Biographical Resources

Avins, Styra. Johannes Brahms: Life and Letters . Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2001.

xxviii, 858 p. ISBN 0-19-924773-0 (pbk.), 0-19-816234-0 (hbk.). Found in Music Library stacks [ML410.B8 A4 2001].

This book is annotated general collection of 564 of Brahms's letters translated into English. Most of these letters have been published in other works, but it does contain some “new” letters as well. It is divided into parts by primarily by topic area (“Prelude” – formative years, “Turmoil and Apprenticeship” – 1854-1858, etc.), but also subdivided by individual years. It contains a fairly lengthy chronology of events significant in Brahms's life, a select bibliography, biographical sketches of those who corresponded with Brahms, an index of musical compositions referred to in the letters, and a general index. There is also an appendix about the relationship between Brahms and Clara Schumann. It is a good source for information about what the composer was thinking and feeling during the different periods of his life, with a concerted attempt by the translators to keep the tone of the message intact.

What makes this book particularly good is the 24-p. section of plates between p. 420 and 421. Not only are there many photos of Brahms from throughout his life (including several before he acquired his famous beard), but there are also portraits and other illustrations of people and places significant in his life.

Frisch, Walter, ed. Brahms and his World. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1990.

223 p. ISBN 0-691-09139-0 (cloth), 0-691-02713-7 (paper). Found in Music Library stacks [ML410.B8 B65 1990]. Also available at Duke University Music Library [780.92 B813 B813 1990].

This book is a collection of essays meant to view Brahms within the context of his relationship to life in Vienna . It includes commentaries and analyses about his personal relationships, how his music was understood during his lifetime, and memoirs from Brahms's students. Of particular interest is Leon Botstein's essay “Time and Memory: Concert Life, Science, and Music in Brahms's Vienna .” It addresses 19 th century thought regarding acoustics, science, and aesthetics. (pp. 3-22, contains bibliographical references).

Geiringer, Karl. Brahms: His Life and Work . 3 rd ed., rev. and enl., in collaboration with Irene Geiringer. New York: Da Capo, 1982.

xv, 397 p., [14] p. of plates. ISBN 0-306-80223-6 (pbk.). Found in Music Library stacks [ML410.B8 G42 1982b].

This biography is written in an easy-to-read, non-technical language and includes useful insights into Brahms's life. It contains a few musical examples, illustrations of Brahms, and an appendix “Brahms as a Reader and Collector,” reprinted from Musical Quarterly 19/2 (April 1933). It is divided into three parts: “His Life”, “His Work”, and “The Man and the Artist”. “His Life” is further subdivided into periods (pp. 3-177). Information is cited from many previously unpublished letters, and contains an appendix about Brahms's correspondences. The book includes a bibliography and index.

Kalbeck, Max. Johannes Brahms. Berlin: Deutsche Brahms-Gesellschaft mbH, 1910-14.

4 vols. bound in 7: Found in Music Library stacks [ML410.B8 K22]. Also available at Duke University Library Service Center [780.0711 B813K].

This is the most extensive life-and-works written to date, and it is by a contemporary of Brahms. As it is written in German, it will not be of much use to the average undergraduate researcher, but it is included in this list because it is the definitive contemporary work about Brahms's life and is cited in most of the literature.

May, Florence. The Life of Johannes Brahms. 2 vols., 2nd ed. London: William Reeves, [1948?].

323, 374 p. Found in Music Library stacks [ML410.B8 M212]. Also available at Duke University Music Library [780.0711 B813M].

Florence May's two-volume biography of Brahms is one of the oft-cited sources of information from a contemporary. First published in 1905, the set begins with a chapter of vignettes the author remembered from her experiences with Brahms as a sometime student and friend. It is then divided into chapters covering two to three years each of Brahms's life, following an initial chapter about his childhood. The table of contents is useful in that it provides an index of topics covered in each chapter. The work includes leaves of plates, (some of which are portraits), reproductions of correspondence and drafts of musical compositions, a catalog of Brahms's works, and an index. Note: UNC's copy of Volume 1 appears to have been chewed by a dog.

Musgrave, Michael. A Brahms Reader. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2000.

xviii, 344 p. ISBN 0-300-06804-2 (alk. paper). Found in Music Library stacks [ML410.B8 M865 2000]. Also available at Duke University Music Library [780.92 B813 M987 2000] and the Durham County Library [B Brahms, J.].

Topically-ordered book describing Brahms as a man, a composer, a performer, a music scholar, in terms of his friendships and travels, and in perspective as he was received in England and France as well as how he is viewed in the present day. It contains illustrations, portraits, biographical sketches of Brahms's most often cited colleagues and friends, extensive biographical references, and an index of names.

Swafford, Jan. Johannes Brahms: A Biography . New York : Knopf, 1998.

xxii, 699 p. ISBN 0-679-42261-7 (alk. paper). Found in Music Library stacks [ML410.B8 S93 1997]. Also available at Duke University Music Library [780.92 B813 S971 1997], the Chapel Hill Public Library [B Brahms], and the Durham County Library [B Brahms, J.].

Swafford's book is one of the leading current biographies. Written for the centennial of Brahms's death, it provides excellent coverage of the events of the composer's life with references to pertinent musical examples. It is organized chronologically and as such, is much better read cover-to-cover than simply viewing a few chapters, unless the intent is to look for comparison points with other books. It contains several plates of illustrations, mostly found in other works. Also includes footnotes, an extensive bibliography, and an index.