It seems that I have a connection with composers who have left their mark on history but are still minor.
While I was sorting through a pile of sheet music at home, I came across Trio in G op.1786 by Friedrich Kuhlau (September 9, 11 - March 1832, 3).
When we think of Kuhlau, the first thing that comes to mind isSonatine AlbumThe opening piece is Kuhlau's "Sonatine No. 20 in C major, Op. 1-XNUMX," so it's very familiar to those who have played the piano. I think it gives a strong negative impression of a composer who writes boring pieces with the Alberti bass notes Do-So-Mi-So-Do-So-Mi-So repeated in I-IV-VI. If you have a childish mind that thinks "Ah...", it's hard to like it. That was the case for me too.
Kuhlau wrote many pieces for the flute, for example:
- Grande Sonate Concertante in A Minor Op. 35
- Grande Sonata Brillante in E flat Major, Op.64,
- Flute Sonata in F Major Op.79
- Flute Sonata Op. 83 No. 1-3
- Duo for flute and piano Op. 110 No.1-3
He left behind many flute pieces, such as:
Apparently, he is sometimes called the "Beethoven of the flute" because his style is similar to Beethoven's. But even so, it's still a bit monotonous... There are many times when I wonder why he repeats a phrase or why he doesn't change the harmony.
However, in the year he died at the age of 46, he wrote his last flute piece, "Trio in G major, Op. 119," and somehow, this piece turned out to be quite good.1Of the ones on YouTube, this one is probably a good performance...
Boris Bizjak, Marko Zupan, Yoko Misumi
Another performance I like is by the leading performer of Kuhlau's flute music,Performed by Toke Ron Christiansen and William BennettToke Ron Christiansen is a flutist of the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, who was the first person in the world to record all of Kuhlau's flute works. The tempo of the above Bizjak/Zupan/Misumi is much slower, which is different from my preference for fast music, but I like it because it shows another side of this piece.
What is it?
"song".
This performance sounds like a soprano and tenor/alto duet in an opera. I wondered if Kuhlau was good at opera, and when I looked it up, I was right.
The Life of Kuhlau
Kuhlau was born in 1786 in Uelzen, near Hamburg in northern Germany.2His father was an oboist in the military band, which meant that his job required frequent transfers. When he was seven years old, the family moved to Lüneburg, where the young Friedrich slipped on ice that winter and injured his right eye, leaving him blind. After graduating from the gymnasium in Brunswick at the age of 14, he showed extraordinary musical talent and began studying composition under Christian Friedrich Gottlieb Schwenke, who in 1788 succeeded CPE Bach as music director in Hamburg.
For the next few years, Kuhlau composed songs and chamber music, but in 1804 he began to appear frequently as a concert pianist. From this time until his death, he continued to compose piano and flute pieces to earn a living. Since he composed many flute pieces, there was a time when he was thought to have played the flute himself, although in fact he could not play the flute.
In 1810, Kuhlau emigrated to Denmark to avoid conscription during the Napoleonic campaign. By this time, he had completed his Piano Concerto in C major, Op. 7, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1812, though without salary.3He was appointed as a musician at the Danish court and supported himself at this time by playing the piano and teaching musical instruments.
Kuhlau respected Beethoven, and his piano pieces are strongly influenced by him. For example, his Piano Concerto in C major, Op. 7, is a copy of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 15 in C major, Op. 1, written 15 years earlier.4It is a pastiche of "Beethoven's work". Besides that, it seems that most of Beethoven's music was introduced to Denmark through Kuhlau.5.
His breakthrough came two years later, when he became an unpaid court musician with the singing spiel Røverborgen (2).6In 1816 he became a well-paid singing teacher at the Royal Theater, and in 1817 he left the position to become a court musician, a position he was often asked to compose for. Around this time, Kuhlau began to compose a series of operas and song plays (Singspiel), including "The Magic Harp (Trylleharpen)" (1817), "Elisa (Elisa)" (1820), "Lulu (Lulu)" (1824), and "Hugo og Adelheid" (1827).7And in 18288In 1828, he created the first Danish national romantic music with his singing piece "The Elf Hills" (XNUMX), ushering in the golden age of Danish music.9After that, he wrote "Trillingbrodrene fra Damask" (1830) and other works. So he was not the man who wrote the sonatinas.
When I listen to Kuhlau's flute pieces again from this perspective, I find that many of them would be better played as songs rather than as instrumental pieces. When he wrote the flute pieces, he may have had Singspiel playing in his mind. If I were to reconstruct the music with the image of a song in mind, perhaps some of them would turn out better than the performances available today.
Kuhlau reached his peak in 1828, but after that, tragedies continued to happen. His parents died in 1830, and the following year his house burned down and most of his manuscripts were lost. This caused Kuhlau to develop lung problems, and he died at the young age of 1832 in 46. The Trio in G major, Op. 119, was his penultimate work.
Kuhlau's posthumous work "String Quartet in A minor, Op. 122" (1832)
His last work was "String Quartet in A minor, Op. 122" (1832). It starts with a dark introduction (Andante Sostenuto) that seems to foresee his death, followed by an intense first theme (Allegro assai poco agitato) that can be interpreted as anger, regret, sadness, or impatience. After the theme is developed, the second theme, which has a melody reminiscent of Scandinavian folk songs, appears in a violin duet (in C major), reminiscing about happy days. After a short development section, the piece enters the recapitulation. At this time, the second theme appears in A major. The second movement (Andante con espressione) is a very operatic piece. It's fun to break it down in your mind into the orchestral and vocal parts. The third movement (Scherzo: Allegro assai) is a ternary form piece with a first part that intertwines two themes contrapuntally, and a trio in which the second violin, viola, and cello support the first violin's simple and clear melody with a lute-like accompaniment made by pizzicato. The fourth movement (Finale: Allegro molto) is in extended sonata form. One would think it would start in A minor, but it starts surprisingly with a chorale in A major. Is it a Danish folk song? After that, the rhythmic first theme is presented, which is like an opera overture, and after a slight development, the second theme's "song" appears on the violin, which is followed by the rhythm of the first theme, and the thematic development ends. In the development section, the chorale motive and the first theme motive are repeated, and then a fugue with the chorale motive as its theme develops. The recapitulation begins with a chorale, and both the first and second themes appear in A major, ending with a brilliant coda.
The performance we recommend is by the eSBe String Quartet.
He is definitely a romantic. Since he was friends with Beethoven, one might think of him as a classical composer, but Beethoven was also classified as a romantic in his later years.
The musical background of the time - other masterpieces written around 1831
To understand the musical situation around 1831, it is useful to know what kind of music was being written at the time. Here, we will end by introducing two of the most famous pieces.
The first one is Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1830 (XNUMX). The final movement uses the rhythm of Polish folk dance, giving a sense of national romanticism. It is performed by Krystian Zimerman. In Nodame Cantabile, Nodame plays "Unusual Chopin" at an extremely slow pace, and the performance makes you wonder if this was the inspiration behind it. In most performances before this, the orchestra simply accompanied, but in this performance, the nuances are engraved in great detail, making you think, "Ah, this is what Chopin intended." The beauty of the piano is unparalleled. It is truly a revolutionary performance.
The other is Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (1830), a piece that revolutionized orchestration.
The Orchestra philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Myung-Whun Chung (2013)
footnote
- Analysis will be done separately.
- The following is from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/friedrich-kuhlau-mn0002285780/biography.
- 1813年に国家が破産したため給料が支払われなかったとの説あり。 http://www.hmv.co.jp/artist_%E5%BC%A6%E6%A5%BD%E5%9B%9B%E9%87%8D%E5%A5%8F%E6%9B%B2%E9%9B%86_000000000222284/item_Scandinavian-String-Quartet-kuhlau-Berwald-Grieg-Sibelius-Copenhagen-q_1818368
- Although it is called No. 1, it was composed after No. 2, so it is actually the second concerto.
- In fact, Kuhlau visited Vienna in 1821 (for four months) and in 1825, and became friends with Beethoven.
- Around this time his sister and parents also immigrated to Denmark and he had to look after all of them.
- Other than Lulu, it seems that the rest of the shows were not very successful.
- That same year he was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus and began receiving a substantial pension.
- So I listened to it a bit, but hmm. It seems that they use Danish and Swedish folk songs well, so if you know those, it might be different.