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Clara continued to watch over this ‘Johannes come fromwho knows where’,
though in truth it was as much the younger man who watched over her in
those sad years of Schumann’s confinement, which came to an end on 29
July 1856. They were also studious years, during which Bach and Palestrina
too stood watch over Brahms’s desk and contributed new insights to his
variation technique.
On this subject, Brahms had much to say in his correspondence, observing
that modern composers rarely chose suitable themes that allowed for
interesting development from the point of view of both instrumental
technique and musical thought. He was particularly insistent that it
was indispensable to choose a theme with a solid bass: ‘The bass is more
important than the melody’, he told Gustav Jenner. For him, the bass was
the true guide, allowing composers to control their imagination.
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GEOFFROY COUTEAU