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Independent Study Course: Johannes Brahms
Chapter 5: Maturity
Page 1
1) Dr. Greenberg opens this chapter with a comment referring to Johannes
Brahms’s “Harmonic Style”. Does Greenberg state that Brahms’s “Harmonic
Style” is more closely related to the Classical Style or to the Romantic Style?
2) Dr. Greenberg also goes on to discuss the “Structural Style” of Johannes
Brahms (Music Form). Does Greenberg state that Brahms’s “Structural Style”
is more closely related to the Classical Style or to the Romantic Style?
3) During his lifetime, how was Johannes Brahms as a composer considered by
his own contemporaries?
4) In Summarizing the compositional style of Johannes Brahms, Dr. Greenberg
considers the following: Melody, Harmony, Emotional Content, and Music
Structure. For each of the above stated components state whether Greenberg
classifies his style as being Classical of Romantic.
5) Dr. Greenberg cites a school of composition called the “New German School”.
What was the main concept behind this style of composition?
6) Was Johannes Brahms a supporter of the concepts of the New German
School?
7) Dr. Greenberg mentions the term “Gesamtkunstwerk”. In the context of this
course, what does this term mean?
8) For the most part, was Johannes Brahms a proponent of “Program Music”?
9) In this chapter, Dr. Greenberg states the Music Credo of Johannes Brahms.
Please state this credo as described by Dr. Greenberg.
10) In what year was the Piano Quartet in G Minor completed and what was its
Opus number.
11) Concerning the Piano Quartet in G Minor, state the form for each movement.
12) Dr. Greenberg list 2 compositions of the 1860’s by Brahms. Please state the
title of these compositions.
13) What instruments comprise the “Piano Quartet”
14) Dr. Greenberg states that Johannes Brahms falls in love again. Who is this
person and why can he not marry her?
15) What city in does Dr. Greenberg refer to as the “mecca of German
Music”.
16) Johannes Brahms applies for a musical position in the city of Hamburg. What
position is this?
17) When does Brahms arrive in Vienna and why is his date of arrival significant?
18) Does Brahms get the appointment to become the musical director of the
Hamburg Philharmonic?
19) Was Brahms accepted as a major composer by the musical establishment and
the people of Vienna?
20) Did Johannes Brahms accept commissions for his compositions?
21) Brahms did very well in Vienna like his musical heros. Four of these five
composers worked in Vienna . Who were these composers?
22) Due to the residency of: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert in Vienna,
this city is considered the home of the Classical Style. What school of
composition is the musical output of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and their
contemporaries referred to?
23) Does Brahms ever meet the composer Johann Strauss Jr.
24) In what year does Johannes Brahms complete the German Requiem and what
Opus number does it carry?
25) Is the composition “A German requiem” a requiem mass in the tradition of
the Catholic Church?
26) A German Requiem is scored for?
27)How many movements are in A German Requiem?
28) Movement 1 of the requiem opens with what text?