Lindsey Orcutt wrote:

>....I've been in love with Brahms' music for a long time...  But it *did*
>take a long while for me to come to appreciate it.

I liked Brahm's music from the very first time I heard his violin concerto
at (about) age 15.  I went on to listen to his 4th and 1st symphonies...
glorious!  His 2nd and 3rd came my way a bit latter, while I was in
college; they made a favorable impression as well.

>My full appreciation for the 4th symphony, my favorite, came after I
>wrote a LONG research paper on it:  I studied and analyzed it in depth,
>especially the finale (the chaconne) and read and read and read about
>Brahms and the set of letters from him to Clara Schumann (a fascinating
>read, if you haven't had a chance to read them!).

Having been a music major, I did some analysis of Brahms' works (I forget
which ones) but I loved his stuff way before any sort of analysis.

>It occurs to me that liking, or loving, Brahms may have something to do
>with one's appreciation or love of Bach.  A former boyfriend of mine once
>said he thought Brahms too "bombastic" and he could never really get into
>Brahms' works.  Incidentally, he wasn't a really big fan of Bach, either.
>I adore them both.  Anyone else had this experience?

I like Bach as well.  I did not like Mozart (except for his most important
symphonies, violin concertos, and a few piano concertos, everything sounded
so "same-old-same-old to me").  Haydn fared even worse, as I only liked a
couple of his symphonies.  And, to me it was Tchaikovsky's music that was
'bombastic' - I hated that in music.  Now at age 52, I am waaaay wiser (I
hope) and have come to appreciate all of the above.

GCC