May Composer Birthdays

This week we celebrate two giants of the Romantic era, who actually share the same birthday. Johannes Brahms (b. 1833) and Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky (b. 1840) were born on May 7. They have proved to be some of the most influential and memorable composers of their era.

Brahms was born Hamburg, Germany to a musical family. He studied piano at a young age, touring Europe. His talents led him to compose a plethora of music ranging from symphonies, choral works, piano works and a large amount of chamber music. While some behemoth works such as his Symphony No. 4 remain at the top of his popular works' list, smaller works such as Wiegenlied are classics as well.

Brahms was a champion of what is known as absolute music. During the Romantic Era many composers would use a visual art piece, a poem or an intellectual theme to tie their pieces together. This is known as programmatic music, or music that is based off a preconceived idea. Absolute music is basically music for the sake of music; there's no specific story or narrative behind it.

Tchaikovsky, on the other hand, embraced both programmatic and absolute styles. Born in Votkinsk, Russia, Tchaikovsky studied piano privately until enrolling in the St. Petersburg Conservatory. During this time, Russia was attempting to embrace music that it culturally identified with; the Conservatory taught in the Western tradition, giving Tchaikovsky a different (and sometimes not-so-appreciated) sound.

He is known best perhaps for his ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and, The Nutcracker. Other famous works are the program piece 1812 Overture (which was scored for the use of real canons!), Symphony No. 4, and one of the most famous piano concertos ever, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor. Tchaikovsky died at the young age of 53, supposedly of cholera, but other theories (such as suicide) exist as well.