Schoenberg acknowledged the influence of a variety of composers upon the development of his ideas as expressed through his compositions and teaching. In seeking to define these relationships more closely, his response to Brahms's music is proposed as a subject of particular interest, on grounds both of the extent of his didactic references to Brahms and his claim to have based his early music partly on the study of Brahms. The thesis is advanced that these factors were intimately related, that his response significantly influenced the evolution of his concepts, and the study aims to clarify the nature of this relationship through reference to his didactic treatment of Brahms and the structure of selected early compositions. These aspects are critically discussed in the two central Parts, the former presenting a general outline of Schoenberg's concepts as a necessary basis for an examination of his treatment of Brahms. Three early works provide a focus for the study of his methods, namely: the String Quartet in D major (1897), the String Sextet in D minor (Verkl~rte Nacht) (1899), the String Quartet in D minor (1905). In each Part four areas provide a basis for discussion, namely: Harmonic and Tonal Relationshipss Thematic Processes and Phrase Structure, Contrapuntal Rel ati onshfps, Formal Relationships. Comparative references to the views of other critics of Brahms and to the works of other Brahms - influenced composers serve to place Schoenberg's approach in a broader perspective. The Introduction of the first Part elaborates the background to the study and clarifies its nature and scope, whilst the Conclusions of the fourth Part seek to draw some central themes from the diverse topics discussed and to assess the value of the response for Schoenberg.