Johannes Brahms

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  • Birth

    1833 Born May 7 in Hamburg, son of Johann Jakob Brahms, double bassist

  • Music Tuition

    1839Begins formal musical tuition under his father, the following year studying the piano with Otto Friedrich Willibald Cossel, the Hamburg pianist

  • Starts Piano

    1843Starts piano, and probably composition, lessons with Eduoard Marxsen (1806-1887) and plays at his first concert

  • During summer Vacation

    1848Conducts a male voice choir in a concert during his summer vacation. Returning home, he presents his first concert in his home city of Hamburg.

  • Brahms Emerges

    1853Brahms’ Opus 1 emerges – a piano sonata in C major. Meets Joachim for the first time while on a concert tour

  • First Piano Concert

    1858First Piano Concerto in D minor completed – premièred the year following in Hanover and Leipzig.

  • Appointed Conductor

    1863Appointed conductor of the Vienna Singacademie

  • Complete Performance

    1868First complete performance of Ein Deutsches Requiem

  • Theme of Haydn

    1873Variations on a theme of Haydn (the so-called St Antony Chorale) finished – versions for full orchestra and piano duo.

  • Symphony No 2

    1878Violin Concerto in D major and Symphony No 2 written.

  • Symphony No 3

    1883Symphony No 3 completed – as were so many of his compositions – during a relaxing summer holiday

  • Tchaikovsky

    1888Meets Tchaikovsky in January, and tours Italy in the Spring. Summer activity includes producing the D minor sonata for violin and piano.

  • Piano Work Ops

    1893Piano works Ops 118 and 119 composed at Ischl.

  • 4 Last Songs

    1896The “Four Last Songs”. Brahms’ health deteriorates, and his condition is probably worsened by the death of his life-long friend Clara Schumann

  • Death

    1897Dies in Vienna from cancer, April 3.