Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Johannes Brahms was a well-known composer.

  • George Bernard Shaw became famous as a playwright.

  • Both men were known to be quite witty.

  • There are many anecdotes about their wit.

  • Here are a couple.

  • A successful wine critic invited Brahms to dinner.

  • In his guest’s honor,

  • the critic opened one of his best bottles of wine,

  • calling itthe Brahms of my wine collection.”

  • He gave a glass to Brahms,

  • who carefully examined it by smelling it and holding it up to the light.

  • The composer tasted it and put the glass down without a word.

  • How do you like the wine?”

  • asked the host with a hopeful look on his face.

  • Brahms thought for a moment and said,

  • Why don’t you open a bottle of your Beethoven?”

  • George Bernard Shaw was at a musical party,

  • where his hostess asked him his thoughts about the violinist.

  • Shaw said the man reminded him of Paderewski

  • Paderewski isn’t a violinist,” pointed out the hostess.

  • And this gentleman isn’t either,” replied Shaw.

Johannes Brahms was a well-known composer.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it