Deryk Barker wrote:

>Furtwaengler said something to the effect that Brahms was the first
>great composer who had practically no influence on what came after.

Furtwangler obviously was oblivious to Nielsen.  In almost all the early
and middle works, you will hear echoes of Brahms.  No, Nielsen is so sui
genesis that in his essentials he imitates no particular school.  But
melodic and tonic fragments are all over the place as kinds of dream
elements, free associations.

Brahms was far too romantic in the richness of his melodies and too thick
in his tonalities to be of much use to Nielsen who thundered against the
easy-going, unmuscular ways of his fellow Danes and their music tradition.

I'll bet in the war between the Brahmsians and the Wagnerians, Nielsen
would have sided with the Brahmsians, if he had the time or the interest.

Andrew E. Carlan