Brahms attained international fame in his lifetime as one of the most prominent composers of his day, but his music was subject to much criticism—we could even say attack—not for being too modern or edgy, but for being stuck in the past.

An ideological clash we call the “War of the Romantics” divided music into two camps and was waged viciously among musicians and in the press. The “New German School” lionized the music of Liszt and Wagner inspired by literature, legend, and drama. It had cast off the shackles of classical form. Brahms, on the other hand, became the most prominent representative of the competing camp: those who held to traditional forms of Mozart and Beethoven.

The symphonies of Beethoven, who died in 1827, had cast a giant shadow over the musical landscape. Who could produce new works in the mold of Beethoven that would not suffer by comparison? Several innovative composers who called themselves the New German School avoided that trap by turning to new forms. Liszt composed colorful tone poems loosely based on a narrative. Wagner revolutionized opera in almost every way possible. But Brahms followed the Viennese Classicism of Beethoven and emerged as his rightful heir.

Brahms was keenly aware of the pitfalls in writing a “new” symphony and moved cautiously. Always a perfectionist, he hesitated, or struggled, to complete his first symphony. He worked on the symphony for 15 years. When it premiered in 1876, Brahms was 43 years old and already famous for many other works. His second symphony appeared a year later. He wrote the third in a period of four months in 1883 and completed the fourth, his last, a year later. All four of the Brahms symphonies rank among the finest in the repertoire.

The same can said of Brahms’ piano music, chamber music, concertos and other orchestral works. Brahms also excelled as a composer of Lieder (songs), taking his place alongside Schubert and Schumann.

Although Brahms championed older Classical forms in a Romantic age, he was not simply old-fashioned. He continually explored new vistas in harmony and rhythm.  Also, he was a superb melodist, able to extend musical lines that at times seem endless and to weave multiple melodic lines gorgeously together. The influence of his style can be seen in his contemporaries and successors, notably Mahler, Bruckner, Elgar, and Dvorak.