Johannes Brahms

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Brahms father gave his son his first musical training. He studied piano from the age of seven and showed early promise. To help to supplement the rather meager family income he played the piano in restaurants and theaters, as well as by teaching. He began to compose quite early in life, but later destroyed most copies of his first works.

Brahms was fond of nature and often went walking in the woods around Vienna. He often brought penny candy with him to hand out to children. To adults Brahms was often brusque and sarcastic, and he sometimes alienated other people.

It was the premiere of Ein deutsches Requiem, his largest choral work, in Bremen in 1868 that confirmed Brahms' European reputation. Brahms frequently traveled, for both business (concert tours) and pleasure. From 1878 onwards he often visited Italy in the springtime, and usually sought out a pleasant rural location in which to compose during the summer. He was a great walker and especially enjoyed spending time in the open air, where he felt that he could think more clearly.

In his later years, the 57 year-old Brahms resolved to give up composing. However, as it turned out, he was unable to abide by his decision, and in the years before his death he produced a number of acknowledged masterpieces.
Source: Wikipedia

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