Monday, April 14, 2014
Karl Loewe - His Music and His Life
The German Karl Loewe was born in Loebejuen near Halle on November 30, 1796 as 12th child of a simple school teacher.
Loewe was able to study because of King Jerome's generous scholarship. In Stettin, Loewe became musical director. In this position, he was at work for 46 (!) years.
Loewe composed chamber music and five operas. "The Three Wishes" premiered in Berlin in 1834. Loewe's oratorios are popular until today - "Jerusalem's Destruction" (1829), "Hiob" (1848) or "Lazarus' Wake" (1863).
Among 150 compositions, Karl Loewe's ballads rmained as incredible and convincing performances, i.e. "Die Glocken von Speyer" (The Bells from Speyer), "Mr. Oluf" or "The Fall into a Ruin Mill".
Loewe passed away in Kiel on April 20, 1869.
Albert Lortzing - His Music and His Life
The German Albert Lortzing was born in Berlin on October 23, 1801. His father was a leather goods tader and amateurish actor. Lortzing didn't receive any sufficient musical education. "Learning by doing" at theatres in Breslau and Aachen / Germany or the French Strasbourg made Lortzing's incredible education.
In 1824, his first (untitled!) opera premiered in Cologne. His oratorio "The Ascension of Christ" was heard in Muenster/Germany in 1828. Nine years later, Lortzing's successful opera "Zar und Zimmermann" ("Czar and Carpenter") followed. It became also his most famous composition.
"Der Wildschuetz" ("The Deerhunter") from 1842, un fortunately never became such popular as the romantic opera "Undine" from 1845.
Albert Lortzing passed away also in Berlin on January 21, 1851. His tragically end in poverty, loneliness and illness is really an inglorious part of Berlin's music history.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Erich Wolfgang Korngold - His Music and His Life
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was born in Pruenn, former Czechoslovakia, on May 29, 1897. His father, who lived from 1860-1945, was one of the most popular critics in Vienna and wrote especially for the well-known "Neue Freie Press Wien" (New Free Presse Vienna).
At the age of of 11, Korngold started to compose the music for the mime stage play "The Snowman" (1908). Classic music radio stations, for example in Germany, still enjoy playing Korngold's "Tragedy Overture" (1911) or the overture to "Viel Laerm um Nichts" (Much ado about no nothing - Shakespeare).
1920, Korngold reached his careerHamH's pinnacle with his opera "The Death City" in Hamburg.
But even that, Korngold never became an original music inventor. 1938, he went to Hollywood, where he passed away.
Zoltan Kodaly - His Music and His Life
The Hungarian Zoltan Kodaly was born in Kecskemet on December 16, 1882. Kodaly's way of living was very similar to his best friend Bela Bartok. Together with Bartok, Kodaly collected folksongs in Hungary, the whole Balkan and North Africa.
Kodal's biography shows an incredible career: Professor for music theory, vice conductor, music critic and writer for several local and international publications as well as university editor... .
His most popular compositions have been "Psalmus Hungaricus" (1923), "Dances from Galanta" (1931), the symphonic play "The Spinning Room" (1932) or the hymn praise song ""The Budapest Tedeum" (1936). - His last work was a beautiful symphony, which premiered in 1962 with Kodaly's student Ferenc Fricsay (1924-1963).
Zoltan Kodaly passed away in 1972.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Joseph Lanner - His Music and His Life
The Austrian Joseph Lanner, Godfather of Waltz, was born in Vienna on April 12, 1801. As a self-educated person, Lanner joined a string quintet together with viola player Johann Strauss, Kind of Waltz ("Blue Danube" and many more).
Langer enlarged this quintet formation gradually up to a wellknown orchestra.
Lanner started to compose dances - all-in-all 200 (!) waltzes! Beethoven and Schubert also used this composition format already in their so-called German dances.
In Lanner's waltzes swing the cozy sound of Vienna's conventional life.
Joseph Lanner passed away in Oberdoebling nearby Vienna on April 14, 1843.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Joseph Joachim - His Music and His Life
Joseph Joachim was born June 28, 1831 in Kittsee nearby Pressburg (Slovak capital Bratislava) and attracted publicity as child prodigy at the age of 7.
The friendship with Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) supported Joachim's inspiration. In 1844, Joachim toured London. In 1849, he became Concert Master in Weimar, Germany, where he also met the genius Franz Liszt.
In 1866, Joachim became Director of the new "Hochschule fuer Musik" (University of Music) in Berlin. Among the more than 400 students have been Henri Petri, Jenoe Hubay and Karl Klinger - all blessed and popular composers and music creators.
The "Joachim String Quartet" was among the most popular quartets during that time. Joachim's violin play has been described as "blooming sound with godly stylistic purity".
Joachim composed three violin concertos, the "Hungarian Tunes" and overtures for classical poetries such as "Hamlet" or "Demetrius". His cadenzas of violin compositions by Mozart, Viotti or Beethoven are still performed nowadays.
Joseph Joachim passed away in Berlin on August 15, 1907.
Niccolo Isouard - His Music and His Life
Niccolo Isouard was born December 6, 1775 on the Island of Malta. Billet de Loterie
Who do I like to feature this almost unknown composer? It's very easy to explain: Niccolo Isouard has been one of the history writers of the so-called "Opera Comique". His challenger Francois Adrien Boildieu inspired Isouard to compose more than 50 operas. Nevertheless, critics described them as "fear winged his steps". Well, I am in another opinion.
1802, "Michel Ange" came out; 1810 premiered "Cendrillon", "Aschenbroedel" ("Cinderella") and "Le Billet de Loterie" ("The Lottery Ticket").
Niccolo Isouard passed away in France on March 23, 1818.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy - His Music and His Life
The German Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy was born in Hamburg on February 3,1809. His grandfather Moses Mendelsohn (1729-1786) was a great German philosopher. Felix's father, the banker Abraham Mendelsohn, added his brother-in-law's family name, Bartholdy. A very rich family clan made a many-sided and all-round music education possible, including studies with Ludwig Berger, an art historian and director, and Karl-Friedrich Zelter, a musician and composer.
In 1818, Mendelsohn-Bartholdy, at the age of 9, performed already as a great piano virtuoso. In 1820, he premiered his first two youth operas "Soldier's Love" and "The Two Educationalists". After meeting the great Luigi Cherubini in 1826, Mendelsohn-Bartholdy composed the overture to Shakespeare's "One Summer Night's Dream", which became his real highlight. The other compositions of this stage play have been finished 15 years later.
In 1827, the one and only opera "Camacho's Wedding came out - and flopped.
Mendelsohn-Bartholdy loved traveling. We can notice it very well while listening i.e. the "Hebrides Overture" (Scotland) or the "Italian Symphony". During that time, his "Songs without Words" came into being: Piano pieces, sometimes arranged for violine and viola, which was the ideal house music for people in the 19th century.
Chamber music compositions ("Fine Art Quartets") and two incredible piano concerts in g-minor and d-minor, the "Scottish Symphony", the "Reformation Symphony" and the dramatic tuneful violin concert in e-minor are brilliant achievements of one of the most outstanding German classical composers.
Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy passed away in Leipzig on November 4, 1847.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Ludwig Spohr - His Music and His Life
The German Ludwig Spohr was born in Braunschweig on April 5, 1784. Many times, Spohr appeared with the French version of hirst name as Louis.
Spohr's parents were great musicians: his father, a doctor, played the flute while his mother enjoyed the piano play and sung. Spohr studied violine play and joined the Duchess Band Braunschwweig already at the age of 15.
During a period of 20 years, he was fulfilled with anthusiasm while residing in Leipzig. He loved travelling with his wife, who was a blessed harpist. After 25 years in Kassel, Spohr became General Music Director.
Among more or less 150 compositions, we can find ten operas. Very much impressing had been "Faust" (1816) and "Jessonda" (1823) - typical romantic operas. Fire and chivalrous emotions together with lyrical tenderness and conventialism characterized Spohr's compositions.
Nevertheless, Spohr remainded powwerless and feeble. He wasn't able to reach composers like Mozart, Wagner or Brahms. His symphonies are forgotten: only the 4th "Sounds Solemnity" can be listened from time to time in concert houses or classic music radio stations.
Spohr passed away in Kassel on October 22, 1859.
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