Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner were two music titans during the 19th century. Brahms leaned toward the traditional, while Wagner was more radical in his approach.
Brahms was inspired by previous masters such as Mozart and Schubert. His music is always of the highest quality and extremely polished. The same goes for Richard Wagner’s music, however, Wagner’s music was more programmed than Brahms’s. However, both men demonstrated great knowledge of music and how to make it happen. Brahms wanted to expand on the classical concept that Mozart and Haydn gave us. It took him years before he finally wrote his first symphony, which is considered the first greatest symphony ever written and is popularly called “Beethoven’s tenth.” The form of the sonata was always respected in his music and developed with great care; there is never discord present in his music.
Wagner’s music, on the other hand, is radical from the start. Often their music is long and heavy with a penchant for discord. The prelude to Act I of Tristan und Isolde is so complexly written that even today it is not known with certainty in which key it is written. Wagner didn’t work with the 12-tone scale, but he pushed music to the limit. Since Wagner essentially only wrote operas, he wanted to keep his audience focused on the drama, so he employed what is known as the “leitmotif” as the musical theme for each character and theme of his operas. This was most fully accomplished in the famous “Ring” cycle (Der Ring Des Niebelungen), which is a series of four operas written to be heard four consecutive days in a row. It takes about 15 houses to sit for the whole job! The music in the cycle is radical at every point because Wagner uses music almost like movie scores or soundtracks, giving the audience more than it can handle. Wagner’s biggest criticism is the length of his operas and the lack of stage action.
Adding to the controversy of Wagner’s music was his personal lifestyle, which is unlike any other composer before him. He would get involved in scandalous affairs and could never balance his checkbook. The funds of King Louis II of Bavaria were needed to finance his production of Tristan and pay his creditors.
Brahms, on the other hand, was never controversial and got along with everyone. His music closely resembles his personal lifestyle, which was polite and refined. He was very close to Sarah Schumann, the wife of the famous composer Robert Schumann, and did much to promote his musical ability as a world-class pianist.
Despite the differences between these two men, today they have brought us a rich legacy of music that the world plays over and over again for our pleasure. We are fortunate to be the heirs of such greatness.
Stephen F. Condren – Artist