Imagine if you were burdened by having the mantle of Beethoven thrust upon you.
The expectations and the hope of his country for Beethoven's legacy to be carried on were upon Johannes Brahms.
He had been a child prodigy and was a brilliant pianist.
His mentor, Robert Schumann, had proclaimed Brahms "the next great composer," in his music magazine, Neue Zeitschrift für Musik or New Journal for Music.
The pressure was on, and it took its toll.
It took him, by some accounts, 20 years to complete his first symphony.
On this day: Nov. 4, 1876, Brahms’ “Symphony Number One” had its premiere in Karlsruhe, Germany.
While some critics dubbed it, “Beethoven’s 10th,” celebrated Austrian Music Critic Eduard Hanslick praised it as “One of the most individual and magnificent works of the symphonic literature,” according to Britannica.com.
These days, when people refer to the "Three B's" of classical music, Brahms' name follows Bach and Beethoven.
