| 1. Schubert: | Overture to Fierrebras. | |
| 2. Schubert: | Aria for Tenor (written in 1821 for introduction into Herold's Opera 'Zauberglöcken' at the Kärnthnerthor Theater, Vienna; unpublished). Herr Gustav Walter. | |
| 3. Volkmann: | Concertstück for Pianoforte and Orchestra. Pianoforte, Herr Smetansky. | |
| 4. (a) Joh. Rud. Ahle (1662) (b) J. S. Bach | } | Unaccompanied Choruses. |
| 5. Bach: | Cantata, 'Nun ist das Heil,' for double Chorus, Orchestra and Organ. | |
| 6. Jac. Gallus: | Unaccompanied Chorus, 'Ecce Quomodo.' | |
| 7. Beethoven: | Choral Fantasia for Pianoforte (Smetansky), Orchestra, and Chorus. |
The publications of the year, all issued in the autumn, were, in addition to the String Quartets, the version for two Pianofortes of the Haydn Variations (Op. 56b), by Simrock, and a set of eight Songs (Op. 59), by Rieter-Biedermann. Of these, four are set to texts by Claus Groth, which include 'Rain-songs' and the lovely 'Dein blaues Auge hält so still.' The Variations for Orchestra were published by Simrock in 1874.
Brahms was at this time quite immersed in his various kinds of work.
'I am so enormously occupied that I see my best friends only very rarely and by accident,' he wrote in December to the present author.
It had now become his custom to decline invitations for the Christmas festival, and to spend it, partly at the open-air Christmas market, where he made himself happy by purchasing gifts for the poor children whom he found crowding round the tempting wares, and partly at home, where he would look in for half an hour at the family party gathered in front of his landlady's Christmas-tree; no doubt contributing his share to the surprises of Christmas Eve, the 'sacred evening' when, throughout the length and breadth of Germany and Austria, innumerable trees are lighted up at about the same hour, and the great exchange takes place of presents to which, in many cases, the preparation and savings of a year have been consecrated. A New Year's present of a special kind received by Brahms this winter was the Maximilian Order for Art and Science conferred on him by King Ludwig II. of Bavaria.
The year 1874 was unusually full of movement and varied excitement for our composer. From January onwards he was besieged with invitations, many of which he accepted, to conduct his works at concerts and festivals in North Germany, the Rhine, Switzerland, and was obliged to reply in the negative to Dietrich's request, received in the beginning of spring, that he would include Oldenburg in his arrangements.
'Dear Friend,
'I am more than sorry, but you are too late! I have already promised so much, and shall not be coming to your neighbourhood!
'If you had written earlier I could have arranged with Hanover, Bremen, etc., for, seriously, I should be too glad to go to you again....'
The third Gesellschaft concert of the season (1873-74) took place on January 25. That the performances under Brahms would be above criticism had become by this time almost a foregone conclusion, and, beyond recording the great success achieved by Goldmark's 'Hymn of Spring,' it is only necessary to give the programme of the occasion: