Johannes Brahms was one of the seminal musical figures of the 19th century. He shot to fame as a dashing young performer and composer, 'the one who had to come' according to Robert Schumann. He consciously 'switched' this image, refashioning himself as the elder statesman of German music, the heir to Bach and Beethoven. The internal conflict between romantic lion and eminence grise enlivened his music, which influenced nearly every composer who followed him. Book jacket.
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