Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 - April 3, 1897) was a German composer of Romantic music, who predominantly lived in Vienna, Austria.
Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg. Brahms showed early promise on the piano and helped to supplement the rather meager family income by playing the piano in restaurants and theaters, as well as by teaching. It is a long-told tale that Brahms was forced in his early teens to play the piano in bars that doubled as brothels; recently Brahms scholar Kurt Hoffman has suggested that this legend is false. Since Brahms himself clearly originated the story, however, some have questioned Hoffman's theory.
The Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80, was one of a pair of contrasting orchestral overtures (the other being the Tragic Overture, Op. 81) written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms composed the Academic Festival Overture during the summer of 1880 as a musical "thank you" to the University of Breslau, which had awarded him an honorary doctorate the previous year.
Brahms, filled his quota by creating a "very boisterous potpourri of student drinking songs", entitled the Academic Festival Overture. The work sparkles with some of the finest virtues of Brahms' musical technique. Brahms manages to evoke ravishing euphoria without sacrificing his commitment to classical balance. The blend of orchestral colors is carefully planned and highlighted in the piece, which calls for one of the largest ensembles for any of his compositions.
|
Edit this page
|
