Page "Johannes Brahms" Paragraph 13

After Schumann's death at the sanatorium in 1856, Brahms divided his time between Hamburg, where he formed and conducted a ladies ' choir, and Detmold in the Principality of Lippe, where he was court music-teacher and conductor.

He was the soloist at the premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1859.

He first visited Vienna in 1862, staying there over the winter, and, in 1863, was appointed conductor of the Vienna Singakademie.

Though he resigned the position the following year, and entertained the idea of taking up conducting posts elsewhere, he based himself increasingly in Vienna and soon made his home there.

From 1872 to 1875, he was director of the concerts of the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde ; afterwards, he accepted no formal position.

He declined an honorary doctorate of music from University of Cambridge in 1877, but accepted one from the University of Breslau in 1879, and composed the Academic Festival Overture as a gesture of appreciation.