Editing Johannes Brahms (section)

===Maturity (1862–1876)===
[[File:Brahms c. 1872.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Johannes Brahms, photographed {{Circa|1872}}]]

====Move to Vienna====
In autumn 1862 Brahms made his first visit to Vienna, staying there over the winter. Although Brahms entertained the idea of taking up conducting posts elsewhere, he based himself increasingly in Vienna and soon made it his home. In 1863, he was appointed conductor of the [[Wiener Singakademie]]. He surprised his audiences by programming many works by the early German masters such as [[Heinrich Schütz]] and J. S. Bach, and other early composers such as [[Giovanni Gabrieli]]; more recent music was represented by works of Beethoven and [[Felix Mendelssohn]]. Brahms also wrote works for the choir, including his Motet, Op. 29. Finding however that the post encroached too much of the time he needed for composing, he left the choir in June 1864.{{sfn|Swafford|1999|pp=277–279, 283}}

From 1864 to 1876 he spent many of his summers in [[Lichtental]] on the north side of Vienna, where Clara Schumann and her family also spent some time. His house in Lichtental, where he worked on many of his major compositions including ''[[A German Requiem (Brahms)|A German Requiem]]'' and his middle-period chamber works, is preserved as a museum.<ref>{{harvnb|Hofmann|Hofmann|2010|p=40}}; [http://www.schumann-portal.de/brahms-house.html "Brahms House"], on website of the ''Schumann Portal'', accessed 22 December 2016.</ref>

====Wagner and his circle====
In Vienna Brahms became an associate of two close members of Wagner's circle, his earlier friend Peter Cornelius and [[Karl Tausig]], and of [[Joseph Hellmesberger Sr.]] and [[Julius Epstein (pianist)|Julius Epstein]], respectively the Director and head of violin studies, and the head of piano studies, at the [[Vienna Conservatoire]]. Brahms's circle grew to include the notable critic (and opponent of the 'New German School') [[Eduard Hanslick]], the conductor [[Hermann Levi]] and the surgeon [[Theodor Billroth]], who were to become among his greatest advocates.{{sfn|Musgrave|1999b|loc=39–41}}<ref name=bozarth3 />

In January 1863 Brahms met Richard Wagner for the first time, for whom he played his ''[[Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel|Handel Variations]]'' Op. 24, which he had completed the previous year. The meeting was cordial, although Wagner was in later years to make critical, and even insulting, comments on Brahms's music.{{sfn|Swafford|1999|pp=265–269}} Brahms however retained at this time and later a keen interest in Wagner's music, helping with preparations for Wagner's Vienna concerts in 1862/63,<ref name=bozarth3>{{harvnb|Bozarth and Frisch|2001|loc=§3 "First maturity"}}</ref> and being rewarded by Tausig with a manuscript of part of Wagner's ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' (which Wagner demanded back in 1875).{{sfn|Swafford|1999|p=401}} The ''Handel Variations'' also featured, together with the first Piano Quartet, in his first Viennese recitals, in which his performances were better received by the public and critics than his music.{{sfn|Musgrave|1999b|loc=39}}

====Requiem and personal beliefs====
In February 1865 Brahms's mother died, and he began to compose his large choral work ''A German Requiem'', Op. 45, of which six movements were completed by 1866. Premieres of the first three movements were given in Vienna, but the complete work was first given in [[Bremen]] in 1868 to great acclaim. A seventh movement (the soprano solo "Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit") was added for the equally successful Leipzig premiere (February 1869). The work went on to receive concert and critical acclaim throughout Germany and also in England, Switzerland and Russia, marking effectively Brahms's arrival on the world stage.<ref name=bozarth3 />

Baptised into the Lutheran church as an infant and confirmed at age fifteen in [[St. Michael's Church, Hamburg|St. Michael's Church]],<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=67FA4aJAy8kC&q=johannes+brahms+confirmed+michaeliskirche&pg=PA290 |title=A Brahms Reader|last=Musgrave|first=Michael|date=September 2001|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-09199-1}}</ref> Brahms has been described as an agnostic and a humanist.{{sfn|Swafford|2012|p=327}} The devout Catholic [[Antonín Dvořák]] wrote in a letter: "Such a man, such a fine soul – and he believes in nothing! He believes in nothing!"{{sfn|Swafford|1999}} When asked by conductor [[Carl Martin Reinthaler|Karl Reinthaler]] to add additional explicitly religious text to his ''[[A German Requiem (Brahms)|German Requiem]]'', Brahms is reported to have responded, "As far as the text is concerned, I confess that I would gladly omit even the word German and instead use Human; also with my best knowledge and will I would dispense with passages like [[John 3:16]]. On the other hand, I have chosen one thing or another because I am a musician, because I needed it, and because with my venerable authors I can't delete or dispute anything. But I had better stop before I say too much."{{sfn|Musgrave|1985|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780710097767/page/80 80]}}

====Mounting successes and failed romance====
Brahms also experienced at this period popular success with works such as his first set of ''Hungarian Dances'' (1869), the [[Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 52|''Liebeslieder Waltzes'', Op. 52]], (1868/69), and his collections of [[lied]]er (Opp. 43 and 46–49).<ref name=bozarth3 /> Following such successes he finally completed a number of works that he had wrestled with over many years such as the cantata [[Rinaldo (cantata)|''Rinaldo'']] (1863–1868), his [[String Quartets, Op. 51 (Brahms)|first two string quartets]] Op. 51 nos. 1 and 2 (1865–1873), the third piano quartet (1855–1875), and most notably his [[Symphony No. 1 (Brahms)|first symphony]] which appeared in 1876, but which had been begun as early as 1855.{{sfn|Becker|1980|pp=174–179}}<ref name=bozarth4>{{harvnb|Bozarth and Frisch|2001|loc=§4, "At the summit"}}</ref>

During 1869, Brahms felt himself falling in love with the Schumanns' daughter Julie (then aged 24 to his 36). He did not declare himself. When later that year Julie's engagement to Count Marmorito was announced, he wrote and gave to Clara the manuscript of his ''[[Alto Rhapsody]]'' (Op. 53). Clara wrote in her diary that "he called it ''his'' wedding song" and noted "the profound pain in the text and the music".{{sfn|Petersen|1983|p=1}}

From 1872 to 1875, Brahms was director of the concerts of the Vienna [[Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde]], where he ensured that the orchestra was staffed only by professionals. He conducted a repertoire noted and criticized for its emphasis on early and often "serious" music, running from [[Heinrich Isaac|Isaac]], Bach, Handel, and Cherubini to the nineteenth century composers who were not of the New German School. Among these were Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Joachim, [[Ferdinand Hiller]], [[Max Bruch]] and himself (notably his large scale choral works, the ''German Requiem'', the ''Alto Rhapsody'', and the patriotic ''[[Triumphlied]]'', Op. 55, which celebrated Prussia's victory in the 1870/71 [[Franco-Prussian War]]).<ref name=bozarth4 /> 1873 saw the premiere of his orchestral ''[[Variations on a Theme by Haydn]]'', originally conceived for two pianos, which has become one of his most popular works.<ref name=bozarth4 />{{sfn|Swafford|1999|p=383}}