Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity

Brahms was born and raised in
the most humble sections of Hamburg,
Germany. His parents were artistically
inclined individuals. His father was
a musician in Hamburg who played
in several civic musical organizations.
Yet, despite these economic and social
limitations, his giftedness was recognized,
appreciated and nurtured by
his community. As a teenager, Brahms
played in taverns located on Hamburg’s
waterfront. His talent was brought to
the attention of a music teacher who
made Brahms’ musical development a
major personal endeavor. This teacher,
Freidrich Wilhelm Cossel, was an
excellent pianist who was not satisfied
with mere technique but demanded that
his students gained a thorough intellectual
and aesthetic appreciation of the
compositions they learned. Cossel inculcated
in his students a sense that every
musical work was sacred and could only
be appreciated with reverence. Brahms’
musical development was so accelerated
that Cossel’s teacher, Eduard Marxsen,
a famous composer of that time, took
on Brahm’s musical education without
receiving any remuneration whatsoever.
Brahms was so appreciative of
his teacher Marxsen that, even in his
mature years after he was successful, he
continued to correspond with him and
send him manuscripts for review.
The community that nurtured,
stimulated, and appreciated Brahms in
his early adulthood included his fellow
musicians. Robert and Clara Schumann
created a family nexus that included
Brahms. When Robert Schumann succumbed
to mental illness and was tragically
confined to an asylum, Brahms
became a devoted companion to Clara
Schumann and her seven children.
Brahms marched to his own drummer.
While Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner
were enthralled with political and
nationalistic mythologies, Brahms was
dedicated to the concept of writing pure
melody and the music of universal human
emotions. In this endeavor, he was
influenced by German folk songs, gypsy
melodies, Jewish cantorial lamentations,
and the popular music of the taverns
where he spent much of his leisure
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time. His mother and Clara Schumann
died at about the same time. Brahms’
response was to compose A German Requiem
as an expression of his grief. The
emotional thrust of this requiem was
not the concept of transcendence, but
of endurance and consolation. In this
sense, it was a precursor of the modern
religious existentialist viewpoint. He
wrote the text himself which he based
on Martin Luther’s translation of the
Old Testament Psalms. It was ironical
that this requiem created a deep appreciation
of the Old Testament.
On the Centennial of the death
of Johannes Brahms, in October 1996,
the Berlin Philharmonic was in New
York City to perform his symphonic
works. Piano and violin soloists joined
the philharmonic to play his great
concertos written for these instruments.
His choral works were highlighted in
religious services during 1997.
We in the gifted community
have a duty to discover and teach our
students about the genius and creativity
of Johannes Brahms, and the environment
that encouraged his development.
1. Who were Brahms’ mentors and
teachers? Who were his greatest supporters
and influences on his professional
life?
2. What types of music did he study
and use in his compositions?
3. How did the cultures of Hamburg,
Germany and Vienna, Austria influence
his work?
4. Why do classical music audiences still
enjoy his music so much?
Toni Morrison (1931- ):
Winner of the Nobel Prize for
Literature, 1993
This highly creative African
American author was born and raised
in the small industrial town of Lorain,
Ohio, where she interacted with several
immigrant groups including Italian,
Polish and Jewish people. As a child, she
was a voracious reader who was attracted
to novels by Jane Austen and Leo
Tolstoy. The humanism and compelling
stories in Morrison’s novels have
emphasized the rich history, lives, and
cultures of African American people and
inspired readers around the world. Her
greatest works are considered to be The
Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1973), Song of
Solomon (1977), and Jazz (1992).
1. Did teachers and mentors in Lorain,
Ohio stimulate her interest in literature
and writing? If so, how?
2. How did her undergraduate years at
Howard University and her work as an
editor at Random House influence her
writing?
3. What are some of the important
influences of her writings on authors in
the United States and other countries?
4. Why did the Nobel Prize Committee
for Literature decide to recognize the
work of this African American woman
as being worthy of worldwide recognition?
Billie Holiday (1915-59):
Blues and Jazz Singer
She was a dominant black singer
during the swing and jazz eras from
1933 to 1956. Many of the luminaries
of swing music such as Benny Goodman,
Teddy Wilson, Duke Ellington,
Count Basie and Artie Shaw included
her on their bandstands. Her singing
style was particularly influenced by
Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith.
Holiday’s unique contribution to
popular music was her ability to render
the harmonies and rhythms of the blues
and jazz through her extraordinary vocal
talent. She was a master of jazz improvisation.
Some of the songs which she was
noted for as a part of The Great American
Song Book were “They Can’t That
Away from Me” (1937), “God Bless the
Child” (1939), and “Good Morning
Heartache” (1946). A few of the great
swing and jazz singers who were strongly
influenced by her style and genre were
Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Diana