Which earlier composers influenced Johannes Brahms’s musical style?

Johannes Brahms was deeply influenced by a variety of composers, ranging from the masters of the Classical tradition to the polyphonic writers of the distant past.

• Classical Masters: Brahms is often viewed as a protagonist of the Classical tradition established by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. He revered their structural power and symphonic development, seeking to preserve these qualities in his own work.12
• Early Polyphonic School: Brahms was exceptionally well-versed in music of the distant past. He applied lessons learned from the 16th-century polyphonic school to his own compositions, which helped him revitalize his rhythmic language.2
• Baroque Influence: His choral writing combined the solidity of George Frideric Handel with the contrapuntal skill of J.S. Bach. He even utilized a theme from one of Bach’s cantatas in his Symphony No. 4.23
• Romantic and Contemporary Influences: While he maintained a traditionalist approach, his harmonic language was influenced by Robert Schumann and, to some extent, Richard Wagner. Additionally, he was influenced by Franz Schubert and the folk-inspired Roma music he encountered early in his career.24