Johannes Brahms

Brahms was fond of the outdoors, and frequently went for long walks in the woods.

Stubborn and uncompromising, Brahms was known to be brusque and sarcastic with adults. With children, he showed a softer side, often handing out penny candy to kids he encountered in his neighborhood in Vienna. 

A perfectionist, Brahms often destroyed pieces he deemed unworthy, including most of his early compositions and over 20 string quartets.

Brahms was very close to Robert and Clara Schumann; they considered him part of their family.

Though Brahms never married, he was involved in several romances.

As a youngster, Brahms was an avid reader, fascinated by folk tales, medieval legends, and other fiction. This enthusiasm for literature remained with him throughout his life.

While in his teens, Brahms gave music lessons and played the piano in taverns and local dance halls to help his family financially.

When Brahms was six years old, he created his own method of writing music in order to get the melodies he created on paper.

A shrewd investor, Brahms was successful in the stock market.

Brahms has the most famous beard in all of classical music.

Brahms was the childhood piano teacher of the film composer, Max Steiner.

In his fifties, Brahms decided to retire from composing; however, clearly unable to stop his creativity, he produced some incredible late-period works, especially for the clarinet.

Brahms' stature as a composer is cemented by his inclusion among the "Three B's" -- Bach, Beethoven and Brahms.