Hans von Bülow piano music

[Alan Howe]

This could be an interesting release:
http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//NI5876.htm

[Mark Thomas]

Very interesting. There was once a Marco Polo CD of his piano music (although about half of the numbers were transcriptions IIRC) and that certainly bore out von Bülow's own view quoted in the blurb for this CD that "others have written much better things than mine".

[Alan Howe]

An Amazon reviewer of Alan Walker's book on von Bülow says that he (i.e. the reviewer)...

<<...particularly enjoyed his (i.e. von Bülow's) withering comment about a work by Sterndale-Bennett, declaring (as Walker tells us) that "it sounded so much like Mendelssohn that it could have been written by Julius Benedict" and thus, in one fell swoop, offending (though probably not entirely unfairly) two respected Mendelssohnian acolytes of the British musical establishment.>>

Naughty, naughty...

[Mark Thomas]

Walker's biography of von Bülow is as entertaining a read as his earlier trilogy on Liszt. Unfortunately it also suffers from Walker's abiding disdain for Raff, so evident in the chapter on Raff and Liszt in the second volume of the Liszt series.

It was Raff more than anybody else who triggered von Bülow's musical career, who von Bülow regarded as his "elder brother" and whose music was tirelessly promoted by the younger man throughout his life. Raff dedicated three works to von Bülow, including his Piano Concerto, and took his side in his appalling marital problems with his wife Cosima and Wagner. Raff's daughter called him her "uncle"(so frequently was he in the their household) and the grand Raff memorial in Frankfurt was partly paid for by von Bülow, not just by a substantial gift but also by giving a series of master classes. Von Bülow wrote about Raff when he died: "Joachim Raff was my oldest, truest friend. ... With him has been buried the better part of my life. The great artist, the noble man ... served me as a model ... I can say that I looked up to him in all respects".

Yet, despite all this evidence of the closeness, both musically and as lifelong friends, of the two men and of the important position which Raff had in von Bülow's life, Walker barely mentions him in his biography. It's a serious distortion of the real picture, born out of Walker's determination to undermine any suggestion that Raff had any influence over Liszt. It's almost as if some Lisztians still resent Raff's closeness to Liszt and try to airbrush him out of the story. Such misplaced pro-Liszt zeal is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Raff's true place in the story of mid-19th century German music has still not been acknowledged.

Anyway, apologies for the rant. I feel better now, having got that out of my system.

[Alan Howe]

That's fascinating, Mark - and very revealing. It shows how prejudice can seriously distort the writing of history...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

There is a more generous representation of Raff in Kenneth Birkin's 'Hans von Bulow: a Life for Music' published a few months ago by Cambridge University Press. I accept the point about Walker - when I read the book I was struck by how Raff simply disappears as the book develops.

Alas, despite Birkin's very evident scholarship it is (in my view) a less readable book than Walker. Actually, I'm sure Walker has inflicted permanent damage on the eyes - I just couldn't put the book down! I found him wonderfully illuminating on the Cosima issue in particular and of Liszt's role in that. I finished the book thinking Bulow to be a heroic figure and of monumental importance to 19th century music. Yes, and that's another example of how prejudice can distort the writing of history! Walker is extremely persuasive of such an image of Bulow.

Peter

[Mark Thomas]

I knew nothing of Birkin's book Peter, but luckily Christmas is coming. As for Walker's tome, it is indeed very readable and one's heart does go out to von Bülow over his treatment by Wagner and Cosima. That said, he had a delightfully acid tongue, as Alan's quote earlier in this thread demonstrated.

[edurban]

"...it sounded so much like Mendelssohn that it could have been written by Julius Benedict..."



David

[Mark Thomas]

Kenneth Birkin's 'Hans von Bulow: a Life for Music' published a few months ago by Cambridge University Press

- at an eye-watering price!

[Jonathan]

Indeed - £85!!

I've read Alan Walker's book on Von Bulow and agree that it is easy to read.  I especially liked Bulow's objections to being used for advertising which made me laugh out loud.  I also agree that there was little mention of Raff in the book, as has been said, there was also a lack of detail about Raff in his Liszt books.

The CD does look good too, almost tempted to preorder it...

[Alan Howe]

Birkin's book is searchable at Amazon.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hans-von-B%C3%BClow-Life-Music/dp/1107005868/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320503908&sr=1-1#reader_1107005868

[eschiss1]

and in the USA, at Google Books.

[Mark Thomas]

Looks to be rather more detailed than Walkers (it should be, it's very much longer). It's on my Christmas list now, so maybe if I've been very, very good....

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Yes, but from the length (= number of pages) don't immediately jump to an evaluative conclusion about the book. Out of the total of 715 pages, a vast portion (pages 387-699) are devoted to "Bulow's performance chronology". Thus we start off in 1850 with Bulow conducting operatic arias from Auber, Donizetti et al in Zurich (p.387)...and pages and pages later get to the final Beethoven concerts in Berlin in 1893 (p.699).

All these pages are fascinating to dip into - and the name 'Raff' occurs with some frequency (Bulow either conducting or performing). When I got the book I didn't realise that such a large portion is given over to detailed listings of performances.

I now know that, e.g. on 28 January 1875 there he was busy with a recital in Darlington of Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Liszt. Not sure of the actual value of such knowledge!

What such a performance chronology does show vividly is that the life of a professional musician of the highest calibre and near inexhaustible energy was pretty tough in the 19th century. Our modern day Bulow, if there is indeed such a character, is aided by fast, comfortable transport (usually!), decent hotels (Bulow loved hot water and clean towels), insurance arrangements, supportive agents and concert managers, pills and potions to hold bugs at bay, carefully planned diets, health plans, orchestras of high professional standards, reliable instruments and piano tuners, techology galore etc etc.

End of amateurish historical musings. Main point of the posting is to forewarn Mark and others contemplating purchase that in acquiring the book you are in part exchanging precious resources for factual information, and lots of it. But heck, I'm sure Santa isn't prejudiced about loading up the sleigh with pure data.

Peter

[Mark Thomas]

Santa isn't prejudiced about loading up the sleigh with pure data

She'll be happy if it keeps me quiet, I'm sure.