' Brahms '
Dame ETHEL SMYTH , D.B.E.
In 1877 Dame Ethel Smyth studied for a short time at the Leipzig Conservatorium and then privately with Heinrich von Herzogenburg, a friend of Brahms. The nrst time Dame Ethel met the great composer himself was in t878 when Brahms came to Leipzig to conduct his new D major Symphony. Although a great admirer of Brahms the composer, Dame Ethel was not a blind worshipper of Brahms the man. Up to a certain point it was a c)ash of two strong personalties, particularly as regards their attitude towards women. On the one hand, there was Brahms who had tittte time for women except in their proper sphere (according to the nineteenth century idea), while on the other, there was Dame Ethel with her pronounced feminist views. Dame Ethel has already written much about her recollections of Brahms, and this talk should prove another valuable and lively contribution to our knowledge of the great composer's personality.