Born
May 7, 1833, Hamburg, Germany

Died
April 2, 1897, Vienna, Austria

Instrumentation
two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, strings

Duration
45 minutes

Composed
Some sources say Brahms began composing this symphony as early as 1856, while others choose 1862 as the earliest date this work had recognizable melodies and structure.  The bulk of the work was done between 1874 and 1876.

World Premiere
November 4, 1876, in Karlsruhe, Germany, with Otto Dessoff conducting

Something to listen for:
In Brahms' First Symphony the theme of the finale is closely connected to the Ode to Joy theme of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.  When you hear the finale theme in Brahms Symphony No. 1, you will undoubtedly hear the reference if you are familiar with Beethoven's work.  Beethoven's legacy was a complex one.  His life was during a time when people were in search of heroes.  The American and French revolutions had led to questioning the automatic superiority of nobility, but people still wanted someone to look up to and to emulate.  Beethoven created massive and exciting symphonic works that engaged the audiences fully.  His unusual lifestyle, compared to nobility who exhibited polished manners, was very interesting.  After his death his image became one of a hero of enduring popularity.   When Brahms, at the age of twenty-one, heard Beethoven's final symphony, the young composer was enthralled and interested in creating a symphony that would be a worthy successor.  This final melody offers a fitting tribute from Brahms who is offering a symphony to the world for the first time.  Ultimately, Brahms would only compose four symphonies.

Program Notes
Written by Anna Vorhes

Brahms' circle of friends included many musicians.  He was just starting to build a following as a n performer when composer Robert Schumann recognized his genius and invited the young man into his family circle.  Robert's wife, Clara, was an accomplished composer and performer, and became a lifelong friend of Brahms.  The violinist Joseph Joachim was also part of this supportive circle.  These friends were a circle that helped the composer keep his evaluation of compositions reasonable.

Writing a symphony was daunting to Brahms.  He wrote small works for soloists and chamber ensembles but writing for an orchestra was a bigger challenge than he was ready to contemplate until he had written many other pieces.  Michael Musgrave, writing about Brahms, quotes the composer saying, "I shall never compose a symphony.  You have no idea what it means to be dogged by his [Beethoven's] footsteps."  Fortunately for us, Brahms did not hold to that resolution.

The beginning sketches of this symphony date all the way back to Brahms' earlier compositional years.  Some musicologists recognize themes in sketches the composer made when he was just twenty-two years old, while others find the first sketches are recognizable when the composer was twenty-nine.  That year Brahms sent a draft of the first movement to Clara Schumann, who shared it with Joachim.  She included this note about the opening:
"That is rather strong, for sure, but I have grown used to it.  The movement is full of wonderful beauties, and the themes are treated with a mastery that is becoming more and more characteristic of him.  It is all interwoven in such an interesting way, and yet it moves forward with such momentum that it might have been poured forth in its entirety in the first flush of inspiration."

The work was not performed until Brahms was forty-three, and he revised it between the premiere and publication.  By that time, Brahms had destroyed much of his early composition, so it is interesting to consider he kept his early sketches for this work.

The first and the last movements begin with slow introductions.  This was somewhat unusual in Brahms' other works.  It is reminiscent of some of Beethoven's works, however.  The first movement is complex and serious.  Brahms described the symphony, and this movement in particular, "not exactly lovable."  The middle movements work harder to intrigue listeners, though paling in importance surrounded by the first and last movements.  The second movement is a sweet Andante Sostenuto.  The third movement offers dialogues between sections of the orchestra, with homage to Beethoven shown by way of the choice of scherzo for title and form.

The final movement is the most obvious reference to Beethoven.  Brahms' main theme sounds remarkably like the theme of the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.  The relationship was so obvious that Brahms was asked about it.  His response was, "Any jackass can see that!"

One other interesting thing to contemplate: often as people learn about art music composers they are thought about "The three B's: Bach, Beethoven and Brahms."  The original phrase was coined by Peter Cornelius in 1854, before Brahms had come into his own as a composer.  It described "Bach, Beethoven and Berlioz", especially referring to Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique with the innovative orchestration and storytelling the composer presented.  In the 1880s, the important and famous composer Hans von Bülow replaced Berlioz in the statement with Brahms, even calling the three the Holy Trinity.  By the end of the nineteenth century the reference recognized the importance of Brahms.  Critics found the connection between the two older composers and the younger Brahms a good discussion point.  And publishers found it a useful marketing tool.