Einstein, Brahms, and Exoplanets

What do Albert Einstein, Johannes Brahms, and exoplanets have in common?  They are all great courses provided by The Great Courses.

Call me old fashioned, but I love a great lecture presented by an expert in the field.  What a wonderful way to get introduced to a new subject, or refamiliarize yourself with an old subject, or deepen your knowledge about a subject with which you are already familiar.

I recently finished watching the magnificent course “Albert Einstein: Physicist, Philosopher, Humanitarian” by Don Howard, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, former Director of Notre Dame’s Graduate Program in History and Philosophy of Science, and a Fellow of the University of Notre Dame’s Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values.

I have taken an interest in Einstein since I first encountered relativity in my early teens, and of course being a physics major in college I became much more familiar with Einstein’s remarkable scientific contributions.  But this course surprised and delighted me with many details about Einstein himself.  Howard obviously has a much deeper understanding of Einstein the person than most physicists do, and his enthusiasm for his subject comes through in every lecture.  I doubt you will find a more thorough treatment of Einstein anywhere short of reading a biography.  Recommended!

As luck would have it, while I was nearing the end of this course, Time came out with an updated reissue of its special edition, “Albert Einstein: The Enduring Legacy of a Modern Genius”.  Great photographs, great text.  Well worth every penny!


Robert Greenberg is music historian-in-residence with San Francisco Performances and has produced a lot of high-quality music courses for The Great Courses.  I am in the process of watching all of them (yes, really, they’re that good!).  Recently, I finished his course on Johannes Brahms, who is probably my all-time favorite composer.

The music of Brahms is well known by many, but how much do you know about Johannes Brahms the person, and the events of his life?  This course is the perfect introduction to those subjects, as well as his extraordinary compositions.

It is amazing to me that no one has yet made a feature-length film about the life of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).  A historically accurate dramatic portrayal could easily become one of the most significant musical film biographies ever made.  Brahms was one of the greatest composers who ever lived, and he had an interesting life—there is much material to draw upon for the making of this movie.  Greenberg’s course is a great place to begin, and I would also recommend the definitive biography, “Brahms: His Life and Work” by Karl Geiringer.


You’ve just got to love The Great Courses.  This is what television could have been.  PBS is the only thing that even comes close.  I recently completed “The Search for Exoplanets: What Astronomers Know” presented by Joshua Winn, now Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University.  Not since Carl Sagan or Neil deGrasse Tyson have I been this excited about an astronomy presenter.  Josh Winn presents his exoplanets course with enthusiasm, precision, and a delivery that really draws you in to the subject.  I hope we see much more of him in the future.

2 thoughts on “Einstein, Brahms, and Exoplanets”

  1. Regarding my comment in the article that regrettably no one has yet made a feature-length film on the life of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), I did enjoy watching “Song of Love” last night, a 1947 film about Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896), Robert Schumann (1810-1856), and Johannes Brahms. It stars the incomparable Katherine Hepburn (1907-2003) as Clara Schumann. Granted, the film takes some liberties with historical details but it is a compelling, tragic, and heartwarming story nonetheless. If you have any interest in classical music, I highly recommend you avail yourself of this little-known film. It is not currently available through Netflix nor Amazon streaming, but you can purchase the DVD through Amazon at a bargain price:

    https://www.amazon.com/Song-Love-Katharine-Hepburn/dp/B0042ZEEI8

  2. “It is amazing to me that no one has yet made a feature-length film about the life of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). A historically accurate dramatic portrayal could easily become one of the most significant musical film biographies ever made. Brahms was one of the greatest composers who ever lived, and he had an interesting life—there is much material to draw upon for the making of this movie.”

    Anyone contemplating making the first-ever feature-length film (or documentary) about the life and music of Johannes Brahms, you simply must use the book Brahms and His World: A Biographical Dictionary by Peter Clive (2006) as a resource.

    And, anyone in the Tucson area who might eventually be involved in such a project would be well-advised to attend my course this summer Music for Listeners: Johannes Brahms.

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