This Week in Classical Music: November 13, 2023.Transitioning.Not in the sense of Classical Connect’s gender identity, but as a state of mind, which being in Rome largely is.CC is back in the US, but already missing Rome.
Papa Mozart (Leopold) was born this week, in 1719.He was a minor composer and music teacher but is remembered as the father of his genius son, whose career he managed (or exploited, as some would say) for many years.
Johann Nepomuk Hummel was born on November 14th of 1778 in Pressburg (now Bratislava).When he was eight, the family moved to Vienna.Like Mozart, he was a child prodigy: according to his father, he could read music at the age of four, and at the age of five he could play the piano and the violin very well.In 1786, Hummel was offered music lessons by none other than Mozart, who also housed him for two years, all free of charge.Even though Mozart was 22 years older than the boy, they played billiards and spent time together.At the age of nine Hummel performed one of Mozart’s piano concertos.Very much like Leopold Mozart, Hummel’s father took his child on a European tour.They ended up in London and stayed there for four years, Hummel taking lessons from Muzio Clementi.In 1791, Haydn, who knew the young Hummel from his visits to Mozart’s house in Vienna, was also staying in London; he dedicated a piano sonata to the boy, who performed it in public to great success.The French Revolution, the Terror and the subsequent wars changed the Hummels’s plans, and in 1793 they returned to Vienna.There Hummel continued taking music lessons, with Antonio Salieri and Joseph Haydn.One of Haydn’s pupils was Beethoven; the young men became friends.Hummel played at Beethoven’s memorial concert in 1827, and there he met Franz Schubert, who later dedicated his last three piano sonatas (some of the greatest piano music ever written) to Hummel.
In 1804 Hummel succeeded Haydn as the Kapellmeister to Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy in Eisenstadt.He stayed there for seven years, returning to Vienna in 1811.After successfully touring Europe with his singer-wife and working in Stuttgart, Hummel settled in Weimar, being offered the position of the Kapellmeister at the Grand Duke’s court.He arrived there in 1819 and stayed for the rest of his life (Hummel died in 1837), making numerous touring trips in the meantime.He became friends with Goethe and turned the city into a major music center.At the court theater, he staged and conducted new operas by Weber, Rossini, Auber, Meyerbeer, Halévy, and Bellini.He also established one of the first pension plans for retired musicians, sometimes playing benefit concerts to replenish the funds.In 1832, Goethe died, Hummel’s health was failing, and he semi-retired, formally retaining his position of the Kapellmeister.Hummel died five years later.
During his lifetime, Hummel was one of the most celebrated pianists in the world and a very popular composer.He was also an important cultural figure, a music entrepreneur, and a famous, sought-after, and very expensive piano teacher.As a composer, he was a transitional figure between the Classical style and Romanticism.Even though he heavily influenced many composers of his time, Chopin and Schumann among them, nowadays Hummel’s music is mostly forgotten.He wrote operas, sacred music, many orchestral pieces, concertos, chamber music, and of course numerous piano pieces.Very little of it is still performed.Here’s Hummel’s Piano Sonata no. 4, Op.38.It’s played by the Korean pianist Hae-Won Chang.
Transitioning, 2023
This Week in Classical Music: November 13, 2023. Transitioning. Not in the sense of Classical Connect’s gender identity, but as a state of mind, which being in Rome largely is. CC is back in the US, but already missing Rome.
Papa Mozart (Leopold) was born this week, in 1719. He was a minor composer and music teacher but is remembered as the father of his genius son, whose career he managed (or exploited,
as some would say) for many years.
Johann Nepomuk Hummel was born on November 14th of 1778 in Pressburg (now Bratislava). When he was eight, the family moved to Vienna. Like Mozart, he was a child prodigy: according to his father, he could read music at the age of four, and at the age of five he could play the piano and the violin very well. In 1786, Hummel was offered music lessons by none other than Mozart, who also housed him for two years, all free of charge. Even though Mozart was 22 years older than the boy, they played billiards and spent time together. At the age of nine Hummel performed one of Mozart’s piano concertos. Very much like Leopold Mozart, Hummel’s father took his child on a European tour. They ended up in London and stayed there for four years, Hummel taking lessons from Muzio Clementi. In 1791, Haydn, who knew the young Hummel from his visits to Mozart’s house in Vienna, was also staying in London; he dedicated a piano sonata to the boy, who performed it in public to great success. The French Revolution, the Terror and the subsequent wars changed the Hummels’s plans, and in 1793 they returned to Vienna. There Hummel continued taking music lessons, with Antonio Salieri and Joseph Haydn. One of Haydn’s pupils was Beethoven; the young men became friends. Hummel played at Beethoven’s memorial concert in 1827, and there he met Franz Schubert, who later dedicated his last three piano sonatas (some of the greatest piano music ever written) to Hummel.
In 1804 Hummel succeeded Haydn as the Kapellmeister to Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy in Eisenstadt. He stayed there for seven years, returning to Vienna in 1811. After successfully touring Europe with his singer-wife and working in Stuttgart, Hummel settled in Weimar, being offered the position of the Kapellmeister at the Grand Duke’s court. He arrived there in 1819 and stayed for the rest of his life (Hummel died in 1837), making numerous touring trips in the meantime. He became friends with Goethe and turned the city into a major music center. At the court theater, he staged and conducted new operas by Weber, Rossini, Auber, Meyerbeer, Halévy, and Bellini. He also established one of the first pension plans for retired musicians, sometimes playing benefit concerts to replenish the funds. In 1832, Goethe died, Hummel’s health was failing, and he semi-retired, formally retaining his position of the Kapellmeister. Hummel died five years later.
During his lifetime, Hummel was one of the most celebrated pianists in the world and a very popular composer. He was also an important cultural figure, a music entrepreneur, and a famous, sought-after, and very expensive piano teacher. As a composer, he was a transitional figure between the Classical style and Romanticism. Even though he heavily influenced many composers of his time, Chopin and Schumann among them, nowadays Hummel’s music is mostly forgotten. He wrote operas, sacred music, many orchestral pieces, concertos, chamber music, and of course numerous piano pieces. Very little of it is still performed. Here’s Hummel’s Piano Sonata no. 4, Op.38. It’s played by the Korean pianist Hae-Won Chang.