next program with the Brahms String Quintet in F Major. But Brahms was also operating in a complicated penumbra himself. Born in 1833, he was one of the first composers to set foot on this earth after the death of Beethoven seven years earlier. The dye was cast. He would have to live and deal with the legacy of that towering figure. No wonder it took Brahms 20 years to finally complete his first symphony. Being one of the earliest composers to be fully cognizant of the magnitude of Beethoven’s nine masterpieces that would forever change that genre, who would wade into such depths willy-nilly?
But Brahms had additional demons hanging over him. He was born into a rather poor, working-class family that lived near the docks of the then very important international port of Hamburg, Germany. His father, an intrepid musician, made a living as best he could playing the flute, horn, fiddle, and especially the double bass, wherever he could make a few marks. His mother, an able seamstress, was seventeen (!) years older than Johannes’ father and was resigned to a life of spinsterhood when, to her disbelief, young Jacob Brahms presented her with a new opportunity. Jacob Brahms realized the remarkable talent he had in his first son and both encouraged it and took advantage of it. He found Johannes good teachers but put him to work as soon as his talent would return some meager income for the family. This included playing in one of the Locales prevalent in Brahms’ neighborhood. These were bars close to the docks that provided sailors just arrived from lengthy periods at sea with their first opportunities for drink and entertainment in months. The ladies who served them food and beverages also frequently provided additional services that were often sought by their rowdy (and randy) customers. Playing the piano for several years in such an environment as a young teenager affected Brahms for the rest of his life. Into the wee hours of the morning, he would play popular tavern songs and then stumble home for a few hours of sleep and then study Bach and Beethoven with his piano teacher.
Over the years, he managed to reconcile this musical dichotomy, but he never reconciled the starkly different types of women he grew up with in such a formative period. As the result, it is said he could have relations with women he didn’t love, but he had difficulty having relations with those he did. This may be one of the reasons he never married although there were a few times when it seemed close to happening.
He is said to have been at once warm but also aloof. He could be pleasant but turn toward the critical and sarcastic on a dime. He was generous with many, but he also made it difficult to be his friend. This dichotomy shows up in his music. It can be tender but then austere. It can seem very inspired but carefully calculated. Despite the intense focus on sound inspiration coming from Wagner and Liszt, Brahms rejected their “new” aesthetic and remained a staunch dedicatee of underlying formal structure.
However, in the Quintet for Strings, Opus 88, all seems to be beautifully synthesized and harmonized. In fact, this is such a “sunny” work that it bears the subtitle “Spring.” This is not from Brahms, but it describes the delightful nature of the work and the fact that he wrote it during one of his late spring/summer annual visits to Bad Ischl, a favorite upper Austrian resort that always warmed his spirits and helped his creative process. This is a work that Brahms himself deemed among his very best.
About 10 years later, Brahms would write another quintet near the end of his life, this one for clarinet and string quartet that would influence a similar quintet in G major by English composer, Sir Arthur Somervell. Not long after it was premiered, the clarinetist for whom it was written, Richard Mühlfeld, brought it to London where it was heard by numerous young British composers who were inspired to write for the same combination. Somervell produced an extraordinary work that is just coming to be appreciated for the great contribution to the repertoire that it is. J.J. Koh, Principal Clarinet of the Madison Symphony, will lend his beautiful sound and seamless technique to this work.
Our program opens with Movements for String Quartet by Nkeiru Okoye, an American composer of Nigerian descent. Although we have no information that links her influence to Brahms in particular, there are many elements in her music that she shares with her 19th century fellow composer. In particular, the use of folk material for themes, references to historic dances like the saraband, and the use of the bass repetition pattern known as ostinato, all are aspects Ms. Okoye shares with Maestro Brahms. Brahms’ presence is everywhere in this program, but so are the many innovative ways his successors present their inventive inspirations. Brahms cast his light from under the shadow of Beethoven. Somervell and Okoye show that his light continues to spring forth.
David Perry, first violinist of the Pro Arte Quartet, leads this sumptuous program for strings, joined by cellist Paula Kosower, violists Allyson Fleck and Christopher Dozoryst, and Ann Palen as second violin. Concerts begin soon including Thursday, June 6th, at the Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor; Friday, June 7th, at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ephraim, Saturday, June 8th, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay, and Sunday, July 9th, at Woodwalk Gallery south of Egg Harbor. All concerts are at 7:00pm except for Woodwalk, which begins at 5:00pm. Please call 920-854-7088 or visit www.midsummersmusic.com for tickets or further information. Most concerts are followed by a reception. We look forward to sharing this music with you.