In completing his four symphonies, Brahms was thought to have reignited a genre many believed perished along with Beethoven. Often regarded as Beethoven’s 10th, Brahms’s First Symphony began paving the path for future symphonists into the 20th century. Wagner however, was not as optimistic regarding Brahms’s symphonic achievements, equating the symphonies to glorified chamber music. In his article, ;;On the Application of Music to Drama,” Wagner denounces contemporary symphonies for their subtle melodies and intellectualized thematic processes, deeming the works inaccessible to a broader audience – a quality greatly at odds with the symphonic traditions and more congruent with chamber music. The basis of Wagner’s argument rests on an implied relationship between thematic complexity and musical accessibility.However, Brahms’s Second Symphony and Second Violin Sonata were met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, especially for their easily comprehensible and intelligible qualities, even in spite of their undeniably complex thematic processes. The Fourth Symphony however, was received as the most inaccessible of the four symphonies, many concluding it impossible to judge after one hearing. Considering the reception history for these three works, associations of genre, and the overall expectations of 19th-century concert goers, this paper will argue that the perceived musical inaccessibility of Brahms’s music was rooted in the often dark and complex expressivity, stemming from musical narratives that deviate from traditional triumphant archetypes. Additionally, in inverting the symphonic narrative, as he does in the Fourth Symphony, Brahms effectively reinvents the sublime in its application to music, navigating away from delight and idealism and into the realm of stark realism.
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The Perceived Inaccessibility of Brahms's Developing Variation
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