Johannes Brahms was born the son of a double bass player who taught the young Johannes. Youthful
experiences of playing the piano in a tavern full of sailors and prostitutes coloured Brahms attitude towards women in later
life.
He was a true blue German composer who was named heir to Beethoven, a claim the self-conscious Brahms
hated by nevertheless dogged him throughout his entire career.
His fellow German composer, Robert Schumann, upon introduction to the young Brahms, was full of praise
for the latter, seeing him as one that will carry the torch for the tradition of German music that is fast disappearing and
undermined by the emergence of the "new Germans" -- Wagner and Richard Strauss.
Brahms had a gruffy temper and was always offending people. One memorable incident at a gathering
had him offending one person after another, before he left, he reportedly "apologized" for those he hadn't offended! However,
what gave Brahms this unusual nature is his extreme shyness and an awkwardness towards social intercourse.
Brahms was perhaps the most significant German composer after Beethoven, especially in his symphonies,
which had every right to be termed as successors to those of Beethoven's.
(more comprehensive biography to follow...)
