When Brahms's contemporaries heard the Piano Pieces Op. 118 that he had composed during his summer holiday in Ischl in 1893, they were delighted. Clara Schumann was one of the first to be allowed to get to know the new pieces, andshe attested that they contained a wealth of sentiment in the smallest of dimensions. Philipp Spitta fittingly said that the works were perfect for slowly absorbing in solitude and tranquillity.