Beethoven’s greatest fan may have been Johannes Brahms. One of the greatest composers of the Romantic period, Brahms so admired and was so influenced by Beethoven that his First Symphony is sometimes jokingly called “Beethoven’s Tenth”.

 

Brahms’ father was a string bass player, and like many musical families, they often struggled for money. When Brahms was a young man he worked as a pianist in restaurants in his native city of Hamburg, Germany, to help his parents. One famous story is that Brahms had begun studying the Cello, but was forced to stop when his instrument was stolen by his own teacher!

 

Brahms had many friends among other composers, especially Johann Strauss II, the famous composer of waltzes, and Clara Schumann.