布拉姆斯是一位重視社交生活的音樂家，他渴望得到人性的溫暖，然而卻始終無法下定決心與女性友人走入婚姻。顯然，他明白自己無法承受婚姻的束縛與要求。對現代人而言，布拉姆斯出於自我信念而保持獨身主義的態度，可說是相當「現代」的生活型態。本文將論述布拉姆斯與三位女性友人的感情發展過程與音樂創作之關係，這三位女性友人分別為極富聲樂天份的阿嘉德（Agathe von Siebold, 1835-1909）與赫米娜（Hermine Spies, 1857-1893），以及一生中都與布拉姆斯維持友好關係的鋼琴家克拉拉‧舒曼（Clara Wieck Schumann, 1819-1896）。布拉姆斯在1870 年左右就思考到將器樂作品從之前創作的歌曲主題與旋律樂句發展出單獨樂章，甚至發展成整首作品，特別是其中隱藏著他個人情感因素的創作。除了解除心靈束縛瞬間的作品36 第二號《G 大調弦樂六重奏》外，值得一提的就是哀悼式心境抒發的作品78《雨之歌小提琴奏鳴曲》與柔情式愛戀表達的作品100《A 大調小提琴奏鳴曲》兩首小提琴奏鳴曲。

Brahms was a very socialable composer. He desired warm companionship, but was never married. He wanted to stay single apparently because, after much consideration, he could not live up to the demands of marriage. To the modern perspective, the fact that Brahms decided to remain single through out his life is very “modern”. This thesis will elaborate on the relationships between Brahms' friendships with three female companions and his musical compositions. These three female friends are Agathe von Siebold and Hermine Spies (two very talented singers), and Clara Schumann, a pianist with whom Brahms was very close to all his life. In around 1870, Brahms started to use themes and melodies of songs he had written before in a movement or even an entire work for instrumentalists, which hinted hidden personal emotions. The two works that deserves much observation are his two violin sonatas: op.78 and op.100.