'I have heard the string quartets several times this winter,' writes Billroth in January, 1875. When we played them in Carlsruhe as pianoforte duets, we took all the tempi much too fast. Brahms desires very moderate tempi throughout, as otherwise, owing to the frequent harmonic changes, the music cannot become clear.... Beethoven, Schumann, Wagner, Brahms, in their riper works of the last period, all have a preference for the andante tempo.
'If you should infer from all I have said that I am much with Brahms, you would be mightily mistaken. I have only seen him twice during the whole winter.... We correspond, however; he is pleased when I write to him about his things.'
The composer was plunged in his own special work, and would allow neither private nor public calls to occupy his attention, though he made an exception in favour of Bernhard Scholz's invitation to pay an artistic visit to Breslau at the close of the year. His doings during the next few months afford but little material to chronicle, and we have to record only the last four Gesellschaft programmes given under his direction, and to lay special stress upon the extraordinary scene of enthusiasm that followed the performance of the German Requiem on February 28, 1875. The rendering of the work on this occasion was one of those, rarely occurring, which seem to hold the audience spellbound by a magnetic sympathy with the music. It brought with it in some mysterious way the sudden flash of revelation. The whole audience, as it were, knew Brahms that day, and most of what was left to be conquered, that was worth conquering, in the musical opinion of Vienna was finally captured. The phenomenal demonstration, joined in by musicians of all schools, Wagnerians not excepted, that occurred on the termination of the great work, noteworthy from its contrast with that earlier one of 1867 which followed the performance of the first three choruses, was the more striking since Wagner had conducted some excerpts from the 'Ring' in the same hall a few days previously, and had been the recipient of a similar ovation.
January 10, 1875:
| 1. Mendelssohn: | Overture to the Opera 'Camacho's Marriage.' | |
| 2. Joachim: | Hungarian Concerto. (Violin, Herr Joachim.) | |
| 3. Brahms: | Rhapsody. (Solo, Frau Joachim.) | |
| 4. Schumann: | Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra. (Herr Joachim.) | |
| 5. J. S. Bach: | Whitsuntide Cantata, 'O ewiges Feuer,' for Soli, Chorus, Orchestra, and Organ. |
February 28:
| 1. J. S. Bach: | Prelude for Organ in E flat, arranged for Orchestra by Bernhard Scholz. | |
| 2. Mozart: | Aria from 'Davidde penitente.' | |
| 3. Brahms: | A German Requiem. |
Good Friday, March 23:
| J. S. Bach: | Passion Music (St. Matthew). |
April 18: