Johannes Brahms was, and remains today, an influential figure in the history of classical romantic music. He was, if not the best, one of the greatest composers of the 19th century, whose works combined the power and expressiveness of the classical school with the lyrical and stimulating emotions of the romantic school.

Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany on May 7, 1833. His father, a musician himself, introduced him to the world of music at a very young age. Brahms never showed the impressive characteristic of Mozart, but he was unusually talented, mastering the violin, cello and piano by the age of 10. As a teenager, he began studying composition, and while still in his teens, he began to work as a pianist in local dance halls and as a music arranger for his father’s orchestra. At 20, he began touring as an accompanist to the Hungarian violinist Eduard Remenyi and began to make important contacts. Among these were Robert and Clara Schumann, both of whom caused a great influence in his life and career.

Although Brahms was well known as a pianist and had spent several years as director of the Berlin Singakademie, his fame and financial

security was assured after composing the “German Requien” (premiere in 1869) and his orchestral variations on a Theme by Haydn (1873). The experience and familiarity of the different popular styles he acquired from his previous jobs, the conservative tastes influenced upon him by German music teacher Eduard Marxsen and the sentimental impact Clara Schumann had on him, contributed all to his unique style of composition that ultimately let him to fame.

Brahms began composing orchestral music during the period from 1857 to 1859 while working with the Detmold orchestra. However, he composed some of his most acclaim orchestral work known today after 1873. His masterpieces include the grandiloquent Symphony no.1 in C Minor (1876); Symphony no. 2 in D Major (1877); the Academic Festival Overture (1880); Tragic Overture (1881); Symphony no. 3 in F Major (1883); and Symphony no. 4 in E minor (1885).

The third movement is rather tense and aggressive; it contains many variations of texture and meters. It also contains high and low variations of string instruments follow by percussion and woodwinds with a subtle incorporation of bells which intensifies the tonality of the melody. At times this sounds like a slow movement, but the sudden changes in tempo and dynamics makes the melody exuberant and energetic.

My personal opinion about symphony no. 4 is that it is compelling, evocat

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