Performers Edition Articles

Amanda Maier (February 19, 1853 - July 15, 1894) was born in the Swedish town of Landskrona, and was quite an accomplished violinist, cellist, organist, and composer. Her initial studies in piano and violin were with her father, and later studied at the Royal School of Music at Stockholm, and was their first female music graduate.  While she was there, she won numerous awards for her instrumental playing and compositions as well. After graduating, she moved on to the Leipzig Conservatory, to study composition with Carl Reinecke, and violin with Engelbert Rontgen. Brahms and Grieg spoke very highly of her compositions, though she stopped composing after she got married, and not many of her works were published in her lifetime. While in Leipzig, however, she continued winning awards, including one for her Violin Sonata in b minor. Continue reading →

Charles Ives isn't exactly an obscure composer, but he has many pieces that aren't heard as often as some of his staples (such as the Concord Sonata, or The Unanswered Question). One piece, or rather, one collection of works that isn't as well known, is his 114 Songs. He privately published it in 1922, as an attempt to get his music out to the wider public. The subjects of his songs are wide and varied such as hymns, protest songs, and satirical songs. Ives wrote some of the texts himself. We'll be looking at two today: "The Cage" and "At the River". Continue reading →

Many people are acquainted with Debussy's La Mer, but not so many with Paul Gilson's work of the same name, composed a decade before Debussy's. Paul Gilson (June 15, 1865 - April 3,1942) was born in Brussels, and was an organist and choir director. At the Brussels Conservatory he studied harmony and counterpoint, and won a Prix de Rome for a cantata he wrote. Continue reading →

Charles-Valentin Alkan (Nov 30 1813 – March 29 1888) was a French-Jewish composer and virtuoso pianist. He’s not exactly a household name when it comes to composers, but nonetheless he produced a vast array of works for piano. In the 1830’s and 40’s, he was known as one of the best pianists in Paris, along with his friends Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. Alkan was a child prodigy, and entered the Conservatoire de Paris at the tender age of 6. His examiners noted his talent in his piano audition, commenting “This child has amazing abilities”. Continue reading →

Upon hearing the name of Paul Dukas, many people immediately think about his delightful composition The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which many know from Disney’s movie Fantasia. Dukas wrote more than that however, and sadly his Symphony in C is oft overlooked. In Dukas’ time (1865 – 1935), French composers weren’t exactly in a rush to write symphonies. They were more known...

The music of Belgian composer Joseph Jongen is often overlooked outside of his works for organ (we looked at a work for viola & piano a few months ago). Jongen’s dramatic style and lush harmonies, however, sound wonderful in his works for other instruments, like his rarely hear Trio for Piano, Violin & Viola ('Prélude, Variations and Finale’), Op. 30 that we look at today, written in 1906-1907. Continue reading →

This week we move to a 20th century composer of Finnish descent. While most would immediately think of Sibelius, we instead are looking at music by Uuno Klami, who was 15 years Sibelius' junior. Klami was most known for his orchestral works, but often preferred a smaller scale work (even in his orchestral music, he wrote many short works rather than working exclusively in large form symphonic forms). Today we look at an early work for piano, his Barcarole, Op. 5. Continue reading →

Albert Dietrich is today known more for his friendship with Johannes Brahms than his work as a composer, however Dietrich had a sizable output of works. While much of that output was in short lieder, today we’ll take a look at his Symphony in D Major, Op. 20, first performed in 1871 and one of a select few orchestra works Dietrich wrote. Continue reading →

British composer Cyril Scott was greatly admired by his contemporary composers, including Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky, yet his music is rarely heard today. Living until 1970, Scott had a prolific output, but today is known mostly for his solo piano work Lotus Land (also arranged for Violin & Piano by Kreisler). Today we take a look at a lesser known work from 1912, his Poems for solo piano. Continue reading →

This week, we take a look at a very simple work with a more unique structure. Paul Wetzger was an accomplished flautist who lived from 1870-1937. While mostly known for his work as a performer, Wetzger did write a few pieces that survive, mostly for flute as one would expect. His work Avant et Retour (Forward and Backwards) is a very simple work that can be played by a duet of treble instruments, be it flutes, oboes, clarinets or violins. Continue reading →