Stern and Tender

Send us Fan MailToday I vant to talk vith the final Composer of the three Bs - this podcast has previously Broadcast episodes regarding Bach and Beethoven - and vill certainly have more regarding those musicians - but today I vant to talk about another composer vhose last name also begins vith B, and is also considered one of the greats.  That composer is yo-HAH-nes Brahms. Unlike some composers of his era, he did not have any recorded middle names or additional given names—he vas vas alvays knovn as  yo-HAH-nes Brahms.  And by the vay, the musical opening to this podcast it's an excerpt from a remix of Brahms Hungarian danceGhost soundAh, here is the ghost of - or if you vill -       the spirit of Brahms.Maestro Brahms, thank you for joining me today. To begin, could you tell us a little about your early life in Hamburg?Ah, Hamburg. A fine city of ships and sailors, though not so fine ven hen one is poor. I vas as born in 1833, the son of a bass player—my father Johann Jakob—and my mother, a seamstress. had little but music and determination. From the beginning, it seemed I vas destined to live at the piano.I’ve heard you began playing in public quite young.Herr Bartley, By the time vas a boy, I played in taverns and dance halls to earn a fev  coins.Imagine a skinny lad of thirteen, pounding avay at the piano vile sailors shouted for more beer. Hardly the glamorous concert life! But those rough rooms taught me discipline. I learned to keep the music alive, even if no one cared to listen.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.