[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Luv, for spinning tunes for the troops. ((HUGS))

[Publius]

A few weeks later, Johannes Brahms repeated his piano concerto before a Hamburg audience, hoping for lightning to strike twice. This time it bombed. The audience booed him out of the hall and into the street. Brahms was badly shaken. It would be another 14 years before Jo would attempt another work for orchestra.

So he retreated to the comfort of his Ladies’ Chorus. It was nicer there, and the girls were his greatest friends and boosters. For the ladies he wrote one of his vocal masterpieces, a collection of songs for women’s chorus accompanied by two horns and harp.

Brahms: “Four Songs for Women’s Chorus, Horns and Harp”, Op. 17

In 1860, at the age of 27, Brahms had to take stock of his situation.

He needed money to support his mother and siblings, and the best opportunity would have been to conduct the orchestra in Hamburg. But the wily old music director was keeping Brahms on the periphery, making it clear he was going to die on the podium with baton in hand. The undertaker was going to carry him off that stage! The work with the Ladies’ Chorus was fun, and artistically and social rewarding. But he had turned down a salary.

The piano concerto was turning into a net loss.

His work for orchestra wasn’t bad, but he had a lot to learn. Brahms understood that he had to take his mastery of voice and translate that into a mastery of musical instruments outside of piano and violin. The proper place for this was not the large concert hall, but the more intimate, smaller hall. It was time for Johannes Brahms to relearn his craft by writing pieces for small ensembles. It was time for him to master chamber music.

But that’s for next week.