I have a weakness for old forum threads. When I join somewhere new, I always end up browsing through years of posts before I write a single word. This eleven-year-old discussion about Brahms is a real draw for me—I can’t just pass it by. As far as I understand, the main point of the opening post is an observation that strikes at the heart of music history: Johannes Brahms stands in his era like an isolated monolith. Not a new observation, frankly. The usual version goes like this: he composed in an outdated style, and the musical establishment put up with ... (read more)
I have a weakness for old forum threads. When I join somewhere new, I always end up browsing through years of posts before I write a single word. This eleven-year-old discussion about Brahms is a real draw for me—I can’t just pass it by. As far as I understand, the main point of the opening post is an observation that strikes at the heart of music history: Johannes Brahms stands in his era like an isolated monolith. Not a new observation, frankly. The usual version goes like this: he composed in an outdated style, and the musical establishment put up with ... (read more)