Brambach was lauded as a performing musician always acclaimed by the masses, devoting himself entirely to work and the private training of young musicians. One of his most important pupils was Max von Schillings who, for some time during his highschool years, was taught by him. Friedrich Nietzsche was asked by Brambach for advice someday whether he should become a musician or a scholar. Brambach, whose works are almost forgotten today, was known primarily as a composer of works for male choir, besides writing numerous songs, among which the melody of the Bergisches Heimatlied resembles his best-known song. Brambach's choral compositions were widely performed at festivals of the time (Leipzig, Munich, Vienna, etc.), sometimes even in the presence of the Prussian imperial family. Brambach musical style corresponds to the post-Mendelssohn era, with a very cantabile mood, which stands out from the majority of his contemporaries. Many admirers among musicians, conductors, the general public, and no less a figure than Hans von Bülow (1830–1894) himself, spoke highly not only of his most recognised work, but also of his piano concerto op. 39. Works Brambach's best works are his cantatas The Eleusinian Festival, A Hymn to Spring, The Power of Prometheus, Lorelei and the choral work Columbus, which acquired recognition in the U.S. where he was awarded a prize. He also wrote the opera Ariadne and several minor pieces, which were very popular in his time. His best instrumental works date from the last third of the 19th century. Among them are: Sextet in C minor op. 5 (for 2 violins, 2 violas, cello and piano) Piano Quartet in E-flat major op. 14 Piano Quartet in A minor op. 43 Violin Sonata in D minor op. 55 Violin Sonata in A minor op. 74 Piano Quartet in G minor op. 110 Notes and references Notes References Josef Niesen: Bonner Personenlexikon, 2nd edition (Bonn: Bouvier Verlag, 2008). External links 1833 births 1902 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century German composers German male classical composers Musicians from Bonn German Romantic composers 19th-century German male musicians