Date of Award

5-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

Music

First Advisor

Sophie Benn

Second Advisor

Nicholas Johnson

Third Advisor

Richard Auldon Clark

Abstract

Despite a negative opinion of the viola held by musicians and audiences alike in the nineteenth century, Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) wrote orchestral, chamber, and solo pieces that highlight the viola. We can trace an affinity for this black sheep of the string instrument family beginning with his Serenade No. 2 in 1859—which uses the viola as the primary melodic voice—and extending through his Clarinet Sonatas in 1894, which Brahms also authorized for viola performance.

Throughout his life, Brahms was close with several violists, three of whom inspired Brahms to write substantial music for the viola. Joseph Joachim (1831–1907), a famous nineteenth-century violinist and violist, had a long, influential friendship with Brahms. Theodor Billroth (1829–1894), a surgeon and amateur violist, hosted salons and engaged in philosophical conversations with Brahms. Alwin von Beckerath (1849–1936), another talented violist, was close with Brahms when he wrote his late viola works. I argue that Joachim, Billroth, and von Beckerath influenced Brahms to treat the viola with unprecedented respect by engaging with him in conversations about the viola and string music and by providing unique communities in which to experience chamber music. This thesis investigates how their communities impacted Brahms’s viola writing within the context of nineteenth-century Austro-German musical culture.

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