Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) was one of the outstanding pianists of his day and, as a composer, the logical heir to Beethoven in the Classical-Romantic style. He is known as a Romantic composer, expressive and rich in harmonic color and texture, but he disliked flamboyance and programmatic gestures in music. Instead, his compositions strove towards ideals of form and inventive construction. Brahms carried on the traditions of the classical composers also, in being a master of all genres, except opera. Like Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, Brahms wrote masterpieces of chamber music, symphonic music, choral works and lieder. Like Mozart, Brahms is known, not as an innovator, but as a consummate composer, one whose music is always superbly crafted, beautiful both in sound and in form.
Most of Brahms’ music is vocal. At several periods in his life, Brahms held the position of conductor for several amateur choruses, which were popular in Europe and the United States at this time. He often wrote for these groups and others like them. Warum ist das Licht… was written for SATB a cappella chorus.
Scott Hartman received his BM and MM degrees from the Eastman School of Music and began his career by joining the Empire Brass Quintet and the Boston University faculty in 1984. As a trombone soloist and with his various chamber ensembles, Scott has taught and played concerts in all fifty United States and throughout the world. Mr. Hartman presently performs and records with Proteus 7, the Millennium Brass, the Brass Band of Battle Creek, the Yale Brass Trio and the trombone quartet – Four of a Kind. Scott heads the trombone departments at Yale University.
More information concerning Mr. Hartman and his present activities is available at his website – www.slushpump.com
