Bob Chen said:

>You ask for a "good biography of Brahms." I would recommend "Johannes
>Brahms: A Biography," by Jan Swafford (Knopf).  Very readable, lively,
>and more or less straightforward.  He speculates a bit about Brahms' early
>life, but I don't think he veers too far into Maynard Solomon, psychologist
>territory.

I am sorry, but I would have to disagree.  I found the book so
"speculative" that I couldn't finish it.

Peace from he who is stumpf
aka Sisyphus