Composers' descendants

[giles.enders]

Over the years I have found that many descendants of unsung composers have been most helpful with information about their forbears, some having original manuscripts others having just anecdotes. In most cases they were enthusiastic about new light being shone on their half forgotten ancestors.  Some are more than willing to help in any way they can with promoting performances.  My point here is that if members of the Forum know of any relatives, however distant it would be useful for me to hear about them. It may not be of immediate use but experience has taught me that these threads can be extremely useful.

I am surprised how many 'Unsungs' have direct descendants and how many 'Sungs' don't.
Mozart, Beethoven Schubert, Brahms, Bruckner, Mendelssohn, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Britten, Glazunov, the list is endless.

[JimL]

Mozart and Mendelssohn I'm surprised at.  Beethoven never married, nor did Schubert (I've heard some sources say he was gay or bisexual), Brahms and Bruckner were both confirmed bachelors, Tchaikovsky's sexual preferences and proclivities are, of course, well-documented, as is Britten's.  Glazunov, I think was married but childless, as was Elgar.  I know that Mozart had 2 surviving sons, but I thought he would have some surviving daughters who went on to marry.  Mendelssohn, I thought, had a rather large family, and I'm surprised that he has no descendants.

[eschiss1]

and while Liszt has, to the best of my knowledge, direct descendants, through one of his three children (of the other two Daniel having died very young and Blandine, I believe, childless?) - Cosima's children were all born Wagner, far as I know...
Mendelssohn's sister, at least, had a famous grandson or great-grandson I believe- Kurt Hensel, a mathematician of some real note. (Ex-mathematicians like me will have used his theory of "p-adic" numbers.) Not sure if she has still-living descendants.

[John H White]

The only unsung descendant I have ever come across is Barry Sterndale Bennett. Sadly I have never met him personally but was informed by his late wife when we visited her garden open day in Hampshire around 10 or 15 years ago that he had a large collection of his ancestor's manuscripts and gave free access to anyone wishing to study them. I did hear from someone else who new him the, after his wife(who was a celebrated gardening expert) died, he sold their country house and moved up to London. Sadly, as you already know, there is a lady who married into the family and is sitting on what could be his greatest masterpiece, the 6th piano concerto. 
      Cheers,
          John.           

[mbhaub]

Elgar had a daughter - Carice.

[Alan Howe]

Indeed: Carice Irene, born 14 August 1890.

[adriano]

Emmerich Kálmán, the famous operetta composer (1882-1953) had a son, Charlie, who just died last Sunday in Munich. I admired him very much as an inspired composer of Jazz-oriented work. Years ago, I attended the premiere of his Piano Concerto. He was a wonderful person and always hoped I would record some of his works, but no producer was interested...

[Wheesht]

Last September I attended a concert given in Linz, Austria in Charles Kalman's honour and in his presence. I am really glad I was able to be there and I would love to have more of his music available to listen to. I did buy a CD with the Hudson Concerto and Times Square Fantasy and other orchestral music played by the German Symphonic Pops Orchestra, and this has certainly whetted my appetite for more.

[minacciosa]

Karl Weigl has a number of descendants, as does George Frederick McKay, Pancho Vladigerov and Walter Bricht. There are also still Flagellos and Giannini's around. (One of the Giannini descendants came to Kyiv for one of my Flagello recordings.) I've been trying to track down Hadley family in ongoing efforts to locate missing manuscripts of much performed but unpublished works. I've had more luck with his wife's (Inez Barbour) family. FYI.

[Jimfin]

Carice Elgar did marry and become Mrs. Elgar Blake, but she had no children, so there are no descendents of Elgar now. Sullivan was unmarried, though his nephew Herbert was almost a son to him; Havergal Brian had five children by both his marriages.

[Delicious Manager]

I know Gareth Stainer, great-grandson of John Stainer, composer of The Crucifixion and Gabriel Prokofiev (now a sought-after composer), grandson of Sergey.

Gustav Holst had a famous composer/writer/conductor daughter Imogen (1907-84).

Aram Khachaturian's nephew Karehn Khachaturian (1920-2011) was a composer in his own right.

Conductor Oleg Caetani is the son of Igor Markevitch.

[Music33]

Last September I attended a concert given in Linz, Austria in Charles Kalman's honour and in his presence. I am really glad I was able to be there and I would love to have more of his music available to listen to. I did buy a CD with the Hudson Concerto and Times Square Fantasy and other orchestral music played by the German Symphonic Pops Orchestra, and this has certainly whetted my appetite for more.

There's on YouTube two more orchestral works by Charles Kalman : Piano Concerto No. 2 "Panamericana" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZxeY9EmvVQ
and "Three Moods" for piano and orchestra :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM1jMrTAl38
The "Hudson Concerto" (Piano Concerto No. 1) and the "Times Square Fantasy" (for two pianos) are also available :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvxnhguysrc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0renuQkzys

[Wheesht]

Thanks for those links – I still find myself having to get used to the fact that so much can now be found on YT...

[adriano]

... and Aram Khachaturian's son Karen Aramovich (the nephew is Karen Surenovich) is a longtime and dear friend of mine. Every time I visited him in Moscow I could pass hours in papa's old flat, having good food, perusing books, scores, memorabilia and manuscripts. This in the famous Moscow House of Composers. I will miss him very much since I've decided not to travel to Russia anymore... Karen Aramovich is a theatrical agent.

[sdtom]

As I was reading I suddenly became aware of the Newman family which has father, son, and grandson. Quite a generation of composers.
Tom