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Postscript
All things must end. Thus endeth Obscure Composers 3.
The 90 composers profiled here now remain “friends” of yours and mine forever, as do those earlier surveyed in Obscure Composers 2 (100), and Obscure Composers 1 (80, plus 65, total 145), plus those composers covered in Death in classical music: making friends with the unfriendly (90).
Not to mention the original “obscure composer,” J.S. Bach, who was the subject of our book Bach and Heaven: The Promise of Afterlife in the Text of the Cantatas.
All totaled: 425. Perhaps you, like me, feel like you know each one, not personally, per se, of course, but from the best that they were: their work.
We have seen that fame is fleeting, obscurity awaits (almost) everyone. And the meaning of life, for the fortunate, is to press on in spite of it all, and find one’s meaning and satisfaction in the work that one does.
Composers, to compose, to keep building ladders and bridges to the spiritual world from this material world.
If you have read any single volume in the three-book set, thank you. If been motivated to take the entire trip, volumes 1 through 3, thank you all the more. I think that you, like me, believe the search for obscure masterpieces, and the fascinating stories that go with them, is a worthwhile pursuit for its own sake, and one that never ends.
We will take a quotation here from a most un-obscure composer, Gioachino Rossini, when asked about why he retired from opera after writing 40, by the tender age of 37: “I decided that I had something better to do, which was to remain silent.”
Foolish consistency being merely the hobgoblin of little minds, (do I contradict myself? Very well then....) Rossini did compose, later on, and so, too, we will keep listening, and researching, wondering and marveling at this peculiarly compelling and human business of composing music. We think you will, too.
Good listening to you, and good research.
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And so I did. Keep listening and research, that is.
Remarkably enough, I found what I consider to be the greatest overlooked Cello Concerto ever written, one that can stand alongside those by Haydn, Schumann, Dvorak, and Elgar by a name that almost no one knows.
Me included. He is not profiled in Obscure Composers 1, 2 or 3. Quelle omission! I stumbled across him recently in a piano concerto anthology. Compelling work, yes, his Konzertstuck in C Minor for Piano and Orchestra, as is his other orchestral works, and add to that a set of rhythmically-vital string quartets, among his 76 opus-numbered works, plus more that are unnumbered. But it is his Cello Concerto, A minor, Op. 33, that is absolutely remarkable for its power of expression, thoroughly romantische, with an emotive range of utmost tenderness to shocking bombast. Wonderful transparent writing, and unstinting employment of percussion. Taken all together, a tour de force that must be heard.
(We would maintain, by the way, that the greatest violin concerto, is similarly neglected. This would be the Schumann. We wrote extensively on it, and its backstory in Obscure Composers 3. Schumann is anything but an obscure composer we hasten to add, but couldn't resist exploring the related theme of "obscure work" by famous composer, especially this one. It holds an incredible, almost unbelievable story. But we digress.....)
The name: Friedrich Robert Volkmann. In the Obscure Composers Index he ranks 1,601 of 30,000, with 18 recordings.
Interestingly, he was a "lieber Freund" ("dear friend") of Brahms. Liszt was a fan of his piano trio, played it across Europe.
Wikipedia says of this unknown genius: Friedrich Robert Volkmann, (Hungarian: Volkmann Róbert), (6 April 1815, Lommatzsch bei Meißen – 30 October 1883, Budapest) was a German composer.
When he finished his studies, he began working as voice teacher at a music school in Prague. He did not stay there long, and in 1841 he moved to Budapest,[3] where he was employed as a piano teacher and a reporter for the Allgemeine Wiener Musik-Zeitung.
After a short period of freelance work, he became the choirmaster and organist of a Reform synagogue in 1848.[4] He composed in virtual obscurity until 1852, when his Piano Trio in B-flat minor caught the ears of Franz Liszt and Hans von Bülow, who proceeded to play it several times all over Europe. In 1854 Volkmann moved to Vienna, only to return to Budapest in 1858.
Thanks to the publisher Gustav Heckenast, who in 1857 bought the rights to publish all Volkmann's works in exchange for regular income regardless of sales, Volkmann was able to fully dedicate himself to composition, until Heckenast closed down his Budapest publishing house in the early 1870s.
While visiting Vienna in 1864, Volkmann became acquainted with Johannes Brahms, and they became close friends. In letters they addressed each other as "lieber Freund" ("dear friend").
From the 1870s Volkmann slowed down and composed very little. From 1875 until his death, he was professor of harmony and counterpoint at Budapest's National Academy of Music, where Liszt was the director. Volkmann died in Budapest on 30 October 1883.
References
1 Wikisource-logo.svg Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Volkmann, Robert" . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
2 David Ewen, "Robert Volkmann" Composers of Yesterday. New York: H. W. Wilson Company (1937): 452. "He was, however, not intended for music but for pedagogy."
3 Viktor von Herzfeld, "Robert Volkman" The Musical Quarterly 1 3 (1915): 336 - 349
4 Austrian Music Dictionary (German)
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Perhaps the piano concerto of Moritz Moszkowski cannot similarly place among the top 3 or 5 or 10 ever written, where we would nominate the Volkmann Cello Concerto for consideration, but we would ask who has written a more striking or evocative Andante (2nd movement)? We recommend the work to you.
Here is our chapter on this little known giant of the keyboard from Obscure Composers 2, and his tragic end:
44. Moszkowski, Moritz (1854-1925)
August 23, 1854, Wroclaw, Poland - March 4, 1925, Paris, age 70;
The Obscure Composers Index™: 201
After Chopin, Moszkowski best understands how to write for the piano, and his writing embraces the whole gamut of piano technique. Ignacy Paderewski (1860-1941), Polish pianist, composer, prime minister of Poland
But in his day, the day of salon music, when pianos were, in fact, the ‘home entertainment system,’ Moszkowski reigned. His works were widely published, and quite popular. In fact, they made him wealthy.
These include Serenata Op. 15/1, Concert Studies Op. 24, Caprice Espagnol Op. 37, Etincelles Op. 36 (especially Horowitz’s favorite, No. 6) and Guitarre Op. 45/2. Piano duets were a specialty and well-received by the public, e.g. Spanish Dances Opp. 12, 21, and 65.
Early on, Moszkowski wrote orchestral music as well, had some success, but did not see his works through publication, and now many are lost. Nevertheless, these efforts were not all a loss to him personally, they enhanced his reputation and practice as a conductor, and he was recognized with an honorary lifetime membership in the Royal Philharmonic Society in Britain where he often led from the podium.
On the personal side, as his life progressed, he faced many difficulties. He married composer Cécile Chaminaude’s sister, Henrietta (1884), and settled in London, but things would end badly. She left him for his best friend, the poet Ludwig Fulda, and took their daughter with her (1890). Divorce followed two years later (1892); the wounds never left him.
Rejoined with his daughter, by 1897 he was well off: living in Paris, in town, with a rented country house in the summer. He was in demand for lessons by aspiring musicians, including the likes of Thomas Beecham, Wanda Landowska, Josef Hofmann and Gaby Casadesus. But neurological disorders affected his arm, and caused him to give up performing. He withdrew more and more from the musical life of the capital. Some describe him at this time as a recluse.
Meanwhile, Moszkowski sold his copyrights to his popular piano works, and invested the proceeds in German, Polish and Russian stocks and bonds. In 1914, when the hostilities of WWI broke forth, all these paper assets became worthless. The once rich virtuoso and composer was broke. Former students Josef Hofmann and Bernhard Pollack rallied to his aid, surreptitiously, with monetary gifts disguised as royalties from the composer’s opera Boabdil. Friends and admirers also arranged a huge benefit concert at Carnegie Hall, December 21, 1924; it featured 15 pianos on stage. Performers included stellar names like Percy Grainger, Josef Lhévinne, and Wilhelm Backhaus, among others. The concert netted $13,275. Part was immediately wired to Moszkowski in Paris; the remainder went to purchase an annuity from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
But it was of little aid to the ailing composer. Diagnosed with stomach cancer, Moszkowski was dead within 10 weeks of the tribute concert. The funds went largely, instead, to his funeral expenses, and the remainder to family members.
Concerto
AUTHOR’S PICK
Piano Concerto in E Major, Op. 59: I. Moderato
Piano Concerto in E Major, Op. 59: II. Andante
Piano Concerto in E Major, Op. 59: III. Scherzo: Vivace
Piano Concerto in E Major, Op. 59: IV. Allegro deciso
This unknown marvel of the concerto repertory more than fulfills Paderewski’s assessment. A rich work full of oxygen, high spirits, charm and grace that one can come back to, time and again. Herein the world is not such a bad place at all. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Piano
Today Moszkowski is probably best known for his fifteen Études de Virtuosité, Op. 72. Huge stars such as Vladimir Horowitz and Marc-André Hamelin have kept these before the public. Others of his miniatures find their way onto the stage today as encores. Here we have this set on Spotify, and a special guest artist for No. 6 on youtube:
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 1 in E Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 2 in G Minor
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 3 in G Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 4 in C Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 5 in C Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 6 in F Major
Must see: Horowitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K78vuNYXzS4 “It is like an after dinner mint,” the maestro opines after tossing off the fiendishly difficult piece as if it were nothing.
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 7 in E-Flat Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 8 in C Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 9 in D Minor
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 10 in C Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 11 in A-Flat Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 12 in D-Flat Major
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 13 in A-Flat Minor
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 14 in C Minor
15 Etudes de virtuosité, Op. 72, ‘Per Aspera’ : No. 15 in B Major
Etincelles. Op. 36 No. 6
Horowitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgA6m53-KH4
Piano duets, or ‘piano four hands’-- a Moszkowski specialty
5 Deutsche Reigen, Op. 25: No. 1. Moderato
5 Deutsche Reigen, Op. 25: No. 2. Allegretto con moto
5 Deutsche Reigen, Op. 25: No. 3. Moderato e grazioso
5 Deutsche Reigen, Op. 25: No. 4. Allegro animato
5 Deutsche Reigen, Op. 25: No. 5. Allegro con brio
Five German Dances.
2 Morceaux, Op. 43: No. 1. Cortege: Allegro ma non troppo
2 Morceaux, Op. 43: No. 2. Gavotte: Moderato
Morceaux from ‘morsel,’ or piece.
4 Polnische Volkstanze, Op. 55:
No. 1. Mazurka: Allegro
No. 2. Mazurka: Allegro un poco moderato
No. 3. Polonaise: Allegretto con moto
No. 4. Krakowiak: Allegro con spirito
Four Polish folkdances.
3 Neue Spanische Tanze, Op. 65: No. 1. Allegro ma non troppo
3 Neue Spanische Tanze, Op. 65: No. 2. Andante con moto
3 Neue Spanische Tanze, Op. 65: No. 3. Habanera: Allegretto
Three new Spanish dances, sometimes more expressive than virtuosic, and so perhaps some of his very best ‘ethnic essays.’
Aus aller Herren Landern (From Foreign Lands), Op. 23:
I. Russian: Allegretto
II. Italian: Presto
III. German: Andante
IV. Spanish: Molto vivace
V. Polish: Allegro con fuoco
VI. Hungarian: Molto allegro
Moszkowski’s not-overly-spiced conception of these native styles in which the piano itself is always the star. This is not brilliant ethnomusicology, no, nor was intended to be, but it is brilliant pianism of a style that is not so often heard anymore.
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Even less known than his PC No. 2, E, is Moszkowski's PC No. 1, Op. 3, and Symphony in D Minor, (1873). Both performed February 1875, and promptly forgotten. Now, remembered, and made available, through youtube......
By the way, his name is pronounced [ mawsh-kawf-skee, -kof-]. See https://www.dictionary.com/browse/moszkowski or https://www.howtopronounce.com/polish/moszkowski/
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