386 Thomas Quigley But in the comments there also seems to be a more plaintive theme at times. This is particularly evident in Brahms’s letters to his stepmother Karoline. It is illustrated by his use of the phrase » Die Reise ist weit « 22 or similar wording, in his letters. I believe Brahms mainly writes this in response to Karoline asking him when he is next coming to Hamburg. This theme also occurs in letters to friends. In a letter to Amalie von Bruch on 1.7.1868, he says: You would not believe how often I think of Vienna. If only the journey there – and each journey back [to Hamburg] – were not so long! – One ought to just stay there.23 Perhaps it wasn’t the means of transport that was an issue for Brahms, but the length of time it took to make the trip? Brahms’s general attitude towards trains and train travel was in step with the society of his time. Trains and the concept of train travel received a positive re-ception, railways were seen as indicators of progress and advancement by the general populace. We see many glowing reports of train travel in the contemporary press. For example, at the time of the opening of the first railroad in Austria in 1837, we have a description of train travel from Franz Carl Wiedmann, as printed in » Wiener Allgemeine Theaterzeitung « . (I believe that the inspiration for this short description was a ride Wiedmann took on this first railroad line):Das Dahingleiten des Zuges auf der schönen weiten Bahn gewährte einen im-posanten Anblick. Jubelgeschrei und freudiger Zuruf erscholl ihm von allen Seiten. Man begrüßte ihn mit Freudenschüssen, Schwenken der Hüte usw. und rings zeigte sich der lebendigste Anteil an der interessanten Fahrt. Die Be -wegung selbst ist für den Fahrenden von der angenehmsten Art. In den beque-men Sitzen ruhend, ohne die geringste Erschütterung, so daß man während der Fahrt bequem lesen kann, gewahrt man die außerordentliche Schnelligkeit nur an dem magischen Vorübergleiten der an der Bahn stehenden Zuschauer, welche wie in einer laterna magica erscheinen und verschwinden.24 22 In English (author transl.): » The journey is far « . Johannes Brahms: Johannes Brahms in seiner Fami -lie. Der Briefwechsel. Mit den Lebensbildern der Hamburger Verwandten, Kurt Stephenson, ed., (= Veröffentlichungen aus der Hamburger Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek 9), Hamburg 1973. The earliest reference is in letters from 4.1869, p. 159; see also letters from 9.1873, p. 208.23 English translation by H.B. Weiner and Bernard Miall, in: Karl Geiringer, in collaboration with Irene Geiringer: Brahms. His Life and Work, [Weiner and Miall, transls.] 3 rd enlarged ed., (= Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series), New York, 1982. p. 102. 24 Wiedemann, quoted in Markus Inderst et al: Österreich mit dem Zug erleben. Informationen, Bahn -routen und die 90 schönsten Bahn-Erlebnisziele, 1. Aufl., München, 2000, p. 10. English translation by the author: » The glide of the train on the beautiful wide track provided a magnificent sight. Cheers and joyful shouts rang on it from all sides. The people welcomed it with joyful committees, swinging hats and so on, and the active part of the travelling was interesting. The movement itself is for the passengers the most pleasant kind. Sitting at rest in comfort, without the slightest vibration so one can conveniently read during the ride, one perceives the extraordinary rapidity [of the train] only by the magical gliding path of the onlookers standing by the train, who appear and disappear like a ma-gic lantern « .