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THE LIFE |
TO
THE MANY KIND FRIENDS
WHOSE SYMPATHY
HAS HELPED ME DURING THE WRITING OF THESE VOLUMES,
THEY ARE GRATEFULLY DEDICATED
PREFACE
The biographical materials from which I have written thefollowing Life of Brahms have, excepting in the few instancesindicated in footnotes, been gathered by me, at first hand,chiefly in the course of several Continental journeys, thefirst of which was undertaken in the summer of 1902.Dates of concerts throughout the volumes have beenauthenticated by reference to original programmes or contemporaryjournals.
My aim in giving some account of Brahms' compositionshas not been a technical one. So far as I have exceededpurely biographical limits my object has been to assist thegeneral music-lover in his enjoyment of the noble achievementsof a beautiful life.
I feel it impossible to ignore numerous requests made to meto include in my book some particulars of my own acquaintancewith Brahms—begun when I was a young student ofthe pianoforte. I have not wished, however, to interruptthe main narrative of the Life by the introduction of slightpersonal details, and therefore place together in an introductorychapter some of my recollections and impressions,published a few years ago in the Musical Magazine. Thesewere verified by reference to letters to my mother in whichI recorded events as they occurred. Written before thecommencement of the Biography, they are in no wayessential to its completeness, whi